Izuku has absolutely no idea how to react to Uraraka excusing herself right after their away party returned from Aeonia¡¯s graveyard only to quickly limp into the shrine room of the Hierarch of Conquest.
And then quickly bowing to the altar before throwing a few bones that she took from the skeletons she defeated during the battle into the sacrificial bonfire in front of it.
¡ seriously?
¡°W-what?¡± Uraraka seems to be somewhat startled by Izuku seeing what just occurred. ¡°We know for certain that this god exists, right? I think it¡¯s only fair to¡ errr¡ honor him, appropriately? I mean¡¡±
Of all the gods that your girlfriend could worship in this world
she picked up the local version of Khorne
wow
Shut up, Shigaraki.
Ochako, I get it that you¡¯re pretty¡ warlike, and you¡¯ve set up a goal for yourself in this fantasy world to fight as many powerful enemies as you can.
But it¡¯s still going a bit¡ far.
¡°Well, I definitely don¡¯t plan to get very, errr, emotionally invested in this.¡± Uraraka replies, sounding much more confident about it. ¡°I don¡¯t plan to use his name as a war cry, I don¡¯t plan to go fight his enemies, I don¡¯t plan to go on a bloody revenge crusade when someone destroys his altar here. It¡¯s just¡ something less? Admitting that he exists, giving one or two things as a sacrifice, and so on. I figured out that it¡¯s only fair, and besides, if we do get some help from upstairs, it can¡¯t hurt, right?¡±
Izuku quickly checks the [Religion] tab. And he confirms that they did obtain a very small amount of favor from Saevius, the Hierarch of Conquest. High God of Rage, Slaughter and War. Belonging to the Nine Hordes pantheon.
Their [Religion] tab didn¡¯t have many inputs aside from that. It only had the gods that they¡¯ve heard about.
The second deity from the Nine Hordes was Dolositas, the Hierarch of Deceit. High God of Thievery, Deceit and Trickery.
The only entry in the Shadowlight Covenant was their personal menace. Luna, the Hierarch of Night. High God of Anarchy, Revolution, Night and Moon.
Rampant Bloom was represented by Occasa, the Hierarch of Desolation. High God of Weeds, Parasites and Pests.
The Breathless Tide had Nex, the Hierarch of Undeath. High God of Undead, and Calamitas, the Hierarch of Disaster. High God of Bad Luck, Envy and Natural Disasters.
The Immutable Hierarchy (that was a new term) was represented by Tyrannus, the Hierarch of Chains. High God of Tyranny and Slavery.
There was also Pentagram, a faction with just a single deity: Odius, the Hierarch of Hatred, High God of Madness. Truly, the most benevolent, sane and friendly of all the gods they heard about thus far.
The only ¡®decent¡¯ deities on the list were Honor, Exarch of Authority, High God of Honor, Authority and Imperium, and Sol, Exarch of Day, High God of Sun, Light, Order and Purity. The former was listed as a part of the Ardent Flame, the latter as a Searing Light.
Were the exarchs split as well, or was it more about their personal outlook on the world? So less a separate pantheon and more of a faction? It was one of the many things left on their list of ¡®learn about eventually¡¯.
Judging from Luna referring repeatedly to Sol as her sister, it seemed to imply that the title of a ¡®High God¡¯ was used regardless of the holder¡¯s gender.
Their joint list of favors obtained by them thus far was limited to the results of Uraraka¡¯s recent sacrifice to Saevius¡ and some ¡®freebie¡¯ points they obtained from Luna. It wasn¡¯t enough to unlock Evernight, but it was enough to potentially unlock the cheapest creature on the list, the Blessing of Night.
He quickly checks out if something changed in the rest of the system. And he confirms his suspicions. Whatever Luna did, it also unlocked a shrine dedicated to them. He¡¯ll mention it to Shigaraki later.
In the meantime, he has Uraraka¡¯s religious conversion to - to quote Shigaraki - ¡®local version of Khorne¡¯ to address. Whoever Khorne was.
¡ Ochako, just promise me that you¡¯ll never turn into another Kacchan.
I admire his dedication, hard work and combat skills, but I¡¯m fully aware that he¡¯s not, errr, the most friendly person.
Coincidentally, your friendliness is one of the parts of you that I admire the most.
¡°Wha?!¡± That startles Uraraka. ¡°I¡¯d never! I might love a good fight, but I draw a line between my enemies and my friends! I fight the former, but I befriend the hell out of the latter! And this isn¡¯t going to change, ever!¡±
So¡ you won¡¯t be acting in any¡ impulsive way?
No unexpected and crazy life-changing decisions?
No acting in a way that the Ochako Uraraka I knew on Earth would find shocking?
In other words, he is asking if you¡¯re planning to go on a rampage with an axe in your hand and while chanting BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE but he is too much of a pussy to say it directly
You had to say that, didn¡¯t you?
yes
¡°I do have something very unexpected and crazy and impulsive that I plan to do when only it will be possible.¡± Uraraka replies quickly and almost cheekily. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t involve any sort of violence. I promise.¡±
¡elaborate?
¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Uraraka replies immediately. ¡°You¡¯ll know in time. Trust me and wait for it.¡±
Great.
I trust you, Ochako.
Now go and rest.
By the way, Shigaraki, Luna unlocked their shrine for us.
Really?
Oh, shit, really
¡ the moment Toga learns that Uraraka began to worship Saevius, she¡¯s going to start dropping some offerings to Luna from time to time, doesn¡¯t she?
For ¡®moving her¡¯ to a world where she can live without having to care for laws and with both her ¡®Ochako-chan¡¯ and ¡®Izukun¡¯ around her.
That¡¯s¡ likely.
We¡¯re going native worryingly quickly.
Sigh. No matter how I look at it, it¡¯s our world now.
I guess I can¡¯t fight that.
***
They assimilate the deathblade, obviously. This lets them unlock [Deathblade], a creature of the Breathless Tide with an Estimated Threat Level of 25 . Making them the strongest creature that they had in their hands. Alongside the [Burial Chamber] lair for the undeath.
If they could spawn it right now, that is. But it would make for an excellent Floor Guardian of¡ fifth level?
¡
If this is the equivalent of a level 5 Floor Guardian, just how powerful Aeonia must be to want to be a level 15 Floor Guardian or even a level 20 First Guardian?
She called herself a ¡®former deity¡¯ and ¡®pretty much an archdaemon¡¯.
What did you expect, that she¡¯d be weak and a pushover?
Still, this is insane.
By level 15, [Deathblades] will be able to wander the whole floor.
They won¡¯t even be minibosses! Just regular mobs! And we can literally fill a whole level with just them!
Well, I¡¯m definitely looking forward to all the deaths that it will cause
Eh, of course you do.
As Uraraka is busy healing and Toga is busy cooing over her injuries (to her clear discomfort that Toga doesn¡¯t seem to notice), we should expand 2nd Level.
The traps we¡¯ve installed are likely going to be more dangerous than any creature we can put right now, so we need more of them.
And I still hope to get more creatures aside from the slimes and shards.
Like what? The elementals? The spiders?
Most of them that we can put on 1st or 2nd Level are just going to be complete trash mobs
They can¡¯t really kill anyone, who comes in appropriately prepared, just delay them
Only Floor Guardian rooms can offer some stopping power, but if we put mobs there, we can¡¯t house our ¡®human¡¯ servants anywhere
¡ we¡¯re stupid.
Speak for yourself, please
No, I just realized something
The ¡®special servants¡¯ that form our ¡®court¡¯, why are we spreading them around?
What
We¡¯ll eventually centralize the servant quarters, likely on the lowest level of the Dungeon. We don¡¯t need to spread their quarters through the entirety of the Dungeon.
SHIT
You¡¯re right, you¡¯re stupid.
We should have figured it out a long time ago.
Fuck
If we house them all on the lowest Level, then considering the current size of the Dungeon and the fact that the enemies have to be on their guard while our servants can run through the Dungeon at max speed, Uraraka and Toga would still make it to the 1st Level Floor Guardian room in time to intercept them
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Yes.
In fact, we should have just gathered up the servants on the lowest level for a last stand (if needed) and rely on mobs for the defense on the higher levels.
We could also give some additional amenities to them on the lowest level, like a kitchen, some place to wash themselves properly and so on.
Sigh.
Yeah, that¡¯s going to be a major modification to the whole structure, but we should definitely get this shit done asap
Monoma and Spinner are delayed a bit more, aren¡¯t they?
Yeah
We gotta do this first
The list of priorities goes like this:
1. Finish the Sen¡¯s Fortress Lite
2. Expand to 3rd Level and put all our servants there, with a Node Room or two if needed
3. Improve creatures on the upper layers
4. Get Monoma and Spinner going
Yes.
I have an idea concerning the ¡®improve creatures¡¯ bit
Go on?
After a while of talking it through, his idea is accepted. But it¡¯s something for later to make into reality. So, in the meantime, they decide to immediately move over to point 1 of Shigaraki¡¯s list.
And they get it done, at the cost of another brief blackout. Izuku still hates that entire mechanism with passion.
This time it¡¯s even worse than usual as they missed a lot of the post-expedition period of patching-up and exchanging combat experiences to get better for the next time.
As for the 2nd Level, Shigaraki decided to make it even more lethal. How? Well, by making the last lengthy ball route be a dead end one, with the tunnel to Yaoyorozu and Kirishima¡¯s living quarters (and the Throne Room) branching off in the middle of it.
If you missed it out due to running for your life in a dimly lit corridor, you were going to die.
And it was entirely possible to miss it entirely due to five previous ball traps requiring you to run all the way to the very end in order to avoid getting squashed. If you did the same thing for the sixth time in a row¡ you¡¯d die.
1. Entrance. 2. Boulder Start. 3. Boulders End. 4. Dead End. 5. Throne Room
This has emptied their Residual Mana storage. Thankfully, it was refilling pretty quickly. But, in the meantime, they have some free time for themselves.
Izuku quickly checks on Ochako (who was fast asleep, her broken leg having clearly healed by now). Then he quickly checks on Himiko (who was also fast asleep, in her own bed surprisingly enough).
He checks on Kirishima, and finds him sleeping in his own bed, snoring quite loudly. Izuku is standing to notice a pattern there.
He decides to check up on Yaoyorozu-san, only to find her walking through the 2nd Level, likely heading to her quarters. Huh, at least one person wasn¡¯t asleep.
Sorry to interrupt you, but did Ochako heal properly?
Look, he had to start that talk somehow, okay?
¡°Hmm?¡± Yaoyorozu raises her head. ¡°Oh, yes, she did. Not immediately, but it¡¯s clear that being in a place with sufficient Ambient Mana Level is accelerating our healing process. I don¡¯t think that it¡¯ll help with lethal injuries, though. And it¡¯s too slow to be useful in combat.¡±
I see.
I have a question for you.
You¡¯re knowledgeable on nearly every subject imaginable. Does this include the religious history of our world?
Yaoyorozu sighs loudly.
¡°Religion has been a part of human history ever since it began.¡± She then says. ¡°Like economy and war. You clearly have a question in mind, and before I¡¯ll be able to say if I can help you with it, you¡¯ll have to specify what part of the subject it touches.¡±
Religious beliefs in the times of the Roman Empire.
¡°Looks like I¡¯m not the only one to notice that the High Gods seem to be named in Latin.¡± Yaoyorozu replies immediately. ¡°Like Saevius, whose name seems to be derived from the Latin word meaning ¡®cruel¡¯, ¡®barbarous¡¯ or ¡®savage¡¯.¡±
Yes.
Now that I think about it, the beastkin Elder mentioned something called the ¡®limitanei¡¯, apparently some sort of armed forces of some major empire in the area.
Sounded like a first line of defense, she mentioned how the beastkin could overwhelm them only to be crushed once the ¡®real¡¯ army would arrive.
¡°Limitanei is the name for the Roman Empire¡¯s frontier defense forces established sometime between late 3rd and early 4th Century.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Yes, this does begin to sound more and more Roman to me. What exactly did you want to ask? That religious question?¡±
I wanted to know how religious worship ¡®worked like¡¯ in the Roman Empire.
¡°That¡¯s¡ still way too wide of a subject.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while turning the corner. ¡°I assume that you¡¯re referring to Uraraka¡¯s recent religious conversion?¡±
Kind of.
You know of it?
¡°I figured it out from the context clues.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Like Uraraka heading to his shrine after the expedition. Despite having a broken tibia. And me knowing how much she loves fighting.¡±
I see.
I¡¯m just not sure what to think about it and I don¡¯t want her to feel bad because of that.
So I¡¯m trying to figure it out before she wakes up.
¡°Hmm¡¡± Yaoyorozu thinks it over for a few seconds. ¡°It¡¯s not an easy subject to talk about, most of what I can give you are speculations. Even if I know some things about the Roman Empire, there¡¯s no guarantee that it works the same way here.¡±
I¡¯ll take that, if there¡¯s nothing better.
¡°Early on, the Western paganism saw gods as bigger, better humans, with their worship being best imagined as a form of a communal filial piety.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, beginning her lecture. ¡°They were the ¡®parents¡¯ of your city, your tribe or so on. You respected them and acknowledged their existence, thanked them when you thought they helped you, apologized if something bad happened and you felt that it was because you somehow insulted them, cared for their houses and belongings and so on.¡±
It sounds similar to shinto.
I think.
My family wasn¡¯t big on that, to be honest.
¡°Not exactly unexpected, shintoism has been in decline for a long time now.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°The thing is, ¡®godlessness¡¯ and ¡®excess piety¡¯ were both looked down upon. Godlessness was bad because you ignored those that gave you what you have and didn¡¯t honor them as you should. Excess piety was bad because you shouldn¡¯t debase yourself in front of your parents, and you shouldn¡¯t be all over them constantly. It was beneath your dignity as a human being.¡±
So, take part in festivals and public rituals, grant them some offerings when appropriate, and other than that, just live your life as you should and don¡¯t bother them?
¡°Yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°It changed over time, however. Philosophy destroyed the foundation of traditional paganism in the West, at least among the intellectuals of its time, by asking questions that were really hard to counter. For example: There are no minotaurs around, no nymphs that we can go and find, so how are you so certain that Zeus exists if all that we know about him comes from the same myths?¡±
I can see how your answer will be almost pure speculation.
Isn¡¯t hamadryad a type of nymph?
¡°It is.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. That did indeed complicate the situation greatly. ¡°To finish my line of thought, the philosophical outlook on religion began to evolve, creating various religious movements that seeked to remake the very foundation of the traditional religions. Usually drifting towards some forms of monotheism. An example might be neoplatonism, which saw gods as being bigger than humans, but still merely a higher order emanation of a being they called The One, which was a transcendent being that predated everything else, from which everything else was born and to which all would return.¡±
That¡ sounds kind of familiar.
¡°It is, indeed.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. They all knew Ibara Shiozaki, even if not closely. ¡°A big part of the religious turmoil of the later Roman Empire was about which of the growing monotheistic or semi-monotheistic doctrines would take over and replace the crumbling polytheism. Christianity? Neoplatonic interpretation of old paganism? Manicheism? However, in this world, the existence of the gods appears to be a confirmed fact.¡±
So you think that the most likely solution is that the world out there operates largely on the ¡®early paganism¡¯ rules?
¡°This appears to be likely, yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, although Izuku can hear at least some reservations in her voice. ¡°However, I¡¯d argue that it appears likely for some deities. Like the exarchs. Judging from what Luna has been saying about Pentagram creatures being likely to drive us insane, and from what Aeonia apparently mentioned about the treatment of Rampant Bloom worshippers, at least some Hierarchs appear to work¡ differently .¡±
As in, they somehow corrupt people?
¡°To some degree, yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. Izuku definitely didn¡¯t want to hear that. ¡°However, we¡¯re fine with using Rampant Bloom creatures. This suggests to me that Pentagram can corrupt its worshippers and everything that comes in contact with it, but the same cannot be said about Rampant Bloom. So, my guess is that Occasa is simply more involved with her worshippers, actively promoting the extreme forms of ¡®excess piety¡¯ I mentioned above. Creating violent cults and so on.¡±
Likely offering them some forms of magical power, which they use to guide the creatures that their deity spawns in order to convert the world in her image.
Thus forming some twisted feedback loop of ¡®more atrocities -> more power -> more atrocities¡¯.
¡°Correct.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. She is almost at the Throne Room, likely planning to catch a shut eye and rest. She didn¡¯t mention it, but¡ Izuku has his guesses.
So, what I¡¯m getting out of it, is that we can offer shit to all gods (aside from the Pentagram ones), even Occasa if we were for some reason insane enough to do it, for as long as we¡¯re not getting a power trip out of it
In short, it¡¯s fine to give Occasa a $100 to fuck off, because she does exist and we¡¯re just admitting she exists and has influence over the world and we¡¯re just sticking to the ¡®filial piety¡¯ thing
having a healthy respect towards what¡¯s greater and older than us
But the moment we start getting emotionally invested in her ¡®religious doctrine¡¯ and we go into the ¡®excess piety¡¯ field, shit will start to go bad
Did I get it correct?
¡°Y-yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, clearly surprised with Tomura joining the talk. And even more by him saying some actually sensible things. ¡°That¡¯s what I suspect as of now. I still do not recommend getting involved with Occasa, but Saevius is likely a much safer bet.¡±
Right.
Now that I think about it, the Elder mentioned how the beastkin are sometimes recruited by that not-Roman empire as mercenaries.
So I guess that the whole ¡®Nine Hordes¡¯ thing can¡¯t be that bad.
¡°Yes, it sounds so to me.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°From what I heard about the local beastkin, they¡¯re clearly just a somewhat savage tribal population. Far from the worst by our world¡¯s standards, as we¡¯re yet to see them indulge in cannibalism or anything akin to that.¡±
In short, you can reason with them, but it¡¯s entirely likely that if you have something shiny, they¡¯ll steal it from you
while thinking that it¡¯s alright because you were a dumbass to not protect it well
and they¡¯re much more likely than the civilized folks to club you in the head while stealing said shiny thing
¡°That¡¯s a bit¡ rough way of describing it.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°But it¡¯s not entirely incorrect. In fact, it might be quite correct. They likely have a certain degree of what you¡¯d consider a martial honor, but it¡¯s the sort of thing that tends to apply only to those that can stand up to them.¡±
After thinking back on how the beastkin acted while within his Domain, Izuku can see that being a thing. They were¡ definitely rather rough people.
I see.
I guess that Ochako has found the perfect middle-ground by herself then.
You pretty much cited her words about taking the middle-ground, not going too far, just admitting to herself that gods exist and that respecting them properly definitely can¡¯t hurt.
¡°That¡¯s definitely reassuring.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while nodding to herself. ¡°It makes sense, Uraraka-san might not be a polymath genius, but she is definitely smarter than most. And her common sense is a potent force indeed.¡±
Yes. Yes, it is.
Sigh
Your mutual pining is getting annoying to watch
You want me to show you something scarier than Cat Might?
God, no
Good.
¡°Anyway, I¡¯m planning to go to sleep now.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to announce. She was almost at her quarters, walking through the Throne Room. ¡°And I¡¯d prefer to go to sleep without having to listen to any of you, my positive feelings for one of you aside.¡±
Right, my bad.
We¡¯ll likely just skip time until any of you wakes up or until someone enters the Dungeon.
¡°Very well.¡± Yaoyorozu nods while pulling the curtain covering the entrance to her room aside, only to freeze suddenly. ¡°Before I forget - Midoriya-kun, if you would be so kind, I¡¯d gladly get my hands on proper writing supplies as I¡¯d love to be able to start noting down all the things that I¡¯ve learned about this world. And, naturally, on any locally written book that you can get me.¡±
That won¡¯t be a problem, Yaoyorozu-san.
Well, it will be a problem because we¡¯re in the middle of nowhere, but it won¡¯t be a problem for me to deliver things to you if we find them.
¡°Great.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while walking into her quarters. ¡°Thank you, and good night, Midoriya-kun.¡±
I¡¯m not surprised that she didn¡¯t even say goodbye to me
But did it at least sting?
No
Shame.
23. Party Grows Once More
They¡¯ve decided to take it easy for a moment and focus on internal expansions before having anyone go on another outside trip, if only because they wanted to establish appropriate defenses asap.
Yes, the chances of anyone wandering in were pretty small, but it did happen with Ekana, so they decided to not risk it happening again.
Kirishima and Uraraka spent most of the time training, Yaoyorozu joining them occasionally unless she was going on a lengthy walk through the Dungeon to let herself think. Toga was either playing with Slimy-chan in her room or following Uraraka wherever she went, to chat. Or to just observe her at work.
Or at combat training. There was something in Ochako Uraraka using her body to move around rapidly or to swing her spear that seemed to really grind Toga¡¯s gears. Uraraka¡¯s response to that was usually to make Toga work her ass for that sight, pulling her into additional combat training.
They had [Skills] and [Abilities] but knowing how to properly use them both in combat was another subject altogether.
Still, Izuku was growing increasingly confused at what exactly Ochako was thinking about Himiko, as aside from some physical violence (during the training) and a few cases of wrapping her arms around Himiko¡¯s neck (when she was going too far) with clear threat of strangulation, there was just¡ nothing more that he¡¯d consider to be a potential sign of hostility .
Yes, that would be plenty of hostility for most people, but considering what Ochako thought about Himiko before they were reborn here, that was a massive change. In fact, a few times, Izuku noticed Ochako acting almost playful, joking and laughing together with Himiko (or laughing at Himiko), to clear confusion from Kirishima and Yaoyorozu.
To return to the constructive things, some time later they¡¯ve gathered enough Residual Mana to expand the Dungeon with one more level, only to (soon after that) go through with point two from Shigaraki¡¯s list.
Soon after the 3rd Level was born, they went through another blackout, which was accompanied by the development of four quarters. With the normal Ambient Mana Level of 3rd Level being 1.4 (which would soon upgrade to 1.6) that was enough for Toga and Uraraka and would be enough for Yaoyorozu, but not quite so for Kirishima.
So, they end up making small, curtain-covered ¡®vents¡¯ connecting their houses to the Throne Room, to make them ¡®technically¡¯ qualify as a part of it. That should work well, right.
They¡¯ve also got them a small common room, just a table with a number of chairs around and a series of cupboards by a wall. Toga immediately runs away from the Dungeon to catch something tasty so that they can eat it together.
She returns some time later with a dead deer that she butchers by the entrances, before cooking some of it over a campfire and bringing it down to their living room.
1. Entrance, 2. Common Room, 3. Throne Room.
¡°I¡¯m afraid that I have to excuse myself from the feast.¡± Yaoyorozu says when she is invited by Toga and Uraraka to their small house party. And yes, it¡¯s something that they both were at this point organizing.
¡°Why?¡± Uraraka asks. It¡¯s clear from the frown on Toga¡¯s face that she thinks it was about her.
¡°One of the things I noticed about an elven body is that it lacks fangs.¡± Yaoyorozu surprises them both, before opening her mouth and pointing at her teeth. Yes, there¡¯s a definite lack of fangs there. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that elves do not eat meat. I¡¯d rather not discover that by vomiting out everything I ate.¡±
Toga¡¯s frown suddenly vanishes. Looks like it wasn¡¯t about her, after all.
¡°That¡ makes sense.¡± Uraraka decides. ¡°But you can just drop by and hang around, right?¡± Looks like she decided to bring them all back together¡ or else .
¡°Alright.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to surrender, if only because she didn¡¯t want to make Toga feel excluded.
The party itself wasn¡¯t very eventful, but it was pretty¡ okay . Slightly awkward, but okay.
Kirishima seemed to have an absolutely voracious appetite (at least, when he had something to eat, as otherwise he could do without it thanks to being part of the Dungeon). Yaoyorozu clearly didn¡¯t know how to act around Toga, and seemed to be confused about Uraraka for some reason knowing how to do it.
Izuku decides to ask Uraraka about it some time later.
You¡¯re really trying to get Toga involved, aren¡¯t you?
¡°Yeah.¡± Uraraka nods. She was on her way back to her quarters after the party, which - considering how close it was now - was going to be over very quickly. ¡°I mean, her antics are kinda funny when you take away the threat of being violently murdered.¡±
She really does act like a cat sometimes, yeah.
In this particular case, her moment of intense felineness was deciding (close to the end of the party) that it¡¯s enough for her and she wants to take a quick nap. She was now in her room, wrapped around Slimy-chan.
She was very indecisive and moody. Just like a cat. Then again, she was somewhat like this even before they all landed here, just with more murder attempts and a really warped look on the concept of love.
¡°She does so, yeah.¡± Uraraka nods while entering her own room. ¡°I think it¡¯s that ¡®I do what I want¡¯ thing at play. I do have some moments of having a wolf¡¯s instincts flaring up, I just ignore them. She, in the meantime, embraces doing whatever she wants.¡±
That¡ makes sense.
I know that I¡¯m going to sound contradictory, but it immensely surprises me just how friendly you are towards her.
¡°Well, if I¡¯m friendly to her, despite what happened between us in the past, then the others won¡¯t feel like kicking her out of the group, right?¡± Uraraka says while sitting on the verge of her bed. ¡°So I¡¯m doing my best to make her feel accepted and make the others realize that she¡¯s accepted. We can¡¯t risk the group splitting on us, right?¡±
That much wasn¡¯t¡ incorrect. However, there was something that Izuku had to point out.
We still will have a split, sooner or later.
We might be able to, uhm, live alongside Mr. Compress, Gentle Criminal or Twice, but can you imagine the same thing with Dabi?
¡°Well¡ good point.¡± Uraraka admits. ¡°But if we keep the others more or less accepted, it¡¯ll be just him, right?¡±
Right. Makes sense.
Well, I guess that¡¯s all from me. Go to sleep.
By the time you wake up, the Dungeon should have four levels!
¡°R-really?¡± That for some reason startles Uraraka. ¡°So quickly? That¡¯s¡ that¡¯s great!¡±
¡ anything you want to tell me?
¡°Nope.¡± Uraraka pouts a little. ¡°Go do your job!¡±
***
It took them two whole days, but they did get their job done. Splitting their 1st Level into two, making a creature-based 1st Level (with an entrance and the shrines) and then a trap-based 2nd Level that took most of the past 1st Level.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
1. Entrance, 2. Guest Room, 3 & 4. Religious Chambers, 5. Spider Breeding Chambers, 6. Floor Guardian Room, 7. Hidden Tunnel, 8. Secret Exit, 9. Mining area - Cassiterite, 10. Mining Area - Malachite
They¡¯ve discovered some additional things about themselves in the meantime, proving to them that Dungeons could develop completely new unlocks on its own, for as long as their ¡®minds¡¯ developed them.
Their biggest discovery was that they could make three different types of ¡®exits¡¯. One of them was the main entrance, one that literally had to be a thing and couldn¡¯t be moved. That¡¯s where most of the mana was vented out from.
Second was one ¡®fake¡¯ exit. They¡¯ve put one in the sort of ¡®guest room¡¯ by the entrance, made with an intent of hopefully delaying further visits in their Dungeon by making people just¡ rest before attempting it.
They¡¯ve made a fake exit there, which works as a vent. There¡¯s a campfire there (one that Toga will be using for her cooking, at least until they get one created on their current 4th Level), with a ¡®fake exit¡¯ in the ceiling above, venting the smoke¡ somewhere.
This was likely also a thing for [Growing Areas], making fake ceilings letting sunlight in. From nowhere. Dungeons were ¡ complicated.
The other exit was¡ literally, just an exit. One that could have almost the entirety of the mana flow cut out, and yet being somewhat warped , in that it could connect the 1st Floor of the Dungeon (and first Floor only) with a chosen location in the vicinity of the Dungeon¡¯s main entrance.
¡®Vicinity¡¯, in this case, meant ¡®within about a kilometer¡¯. They¡¯ve set the fake exit above the cliff face that housed the main entrance, which should give them a good observation spot. With someone with an actual good eyesight (like, Yaoyorozu - and just that, at least for now) placed up there, they should be able to detect incoming visitors before they¡¯d enter the Dungeon.
They should also be able - at some point in the more distant future, once they¡¯d become ¡®civilized¡¯ officially - to have their servants leave the Dungeon without the visitors noticing them.
They¡¯ve put the secret exit on a hidden tunnel that connected it with the entrance section through a secret crawlspace, with another such crawlspace allowing one to exit this section into the Floor Guardian Room.
They¡¯ve figured out an even better way of hiding the ¡®maintenance tunnels¡¯, with some well placed Slimes and Shards being able to open them from the inside at will. This meant that even if someone among their servants was in the entrance section when a visitor was spotted, they¡¯d have the time to run away through the maintenance tunnel and go down a level.
There were three more features to this level.
The first one were two [Spider Breeding Chambers], each of them looking akin to the place they found in that mine. A lot of eggs, a lot of cocoons, a lot of things crawling over them. Each of them slightly larger than their room should have been.
There were spiders there. [Giant Biter Spider] and [Giant Spitter Spiders]. It seemed that [Lairs] were capable of spawning those independently, without wasting their own Residual Mana, at the cost of it taking time.
They were now twenty Giant Spiders inhabiting the 1st Level, covering the walls with their webs and generally being pretty creepy, every [Lair] maintaining ten of them. There were also two [Spider Maidens], which due to the AML mechanics, quickly set up shop in the [Floor Guardian Room].
With their servants now being something else, those two humanoid spiders (with a handful of regular spiders lounging around) have become their first ¡®proper¡¯ Floor Guardians. Or, to be more exact, their first ¡®proper¡¯ Floor Guardian, just a plural one.
The second features were two [Mining Areas], each of them located close to a [Lair], which meant that attempting to mine things there for a prolonged period of time would mean inviting spiders to harass you regularly.
Look, they can¡¯t make themselves be too easy, alright?
One of those mining areas was filled with [Cassiterite] ore, which was a tin ore. The other, with [Malachite], which was a copper ore.
The third feature of the new and likely final 1st Level design was the religious corner. They were going to set up every unlocked shrine by the entrance, to (hopefully) farm religious favor thanks to the outside visitors.
There was now a shrine to Luna placed there. The statue pictured them as a tall, androgynous figure with their face covered with blurry shadow, holding a sword in their hands, its blade pointing down.
At the symbol of a sun placed at the feet of the figure itself.
That¡¯s¡ very on the nose. Even for Luna.
True
We¡¯ll probably end up having to add the shrines to the gods that some of our servants began to worship on the living floor, right?
Eventually, for now it¡¯s the sort of ¡®quality of life¡¯ upgrade that isn''t crucial, and we shouldn¡¯t waste mana on it.
Their next move is fixing up the second level.
Here, the changes were going to be minimal. But they were a necessity.
Setting up a proper entrance to it, now that it was no longer 1st Level.
Expanding their old fall trap by making another one right after it, banking on some newcomers to jump over the first one and hopefully falling into the second one (Shigaraki¡¯s idea, obviously).
They¡¯ve left the Node Room and Floor Guardian Room where they were, despite not having anyone to place there right now, once Uraraka and Toga moved out. That was fine - it still produced some Residual Mana and expanded their storage capacity.
We¡¯re going to make it a 3rd Level sooner or later.
Hamadryad & Co?
Yes. And probably some [Growing Areas].
That will make the Living Room into the 5th Level (and, by the way, will allow us to manifest outside of the Core to have some time for ourselves).
I sure as hell look forward to that
Yes.
I think that we¡¯d then add a new 3rd Level and focus it on the elementals (just a lot of them), thus making the boulder traps level the 5th one, finishing the first segment of the Dungeon (the [Limestone Cave]), allowing us to move over to the [Iron Mine] one.
Fucking cool.
1. Entrance, 2. Slime Trap, 3. Projectile Trap, 4. Node Room, 5. Hidden Tunnel, 6. Floor Guardian Room.
They also remove the 3rd Level¡¯s quarters, which helps them recover some of the mana used to create them. This concludes the whole list of the changes, and only makes them further look forward towards being able to manifest outside.
They really need to rest from having to remain in constant contact with one another. That was¡ exhausting.
Monoma and Spinner come next?
Yes
We need to bulk up some more
We should also give each of them their own room on the living level.
Are you also adding a shrine there while at it?
No
A rare moment of lucidity from you
1. Entrance, 2. Common Room, 3. Throne Room
They all gather up in the Throne Room for the moment of their new allies being born. And, in case they went slightly crazy (so, normal behavior for Monoma) doing something stupid, like attacking the Core.
Spinner gets [Bow Proficiency II], [Tail Splitter School I], [Butchering III], [Mana Pathways I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Tracking II], [Hunting III], [Sneaking III], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Close Wounds], [Hard Scales], [Lacerating Claws] and [Vertical Movement]. Making him a [Barbarian Archer, lvl 15].
When asked about it, Yaoyorozu made it clear that lizards had very good eyesight, which made Spinner the best character to be their first archer. They¡¯ve given him a [Shortbow] in the North Vestirian style with an appropriate quiver and a number of [Stone Arrows] (which is the only type of arrows they have available currently, at least they are pretty sharp, and the standard [Tribal Outfit] (akin to what Uraraka was wearing but tailored to his body).
Yes, it had pants.
They¡¯ve elected to not add any additional weapon proficiencies for melee combat, as [Lacerating Claws] and [Hard Scales] seemed to imply that his body could be a pretty good weapon.
Giving him [Butchering III] is a sign that it¡¯s time for some upgrades to Toga, who was still running on her entry level stats, while no longer being limited to the AML of 1.2.
Her new stats include [Dagger Proficiency II], [Tiger Claw School I], [Butchering III], [Basic Cooking II], [Basic Bone Carving II], [Mana Pathways I], [Tracking III], [Hunting III], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Sneaking III], [Pickpocketing III], [Trapping II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Sharpen Claws], [Cat Leap]. Making her a [Barbarian Rogue, lvl 14].
Finally, Neito Monoma.
The stats that he received included [Dagger Proficiency II] (for self defense, they were planning to upgrade this skill for Toga if possible but not for Monoma), [Herbalism [Vestiria] II], [Basic Alchemy I], [Red Core I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [North Vestirian Language, Written VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Wrath Magic I], [Rage], [Enraged Blow] and [Ignore Injury].
As for his equipment, they¡¯ve picked a [Shaman Outfit] from the list, before giving him weapons in the form of a dagger similar to ones that Toga was using, and a [Brass Bell] which seemed to be some sort of magic staff equivalent for the shamans.
It was¡ well, a bell, made of brass (big shock), but the moving part seemed to be made from a small, red crystal.
This all totaled to a [Shaman, lvl 13].
One moment there were only four people in the Throne Room. The next, there were six. And then shouting started.
¡°Aaah, the heroes!¡± Spinner freaks out instantly, before trying to raise his weapon to defend himself, only to realize that for some reason he was carrying a bow instead of his sword. ¡°What?¡±
Bro, chill
Tomura here, remember me?
Your best friend and leader?
¡°Oh, errrr.¡± Spinner only now manages to notice Toga, who waves to him from the side of the short line of heroes. ¡°What happened? And where are you?¡±
We¡¯ve gotten isekaid. And I¡¯m now a Dungeon Manager, unfortunately together with that little shit, Midoriya
¡°We¡¯ve gotten¡ WOW!¡± Spinner throws his arms up. ¡°WE¡¯VE GOTTEN ISEKAID! MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE! FUCK YES!¡±
Monoma gives him a very cold (and very confused) look before turning his head towards his fated archenemies from the 1-A. He seems to have already realized that he had a large pair of fox ears on top of his head.
¡°I¡¯ve been isekai¡¯d?¡± He asks. When Yaoyorozu and Kirishima nod. ¡°With you?¡± They nod again, this time alongside Uraraka. ¡°And you¡¯ve got so many of your classmates here, somehow, before bringing a single one from the naturally superior class 1-B?¡±
¡°Dude, chill down.¡± Kirishima shakes his head. ¡°Bad news for you, we¡¯re not coming back, and there are no longer any classes. We¡¯re all just random people trying to survive.¡±
Monoma stares at him for maybe three seconds before falling onto his knees.
¡°Noooo!¡± He shouts while staring at the ceiling, throwing his arms around. ¡°NOOOOO! Gods, why have you forsaken me?!¡±
¡ being too loud, huh.
I told you so.
24. Copium
The next few hours are¡ kind of wild.
Spinner is absolutely overjoyed to be in a fantasy world, is perfectly alright with not returning home (the fact that he¡¯s definitely far from being the strangest looking guy around probably helps) and literally can¡¯t ask them questions quickly enough.
This led them to stop trying to entertain said questions and instead consign Tomura to the fate of bringing Spinner up to date. A task that he took up with surprising enthusiasm.
Thus once again reminding Izuku of how he accidentally made him decide that he¡¯d become a better villain. Ouch.
Monoma, in the meantime, is absolutely inconsolable. Uraraka decides to try to cheer him up with food, which leads to Monoma sitting by the table in their living room, eating a solid chunk of freshly cooked meat¡ while still crying.
Kirishima was sitting right next to him, and did his best to console him. That sure, the rivalry that built the majority of his image and made it a real focus on his personality might have been gone now, but surely, he can develop it all again! And if he wants to, Kirishima will gladly become his rival!
After all, competition is manly. Doubly so where it¡¯s a competition of manly men, striving to become ever manlier in the process.
In Izuku¡¯s opinion, Monoma was latching onto the whole rivalry as a form of coping with a shock that getting isekai caused him, so it wasn¡¯t exactly the best way to do it, but¡ it was better than nothing.
And besides he had no idea how to approach the problem better.
¡°Such a drama queen.¡± Uraraka sighs. She was listening to them from around the intersection in front of the living room.
¡°He¡¯s funny.¡± Toga comments. She was, of course, orbiting somewhere close to Uraraka at all times, except for when the latter was in her room. Toga learned her lesson. ¡°A bit too loud, but funny.¡±
¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Uraraka shakes her head. ¡°Then again, if his magic is about making others stronger by making them angrier, he has that in the bag. And if he goes too far, we¡¯ll just bring Itsuka Kendou to keep him straight.¡±
¡°How does she do that?¡± Toga looks at her curiously.
¡°In the best way.¡± Uraraka replies with a grin. ¡°With physical violence. Knocks him out each time he does that and drags him away while apologizing for him being a dumbass.¡±
¡°That sounds really funny!¡± Toga grins back at her. ¡°I wanna see it! And I think that you¡¯re looking forward to it as well!¡±
Judging from the look on Uraraka¡¯s face that Toga¡¯s words get, she¡¯s absolutely right about it.
I don¡¯t want to ruin the mood, but¡ cut that man some slack.
We were pro-heroes in training, we all had images that we embraced, roles that we played.
He just got a bit too immersed into his acting. And then all of that flew out of the windows, so he is now trying to find a way to cope with it.
Although I agree that his chosen role was particularly¡ annoying.
Uraraka gasps loudly (and fakely).
¡°Izuku actually said that something was annoying!¡± She says loudly. ¡°Truly, Monoma has crossed the line! Toga, it¡¯s time to solve the problem, right now!¡±
¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± Toga salutes to her. ¡°But only if you call me Himiko! Like all my friends do!¡±
Izuku was about to respond to Uraraka¡¯s fake declaration of having to kill Monoma for annoying him (at least that¡¯s how he interpreted her words) when Himiko spoke. Toga definitely took both him and Uraraka off-guard with her sudden declaration of¡ friendship.
¡°Eh?¡± Uraraka blinks at her. ¡°You want me to call you¡ really?¡± Toga nods a few times, very quickly. ¡°Well, I¡ alright? If you really want it, then I¡¯ll call you Himiko.¡±
¡°Yey!¡± Himiko cheers. ¡°Now let¡¯s go kill Monoma together!¡±
Izuku can tell from the look on Uraraka¡¯s face alone that she didn¡¯t expect the situation to develop in this direction and has just realized that she agreed to calling a woman that has actually killed some people back on Earth by her first name.
That has given her some complicated feelings that she struggled to unpack.
The fact that she was more confused about it than about beating Monoma up was saying a lot of things about her character. And about Izuku¡¯s, as he, too, was more concerned with Himiko¡¯s plea to move over to being on the first name basis.
Then, Uraraka goes ¡®fuck it¡¯ and decides to ignore the entire subject.
¡°Tempting, but we need him.¡± Uraraka replies, Toga sighing loudly. ¡°Don¡¯t you sigh on me, we might do that in the future, if he doesn¡¯t do his job properly.¡±
And that seems to somewhat improve her mood. Izuku definitely doesn¡¯t want to unpack any of that.
***
¡°So, no waifus?¡± Spinner asks in the far corner of the Throne Room, where Midoriya, the annoying not-offspring of All Might likely isn¡¯t listening in.
None thus far
The catgirl that showed up soon after our arrival tried to kill us
Ever since then there were only two local women of note
One of them is way too old and more of a All for One type of person
And no, I don¡¯t like him anymore
¡°Great.¡± Spinner nods. ¡°I haven¡¯t liked him, ever. Shady character to say the least.¡±
Man, if you only knew
Turns out that he might have been the one that manipulated me into killing Mon-chan
And my family
Spinner gasps loudly. He made someone kill their beloved dog to manipulate them in their most vulnerable state?! All for One did such a thing? What a monster. Truly, Stain would have never willingly followed such a fiend!
Oh, and he also had Tomura kill his family.
Yeah
Anyway, fuck that guy
We¡¯re in a fantasy world now and if we ever bring him in, he¡¯ll only have the skills we¡¯ll give him
A part of me wants to summon him as lowest level trash mob just to make the adventurers kill him over and over while laughing at his desperate attempts to look scary
Like a freaking level one goblin
¡°Brutal, but very fitting for that guy.¡± Spinner decides. All for One was going to get a brain aneurysm after a day of such treatment. For him, it was literally a fate worse than death. ¡°What about the other woman?¡±
Former elven deity, imagine that
Tall, graceful, scarcely clothed, and yet acts, speaks and walks as you¡¯d expect a deity to
If she stepped on me I¡¯d say thank you
¡°Wait.¡± Spinner blinks. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a thing with you and pretty much all women?¡±
Shhhhh
SHHHHHHH
Never ever speak aloud about stuff that Midoriya can use against me if he overhears them
He can¡¯t hear me when I don¡¯t want him to hear it, but he can easily overhear you
He would never let me live that down
you have no idea what sort of monster he is in private
¡°H-he is?!¡± Spinner stammers. That was¡ terrifying! ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! He impressed both All Might and Stain , there is no way that he can have a monstrous side!¡±
He is absolutely fucked up in the head
trust me
He has been terrorizing me with the shit that came to this fucked up head of his almost from day one
ugh
Look, let¡¯s talk about something else
Return to the previous subject, please
¡°Okay.¡± Spinner decides to listen to his friend(?). ¡°So, a deity? Huh. You¡¯re trying to live a power fantasy here, and that¡¯s freaking awesome, boss.¡±
I know, right?
There¡¯s a catch though
She¡¯s now an undead.
She looks perfectly as if she was alive, but is really, really pale.
¡°So, she¡¯s just like a vampire?¡± Spinner thinks it over for a minute. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s fair and valid, I think? Lusting after a vampire doesn¡¯t make you a degenerate, right? It¡¯s not being a furry, I mean.¡±
Bruh, we¡¯ve had that talk already
you¡¯re the last person to have problems with furries
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°No.¡± Spinner says, dragging the word over. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve brought me with you over to your isekai adventure and I have to say it: you¡¯re my best friend, from now and onward into forever.¡±
poggers
Also, yes
I¡¯m looking forward to having someone to actually be on my side, Toga has sold us out for the very prospect of getting her dream threesome with ¡®her cuties¡¯
I also decided to become a better villain and open up more to my followers, being less of a self-centered dick at times
¡°That¡¯s¡ cool.¡± Spinner replies. He is surprised by the character development of his friend/boss, but also somewhat on guard. He is, however, completely unsurprised with Toga selling them out for two cute heroic butts. If someone asked him back in Japan, it was just a matter of time. ¡°But I think that was something you¡¯d have to do by definition. I mean, you can¡¯t just lock yourself in the room and play videogames, right?¡±
Please don¡¯t remind me that there are no videogames here
It hurts, man
And we didn¡¯t even get waifus to compensate
It sucks
¡°Yeah, it seems so.¡± Spinner nods to himself. ¡°Still, it has only just begun. Future might be better, so let¡¯s be optimistic, right?¡±
Right!
***
Monoma eventually recovers, and manages to act more or less normal. They understand the reason for that some time later, when he encounters Uraraka and Toga in one of the corridors of the Living Level.
¡°Aha!¡± He announces loudly, the very timbre of his voice inspiring Uraraka¡¯s killing urges. ¡°There you are! Cats and dogs, both of them inferior by default to their peak form - foxes! The cat software is running on the dog¡¯s hardware! The best of both worlds!¡±
Silence in the corridor, Monoma staring at them and clearly expecting some reaction out of his¡ victims.
Uraraka¡¯s eyelid twitches a little.
¡°Can I stab him now?¡± Toga asks her. Uraraka feels tempted to answer yes, but¡ c¡¯mon, she is no longer a hero in training, but this doesn¡¯t mean that she should become so much of a dick, right?
¡°Just some surface-level cuts, the sort that will heal quickly.¡± Uraraka replies. Toga grins at her, pulling her blade out of its sheath and leaping at Monoma, who yelps loudly and runs away.
***
Monoma¡¯s magic turns out to work about as they expected after hearing the spell names. With only one thing resembling a twist among them.
[Rage] turns out to be an AoE spell. Monoma rings his bell while casting a spell, the sound instantly pumping-up the people in the area, making them¡ angry. Furious. They still controlled themselves, it wasn¡¯t an unthinking berserker rage, just¡ being angry.
This paired up well with [Enraged Blow] which let them add additional oomph to a melee attack, and seems to scale off just how angry they were at the time. It, too, required Monoma to ring his bell but oddly enough wasn¡¯t an AoE spell, but one targeted on a single target at the same time.
How did it work? Yaoyorozu (and Monoma too) suspected that it was some particular sound frequency that made it happen, and you could decide where exactly it occurred in the room. Something in the magic itself made it work like that.
[Ignore Injury] was another thing that fed off [Rage] and general anger felt by them, and seemed to make them able to ignore their injuries for some time, allowing them to operate their limbs at unchanged performance despite the cuts, bruises and pain in them.
As for Spinner¡¯s martial arts, they also work about as expected.
[Close Wounds] seems to amplify the natural regeneration capabilities of a lizard, making small injuries heal pretty quickly (pretty much quickly enough to have some usage on a battlefield, although it depended on the scope of injuries).
[Hard Scales] seemed to amplify the toughness of his scales, allowing him to withstand quite a bit of damage, at the downside of limiting his ability to move (due to his body becoming less flexible ) and still leaving some weakspots in places of his body that weren¡¯t protected by them.
Finally, the [Lacerating Claws] seemed to be a variant of [Sharpen Claws] that was optimized for hands being actually used as weapons . Faster movement, greater cutting power, likely more blood loss from your enemy even from the surface scratches.
His footwork, [Vertical Movement], was just that. Footwork technique that allowed Spinner to easily scale vertical walls. Which, well, it was just his old quirk but in a new package.
Pretty cool.
¡°So¡¡± Uraraka decides to speak once they¡¯re done with testing their new skills. ¡°... are we going somewhere now? C¡¯mon, we¡¯ve been in this place for way too long! I get it that we needed to get some stuff done to keep ourselves safe, but now we¡¯re done with that and I¡¯m bored !¡±
¡°Same!¡± Toga immediately states her support of what Uraraka said.
¡°They are right.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to pitch in with her own support to the idea. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot to do in the Dungeon, and one can only fast forward by sleeping so much before it starts to grow tiresome. Besides, I really wish to see more of this world.¡±
How about picking up that mourner from Aeonia¡¯s graveyard?
¡°That would be cool!¡± Uraraka decides, only to immediately backtrack on this somewhat. ¡°But, wait: aren¡¯t they a type of a ghost? How do we, you know, injure a ghost?¡±
I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea.
If we show up again, and we come with even more people, Aeonia might start asking questions.
I¡¯d prefer not to have to answer any of her questions before we can sign a contract with her.
¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°What about that iron mine you¡¯ve said you found? It supposedly had more than one level, right?¡±
Huh, I didn¡¯t think of that. But yes, it had more than one level. And we¡¯ve only explored the first one.
We could also assess the Rampant Bloom¡¯s presence in the area, while at it.
¡°Let¡¯s do it then!¡± Uraraka raises her fist with a fierce expression on her face. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see how deep that mine goes!¡±
Well, they didn¡¯t have a lot of choice on that field, and Izuku found himself absolutely incapable of saying no to her when she was making that face.
***
The next morning they all depart from the Dungeon, heading towards the mine. To Monoma and Spinner it was the first time that they¡¯ve ever got to see the outside world. Frankly, none of them appeared to be super amazed by it.
Then again, it¡¯s just a lengthy walk through the forest. They¡¯ve both done that in the past, if only during the Training Camp (and no, none of them feel alright with addressing Spinner¡¯s and Toga¡¯s role in it, it¡¯s best forgotten).
Toga¡¯s antipathy towards the very concept of being soaked in water has been easily nullified by Yaoyorozu casting [Float] on her and Kirishima just throwing her over a river, with the spell deactivated the moment she reached the other side.
¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t drop her into the water.¡± Monoma says quietly.
¡°It has crossed my mind.¡± Yaoyorozu replies in kind. ¡°But I¡¯ve decided to not needlessly antagonize people that I might end up having to fight side by side with. Consider this a gentle suggestion that you should correct your behavior before someone will really stab you, Monoma-kun.¡±
I think that the best way to respond to that is ¡®big oof¡¯.
Monoma, while an exemplary student, definitely had some¡ behavioral issues.
That he should correct, as he¡¯s now living in a much less forgiving world that has no patience for his¡ quirks.
You call it a quirk, I call it a severe inferiority complex that he copes with by acting larger than life
What?
You can¡¯t diagnose people (correctly), that requires the understanding of human psychology that you shouldn¡¯t be capable of!
Wow, rude.
Yes. That was my intent.
Look, I can speak serious language
What I did up there was just me translating ¡®I call it a small dick syndrome that he copes with by being an annoying little shit¡¯¡¯ into serious language.
That sounds more like you, indeed.
You want me to translate my diagnosis of your ¡®childhood friend¡¯ for you?
No.
It¡¯s a severe inferiority complex that he copes with by acting aggressive as that makes people back down from confronting him over his sources of inferiority, which is the only way in which he can feel safe.
Like a dog that someone has really fucked up with bringing up, and that makes him bark and lunge at literally everyone
Sigh.
***
There were no spiders on the 1st Level of the Iron Mine. In fact, they¡¯ve found no activity there whatsoever. Dust, abandoned tools that they had no longer any use for and the leftover of the largely dead spider lair.
In short, it was boring.
¡°So, are we heading back up to look for Rampant Bloom forces?¡± Uraraka asks soon after their inspection of the spider lair is finished (Yaoyorozu wanted to check it out, just for her own curiosity). ¡°I think that those have to lead somewhere.¡± She adds as she points towards the crevices in the wall.
It¡¯s where her past spider maiden nemesis has likely emerged from. And where there was one creature, they could be more.
Especially as they were missing a lot of spiders if they go by the number of open eggs in this place. All those spiders had to go somewhere, right?
¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a point in doing so currently.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, staring at the crevices with a thoughtful look on her face. ¡°I took note of the terrain surrounding the entrance to the mine. Considering where those tunnels are going, I think that I know their destination. There seems to be a pretty deep valley starting in that direction in a few hundred meters.¡±
¡°Wait, really?¡± Uraraka appears surprised by it. Then again, so is Izuku.
Right, bad long-range eyesight.
¡°I¡¯ve seen it too.¡± Spinner decides to join the talk. ¡°There¡¯s a large terrain depression there. It looks almost like a sinkhole, just a really big one.¡±
Now, one thing had to be said. Spinner¡¯s eyesight might have been better than Yaoyorozu¡¯s. But neither Tomura nor Izuku were going to use it. Ever.
It had a larger spectrum of visible light and a wider color palette. It was pretty much like seeing the world while being on strong drugs (or that¡¯s how Tomura described it, except when asked if he knew that from experience he said no).
Look through his eyes for a few minutes and you¡¯ll get a headache, even if you were a talking tesseract.
On a side note, it was only after experiencing it that Tomura realized why Spinner was always owning him in games requiring attention to details. He could spot shit on the screen easier because attempting to keep things hidden from the player was a lost cause when his eyesight saw colors completely different.
Tomura was absolutely livid about it, but he then reminded himself that Spinner likely had no idea that he had a better eyesight than everyone else, because¡ well, that¡¯s just how the League worked.
Barely.
¡°Huh.¡± Uraraka scratches the side of her head with her shield arm. ¡°Well, that¡¯s awkward. So, I guess that it shouldn¡¯t be a problem unless we head to that sinkhole and that we¡¯re cleared to head deeper into the mine, right?¡±
¡°I think so, yes.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees.
¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Uraraka decides. ¡°Onward, to the adventure!¡±
I¡¯m kind of surprised by Ochako taking the lead in the party.
I expected Yaoyorozu-san to take that position from her, but she seems to be more of an advisor.
Have you seen how your girlfriend is acting like?
If you tried to order her around, she would just ignore it and do her own stuff
There is no way of ordering such a person around
Yaoyorozu trying to lead Uraraka around would be the equivalent of a very small person (like, Mineta) trying to walk around a very big dog around, like a Hound Dog-large
Mineta can think that he¡¯s in charge until he and Hound Dog will want to go in different directions
And Yaoyorozu understands that
Your ability to suddenly become intelligent and socially competent when you can compare things to dogs is mildly concerning.
sigh
Look
Before landing here I was forced to endure the longest and most annoying battle exercise in my life, and without Dabi
you know why?
Because he decided that it was annoying
So he just fucked off because his plans just happened to be coinciding with mine, and that¡¯s why he followed me, but he had no interest in, you know, being comrades for real
so I had experience with this very same problem
Are you sure that the Japanese Targets didn¡¯t have a discount on leather jackets at that time?
¡
Pffffft
***
¡°Hmm¡¡± Uraraka glances down the shaft one more time. It¡¯s very, very dark . ¡°You know, I think that we could use the elevator, but we probably shouldn¡¯t. Too loud and so on. But we have a lot of ropes, yeah?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°So¡ Spinner takes the point?¡±
¡°Yeah, we wouldn¡¯t want to slide down the rope right into an ambush.¡± Uraraka nods back. Spinner gives them both a surprised look. ¡°Use your Vertical Movement and go down the shaft, then report back when you find another level.¡±
¡°Oh, alright.¡± Spinner nods. ¡°I can get that done.¡±
Man, I feel bad about him all of a sudden
Sometimes I feel as if he was doing most of the heavy work in the League, at least ever since we¡¯ve lost Kurogiri
Really?
Isn¡¯t he pretty much an ascended NEET fanboy?
How did he become your go-to man?
ugh
You¡¯re going to make fun of it, but let¡¯s go
He was our designated driver, he learned how to drive from playing racing games
What?
He was the guy overseeing our finances, he learned that from business games
He maintained our equipment, he learned that from playing ¡®Support Engineering Simulator¡¯ game series
He also repaired the car we¡¯ve stolen, learned how to from playing ¡®Car Mechanic Simulator¡¯ game series
Oh, he also kept supplying Dabi with his favorite drinks, by shoplifting for the alcohol and then making said drinks for him. Yes, he learned the latter from playing ¡®Bartender Simulator¡¯ game
You can start laughing.
¡
I¡¯m, to be honest, way too impressed right now to laugh.
If you¡¯re not pulling my leg, Spinner is built different and he became one of the rare cases of villains that I genuinely respect.
You¡¯re the weirdest hero wannabe I¡¯ve ever met
You¡¯re the weirdest villain I¡¯ve ever met, and that¡¯s after me having to battle a youtuber and being more casually outmatched in the first half of the battle than I was by Overhaul.
Wait, what?
Who is that youtuber and can we recruit him?
Ugh.
***
I forgot to put it earlier.
Yaoyorozu''s current drip.
25. Dogheads
Spinner easily scaled (pun intended¡ maybe) the wall of the elevator shaft, making his way down and finding a second level, less than fifteen meters beneath the first one. Which wasn¡¯t far, but the place was absolutely pitch black and they couldn¡¯t just¡ drop a torch down the shaft to illuminate side passages.
Or, to be exact, they could, but it would definitely warn any potential enemies that there was someone coming from above. And they¡¯re trying to be stealthy.
The lower level seems to be completely dark, at least the entrance to it. No visible light. Spinner has a very good night vision, but despite that, he can only see the elevator hall, mirroring the one that was placed a level above them. And even that he can see only barely.
There is something else, though. By the wall. Is that¡
Is that some sort of smelter?
Reminds me of the Skyrim ones
What¡¯s Skyrim?
¡
My expectations for you were non-existent and yet you still managed to disappoint me
They relay the message from Spinner to the group waiting above, telling them where to find the lower level. Uraraka and Kirishima help set up the rope, and they then climb the shaft down to the second level, one by one.
With a torch.
That lets them confirm that there was, indeed, a larger smelter installed into the wall of the hallway. This immediately confused Yaoyorozu.
¡°That makes no sense.¡± She says quietly, they aren¡¯t sure if they are alone on the level. ¡°It¡¯s too small to be able to smelt significant amounts of ore, its design is all wrong, and doing the smelting underground is just inviting smoke poisoning.¡±
¡°It might be some magic-boosted smelting.¡± Uraraka doesn¡¯t seem to be very invested in that conundrum. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out later, we need to secure this place first. I can smell blood.¡± She sniffs loudly. ¡°A lot of blood. And it¡¯s fresh.¡±
They all grip their weapons tighter. Looks like it was going to be a fight.
Are you going to howl again?
¡°No, I don¡¯t want to alert everyone down here.¡± Uraraka replies. Looks like the spider maiden incident has¡ taught her something about stealth. ¡°Monoma-kun, please ring your bells. Without any magic put into it.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Monoma nods. Somehow he doesn¡¯t find it in himself to object to being ordered around by not only a former 1-A member but also a wolf person. And, he obediently rings the bell, the sound reverberating through the halls of the mine.
They could have as well not bother. Because the first response to the bell ring was nothing else than a loud, distorted howling erupting from a deeper section of the mine.
And then, there are more of them. And more. And more.
¡°Well¡¡± Uraraka says dryly. ¡°... at least we won¡¯t have to waste time searching for the enemies. Monoma, cast it.¡±
Another ring, this time quieter. Neither Izuku nor Tomura feel it, but they can immediately see the results. In an instant, everyone¡¯s angry, frowns erupting on their faces, Uraraka grinding her teeth together as she was waiting for a fight to start.
The things that emerge from the darkness, stepping into the dim light of their torches, are the stuff of nightmares.
From the neck below, they seem to be miners, former workers of this mine. The clothes are similar to the ones that they¡¯ve seen on some corpses the level above, although torn and dilapidated, with signs of recent bites seen on many parts of the exposed skin.
But above the necks? That¡¯s where the normalcy ended. Their necks and heads were replaced with those of dogs. Rabid, starving dogs of various breeds (but always large ones), the creatures glaring at the intruders with nothing but hunger in their eyes.
They were horrible creatures¡ and most definitely not beastkin. In fact, it was hard to even consider them to be sapients. They had to be something unnatural, just had to be.
But they don¡¯t have a lot of time to get scared (or, more like, get angry ) before the nearest creatures begin to charge at them, pickaxes, shovels and other tools in their hands, letting out howls that were strange for dogs and completely impossible for humans.
KILL THOSE FUCKING ABOMINATION WITH FUCKING FIREEEE
HOW DARE THEY DO THAT TO THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT ARE DOGS
Yaoyorozu fires a [Lesser Firebolt] between Kirishima and Uraraka, the bolt hitting one of the charging creatures straight in the face. Spinner has the time to fire a single arrow that lands squarely in the chest of the very same creature a second later, when it became clear that the flame didn¡¯t stop it.
Uraraka dodges a frantic swing of a pickaxe before slamming the creature attacking her in the face with a [Shield Bash], pushing its weapon to the side and leaving it exposed for a [Lesser Thrust]. The tip of her spear pierced the creature¡¯s abdomen almost all the way through.
A second later she barely avoided serious injury when the creature ignored the injury and pushed forward, its head (somewhat resembling that of a German Shepherd) lunging forward towards her throat. Its jaws instead close on the upper verge of her shield and begin to try to grind through the wood.
With the corner of her eyes she can see two more dogheaded creatures lunging at Kirishima, the man managing to swing sideways at one of them with a [Heavy Blow] that sends the creature flying into the pile of crates by his side.
The other gets past it, its jaw closing on Kirishima¡¯s shoulder. Judging from limited damage, Kirishima managed to use [Fortify Flesh], which might be why the creature didn¡¯t just tore most of his skin and flesh off the bones.
Kirishima¡¯s log falls to the ground as the man grabs the creature by its neck and head and begins to strangle and tear it off himself at the same time. His sisyphean task is made possible a moment later when Yaoyorozu casts [Float] on the creature, breaking its footing. A moment later, Kirishima has the being in a chokehold.
Another creature tries to lunge at him (not the one he smacked with a log, that was still trying to stand up despite its grievous injuries), but ends up giving Spinner a straight shot, the arrow hitting it in the shoulder, making it drop the handle of the shovel it was carrying.
A moment later Toga gets to it, slitting its throat from behind it.
Uraraka is still struggling with the creature she partially pierced with her spear when she hears the bell ring. She can feel the power of the [Enraged Blow] flowing through her, and in a moment she thrusts her spear further while slamming her shield into the creature¡¯s face with a [Shield Blow].
With its mouth being locked onto said shield, not only did it lose a lot of teeth but also had its neck broken by the impact. Uraraka immediately kicks it off her spear, the body falling backward, only for another creature to charge at her, jumping off a nearby pile of crates, howling loudly and swinging its shovel down.
Jump attack, huh? She responds by raising her shield and absorbing the impact with a [Barricade Shield] (the blow still making her shield arm go numb for a second), the creature falling to the ground straight onto her risen spear, impaling itself onto it, pushing its handle all the way down to the floor.
Kirishima strangles the creature that he was holding, only to have his shoulder dislocated by a downward pickaxe blow from one more creature that charged at him. There¡¯s a ring of a bell in the background, Monoma realizing what happened and casting [Ignore Injury]. That gave Kirishima enough of a boost to throw the corpse that he was holding at his new attacker, pushing it back and giving himself the time he needed to pick his log from the ground.
He doesn¡¯t have the time to swing it when two more creatures jump at him from the nearby crate piles. He raises the log in front of him, which is just enough to push them slightly away from him and stop them from biting his throat.
The one he threw a corpse at earlier recovers, only to get hit by Spinner¡¯s arrow and Yaoyorozu¡¯s [Lesser Firebolt]. That pushes it back, giving Kirishima the time he needed to deal with his own attacks.
Not alone. Yaoyorozu immediately switches to casting [Float] at one of them, while Toga attacks the other one from behind. As she struggles with him, Kirishima sends the other one flying back with a push of his log.
Uraraka doesn¡¯t have the time to even try to get the last creature off her spear before another one attacks her, swinging a pickaxe, grabbing the edge of her shield from above and pulling it down, before his dog¡¯s head lunges straight from her throat.
Uraraka headbutts it, stunning the creature for the time she needed to push its pickaxe back and [Shield Bash] the creature in the face. That gives her just enough time to pull a javelin out of the small quiver on her back and throw it right at the creature, nailing it to the pile of crates.
She has one more javelin left. Looks like she¡¯ll have to use it as a replacement spear. Especially as more creatures are coming. Many more, at least judging from the intensity of howling that they can hear from the deeper part of the level.
Ochako, you have to retreat, there¡¯s too many of them!
She would have wanted to disagree with those words, but Izuku is right. The howls that those creatures were making were bringing more and more of them, which announced their soon-to-be arrival by more howls, bringing even more creatures.
How many were there on the level? How many more could they defeat before being overrun?
¡°Spinner!¡± Uraraka yells as another creature charges at her over the corpses of its compatriot, the one she just [Shield Bashed] starting to recover from the blow. ¡°Grab one of the corpses and climb up the shaft, now !¡±
¡°Y-yes!¡± Spinner shouts back, either deciding not to fight her over it or realizing what the plan was. He quickly grabs the nearest dogheaded corpse (they need to bring something back to the Dungeon for the expedition to be worth it).
Toga jumps back at the pile of crates, the creature she attack earlier being finished, only to immediately be thrown down from it when a creature armed with what looked like a chisel leaps at her from the side, both of them disappearing behind the pile, with sounds of struggle and some screams coming from there.
Creature charges at her with a shovel carried like a lance, hitting her straight in the center of the shield. She sidesteps it at the moment, letting the creature fall to the ground and then break its neck by slamming the edge of her shield into the back of it.
¡°WE¡¯RE RETREATING!¡± She yells while starting to do that herself. With the corner of her eyes she can see Kirishima struggling with three dogheaded creatures, one of which was biting him in the leg, the other two keeping his arms occupied so he couldn¡¯t free himself. ¡°YAOYOROZU, CLIMB UP FIRST!¡±
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
She would absolutely kiss him for having the combat awareness to relay such crucial information to her. Then again, she would kiss him for any reason whatsoever, and this definitely wasn¡¯t the time to think about it.
¡°Kirishima!¡± She then yells at their team¡¯s tank, before the one bashed earlier charges at her, forcing her to fend it back with her javelin. Fighting retreat was really damn hard, that¡¯s just one more reason not to retreat if possible.
¡°RETREAT, I¡¯LL HOLD THEM BACK!¡± Kirishima shouts back some of the manliest words a man (or woman) could say.
She jumps back, her shield enduring another pickaxe swing and begging to crack. The creature that tried it gets a javelin¡¯s tip to the throat in response and takes a step back, blood gushing from its injury.
The injured creature lashes at her again, only to get [Shield Bash] in the face which makes her shield approach the end of its usefulness, solid half of it cracking and missing parts. Uraraka has the time to quickly glance at Kirishima (who took that moment to disappear under the pile of enemies, though she can still see one of his hands latched onto the throat of a creature and holding it with all the strength he could muster) before turning around and jumping, grabbing the rope and starting to climb as quickly as she could.
She isn¡¯t even surprised when one of the creatures manages to jump back after her and bites her in the calf. She does her best to kick it off, but all she does is make her own injury worse. It grabs her leg above and beneath the calf and does its best to bite a whole chunk of her flesh out.
She then feels herself suddenly feel lighter as Yaoyorozu casts [Float] at her, which is enough to let her drag herself up the rope, despite the creature still holding onto her. She can see Spinner up above, firing an arrow at the creature holding onto her, but with its position he can¡¯t hit it in the head.
Instead, the arrow lodges itself into its shoulder.
Spinner fires another arrow a moment later, and hits it in the side of its chest. Despite that, the creature is still holding onto her.
He doesn¡¯t have the time to fire the arrow for the third time, as Uraraka has managed to lift herself up to the first level by then, Yaoyorozu helping her get onto the solid ground just as Monoma sunk his dagger into the creature¡¯s head, Spinner helping him get it off her.
They¡¯ve ended up getting two corpses instead of one, at the cost of Kirishima dying, Toga getting bit a few times and receiving a very nasty pickaxe blow to the shoulder, and Uraraka having one of her legs be taken out of commission.
It was definitely a fun and heart-pumping combat experience, but¡ yeah, it didn¡¯t exactly count as a success. Or a victory.
Uraraka feels¡ disappointment, and a distinct lack of satisfaction from it. The fight itself was cool, but the outcome was¡
Sigh.
They¡¯ll have their revenge next time.
Because there is going to be next time. She is certain of that.
¡°So, what are we doing now?¡± Yaoyorozu asks. Spinner was observing the corridor to make sure that those things weren¡¯t going to try to climb up (after cutting off the rope, of course), while Monoma was busy finishing applying first aid to Himiko.
Yaoyorozu, in the meantime, was patching up Uraraka¡¯s leg, forcing Ochako to lie down, face-down. On the cold stone. Not the most enjoyable thing, even if most of your body was covered in thin fur.
¡°We¡¯re going back to the Dungeon, of course.¡± Uraraka sighs. She would love getting her sweet revenge for Kirishima on those creatures, but right now the hall beneath them was likely tightly packed with them. ¡°Let¡¯s carry both of those creatures with us. They might be daemons.¡±
***
She turned out to be right, although this was something that they discovered only after they finally limped back to the Dungeon, Yaoyorozu repeatedly draining herself to cast [Float] in order to make them move slightly faster.
The System lists them as [Cynocephalus], ETL 13. According to Yaoyorozu, the word itself means ¡®Dog-headedness¡¯ in Latin, and used to refer to ancient tales about dog-headed people supposedly living in some distant parts of the Antique world.
They were a part of a previously unknown pantheon called [Rapturous Ecstasy]. From the name alone, they can infer a lot about it.
Big horni
Finding it was a matter of time
The creatures we encountered don¡¯t appear to be very horny.
Thank all the gods for that.
Yeah, well, big surprise: There is more to hedonism than just horni
You can also snort things, drink things, smoke things and, importantly enough, eat things
Oh.
They were very intent on biting everyone, and one of them has nearly bitten Ochako¡¯s calf off.
Ding dong, you realized the truth
congratulations
But you know what that means, right?
Huh?
There is a probably a literal high god of big horni among the Ecstasy, and it, too, has its own supernatural servants in this world
And probably priests and priestesses
and temples with some interesting decorations and rituals
¡¡¡¡..
I¡¯m going to do with that information what I initially did with the knowledge that All for One exists.
That being?
I¡¯ll ignore it and focus on my personal growth, hoping that someone (read: All Might) punches that problem away from my life before it becomes relevant
¡ I can¡¯t even laugh at that
As All Might did punch that problem away from your life, even if slightly after it became relevant
Yes
It worked back then and maybe it¡¯ll work this time.
Good luck with that.
Izuku decides to share Tomura¡¯s theory about the subject with Yaoyorozu, together with the part about the possibility of there being some sort of ¡®sex deity¡¯, whose servants they can encounter sooner or later.
¡°Well, that¡¯s¡ lovely .¡± Yaoyorozu doesn¡¯t seem to be feeling much better about it than he does. ¡°Hopefully it has no presence anywhere around us, it¡¯s probably at least as bad as Occasa is.¡±
Probably.
What do you think about the creatures we¡¯ve encountered?
Why were they there?
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. She was heading to her own quarters to rest and recharge when he spoke to her. ¡°Although¡ perhaps I do, even if it¡¯s not what I¡¯d consider¡ tasteful . And definitely some nightmare fuel material.¡±
That being?
¡°Cannibalism.¡± Yaoyorozu states flatly. Izuku immediately realizes that it, indeed, isn¡¯t a tasteful subject. ¡°My theory is that something happened in the mine which trapped the miners inside. When they ended up running out of food, they resorted to the unthinkable.¡±
Leading to them receiving some¡ unwanted attention from the daemons associated with the concept.
¡°That¡¯s the closest thing I have to a theory about it, yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°It, however, is merely a theory, as I know nothing about how the daemons and other spirits can cross into the Physical World. Still, those things were clearly eating each other down there, judging from the bites and torn clothes on them.¡±
And they didn¡¯t kill each other?
¡°They might have been healing themselves while eating, resulting in a perpetual feast of formerly elven meat.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, the look on her face being¡ rather disgusted . And for a good measure. ¡°Once again, I don¡¯t know how those creatures work. But they remind me of wendigos from the Native American folklore, just weaker but more numerous.¡±
They¡¯re definitely dangerous, yeah.
We¡¯ll probably end up having to fight them again if we want to clear that level. And that sounds like the only way of getting that smelter, which will make the [Basic Refining] skill useful.
Yes, they could always create metals themselves, with high enough levels. But with some smelting equipment, they could create (and thus unlock) alloys from the ore they found. Of course, getting there was going to take them a long while.
And, once they would become officially ¡®civilized¡¯, they could post it somewhere on the higher levels, allowing people to smelt the ore they mined in them.
¡°It¡¯s probably best not to hurry with that.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to point it out. ¡°If those things are as hungry as we think them to be, they¡¯ll likely crowd around the entrance in hopes of the meat coming back to them. I think it¡¯s best to give them a week or so to calm down and spread through the level in search of food.¡±
Good point, I¡¯ll bring it up to Shigaraki later on.
Go and rest.
***
Spinner, my man, how was your first foray into the isekai world?
¡°Well¡¡± Spinner scratches the side of his head. He just finished helping Toga back to her bed (where she would, hopefully, heal quickly thanks to the Dungeon¡¯s ambient mana) and was off to his own bed. ¡°... I have to issue a complaint there, boss.¡±
Let me guess
You¡¯ve met some dog-eared folks
but not only were they all men, they also were straight from a horror movie and freaked you the fuck out
¡°Yes.¡± Spinner nods. It¡¯s nice to have a boss that understands you. Shigaraki really did change for the better. ¡°Other than that, it was pretty cool, if bloodier than the usual villain work time. Aside from, you know, the CRC thing.¡±
Yeah, that was pretty bloody
but the loot was trash
Then again, the one from this trip wasn¡¯t super good either
Spinner freezes for a moment, considers the idea and then comes to a decision.
¡°I¡¯d quickly get fat with popcorn if you did that.¡± He says. Still, it¡¯s such a cool idea that he¡¯ll probably be imagining it while drifting off to sleep.
***
So, no offerings today, Ochako?
Ochako sighs loudly. She was back in her bed (Monoma helped her limp back to it) and was now waiting for her calf to heal.
While she loved to hear Izuku¡¯s voice, it just¡ wasn¡¯t the best time. Or subject. Still, she was his friend and if he wanted to talk, she was all ears.
¡°I really don¡¯t feel like doing it after losing a fight.¡± She replies. The bed she was lying on wasn¡¯t the most comfortable one. Pretty rough, really. But she got used to it by now. She was always trying to live pretty cheap. ¡°It was¡ a great fight, but what exactly do I have to celebrate? Losing? Nah, I¡¯ll pass.¡±
Being cool?
That¡¯s something to celebrate.
You were really cutting through them, slaying them left and right!
All while commanding the others!
That was awesome!
¡°E-eh?¡± She manages not to blush, but it¡¯s not easy. Izuku was just¡ so earnest with his praise! This is her weak spot, and she hopes that it¡¯ll always remain her weak spot. ¡°Ww-well, thank you! You helped me greatly, too!¡±
I was just doing my best.
¡°Your best is usually going way too far and breaking most of your bones.¡± Uraraka decides to tease him a little in retaliation for how¡ naturally smooth and cute he was (and with zero awareness of himself being like this). ¡°I¡¯d say that was an improvement.¡±
Ochaaako!
Don¡¯t be like this!
She lets herself chuckle a bit, completely forgetting about her injury, at least for now. She can only imagine the sort of face that he¡¯d make if he was standing in front of her. Definitely a super adorable one.
She can¡¯t wait for the 5th Floor to finally come to existence. In the meantime, she¡¯ll tease him for a while and then go check up on Himiko, because she¡¯s actually feeling kinda bad about her injuries.
26. Mushrooms
¡°Ah, Ochako-chan comes to check on me after I was injured!¡± Toga says meekly from her bed. She has been bitten multiple times and received a pickaxe blow to the shoulder, but the bleeding was staunch with bandages and the accelerated healing was already working. ¡°That has to be one of my cutest fantasies ever!¡±
And she¡¯s not alone.
Toga squeals (still meekly) when Uraraka pulls a chair from under the table and sits on it by the edge of her bed.
¡°That¡¯s even better.¡± Himiko then says, prompting Uraraka to give her a wry look.
¡°Just so we¡¯re clear there, don¡¯t get injured just so that you can get visited by us again.¡± Uraraka then informs Himiko. ¡°That¡¯s a one time thing, got it?¡±
¡°Sure, sure.¡± Toga nods. ¡°It¡¯s great that it happened at least once, though! It¡¯s like a dream come true to me! Although, is Izukun only going to be watching? That¡¯s fine with me, but I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s into watching two girls go at it.¡± She grins faintly. ¡°Though I¡¯d prefer it if he did!¡±
Go at ¡
Ehhh?!
Uraraka sighs loudly. That¡¯s¡ about what she expected to happen, just¡ not so quickly and not so thoroughly.
¡°Looks like a certain cat¡¯s never going to change.¡± Uraraka rolls her eyes around. ¡°I think that I can imagine how that particular ¡®cutest fantasy¡¯ of yours ends. And the worst part is that while I want to uphold the ¡®be horny, get a bonky¡¯ rule, I¡¯d feel bad hitting an injured person.¡±
¡°Maybe you¡¯ll at least kiss my oowies goodbye?¡± Toga replies hopefully, only to grab Uraraka¡¯s hand when she begins to stand up from her chair. ¡°Wait, wait! Just kidding! It¡¯s fine if you just sit there, okay?¡±
¡°Better.¡± Uraraka informs her. ¡°You¡¯re learning. Good job in the fight, by the way, though you still let yourself get surprised by the enemy. You gotta get better next time, alright?¡±
¡°Not getting surprised by your enemy is not as easy as you¡¯d like to think, at least when you are there, fighting, covered in blood of your enemies and having the liveliest expression on your face I ever saw.¡± Toga pouts. ¡°But I can try.¡±
¡°Absolutely irredeemable.¡± Uraraka shakes her head with an exasperated look on her face.
Yeah, Izuku at this point is almost certain that those two are friends and this is still somewhat confusing to him. And he is almost certain that this is confusing to Uraraka as well. Their life was a mess.
***
The next step in their expansion plan is making a ¡®growing¡¯ level. Why is it going to be beneath the mining area? Well, sue them about the lack of realism, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s a natural cave, right?
They might change that to be more ¡®logical¡¯ once they have, like, fifty levels going and they¡¯ll have more Residual Mana than they can spend. In the meantime, though, they¡¯ll work with what they have.
Just in case, Izuku asks Monoma about it.
¡°No.¡± He replies immediately. ¡°Shiozaki-san will not enjoy being turned into a demon with an additional a in the name. Trust me on that, the answer¡¯s no.¡±
That¡¯s making things complicated.
I figured out that she¡¯d be a perfect match for the Hamadryad.
¡°Look, I appreciate you wanting to make one of my teammates into a daemon, which is apparently more than just a mere mortal here¡¡± Monoma replies. ¡°... like the ones that your own teammates and the villains became. However, this is just not a good idea. Shiozaki isn¡¯t¡ flexible. Like, say, Uravity is. So, to get into this job you¡¯d have to first bring her as another character, then give her a few weeks to get used to the whole ¡®isekai into different words where pagan gods are real¡¯ situation, and then ask. You don¡¯t have that much time, hmm?¡±
No, no I don¡¯t.
What about Komori-san?
¡°Well¡¡± Monoma scratches his chin. ¡°That¡¯s definitely a better pick. Just¡ you know that I can¡¯t guarantee you that she won¡¯t panic and do something weird, especially as I don¡¯t even know how being a daemon compares to being a human, alright? Komori-san was always a person whose personality can be summed up with words ¡®fuck it, we ball¡¯, and I¡¯m nearly certain that I¡¯ll know how she reacts, but¡ people sometimes react not in the way you expected them to, get it?.¡±
Yes, and while losing a Hamadryad will be a blow, it won¡¯t kill us.
I think I heard that ¡®we ball¡¯ phrase somewhere
Shut it, Shigaraki.
***
Some time later they¡¯ve managed to create a completely new 2nd Level, pushing the past 2nd Level into being a new 3rd Level, past 3rd one into new 4th Level and so on.
It was going to be a much more different place than their remaining Levels. To begin with, it was going to be an extremely small one¡ at least theoretically. As they¡¯ve decided to take advantage of a previously unused feature of the Dungeon.
They¡¯ve decided to create their first [Hall], the [Underground Ecosystem]. And damn, if it didn¡¯t turn out to be a potent feature.
From the outside, the [Underground Ecosystem] looked only a few times larger than their Throne Room on current 5th Level. From the inside, when they focused their minds on their inside or when it was visited by one of their servants, it was much, much larger.
By Izuku¡¯s estimation, it was a cave more than two hundred meters long and fifty meters wide, with a larger crack in the ceiling that allowed rain and sunlight to get inside, giving birth to a surprisingly vibrant ecosystem scattered throughout its messy and uneven interior.
Oh, initially there was nothing there. But then, things began to grow. A lot of plants grew on their own, lacking any sort of useful properties, but some of the plants that Toga recovered from the hamadryad¡¯s grove on the surface seemed to have minor healing properties.
They¡¯ve focused them in several places scattered through the location. Because, yeah, it turns out that [Growing Area]¡¯s can be put inside compatible [Halls], like the [Underground Ecosystem] was.
Behind the [Hall], there were two other places of note. One of them was a [Hamadryad¡¯s Grove], which - when set up - quickly developed into another area with a crevice in the ceiling, just a more circular one, letting in enough sunlight to allow a quite large oak to grow up in the center.
Around it was more life. Bushes, grass, moss on the wall, even some mushrooms. Oh, and also a Node, because they had to place it somewhere there (thankfully, it was compatible), and it looked pretty when partially enveloped by nature.
The [Rooms] appeared to be much more flexible of a designation than they thought, being clearly able to be designated on a part of a literal ¡®room¡¯.
The other location was the [Floor Guardian Room], connected with the [Hamadryad¡¯s Grove] with one more secret ¡®maintenance¡¯ tunnel, allowing the [Hamadryad] to spend her time in the Grove, but move over to their boss arena if she needed to intercept an enemy.
And then, they decide to create [Lesser Hamadryad]... with Kinoko Komori¡¯s soul inside of it.
I¡¯m genuinely confused by you
Huh, why?
Because to avoid having to ¡®enslave¡¯ a barely sentient daemon you¡¯ve instead elected to have its soul devoured entirely and be replaced with that of another entity whatsoever
Which is¡ better according to you?
Priorities, amiright?
I hate it when you put it that way.
That¡¯s why I¡¯m putting it that way
Also, that¡¯s not an answer
I invoke the Dogman precedent.
The hell?
There was a dog born with a quirk in the United States a century ago, which could transform into any species that it ate some flesh of.
It was, regretfully, mistreated and used in some dog fighting ring, which lasted until it bit someone and proved to have a quirk by changing into a human.
It was still behaving in an animalistic way despite that, and once the local heroes shut the ring down, it was quite a debacle over whether it could be classified as a ¡®human¡¯ and should be given human rights.
Since no attempts to teach it human ways succeeded and it was still attacking everything that tried to get close, it was eventually decided to be an animal and was appropriately put down.
The hamadryad is clearly a similar case, in that while it does have a human form, it cannot be reasoned with and attacks everything that comes close to it with lethal force.
I see.
Yaoyorozu told you that, didn¡¯t she?
¡
yes.
There goes my fun.
The situation wasn¡¯t perfect. While [Lesser Lignomorphs] have the perfect ETL to populate the level, [Lesser Hamadryad] has an ATL requirement of 0.1 too high for even a [Node Room]. [Floor Guardian Room] is fine, but where would Komori rest?
Well, this lasts until they discover something that they¡¯ve previously overlooked.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Placing creatures in appropriate [Lairs] lowers their maintenance. A fact that they only noticed when they tried to place a creature in a [Lair] that had a slightly smaller AML limit. This led to them doing some quick experiments.
What was the result of this discovery?
They could put creatures up to 0.2 AML level above the floor¡¯s average, for as long as they were placed in their appropriate [Lair] for maintenance. And there was a limit to such placement.
In short, only one such creature could be placed there and be maintained that way, creating a sort of¡ Lair Guardian creature? Was that an official term in this world? Well, for them, it now was.
They¡¯ve expanded the population of the two [Spider Breeding Chambers] on 1st Level with a [Spider Maiden] each acting as their Lair Guardian, together with two more that were hanging around (permanently) in the [Floor Guardian Room] as a dual boss fight.
The problem with Luna¡¯s UI design was that it accommodated for the fact that Dungeons were supposed to expand over time, while simultaneously improving their understanding of themselves, which unlocked new features that weren¡¯t earlier listed in their System.
If they even had such a System, instead of running things purely instinctively.
As a result, until they tried to do something like this, they didn¡¯t know that it was possible. After they did, there suddenly was a [Lair Guardian] slot in the [Lair] creature settings for them to be filled.
Some time later they spend 20 Residual Mana to create a [Lesser Hamadryad] after using the [Soul Management] section to install Kinoko Komori¡¯s soul in her body.
***
The similarity was definitely there.
The entity that was born out of this merger was best described as an odd cross between the [Lesser Hamadryad] that Toga slew and the Kinoko Komori that they remembered from Earth.
The haircut was the same as they remembered, mostly obscuring her eyes. The color wasn¡¯t - it was an odd mixture of dark green and dark brown and all the colors in between that definitely made them work as a camouflage in a forest environment.
There were no clothes, but instead most of her body was covered by moss, plant shoots, flowers and a few things that looked like mushrooms (a definitely new addition to that particular body).
She was, naturally, extremely confused.
¡°Eh?¡± Komori blinks at the group gathered in front of her. She was standing right in front of ¡®her¡¯ tree. ¡°Monoma-kun? You¡¯re alongside guys and gals from 1-A and you¡¯re not saying anything?¡±
That is not the initial reaction to becoming a daemon that Izuku expected.
¡°That¡¯s truly a shocking thing, I agree.¡± Yaoyorozu says dryly. Komori glances at her and Izuku can see her now green eyes grow larger when she notices the ears.
No, he can¡¯t hijack Komori¡¯s senses. It seems to only be working with their servants. Their mortal servants, not the daemons that just happened to set up shop in their Domain. Similarly, they cannot grant her skills, and pulling her soul back can only be done through the [Soul Management] menu.
¡°You remember the edgy isekai fantasy stories that Kuroiro was so much into?¡± Monoma asks her instead.
I think I heard those words already, just about the birdboy from your class
I think so as well.
Can Monoma do anything else that¡¯s not copying other people?
His quirk was literally about copying things, what do you expect?
Originality?
Yeah, but we didn¡¯t tell him that, right?
So why does he unconsciously say what others already did?!
I¡¯m confused
Hello confused, I hate you.
¡
That¡¯s not how it was supposed to go but I think that I¡¯ll take it over you telling me a dadjoke
I¡¯d rather die than be your son
Most people would rather die than be your father, so I guess it checks out.
Oof.
¡°Yes?¡± Komori looks back at Monoma, confused. ¡°What about it?¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s what we¡¯re dealing with right now.¡± Monoma replies, making Komori blink at him a few times in short succession. ¡°Look, you¡¯re now some sort of a dryad, and a spiritual being, have fun and please don¡¯t forget to kick ass or we¡¯ll still be the sidekicks to the former 1-A people.¡±
¡
¡°You¡¯re absolutely atrocious at explaining things to people, you know that?¡± Yaoyorozu then asks him.
¡°I just don¡¯t think that there¡¯s a good way of describing the situation we¡¯re in.¡± Monoma replies dryly. ¡°And besides, wait for it.¡±
¡°Wait for what?¡± Yaoyorozu asks him, now suddenly confused.
¡°Wait, so we¡¯re in a fantasy world?¡± Komori asks them, clearly still processing Monoma¡¯s words. ¡°And I¡¯m¡ like a dryad? Like, a nature spirit?¡± Monoma nods, with a completely deadpan expression on his face. ¡°That¡¯s¡ that¡¯s shroomtastic!¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Yaoyorozu lets out, while staring at Komori in shock. That seems to be the popular response to the statement, as Uraraka, Kirishima and even Toga and Spinner are also staring at her in shock.
¡°Cut it with the mushroom puns, you¡¯re more of a general nature spirit.¡± Monoma informs her. He still looks absolutely done with his life. ¡°Also, we haven¡¯t done anything that warrants being continuously suffocated by your puns.¡±
¡°Oh, alright.¡± Komori replies while looking down at her hand, which in an instant partially untangles into a long tendril that could be used to grab nearby people. ¡°This is so cool.¡±
¡°To quote Komori: ¡®I¡¯d sell my soul for being allowed to be some form of a monstergirl or a magical girl.¡¯¡± Monoma says dryly. ¡°She thought that it would make her dream idol career easier. Or is just a weirdo. Like everyone else in 1-B.¡±
Wow, and I thought that the League was full of fucked up people
And Twice
What?
League of Villains is full of fucked up people and Twice.
He doesn¡¯t count.
What the hell is with you and Twice?
Well, I¡¯m cool with him?
why though
Why not?
Can you list one super weird thing that he does?
Talks to himself?
That¡¯s barely weird compared to Dabi or Toga, now is it?
¡
Mr. Compress is just a kleptomaniac, so he is almost in the ¡®pretty normal¡¯ category.
No he¡¯s not
What?
His hobby is wearing the creepiest clown costumes imaginable, staring at random people in random places and using his quirk to make himself disappear when a car passes between them or something else breaks the line of sight
I
I just don¡¯t know how to comment on that.
Wait.
Have you ever tried to use that to gaslight a pro-hero into doubting his own sanity?
STOP HAVING BETTER VILLAINOUS IDEAS THAN I HAVE!
I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to have worse villainous ideas than you have.
¡
oof
I¡¯d legit prefer you to just punch me in the face than to have to hear your words over and over again
Trust me, I¡¯d prefer to be able to punch you in the face too.
¡°This is so cool!¡± Komori exclaims again why firing some needle projectiles at the distant wall. ¡°I¡¯m a nature spirit! Wow! This is awesome! This is¡ wait a moment, Monoma-kun? Are we going back to Earth?¡±
¡°No.¡± Monoma replies dryly. ¡°But we aren¡¯t exactly the same people that we remember ourselves as. We¡¯re supposedly copies of them, or more like just new beings with memories of our world, the jury is split.¡±
¡°Oh, so there¡¯s another version of myself that makes sure that my other friends, my family and my fans aren¡¯t left alone?¡± Komori asks him back. Monoma nods. ¡°And I can fully focus on being the best version of myself that I can in a fantasy world?¡± Monoma nods again. ¡°This is the bestest thing that ever happened to me!¡±
The look on Monoma¡¯s face can only be described as ¡®haunted¡¯. Izuku still considers the option that they were all hallucinating.
¡°I hope that it finally occurred to you all¡¡± Monoma then says as he looks at his companions. ¡°... that 1-A didn¡¯t have the monopoly on flashy and weird personalities, people with strange backstories and Daddy Issues. T. M.¡± He does as he adds the mock ¡®trademark¡¯ symbol to the term.
¡
Oh no.
***
Once they managed to more or less calm Komori down, they were naturally most interested in how different her perspective was. They were curious how the daemon differed from humans in a way that could only be told from the first person perspective.
The unexpected thing was that Komori herself was really confused as to the subject, and wasn¡¯t sure how to describe what she felt.
She knew that she was now immortal. She knew that she would be immortal even if she wasn¡¯t bound to the Dungeon.
Even if she was ¡®killed¡¯, it would just knock her out of this world, making her reconstitute herself elsewhere.
At some point in the future. Distant future. Timeline differences between the worlds were pretty wonky, and Komori knew that it could be a moment for her but it could as well be decades or centuries for the Physical World where she would be ¡®killed¡¯.
And a few worlds closer to the World Engine.
She could be bound. She could be summoned. She had a deep instinctual understanding of the nature surrounding her. She was infinitely curious as to how the world outside looked like, but she was spiritually manifested and couldn¡¯t leave the Dungeon.
She could even order [Lesser Lignomorphs] that began to spawn and spread through the [Underground Ecosystem]. Even without using words. They just did what she wanted them to.
Oh, and she could also sleep. In a tree. Literally just return to a tree. Because apparently, she was the tree in question, both of them being a single thing that split into two, the soul of a tree emerging from it to act independently.
How did she know that? She just did.
Izuku could only wonder how the ¡®reject human return to tree¡¯ (as Tomura called it) worked for them when they were physically manifested. Well, he¡¯ll eventually get to see that, right?
¡°By the way, can I ask you something?¡± Uraraka decides to speak for the first time since the start of this talk. ¡°Who did you mean when you mentioned your fans?¡±
Monoma suddenly makes a thousand yard stare in the background.
¡°By my fans I mean my fans, obviously!¡± Komori smiles widely behind her hair. ¡°I¡¯m¡ well, I was actually a V-Tuber! I went by Shroom Queen!¡±
Gasp
Did you just¡ make a sound?
No, I didn¡¯t
¡°Trained myself to be in the center of public attention a bit, before becoming an idol.¡± Komori continues, unaware of the exchange. ¡°Well, a hero idol. That¡¯s like twice the public attention, right? I was pretty popular, even though I had to downscale my internet activity after joining the Hero Course.¡±
¡°R-right.¡± Uraraka nods, clearly unsure how to respond to all those revelations. So, she decides to just drop that subject entirely.
So, I guess that we¡¯re almost done with the first segment of the Dungeon, we just have to add the elemental zone and it¡¯s done, right?
Yes. Will we put it as 2nd or 3rd Level?
3rd one
You sure?
ETL-wise, the elementals aren¡¯t much
It¡¯s not about their personal strength, it¡¯s about the diversity of their attack methods
We can make them annoying as shit if we plan it correctly
Wait, you¡¯re actually considering synergy between your available units?
What a shocking development, Shigaraki!
Just¡ shut the hell up, okay?
Okay?
I¡¯m so fucking tired of this
but guess what
IT DOESN¡¯T MATTER
BECAUSE WE AREN¡¯T GETTING THE NEXT LEVEL UNTIL AFTER WE GET TO MANIFEST OURSELVES AS DUNGEON LORDS
WE HAVE FIVE LEVELS ALREADY
I DESIRE FREEDOM
FREEDOM FROM YOU
That¡ that actually sounds like the best holidays in my life.
Definitely the most earned ones.
They quickly confirm that the Menu expanded and does allow them to manifest themselves in a temporary body made based on their available skills, abilities and species. The cost is pretty substantial (doing that for them both at the same time would cost more than twice the cost of a [Hamadryad]), but they both agree on one thing.
It¡¯s definitely, absolutely and totally worth it.
27. Extreme Impulsiveness
The fun part about manifesting as a Dungeon Lord when your Dungeon has two managers is that you don¡¯t actually have to ask the other administrator for their permission to do so. They can just pick the [Dungeon Lord] button in the main menu, pick their species, set up all the sliders (Izuku decided to make himself 18 years old like everyone else), pick their skills and abilities and click the [Manifest] button before appearing in the [Throne Room].
¡°Are you serious?¡± Tomura says, glaring at Midoriya. He has wolf ears and a tail, and so does Midoriya. ¡°You not only manifested at the exact same time but you also picked the same spe¡¡±
Midoriya acts on instinct, and his instinct tells him to sock Shigaraki in the face.
Shigaraki responds in kind a moment later, leaping at him while yelling that he¡¯s going to fucking kill him.
They end up howling, punching, biting and scratching each other in the middle of the Throne Room until Kirishima comes and separates them.
Izuku regrets nothing, as he was waiting for it for what felt like a lifetime.
***
Once he was finished trying to claw Midoriya¡¯s eyes out (and regretting that he didn¡¯t have his quirk anymore), Tomura decided to go hang out with Spinner in the now empty Floor Guardian Room of the 4th Level, the one with the ball traps.
Just to have some time to freaking rest from having to spend too much time in Midoriya¡¯s proximity.
Which was a pretty awesome thing for Izuku who, frankly, had enough of him as well and dreamed for a long time about finally being able to spend his time with his friends. Hell, he could even spend that time with Monoma, it was still going to be an improvement.
Thankfully, Monoma went to check up on Komori, leaving Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, Uraraka and Toga to hang with him, letting him talk all his worries away and eat some meat that Toga got for him.
No, he still has no idea how to deal with Himiko being there, sitting right next to Ochako and clearly eating him with her eyes. He decides to act just like his best friend does and just¡ ignore the whole controversy.
He even admits to being the man behind the idea of the trap that actually ended up killing someone, to which Kirishima and Yaoyorozu exchange brief glances before Kirishima pats him on his back and tells him that it was just an accident, but not liking it despite there being no punishment and only rewards for doing so is manly.
Yaoyorozu then tells him that considering the fact that the wolfman was an armed trespasser and he still tried to incapacitate him without killing, she¡¯s sure that it would be ruled as self-defense.
When Izuku counters that he knew that the man didn¡¯t plan to kill them, she replies that he could never be sure if the man wouldn¡¯t act on instinct after reaching their Throne Room and seeing the treasure in front of him.
They actually manage to make him feel a bit better about himself. That was¡ a lot of pressure that he managed to let out.
It was great.
¡°Well, I think that we¡¯ll be off for a while.¡± Yaoyorozu announces at some point while standing off the table in their living room. Izuku missed out the look and a quick nod that she got from Uraraka a moment ago. ¡°If it¡¯s not a problem with you, we¡¯ll quickly visit the place where Toga has encountered the Hamadryad and look for some herbs that she missed. Toga, we¡¯re going to need you as a guide.¡±
¡°Ehhh?¡± Toga blinks at her. ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna!¡±
¡°Do that for Izuku.¡± Uraraka decides to use the vocal equivalent of a lockpick.
¡°Oh, alright then.¡± Toga nods, proving Uraraka¡¯s verbal lockpicking skills to be something to behold. ¡°I¡¯ll lead you then! Follow me.¡±
And so, they leave. Izuku remained behind with just Ochako.
¡°Izuku?¡± Uraraka then says to Izuku, who can¡¯t help but notice some sort of¡ worry? Confusion? Embarrassment? ¡°Do you remember how I told you that there¡¯s something very¡ impulsive that I want to do in the future?¡±
¡°Yes?¡± He asks back. ¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I have something to show you.¡± She then tells him, her confusion suddenly gone. She must have come to a decision. ¡°It¡¯s in my room, please follow me.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Izuku replies immediately while standing off the table. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± He is genuinely curious about what it might be.
***
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka says a moment later as they are both standing in the middle of her room. It¡¯s identical to the others - small, yet kinda cozy, with a bed, a small wardrobe, a table and a chair. ¡°Now, I need you to close your eyes.¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Izuku blinks at her. Then he realizes that she wanted to do some dramatic reveal to him. Did she get him a present or something? But from where? ¡°Okay.¡±
He closes his eyes as he was told. He has full, unconditional and completely doubtless trust in her. The idea that it might be something malicious doesn¡¯t even cross his mind (and correctly so).
He isn¡¯t sure how to interpret the sounds that he hears. He has wolfman ears right now, and this does improve his hearing a lot, but he just isn¡¯t sure what he hears. A lot of rustling of fabric, but what could it¡
¡°Y-you can o-open your eyes.¡± Uraraka says, her voice audibly shaking. And Izuku does as she told him.
Just to see his best friend standing right in front of him, completely naked, although covering certain parts of herself with her hands. With a fierce blush on her face, as she must have found it absolutely embarrassing (and understandably so).
Izuku reacts rationally. Namely, he simultaneously freezes (outwardly) and freaks out (internally), not knowing what to do with his eyes, his hands and his mouth.
¡°Wawawawawawawawa¡.¡± Is all that he manages to do with his mouth. He can only imagine just how incredibly red his face now was, at least if he had enough mental faculties left to imagine anything .
¡°S-sorry for this.¡± Uraraka manages to say, her eyes trying to stay on him but failing as embarrassment overtook her completely. ¡°B-but I wanted to avoid a-any¡ m-misunderstandings. And t-to make sure t-that you k-know that I¡¯m s-serious a-about it and you¡¯d h-have to g-give me a-an answer.¡±
¡°A-a-a-answer to w-what?!¡± Izuku manages to stutter in a way that almost resembles a coherent speech.
His eyes were, obviously, covered right now. Or, to be exact, closed and covered. Though he now had a lot of mental images and that was being extremely hard to process, which was occupying most of his now rebooted mental faculties.
¡°My c-confession.¡± Uraraka replies. Izuku¡¯s heart skips a few beats. ¡°I¡¯ve h-had a crush on you, for a w-while. I¡¯ve decided to i-ignore it, focus on being your friend and on becoming the b-best pro-hero that I could be. But¡ I can¡¯t be a p-pro-hero anymore, now c-can I? So there¡¯s no p-point in d-denying myself. And my g-goal for this s-second life is to live it w-without regrets.¡± She laughs nervously while somehow going even redder. ¡°E-even if I a-already regret h-having the s-stupid i-idea to confess l-like this.¡±
Ochako¡ Ochako had a crush? On him ? That was¡ well, she was pretty, beautiful even, and he knew that, he noticed that, just¡ she was the first girl that he has ever talked with, he never even thought that she might be seeing him like this and¡
¡°Izuku.¡± She says and he immediately realizes that he mumbled most of those words aloud and she heard it. He can feel her hands on his forearms and freezes like a deer in the headlights. ¡°Look at me, please.¡±
He does. And ohmygodshe¡¯ssocloseandshelookssoprettybutlookingatherfeelssowrongand
There is a strangely determined look on her face. And it doesn¡¯t seem as if she was stuttering anymore.
¡°You¡¯re a great person.¡± She informs him, looking straight into his eyes. She smells so pretty too¡ NOT THE RIGHT MOMENT FOR THAT! ¡°I fell for you because of your kindness, your diligence, your heroism and your readiness to kick ass when needed. You fighting Overhaul was the most awesome thing that I have ever seen. So don¡¯t you dare look down on yourself, okay?¡±
¡°O-okay.¡± Izuku stammers out nervously. ¡°B-b-b-but you¡¯re my b-best friend.¡±
¡°I am.¡± Uraraka nods, before briefly clenching her teeth and then forcing herself to continue. ¡°And if you don¡¯t want this to happen, I¡¯ll accept it. We¡¯ll be best friends forever, and nothing can change that. But I do believe that I can be your lover and your best friend. In fact, I think it only makes things better. It makes things not be all about just s-sex, right?¡± She adds, stuttering a little at the word.
¡°I-I s-s-s-see.¡± He stutters out nervously. It¡¯s¡ is that a good point? He genuinely doesn¡¯t know. ¡°A-aren¡¯t we m-minors?¡± Sixteen years olds, technically, even if somewhat close to seventeen, but¡
¡°Physically, we¡¯re 18 years old.¡± Uraraka replies. She doesn¡¯t seem to be surprised by the words. She probably asked that question to herself already. ¡°Mentally? I think we¡¯ve matured a bit faster than most, courtesy of Shigaraki and Overhaul. Besides, if we were old enough to take part in the battle that Shie Hassaikai raid was, I think that we¡¯re old enough to drink. And indulge in the s-s-spicier snuggles.¡±
¡°I¡¡± Izuku almost looks down, only to realize where he¡¯d be looking if he did that and freak out internally again.
¡°So¡¡± She says as she moves her hands up, holding his own, their fingers intertwining together. ¡°What do you choose? Best friends for life or best friends and lovers for life?¡±
***
Some time later, as Izuku is lying on her bed, under a thin blanket (that really can¡¯t be called a quilt, he should improve their bedding somehow) and on his right side, with Ochako in the same position right before him, he is forced to face a certain realization.
He made a decision. And he definitely doesn¡¯t regret it.
Especially as he was now as naked as she was, and was holding her tightly from behind, Ochako clearly enjoying their intimate closeness and warmth as much as he was.
It didn¡¯t deal with all the stress that he was in ever since his ¡®arrival¡¯ in this world. But it definitely made him not care about that for a moment. And that was good enough for him.
He decides (on a whim, really) to kiss the side of her neck, and that¡¯s enough to make her turn her head to look at him, before turning her entire body around and wrapping her arms around his head, getting¡ very close to him.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
¡°Whenever you feel like you¡¯re tired or stressed, and have some spare mana, just drop by.¡± She tells him, the world¡¯s most beautiful smile on her face. ¡°I¡¯m always ready to go on a walk with you, through the Dungeon, holding hands. Or give you a hug and let you vent your problems out to me. Or, well.¡± She winks at him, and somehow it makes him blush a little even after¡ all this. ¡°You¡¯ve broken your body over and over again during the first year of your high school. You deserve to enjoy yourself a bit, you know? Just no more bone juice, please.¡±
He¡¯ll never free himself from the bone juice, it seems.
¡°I know that this wasn¡¯t the usual order of events in a relationship, and yes I know that the way I confessed was¡ stupid.¡± Ochako continues while blushing again. ¡°I have no idea why I thought that it was a good idea. Sure, I wanted to avoid turning it into a romcom when I try to confess but you misunderstand it due to not believing that I could be into you, and it lasts who knows how long. which considering the fact that we might as well be attacked and killed tomorrow, feels like a stupid waste of time. But I definitely could figure out a better idea. ¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright, Ochako.¡± Izuku replies, while looking at her face up close. It¡¯s absolutely enchanting. ¡°You¡¯re so pretty.¡±
Yeah, he didn¡¯t actually plan to say it, it just came out on its own. And judging from the look on Ochako¡¯s face, she liked it.
So much that she actually¡ licked his cheek?
¡°Eeh?¡± Izuku blinks at her.
¡°Must be some wolf thing.¡± Ochako replies, clearly not feeling embarrassed about it at all. Or at least she doesn¡¯t seem more embarrassed than she was before she did that. ¡°I just felt like licking you. Not the most hygienic thing, but¡¡±
He licks her nose back, lightly. Somehow she manages to wrap herself around him even closer, Izuku doing his best to reciprocate.
She was so warm and¡
¡°You smell so pretty too.¡± He says. He enjoys Ochako blushing a bit, before her eyes suddenly shoot wide.
¡°Oh, no.¡± She says, looking suddenly horrified. ¡°I just realized. Himiko! She¡¯s going to smell you all over me! She¡¯s going to be insufferable!¡±
Izuku would personally be more concerned with Monoma doing the same thing, but¡ that just makes him confused.
¡°I¡¯m actually surprised that she hasn''t figured it all out and sneaked back to listen in on us.¡± Izuku replies. He realized by now that Yaoyorozu was ¡®hired¡¯ to get everyone off their back and give them some privacy. Including Toga.
¡°I¡¯ve totally done that!¡± They then freeze as they hear Toga¡¯s very cheerful voice coming from outside of Ochako¡¯s room. Right outside the entrance to it, to be exact. ¡°And damn, that was some of the hottest stuff I¡¯ve ever heard! Especially Ochako-chan¡¯s attempts at dirty talk! She must have seen some of the same stuff that I¡¯ve did on the internet and was doing her best to be confident while saying it, but she was sooooo embarrassed that it didn¡¯t quite work! That was the best type of sweet and spicy mix!¡±
Izuku is still frozen, but he manages to look back on Ochako. And immediately realizes Himiko she went a step or two too far by interrupting their sweet moment together. Because Ochako is seething.
¡°Wait here.¡± She says and then quickly goes out of the bed (Izuku once again not knowing what to do with his eyes, as she¡¯s still very, very naked) and walks over to her wardrobe before starting to pull something out of it.
It¡¯s a rope, Izuku realizes a second later. Uh-oh.
¡°My favorite part was definitely when she told you to ¡®paint her insides white¡¯, except it was more like ¡®p-p-p-p-paint my i-insides w-white, I-Izuku!¡¯.¡± Toga, unaware of her inevitable fate, keeps digging her grave deeper by quite decently mimicking Ochako¡¯s earlier words. ¡°It was so cute and yet so sexy that I just¡¡± Ochako leaves her room, Izuku still lying on her bed and not knowing what to do. ¡°Oh, oh! Are you coming here to invite me for some sloppy seconds and afterc¡ Aaaaa!¡±
What follows are sounds of struggle, hissing, growling, and then of someone being dragged into what Izuku presumes to be Toga¡¯s room on the opposite side of the corridor. Some time later, Ochako returns and slips back into bed.
¡°I had her bound, gagged and stuffed something into her ears, so we should have some peace, quiet and privacy for now.¡± Ochako then says while wrapping her arms around him again. ¡°Where were we at?¡±
¡°Will you bind me too if I ask?¡± Izuku says.
¡°What?¡± Uraraka blinks at him.
¡°What?¡± Izuku says back in shock, only now realizing what he just said. Stupid monkey brain of his! ¡°Errr¡ I said, ¡®will you hug me too if I ask¡¯, but I guess that I forgot that you¡¯ve already said you would.¡±
¡°Oh, okay.¡± Uraraka replies, clearly deciding that what she thought she heard was too out of place to be real. Izuku immediately feels guilty for gaslighting her. But it had to be done! ¡°Guess that I should be happy that I¡ errr¡ that I can easily distract you.¡±
¡°Yes, yes you can.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°You¡¯re extremely distracting, especially when you look like t-this.¡± He can feel himself blushing a bit at the last word.
¡°Dork.¡± Uraraka replies with a bright smile on her face before licking his nose quickly. ¡°Absolute dork, and I love it sooo much.¡±
Izuku can¡¯t help but lick her back. It was just something in the¡ atmosphere, okay? Or maybe in his current body. Well, did it really count as a problem? It was just.. relaxing. Enjoyable. Nice.
Should he have that talk right now?
¡°Ochako?¡± He says quietly, Uraraka raising an eyebrow. ¡°Sorry to talk about another woman while with you, but¡ what about¡ you know?¡±
She sighs.
¡°Just for the future, you can talk about other women when we¡¯re together.¡± She informs him. ¡°You can talk about everything when we¡¯re together. It¡¯s not even a matter of me being jealous or not, it¡¯s a matter of me unconditionally trusting that you wouldn¡¯t do anything that could hurt me.¡± Izuku nods faintly. ¡°As for Himiko¡ well. I intended to wait with that talk for later, for when we¡ get more used to our new relationship status.¡±
¡°I think that it should go both ways.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°If you want me to talk openly about everything, you should do so too.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not about¡ being open.¡± Uraraka sighs, Izuku giving her a confused look. ¡°Look, I¡¯m going to ask you a very strange question, so please don¡¯t freak out, alright?¡± Izuku nods. He slept with Ochako, there¡¯s no way something can make him freak out more than her confession did! ¡°Are you, errr, against the idea of turning this relationship into a love triangle?¡±
Izuku does a previously inconceivable thing and breaks the word he gave to Ochako. And he does freak out. Mostly by freezing on the spot.
¡°W-what?¡± He stammers out. ¡°B-but¡ i-is that even, you know, l-legal?¡±
¡°Izuku.¡± Uraraka sighs loudly. ¡°Let me put it this way. This whole isekai adventure? This is the ultimate test of character. There are no police, no pro-heroes, our teachers and parents aren¡¯t here, we live away from the reach of law, we do not need to be concerned with the HPSC or the public opinion about us, we can get away with murdering people, and we can even do it without anyone other than ourselves knowing it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡¡± Izuku thinks it over for a moment. ¡°... kind of correct. But I don¡¯t feel like changing myself because of that.¡±
¡°This means you¡¯ve passed that test.¡± Uraraka replies before shrugging lightly when he looks at her with a surprised look on his face. ¡°Look, unless someone goes really bad, I¡¯m not going to mind it. Myself? I love fighting. I want to fight. I decided that if I end up killing someone in the process, then I¡¯m going to be conditionally alright with that. For as long as they¡¯ve come to the Dungeon and knew the risks, or if they attacked me and left me no other choice. I¡¯m fine with taking their stuff, and frankly, if we found a group of, say, Rampant Bloom worshippers, then I wouldn¡¯t mind burning their base to the ground after stealing everything they had, simply because they¡¯re making the world worse and are disgusting.¡± She finishes her lecture by sighing loudly and then asking a question. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯ve passed the test?¡±
¡°I¡¡± Izuku thinks it over for a while, because he feels like she wouldn¡¯t accept a half-baked answer here. ¡°... I guess you did. You changed, but the core of yourself stayed as it was. And if you saw someone innocent being attacked while out there in the wilds, you¡¯d still come out to help them, right?¡±
¡°I definitely would.¡± Uraraka replies without a hint of hesitation. ¡°I guess I¡¯m planning to become the ¡®honorable¡¯ sort of barbarian warrior. If there is such a thing in this world.¡± Izuku can understand that much. ¡°And, guess what? I think that when it¡¯s not bad , I¡¯d rather go a bit wild if it helps me live without any regrets about missing out on something. As for the subject at hand? I don¡¯t have to bother with what my teachers or the society or the press have to say about it, so I¡¯m going to do whatever I fancy, for as long as the people directly involved in it will be alright with that. Because if they didn¡¯t, I¡¯d be a bad person. And I¡¯d fail the test.¡±
¡°I¡ guess.¡± Izuku decided to concede the point. She¡¯s probably going to try to get really drunk whenever they¡¯ll have the alcohol available, simply because she can. ¡°But¡ don¡¯t you have to be into girls to make the triangle? I mean, I¡¯d feel kinda bad if it was just me getting the¡ errr, whole thing?¡±
Uraraka gives him the look. While blushing again.
¡°Wait, really?¡± Izuku lets out, completely surprised by this revelation.
¡°Look, I just never¡ really¡ dig deep into that.¡± Uraraka admits, blushing even more. ¡°I¡ didn¡¯t want to stand out from the people at my old school, and I didn¡¯t feel comfortable exploring¡ anything else. And then I fell for you, and then I decided to ignore the whole subject in favor of becoming a pro-hero, and I was kinda fine with having it that way and¡¡±
She manages to restrain the flood of words enough to sigh loudly.
¡°I guess I just don¡¯t really care what other people think about what I do, not now that we¡¯re in a completely different world.¡± She then says. ¡°And I¡¯m not going to lie. As I am right now, I only truly love you.¡±
Izuku can¡¯t help but feel warmth on the inside with those words.
¡°If it was the past Himiko¡ if it was, you know, Toga, then none of that would be on the table, obviously.¡± Uraraka continues. ¡°I don¡¯t think that any sane person could look at us and be like, ¡®oh, they¡¯d make for such a great couple!¡¯. She tried to stab me, she tried to stab you, she tried to stab Tsuyu, she tried to stab Aizawa-sensei¡¡± She sighs. ¡°Yeah, no. I could, maybe, admit in some particularly strange and extreme set of circumstances that she looked cute , but, you know, still a villain. And potentially a murderer.¡±
She didn¡¯t have a court case for that, obviously. But she definitely killed at least some people during her villain career, that much wasn¡¯t really up to a debate.
¡°But now her being a villain doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± Izuku understands that much. ¡°And whether she¡¯s responsible for those murder attempts or not is debatable, as she¡¯s merely a copy of the person responsible for them. And hasn¡¯t tried to stab any of us yet.¡±
¡°Yes, precisely.¡± Uraraka nods faintly. ¡°So, Toga was a big nope. Himiko though? Her feline antics are funny and her horniness is sort of endearing and might mean some interesting things for the future, but as I said, as of right now, I only love you. But if you and Himiko decide that you want her to be involved, I¡¯ll be fine with that. And definitely¡ have some fun.¡± She clears her throat, clearly embarrassed with what she said. ¡°So, you know, consider things. Whatever you decide, I¡¯ll be fine with that.¡±
¡°I¡¡± Izuku finds himself suddenly blushing twice as much. ¡°... I think that we should wait with any, errr, changes. Get used to, you know, us. All I can promise you when she¡¯s concerned is that I won¡¯t just¡ discount the idea without thinking about it. What I can tell you right now is that I don¡¯t feel like getting into it if it¡¯s going to be just a one-time thing or anything like this, you get me?¡±
¡°I do.¡± Uraraka says before hugging him so closely that she can rub her nose into his. ¡°And that¡¯s just a part of how cute, kind and adorable you are. And I love it soo much in you.¡±
After some quick thinking, Izuku decides to just¡ keep laying in that warm and by now surprisingly comfortable bed, and enjoy it. He definitely needs to rest and recuperate mentally from all the shock and stress and existential confusion brought by landing in another universe against his will.
And by having to do all of that with Tomura Shigaraki.
***
¡°Holy shit.¡± Spinner blinks at Shigaraki. ¡°Midoriya really is fucked up in the head. I can understand everything, I can justify¡ almost everything, but showing you femboy All for One and futa catgirl All Might is fucking too much.¡±
¡°I know, right?!¡± Shigaraki throws his arms up. ¡°He is absolutely fucked up! Who made him like this?! I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t even want to know! And I live in constant fear that he¡¯ll decide to involve Stain in this whole bullshit? Can you even imagine kawaii catboy Stain?!¡±
Spinner gasps loudly. That would be¡ absolute horror! But then it occurs to him.
¡°What if he, you know, finds out about Doctor Garaki?¡± He asks, and Shigaraki stares at him in utter existential horror for several seconds.
¡°Never ever mention that name.¡± Shigaraki then says quickly after shivering profusely. ¡°Never. And pray to all the gods you know and even those you don¡¯t know that Toga doesn¡¯t spill the beans. I¡¯d never live through that.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Spinner nods quickly. He¡¯s going to do his best to avoid the worst. ¡°What do you think he¡¯s doing right now?¡±
¡°I have no idea, probably some boring normie shit.¡± Shigaraki rolls his eyes around. Then he reminds himself that he is trying to become a better villain by caring more about his subordinates. ¡°Anyway, how are you doing with your isekai adventure?¡±
¡°Critical lack of waifus thus far, but I persevere.¡± Spinner replies. ¡°I mean, I should wait for some contact with local civilization to see what it looks like, right?¡± Shigaraki nods. ¡°You¡¯ve been here for a longer time, and definitely went through some rough shit, so, you know, I¡¯m fine with helping you just vent out and focusing this talk on you. I¡¯m your friend, right? Right?¡±
¡°My best fucking friend.¡± Shigaraki replies with some genuine emotion behind it. ¡°Ever. You¡¯ve been the cornerstone of our entire organization, and I feel bad about never making you feel as cherished and respected as you should be. Also, your official villain rank was a fucking joke and you should be ranked higher than that useless fuck Dabi.¡±
¡°Well, err, thank you.¡± Spinner replies, clearly surprised by it. ¡°So, do you want to go and do something?¡±
¡°Dunno, it¡¯s not like I can leave the Dungeon or anything.¡± Shigaraki sighs. ¡°And there are no computers here. So, any ideas?¡±
¡°We could always go to that newly opened Komori level.¡± Spinner says, with a wry smile blooming on his face. ¡°I think it¡¯s finally the time for you to touch grass.¡±
¡°Dick.¡± Shigaraki replies dryly just as Spinner cackles loudly. ¡°But you know what, fine, let¡¯s go. I just want to be as far as possible from Midoriya, to be honest.¡±
28: Arachnophobia
They¡¯ve spent some more time, just lounging in the bed, before eventually getting up and picking up their clothes.
¡°You know, I consider staying a wolf beastkin forever.¡± Uraraka surprises Izuku by speaking suddenly while putting on her shirt. ¡°With the whole ¡®have your soul bound through the cheat code¡¯ thing.¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Izuku blinks in her direction, the shock interrupting the process of pulling up his pants. ¡°Really? What about your eyesight?¡±
He¡¯s had the wolf¡¯s eyes for merely a while, and he already noticed all the issues with that. And that¡¯s despite not getting to leave the Dungeon. The missing colors and the shortsightedness was a pain in the ass, really.
¡°Well, it¡¯s not perfect.¡± Uraraka admits. ¡°But the sense of smell and improved hearing are both really cool. I¡¯ve already gotten used to having weaker eyesight, and I pretty much can¡¯t even imagine myself without this new smell of mine.¡±
¡°Well, it is pretty cool.¡± Izuku admits. ¡°I¡¯m yet to figure it out fully and¡¡±
¡°You remember yourself mentioning that dogs can smell emotions off people?¡± Uraraka says quietly just as she suddenly leans closer to him¡ and sniffs the side of his neck, startling him slightly. ¡°I think I figured it out by now. And I really love how you smell when I¡¯m around. And when we¡¯re together.¡±
Izuku stares at her, wide-eyed, looking for words to say in response to it before failing and blushing furiously. Ochako clearly takes that as a sign of a job well done, and winks at him before returning to putting her clothes back on.
¡°Don¡¯t do anything about it quite yet.¡± She then informs him. ¡°The soul binding thing, I mean. There¡¯s no point in it when I don¡¯t even know how to improve myself. We need to learn more about this world before doing anything like this.¡±
¡°M-makes sense.¡± Izuku snaps out of it and finishes putting on his clothes.
¡°By the way, can I ask you a question?¡± Uraraka then speaks to him again, interrupting the process again. ¡°Just¡ answer me honestly, it might be a bit embarrassing, but I really won¡¯t mind the truth, okay?¡±
¡°O-okay?¡± Izuku doesn¡¯t exactly like the ¡®bit embarrassing¡¯ part, but if she¡¯s asking him for it, he¡¯ll do it. ¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Did you, when creating your body, do anything with the, uhm, sliders?¡± Uraraka asks, and Izuku blushes when he realizes what sort of ¡®sliders¡¯ she means.
¡°I¡ I d-didn¡¯t!¡± Izuku replies quickly. ¡°It went with the same, errr, setting as it was on Earth.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Uraraka blinks at him. ¡°Well, I can only hope that my version there won¡¯t be a dumbass and will eventually ask you out. If she won¡¯t, then she¡¯ll miss out on a lot and will forever regret it.¡±
Izuku blinks at her again, absolutely and completely confused.
***
The situation after that was pretty normal. Izuku and Ochako returned to the living room again and spent a while chatting cheerfully and holding hands, Izuku slowly processing the fact that he now had a lover (or girlfriend, he genuinely wasn¡¯t sure which word was better here).
Processing and basking in it.
And they also kissed a few more times while waiting for the others to return. Izuku¡ really couldn¡¯t have enough of it. And neither did Ochako.
And then things go bad.
Disconnect and get back to the Core, now
Uraraka, go and untangle Toga, we need her right fucking now.
What?
***
Yaoyorozu spotted visitors heading in our direction when returning from the grove with new herbs
They¡¯re coming from the direction of the suspected Rampant Bloom¡¯s lair
She spotted spiders, human-spiders and some robed humanoids among them
no
My theory?
Smell
Yes
They must be following the smell, there is a chance that they¡¯ll lose the trail when they reach the river but we have to be ready
Toga, I have a mission for you
It¡¯s very fucking urgent
¡°Mm-hmm?¡± Toga lets out through the gag (her face, naturally, with a furious blush on it), Uraraka currently busy freeing her limbs.
Grab the key to Aeonia¡¯s sanctuary and run there as fast as fucking possible
We need her here, asap or we might be fucking toast.
¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Toga nods, Uraraka pulling her gag out. ¡°Gah. Alright, I¡¯m going there right now! Don¡¯t die, alright?¡±
No promises are made
***
Yaoyorozu remains on the lookout by the edge of the cliff, close to the secret exit of the Dungeon, just as Toga finally manages to reach it. The catgirl runs past her, using [Cat Leap] whenever possible and rushing south, towards Aeonia¡¯s graveyard.
Both Izuku and Tomura switch over to her eyesight. They can, indeed, see a group in the distance, most of them constantly covered by trees, obfuscating their exact number. But there were definitely a lot of them.
Yaoyorozu-san?
¡°I¡¯ve counted about eighty of them.¡± She reports immediately. ¡°Most of them are spiders, the ones that we¡¯ve already come to know. The remaining ones are those hooded figures that I can¡¯t see clearly. There are seven of those, I think.¡±
You think we can take them on?
¡°It all depends on how dangerous the hooded ones are.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°The spiders we might be able to defeat with the use of terrain, the boulder traps alone should completely shred them.¡±
Lovely
Ah, crap
The group of Occasa¡¯s worshippers crossed the river and seemed to have caught their trail again. Their vanguard, in the form of one of the hooded figures and a few giant spiders, began to march directly towards the Dungeon entrance.
Get down before they cut you off at the Floor Guardian Room
¡°On it.¡± Yaoyorozu nods before moving back from the edge of the cliff and running towards the secret exit.
***
Some time later, two people have entered the Dungeon, accompanied by four giant spiders (two Biters and two Spitters) heading in slightly ahead of them and spreading through the entrance area.
Both the Bloom¡¯ cultists were definitely women, that much they could be certain, mostly thanks to their robes being almost definitely weaved from spider silk, albeit coloured black. But with their entire body covered by either those or by black masks with some red shapes and symbols surrounding their eyes, they weren¡¯t able to say more than that.
The first one has some sort of golden trim surrounding their hood and a spider-like symbol hanging off their neck on a wide necklace made from what looks like a golden silk. Definitely the more important one.
I think they are elves
The body-build fits
Good point
¡°Dungeon.¡± One of the figures says while looking around, in what¡¯s definitely the elven language. The voice feels¡ grating . Annoying. Just downright disgusting. ¡°Newly born one. The Webmistress favors us. Its core will make for a splendid sacrifice.¡±
They didn¡¯t need to hear that to know what their intentions were. They looked at them and saw red dots. Hostile intent. The cultists were here to kill them. Just, damn, great.
¡°Can it be a problem?¡± The other speaks. Their voice is definitely almost as bad as the other one.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°No.¡± The first one replies. ¡°It¡¯s a young, weak and stupid one. Send Illea, Vinya and Uka. Have them take half of the Holy Ones with them. I¡¯ll let them prove themselves to the Family.¡±
¡°As you order.¡± The second one nods and walks out of the Dungeon, almost immediately followed by the first one (who seems to be in charge of their group).
They are coming in two waves?
You think that we¡¯ll be able to reset the traps after dealing with the first one?
I think so.
But we have a limited amount of mana left, so it all depends on how much we lose in the process.
***
Some time later, the 1st Level is absolutely flooded with spiders. They count seven Biters, seven Spitters, and six Spider Maidens, alongside three cultists, two of which were almost certainly elves, with the third one likely being some type of a beastkin.
Giant Spiders: The Civil War
I just hope that the cultists won¡¯t convert our spiders into more of their servants with some cheat magic.
Thankfully, they didn¡¯t, although one of them did try to cast some magic on the first pair of spiders that they¡¯ve run into.
¡°It doesn¡¯t work.¡± The suspected beastkin says, their voice¡ What was with the voice of all the cultists?! Those voices were just wrong . Was something wrong with their throats? ¡°They belong to the Dungeon.¡±
¡°Regretful.¡± One of their compatriots replies and points at the two dungeon spiders. Immediately, their vanguard swarms them and tears them to pieces. ¡°Let¡¯s move forward.¡±
The spiders of the 1st Level weren¡¯t that much of a threat to the invaders, regretfully. They couldn¡¯t order the creatures present there aside from assigning them to a [Lair] or a [Floor Guardian] room.
Otherwise, they were simply living there, wandering around, not particularly hungry thanks to the Dungeon¡¯s ambient magic offering them necessary satiety, and attacking the intruders under the compulsion that Dungeon made a crucial part of them.
They had very limited capacity for ordering them around unless they were intelligent enough to understand vocal orders.
And the creatures on their first level weren¡¯t quite intelligent enough. And so, they were engaging the intruders in very small groups.
Within twenty minutes, the cultists succeeded in clearing out both [Spider Breeding Chambers] and defeating the two [Spider Maidens] with some minimal trouble, losing only three spiders (two Biters and one Spitter) in the process.
The cultists didn¡¯t even get to use their magic (whatever it was and however it worked).
Worst of all? They also destroyed the shrines. The absolute disrespect.
***
The second level is where they¡¯ve decided to establish a first ¡®real¡¯ level of defense, by virtue of having enough space and an additional support in the form of Komori and her small legion of lignomorphs that she could actually command and that would be lost if they let the attackers get past the 2nd Level.
They also had a highly uneven and almost maze-like area of the [Underground Ecosystem] which could be used for an ambush or a flanking attack. And that¡¯s what Uraraka planned to do.
Some time later the first of the spiders began to flood into the [Underground Ecosystem], immediately spreading around and looking for things to kill, with the three cultists following them alongside most of the Spider Maidens.
Soon a clash started as the spider vanguard ran into [Lesser Lignomorphs] and almost immediately discovered a problem.
Lignomorphs were nearly impervious to the [Giant Biter Spiders] poison due to their peculiar biology. They could be restrained by the [Giant Spitter Spiders] and torn to shreds by the needle-like fingers of the [Spider Maidens], but they could dish quite a lot of damage to them in retaliation, their lashes tearing off the spiders¡¯ legs, blinding them and then, when they were largely immobile, finding a way to tear off their carapace and crudely vivisect them.
It was a brutal battle that only got worse when Komori showed up on the battlefield, immediately exposing the enemy''s mistake. They¡¯ve deployed three Spider Maidens as a group to eliminate the [Lesser Lignomorphs] without getting any injuries in the process.
They didn¡¯t expect a [Hamadryad] being present on the level.
Komori stepped into the larger cave room where the three Spider Maidens were busy tearing a [Lesser Lignomorph] to pieces and immediately snapped her finger, making roots and tendrils erupt under one of them, grabbing its body and slamming it into the ground.
Then two more [Lesser Lignomorphs] step into the cave after her, immediately engaging the two remaining Maidens, allowing Komori to focus on the one that was closest to her.
It can¡¯t do a lot when she fires needles at it, the projectiles piercing its upper body¡¯s skin in multiple places, before she gets close enough to wrap the tendril leash around the Maiden¡¯s head before instantly tearing it off.
She let a third [Lesser Lignomorph] move in and start to tear off the carapace pieces of the blinded creature despite its increasingly desperate struggle as she moves over to another one.
As Komori¡¯s fighting the spiders, the cultists realize that something¡¯s not going as they intended it to. Another wave of creatures is sent to engage the hamadryad that the vanguard encountered, one of them having clearly possessed some sort of spell that lets them see through their eyes.
There were still some creatures around them, but it was all that they could hope for. And, in fact, what they wanted to achieve from the start.
There was a hidden chamber in the middle of the [Underground Ecosystem], where Uraraka, Monoma, Kirishima, Spinner and Yaoyorozu gathered up earlier. Waiting for the right time.
Monoma-kun, it¡¯s time, hit them with [Rage] and then attack.
¡°I don¡¯t even need that spell right now.¡± Uraraka groans while raising her spear for a moment. ¡°How dare those creatures interrupt our time together?! I¡¯m going to find and burn their breeding grounds to the ground, slaughter them to the last one and steal all their valuables, just wait and see!¡±
And no, that was before Monoma enraged everyone in the hidden chamber with his magical bell. After that happened, she was just straight up livid, her body trembling in barely controlled fury that seeked to be unleashed in the most bloody way possible.
Having her act like that over their date being interrupted would be enough to make Izuku blush and smile faintly¡ if he had a face right now, that is.
So
your girlfriend is basically female Conan the Barbarian
You know what?
that¡¯s surprisingly cool for someone like you
Shhh, it¡¯s the middle of a battle.
They push open the secret exit and immediately charge outside, into the slight opening some distance away from where Komori was fighting (while being slowly overwhelmed by the spiders that were converging on her position).
Uraraka grabbed her spear with her shield hand and pulled a javelin from the quiver on her back, before immediately throwing it at the cultist at the other end of said opening, who was in the process of turning towards the new source of noises.
The projectile hits the cultist squarely in the shoulder, the elf letting out a distorted scream while grabbing the javelin sticking out of her body. Immediately making Izuku realize that Ochako really meant the ¡®slaughter them to the last¡¯ part.
Huh. That was quite h¡ concerning. Yes, it was concerning. Then again, it was self-defense against people who wanted to slaughter them all, which definitely made it more reasonable in Izuku¡¯s eyes.
There are two more uninjured cultits in front of them, alongside four more spiders and one spider maiden.
¡°Attack!¡± One of the cultists shouts and the spiders immediately lunge towards the new arrivals.
Spinner fires an arrow at one of the cultists, but they¡¯ve succeeded in casting some sort of protection magic, making the arrow bounce off their abdomen. A moment later their companion retaliates in one of the most horrid ways Izuku ever saw.
They take a deep breath, their back leaning backward, their silky mask unwrapping itself around their face¡ before their throat suddenly bulges, and the cultist projectile vomits a whole bunch of spiders in a concentrated cloud that flies past their changing melee fighters and hits Spinner.
Who, understandably, freaks out and drops his bow while trying to get those things off him.
Oh, fuck
This is going into my Nightmare Fuel folder
Uraraka storms past the two [Giant Spiders] that tried to stop her with [Predator¡¯s Advance] before slamming into the beastkin cultist, shield-first, pushing her back. The silk of their mask splits and she gets to see giant spider mandibles and legs begin to erupt out of her mouth, as if she was trying to vomit it straight onto her from above.
Said ¡®it¡¯ being a spider likely larger than her head.
No. Just¡ no.
Uraraka suddenly raises her shield, its upper edge hitting her in the jaw with enough strength to make her mouth close onto the spider thing, partially biting through its own legs and body. That interrupts whatever scary shit she was casting (was that even casting, or were those things just inside her?) and makes her start choking on whatever was just coming back down her throat.
Uraraka pulls back and is about to impale the creature on a [Lesser Thrust] when she hears Izuku shouting ¡®BEHIND YOU¡¯ in her mind, so she immediately dodges to the side, the hand of a spider maiden piercing through the place where she was a moment ago.
She slams the creature back with a [Shield Bash], stunning it completely a second before Kirishima¡¯s log slams its spider body from above, reinforced with a [Heavy Blow], splattering it completely, the spider maiden beginning to collapse onto the floor.
Kirishima has already destroyed two more spiders and finished the cultist that Uraraka injured with a javelin, and was doing pretty well in general, with Yaoyorozu using the [Move] spell to intercept the ball of web that a [Spitter] fired at him¡ until now. Because now the third cultist extended her hands and had webs erupt from them, like some discount spiderman, targeting his legs and arms.
And despite his prodigious strength, he fails to free himself before he is bitten by another spider. He tears it off its body and crushes it in its hands, only for another one to jump at his back and bite him in the nape of his neck.
He grabs and throws it at the wall, but it¡¯s clear that getting injected with poison into a place close to his brain was enough to overcome even his body¡¯s natural resistance. The effect isn¡¯t as potent as it was with Toga, but it¡¯s clear that his attempts to free himself from the growing pile of web enveloping him are steadily growing weaker as dizziness and weakness set in.
Uraraka impales the cultist that she knocked out earlier on her spear with a [Lesser Thrust] further empowered with Monoma¡¯s [Enraged Blow] buff. The beastkin cultist meekly tries to grab the spear sticking out of its chest, with spiders erupting from under their robe¡¯s sleeves.
Uraraka acts quickly and kicks her off the spear, before shaking the spiders off. She then immediately loses it.
The third cultist fired more of those irritating spiderman imitating webs and wrapped it around its hilt, before pulling it out of her hand.
The cultist is then hit by a [Lesser Firebolt], but the silk is clearly protecting her pretty well from flames, so it¡¯s at best an annoyance.
Crap, we¡¯ve just lost Monoma.
The third cultist must have been ordering the spiders to come to your position from all around while you were dealing with the other two, one of them just jumped at him from the wall and bit him.
Kirishima is about to drop from the fight too.
Uraraka growls. Were they going to lose another fight? No. It wasn¡¯t a loss. It was a skirmish. They were harassing their enemy. It was fine to retreat before attacking the enemy again.
She jumps back, avoiding what looked like a poisonous spit from the third cultist, before starting to pull back. They aren¡¯t ready to announce to the cultists how intelligent they are (they don¡¯t want them to suspect anything was strange with that Dungeon), so she just runs back, expecting Izuku to relay her unspoken orders.
And he does that.
Spinner has managed to clear the spiders off him and fired two more arrows at the third cultist, neither of them hitting her but still forcing her to cast the body protection spell repeatedly.
Yaoyorozu gave a quick look to Monoma. He managed to kill the spider that leapt at him with his dagger, but had enough of its poison pumped into him that he was clearly about to go into anaphylactic shock, and knew it, so he just nodded at her.
She runs past him, casting [Earthen Shield] just in time to intercept a web projectile from a Giant Spitter Spider that has just arrived on the battlefield, before disappearing behind a corner of the cave.
Uraraka ran after her pretty quickly alongside Spinner.
Elsewhere, Komori was finally overrun by the spiders. She was biological enough to suffer from their bites (if not even nearly as much as what they did to sapients of this world), and eventually that weakened her enough for the last remaining spider maiden to slit her throat and tear her arm off in the elbow.
That weakened her enough for the remaining spiders to swarm her.
The initial engagement cost them Kirishima, Monoma and Komori and all of the [Lignomorphs], at the exchange for the enemy¡¯s advance party being absolutely massacred in the process.
Out of three cultists, only one remained.
Out of seven spider maidens, only one remained.
Out of around thirty giant spiders, maybe ten remained.
Frankly, if not for the fact that the remaining cultist gathered up the spiders around her, and that many of them could easily knock their enemies out with one venomous bite, they¡¯d have enough strength for a successful counterattack.
Great success.
Oh, crap
The group above must have some sort of sensor link with the spiders and realized what has happened, and are sending in reinforcements
A cultist as a shepherd, three spider maidens and a dozen more regular spiders
Damn it.
The advance party is holding down and waiting for the reinforcements. Can we counterattack them?
We¡¯ve lost one of two of our main damage dealers, Spinner¡¯s lacking the armor piercing capabilities to injure the enemy, and Yaoyorozu¡¯s ability to deal damage is next to zero
The answer is no
You¡¯re right and I hate it.
Let¡¯s retreat behind your beloved ball traps and hope that they¡¯ll weaken the second wave enough for us to win.
29: Extermination
The two groups of the cultists regrouped together on the 2nd Level, the brief exchange of words between the two remaining cultists telling them that the leader of their group had some sort of long-distance sensor link to some of the spiders, which is what told the surface group that the advance group got absolutely shredded.
The remnants of said advance group were told before departing that if they suffer heavy casualties, reinforcement will be deployed. And so, the surviving cultist dug in and waited.
Once they gather up together, they resume their march deeper into the Dungeon, quickly entering the 3rd Level.
Which, regretfully, doesn¡¯t offer a lot of resistance. There are traps there, yes, but they aren¡¯t quite capable of stopping such a massive wave of giant spiders. They were optimized to deal with a small group of human opponents, like adventurers, not¡ this .
Both fall traps manage to kill one Giant Spider each before they are discovered, with the spiders easily jumping over them, or scaling the wall, with cultists managing the same feat. Leaving twenty of them behind.
The next line of defense was the projectile trap. The constant storm of projectiles fired by the astral shards hidden in the walls was pretty damaging, capable of cracking spider carapaces on direct impact, but¡
It didn¡¯t work.
Well, it didn¡¯t work nearly as well as they expected.
They scored four early kills before the cultists realized what they walked into, and made some necessary changes to their tactics.
Soon enough Tomura and Izuku could only curse quietly and watch the spitter spiders using their projectile webs to block the projectile slits in the walls one by one, disarming the trap room one trap at a time.
There are two more kills (or, to be exact, one kill and one incapacitating injury) afterwards, because Tomura got really creative with placement of some traps and their concealment, but in the end, the projectile room is successfully disarmed, allowing the remaining members of the group (14 giant spiders, 4 spider maidens and 2 cultists) to pass through it.
I fucking hate intelligent enemies
There are no defensive measures left on the 3rd Level, as it¡¯s - to be honest - fairly outdated and they just didn¡¯t have the time to invest in replacing what at some point in the past was Uraraka and Toga¡¯s boss room, nor ¡®their¡¯ past Node Room.
Damn it.
They are entering 4th Level.
Here¡¯s hoping that your Sen¡¯s Fortress Lite does what it¡¯s supposed to do, or we¡¯re dead.
It fucking will, just wait and see.
The lengthy corridor immediately puts the cultists on guard, but after looking around the entrance to it, they find nothing and so they order the group to progress, with spiders as a vanguard.
Tomura ends up having to wait until the cultists - that stayed at the back of the group - got far enough from the entrance to not be able to run back to it before he activates the trap. The astral slimes that were holding the giant boulder slipped back, making it roll down the short, heavily inclined shaft, before breaking through a thin false wall and immediately continuing to roll down the corridor.
It¡¯s loud, obviously. It makes the two cultists look back at the source of the noises. And immediately start to run down the corridor while screaming incoherently in a state of total panic, as the boulder is pursuing them.
Okay, that¡¯s a good start if I ever saw one.
Shhh, don¡¯t jinx it, dumbass
Some of the spiders turn back, firing their webs at the rolling boulder past the cultists. When the cultists get past them, they stay their ground, firing until the boulder reaches them. Either lacking a self-preservation instinct or forced to do it by the cultists.
They are run over by the boulder. There is a bit of a space above it which makes it harder for the crushed corpses to slow it down or even stop it if they¡¯re big and tough enough, making the boulder roll over them, crushing their insides in the process with limited loss of speed.
But limited doesn¡¯t mean none.
The cultists swarm it with enough spiders in short order that they actually manage to stop it in its tracks, somewhere in the middle of the corridor. At the cost of a whopping seven giant spiders.
Kek
If they keep losing them so quickly, they¡¯re going to be dead by the middle of the Level
Unless they find some counter to the boulders.
They didn¡¯t.
After a moment of catching their breath and exchanging some brief words in the line of ¡®holy shit, what was that?! I didn¡¯t know that Dungeons could do such a thing!¡¯ before they decide to resume their advance.
Big mistake.
When they hear a second boulder crushing through the thin fake wall, they realize it almost immediately - but still way too late to change anything.
What follows is a frantic dash down the corridor, the second boulder narrowly stopped at the cost of the remaining giant spiders.
This leaves them the two cultists with just four spider maidens, and in a state of a severe mental break.
¡°This is too much.¡± One of them gurgles out. ¡°If there¡¯s another trap like that ahead, we¡¯re all dead! We should wait for the reinforcements.¡±
It was the one that survived from the original group of three that entered the Dungeon and was massacred in the battle at the 2nd Level. It¡¯s pretty understandable that they¡¯re done with this bullshit.
¡°And lose our standing within the Family?¡± The other one sounds much calmer about it. ¡°And what if there is a way to drop one of those damn boulders down this corridor? You want to be sandwiched between two of them?¡±
¡°N-no.¡± The first one replies. ¡°Shit, what do we do then?¡±
¡°We have to get to the end of those traps.¡± The second one retorts. ¡°Instead of trying to stop the boulders, we ignore them and run past as quickly as possible. The past levels weren¡¯t very large, there shouldn¡¯t be more than one or two such traps left. We can do it.¡±
Try four
Hehehehehehehe
Ugh
I just realized that I¡¯m happy that you¡¯ve had your Decay quirk instead of, say, a stronger version of Mimic¡¯s.
Or, gods help us all, you were there instead of Overhaul.
I just had an image of the underground labyrinth under the Shie Hassaikai headquarters, but it¡¯s all boulder traps akin to Sen¡¯s Fortress.
Ugh.
At least Togata-senpai would be immune to that.
That¡¯s why I¡¯d set some of the traps to unleash two boulders in a random succession, so that attempting to phase through a boulder would potentially make him reappear right in front of another one, with hopefully not enough time to use his quirk again
¡
Yeah, giving you Decay quirk with its purely destructive nature and limited usefulness was a really bad call on AFO¡¯s side.
And I should be happy that you just disarmed Overhaul, instead of using some dirty little AFO-style contrivance to steal his quirk.
¡
WHY HAVEN¡¯T I THOUGHT ABOUT THIS?!
Beats me.
The cultist cut the corner alongside the spider maidens, immediately triggering another trap. As the third boulder begins to roll after them, they begin to run as quickly as possible down the corridor.
They manage to reach the end of it before the boulder can get to them, only to immediately activate a fourth boulder trap, making them keep running down another corridor, without stopping.
One of the cultists trips over an uneven ground, the nearby spider maiden helping them stand up and keep running at the cost of being pancaked by the boulder. This slows it down a bit, allowing them to run to the end of the fourth boulder trap without anyone else dying.
This activates the fifth boulder trap. And while the corridor is now shorter, the support traps in the floor get more and more intense.
They lose another spider maiden to one of those - unlike the others, it failed to dodge the astral shard projectile in time, was hit in the head and failed to get to the end of the corridor before being pancaked.
Can our remaining servants beat them up if two spider maidens and two cultists get to the end of the trap?
I hope so.
Dumbass, the last boulder is where it¡¯s all at.
And he¡¯s right.
Hiding the exit in the sidewall of the last boulder trap instead of doing it at the end of it was an absolutely brilliant move on Tomura¡¯s end.
One of the cultists died even before getting to it, stepping into the small astral slime pit and being immobilized. They screamed at their companion to help them, but they were ignored, their ally running down the corridor.
The scream is cut short by the boulder.
And then, the time to turn left comes. And the two spider maidens - that were running a bit faster than the last remaining cultist - missed it, the cultist realizing the deception a moment too late and failing to order them to move back.
The cultist leaped into the corridor in time¡ only to get to see a close up of Uraraka¡¯s shield, receiving an immediate [Shield Bash] that pushed her back into the boulder¡¯s trail. She has maybe two seconds to stare in shock at the bloodthirsty smile on Uraraka¡¯s face before she¡¯s run over by a boulder, which then proceeds to kill the remaining two spider maidens before coming to a stop at the end of the corridor.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Uraraka raises her spear. ¡°Victory! Take that, you vile cultists!¡±
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
TOTAL PARTY KILL!!!
SEN¡¯S FORTRESS 2.0 IS A RESOUNDING SUCCESS
AND YET I ALREADY HAVE SOME IDEAS AS TO HOW TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE DEADLY
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
I have to admit it - it was an ingenious and incredibly successful design.
Yes, you might have taken it from a videogame, but it worked splendidly, so I can¡¯t even hold it against you.
SPINNER, YOU CAN DO IT NOW!
¡°Oh, sure thing, boss.¡± Spinner replies before walking past the slightly confused Uraraka and starting to¡ dance, right in front of the pancaked cultist?
Uhm?
Fortnite dances are the ultimate disrespect for your fallen enemies. Alongside teabagging
FUCK YEAH!
I just
You know what, no, I don¡¯t want to know.
Anyway, you do realize that there¡¯s a third wave of cultists waiting on the surface, and their leader feels much more dangerous than the rest of them combined?
Dumbass
I checked where¡¯s Toga at before my adorable children began to turn the cultists into pancakes
Cultists are about to get an L from life
What?
Sigh
Switch to Toga, right now.
***
¡°They were wiped out.¡± The leader of the cultists says, their voice - however distorted - still managing to make it clear that they were completely shocked by this development. ¡°We have to¡¡± She continues to say while turning towards her two remaining compatriots, only to freeze in shock.
¡°What¡¯s hap¡¡± One of them manages to ask before she and the cultist standing right next to her can suddenly feel someone¡¯s hand resting on their shoulder.
They have the time to look over said shoulders to see a towering figure with pale skin, red eyes, pointy ears and extremely scarce clothing looking down onto them before both of them suddenly collapse to the ground like marionettes whose strings were cut.
She killed them just by touching them
Holy crap
¡°I don¡¯t know what grave you¡¯ve crawled out from, whore of Nex¡¡± The cultist leader says while glaring back at Aeonia. Izuku has to commend her for not running away on the spot. ¡°... but I¡¯m sure that your flesh will be enough to feed many of the Holy Ones.¡±
¡°Talk about overreaching.¡± Aeonia rolls her eyes around. ¡°Bring the leader of your pitiful cult and the strongest of your ¡®Holy Ones¡¯ before trying. Those few pathetic swarmlings of the Locust Mother that you¡¯re surrounded with are nothing but fodder to me. But I guess that I should prove that. After all¡¡± She smiles at the cultist while raising her hand forward. ¡°... actions speak louder than words. ¡°
And then she snaps her fingers. And in an instant, the numerical superiority of the cult of spiders is no more as a small army of skeletons erupts from the ground all around Aeonia.
Those aren¡¯t simple skeletons that Uraraka and Toga defeated so easily at her graveyard. Their bones are black, their empty eye sockets glow red, each and every single one of them carrying tattered chainmails, chestplates and metal helmets. Their weaponry varies - through the eyes of Toga they can see tower shields, kite shields and bucklers, swords, axes, spears and blunt weapons.
Holy
Shit
Yes.
The spiders leap forward, obeying unspoken orders of the cult leader - and so do the newly summoned skeletons. The two armies clash in front of the Dungeon, and almost immediately it becomes obvious who is going to win.
The regular spiders are almost entirely useless against the skeletons, and the scarce few spider maidens that were left on the surface are barely doing any better. The poisons can¡¯t do anything to the undead, and the web spitting can merely immobilize them - and even that requires a number of perfect hits per skeleton.
In short, it wasn¡¯t a fight. It was a one-sided massacre. A fact that the cultist realized pretty quickly and immediately dashed away from the battlefield, letting her ¡®Holy Ones¡¯ get massacred in her stead.
¡°Uhm, are you going to¡¡± Toga decides to ask Aeonia on whether she was going to let the cultist escape (which would be a problem as then the cult would know where the Dungeon is, if they didn¡¯t already that is), but she isn¡¯t allowed to finish it.
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia says calmly while pointing her hand at the fleeing cultist. ¡°I am going to stop her.¡±
And then she clenches her hand into a fist.
In an instant, everything around the fleeing cultist dies . The grass and nearby bushes wither, and so does the entire tree beside her. The cultist itself¡ freezes in place, before collapsing onto her knees.
She is alive, they can see that from her meek attempts to stand up and continue running. But it doesn¡¯t last for long. Soon one of the skeletons manages to make its way towards her and grabs her neck from behind before driving their sword through her chest from behind.
The last of the spiders on the surface is eliminated a few seconds later. This, in turn, means that the entirety of the cult search group that has arrived at the Dungeon was obliterated, leaving no survivors behind.
Wow
I¡¯m so fucking happy that she¡¯s on our side.
Yes.
Even if our entire Dungeon was at its peak performance, I don¡¯t think that we could be anything more than an inconvenience to her.
¡°What about the cultists inside the Dungeon?¡± Aeonia asks, glancing back at Toga just as the skeletons are busy finishing off the few still spiders that were still twitching.
We¡¯ve killed them all.
¡°All dead!¡± Toga informs Aeonia cheerfully. ¡°The ones on the surface were all that¡¯s left. Thank you!¡±
¡°The pleasure was all mine, I assure you.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Your master has achieved quite an impressive feat. In fact¡¡± She glances in the direction of the Dungeon entrance. ¡°... it was too impressive for such a small Dungeon. And it leaves me wondering how he was capable of talking with me through his servants many days ago, despite clearly having barely reached the depth where he should be capable of thinking.¡±
Uh-oh.
Uh-oh indeed.
I kind of didn¡¯t expect that she would figure it out.
Same, so I can¡¯t even make fun of you.
¡°Well, errr, we¡¡± Toga somehow freaks out, especially as the same thing happened to Tomura and Izuku, and neither of them told her what to do.
¡°You do not have to worry.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°The deal we¡¯ve made is still on. But¡¡± She squints at the entrance. ¡°Let me guess. Your master, you and other servants I¡¯ve met thus far are souls of humans or other sapient species of this world that were made into a Dungeon Lord and its servants, am I right?¡±
¡°Well, err¡¡± Toga mostly repeats herself. ¡°... maybe? Would that be a problem?¡±
Should have waited for us to decide what to say there, Toga
¡°And considering the questions that you¡¯ve asked me during one of our meetings¡ the one responsible for it is almost certainly Luna.¡± Aeonia continues easily reading all of their secrets. ¡°Namely, the questions you¡¯ve asked about Luna and her Shadowlurkers.¡±
I don¡¯t think that anything that Himiko says or could have said would have changed anything.
If anything, it would make us appear dishonest.
You are, regretfully, correct
Just admit it, Toga.
¡°Uhm, yes.¡± Toga replies. ¡°That¡¯s how it is, yeah.¡±
¡°However, your clear lack of knowledge about what I would consider to be common sense is one fact that I cannot explain.¡± Aeonia says as she looks at Toga¡ before suddenly squinting a little. ¡°... your question about the Mundane Worlds. You¡¯re from a world that¡¯s so distant from the World Engine that there¡¯s no or nearly no magic there, or from outside of Creation as a whole.¡±
Just how many points did she put in the INT stat dammit
A lot, it seems.
Himiko, confirm it but don¡¯t go into details.
¡°Well¡ yeah.¡± Toga replies obediently. ¡°That¡¯s how it is, yeah.¡±
¡°Luna and her¡ hijinks .¡± Aeonia shakes her head. There is a clear disdain in the last word. Someone doesn¡¯t enjoy chaos in their life. ¡°Final question then. Who is the target of her newest scheme? Odius or Sol? It¡¯s always one of them.¡±
¡ Sol.
¡°Sol.¡± Toga replies immediately.
¡°Lovely.¡± Aeonia says dryly. ¡°The game you¡¯re playing is definitely a dangerous one, but not even nearly as dangerous as the alternative. Sol¡¯s servants will just kill you. Odius¡¯s servants will make you see the world like they do.¡± Yeah, Izuku would prefer to die than to go insane and murder or drive other people insane. He isn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s the same with Shigaraki though. ¡°The deal is still on - Sol is a common enemy of all the Hierarchs, and whatever blow Luna plans to deal to her is in the Breathless Tide¡¯s best interest.¡±
Phew
I was afraid she would walk out on us
Same.
¡°Really?¡± That¡¯s when Toga decides to show initiative. ¡°I thought that you guys hated each other very much.¡±
¡°Hate is a very¡ strong word.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Breathless Tide and the Shadowlight Covenant are enemies, and always will be. But Sol is and always will be a common threat, one more dangerous to us than we are to one another. She is a goddess of purity, and one truly pure.¡± She lets herself smirk a bit. ¡°Even her hatred for all those impure is one of utmost purity.¡±
Good news for ya
The hero we are supposed to kill sounds like he is serving a goddess that¡¯s a dick
Yeah, it sounds so.
Then again, I think we can all agree that at least the servants of Occasa deserve that treatment.
Good point
¡°Her hatred for us is perfect.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°And if not for the thick cloud coverage today, the sunlight would be weakening me much more than it already did.¡± She then unleashes a bomb, one that suggests that she stomped the cultists while being under some potent debuff. Wow . ¡°Speaking of, would it trouble your master if I waited until nightfall in his domain? I do not plan to venture anywhere deeper than the first room, and even that only because I fear that the clouds are about to clear and I don¡¯t think that trying to return to my graveyard right now is wise.¡±
Oh, errr¡
Sure?
Yeah, yeah, why not
¡°The answer¡¯s yes.¡± Toga replies in their stead. ¡°Uhm, but what about your skelly friends?¡±
¡°They¡¯re lesser shard spirits that I summoned.¡± Aeonia replies calmly. ¡°They¡¯re about to return to where they came from. You do not need to concern yourself with them.¡±
¡°Great then, uhm.¡± Toga scratches the side of her head, before having an idea. ¡°Uhm, could they at least carry what¡¯s left of the cultists here inside before they go home? I think we got all that we could from the spiders, but the cultists might have something cool on them. Especially their leader.¡±
Good idea, Himiko!
She just wants someone else to do it for her because she is lazy af
People not wanting to do something and finding a cool way to not have to do something is one of the cornerstones of progress.
To quote Hatsume-san.
After she tried to make a sleeping gas dispenser because if she was going to go to sleep she didn¡¯t want to waste time on trying to do that and just immediately go to sleep.
¡ that¡¯s mildly concerning.
But okay
You¡¯re not allowed to say that something is concerning.
To quote your ¡®childhood friend¡¯
Don¡¯t tell me what to do, shitty Deku
What? Does it hurt when I say it? If so, then your childhood friend¡¯s either an asshole or you¡¯re into it when it¡¯s he who does it
Can it.
***
Izuku decides to immediately check up on Ochako, which is a good thing, because she immediately has a plea for him.
¡°Izuku?¡± She asks, having been clearly inspecting the corpse of the cultist she bashed under the boulder¡ or what was left of her. ¡°Could you wait for a moment with assimilating them? I want to pick a few of their things, like those symbols they had on their belts as offerings. If it¡¯s possible, of course!¡±
She doesn¡¯t seem to be awfully concerned by being partially splattered with¡ wait, why is that blood partially colorless and partially blue? Is it some Bloom thing or do elves bleed in that color? He¡¯ll have to ask Yaoyorozu-san.
For as long as you leave one for us to assimilate, I don¡¯t see a problem with that.
I¡¯ll tell Shigaraki not to assimilate them immediately.
And get the Shrine rebuilt, because those guys destroyed it, obviously.
¡°Bullies.¡± Uraraka pouts. There is something genuinely concerning with her acting like that while busy searching a completely massacred corpse (that she helped massacre) for loot, but Izuku ends up deciding that he doesn¡¯t care.
He was way too happy that they survived, and enjoyed seeing her smile way too much. And, besides, it might have been a different world and the villains were different as well, but they were villains nonetheless.
He still expects a talk or two about it as everyone gets used to what they just did.
***
I forgot to put it in the last chapter.
Webmistress'' Family regular cultist:
Webmistress'' Family Priestess:
30: Learning About Magic
Skeletons disappear quite quickly, just as Aeonia promised, vanishing into thin air. Leaving behind nothing but dead servants of the Rampant Bloom, including the three cultists (their leader included) that they¡¯ve carried into the entrance of the Dungeon.
Aeonia, once again just as promised, has entered the Dungeon but didn¡¯t venture deeper than their unofficial guest room right beside the entrance. The cultists didn¡¯t seem to bother destroying it, allowing her to sit on one of the chairs and wait there for the sun to set.
She was¡ kinda big. She fit, but barely. Yet, despite that, she seemed to feel no discomfort because of that. Being undead definitely had its perks.
Despite her nature as an outsider, she doesn¡¯t seem to interfere with the assimilation of things on her Level. The ¡®dot¡¯ on the ¡®minimap¡¯ of the Dungeon representing her is yellow, instead of red for active hostiles, orange for intruders, green for their servants and blue for the creatures inhabiting the Dungeon.
It must be some sort of ¡®allowed to enter¡¯ designation.
I think so too
That¡¯s good, since we can look through the L O O T
Let¡¯s rebuild the Shrine of Saevius first, please.
Really?
Yes.
Ochako has some offerings for her new god, and I think that doing it after slaying a bunch of Bloom worshippers that destroyed his altar might offer us some¡ tangible benefits.
When you put it like that, it does sound like a good idea
fair
She can go and chop their heads off
Wait, what?
.
Just symbols of their cult, and even then not all of them as she¡¯ll let us assimilate one.
Boooring.
¡
Once Uraraka gathered up most of the symbols and the Shrine was restored (they¡¯ve also resurrected Kirishima and Monoma by now, and Komori has already remanifested herself, not seeming to be very concerned by her recent death), she threw all of them bar one into the flames at his altar.
And immediately, something did occur.
There was a clear spike of Favour in the [Religion] bar, but Izuku only noticed that later. Because what initially brought his attention was the drop of blood that fell on Ochako¡¯s head right after she threw the offerings into the fire.
She had the time to look up before she was absolutely soaked with a rain of blood that erupted from the ceiling, covering her entirely before she could react and then¡ disappearing without a trace?
¡°Uhm, what?!¡± Uraraka looks around, clearly as confused about what just happened as they all are. ¡°What was that? What just happened?¡±
Wait for a second, I¡¯ll check the system.
¡
Oh.
Oh.
¡°Izuku?¡± Uraraka asks nervously. ¡°I don¡¯t like the ¡®oh¡¯. What¡¯s going on?¡±
I think that Saevius really liked your offering. Probably because they¡¯ve destroyed his shrine and you immediately punished them for it. And offered some of their stuff to him.
You leveled up and reclassed from [Barbarian Warrior, lvl 14] into [Barbarian Berserker, lvl 19].
You have a new [Ability] called the [Bloodrage].
The system classifies it as a completely new subcategory of [Abilities], titled [Theurgies], in its own subcategory named [Saevius].
Do you know what ¡®theurgy¡¯ means?
¡°Uhm, no?¡± Uraraka replies. This situation has really come out of the blue for her. ¡°Ask Yaoyorozu-san, if someone knows the answer to that question, it¡¯s her.¡±
Good point.
Yaoyorozu-san, can I ask you a question?
¡°Of course you can, Midoriya-kun.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. She has already returned to the 5th Level, and has just finished explaining what have happened in his absence to Kirishima. ¡°What is it?¡±
Do you know what the word ¡®theurgy¡¯ means?
¡°In our old world? Yes.¡± Yaoyorozu once again proves to be a wellspring of knowledge. ¡°It means divine magic. Magic that invokes power of one or more deities to cause some changes in a physical world. What brought that question?¡±
Saevius must have really liked Ochako¡¯s offering, as she was given a new [Ability], which seems to be classified by the system as a theurgy.
¡°I keep forgetting just how much influence the gods have in this world.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs. It seems that Izuku wasn¡¯t the only person who had problems processing that fact. ¡°I¡¯ll end up having to find one or more that I¡¯ll find¡ agreeable, won¡¯t I? Anyway, if Uraraka-san is still on the 1st Level, she should go ask Aeonia about it. She¡¯ll likely know more.¡±
Oh, that¡¯s a good point. Thank you.
Ochako, still there?
¡°Yes.¡± Ochako replies. Izuku found her standing in the corridor outside of the Saevius¡¯ shrine, waiting for him to come back and give her some answers. ¡°What did Yaoyorozu-san say?¡±
Theurgy is a Divine Magic.
Saevius must have really liked your sacrifice.
You should go ask Aeonia about it.
¡°O-oh, good point.¡± Uraraka responds, clearly startled by the revelation. And immediately moves to the room where Aeonia was waiting for evening to come.
***
¡°Theurgy?¡± Aeonia raises an eyebrow at that. She was still sitting by the table in the guest room by the Entrance. ¡°How did that happen?¡±
¡°I, errr, I gave Saevius the stuff I took from the cultists we¡¯ve killed as offerings.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°I think he might have liked it because they¡¯ve just destroyed his shrine.¡±
¡°That sounds like something he would like, yes.¡± Aeonia agrees with her while shaking her head. ¡°Vengeance isn¡¯t a part of his domain, but he and his followers are often known to treat other people like they are treated in exchange. They repay loyalty with loyalty, friendship with friendship¡ and hostility with hostility. Great allies, but their feuds can last forever.¡±
Sounds like someone I know and love.
He is rewarded by a slight blush on Uraraka¡¯s cheeks. She¡¯s adorable when she reacts like this.
¡°The theurgy I got is called ¡®Bloodrage¡¯.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°Do you know anything about it? I don¡¯t even know how to use it.¡±
¡°No.¡± Aeonia surprises them. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like this. I know a lot, but most of it is very outdated. What I can tell you is what¡¯s common to all theurgies. The combat ones cannot be used outside combat. There is no training them, there¡¯s no wasting the blessing you received on something unimportant.¡±
Ah, so that¡¯s why you can¡¯t use it.
¡°I should probably explain the whole system to make things clear.¡± Aeonia suddenly says while faintly shaking her head. ¡°Do you have a moment to listen to a lecture? I¡¯ll try to keep it brief, I promise. And I think that it¡¯ll help you a lot in the future, as it will concern some fundamental knowledge about this world.¡±
¡°Yes, please.¡± Uraraka nods quickly as Izuku makes a mental note to mention all of that to Yaoyorozu-san later.
¡°When it comes to mortals capable of wielding supernatural powers, there are four main types of them.¡± Aeonia then says. ¡°Three of them are thaumaturgists. They are the martial artists, mages, and sorcerers. The second category are the theurgists that operate on a completely different paradigm to them all. Aside from rare exceptions, those four ways are mutually exclusive.¡±
They¡¯ve never heard about ¡®sorcerers¡¯, and only learned about theurgies minutes ago, so it really sounds like an important talk to have to Izuku. Important and useful.
¡°Thaumaturgists all have a similar genesis.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°You take a mortal and expose them to a sufficient quantity of mana, making it flow into their body and having them consciously shape it in a particular way. This creates one of three outcomes: mana pathways, mana core or mana overflow.¡±
¡°Mana pathways are for martial artists and mana cores are for mages.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°We have those already.¡±
¡°Yes, you do.¡± Aeonia nods. She isn¡¯t surprised by that, then again, she already saw them use both. ¡°Mana pathways are created when mana is circulated through a mortal¡¯s body. Making a mana flow through any living medium slowly lowers its resistance to mana, meaning that it¡¯s possible to push more of it in and do so faster and easier. This allows a practitioner of martial arts to form mana nodes in their muscles, bones, skin and whatever else they need strengthened, and connect them with flowlines, both of which come together to form mana pathways. Martial artists spend as much time training their skills with wielding weapons as they are circulating mana through their pathways to make them stronger.¡±
So, murim-style martial arts
got it
Why are you here and why are you listening to lore exposition?
Because we might get something useful out of it, now shhh
¡°Martial arts techniques are different mana injection patterns leading to a desired outcome.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Together with some guidance in the form of practical training. The amount of mana involved in that process is relatively small, however it¡¯s very precisely dispersed through the body, making techniques rather cost-efficient. Usually your body is going to get exhausted before your mana will run out.¡±
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
¡°I think I follow it thus far.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°Thus far every new species we¡¯ve got has had a different Martial Arts School. Are those exclusive to species?¡±
¡°In most cases, yes.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of biological differences between species. Sufficiently similar ones can use each other¡¯s martial arts, but it¡¯ll usually make their techniques weaker. Any more questions?¡±
¡°No, please continue.¡± Uraraka replies quickly.
¡°Mages concentrate mana flowing into their body into a single, high density container, called the Mana Core.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Then they draw energy from it to cause things to happen in the outside world. Since the Cores¡¯ are small, the amount of energy that mages have access to is comparably small, but they tend to have best control when it comes to using mana outside of their own body.¡±
¡°So, they control the battlefield with relatively weak but precise spells, weakening their enemies and strengthening their allies.¡± Uraraka replies. And yes, that made sense to Izuku as well. That¡¯s how Yaoyorozu fought.
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°But make no mistake there: the more experienced mages can be immensely powerful. Just because a 9th Circle mage will lose in a duel against a martial artist of comparable renown and experience doesn¡¯t mean that he won¡¯t instantly stomp a slightly weaker martial artist. There¡¯s also a less common subcategory called the spellblades, who use large numbers of strengthening spells on themselves which, alongside manipulating their surroundings with their spells allows them to match to martial artists in melee. Sometimes.¡±
¡°Makes sense.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°They simply all have their own unique specializations, and I¡¯m fairly sure that mages excel at group fights. What¡¯s that Circle thing, though?¡±
¡°There is a limit to how dense one can make their Core.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Eventually all mages will reach that limit. When that happens, they have to dump a massive amount of mana into their cores, destabilizing it, and then withstanding the resulting core fracture and reshaping their core again, forcing it to become denser. This, in turn, means having much more mana at your disposal and thus being able to cast more powerful spells. This can happen nine times before a mortal will reach a highest density level that a mortal can hold.¡± She squints at Uraraka. ¡°For context: your mage is a 1st Circle one, and so were the two cultists I killed. Their leader was a 2nd Circle one. And the average mage graduating from one of Grand Empire¡¯s Collegiums is either a 3rd or a 4th Circle one.¡±
And suddenly Izuku feels very, very small. And can only wonder how much growth is ahead of them before they can challenge a certain Chosen One and attain their freedom.
¡°What¡¯s the difference between White and Red Core?¡± Uraraka then asks another crucial question. ¡°Aside from the color, that is.¡±
¡°That depends on the type of mana that they are built from.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°White Mana is the most common one among the regular mages out there, and means that your core is filled with the natural mana emanating from the World Engine. It has multiple colors and frequencies, and can be used for nearly all spells. Red Core is created when one taints their core with Red Mana which is the energy of the World Engine altered by the gods of the Nine Hordes. It cannot be used for all spells like the White Mana can, but will allow you to cast Wrath Magic spells with much greater power. We call such mages ¡®shamans¡¯, just as the cultists we¡¯ve killed are called ¡®witches¡¯. Though all the mages using such ¡®fallen¡¯ mana are usually referred to as warlocks.¡±
¡°And the ones in the Breathless Tide?¡± Uraraka asks.
¡°Necromancers.¡± Aeonia replies. Yes, that was honestly to be expected. ¡°And before you ask, one can taint their core by casting too many spells of the wrong type: for example, necromancers are created either willingly or not by casting magic of the Breathless Tide with a White Core too many times. It is possible to purify your core, but it¡¯s not easy. Any more questions about that category?¡±
There were none, at least for now.
¡°The next category are sorcerers.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°They are born when one attempts to create a Mana Core but fails, or attempts to fracture their Mana Core but fails to reconstruct it. This forms a mana overflow, the mana rampaging freely through their body. When compared to mages, they have immense pools of mana at their disposal, as their entire bodies are their cores. But their control over the mana is minimal, and using magic can easily damage their bodies. On a battlefield they are destructive, with an average fire sorcerer capable of unleashing firestorms that would require a highest ranked mage to create. But they are nearly useless outside of that, and their defenses are meager as well.¡±
Makes sense and keeps things balanced I think
Huh?
It¡¯s not unheard of for videogames to lose control of their mages and make them massively more powerful than warriors on higher levels, especially with high damage AoE attacks, all while being able to alter their environment and do other wacky hijinks with that
Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards it was called, I think
Here it¡¯s split between mages and sorcerers
You either have AoE damage or the ability to influence your surroundings in a much subtler way
¡°Sorcerers are also often just trained that way, as they are useful.¡± Aeonia continues her lecture. ¡°Questions about them?¡±
¡°No, please continue.¡± Uraraka replies after quickly consulting with them.
¡°Finally, we have theurgies.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Here the borders get somewhat vague. For example: every casting of Wrath Magic theoretically invokes power of Saevius, just through the proxy of the mana that he tainted. However, there are also certain applications of supernatural power where instead of drawing upon this energy, you receive a more conscious boon from him. Such as what you clearly got.¡±
¡°So¡ it¡¯s just a more unique Wrath Magic spell that I can cast without a Core?¡± Uraraka asks back. She doesn¡¯t sound disappointed, but Izuku is ready to entertain a guess that she expected something fancier.
¡°Not quite.¡± Aeonia replies while shaking her head. ¡°Theurgies are powerful and heavily intertwined with the souls of those that received them. Dungeons cannot manage them. Unless you consciously annoy Saevius, this theurgy will remain a part of you, regardless of the body that your soul is put in. Even if you switch to different body, the Bloodrage will remain a part of you, because it¡¯s now part of your soul.¡±
Guess that unless we want her to become somewhat useless, and much weaker than she should be according to her level, she¡¯s going to have to stay a melee fighter
I don¡¯t see a problem with that.
She likes it that way.
¡°There is a downside to this, however: they are too powerful.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Mortals can¡¯t withstand them for long. As a result, theurgies are usually the most powerful among all the magical powers, but they have a time limit. If you manage to invoke that Bloodrage of yours, you¡¯ll likely become immensely powerful for a short time before you¡¯ll collapse, completely exhausted.¡± She lets Uraraka digest it for a moment before continuing. ¡°On a positive note, they are a part of you. This power will forever remain useful to you, as it¡¯ll grow stronger just as you do.¡±
Ooooh
Now that sounds pretty cool
It does.
¡°And it¡¯s not exclusive with the martial arts?¡± Uraraka asks. ¡°I thought that the four types of magic are mutually exclusive.¡±
¡°Spells, sorceries and martial arts are always mutually exclusive.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Theurgy depends on the god in question. Theurgies of Saevius are compatible with all three disciplines of thaumaturgy. Nex, however, has no theurgies whatsoever, and Occasa¡¯s theurgies are compatible only with spells. And the exarchs go into a completely different direction: their theurgies are much more common and available to the entirety of their priesthoods, but are powered up by soulflames, an altered state of their soul that can be described as a soul merged with a nascent mana core to become something else. On the other hand, it makes them unable to use all three types of thaumaturgy.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Though I guess that their theurgies more than make up for it.¡±
Or, so more regular clerics/divine magic users
Makes sense
Yeah.
So, [Bloodrage] is something of a trump card, to be used when all else fails, as it can turn the tides of battle but will leave Ochako knocked out.
This just in
One For All is a theurgy
¡
You can only cast it until you run out of bones, as they cannot withstand its power
I hate you.
The feeling¡¯s mutual.
Also how lovely for you to say that All Might is a god.
What
I mean, I got it from him and I can¡¯t withstand it, so if it¡¯s theurgy then he has to be a god, right?
FUCK YOU
Eventually, you¡¯ll see the light and worship All Might as your god and savior.
FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU
***
Once they are done dealing out with the direct aftermath of Ochako gaining the attention of her god, the time has come for them to get that tasty loot.
And, to be honest, it was kind of disappointing, at least when compared to the immense number of creatures that they slew. However, they already got most of them, and none of them were daemons or shard spirits, so for the Dungeon, they were¡ almost worthless.
Almost.
They assimilated so much mass that they got some Residual Mana out of the process and could do the repairs a bit quicker.
They¡¯ve unlocked two new species for their future servants. The first one was [Karadian Beastkin, Rabbit-Morph], which implied that the lone beastkin witch they slew was a Rabbit-Morph. But they lacked martial arts to give it to recreate Miruko (if Shigaraki would even agree to it).
Thus the only useful thing about Rabbit-Morphs was how it slightly expanded Midoriya¡¯s repertoire when torturing Shigaraki was involved.
The other species they¡¯ve unlocked was [Xylmade, Low Elf]. Which was so confusing to them that they had Uraraka ask Aeonia another question.
¡°Unfortunate beings.¡± Aeonia shakes her head when asked. ¡°They don¡¯t have any official name, ¡®Low Elf¡¯ is pretty close to being a slur, based on their contrast to the high elves. What it refers to is the result of two different elven subspecies interbreeding with each other. Or elves doing it with other xylmade species, like the ogres.¡±
¡ How bad is it?
¡°Very bad.¡± Aeonia replies when Uraraka relays the question. ¡°They are sterile, often suffering from various birth defects. Elves usually stick to those of their own subspecies to avoid such beings being born.¡± She sighs. ¡°They often get along better with humans than their own kin, because with humans they simply cannot have children at all. And for most of them, it¡¯s better to not be born at all than to be born as a Low Elf.¡±
Needless to say, they don¡¯t expect to ever get to use that particular species template, especially as it¡¯s marked as mere 0.4 ETL. Rabbit-Morphs were at least 0.7, which was still slightly less than the morphs they already unlocked.
They unlocked the robes of the cultists, named [Robes of the Webmistress Family], with the last two words likely being the name of the cult.
As for the [Skills], they¡¯ve unlocked [Dagger Proficiency I], [Herbalism [Vestiria] I], [Herbalism [Vestiria] III], [Basic Leatherworking I], [Basic Cooking I], [Basic Cooking III], [Basic Sewing I], [Basic Sewing II], [Basic Alchemy II], [Green Core I], [Green Core II], [North Vestirian Language, Written V], [Western Elven [Vestirian Dialect, Modern], Spoken VI], [Western Elven [Vestirian Dialect, Modern], Written VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI], [Temperate Forest Survival I], [Temperate Forest Survival III] and¡
Magic.
A surprising amount of magic.
[Filth Magic I] and [Filth Magic II]], meaning that they got their first second grade magic.
Most of that wasn¡¯t going to be useful, and many were downscaled versions of skills that they already obtained from the beastkin. But there were exceptions. [Herbalism [Vestiria] III] and [Basic Cooking III], for example. An improved Alchemy, a completely new skill [Basic Sewing II], new language, improved [Temperate Forest Survival III]...
There would definitely be some improvements to their characters as they were right now.
As for the [Abilities] they¡¯ve unlocked the following: [Guide the Flock], [Mother¡¯s Embrace], [Combat Weaving], [Unleash the Swarm], [Lesser Carapace Armor], [Premature Birth], all of them requiring [Filth Magic I], so likely being taken from the regular cultists.
They also got [Broodmother], [Carapace Armor], [Borrow Eyes], [Incapacitating Spit] and [Piercing Touch], requiring [Filth Magic II].
They likely belonged to the cultist leader.
Solid half of those spells had names so weird that they weren¡¯t even sure what they were about. Some were obvious, like the two versions of the [Carapace Armour], or the [Borrow Eyes] which was likely what the cultist leader used to monitor the vanguard. The rest?
Ugh.
We¡¯re never giving those spells to anyone.
I have an idea.
?
Let¡¯s give those spells¡ to Overhaul.
I¡
I want to see him forced to fight other people by vomiting spiders at them
And I think you want that too
¡
This¡ is tempting.
Ha!
But the answer¡¯s still no.
He¡¯ll probably just kill himself and that will be all. A waste of Residual Mana.
Gah.
I want to see that even once
He can kill himself later!
Still no.
Also, I think that Filth Magic requires you to be a woman to cast.
We can¡ change him
Please, no
Please do not change Overhaul¡¯s gender just so that you can see him projectile vomit poisonous spiders at people for all eternity.
In fact, I forbid you from changing people¡¯s genders for any reason that¡¯s not their sovereign decision.
But
Just think about the possibilities!
I want to see female Dabi with a massive spider abdomen
We can have Chaos Witch Queelag in real life, Midoriya!
Albeit ugly.
I mean, she was already ugly, just waist down
And Dabi will be ugly waist up too
And on the inside
But still
Just think about it!
The sky¡¯s the limit!
For once, we can and in fact we should go Plus Ultra!
You will not change Dabi¡¯s gender and attach his upper half to a giant spider just to make Chaos Witch Queelag (whatever that is) into reality
Boohoo
I¡¯ll at least be able to see how that¡¯d look in reality in character editor
Btw.
I just picked that frog girl from your class and saw how she would look in a body of a Rabbit-Morph
And all I can say is TAKE THIS
Wha
Oh, that¡¯s¡
That¡¯s definitely something.
Are you suffering?
No.
I¡¯m just being extremely confused.
Damn it
I¡¯ll get you next time
Good luck with that.
31. Izukus Bad Day
Yaoyorozu, naturally, loved all the new information about this world that she obtained through him. What she didn¡¯t love was not having any tools to write them all down, even if her memory was - as always - extraordinary.
Izuku ended up renewing his promise of obtaining those for her as quickly as possible. If only he knew how to get that done! C¡¯mon, they were literally in the middle of nowhere, it¡¯s not like there is a shop that he can visit in the area, right?
Soon after the night came, Aeonia departed towards her graveyard alongside Toga, as someone had to seal her chamber from outside, before taking the key back to the Dungeon, to ensure that no one could easily unseal her sanctuary.
It was then that Shigaraki suddenly spoke to him.
PFFFTTT
What?
I found something absolutely hilarious.
Just check the [Rooms] lmao
What do you
why is there a Shrine of Occasa
and why did we get some favor from her in [Religion]
Weeding out the weak, Midoriya
If we killed her servants and creatures, it just means that they were weak
This is probably a fraction of the points we could get by actually working for her, but for as long as we don¡¯t go too far, she probably just laughs at her worshippers thinking that they were the top of the foodchain and then gives birth to more monstrosities
That answers the latter question.
What about the former?
Wait.
You think it¡¯s because we technically assimilated some of, you know, her followers?
Nah
I think it¡¯s the symbols and other cultish paraphernalia
Makes sense.
¡
So, are we, like¡
¡ putting that in the Dungeon?
what
dude
Spinner¡¯s my best friend, but the moment he makes any offering to Occasa, I¡¯m yeeting him out of my life
Yeah, I mean, I don¡¯t plan to permit any worship happening there, obviously.
But I just kinda want to spit in that cult¡¯s face by putting their deity¡¯s shrine in a Dungeon which they hate so much and see their faces if they ever get to see it.
¡
You¡¯re a vicious bastard, have I ever told you that?
I¡¯m a legitimate child, and my mother wouldn¡¯t ever cheat on anyone.
But yes.
Yes, I¡¯m vicious.
Ha!
I guess that ¡®Fuck Occasa¡¯ is something that we both agree upon.
I¡¯m in.
Let¡¯s make her a shrine so that we can piss off her worshippers.
And they do make her a shrine, right next to the one of Luna, all the way up by the entrance. It¡¯s¡ creepy.
Seriously, big no. The sculpture looks exactly how Aeonia described it a long time ago - Occasa is portrayed as a beautiful young woman, pregnant and both covered and surrounded by spiders, hornets, rats, centipedes and a lot other things that they didn¡¯t even want to name.
Izuku genuinely hopes that the next visiting cultist of Occasa will get a brain aneurysm and die when he sees it.
***
The next thing they add is a major expansion of Shigaraki¡¯s Sen¡¯s Fortress Lite, which somehow amps its difficulty level significantly. To be fully honest, it makes Izuku feel vaguely guilty.
How did Shigaraki decide to somehow make the history¡¯s most terrible trap design an order of magnitude worse?
See, in the original trap design, a boulder pierced the fake wall and then rolled down the corridor before hitting the small alcove at the end of the corridor, where it came to an instant halt.
This immediately blocked said alcove, preventing the enemies from hiding in it while right next to them another boulder pierced another fake wall and began to pursue them down another corridor.
Simple but effective. But it had a weakspot. Namely, if you stopped a boulder mid-corridor, or if you moved extremely fast after reaching the end of the line (and sidestepped the boulder coming from before, before leaping back into the corridor you came from before the second boulder came), you could dodge the threats almost perfectly.
And that was unacceptable.
What was Shigaraki¡¯s solution to it?
Projectile traps. Projectile traps that were scattered around the last fragment of the lengthy corridor, right before the trap switch, so that whoever jumped back from the incoming boulder would be forced to deal with being fired at by astral shards from every direction.
He also added some additional traps there. Like some additional sticky things on the floor that could stop someone on either steps of that direction switch trap.
Ha! Perfect!
Shigaraki, answer me honestly.
Who hurt you?
My father, All for One, All Might, all the pro-heroes, a lot of the villains, society, and the absolute assholes from Gamigo
Gamigo?
The true Symbol of Evil
A company that obtains successful and interesting MMORPGs so that they can push a shitload of microtransactions inside them, move it over to shittier but cheaper servers and limit updates so you can fire as many developers as possible, all to suck as much money from the players as they can before the game inevitably collapses
tfu
Bastards
The fact that they still exist until today just proves that the Earth¡¯s society should be destroyed
Riiight.
Anyway.
I rate your trap design ¡°10/10, I hate it¡±.
Ha, suffer.
***
The next thing that they¡¯ve decided to work on (and yet, it was an achievement for Izuku to persuade Shigaraki to do that) were the living quarters for their servants. Because, to be honest, they became quite¡ outdated.
Once they¡¯d get the elemental level, their living space would become the 6th Level, meaning that it would have a baseline AML of 2.0. This, in turn, meant that Kirishima could be housed there without any stupid tricks with technically housing him in the Throne Room.
This was made even more important because Uraraka now hit level 19, so just like Kirishima she outgrew the 5th Level.
And, well. Izuku isn¡¯t going to admit it aloud, but having solid wooden doors (and pretty thick ones, too) in your apartments might decrease¡ the noises. And he thinks that it might be a good idea to decrease the noises.
He figured out that they¡ that they all might require some privacy, alright?
They¡¯ve also decided to add a bathroom. For now it¡¯s pretty much a number of stalls, where one can wash themselves with a water bucket. There are sinks in the floor that send all the water used there into the fake exit of the Dungeon, where it all disappears.
They¡¯ve also added a campfire to the kitchen (now relocated), with a fake exit on the ceiling that vents smoke out and - to the south of the main path to the Throne Room - two shrines, to Saevius and Luna.
Officially no one did anything when worshiping Luna was involved, but there was a small improvement in her favor level and Izuku had some suspicions concerning Toga¡¯s involvement in the matter.
1. Entrance, 2. Common Room, 3.1. Throne Room, 3.2. Shrine of Saevius (sorry for 2x 3, my oversight), 4. Shrine of Luna), 5. Bathrooms, 6. Living Quarters.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
That has succeeded in making their living quarters somewhat more livable, but it also made Uraraka and Kirishima slightly outgrow their living quarters in terms of strength, so they had to add a new level to the Dungeon as soon as possible.
And that was their next goal. One that they managed to achieve pretty quickly, in big part thanks to their policy of putting plenty of bonus Nodes in various places, not just in Floor Guardian Rooms, but also in Komori¡¯s Grove, and the bonus one at the beginning.
And, well, it seems that early Dungeons grow up quickly. Which makes sense - they have to grow quickly to not get easily murdered by some vagrant murderhobo.
There was a brief argument over where to put a new level. Tomura wanted it as the new 3rd Level, while Izuku suggested some deeper overhaul of the Dungeon and making the elementals replace the current spider habitat, while moving said habitat a level below it.
It would mean a lot of changes, but in the end, Shigaraki decided that Midoriya might have a point, especially considering the fact that they didn¡¯t know just how useful elementals were in combat.
After all, the new information about the way magic worked wasn''t exactly very¡ optimistic in that regard. Yaoyorozu¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t very dangerous in direct confrontation, and she had a higher ETL than the elementals available to them.
In the end, the First Level grows quite a bit, the internal area surrounded by the secret maintenance tunnel being filled with intersecting corridors and - and it took them almost two days to get it done - eight [Elemental Overflows], two of each of the four elements.
Yes. Their recent attack made them slightly concerned with their future survival, so, in the absence of quality, they¡¯ve decided to go for quantity. Extreme quantity.
Look. If they get quote unquote ¡®civilized¡¯, they might slightly tone it down in the visitor-accessible section of the Dungeon, but for now? For now they were more concerned with their own security than their comfort. Or¡ well, survival.
The elementals turned out to resemble small, child-sized humanoids of unspecified gender, immaterial, floating, and made of their natural element. There were no faces on them, it was just the rough shapes.
They seemed to be just¡ floating around, doing pretty much nothing. They kind of regretted not asking Aeonia about them. They didn¡¯t seem very intimidating, but hey, ATL 10, right? But there were like eighty of them roaming the whole Level, meaning that you¡¯d have to withstand constant attacks from them.
Then¡ came the 2nd Level.
***
They¡¯ve expanded it as well. Two more [Spider Breeding Chambers]. A new mining area in the middle that had both [Cassiterite] and [Malachite]. And¡ the great thing.
What was the great thing? What was the main reason why Shigaraki agreed to waste so much time and resources to rearrange the first two Levels in that particular way.
It was now the 2nd Level. It had a baseline AML of 1.2. And that meant that it could house creatures of ETL 12.
Like [Spider Maidens].
There were now a lot of [Spider Maidens] wandering the area, with three of them acting as [Floor Guardian].
After it was the 3rd Floor, with Komori¡¯s [Hamadryad Grove] and the [Underground Ecosystem], with no changes there. Then the 4th Floor, which had the projectile trap and the fall trap and was, frankly, pretty weak and urgently required some expansions and modifications.
It was, frankly, outdated. But they had nothing to put there. Unless¡
What about the Cynocephaluses?
Cynocephalii*
Alright, alright, Cynocephalii
We¡¯d need a lot more of them to populate a whole Level with them.
There are a lot of them in that mine, tho
Good point.
So I guess that we¡¯re putting the Cynocephalii down to that level, and look to obtain more if possible.
Yes.
Those two we have now too?
Why not?
And so, they put the two Cynocephalii in the Node Room. It feels¡ kinda weird, and they almost immediately start trying to bite each other in their endless hunger. As they suspected, their injuries seemed to heal as they devoured each other¡¯s meat.
How¡ lovely.
With the living area of their servants now being a Sixth Level, they¡¯ve decided to switch its Biome to that of the [Elven Mine]. The changes were instant, and left its inhabitants briefly confused before they decided that it was much better.
The elves knew how to mine their corridors. The walls and ceilings were smoother, and the new doors that they¡¯ve switched offered much better sound isolation, giving them a bit more privacy.
All while improving the AML of their quarters, so that Kirishima and Uraraka could live there comfortably.
Finally
the first segment is more or less done
We still need to catch some cynocephalii to populate the 4th Level and to expand it a bit, and there will probably be some expansions to the entrance (new shrines etc.), but other than that, the [Limestone Cave] segment is pretty much done
Yes, yes it is.
It¡¯s been a journey, wasn¡¯t it?
Yes, and I hated every single moment of it that I spent with you.
You¡¯re only motivating me more to act like I did.
Asshole.
Are we doing some upgrades to our servants?
Yes and I still dislike them being called like this, but okay.
Let¡¯s do it.
***
For Yaoyorozu they replace [Herbalism (Vestiria) II] with its improved, III-ranked level, [Basic Alchemy I] with [Basic Alchemy II], and give her a few new language skills: [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VII], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VII], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI], while also giving her a [Temperate Forest Survival II].
This has changed her from [Hedge Mage, lvl 16] into [Hedge Mage, lvl 18].
For Uraraka they couldn¡¯t improve a lot, as she was simply too close to the limit. But they did manage to squeeze in a [Tracking III] and [Temperate Forest Survival I], making her a [Barbarian Warrior, lvl 20].
Toga got an upgrade to her [Temperate Forest Survival] and [Basic Cooking] skills to III (she had seemed adamant about cooking for ¡®her Ochako-chan¡¯, and others too while at it, but it was clear that she was holding the skill for Ochako). This made her a [Barbarian Rogue, lvl 15].
Spinner received similar boosts to [Temperate Forest Survival] and [Tracking], making him their second ¡®proper¡¯ hunter. This made him a [Barbarian Archer, lvl 16].
Monoma got the following upgrades: [Herbalism (Vestiria) III], [Basic Alchemy II] and [Temperate Forest Survival III]. They¡¯ve elected against giving him additional language skills - the more skills they put in their servants, the more it costs to resurrect them.
Yaoyorozu having those skills was enough for now.
Monoma leveled up to a [Barbarian Shaman, lvl 14].
So, the question
What do we do next?
I think we¡¯re appropriately geared up and secured, and the cultists didn¡¯t come back, so it might be a time to send them on another expedition
Elven Mine 2.0: Electric Boogaloo, or the Banshee in Aeonia¡¯s graveyard?
Or are we going to look for something new?
Spinner mentioned that he might have noticed something somewhere on the slopes of the nearby mountain while out hunting btw.
You¡¯re telling me this now?
It wasn¡¯t anything concrete
Just thinking that it might be something amid the forest, like a building
It might as well be nothing
But thus far our attempts to look for something out there were, ultimately, pretty successful, right?
Well, yeah.
So, I guess that we could go check out what it was, if anything, all while looking for anything to bring back to the Dungeon.
Besides, I think that Ochako¡¯s getting anxious about wasting time, doing nothing.
Simp
What?
You¡¯re an absolute simp for her
You¡¯re doing everything you can to make her happy, all in the hopes of getting another banging
Oh.
Then yes, I¡¯m Ochako¡¯s simp.
What about it?
I
You were supposed to deny that!
Why though?
It¡¯s the truth.
Except for the ¡®banging¡¯ part.
I¡¯m fine with a hug.
Or a kiss.
Or holding hands.
But I¡¯m not against, errr, snuggling.
You normie son of a bitch
What did you just say?
I called you a normie son of a bitch?
Did you just call my mother bitch?
Uhm?
Don¡¯t you DARE say a SINGLE bad word about my MOM!!!
She¡¯s the nicest, kindest and most hardworking person IN THE WHOLE WORLD
She has done her utmost for me, being a SINGLE MOTHER of a QUIRKLESS child, pouring all the love and kindness she had in her onto me, making me feel LOVED every single moment of my childhood
And then she forced herself to support me when I joined the Hero Course, because it was my dream, despite being CONSTANTLY WORRIED about me and all the NEARLY DEBILITATING INJURIES that I survived, in big part thanks to a CERTAIN SOMEONE
She had All Might kneel before her and apologize for not helping me enough that I wouldn¡¯t suffer said injuries and promise to do his utmost to keep me safe, as that was the only way for her to not show the middle finger to Nedzu and the rest of the UA and pull me out of the school that has failed to keep me safe so much
Once again, DUE TO CERTAIN SOMEONE¡¯S ACTIONS
And even then, I lived in constant fear that CERTAIN SOMEONE and his band of socially inept goons alongside their little SUGAR DADDY with the world¡¯s most powerful chuunibyou syndrome would target her to get to me
Don¡¯t you DARE call her names, or I¡¯ll do my utmost to find a way to excise your soul from this joint body so that I can do something really, really HORRIBLE to you, you handjobs-fetishizing unfunny CLOWN!!!
Okay, okay, fuck, jesus christ
Your mother¡¯s off limits, I¡¯ll never call her a bad word, even indirectly like right now, alright?
I swear, I never considered going after family¡¯s of my enemies, alright?
I¡¯m not that much of a loser, alright?
¡
Jesus, fuck, go on a date with your girlfriend if you need and chill the fuck down
You¡¯re scaring me right now
Not a single bad word about my mom. Ever.
Alright! Alright!
Just one question about it
¡ she really made All Might kneel?
Yes.
¡ so your mom¡¯s more powerful and definitely cooler in my book than All for One, okay, good to know
You think she¡¯ll adopt me if I ask?
You definitely need parents, despite being an adult. But I don¡¯t think that I¡¯m ready to be your brother.
Loser.
32. Northern Wind
Uraraka Ochako was thoroughly enjoying her new life as a barbarian warrior with some moral boundaries left untouched.
When she was applying to UA she thought of herself as a potential future rescue hero like Thirteen. However, by the time the Battle Trial and the Sports Festival were over, she realized something about herself. Something that back then surprised her greatly.
She loved fighting. And now that she was isekai¡¯d as a Dungeon servant, there was almost no limit to her prospects on that field. In this world she could fight to her heart¡¯s content, and against many, many things that she couldn¡¯t even hope to meet back on Earth.
The list would only grow further once she¡¯d properly processed the fact that she enjoyed killing the witches that invaded the Dungeon. Oh, she didn¡¯t enjoy the act of killing people in itself, mind you. But fighting back evil with lethal means, for as long as there was no way of solving the problem peacefully or non-lethally?
Oh, she could get behind that.
The rush of adrenaline brought by fighting to the death would only be sweetened by the feeling of doing it for a good cause. And she has a strange feeling that sooner or later she would be addicted to this mix.
Oh, well.
But this wasn¡¯t the entirety of Uraraka Ochako. Not at all.
Getting to watch Izuku Midoriya repeatedly break his body and push himself to the very edge of death in pursuit of saving people awoke something in her. And no, it wasn¡¯t the same thing that it awoke in Himiko.
It made Uraraka realize that even the greatest heroes might need help. That they might need someone to support them, to make them feel wanted, to make them understand that they and their lives were just as important as those of the people that they saved.
Because Izuku kept going too far. He had to, if he wanted to save people. Without doing that, she would probably be severely injured during the Entrance Exam, Kouta would be killed during the Training Camp, Eri would still be in Overhaul¡¯s hands and so on. He needed to do that, and she accepted that fact.
But what she couldn¡¯t accept was him coming back more and more injured, more and more in a hurry to help everyone he could as if he expected his flame to burn out quickly and wanted to make his time in this world mean something.
But to her, he always meant something. And she was dedicated in her second life to make him understand that. And to her surprise, now that they were lovers, there was finally progress on that field.
Because Izuku finally opened up to someone about his own pain and stress, about his own needs and fears. He finally accepted¡ her. And this made her life in another world bearable, because he was here for her just as she was there for him.
Take what was happening right now as an example.
Izuku had problems dealing with all the stress from the cultists¡¯ attack and the fact that the attackers actually died. Not only could they have all died (and as he was the same Izuku she knew and loved back on Earth, he felt responsible for them all) they¡¯ve also technically killed someone, and that made him feel even more responsible.
And then Shigaraki - like the awful bully he was - decided to throw a burning match at the powderkeg by insulting Izuku¡¯s mother. Making Izuku very adamantly voice his sincere disapproval of such a behavior.
Yes, she knows just how serious he was about keeping his mom safe. And yes, it¡¯s impressive to her. She respects him for that. After all, she loves her own parents and wants them to be safe.
All of that led to the current moment. She was lying on her back on her bed, with Izuku right next to her. He was clothed (they both were), partially resting on top of her, his head right beneath her chin, lying on top of her chest on its side.
Izuku was fast asleep, hugging her tightly in his sleep.
They haven¡¯t done anything sexual this time. If Uraraka was to be honest, everything that happened the last time was just to¡ make the situation between them clear. No misunderstandings and no tiptoeing around the subject.
What she did was unbelievably embarrassing, but with someone as (cutely) dense as Izuku cupid had to put down their bow and pick up a missile launcher to have the tiniest of shots at getting through to them.
She looked forward to having sex again (she would totally stutter if she had to admit that aloud!), but she was in no hurry. If anything, she felt like taking a step back and doing the relationship things that they¡¯ve overlooked on the way there was a good idea.
As a result, what led to their current situation was pretty much a date. A lengthy walk together, holding hands and chatting. Izuku venting about his problems with Shigaraki and talking about his mom. Ochako telling him more about her own family and talking about breaking Shigaraki¡¯s kneecaps if he kept bullying him.
So, a nice time. That just kept being nice even after Izuku fell asleep in her embrace.
Her wolf nose told her everything that she needed to know. Izuku smelled¡ content. Relaxed. Happy. In love. Finally, finally, he was taking it slow and enjoying himself instead of breaking himself piece by piece.
She loved it. She loved every second of it. She just couldn¡¯t have enough of Izuku being like this! Her potential career as a barbarian warlord pillaging her way through the world around her was over before it started, because she already had the most precious treasure sleeping right next to her.
Once he would wake up, they¡¯d go check out the potential structure that Spinner said he saw and perhaps get a good fight out of it. But for now, she was going to let him sleep for as long as she could.
All while fighting against an overbearing desire to fluff his hair. Ugh, let him rest Ochako! Don¡¯t be a dumbass!
Even if it looks so¡ fluffable. Was that even a word? She isn¡¯t sure, but if it was, then what she could see in front of her definitely fit it. It should be illegal for your hair to be so damn tempting!
***
The location that Spinner thought that he saw was a wooden building somewhere up a mountain to the southwest. It was going to be a long trek, and not because of the height - the mountain itself at best reached about 2000 meters above the riverbed.
The bigger problem was the landscape. The forest they had to march through was a truly primeval one, there were many narrow valleys, cliffs and so on between themselves and their destination¡ and they had no map. And no compass.
Thankfully, they had Himiko who was always ready to climb up the tree and tell them if they weren¡¯t heading in the wrong direction. And they also had to circle around a few smells that to the senses of their beastkin felt like danger.
In short, they had to camp in the forest for the night. Which made them discover something interesting¡ and important.
While the Dungeon satiated all their needs, it couldn¡¯t do that at a distance. Spend enough time in the wilds, and you¡¯ll still grow hungry and tired. Thankfully they had enough people with useful skills (such as [Temperate Forest Survival] and [Herbalism (Vestiria)]) to set up the camp and get themselves food and clear water even in the field.
Ochako, Himiko, Kirishima and Spinner of all people even started singing songs over the campfire which lasted until Monoma and Yaoyorozu made them stop to avoid drawing attention of the things that might have been hiding in the forest. Still, fun time.
But they should probably bring their own food and camping supplies for the next trip.
And then, they arrive at their destination.
***
It was a somewhat humble abode. A two-story house with a foundation made of cobblestone and the rest made of wooden planks. No windows, only wooden shutters. The whole thing didn¡¯t look to be maintained, but also wasn¡¯t completely dilapidated.
¡°Huh, so that¡¯s what I saw.¡± Spinner looks at the building, with some rather complicated look on his face. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a bit of a letdown, sorry for that.¡±
No need to apologize.
You¡¯ve seen something and there is something.
It might still be something interesting.
Wow, you¡¯re surprisingly nice to him now.
I¡¯m trying to be a better person, okay?
Great!
For more efficient villainy.
Sigh.
¡°That¡¯s a bit¡ hasty.¡± Yaoyorozu replies to Spinner as she looks around them, checking out the building¡¯s surroundings. ¡°Something¡¯s not right. This building is located in the middle of nowhere. Who brought the materials to build it here? It¡¯s way too far from any civilization for someone to live here, unless they were a strangely rich hermit. I don¡¯t even see any road leading here!¡± She tilts her head while looking at the building. ¡°This is puzzling to me.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s see if someone¡¯s home.¡± Uraraka decides for their group. ¡°And if it¡¯s not inhabited anymore, everything inside is free for the taking, right?¡±
Izuku might be her most valuable treasure, sure, but she was going to give everything that she¡¯d find in this building to him. And that made her interested in some¡ light pillaging once in a while.
***
The house definitely wasn¡¯t inhabited.
Everything was covered in dust. The roof was leaking in several places, causing pools of water to form in a few places, beginning to erode the floor underneath. They¡¯ve found nothing but furniture.
And even that was rather¡ austere. Empty cupboards, bed frames without the soft parts, tables without anything on them. It felt impersonal. It looked fine on the first glance, but when Izuku spent a few minutes analyzing what he saw, he noticed something weird.
Nothing in this building was unique.
Every object - from the smallest to the largest - existed in at least two copies throughout the building. And that was unnatural.
¡°Has anyone ever lived here?¡± Uraraka asks as she looks around one of the rooms on the 1st Floor. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel so to me.¡±
I don¡¯t know.
Maybe it¡¯s someone¡¯s hunting lodge? And for some reason they haven¡¯t been here in years and it fell to disrepair?
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Uraraka looks around one more time, checking even the space under the bed. ¡°It just feels¡ ugly, you get me? Cold. Impersonal. Fake, even.¡±
I get a feeling that I know how you want our future h-h-h-home to look like.
Our future h¡ oh . Uraraka knows that it¡¯s not the best moment to think about it, but this really sounds great. Yes, they¡¯ll never have windows in their home, but at least they won¡¯t have to pay any rent, and all the stuff they¡¯ll have is pretty much free, right?
Uraraka liked free stuff!
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
¡°GUYS!¡± Their talk is interrupted by Monoma shouting from the ground floor. ¡°COME HERE, I NEED TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING!¡±
Huh?
***
They found Monoma standing in a completely empty room somewhere in the middle of the ground floor. They have no idea what it was supposed to be. Storage room? Very empty one if so.
Monoma was staring intently at a random wall, thinking something over deeply.
¡°What is it?¡± Uraraka asks, glancing at him through the door, the others already gathered behind her.
¡°I did some quick math, and the numbers don¡¯t add up.¡± Monoma replies while looking back at her. ¡°This building is larger on the inside than it¡¯s on the outside. And I think that it¡¯s all about this room.¡±
Uraraka blinks at him in confusion. She isn¡¯t the only person to be shocked.
¡°What are you talking about?¡± Yaoyorozu ends up asking for them all.
¡°I wanted to make sure that there are no hidden areas inside.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°No secret rooms or hidden spaces in the walls. I roughly measured the length and width of the building from the outside, then checked its insides. The thing is, unless I¡¯m horribly bad at math, then for some reason the insides of this building are two and a half meters wider and two meters longer than the building itself.¡±
¡°In other words¡¡± Uraraka has at this point realized it herself. Her parents¡¯ job has likely helped her obtain certain skills. Like being able to judge the sizes of the rooms. ¡°... the exact dimensions of this room.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Monoma replies before shrugging. ¡°I have no idea how it works, but it¡¯s a world of magic, so it doesn¡¯t have to make sense to me. But it¡¯s definitely a thing. As to why it works like that, and why there is an odd magic thing in a building in the middle of nowhere, that¡¯s definitely beyond me.¡±
¡°Well then.¡± Uraraka grins. Finally, something was happening! ¡°Let¡¯s check this place out. In detail !¡± And she already had some ideas!
***
It wasn¡¯t a room. It was a well concealed elevator shaft. When they removed the floorboards, they found an empty shaft extending at least fifty meters deep, illuminated by a number of pale lights in the walls.
Four levels, maybe five. The suspected fifth one was obfuscated by a crushed elevator that seemed to have slammed into the bottom of the elevator and stayed there forever. No cables, maybe the elevator worked with magical levitation?
The surprising part was that it wasn¡¯t made of wood, none of it was. The walls were made from a solid, seamless material that resembled concrete while the elevator frame and the elevator car itself were definitely made of metal.
That was¡ weird .
¡°Well.¡± Uraraka grins while carefully looking down the partially uncovered shaft to let Izuku see the details. ¡°This looks like a jackpot to me. Any guesses on what we¡¯ve just found?¡±
¡°Someone¡¯s secret laboratory, perhaps?¡± Yaoyorozu pitches in an idea. Izuku can hear excitement in her voice - is it because she hopes that they¡¯ll find books underground? ¡°I strongly recommend not opening all the levels at once. We don¡¯t know what we might unleash.¡±
¡°You think that there¡¯s something alive down there?¡± Uraraka asks as she takes a step back and looks at Yaoyorozu.
¡°It¡¯s always a possibility.¡± Momo replies.
¡°Make it a near-certainty.¡± Monoma cuts in. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but to me it looks as if this place required significant investments to set it up. You don¡¯t abandon such a place if you don¡¯t have to.¡±
Good point.
Stay cautious, everyone.
¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re planning to do, Izuku.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡±Great job finding the elevator, Monoma-kun! Without you we might have as well missed it completely. And thank you, Spinner, for finding this building in the first place.¡±
¡°Errr, right.¡± Spinner nods nervously. Was he not used to receiving praise? ¡°No problem. Just doing my best.¡±
¡°Same.¡± Monoma says dryly. ¡°I have the lowest level, so I have to at least make myself useful for the party in another way, right?¡±
¡°Dude.¡± Kirishima says while patting him on the shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s about teamwork and succeeding as a group, not about pursuing higher numbers. You don¡¯t have anything to prove.¡±
¡°Good point, I guess.¡± Monoma sighs. It was clear that he was a bit struggling with the concept. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve found. I¡¯m curious myself.¡±
¡
Kirishima is another person that the League was lacking.
I assume that you don¡¯t mean bulging muscles and physical durability.
Of course not, you asshole
I meant someone who could actually promote teamwork among our members
¡ and it wasn¡¯t you.
Yes, it wasn¡¯t me and you don¡¯t have to point it out
I know I wasn¡¯t the best leader for them all
I¡¯m going to treat my isekai adventure as an occasion to change that for the better.
***
With his affinity for vertical maneuvers, Spinner of course gets sent as a scout down the elevator shaft. With simple orders of approaching the nearest set of doors and open it, allowing the others to climb down to the highest level of the facility.
He succeeds without much trouble, and soon they all find themselves in what was definitely a reception area.
Large room with one of the walls being composed of a lengthy counter with a glass window above it, a few aged paper documents scattered around. The rest of the walls were made of a material resembling a smoothed out concrete.
The room was lit by more of those magical(?) lights in the ceiling, even if some of them seemed somewhat faded. There was a corkboard on the wall opposing the counter with some documents pinned to it. Izuku could even see something resembling a computer on the other side of the glass!
The situation was definitely escalating.
The desiccated corpses scattered throughout the room - on both sides of the glass panels - were one more reminder that something in the facility went seriously wrong. Most of them were wearing what looked like black military uniform, ones remarkably untouched by the passage of time.
Since something tore most of them to pieces, finding one that was largely untouched to bring it back to the Dungeon was going to be a challenge.
Izuku could also see a few swords lying on the ground, some of them still in the hands of the corpses wearing uniforms. In some cases, said hands were no longer connected to the rest of their body.
Before any of you ask
Years
They are almost completely rotten.
Makes you wonder if whatever killed them is still here.
And whatever this place even is.
Just what sort of technology level this place is on.
¡°That¡¯s something that I wonder about myself.¡± Yaoyorozu comments as she approaches the counter to take a better look at the things on the other side. ¡°We should stay as vigilant as possible, pick as much stuff as we can hold and get out. We need more information about this place before going too deep. Uraraka-san, do you hear anything?¡±
¡°Not right now.¡± Uraraka replies. She doesn¡¯t sound angry over Yaoyorozu speaking out her mind. Besides, it was just good advice. ¡°Let¡¯s search through this level before we move over to looting.¡±
***
The doors at the end of the reception area open up to a perpendicular corridor. The lights on the ceiling are still on, although some are flickering and others seem to have faded out, shedding light upon more and more scenes of carnage.
A massacre occurred here. Was this the reason for the facility¡¯s abandonment? There were way too many corpses here for the size of the level, so Izuku was ready to guess that some of the people fled here from the lower levels before getting torn to shreds.
This is starting to become weird.
We¡¯re exploring more ¡®Dungeons¡¯ than we have actual incursions into ours
Do you want to have more invaders visiting us?
No
I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s weird, that¡¯s all
On one side of the corridors there¡¯s a series of rooms that turn out to be offices, filled with workdesks¡ and a plethora of loot waiting to be taken.
Stacks of documents that could - maybe - tell them something about the nature of this facility. Bookshelves filled with books, the sight of which made Yaoyorozu squeal lightly. A variety of office supplies. Hell, even more of those computers(?).
They weren¡¯t sure what they were dealing with in the case of the suspected computers. There was something resembling a flat screen on top of some desks, and a box underneath that somewhat resembled a PC, yes. But while the two were connected with a single cable, the PC(?) wasn¡¯t connected to any power source.
Extremely confusing.
At the very end of the corridor there is a stairwell going down. They only slightly open the door, but Uraraka immediately whispers that she can hear some movement on the level beneath them. So, they quickly close the door (as quietly as possible), and elect to not go down there.
Not yet, at least. They needed to become stronger before risking that. This place was giving them extremely bad vibes.
I feel as if we¡¯ve accidentally stumbled into an endgame dungeon from some old Might and Magic game
Where you spend the whole game in a fantasy setting only to find out that game is about to end with some wild shit happening when you start seeing sci-fi stuff
I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, but I do feel like you might be onto something.
Let¡¯s just check the rest of this level, grab as much stuff as we can and leave quickly.
They find two more things on that level. One of them was what looked like a break room, the other one was the toilets. Two of the latter, one for men and one for women. Whoever built this place was very civilized.
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka nods while turning towards the group gathered up behind her. ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed that the place is safe, and it¡¯s the time to pillage it, but we have to be organized about it. Monoma-kun, you look for documents. We need something that can help us figure out what this place was. Yaoyorozu-san, your job is finding the writing supplies that you need. Izuku, is there a point in carrying the corpses back?¡±
¡°Good point.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°Himiko, you have a special mission. Pick up a sword and find as many clothes as you can. I think I¡¯ve seen some lockers in the break room, so try to open them.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Toga salutes her. ¡°I¡¯ll do it for you, Ochako-chan!¡±
¡°Great.¡± Uraraka replies. She was really good at organizing mass-pillaging of places, it seems. Izuku is amazed. And slightly concerned. ¡°Kirishima-kun, do you think that you can carry one of those computer-things?¡±
¡°Sure thing!¡± Kirishima looks pumped up. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it as gently as possible!¡±
¡°Great.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°The rest of us, as in me and Spinner, will pack up as many books as we can. If the others have any leftover capacity, they¡¯ll carry more books. Let¡¯s get to it! We¡¯ll meet in the reception area once we¡¯re full.¡±
***
Thankfully, nothing has gone bad with the plan. They''ve filled their backpacks with books, documents and writing supplies, and even brought that one Maybe Computer with them. Himiko also used her lockpicking skills to crack open the lockers and get themselves a decent selection of clothes.
Not just the uniforms, but also a number of mostly modern-style clothes, like T-Shirts and underwear. That was definitely going to be useful in making their day-to-day life in the Dungeon.
Comfortable clothes? Yes please.
Once they¡¯re done pillaging the area, they quickly climb back up with aid from Yaoyorozu¡¯s [Float] spell. And once they are done covering the entrance, they begin their return journey.
***
They succeed in returning to the Dungeon without any further troubles. Which is greatly reassuring, as it confirms to them that the area surrounding the Dungeon is as empty as they thought.
This is reassuring. Their past track record of finding new locations has grown somewhat worrying .
As expected, they¡¯ve got some unlocks out of the deal.
First was the partial unlock of a completely new Biome, titled [Northern Wind Laboratory], currently at measly 16%. To get the full thing they definitely needed to get a lot more stuff from that place.
They¡¯ve unlocked a new [Room], which made Yaoyorozu squeal loudly. Why? Well, because it was a [Library]. Why was it a separate room? Well, books were probably reading to the Dungeon system as some form of a treasure.
The Not-Computers were listed in the list of potential furniture for the room, under the name of Memory Terminals. They could place them in the Dungeon, but it required waaay too much ambient mana for them to be able to do that right now.
Welp. They¡¯ll figure those out eventually.
They¡¯ve also gotten a total of 67 books, and no, Izuku isn¡¯t listing them all. Most of the titles make precious little sense for him to begin with. He expected Yaoyorozu (and maybe Monoma) to eventually make sense out of them. They were all written in Itavian, which was the local version of Latin. And guess what, they had that language in the database.
Yaoyorozu also knew some basics of Latin. Because she learned that in their old world. Because of course she did.
They¡¯ve decided against assimilating the documents, as they likely weren¡¯t going to give them anything more than just some further percentage unlock on the [Northern Wind Laboratory]. Instead, they were moved to the 6th Level, where Monoma and Yaoyorozu were eventually going to read through them.
There was also the [Northern Wind Uniform] and [Northern Wind Eagle-Pattern Shortsword]. Applying both to a single character elevated their ETS by about fifteen, so it was definitely beyond their current limits.
The name of the biome and those two items told them that the laboratory they¡¯ve found belonged to an organization called Northern Wind. Before something occurred there, something that led to death of everyone inside and the place being sealed and left to rot.
There was also a partial unlock of a sixth grade material called [Imperial Steel], likely thanks to the sword. What was that steel? Yaoyorozu guessed it to be some local variant of a steel alloy, but they knew no details.
And that was all. An interesting trip that would eventually have a follow-up (once they¡¯d grow much stronger to delve deeper and more hands to carry things from the Top Level), but it was time to have a quick rest and decide what to do next.
Especially as Uraraka was clearly anxious to fight something.
Should they eliminate the Mourner in Aeonia¡¯s graveyard? Maybe another foray into the elven mines and taking on the Cynocephali roaming it? Or maybe looking for yet another location to visit and pillage?
Beastkin are back.
Nevermind, they¡¯re going to be pretty busy at home. Lovely.
33. Return of the Beastkin
The group of beastkin that arrived in the Dungeon was led by Elder Anaya and Uzar, who were accompanied by a group of tribal rookies (five wolf warriors, two cat rogues and a fox shaman) that were carrying gifts for the Dungeon.
Huh.
You think that subspecies define societal role among the beastkin?
Wolf = Warriors, Cats = Rogue, Foxes = Shamans etc.?
Yes.
Maybe? We won¡¯t know until we ask or we see some arguments to the contrary.
Kinda icky.
To some degree
Fair.
Those subspecies are so divergent in their natural capacity for various roles that it does to some degree explain such a thing.
At least gender was no issue, as not only was the whole group led by a woman, they were both men and women among the rookies. The numbers were definitely skewed in one direction or another (males among warriors, women among the rogues), but not clear cut.
In fact, women seemed to outnumber men among the group¡¯s leadership, as there was a catwoman in her late 20s/early 30s accompanying Anaya and Uzar. Judging from her equipment (leather armor with shoulderpads, gauntlets and what looked like a pair of leather thigh-highs(?)), she definitely wasn¡¯t a rookie.
An armor design that Izuku was ready to describe as somewhat ¡®weird¡¯, then again he is a former hero student. He spent months surrounded by combatants wearing outfits that were a fashion statement more than a genuine protection, he isn¡¯t one to judge.
¡°The Dungeon seems to have developed greatly in our absence.¡± Elder Anaya says the moment she walks inside the Dungeon accompanied by the remaining two veterans. The rookies were yet to get inside to be counted. ¡°The amount of mana flowing out of it has easily doubled.¡±
¡°How many levels?¡± Uzar asks shortly.
¡°Five, maybe six.¡± The Elder replies. ¡°A respectable rate of development, while still far too small for the mages from the south to pick it up. The real question, though, is how much it managed to scavenge from the surrounding area and how it arranged what it obtained. And, of course, whether it has already manifested a Dungeon Lord.¡±
¡°And whether it¡¯s possible for us to communicate with it.¡± The unnamed catwoman comments dryly from the side, earning herself some sharp glances. ¡°We¡¯ll be the ones to scout the Dungeon, I assume?¡±
¡°Yes, Yla.¡± The Elder sighs. She didn¡¯t seem to be particularly fond of the catwoman. ¡°That¡¯s the plan. Just the three of us. Keran!¡± The foxman shaman leading the rookie group that entered the Dungeon right after Anaya stands at attention. ¡°Bring the things inside, then wait here. Don¡¯t move from the entrance area until we¡¯re back. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, Elder!¡± Keran replies quickly. ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡±
***
The first thing the trio inspects is, of course, the entrance section. The guest room raises some eyebrows as it was apparently unexpected. Which made sense in hindsight - why would a Dungeon that should be sapient cater to intruders? Still, the beastkin quickly got over it, and the rookies moved in to wait for the Elder to come back.
And then, there were the shrines.
¡°My, oh my.¡± Anaya says as Uzar - who was the one to open the doors - steps to the side to let her see the insides of the Shrine of Saevius. ¡°I heard that shrines and temples to the gods constructed in a Dungeon are something else, but this goes beyond all my expectations.¡±
¡°I should probably offer Saevius a sacrifice during this trip.¡± Uzar adds a comment of his own, his eyes on the statue. ¡°Impressive.¡±
¡°Good luck finding anything worth being offered in this place.¡± Yla comments from behind them. ¡°And don''t forget that there are two more rooms in this corridor. Really makes you wonder, eh?¡±
The elder and Uzar exchange looks. They clearly realized that Yla had a point, but neither of them felt like admitting that aloud.
***
¡°Shrine of Luna?¡± The Elder says, staring at the altar and the figure behind it with wide eyes. ¡°How did that happen?¡±
¡°Do you think that there¡¯s another group that¡¯s courting the Dungeon?¡± Uzar asks her. Once again, he was the one who opened the door. Warriors probably had that in their job description.
I guess ¡®courting¡¯ is a somewhat better way of calling that activity than ¡®grooming¡¯.
Because that¡¯s what they¡¯re doing.
Groom us as we¡¯re growing to be adults so that we¡¯d depend on them for more goods and get all they want from us in exchange.
That¡¯s¡ extreme
but not exactly wrong
Just somewhat incorrect considering what we are
Yeah. I forgot that you¡¯re an authority on grooming minors.
¡ don¡¯t put it like this.
If anything, I¡¯m an authority on being groomed as a minor
So you realized?
Yes.
And by now I genuinely hate All for One
For killing Mon-chan and grooming me to be the person that would be useful in his plans and to hurt All Might more
And for killing my family too, I guess
I¡¯m happy about your character development.
Have you stopped hating All Might while at it?
No
Well, we have a lot of time to work on that.
No
¡°This entire region was abandoned for decades now.¡± Anaya replies, turning her head to face Uzar. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be here if Ekana didn¡¯t try to cross it and didn¡¯t accidentally stumble upon a newborn Dungeon. It¡¯s possible that someone else had a similar coincidence bring them here. And who knows who could be around.¡±
¡°A Covenant cult?¡± Uzar asks the Elder. They were having that talk while completely ignoring Yla¡¯s presence among them.
¡°Maybe.¡± Elder shrugs. ¡°I wanted to say that a Covenant cult would cover their tracks better, but it¡¯s possible that the Dungeon isn¡¯t developed enough to understand the idea of not showing something to outsiders. On the other hand, the guest room¡¡±
¡°I think that it¡¯s time to check the third door.¡± Yla decides to interrupt the Elder. Did she have a death wish? ¡°Before having that talk. We might learn something important about the subject.¡±
¡°Good point.¡± Uzar replies. The tone of his voice makes it clear that he didn¡¯t like having to agree with her.
***
¡°Occasa?!¡± Uzar lets out, staring at the altar with his eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. ¡°Where? How? When?¡±
Yla said nothing, but the angry frown on her face as she looked at the altar from behind him reeked of personal history with that particular goddess.
¡°Servants of the Mother of Locusts like to breed in the dark corners of the world where there¡¯s no one to keep their population as close to zero as possible.¡± Anaya replies. The look that she was giving the altar was that of simple disgust. ¡°There might be an active cult skulking around this region. Though I doubt that they¡¯d try to get friendly with a Dungeon, even if some of their cults can be pretty flexible with their theology.¡±
¡°Then maybe it wasn¡¯t the cultists that met the Dungeon but the other way around.¡± Yla says, the hostility dripping off her tongue. ¡°Are we going to destroy this shrine? It¡¯s disgusting and an insult to us simply by existing. And I believe that offering parts of it to the Hierarch of Conquest might make the Blood God favor us.¡±
Ha
Blood God
Khorne reference
Your girlfriend is now officially a Khornate berserker
Are they cool?
Well¡ yes? Kinda?
Then I can agree with you.
Because she¡¯s cool.
STOP SIMPING FOR HER
For as long as I live, I¡¯ll be simping for Ochako and you can¡¯t stop me.
AAAAAAAAARGH
¡°No, no!¡± Yla¡¯s proposal wakes Elder up quite well. ¡°It doesn¡¯t know how hated Occasa¡¯s brood is among us, whatever insult there is was definitely unintentional. And if we destroy its property like this, it¡¯ll make it harder for us to garner their favor.¡±
¡°We should demand the Lord of this place to destroy that Shrine.¡± Yla refuses to back down and glares at the Elder. Truly, she must have had a death wish. Or some potent backing. ¡°To have a shrine of Occasa here is¡¡±
¡°... their decision.¡± Anaya shoots her down. ¡°Whether we like it or not, they¡¯re an independent individual.¡±
¡°And?¡± Yla squints at her. ¡°Then make it a deal rather than demand.¡±
¡°You still don¡¯t understand.¡± Anaya shakes her head, with a look of disappointment on her face. ¡°The Dungeon Lord is merely a soul and will of a much larger being - namely, the Dungeon. We¡¯re inside their body, Yla. You wanting it to remove the shrine of Occasa isn¡¯t the equivalent of you wanting someone to move their wardrobe to another place in their bedroom. It¡¯s the equivalent of you wanting someone to remove their liver because it annoys you. Doing so will ruin our chances of striking a deal with the Dungeon Lord.¡±
¡°So what, are we going to let it do whatever it wants?¡± Yla asks, staring at Anaya with her eyes opened a bit wider than before.
¡°We¡¯re going to let it do whatever it wants within its Domain .¡± The Elder corrects her. There is the briefest hint of annoyance in her eyes, Yla clearly taking a step too far. ¡°The land outside the entrance is up to negotiation. You might have been sent here as an observer, but unless the council of elders decides to have it any other way, I am in charge of dealing with this place and you¡¯re supposed to follow my orders. Don¡¯t forget it.¡±
Oh, so that¡¯s why she and Yla are on such bad terms.
Yeah, she¡¯s pretty much an inspector sent because other elders don¡¯t trust this one.
I¡¯d be pissed off as well.
Yla presses her lips together and says nothing, doing her best to ignore the glare that Uzar was giving her from the side. Someone definitely enjoyed seeing Yla being put back in her place.
***
The main reason why the elementals weren¡¯t a disappointment was because with their ETL being what it was, they didn¡¯t have a lot of expectations for them to begin with. And correctly so, because they sucked. Big time.
Izuku¡¯s old classmates at Aldera would have walked through them with little trouble, it was that bad.
Their main mode of attack was floating around and firing small projectiles made out of their element. This was about as underwhelming as it sounded.
The [Lesser Water Elemental] had the firepower roughly comparable to a squirt gun, the [Lesser Earth Elemental] threw lumps of dirt at things, the [Lesser Air Elemental] ¡®attacked¡¯ with gusts of wind that seemed comparable in intensity to an electric fan, and the [Lesser Fire Elemental]... well, it was the closest thing to actually being able to damage people, but even that only if their target just happened to be soaked in gasoline.
In short, it was terrible.
Absolutely terrible.
What a fucking joke
Not really.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
They¡¯re just very environment dependent.
What?
Sigh.
Mustard was your teammate, have you already forgotten about him?
Oooh.
With the right placement, those could push not simple air in the direction of the enemy, but a more¡ spicy one
Yes.
So we could creatively use them for chemical warfare.
Like, have them throw a cloud of pure carbon dioxide into the faces of organic enemies.
Or¡ maybe we could ask Yaoyorozu-san if she can make us some tear gas?
Boooring.
But we won¡¯t kill people.
Yes and that¡¯s why it¡¯s boring
And yet, Izuku couldn¡¯t help but feel as if they were missing something with the elementals. Was there some sort of a trick to them? Or were they creatures that were an utility more than an active combatant, like the astral slimes and shards?
He can definitely imagine some [Lesser Air Elementals] working as a permanent fan, transferring air through some ventilation shafts and so on.
***
¡°I think that we¡¯ve finished dealing with the First Level.¡± The Elder announces about thirty minutes later. ¡°I¡¯ve made a full map of this place, and we¡¯ve found the Floor Guardian Room. Other than that, it¡¯s just Elemental Overflows.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t feel very useful.¡± Yla decides to be herself.
¡°Because it¡¯s not.¡± Anaya replies as Uzar shakes his head in the background. She sounds annoyed by having to explain basic things. ¡°At least until the Dungeon figures out how to turn the elementals into golems. We¡¯re going down to the Second Level. Time to see what awaits us down there.¡±
Golems?
Golems?
Ha, first
Sigh.
How do you think it works?
We¡¯d have to ask Yaoyorozu if she has any ideas.
Wow, you¡¯re ready to rely on her for knowledge?
Look
I learned to delegate, okay?
And depend on others if needed.
I¡¯m developing as a person
That should usually happen before you become an adult, but I guess that as a manchild you still have room to grow at that age.
You¡¯re truly doing your best to make me want to yeet you out of the Dungeon Core as often as possible to be with your girlfriend
That¡¯s merely a bonus
Yaoyorozu-san, I have a question for you.
¡°Yes?¡± She replies immediately. She was in the Node Room on the 4th Level - together with the rest of their servants - which is where they planned to fight the invaders once they¡¯d hopefully be weakened by the traps and creatures on the floors above.
Fat chance for Uzar or Anaya to be even slightly tired by those, though. And Yla probably wasn¡¯t weak either. Still, maybe it would get them somewhere.
We just overheard the invaders commenting on how we haven¡¯t yet figured out how to turn elementals into golems.
Any ideas on how to progress with that?
¡°Hmmm.¡± Yaoyorozu spends a few moments thinking it over, Shigaraki busy monitoring the invaders descending to the 2nd Level of the Dungeon and letting Izuku make that talk. ¡°The difference between the elementals and how I¡¯d imagine a golem to look reminds me of how daemons can manifest spiritually and physically. Have you tried making the elementals possess something? I don¡¯t know how much sense it makes from your perspective, though.¡±
Hmmm¡
Good question.
They aren¡¯t sentient, they¡¯re more like¡ bits of our energy made to float around and acting per their element.
Something like the astral slime and shards, I guess.
I think we can order them around just by wanting them to do something.
I¡¯ll try it right now! Give me a moment.
The 6th Level is far from the visitors and the lockdown on Dungeon mechanics that they forced on the whole Level that they were on. Nothing stops Izuku from quickly creating a big pile of dirt and an earth elemental right next to it.
He just had to ask Shigaraki for his permission. And then suggest earth elemental to move inside the pile and make themselves a new body.
About thirty seconds later he gets to witness a roughly humanoid - but much larger - pile of dirt shamble around the level. Ah, yes. Earth Golem. Looks like there was something about the elementals that they were missing out.
It worked, Yaoyorozu-san. Thank you!
Shigaraki, it worked. [Earth Elementals] can be made to create [Earth Golems].
I don¡¯t think that they can be spawned independently, they¡¯re just a form of an [Earth Elemental].
Huh.
You think that we can put an [Earth Elemental] in a giant pile of, say, iron? To create an [Iron Golem]?
¡
We¡¯ll have to try and find out, right?
That¡¯s the spirit, ha!
***
Second Level greets the beastkin with spiders. A lot of giant spiders. And no, Izuku still didn¡¯t like looking at them. They were creepy. And, worst of all, they reminded him of Occasa and that made him want to punch Shigaraki in the face.
Again.
He still remembers that punch right after he manifested as a Dungeon Lord for the first time. That was sooo satisfying.
¡°Well¡¡± Uzar says loudly as he uses his sword to instantly slice a [Spider Maiden] in half. Vertically. ¡°... looks like we¡¯ve found a clue as to how that shrine came to be here. The Dungeon has done the world a favor.¡±
Man¡¯s really op
Yes.
Sending Himiko to try to attack him really feels stupid in hindsight.
Speak for yourself, it worked pretty well
Convinced them that Ekana was dead and that¡¯s what mattered
Fine, fine.
You had a good idea back then, even if I still dislike the idea of having her die for the team.
You dislike the idea of anyone dying. For any reason whatsoever
Yes.
¡°Sure, sure!¡± Yla shouts back while leaping off the wall at two approaching spiders, slicing both to death in the passing. ¡°I don¡¯t mind it, it¡¯s pretty fun. But the variety of enemies is somewhat weak. This Dungeon should work on some originality to its design, you know?¡±
Yla¡¯s starting to piss me off.
She¡ definitely has an attitude.
I agree.
***
As expected, the spiders fail to achieve anything more than making the scouting party move slightly slower. The Elder didn¡¯t even bother casting any spells, instead focusing on drawing a map of the area with what looked like a stylus and a small piece of paper.
Then again, she doesn¡¯t have to cast any spells. The other two clearly have that in the bag.
They¡¯ve also found the [Mining Areas]. All three of them, and while easily pushing back the spiders that were crawling around. Sure, they were overlevelled for the location, but it still hurt to see them just waltz through all their defenses.
Man, I want Aeonia to be here already
You think she would win?
She can summon an army of skeletons and suck all life from an area with a gesture.
I think that the answer¡¯s yes.
Well, then I want Aeonia to be here even more.
¡°It seems that even without any guidance the Dungeon is still developing towards becoming civilized.¡± Anaya comments when they find the third [Mining Area], the one in the very middle of the level and filled with both [Cassiterite] and [Malachite] ores. ¡°On one hand, it¡¯s great. On the other hand, I can¡¯t find an explanation for this and this makes me think back to the shrine of Luna.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you mention that the tribe barely has any confirmed information about Dungeons?¡± Uzar counters her suspicions immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t think that any of us ever saw one in the past, much less in their growing period. We can just be wrong about what¡¯s normal for them, right?¡±
¡°Right.¡± Anaya agrees with him. ¡°I remember myself standing in front of the entrance of the Dungeon in Numeropolis twenty years ago, only to decide to spend my time doing something more useful instead. Guess that moment goes into the bin of my eternal regrets.¡±
Uzar smirks a bit but says nothing about it. Yla, however, refuses to stay quiet, although thankfully she changes the subject.
¡°Mining here is going to be a nightmare with all the spiders.¡± She says, making the others immediately look at her expecting something annoying to happen. ¡°And there is so little ore here¡ you could, maybe , fit a dozen miners in this room at the same time without making them accidentally hit each other while swinging their pickaxes. Useless, I¡¯d say.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not¡ entirely wrong about it.¡± Elder admits, all while giving Uzar a brief look that Izuku translates to ¡®If I kill her will you cover for me?¡¯. ¡°Yes, not a lot of ore can be mined from this place. However, there are a few things that you¡¯re missing.¡±
¡°Such as?¡± Yla asks.
¡°Eventually, the Dungeon will assimilate a smelter, probably one that¡¯s mana-powered.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°And mana here is effectively infinite. Such a smelter placed in this room can easily process any amount of ore you throw into it, and without using any resources. A group can easily camp here and continue operating such a place for a week or two before returning to the surface with backpacks full of bronze bars.¡±
¡°Still not something to get rich from.¡± Yla continues to court death.
¡°But definitely something to help support whatever settlement will eventually grow outside of this Dungeon.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°And unlike the natural mines, the dangers of this one are predictable and the ore perpetually replenishes itself. In other words, this place is still developing, and thus far it¡¯s developing much faster than I anticipated. So do us all a favor and try to be a bit less¡ annoying .¡±
Yla reads the unspoken threat of the last word and promptly shuts up. Good for her.
¡°Let us proceed to the Third Level.¡± The Elder announces in the resulting silence. ¡°The fights thus far weren¡¯t dangerous, but the sheer number of creatures that the Dungeon is throwing at us will slowly tire us out. And I¡¯d prefer not to have to spend a night here.¡±
***
The group¡¯s first reaction to the Third Level is Elder Anaya¡¯s loud whistle. Izuku can understand it - [Underground Ecosystem] there was a sight to behold. It was also a nice change of pace after the corridors and rooms of the first two Levels.
It even had a fake crevice in the ceiling that was letting the fake ¡®sunlight¡¯ in, illuminating at least the part of the hall that they could see from the entrance.
There are bushes and other plants, even one or two small trees. In short, a completely different space than everything before it.
That might not be as much as the Eldergleam Sanctuary, but it¡¯s an honest work
What?
You remember that we¡¯ve literally murdered a hamadryad and pillaged her grove to obtain it?
Before having Komori possess her corpse?
How¡¯s that honest, even if she attacked first?
First of all, that was reference to an old videogame and an equally old meme
Second of all, yes, that¡¯s honest work, because we¡¯ve honestly murdered her
You¡¯re irredeemable.
I never said that I wanted to be redeemed, you dick.
¡°I¡¯ve already spotted a few plants that can be useful in alchemy or medicine.¡± Anaya announces a moment later. ¡°Once again, nothing that could make us rich, but definitely something that could contribute.¡±
¡°How did the Dungeon obtain all of that?¡± Uzar asks. She doesn¡¯t have the time to answer him before a [Lesser Lignomorph] shambles from behind a distant corner. ¡°I see. A chance encounter with the Fae.¡±
¡°Indeed.¡± Anaya shakes her head before raising her hand and casting a spell. A small ball of what seems to be blood coalesces out of nowhere before bursting in dark red flames and being launched at the [Lesser Lignomorph]. The thing is almost instantly set aflame. ¡°The plants I¡¯ve seen are often found growing in the groves of lesser Fae. The Dungeon must have ransacked one of those places.
The [Lesser Lignomorph] is definitely out of commission after that one attack. It had to be blood magic, and it seems that some qualities of blood conjured by it are flammable. Interesting.
It also re-opened the question of just how powerful Anaya was. Shame that Aeonia wasn¡¯t here, maybe she could tell them.
¡°Good for them.¡± Uzar says dryly. Judging from neither him nor Yla having problems with Fae being murdered, it seems that the disdain for them isn¡¯t unique to elves. ¡°Let¡¯s head deeper. And be on guard. There might be a Hamadryad lounging around. We don¡¯t want to suffer any preventable injuries, right?¡±
¡°Quoting me now, really?¡± Anaya shakes her head.
I hope that Komori is alright with dying, because I think that this is going to be the result here.
Monoma-kun said that she¡¯s fine with it, she just no longer perceives it the same way as humans do.
To her, it¡¯s the equivalent of just losing a fight, at least when she won¡¯t lose a century or two in the process due to being a part of the Dungeon.
The biggest problem was convincing her that no, she can¡¯t sing her enemies a song before a fight.
¡
Good to know that the League of Villains doesn¡¯t have a monopoly of crazy people.
No, but the UA does have a monopoly on functionally crazy people.
You¡¯re an absolute ass.
I think that I want to factcheck that.
What?
Ochako, you there?
¡°Yeah, ready and pumped up for a fight!¡± She says while raising her spear and grinning towards the ceiling. ¡°I hope I can test the Bloodrage today. What¡¯s up, Izu?¡±
Shigaraki said that I¡¯m an absolute ass.
What¡¯s your opinion about it?
¡°That he is an uninspired bully.¡± Uraraka replies immediately. ¡°And he mistook ¡®cute butt¡¯ for ¡®absolute ass¡¯. Your diligent training has led to some impressive results and you should be proud of it.¡±
She isn¡¯t concerned in the slightest with the others being in the room, though, to be honest, everyone aside from Himiko (who was shadowing her most of the time) were pretty far from her.
And yes, Himiko figured out what was happening from Uraraka¡¯s responses alone, at least judging from the giggle she let out.
T-thank you, Ochako.
Anyway, Shigaraki, I¡¯ve factchecked your statement and you¡¯re objectively wrong.
¡
You can¡¯t just call your girlfriend and consider her words to be an argument
Yes, yes I can.
Because I have a girlfriend.
You asshole
I could get a girlfriend if I wanted to!
Prove it.
No.
Ha.
This doesn¡¯t prove anything!
Yes it does.
No it doesn¡¯t.
¡°Izuku?¡± Ochako suddenly asks, interrupting their argument. ¡°Be honest with me. Is Shigaraki bullying you? If yes, then tell him that I¡¯m going to issue an¡ official complaint to him the next time he manifests as a Dungeon Lord.¡±
¡
Me?
Bullying HIM?!
HE IS THE ONE BULLYING ME!!!
¡°Don¡¯t be crazy, Shigaraki.¡± Uraraka rolls her eyes around. ¡°It¡¯s Izuku! The kindest person I know! He would never bully anyone! But if he does bully you, it means that you definitely deserve that.¡±
what
You¡¯ve tried to kill us multiple times, Shigaraki.
Do you really want me to retaliate in a way that¡¯s proportional to that?
Really ?
¡
Screw you all
***
That''s pretty much how I believe Yla looks like.
Just with more fur on arms and legs.
34: Bloodrage
Fending off the few [Lesser Lignomorphs] that were prowling the area turned out to be no problem for Anaya¡¯s party. In fact, Izuku struggled to call what he was seeing a ¡®fight¡¯ - it was just a casual stroll through the Dungeon.
Yla¡¯s behavior might be questionable, but her skills were real. She was clearly having fun dancing past the [Lesser Lignomorph] lashes, forcing Uzar to do most of the hard work by cutting the things into pieces.
Then again, with the size of her knife, she just wasn¡¯t well suited for fighting them. [Lesser Lignomorphs] lack vital organs. No throats, no arteries, no internal organs, no eyes. You had to either cut them into pieces or burn them to eliminate them efficiently.
Her dance was definitely helping Uzar by distracting the [Lesser Lignomorphs], though Izuku didn¡¯t expect the wolfkin warrior to thank her.
The Elder didn¡¯t even bother to cast her bloodflame spell again, the other two were more than enough.
The situation didn¡¯t change until they reached the [Floor Guardian Room] where they encountered Komori flanked by a few more [Lesser Lignomorphs].
¡°So that¡¯s how they got this place.¡± Elder comments before raising her hand and immediately casting the bloodflame spell at Komori.
The Hamadryad evades the attack by having branches erupt from the ground right before her before immediately counterattacking by having another pile of those grow right under Anaya¡¯s feet.
The most surprising thing is that the foxwoman was actually surprised by it, staggering backward with some scratches on her legs and feet, a red-hued magic barrier stopping the branches from reaching higher.
The sight of Anaya being injured makes the other two immediately stop half-assing it. Uzar charges while slashing one [Lesser Lignomorph] to dead and almost doing the same to another one, while Yla somehow vanishes from their sight before reappearing behind Komori and trying to slit her throat open.
She failed because Komori had enough combat awareness to realize that a quick enemy with a knife that just went invinsible might be going for your throat from behind. Or you from the front. And, in general, at you from any direction that lets them access your vitals.
And so, this time the tendrils and branches erupted all around her, forcing Yla to jump back and almost managing to wrap a tendril around her legs in order to restrict her mobility. Almost.
Komori tried to score another injury in the fight by turning around and firing a storm of pine needles at Yla before she could react, but her attempt was tragically cut short by Uzar deciding to ignore the [Lesser Lignomorph] trying to attack him and using some sort of dash technique to close the distance.
Before severing Komori¡¯s right arm with a single downward swing of his sword.
She turns around once more, completely unphased with losing an arm and tries to counterattack. Tendrils erupt from her head, which Izuku realizes a second later is a feint, supposed to make Uzar focus on it and fail to notice the pine needles fired from her remaining hand.
Too slow. Uzar proves it by running his sword through her chest before she can hit him. This makes her go past the damage limit of her spiritual body, making Komori phase out of existence, her body collapsing into a small globe of a silver liquid that lands on the floor with a loud splash.
¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Uzar asks just as Anaya finishes the last [Lesser Lignomorph] with her bloodflame magic.
¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Yla reports as she starts trying to get Komori¡¯s sap off her blade. ¡°I got quite a scare there for the moment, though.¡±
¡°Elder?¡± Uzar says. Since his eyes were glued to her the whole time, Izuku is ready to guess that he didn¡¯t really care about her, and his questions were aimed at Anaya and Anaya only.
¡°I was taught a lesson about being too sure of myself.¡± Anaya replies while examining the scratches on her legs. Then she casts a spell that quickly heals the injuries. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, thank you for asking.¡±
¡°How did that happen?¡± Uzar asks back while putting his sword back in its sheath. ¡°You¡¯ve fought many hamadryads much stronger than this one, with little to no problem. Some people out there say that you could even face a dryad.¡±
¡°Some people out there are flapping their tongues too much.¡± Anaya replies dryly. ¡°I fell victim to my own combat experience, Uzar. Hamadryads always panic or at least instinctively dodge when you attack them with an open flame. This one instead calmly blocked it and immediately counterattacked.¡± She glances down at the pool which used to be Komori. ¡°If that hamadryad was older and more powerful, I might have been severely injured or even killed. Despite facing someone much weaker than me. A lesson for the future about not lowering your guard, I guess.¡±
And that¡¯s an unexpected benefit from installing a new soul inside a daemon.
They don¡¯t know what they¡¯re supposed to be afraid of.
So they can easily surprise an enemy by acting completely differently in combat.
True
Yla was wise enough to stay completely quiet during the talk and not make any snarky remarks about Anaya¡¯s age, which would have likely caused a fight. One that she couldn¡¯t win.
And a Dungeon was a place where someone could just¡ disappear . After all, casualties happened, right? And wouldn''t her corpse - and all the skills inside - be a great gift for the Dungeon Lord?
¡°Do we continue?¡± Uzar asks. Someone was being really protective of the Elder, huh?
¡°Of course, Uzar.¡± Anaya replies immediately. ¡±I¡¯ve been injured a hundred times in the past. And I¡¯ve already healed it. Time to see the next level. And let me tell you that my expectations are rather high now.¡±
SHIGARAKI ACCEPT IT QUICKLY
Done
What was that?
just realized that we¡¯ve made a mistake.
We shouldn¡¯t have put just the two Cynocephalii down there on the next Level, as they were going to ask questions as to where they came from, and we don¡¯t want to answer that, right?
Shit
You¡¯re right
That was a dumb move
I think we were prepared for another cultist zerg rush instead of the civilized visitors
Yes, I just removed them for now. Before they could enter the Level and lock it down.
***
¡°That place looks familiar.¡± Uzar says a moment after the party enters the Fourth Level. ¡°It used to be the entrance section of the Dungeon. How could it be here?¡±
¡°The Dungeons can to some degree reshuffle their Levels.¡± Anaya replies while staring down the corridor with a thoughtful look. ¡°Something that tends to happen during their development period. And we¡¯re still yet to see any servants.¡±
¡°You think that they¡¯re preparing an ambush somewhere here?¡± Uzar asks. Anaya just keeps thinking something over. ¡°It¡¯s much more likely that they simply aren¡¯t there. We didn¡¯t exactly announce ourselves ahead of entry, it¡¯s possible that the servants are somewhere out there in the valley.¡±
¡°Maybe.¡± Anaya finally replies. ¡°But we should stay cautious. The Dungeon clearly doesn¡¯t like us being here and it has already proved to be both tenacious and surprisingly creative.¡±
I think that this counts as a positive review
yes
***
¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Anaya comments when the group reaches the fall traps corridor. ¡°They¡¯ve added another trap behind the first one. Hoping to take advantage of people who jumped over the first one.¡±
¡°Smart.¡± Uzar agrees with her. ¡°Might be a bit of a problem for us, as this is going to be quite a jump. No problems on your side, I take it?¡±
¡°Oh, please.¡± Anaya rolls her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m old, not infirm. Go, I¡¯ll catch up with you on the other side.¡±
Uzar uses what looks like a stronger version of [Predator¡¯s Advance] to run through the traps before they collapse, all while Yla just jumps past them while bouncing off the wall to reach the other side.
And then Anaya casts a spell that makes her disappear in a small explosion of blood. A second later she emerges from a similar blood explosion on the other side of the traps. Leaving small red puddles on both sides of the traps. She herself, however, didn¡¯t have a single drop of blood on her.
Oh, so she knew teleportation magic. Great.
Oh, c¡¯mon
Guess my great trap idea isn¡¯t as great as I thought
It just requires some creative improvements
Like, say, projectile slits aimed at the position right beyond the second fall trap to immediately fire at people who are about to land there
And that¡¯s¡ that¡¯s actually a good idea
***
The projectile trap didn¡¯t achieve anything, as expected. Even in the best case scenario it was less about killing intruders and more about softening them up before they¡¯d enter a miniboss room right after that.
Some injuries, some mana wasted trying to withstand the storm of projectiles and so on. Against Anaya they could as well try to send even more elementals. The effects would be roughly the same.
Anaya casts some spell that protects them from the projectiles as they quickly dash to the other side, past the projectile trap. Ugh.
we should add some traps to the floor, of the immobilizing/slowing down sort
It doesn¡¯t have to be that deadly, right?
Counterargument: you can¡¯t ¡®s¡snuggle¡¯ with your girlfriend if we¡¯re all dead
Wait, have you actually thought that this would persuade me to help you kill people?
yes
because snuggles
Your understanding of people is absolutely as horrible as usual.
I¡¯m still making that trap deadly, because it¡¯s deep enough that people just shouldn¡¯t wander in so deep without nefarious intentions
C¡¯mon, I don¡¯t think that any level after Third Level can be considered quote unquote ¡®welcoming¡¯
There are no goods to harvest there, so why would they even come down there than to do bad things with us and our servants?
And that¡¯s¡ that¡¯s a better argument.
yay
Persuasion
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The moment Anaya¡¯s group reaches the other end of the projectile trap, they realize that there was a serious design flaw to it. Namely - there was a short corridor behind it and the miniboss room. That wasn¡¯t covered by the projectile slits.
It allowed Anaya¡¯s party to recover from the projectiles¡ and realize that they weren¡¯t alone. Beastkin senses were really something. At least Izuku and Shigaraki didn¡¯t miss the brief exchange of looks between the group and realized what it was and warned their servants.
Not as if it was going to change much.
Yla took position as the vanguard, leaping past the exit of the short corridor and avoiding the ambush entirely. Uzar just runs forward after, raising the sword and easily blocking Kirishima¡¯s log. Before Uraraka can try to [Lesser Thrust] her spear into him, Yla attacks her from the side.
Yla had an attitude but she also had skills. She knew her role on the battlefield and performed it correctly, without questions and without needing any words exchanged.
Uraraka managed to block the knife thrust with [Barricade Shield], but that was within Yla¡¯s expectations. She managed to occupy her attention long enough for Uzar to push Kirishima¡¯s log back with some martial technique before hitting him in the face with a hilt of his sword, pushing him back and freeing himself to attack Uraraka and secure the entrance to the Node Room.
And then Yla jumped back, dodged Toga¡¯s [Sharpen Claws] before kicking her back¡ and then immediately went after their casters.
Shit.
Yaoyorozu only had time to widen her eyes in shock and try to cast [Earthen Shield] to block the attack before it turned out to be a feint, Yla aiming at Monoma who was standing right next to her.
Monoma surprised everyone by lunging forward with his own knife, only to get a knife etched into his throat for his trouble.
It was only after the fight that they learned the reason for this suicidal maneuver - with how close Monoma was to Yaoyorozu, Yla could probably dispatch of both of them at the same time. However, having to deal with Monoma slightly ahead of Yaoyorozu allowed the latter to finish casting her protection magic and Toga to recover enough to attack Yla from behind.
Uzar¡¯s blow breaks Uraraka¡¯s shield before he kicks her back. Kirishima recovers from the hilt-blow to his head enough to perform what is rapidly becoming his signature move.
Namely, he doesn¡¯t bother trying to pick up his log and instead wraps his arms around Uzar¡¯s waist from behind. Uzar didn¡¯t expect to be wrestled and before he could react he was already being german suplexed into the ground. Kirishima somehow managed to do that despite Uzar wearing armor.
The impact is strong enough to leave Uzar briefly stunned while making him lose the grip on his weapon. Kirishima takes advantage of that and partially throws him off before grabbing him in a chokehold.
Uraraka tried to help him by attacking the temporarily immobilized wolfman from the front with her spear, but her attempt to dash towards her made her run in front of the corridor exit. Which is where Anaya was.
She almost gets sent flying by a blast of hardened blood(?), giving Uzar enough time to elbow Kirishima¡¯s side with enough strength to break a rib or two, especially with Kirishima¡¯s failure to activate [Fortify Flesh]¡¯ in time.
In the meantime, Yaoyorozu fires a [Lesser Firebolt] at Yla, who easily dodges it.
Being unable to communicate vocally really weakens them, doesn¡¯t it?
Ye
She can¡¯t do much as a support character without being able to coordinate with others
You actually realized that much? On your own?
Huh.
¡ fuck off
Toga attacks Yla as well, but it¡¯s made almost immediately clear that, to put it simply, Yla is combat-wise a better Toga. All that Himiko achieves in that attack is losing a dagger and having one of Yla¡¯s blades run through her hand (the reason for the loss of said dagger), before getting an elbow blow to the jaw and being mostly knocked out.
Spinner attempts to shoot her with a bow were about as successful. Yla made sure to position herself so that there was one of his allies between her and him at almost all time (Toga most of the time), and when she had to leave the cover, it was too fast for him to react.
Impressive combat sense, even if her personality was still trash.
Then the situation turned from bad to worse. Now that the exit from the corridor was clear, with Uzar keeping their fighters back just as Yla was dancing with their backliners, Anaya could safely exit it. And put only the bare minimum of effort in her own defense.
It started with Uraraka being blasted back a moment ago. What followed were two bloodbolts in short succession, the first one stopped by Yaoyorozu¡¯s [Earthen Shield], the other piercing her thigh.
Anaya was good enough with what felt like an entry-level spell of blood magic to fool Yaoyorozu completely. First bolt was aimed at her chest, forcing her to raise her shield, only to miss out on the second one.
Yaoyorozu either has higher pain tolerance than Izuku expected or is really dedicated to the role of unfeeling, uncaring automaton in the service of the Dungeon, as despite receiving what was likely a lethal blow (the blood bolt dissolved almost immediately, opening the wound to bleed freely) she immediately tries to hit the elder with a [Lesser Firebolt].
Anaya just waves her hand and conjures a wall of blood that reminds Izuku of Ashido¡¯s defense-oriented supermoves. And then, before Yaoyorozu could do a thing, blood erupts from under her [Earthen Shield], forming a tendril that wraps itself around her defensive spell and pulls it down, allowing Anaya to lodge a blood bolt right between Yaoyorozu¡¯s eyes.
yikes
I think we should be happy that resurrection here is a thing, as otherwise our isekai adventure would be very, very short.
Merely a few seconds since the start of the fight, and they were already going down hard . Yaoyorozu was dead. Toga was injured. Monoma was choking on his own blood with an expression on his face that translated to ¡®I¡¯m so tired of this bullshit¡¯ which was morbidly hilarious in context. Kirishima was likely going down next, Uzar managing to stand up before him and being about to pin him to the ground with his sword.
That definitely gives us context as to how powerful our servants currently are.
And the answer to that is: they aren¡¯t
Yeah.
Yla could kill Yaoyorozu-san earlier and probably also Himiko, but she didn¡¯t do that mostly because she didn¡¯t feel like it.
I doubt that Uzar was seriously in danger with that German suplex, and if anything, the whole thing gave me the vibes ¡®let¡¯s see what you¡¯ll do with that¡¯, especially with how quickly and easily he freed himself from the grapple.
And Anaya is probably using like 1/50th of her skills and just letting the other two do their job.
Yes
But think how cool it¡¯ll be when we finally manage to grow deep enough to be able to freely produce people as strong as those three
¡
Good point, it¡¯ll be cool
Toga was still trying to recover her bearings after the elbow blow (that definitely had her stunned, and could have given her a concussion) when Yla went after Spinner. Who made a split second decision to curl up to cover his vitals and cast [Hard Scales] to endure the onslaught, likely in hopes of Toga recovering quickly enough to help him.
And then everyone realized that they forgot about Uraraka. Well, except Izuku whose eyes were on her the whole time. Which let him notice the moment when [Bloodrage] kicked in.
It was¡ hard to miss. In an instant, a downpour of blood rained on Uraraka out of nowhere, the girl covered in it from head to toe. And the moment it did, came rage .
A pure expression of bloodlust and rage blossomed on her face, now almost entirely smeared with blood, her bangs soaked in the liquid and partially glued to her face. She let out a deafening howl as she charged forward, the mere sight of her making Toga freeze and stare at her.
Uraraka was bloodier than in her most depraved fantasies. And the expression on her face? It was the liveliest expression that Himiko ever saw. Needless to say, she was completely enchanted by the sight. And completely forgot about everything and everyone in the room that wasn¡¯t Uraraka Ochako.
Uzar¡¯s eyes widened in shock when he saw Uraraka charge at him, taking a step back from now finished off Kirishima, swinging his blade upward. He manages to cut her spear in half, but it was a mistake that almost cost him his life.
She didn¡¯t even slow down and instead jumped at him with all her momentum, her left hand grabbing his right shoulder and using it to hold herself above him, her right hand grabbing the severed front half of her spear before it could land on the ground.
And then, Izuku could only watch in horror as the speartip went on the downward arc, straight towards Uzar¡¯s right eye.
Then, there is a loud ¡®bang¡¯ before Uraraka is thrown back, Uzar cursing loudly while stepping back, his right hand covering the eye that was the target of her attack. Did she¡ did she manage to hit it? And what happened exactly?!
Uraraka lands on the ground and immediately charges again, once again letting out an animalistic howl of rage. This time, though, she is stopped away from her target. The ground beneath her turns into a reddish swamp stopping her in her tracks, right before she gets absolutely massacred by at least twenty blood bolts in short succession.
Elder, it seems, had enough of it.
In the background, Yla finishes off Spinner before Toga had the time to wake up from her love-induced stupor that clearly replaced the one caused by suspected concussion (Spinner gave her an ¡®et tu, Brute?¡¯ look right before dying, but he was clearly more disappointed than angry). This leaves Toga as the last active servant in the room, which, as expected, doesn¡¯t last for long.
Anaya immediately hurries over to Uzar.
¡®Are you alright?¡± She asks, looking genuinely worried about him.
¡°Y-Yes, I think so.¡± Uzar replies while taking his hand off his eye. It blinks a few times, before breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t injured. Did you¡¡±
¡°If I cast that protective spell a heartbeat later, you¡¯d at least lose your eye.¡± Anaya replies. The woman was clearly shaken by it, even if still in control of herself. This was still more emotions from her than they¡¯ve ever seen. Seriously, who was he to her? ¡°That was Bloodrage. How did a Dungeon servant obtain it?! They shouldn¡¯t even be sapient!¡±
She says the last sentence while turning her head to look at Uraraka¡¯s now lifeless corpse. Toga would love the sight - Uraraka was not only covered in the blood of the Bloodrage, but also her own, and all while partially submerged in the blood swamp.
Izuku, of course, didn¡¯t. He preferred the lively and clean Uraraka about to cuddle or snuggle with him.
¡°I guess that¡¯s just another question for us to find the answer to.¡± Yla comments calmly while cleaning her daggers of fresh blood. ¡°Still, it was pretty fun. Good warm-up, although aside from the one with a blessing, it wasn¡¯t much.¡±
#YlaIsABitch
Why did you add a hashtag here
Why not
Also, do you agree with me?
She¡ definitely has an attitude.
And not a good one.
Yeah
¡°Looking down on our enemies.¡± Anaya shakes her head. ¡°Truly, that has never come back to bite our kind in the backside.¡±
Yla was clearly about to say something, but managed to bite her tongue at the last moment. Uzar was looking at her without a word but with something resembling a satisfaction. Or more like¡ schadenfreude?
¡°If that was the Fourth Level, then we can only wonder what awaits us on the Fifth.¡± Anaya eventually has enough of what feels like salting some personal wound and returns to the subject. ¡°Just in case, be vigilant.¡±
¡°That was probably the Dungeon¡¯s last hurray.¡± Yla counters. ¡°This level feels underdeveloped, with only some old traps and the servants. Past that it¡¯s probably just the Dungeon Heart.¡±
I have news for ¡®ya Yla
You¡¯re not going to like them lmao
Yes.
¡°I disagree with your assessment, to put it lightly.¡± Anaya replies dryly. ¡°Considering the amount of mana flowing through this room and the rate at which it increased between each floor, I believe that the Dungeon has six rather than five levels.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll see the truth for ourselves soon.¡± Yla replies, her disagreement with the elder not stated aloud but still pretty clear.
Ugh, politics.
Politics?
Just look how Yla¡¯s acting.
Despite the elder clearly being a big deal.
In my opinion, they are from different factions in their tribe.
And the group that opposes the elder didn¡¯t believe her words and sent her here to confirm it or not.
I can¡¯t imagine Yla acting like this without serious backing.
Ugh, politics indeed
Agreeing with me so much?
You¡¯re slowly becoming a better person.
No, you¡¯re just slowly becoming more like me
Ha!
Get out.
Literally.
Sure, sure
***
¡°Well, that definitely isn¡¯t suspicious.¡± Uzar says dryly as he looks down the lengthy corridor with uneven floors. And some slits in the walls. ¡°More traps. And we¡¯re seeing those for the first time ever, so we¡¯re going in blind.¡±
¡°We do.¡± Anaya replies while staring at Yla who is clearly trying to avoid looking back. ¡°And considering what we¡¯ve gone through thus far, I feel that it¡¯s a good idea to once again remind you all to be vigilant.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Uzar replies while nodding. ¡°Let us proceed. Yla, take point.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Yla replies, sounding somewhat¡ resigned? Huh.
Izuku feels genuinely bad about it when the first boulder is unleashed. Despite that feeling he still waited until they get pretty deep into the corridor so that the boulder can gain some momentum before hitting them.
He trusts them to be good enough to not get killed.
All three of them look back the moment they hear the sound of the boulder hitting the floor, before immediately and without a single word sprinting off down the corridor. They manage to outrun the first one boulder, just to find themselves in an identical corridor with a second boulder breathing down their neck.
And then, it happens again.
And then, it happens again.
¡°I¡ hate¡ this¡ LEVEL!¡± Anaya ends up shouting, at this point, the elder definitely not enjoying what Izuku put her through.
And then, it happens again.
This time, Anaya only groans loudly.
Thankfully for both the visitors and Izuku¡¯s conscience, Yla stayed in front of the group and despite rushing past the exit of the last boulder trap she realized what it was quickly enough to turn around and run into it while shouting at the others to come with her.
¡°I get the feeling¡¡± Uzar says as the elder is busy catching her breath. ¡°... that we¡¯re not wanted here.
¡°Yeah, hard to disagree.¡± Yla replies before looking at the elder. Neither she nor Uzar seemed particularly exhausted by the mad sprint. ¡°You alright?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Anaya replies while straightening her back. ¡°Yes I am. Barely a quarter of what this place might grow into and yet I was already made painfully aware of my age. Let¡¯s proceed. We¡¯re almost there.¡±
She had no idea how right she was.
***
They walk down the short corridor before turning right and entering the Fifth Level¡¯ Floor Guardian Room¡ just to see Tomura Shigaraki with wolf ears and tail, wearing a copy of [Tribal Outfit], and glaring at them angrily.
This makes them stop dead in their tracks. Izuku is ready to guess that thanks to the lack of weapons and the fact that Tomura was glaring at them instead of making sudden movements they already suspected who they were facing.
The Dungeon Lord.
¡°You¡¯re not welcome here.¡± Tomura immediately confirms their suspicions by speaking, his glare not ceasing for a second and his unblinking eyes making him look like the psychopath that Izuku took him for before their joint isekai adventure.
He was yet to figure out the correct diagnosis after that.
Izuku was looking forward to explaining to him that he insisted on Tomura being the one to speak with the beastkin because with their Dungeon so small and so underdeveloped they needed a manchild to act the part.
35: Relationship Upgrades
¡°Please, let me extend my sincerest apologies for intruding upon your domain.¡± Anaya doesn¡¯t remain surprised for long and quickly takes the helm. She even bows her head a little! ¡°We wished to meet you but we couldn¡¯t do that without entering your Domain.¡±
Anaya could probably kill them all with her hands bound behind her back and her eyes covered. Seeing her act so nice was a bit¡ surreal? Weird? It really told Izuku a lot about how much of a big deal Dungeons were.
¡°You invade my domain, destroy my things and now you want to talk?¡± Shigaraki squints at Anaya angrily. ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡±
Did he borrow the word from Aeonia? Whatever it was, it was working. Who would have thought that Shigaraki would play the role of a socially and emotionally underdeveloped manchild so well?
Right, Izuku. Although in hindsight, calling Shigaraki a ¡®manchild¡¯ sounds¡ mean. Izuku doesn¡¯t like being mean. Is it some leftover anger caused by Shigaraki being mean to his own mom?
Oh, right. Izuku promptly forgets about feeling guilty.
¡°That¡¯s perfectly understandable.¡± Anaya gets neither intimidated nor cowed by Shigaraki¡¯s manchild act and instead stays perfectly polite. ¡°However, we have come carrying gifts that we hope you¡¯ll accept as a recompense for our intrusion and the damages caused. All we wish for in exchange is for you to listen to us.¡±
Shigaraki stares at her wordlessly and without blinking for a few seconds. Izuku is about to start worrying that he was about to do something stupid, only for him to prove that he remembered what he was supposed to do.
¡°Go on.¡± Shigaraki replies.
¡°Your domain possesses many things that are of limited value to you, but of great interest to us.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°We¡¯re willing to deliver you a periodic tribute in things that you¡¯re yet to assimilate, in exchange for you allowing us and others like us to visit you regularly.¡±
That was pretty much what they expected the beastkin to want from them. An eternally replenishing wellspring of resources, with a twist that harvesting them had difficulty proportional to their value.
¡°Sounds annoying.¡± Shigaraki finally blinks. A whopping one time since this talk started. And he doesn¡¯t seem to be in the mood for doing it again anytime soon. ¡°You want to be able to come here and destroy my things? And I¡¯m supposed to agree?¡±
¡°Our tribute will include things that can only be obtained far away from your domain.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°So far that you can¡¯t hope to obtain them through your servants. I assure you that this deal will be beneficial for both sides.¡±
Shigaraki once again stares at her for a few seconds, without a word and without blinking. If his goal is to make her feel uncomfortable, he¡¯s likely succeeding. Especially as he has definitely made Izuku uncomfortable.
Wait.
Izuku remembers him acting similarly during the USJ and the mall encounter, but¡ less so. Much less so. Did he¡
¡ did he train unblinking stares to appear more intimidating? By making himself look like a psychopath? He didn¡¯t, right? Right?
¡°Go on.¡± Shigaraki eventually says, interrupting Izuku¡¯s musing as to whether he should ask him about it.
¡°You¡¯d allow one group of our kin to enter your domain each week.¡± Anaya immediately proceeds to present their offer. Uzar and Yla continued to stay quiet, flanking the elder and letting her speak. ¡°They¡¯d be allowed to harvest plants, mine minerals and slay the creatures inhabiting your domain, in exchange for the aforementioned tribute. They also wouldn¡¯t damage things such as shrines, creature lairs and so on.¡±
¡°Hmm.¡± Shigaraki does an almost convincing thinking face (though it probably looked genuine to the beastkin). ¡°What if they die?¡±
¡°Then that¡¯s that.¡± Anaya replies. Wow, social darwinism much? Then again, it was more about the value of human life being pretty low in this world. ¡°The only thing we¡¯d like to ask you is to not actively attempt to kill them all. Do not attack them with servants or spirits that are beyond the natural limits of the floor that they¡¯re on. We¡¯d also like you to respect their decision to abandon their run into your domain.¡±
¡°Abandon their run?¡± Shigaraki furrows his brows.
¡°They might find themselves outmatched by what they encountered in your domain.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°If that happens, they¡¯ll signify their surrender by waving a white cloth, which should be a signal for your servants to disengage. When that happens, they¡¯ll leave behind everything they obtained during the run and all that they brought into your domain with them, with an exception of clothes, a single set of weapons of their choice, camping supplies and food."
Oh? So it wasn¡¯t about social darwinism but about teaching the challengers a lesson in humility without slaughtering them all instantly and while making their defeats sting? That made sense.
¡°Armor pieces?¡± Shigaraki asks. ¡°Mage robes?¡± Huh, good question.
¡°Yours to take.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°By ¡®clothes¡¯ I meant anything that covers one''s body that isn¡¯t directly associated with being used for combat. If it¡¯s supposed to protect you or is associated with professions of combat nature, you can take them. But please allow them to leave with something to cover their shame and protect them from the elements on the way back.¡±
This was the first time ever that Izuku heard someone trying to describe civilian clothes without just calling them that way. Or in any other adjective like that.
¡°What will I get for that?¡± Shigaraki says. Izuku knew the answer already and he suspects that he did so as well, he was just acting the manchild. Probably.
¡°You can consider a part of the tribute to be our reimbursement for opportunities lost by accepting their defeat.¡± Anaya replies. And yes, that was pretty much what Izuku expected her to say.
¡°Hmmm¡¡± Shigaraki humms while scratching his arm. The intensity of the actions increases quickly as Shigaraki is busy ¡®thinking¡¯ whether to accept the offer or not. Was he trying to get Anaya to offer some additional things to convince him? ¡°Hmmm¡¡±
¡°We will also do our best to protect you.¡± Anaya decides to add another argument, completely unaware of the fact that she was falling for Shigaraki¡¯s ruse. ¡°Groups that will visit you will set up a camp nearby. If someone threatens you, you will be able to call them for aid.¡±
Or¡ what if she didn¡¯t fall for his ruse? What if that was something that she intended to do from the start to have an eye on other visitors? After all, the beastkin seemed curious as to where Luna¡¯s and Occasa¡¯s shrines came from.
¡°Hmmmmmm¡¡± Shigaraki lets out a prolonged humn. ¡°Alright. But I have my own demands.¡±
¡°Name them.¡± Anaya replies shortly. Izuku is ready to guess that she already got what she wanted from this trip, and was now preparing to pay the price for it.
¡°Five levels.¡± Shigaraki replies. ¡°Last five levels are off-limits. If you go there, I¡¯ll kill you. And whether I achieve it or not, the deal¡¯s off.¡± So, Shigaraki was starting with a demand that they knew would be accepted and without any issues.
Makes sense. It should make subsequent deals feel less problematic. And Anaya didn¡¯t know that they knew that such a no-entry zone was customary for Dungeons.
¡°What?!¡± Yla, clearly, didn¡¯t know that. And was shocked enough by it to butt in. ¡°That leaves just a single level and¡¡±
¡°Yla, shut up.¡± Anaya this time doesn¡¯t bother being nice. The accompanying glare (from both her and Uzar) makes it clear to Yla that she went too far. And she shuts up and ordered, allowing Anaya to return her attention to Shigaraki. ¡°Five levels of a buffer zone is a perfectly understandable concession. However, you¡¯ll keep growing and this means the allowed zone expanding constantly, and many of the visitors might not have the skills needed to estimate how large your domain is. I¡¯d thus like to ask you if it¡¯s possible to leave signs of reaching the limit of the allowed zone, of the type that one without knowledge of magic can easily notice and understand.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Shigaraki replies through his teeth. Pretending to be annoyed by it? Huh. He shouldn¡¯t be, because they expected that this would happen. ¡°There¡¯ll be a clear sign telling you to go back in the first room of the first level of the buffer zone.¡± Anaya nods. ¡°Second demand: My domain is mine. However, the area surrounding it also belongs to me. No one has been living there before me, so it belonged to no one. And now it¡¯s mine.¡± He squints at the elder. ¡°No moving in and no exploring without my permission. You visit me like you have been thus far, without changing your route. Unless it was blocked by something.¡±
There is a short-lived frown on Anaya¡¯s face before she speaks. ¡°The authority of Dungeons outside of their domain is rarely accepted.¡± Shigaraki frowns back at her. ¡°However, as you said, no one lives in this valley, nor anywhere close to it. I could agree to that, but I¡¯d like to establish a limit to your authority. Three days of walking from your entrance.¡±
That was far from being a well-defined boundary, then again, there was likely no civilization within at least a few more days of walk. They didn¡¯t need to make it well-defined.
¡°What about uninhabited areas outside of the three day-distance?¡± Shigaraki asks.
¡°You¡¯re free to explore them, but so are we and everyone else.¡± Anaya replies. Yeah, that was to be expected, but it was still best to specify it.
¡°Alright then.¡± Shigaraki replies before tilting his head a little and giving the elder a really unsettling, few seconds long stare. ¡°How often will you be bringing me your tribute?¡±
¡°Once a month.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°The bigger the value of things we get from you, the larger the tribute. We¡¯re also open to requests, at least within reason.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Shigaraki agrees. ¡°But there is one more thing. Without it, no deal.¡±
Huh? What was it about? Izuku can¡¯t think about anything more than they could ask the beastkin for.
¡°And what would that be?¡± Anaya asks, suddenly on guard. Even Uzar¡¯s grip on his sword seemed to grow a bit tighter. Having someone issue an ultimatum to you does that to people.
¡°One of you was and is annoying.¡± Shigaraki replies. ¡°Badmouthed me in my own domain. Raised her voice on me in this talk. I don¡¯t like their attitude. So, I want it.¡± He adds while pointing his finger at Yla. ¡°As recompense. And a sign of good will.¡±
¡ what are you doing, Shigaraki?
¡°W¡what?!¡± Yla shouts while taking a step back. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! You can¡¯t have me !¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Shigaraki blinks at her. ¡°Why would I want you? You¡¯re annoying. I want your gear for my servants.¡±
Really?
¡°Wh¡ I¡¯m not giving you anything!¡± Yla shouts back. Izuku enjoyed seeing her like this, but he would never admit it aloud. She really was annoying. But he couldn¡¯t actually hope that this would lead anywhere, right?
¡°My, oh my.¡± Anaya says while covering her mouth and pretending to be shocked. ¡°What a shocking twist of fate, Yla. I remember the other elders ordering you to, if the Dungeon was real, do your best to establish a positive relation with it. And yet, you¡¯re here. Acting against those orders. And sabotaging the deal that we¡¯ve almost managed to strike.¡±
Oh. There was a method to Shigaraki¡¯s madness. He couldn¡¯t hope to force the issue with Yla for a simple reason of not having a shot at defeating her. However, he didn¡¯t need to - because both Uzar and Anaya had a score to settle with her.
And, when given a chance to ruin her day while staying true to both the letter and the spirit of whatever orders they received, they immediately jumped at the occasion.
¡°Orders said nothing about giving my property to the Dungeon!¡± Yla shouts back. ¡°You¡¯re going too far, Anaya! When Yzor learns of it, he¡¯ll¡¡±
¡°I vaguely remember Yzor saying something about giving the Dungeon everything that it asks for to settle the deal.¡± Anaya shakes her head. ¡°Such a regretful and dishonorable behavior from you. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love to hear how the person he made to join this mission was the very reason why it failed. And so will the other elders.¡±
¡°You¡ you¡¡± Yla is downright trembling in fury right now. Izuku is ready to guess that if she could win the fight, she¡¯d attack Uzar and Anaya right her and now.
But instead, she starts unbuckling her leather armor while glaring absolute murder at all three people in front of her.
***
Shortly after, the three beastkin begin their return journey.
Elder Anaya in a great mood. Warrior Uzar in an equally great mood. And Yla in only her underwear, clearly on the verge of promising bloody murder to everyone around her, except knowing well enough that if she goes too far, she might still not return from this Dungeon trip.
I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯ve done that.
lmao
She deserved that
and we¡¯ve got a decent looking leather armor for Toga and any future rogue we¡¯ll get so all is good
Before leaving, Anaya had some additional questions for Shigaraki. She wanted to know how they obtained the shrines of Luna and Occasa, and how one of their servants got the [Bloodrage] theurgy.
Instead of answering her properly, Shigaraki decided to play annoyed. He only mentioned that some invaders tried to attack him but got wiped out to the last. That was all that Anaya got out of him. He just told them that he was tired of this talk and wanted them all to leave now.
Peak manchild behaviour, if someone were to ask Izuku.
The beastkin now knew that there was a cult of either Rampant Bloom or the Shadowlight Covenant in the area, which might be useful in the future (or not). As for telling them to leave, it seemed to reinforce their ¡®natural¡¯ look of a semi-wild, newborn Dungeon.
Great.
There was a problem though.
Weren¡¯t you supposed to ask them how they obtained the corpses that they¡¯re giving us?
I was
But if I did so, then you¡¯d know if they are heinous irredeemable criminals or not
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
and you¡¯d sleep better at night
Which is why I haven¡¯t asked.
Sigh.
I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m surprised by that.
kek
This is what you get by giving me control over our diplomacy with the locals.
Why did you even do that
why did you even think that I¡¯m the right person for it lol
That¡¯s simple.
Six Level dungeons should be barely sapient, mentally underdeveloped and, generally speaking, act like total manchildren without any capacity for deeper thought..
You were clearly the right person for the job.
I
you son of a¡ wonderful woman that hasn¡¯t done a single thing wrong in her entire life and yet has been punished with such a son as you.
¡¡¡.
You¡¯re slowly getting¡ well, maybe not ¡®good¡¯ but at least ¡®not horribly bad¡¯ in your attempts to insult me.
Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll eventually get a good one.
After all, even a broken clock shows the right time twice a day.
***
With Anaya and her sidekicks on their way to the surface (in order to tell their sidekicks to leave them the tribute/recompense for this ¡®invasion¡¯), they had a little while to quickly resummon their servants.
Which emptied their supply of mana, unfortunately. It would recover soon, but for now they simply couldn¡¯t join the others.
¡°Well, as a person that has just died¡¡± Yaoyorozu says the moment she and others reappear in the throne room. ¡°... I can say that I¡¯m not a big fan of dying. Even if I think that being the Dungeon servant suppresses our feeling of pain to some degree, it was still the most unpleasant thing I¡¯ve gone through. Ever.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do you one better, first I died of a poison and then I choked to death on my own blood.¡± Monoma shivers. ¡°What a pain in the¡¡±
¡°Ochako-chan! Ochako-chan!¡± Toga squeals loudly as she leaps at Ochako and wraps her arms around Uraraka¡¯s waist, kneeling right in front of her. ¡°You were so, so pretty when you almost killed that wolfguy!¡±
¡°E-eh?¡± Uraraka blinks down at her as she - perhaps on instinct - lets her hands rest on Toga¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I did? I barely remember that part, aside from being super angry and¡¡±
You used [Bloodrage], somehow.
Leapt at Uzar, and when he sliced your spear in half, you grabbed the front half of it and almost pierced his eye with the spear point.
He looked genuinely freaked out at how close he got to dying or becoming half-blind.
But, errr, activating the theurgy has also made a lot of blood just¡ materialize above your head and drop on you, making you very, very bloody.
¡°Oh.¡± Uraraka mumbles. She must have realized how the implied amount of blood had to influence Himiko. ¡°Okay? Well, I¡¯m glad that it worked out and that I didn¡¯t kill anyone that wasn¡¯t here to kill us all. Although, it¡¯s cool that Bloodrage¡¯s so powerful, you know?¡±
¡°True.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with her while clearly doing her best not to look in the direction of Toga. ¡°However, they still pretty much walked through us without putting in much effort, and for as much as I do not enjoy the concept of fighting people to death, this defeat stings.¡±
¡°This fight was super manly, though!¡± Kirishima says, pumped up as hell. ¡°Uzar is super strong! Man, I¡¯m looking forward to getting strong enough to be able to fight him like an equal.¡±
Toga ignores everything and starts rubbing her head into Ochako¡¯s belly, still on her knees and clearly enjoying the very act of being right next to her crush. And while purring, the volume of which was steadily raising.
Izuku can see a very complicated tangle of thoughts and emotions on Ochako¡¯s face, and he is reasonably certain that Himiko¡¯s the reason for that.
¡°And yet I still choked to death.¡± Monoma sighs. He was really focused on that particular issue, although honestly, Izuku can¡¯t blame him.
He, like most of the others, are clearly doing their best to ignore whatever was happening between Himiko and Ochako. Izuku can¡¯t blame them, honestly. It had to be pretty awkward.
¡°And I got stabbed or slashed like twenty times because someone was having a moment.¡± Spinner complains. He¡ actually interacted casually with the former hero students? That was surprising. ¡°I get that said someone¡¯s dream came true, and that it wasn¡¯t a ¡®you lose you die for real¡¯ thing, but I still hope that this won¡¯t happen again.¡±
That earns him nods of agreement from Yaoyorozu and Monoma.
¡°Uhm, Izuku?¡± Uraraka asks while finally giving in and starting to pet Himiko¡¯s head a bit. Which, of course, brought even louder purrs. ¡°Did you give the¡ idea that I mentioned some thought? You know which one.¡±
I did, Ochako.
And, as your best friend (and more), I believe that it¡¯s my duty to tell you that I believe that the idea in question was brought up as a result of you thinking with the wrong part of your body.
S-sorry for putting it that way, but, you know, I¡¯m trying to be honest.
¡°No need to apologize, Izuku.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°It¡¯s what friends, and more, do. Tell each other things that they don¡¯t want to hear but should, because it¡¯s the truth.¡±
Yeah.
I agree that she is funny and that it¡¯s hard to not have a good time with her and her antics around.
But I think that jumping into a relationship so quickly after she stopped acting stabby, and right after we¡¯ve had the talk about giving ourselves some time to figure out what we should do about speaks, once again, of thinking with the wrong part of body.
We barely even know her, to be honest.
¡°Right, right.¡± Ochako sighs once more. She knew that Izuku was speaking the truth, and even if it was the truth that she wasn¡¯t comfortable with, that was only a reason to cherish him more for being honest for her sake.
¡°Hmmm?¡± Toga stops rubbing her head into her stomach and looks up. ¡°What was it about, Ochako-chan?¡±
¡°Oh, me and Izuku were just talking about¡ something.¡± Uraraka replies, dodging the subject. ¡°You know, you never told me why exactly you¡¯re into the two of us.¡±
At this point, the others have relocated a bit further from them, exchanging their thoughts about the recent battle while giving those two some space.
¡°That¡¯s simple!¡± Toga says while standing up to face her crush. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him on the recording from Hosu and then you in that spooky forest. You were both tired, exhausted, battered, bloody and so¡ free! Not hiding anything, not pretending to be someone, going all out and fighting with your life on the line. That was sooo cute!¡±
That was¡ errr¡ mildly disturbing.
¡°And why do you think that this is cute?¡± Uraraka asks, having decided to take the advantage of this moment to maybe learn a bit more about her. Worst case scenario, she might get an idea on how to delicately refuse her advances.
¡°Because you were yourself.¡± Toga replies with a dreamy look on her face. ¡°Blood is cute, and I always thought that, but it was more about not hiding who you are. You might have been scared and injured, but you were still giving your best! And you didn¡¯t mind the way you looked. Cute!¡±
Himiko, excuse me for asking it that way, but¡
Were you made to hide who you are?
His hunch is immediately proved correct. In an instant, she is no longer comfortable with the talk.
¡°Y-yeah.¡± She nods while avoiding Ochako¡¯s eyes. ¡°My parents said that my quirk is bad and wrong, and that I¡¯m a monster. Brought me to a doctor who kept telling me the same thing, just in nicer words. Over and over again. When I had enough pretending that I¡¯m someone I wasn¡¯t, I was finally free. But also a villain. And then everyone hated me and wanted me to put me in a prison.¡±
Ochako¡¯s eyes open wide. That was¡ how could someone treat another person like that?! And their own child, too? She can¡¯t even imagine her own parents treating her like this!
¡
Himiko, did they send you to a quirk suppression therapy?
¡°Uh-huh.¡± Toga nods while looking down. ¡°That¡¯s how it was called, yeah.¡±
Oh.
That¡ that explains a lot.
¡°Does it?¡± Uraraka blurts out. Where was this talk even heading to? ¡°What¡¯s that? I never heard of it.¡±
A form of therapy that helps people with dangerous quirks.
¡°Helps people with dangerous quirks?¡± Toga raises her head suddenly while squinting at Ochako. ¡°You think that my quirk was dangerous and that the therapy could help me?¡±
Ochako is about to try to answer that (while being fully aware that Himiko¡¯s crush on them both was currently at stake), but Izuku ends up speaking first. In the most straightforward and honest way that he could.
So, in the classic Izuku way.
No, Himiko. Because unless there¡¯s something about your quirk that you didn¡¯t tell us about, you didn¡¯t qualify for the quirk suppression therapy at all.
Either your therapist was incredibly bad at their job or your parents bribed them.
QST is supposed to help prevent instinctive or accidental usages of quirks that carry risks of accidental collateral damage.
Mustard would have qualified, as his quirk, when used, can knock everyone in the vicinity. So, if he had problems with controlling it, he¡¯d have to go through the QST to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t accidentally unleash a poison cloud in a crowded mall because he sneezed too strongly.
Or, say, do that on an airplane and knock out everyone aboard, including the pilot.
You simply didn¡¯t qualify.
And your parents shouldn¡¯t tell you that you¡¯re a monster for being born with a wrong quirk.
No parent should tell that to their children.
Hearing Izuku summarize what Himiko has clearly gone through made Uraraka realize that something had to be done. And so she did something - namely, hugged Himiko.
¡°I¡¯m so sorry for how they treated you.¡± She says. From her position she can¡¯t exactly see it, but the look on Himiko¡¯s face makes it clear that she was practically melting in front of her. ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve any of that and I understand now why you joined the League. I¡¯d probably do the same thing in your place.¡±
None of them miss the sound of Himiko sniffing. Someone was clearly on the verge of crying.
Ugh.
We just made her be even more in love with us, didn¡¯t we?
¡°Definitely.¡± Uraraka replies before sighing, all while still hugging Toga. ¡°Have you changed your mind about the subject? I get the feeling that we now understand her and what led to her doing you-know-what much better.¡±
To her, it was like a dam was broken. The dam of, in this case, rational thinking. She now knew why Himiko had a crush on them¡ and she all but forgave her for the stabbing attempts. What she went through¡
No one should have gone through something like that. And Uraraka could now forgive her for certain stabby things that happened between them in the past.
Forgive but not forget. Then again, Himiko seemed to be significantly less stabby and significantly more stable.
It takes Izuku a while to form the reply.
To be honest with you, I think that my biggest issue with that was the way she acted in the past and the fact that she was a villain.
Now I know why she became a villain. And unless she is lying to us (unlikely, considering her past behavior), she didn¡¯t decide to become a villain. She was pushed into becoming one.
And I suspect that the way she acted while being a villain had more to do with a nervous breakdown than her own malice.
I¡¯m not against forgiving her for her attempts to stab me, for as long as you forgive her for her attempts to stab you.
My veto is withdrawn, even if I still have some mixed feelings as to how it could play out. I don¡¯t want to hurt her if it doesn¡¯t work out. And making that work might be¡ difficult, depending on waaaay too many factors for me to think of them all.
There was something else to his answer, something that he was way too embarrassed to admit.
Izuku Midoriya was a teenager. One that has recently discovered that sex existed and that it could exist in his life. And as a result - and with heroics and the threat of people like AFO and Overhaul out of his life - he had the time to be a teenager.
And the very idea of involving Himiko in, well, the relationship gave his teenage imagination ideas. Ones that he refused to entertain if it meant injuring anyone involved, be it emotionally or physically, because he had standards. But right now, it might work..
And this made him think some rather embarrassing thoughts.
¡°Is that a yes that I hear?¡± Uraraka asks, Himiko still hugging her.
I think that she deserves to be happy.
Her feline moments are funny, she¡¯s loyal to those close to her (almost too much, really), and I think that she has gotten somewhat better as a person ever since she landed here (likely due to no longer having to deal with being a villain on the run from the society that failed her so much).
As I said, I withdraw my veto.
If you really want it, I¡¯m okay with that too.
¡
You know what, let¡¯s not be like this and be clear about it. She deserves that much.
Yes. Yes, it¡¯s a yes.
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka suddenly breaks the hug before grabbing a completely surprised Toga by her waist and throwing her over her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going then!¡±
As one can expect, this is noticed by everyone else in the room. They suddenly stop talking about the fight and look at them. None of the three people involved in the newborn love triangle actually remembered that they were there.
¡°We¡¯re w-where?!¡± Toga stutters barely coherently.
¡°I¡¯m embracing my new life as a barbarian warrior in a fantasy world, Himiko.¡± Uraraka replies as a wide grin blossoms on her face and she begins to walk towards the exit of the room. ¡°And since I¡¯m a moral one, I¡¯ll never experience the feeling of bringing a captive beauty to the lair of iniquity known as my bedroom. This will have to do.¡±
And then she continues to proudly walk towards the exit, just as Toga was processing what just happened - before going beet red while covering her face, probably to not burst into flames in embarrassment.
Or happiness.
Or horniness.
Or all of the above.
Errr.
That¡¯s a bit¡ faster than what I expected.
But I respect your dedication to getting what you want and getting it now.
You kick ass, Ochako.
¡°Izuku.¡± Uraraka replies as she is almost at the door. ¡°You don¡¯t have mana to manifest right now, right?¡±
Uhm, yeah?
¡°So instead, you¡¯re not only allowed but actually encouraged to watch.¡± She replies with a mischievous smile on her face. Somehow making Toga get even redder.
E-Eeep?!
***
¡°I¡¡± Yaoyorozu blinks as Uraraka and Toga disappear from the room. ¡°... am officially concerned with what just happened and the behavior of those three. I believe that Uraraka-san has just gone a bit too native.¡±
Judging from the shocked look that Kirishima gave the departing girls before they left, she wasn¡¯t the only one.
Spinner, though, says nothing. It was just a matter of time. Even his sword of swords that he lost during the Training Camp wouldn¡¯t be large and sharp enough to cut through the concentrated sexual tension that those three were giving off nowadays.
Likely without realizing it. And while he had next to no experience in love, it was clear to him. Which said more about Toga, Uraraka and Midoriya than about him.
¡°Oh, please.¡± Monoma rolls his eyes around. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be concerned about. What you¡¯ve just witnessed was a somewhat sheltered and kind girl that was freed from the rules of her family and teachers and was allowed to live on their own, leading to her having something akin to a teenage rebellion. A tale as old as time.¡±
¡°Are you being serious?¡± Yaoyorozu replies, glancing at him with clear surprise written on her face. ¡°I expected you to be much more vocal about it than I was.¡±
¡°Nah.¡± Monoma shakes his head. ¡°Look, you 1-A guys suck even at your teenage rebellions. Uraraka-san didn¡¯t become a villain, she didn¡¯t start peddling drugs or posting her nudes or feet pics on the internet. Her ¡®teenage rebellion¡¯ involves getting a boyfriend and a girlfriend. With everything being fully consensual and based on the blossoming love between them. I¡¯m ready to bet my liver that in the morning they¡¯ll freak out that they¡¯ve done something this embarrassing in public before starting to plan their lifelong relationship that they¡¯re all aiming for. Truly, the most extreme case of teenage rebellion in the history of Mankind!¡±
The last sentence he says in a classic dramatic way of Neito Monoma, throwing his hands up while looking at the ceiling, as if he was entertaining the gods themselves and wanted to see whether they¡¯re approving of the spectacle.
Yaoyorozu¡¯s only reaction is to blink at him, which prompts a disappointed groan from Monoma.
¡°Look, give me a call when they¡¯ll start doing something actually bad.¡± He then says. ¡°Like, snorting cocaine off Toga¡¯s exposed belly. Or just snorting cocaine. Or trading cocaine. Or spreading the concept of pineapple pizza to this universe. In the meantime, I¡¯m going to spend my time constructively and go talk with Komori-san to ask her how she¡¯s doing after the battle.¡±
¡°You sound weirdly experienced when talking about teenage rebellions.¡± Kirishima comments as Yaoyorozu was still staring at Monoma in shock, earning himself an exhausted stare from Monoma.
¡°1-A doesn¡¯t have a monopoly on interesting people, Kirishima-kun.¡± He then says, his voice tainted with pure existential horror. ¡°You have no idea about the things I¡¯ve seen or heard. But this will change once more of my classmates will get here. And then, you¡¯ll understand.¡±
And then he leaves.
Yaoyorozu keeps staring at him in shock until he disappears from the room, before deciding that she should probably do something constructive (just as he said) and go read a book.
36: Aftermath
Just as Neito Monoma predicted, the next morning wasn¡¯t exactly easy on Uraraka. Mostly because of the sheer, soul-crushing realization of just how incredibly dumbass she acted last evening.
Only in hindsight did she realize that she threw Himiko over her shoulder and carried her to her bedroom while encouraging Izuku to watch (and watch he did) right in front of everyone. That she totally forgot about the presence of!
Her life was over.
At least the social one.
Only now did she realize that she got slightly too invested into the concept of being free to act as you want for as long as your own moral compass permits it which - together with the adrenaline rush from the fight and Himiko not only acting the way she did but also sharing her past with her.
Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. And while there was a possibility that invoking [Bloodrage] temporarily weakened her inhibitions, trying to explain that to people would just make her look like someone who was desperately looking for any excuse to justify her own horny tomfoolery.
And, worst of all, if she ever discovered that she was talking out of her ass and [Bloodrage] didn¡¯t work like that, her current embarrassment would be increased tenfold. And it was already pretty substantial to begin with.
So, she has elected to take responsibility for what happened yesterday and pretend that it was all part of her plan, one born of purely rational decision making.
Yeah.
Now that this was sorted she could start addressing her other problems. Such as the fact that she woke up lying on her back on her bed, with naked Himiko fast asleep while pretty much draped over her on one side, her head resting on Uraraka¡¯s shoulder.
And while that wasn¡¯t surprising considering what they were up to last evening (and yes, as expected from her usual behavior Himiko was insatiable and extremely creative), the surprising part was that Izuku was there as well. Mirroring Himiko¡¯s position on the other side.
Naked. He didn¡¯t physically participate in the hedonistic revelry that the last evening was, which meant that he manifested while they were asleep and then snuck in while taking his clothes off to not stand out (or, perhaps, to not make them feel weird about him being clothed).
Needless to say, this pushed the flimsy and primitive bed that they were all on past ¡®crowded¡¯ and into ¡®how the hell did it not collapse already?!¡¯.
The entire room smelled of many things, but the smell of warmth, comfort and being content that emanated from him was strong enough for her to feel it. And it made her want to hug him.
The less was said about what Himiko smelled off the better. Then again, she was like that most of the time, so Ochako was more or less used to it.
Alright, she had two ¡ problems waiting for her in her bed that she had to tackle. She could as well do that at the same time. So¡ have a very serious talk about the situation with both of them.
Because the situation, to put it bluntly, sucked. And it was mostly her fault.
¡°It¡¯s time to wake up.¡± She says loudly, but not loudly enough because there¡¯s no reaction out of them. Actually, let¡¯s correct that - there was some reaction. Himiko mumbled something and tried to rub the top of her head (and her cat ears) into her chin while Izuku snored quietly and hugged her closer.
Uuugh. How could they both be this cute?! This couldn¡¯t possibly be legal, right? Now she¡¯ll have to wait for them both to wake up, simply because she just doesn¡¯t have enough evil in her heart to wake them up right now.
Himiko wakes up first. Before immediately purring as she kisses Ochako¡¯s cheek (which is a very nice way of starting your day, even if she¡¯d still prefer Izuku to do that) before realizing that the two of them weren¡¯t alone.
¡°He¡¯s so cute!¡± Himiko whispers. And yes, Ochako can agree with that. ¡°Did he sneak in to join us while we were asleep and didn¡¯t wake us up so that we could rest?¡±
It seems that Ochako wasn¡¯t the only one to have that impression.
¡°Seems so to me.¡± Ochako replies as Himiko lets out a very quiet squeal. Yeah, Izuku was¡ kind and cute and an absolute bloodthirsty berserker when someone was threatening innocent people and those were only some of his great qualities.
Alongside his diligence, mild manners, intellect and¡ ehh, she could go on and on about it, so perhaps not now.
Although when she¡¯ll do that she should do that in front of him. Not only would his embarrassed reaction be a delight to watch, she would also have a shot at making him realize that yes, he really was a great and admirable person.
He had problems accepting praise, and she intended to work on that.
¡°You were awesome, by the way.¡± Himiko then looks up at Ochako, her head returning to its position at her shoulder, the look on her face looking downright dreamy. ¡°Like in all my daydreams, but real.¡±
Well, that¡¯s definitely a glowing review if Uraraka has ever heard one!
¡°And you were, well, pretty much what I expected you to be.¡± Uraraka replies, Himiko clearly taking that for a compliment. Was it one? Yeah, it probably was. Himiko was, as stated, very creative, very horny and - to add some additional words of praise - very flexible.
All the commotion must have interrupted Izuku¡¯s sleep, as he woke up soon afterwards. He also immediately blushed and stammered out a series of apologies for intruding, which lasted until he was interrupted by kisses on both cheeks.
Which only makes him redder¡ but also cuter. Uraraka didn¡¯t know that he could get any more adorable than his usual self, and yet, that¡¯s what just happened! Could he¡ could he get any more cute than this?
No way, right?
On a sidenote, seeing Himiko kiss Izuku in front of her has given Uraraka feelings that she wasn¡¯t yet sure how to name. But that was for the future. For now, they had something else to talk about.
¡°Alright, so now that we¡¯re all awake¡¡± Uraraka says as she sits cross legged on the bed, using the quilt to cover her legs¡ and more. It was bad enough that she had nothing to cover her breasts, Izuku could only fight the impending nosebleed for so long. Himiko, of course, seemed to be actively pursuing it with her eyes. ¡°... I think that we need to have a serious talk about our future plans. Because, errr, I might have acted a bit impulsive, now that I think about it.¡±
A bit impulsive? A BIT IMPULSIVE?! How was she going to face Kirishima-kun and Yaoyorozu-san after this?! And¡ oh gods, Monoma-kun was there as well. Spinner¡¯s more of an afterthought to that, but¡ Tomura Shigaraki saw it too!
¡°That¡¯s fine, though!¡± Himiko clearly disagrees with her, but joins the talk by sitting on the bed. Unlike Ochako, she doesn¡¯t bother covering anything. ¡°Can we even be sure that we¡¯ll have a future to plan for? We could as well all die in a week, so why bother making plans, right? Just have fun while it lasts.¡±
¡°I, errr¡.¡± Izuku tries to join the talk. The fact that he was facing two very attractive (and naked) girls made speaking clearly extremely hard on the poor boy. Pun probably intended, but they couldn¡¯t be sure as he was very serious about hiding as much of his body as he could under the quilt. ¡°W-what if we don¡¯t die? I-isn¡¯t it better to plan ahead just in c-case?¡±
¡°Plan ahead?¡± Himiko tilts her head a little, her eyes on Izuku. ¡°So you¡ you truly and honestly want to spend, you know, all the time ahead¡ with me?¡±
¡°Y-yeah?¡± Izuku blinks at her, clearly surprised by her being surprised. ¡°I-Isn¡¯t that kind of the point?¡±
Izuku, Uraraka realizes it immediately, was being himself. He failed to process the concept of having a relationship that wasn¡¯t romantic (but merely a carnal one) and that wasn¡¯t supposed to last for as long as possible (preferably until death).
Yes, he had to be aware that other options existed (if only because of his own father largely absent from his life and after learning Todoroki-kun¡¯s traumatic backstory), but for him that just wasn¡¯t the default option to think about.
A single glance at Himiko makes it clear what she felt about hearing one of her ¡®cuties¡¯ openly state that they wanted to spend their life with her. Uraraka can practically feel the heart throb. And that¡¯s before Himiko acts her feelings by leaning forward and suddenly hugging Izuku.
Who briefly loses the control of the quilt. Himiko glances down, before her eyes widen a little and return to Izuku.
¡°That¡¯s a lot to¡ errr¡ take in.¡± She says, flipping back to a wry smile and getting another blush from him. Adorable. ¡°So¡ do you both want me?¡±
¡°I think that I made it clear last night.¡± Uraraka decides to prove to herself and the world around them that she can not only have sex but also have a talk about it and not freak out. Phew, looks like she grew up a bit. In some departments. ¡°Yes, we both want you, for as long as you want us. However, I think that there¡¯s one thing that has to be made clear from the start. You know what I mean, Izuku?¡±
¡°I think so.¡± Izuku nods. ¡°Himiko, please don¡¯t make any rash decisions until you hear us out, alright? Both what we have to say and the explanation for it.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Toga nods quickly a few times. ¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I believe that I speak for us both when I say that we do not love you.¡± Uraraka decides that there¡¯s no reason to drag this and it might be better to say it and be done with it. Even if the look of shock on Himiko¡¯s face does hurt her heart a bit. ¡°Or, to be exact, we do not love you right now. Me and Izuku spent a lot of time with each other back in Japan, and both of us seem to be the type of person that needs a while to develop true and genuine romantic feelings for anyone.¡±
¡°Mm-hmmm.¡± Izuku nods, clearly trying not to look at Himiko. ¡°If someone I¡¯ve barely spoken a word with a-asked me out, then regardless of how they looked, I¡¯d be w-weirded out more than a-attracted.¡±
¡°This doesn¡¯t mean that this can¡¯t or won¡¯t change.¡± Uraraka takes it over, Himiko recovered enough from her earlier shock to listen to them attentively. ¡°In fact, I think that you¡¯re on the right way to get there. You¡¯re cute, funny and clearly into both of us, and that¡¯s great. But I wanted to tell you what the situation is right now, as I do believe in honesty being the necessity for a relationship to work out.¡±
In hindsight, they (or, to be exact, she) went way too far by carrying Himiko to her bed. It was her confession to Izuku all over again. And now that they had a building standing, they were forced to set up foundations for it.
Ugh. Uraraka messed it up (twice), but she was going to take responsibility for that and fix it. And never ever do that again. She learned her lesson.
¡°O-oh, okay.¡± Himiko replies after a few seconds of thinking it over. ¡°I¡ I guess I get it. I mean, our past in Japan was¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Uraraka cuts her short as Izuku nods his agreement with her. ¡°We get it. You had¡ problems caused by your parents and that quack of a therapist. And once that happened, you fell among the villains and they likely pushed you further down this road. No one that I know died or was permanently injured by you, and I think that it might be a good policy to try to not¡ return to any of that. New world and a fresh start for you, okay? Future, our future is what matters.¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Himiko nods, suddenly looking much happier.
¡°Just¡ not again, okay?¡± Izuku mumbles, their eyes jumping to him. ¡°I think that I¡¯m fine with this l-love triangle, but let¡¯s not involve anyone else, okay? I don¡¯t think that I could emotionally deal with anyone else becoming a part of it, even if it would be, errr, a one-time thing.¡±
¡°Well, I just made a resolution not to do anything stupid with anyone else, ever.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°So I¡¯m in full agreement with you. Himiko?¡±
¡°Hmmm.¡± Himiko tilts her head a little. ¡°It¡¯s alright with me, but am I allowed to eat up an eye candy or two? Look and maybe do a kinky joke or two, but nothing past that.¡±
¡°Yes, but you¡¯ll have to share those kinky jokes with us.¡± Uraraka replies, earning herself a wide smile from Himiko. ¡°Promise?¡±
¡°Promise!¡± Himiko replies cheerfully. ¡°No one else, ever. You two are my cuties and I need no one else to begin with.¡±
Awww.
¡°There¡¯s also another question to ask and this might be a bit¡ problematic.¡± Uraraka decides to tackle it while Himiko seems happy, just in case. ¡°It¡¯s about your peculiar relationship with blood.¡±
Himiko shrinks a little.
¡°Don¡¯t be like this.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t¡ mind it, alright?¡± Himiko stopped shrinking in an instant, but Izuku suddenly gave her a strange look. ugh. ¡°It¡¯s a bit strange, but if you¡¯re into it, I¡¯m fine with that. Conditionally so, though. Feel free to make the bad guys bleed all you want, but non-bad guys are off-limits. Alright?¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ alright!¡± Himiko decides. Izuku, thankfully, seems to be alright with it as well. ¡°With how people are chopping each others¡¯ limbs and so on around me I don¡¯t think that I need any more blood in my life than that. So, I¡¯m fine! Deal!¡±
¡°Great.¡± Uraraka grins at her. That was easier than she feared! ¡°So, next question. Are we going to continue living like we do right now, or should we all just¡ move in, together?¡±
Himiko says nothing, instead grabbing the sides of her head and blushing in the way that only she was truly capable of. It takes Izuku and Ochako about three seconds to realize why she reacted like that.
Living together meant sleeping in the same bed, which meant¡ yeah. And Izuku dropping by whenever he could to¡ yeah.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Himiko with her fertile imagination realized that first.
¡°W-well.¡± She says as the two of them were still parsing that revelation. ¡°I-if you want me then I a-agree. But it¡¯s a p-pretty small r-room for us three y-you know?¡±
Himiko being bashful like that made Uraraka ask herself one question. Just how kinky were the mental images that the concept of living with the two of them brought to her mind?!
Whatever the answer, Uraraka was looking forward to finding out!
¡°We¡¯ll probably end up having to expand living quarters either way.¡± Izuku quickly replies. ¡°I mean, the personal space we gave everyone is rather tight. And Yaoyorozu-san will probably want a library. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem to expand the apartments while at it.¡±
¡°Cool.¡± Uraraka grins. ¡°Expanding your home so cheap and so easy? Yes, please!¡±
¡°Wow.¡± Izuku says, glancing at her. ¡°And here I thought that you preferred your home small. How many floors and how many bedrooms do you want?¡±
¡°Hey!¡± Uraraka leans forward just to jab him in the side. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about a house large enough to get lost in! Just a house to be comfortable in. Leave the former to Yaoyorozu-san, please.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be like this, she didn¡¯t make a single complaint about her living quarters.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°I think that she has gotten used to small spaces after the dorms. So, errr¡ medium but comfy?¡±
¡°Medium and comfy.¡± Uraraka agrees with him before glancing at Himiko. ¡°Medium but comfy?¡±
¡°Medium but comfy!¡± Himiko grins. ¡°Hey, now that I think about it, can¡¯t you ask Shiggy about designing it? He played so many fantasy games, I¡¯m sure he knows a few cool designs.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think that we need him, my family owns a construction company and I¡¡± Uraraka freezes midsentence before speaking again. ¡°Actually, it might be a good idea. Most of the interior design that I can think off is something that works well with access to modern furniture. Good idea, Himiko!¡±
¡°N-no problem.¡± Himiko replies, once again avoiding her gaze. She was surprisingly shy once she finally got what she wanted, huh.
Uraraka wanted to tease her sooo much. She clearly has a thing for cute people. Cute, huggable, adorable and, errr, open with their emotions. She and Himiko can definitely agree at least on the last bit.
But¡ could Uraraka make Himiko more embarrassed than that?
¡°There¡¯s one final thing to deal with before we can move over to living together, going on dates together and spending nights together.¡± Uraraka smiles. ¡°I¡¯ve had a night with Izuku, and I¡¯ve had a night with you, Himiko. There¡¯s something missing from this love triangle, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± Her smile morphs into a full-blown shit-eating grin as both Himiko and Izuku blush furiously in realization of what she just meant. ¡°I¡¯ll even let you borrow my bed!¡±
All for a good cause.
***
I¡¯m back.
You freaking normie
I had s-snuggles with two different girls, who also had some snuggles with each other, and I¡¯m going to live with them both.
How is that normal
It goes so far past normal that it loops back to being normal
I don¡¯t think it works like that.
Yes, yes it does.
And now shut up, we¡¯ve wasted enough time with your horny tomfoolery as it is.
What follows next is checking out the beastkin¡¯s tribute. The bulk of it is, of course, corpses. The beastkin once again dragged some people to their valley before slitting their throats right in front of the Dungeon.
In equipment they¡¯ve unlocked [Tribal Skirmisher Armor], [Tribal Berserker Outfit], [Necromancer¡¯s Black Robe] and [Sorcerer¡¯s Attire]. The first one was Yla¡¯s tight-fitting leather armor that Shigaraki extorted out of her. The berserker¡¯s outfit was something else (that they were going to address later), while the other two were pretty much simple robes for two different magic-wielding classes.
The only difference between those two were the colours and the fact that [Sorcerer¡¯s Attire] was much shorter, ending around elbows and knees, with only shoes beyond that.
[Hedge Mage Staff] was now accompanied by [Novice Necromancer¡¯s Staff], which was darker and ended with a dark gray crystal, but otherwise had a very similar design. That concluded the list of interesting equipment unlocks.
They got a few new species for their servants, namely the [Karadian Beastkin, Cowkin], [Karadian Beastkin, Sheepkin] and [Karadian Beastkin, Boarkin]. Only the Boarkin seemed to be somewhat gifted towards combat, the rest having the same baseline ETL as the Rabbitkin.
In [Weapon Proficiencies] they¡¯ve finally unlocked [Sword Proficiency I], while also getting [Spear Proficiency I], [Shield Proficiency I] and [Axe Proficiency I], none of those options useful to them right now. Still, more stuff for the collection.
No new martial arts, which was very disappointing. However, in [Magic Schools] they¡¯ve obtained [Black Magic I], and if that wasn¡¯t enough, they also opened a new subcategory called [Sorcery Attunement], with [Electric Attunement I] and [Acid Attunement I] inside.
In [Crafting Skills/Raw Resources], they¡¯ve obtained [Farming I], [Farming II], [Woodcutting III] and [Animal Husbandry I]. None of them were particularly useful for them, although [Woodcutting could be useful in the future if they¡¯ve decided to expand their [Underground Ecosystem].
In [Crafting Skills/Processing] they¡¯ve obtained [Basic Gem Cutting I], [Basic Brewing I] and [Basic Brewing II].
In [Crafting Skills/Shaping] they¡¯ve obtained [Basic Sewing III] and [Basic Jewelry I].
In [Magical Skills/Mana Circulation] they¡¯ve unlocked [Mana Overflow I] and [Black Core I], which allowed them to create basic sorcerers and necromancers if they chose to do so.
No new language skills. [Tracking I] in [Survival]. No new [Crime and Trickery] entries.
In [Martial Arts] they¡¯ve obtained [Lesser Slash], which was apparently a sword/axe technique requiring [Wolf Fang School].
In [Spells] they¡¯ve obtained [Life Tap I], [Shield of Negation I], [Black Bolt I], [Reanimate Corpse I], [Summon Skeleton I] and [Vulnerability Hex I], all of them requiring [Black Magic I] and [Black Core I] to cast.
Finally, a new subcategory called [Sorceries] was unlocked, containing [Electric Discharge I], [Static Electricity I], [Shocking Touch I], [Corrosive Spit I], [Acid Splash I] and [Shield of Acid I].
That¡¯s quite a bit of improvement.
Yes
In fact, I think that we could almost double our numbers if we played it right
Huh?
Sigh
Think about it
We can add an electric sorcerer and a warlock, right?
But we can also add a wolfkin warrior, just with sword instead of spear and [Lesser Slash] instead of [Lesser Thrust]
That¡¯s three more people from the start
We can copy Kirishima to make another heavy warrior, and that¡¯s four people. Maybe copy Toga too and we have pretty much a full squad
And yes, we can still deploy two of those at the same time
That¡¯s a good point.
Though figuring out who should be who will take us ages.
You¡¯re¡ surprisingly good in human resources department all of a sudden.
Someone has to when you¡¯re this goddamn horny
I-I¡¯m n-not horny!
Just, uhm, a healthy teenager?
Ugh
Look, let¡¯s just get to it, alright?
We should probably ask Yaoyorozu-san and Monoma-kun for their input on new recruitment.
Yes
Also, can I ask you a weird question?
I¡¯m not into foursomes, sorry
W-w-w-w-what?!
Ha, got ¡®ya
Uhm
Look, get to it, alright?
What is it?
How good are you in interior design?
Absolutely atrocious.
Oh, uhm.
But I know the interior of many fantasy houses (modded or not) better than that of Kurogiri¡¯s bar.
Why are you asking that?
Himiko mentioned something about you being good at that and being able to help us with figuring out our new, errr, living standards.
Or, to be exact, the living standards of about everyone.
¡
Let me guess, it¡¯s not about downscaling the current living standards to one giant dormitory, right?
Yes.
I think we should give people some much needed privacy.
And more of ¡®their own¡¯ space.
For sanity, I guess.
For sanity and for more efficient threesomes without having to worry about neighbors hearing you
Uhm, I don¡¯t like when you put it that way.
Am I wrong, though
Not, errr, entirely.
Sigh.
I¡¯ll take Breezehome¡¯s plan, replace the alchemy lab with a bathroom (very scarce for now), and change Lydia¡¯s room above it into a place to store your equipment and clothes.
That should do it
We¡¯ll make that a standard design. We¡¯ll also move the houses a bit away from each other, so as to give everyone the much needed privacy
Is that going to satisfy your horny ass?
Yes!
If my ass was horny, that is.
But it¡¯s not.
That would look weird.
And I don¡¯t even know what ¡®Breezehome¡¯ is, so I guess that I¡¯ll find out when you make it.
Ghrrr.
Izuku has a strange feeling that he lost even more of Shigaraki¡¯s respect, and not even due to what happened between him, Ochako and Himiko but because he didn¡¯t know what Breezehome is.
It is so confusing.
At least he never wanted Shigaraki to respect him (after all, he didn¡¯t respect him in return) so it¡¯s like it was a problem to him.
***
1. Entrance to the Level. 2. Common Area. 3. Library, 4. Dungeon Core, 5. Shrine of Luna, 6. Shrine of Saevius, 7. Houses.
In the end, everyone seems to be happy about their personal living spaces being significantly expanded. Which makes perfect sense to Izuku - spending most of your time underground is bad for your mind, that¡¯s for sure.
Having decently-sized personal space to deal with that was obviously the bare necessity. Personal bathroom was also a must, even if all that they had to wash yourself with right now was water.
They¡¯ve got a massively enlarged common area, and then a [Library] right next to it, in front of two now moved shrines. It had some space to grow on both sides to accommodate for future books being secured.
¡°We¡¯re going to need more hobbies.¡± Yaoyorozu said when they mentioned the [Library] to them. ¡°Books are good enough for me, but the more people we¡¯ll have here, the more entertainment we¡¯ll need to prevent people from feeling bored.¡±
Hard to disagree.
Even Himiko is killing time with her Slimy-chan and carving figurines out of bones.
¡°Bones?¡± Yaoyorozu raises an eyebrow. ¡°Where is she taking those from?¡±
I¡¯m too afraid to ask.
They keep disappearing, so I have a suspicion that once she gets too many of them, she gives some of them as a sacrifice to Luna.
Needless to say, most of the figurines she made were of her two cuties.
As for the quarters, each and every one of the ten quarters (they¡¯ve decided to have a few bonus ones) had a large lounge/living room up front transforming into a dining area behind it, and with a bathroom in the small, separate room beside it.
Right before the bathroom door there was a small, wooden staircase leading up. Above it was an extremely short ¡®corridor¡¯ connecting the large and comfortable bedroom (in the segment of the first floor that was right above the living area) and a small armory/wardrobe (which was right above the bathroom).
There was also a small campfire in the middle of the living area, surrounded by stone blocks and with a ¡®fake exit¡¯ right above it, allowing them to safely cook food on their own. Or just hang around the warm fire.
I¡¯m¡ positively surprised with you.
You should have been an interior decorator instead of a villain.
I am not fighting the copyright claim allegations
I literally copied it 1to1 from my memory
And we don¡¯t have to expand any of that anymore, as we can just put elevators/staircase here and there and make higher and lower levels of servant quarters
In short, it¡¯s fucking awesome
Are you now fucking satisfied with the living standards and can we finally do something actually constructive?
Yes, yes.
Sorry about that.
I just, errr¡
Shut
up
please
I don¡¯t have either the time nor the interest in dealing with your bs, okay?
Do with them whatever you want, I literally don¡¯t give a fuck
What I want is for us to start doing something useful
We need to create new folks and get shit done
Alright, alright!
We should have the firepower we need for the Cynocephalii by the way.
Yes
Alright, so let¡¯s contact Yaoyorozu and Monoma, once they¡¯re done inspecting their new accommodations and then we¡¯ll move over to expanding our combat unit.
37: Upgrades
When it came to their new companions, certain things were self-evident and simply not up to a debate.
¡°So¡¡± Yaoyorozu says once Izuku finishes narrating the list of things that they just unlocked. ¡°... what I¡¯m hearing is that we¡¯re bringing Ashido and Kaminari as acid and electric sorcerers respectively.¡±
Yeah, I think so.
From what I understand, sorcerers appear to excel at ¡®elemental¡¯ damage. Combine that with ¡®electricity¡¯ and ¡®acid¡¯ and you get Kaminari and Ashido.
Anything to say about that, Shigaraki?
Nah, I¡¯m fine with that.
What species though?
¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. Monoma was sitting at the table next to her while doing something rather unlike himself - namely, staying quiet. ¡°None of the species we¡¯ve obtained thus far seem to have a synergy with any of those classes.¡±
¡°So, decision based mostly on the question of aesthetics.¡± Monoma summarizes it. So much about staying quiet. ¡°Made even less important by the fact that they can later on decide to change their bodies if they please.¡±
¡°True.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°But you forget about inertia. Unless there¡¯s something that particularly bothers them in the bodies we¡¯ll give them, they¡¯ll likely stick to what they have.¡±
¡°Right.¡± Monoma concedes the point. ¡°If someone wants to hear my opinion, I think that Ashido would work well as an ogre while Kaminari should be made an elf.¡±
Huh? Why?
¡°No real reason, really.¡± Monoma shrugs. ¡°Kaminari being a white elf simply changes the least about his looks. As for Ashido, horns. Just, horns. She and Kirishima are friends, right? They could be horn buddies now.¡±
¡°Choice as good as any other.¡± Yaoyorozu shrugs. ¡°Whatever alternative I¡¯d offer you would be just as arbitrary. Unless you have a better idea, I think that we should go with that.¡±
¡°You agreed with me?¡± Monoma gasps theatrically. ¡°Truly, hell must have frozen over.¡±
Yaoyorozu glares daggers at him, but says nothing. She didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction due to the smug look that he was giving her. Izuku can¡¯t blame her.
Nothing to add from me. A pick as good as any other.
Shigaraki?
I don¡¯t even know those people, do whatever you want.
Kaminari receives [Electric Attunement I], [Mana Overflow I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Electric Discharge I], [Static Electricity I] and [Shocking Touch I], which together with his species ([Xylmade, White Elf]) and the outfit of [Sorcerer¡¯s Attire] sums him up to [Electric Sorcerer, lvl 15].
Ashido received [Acid Attunement I], [Mana Overflow I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Corrosive Spit I], [Acid Splash I] and [Shield of Acid I]. Add her species, which as stated above was [Xylmade, Ogre], and her outfit [Sorcerer¡¯s Attire] summed her up to [Acid Sorcerer, lvl 16].
What about Itavian?
We have books right now. Those two aren¡¯t big on reading, but entertainment¡¯s entertainment, right?
¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Yaoyorozu admits. ¡°But there¡¯s a problem. Most of the books we¡¯ve got seem to be rather¡ advanced . We talk about university-level biology and chemistry. I doubt either of them will find any enjoyment in reading unless we find different books.¡±
I guess.
We¡¯ll give them those skills once we have something for them to read.
There was no point in giving people useless skills, as that increased the mana cost of respawning them after each and every death. And they preferred to not waste mana needlessly.
This actually gives Izuku an idea.
We should note down all the available species, skills and abilities and display the list somewhere on this level.
Probably also add personal profiles of every servant to it, so that people know what they have.
¡°To let people request changes to their stats, within reason at least?¡± Yaoyorozu asks for confirmation.
Yeah.
Define ¡®within reason¡¯
If people keep changing their stats, it¡¯s going to drain us, hard
I¡¯m against setting up any hard limits to that.
I trust everyone, even the villains, to not act terminally stupid. We¡¯ll explain to them that the mana is something we need and it¡¯s important for our future, so it shouldn¡¯t be done when you¡¯re bored but when there¡¯s a serious reason for it.
Hmph.
Fine.
But I will start vetoing changes when they¡¯ll be happening too often and waste our resources
Alright.
¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. ¡°If that¡¯s not a problem, I¡¯ll make and maintain said list.¡±
Alright!
Who goes next?
¡°For the necromancer, I recommend Reiko Yanagi.¡± Monoma speaks out immediately. When Yaoyorozu gives him a questioning look, he elaborates. ¡°She is grim . Edgy. Her entire hero aesthetic is one of a ghost. Her quirk was called Poltergeist. Her main interests other than becoming a pro-hero lay in occultism, creepypastas and horror ARGs. If she¡¯s not a necromancer candidate, no one from our world is.¡±
¡°Good point.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him once more, earning herself one more shocked gasp that she completely ignores. ¡°I have a feeling that she¡¯ll be annoyed if we spawn her as anything other than a necromancer. Any counterarguments, Midoriya-san? From you, or your¡ co-administrator.¡±
Someone still didn¡¯t feel comfortable about Shigaraki being there. Then again, Izuku wasn¡¯t comfortable with that either.
I have nothing.
The only person who seems to equal her in edginess is Tokoyami (and, maybe, Kuroiro) but they¡¯re more into, errr, shadows and darkness than death.
I can¡¯t believe that heroes are more edgy than villains
All for One sucked edginess out of all villains to make himself the ultimate edgelord.
Ha!
So, yeah, let¡¯s go with that.
What species, though?
¡°No idea.¡± Monoma shrugs. ¡°Nothing with any sort of synergy on the list. White elf, maybe? It¡¯s what I¡¯d consider a bland and inoffensive choice.¡±
Really?
all our white elves are casters
all our beastkin are martial artists
ogres are scattered between both sides
That¡¯s starting to form into a pattern and I¡¯m not sure if I like it
¡°Does that really matter?¡± Monoma shakes his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think that diversity quotas are a thing in this universe, and even if they were, I¡¯d pick our survival over fulfilling them. Beastkin, especially the carnivorous ones, excel at close-quarters combat. Elves, in the meantime, aren¡¯t nearsighted, so they¡¯re better suited for magic that might go past that distance. We¡¯re not thinking that one species is better than another, we just put them in the roles that they excel in.¡±
oh
I just remembered the Dungeon setting different values on different species
imagine being an ¡®all men are made equal¡¯ mf sent here just to discover that the Dungeon classifies some species as worth more than others
Awkward
Let¡¯s not talk about this ever again, please.
White elf then.
Reiko Yanagi ends up receiving [Necromancer¡¯s Black Robe] and [Novice Necromancer¡¯s Staff], and following skills and abilities: [Staff Proficiency I], [Black Magic, Death Aspect I], [Black Magic, Curse Aspect I], [Black Core I], [Basic Bone Carving II] (it just kind of fit her new class), [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Life Tap I], [Shield of Negation I], [Black Bolt I], [Vulnerability Hex I], [Reanimate Corpse I], and [Summon Skeleton I].
The system identifies this setup as [Necromancer, lvl 19].
¡°Alright, so that¡¯s done.¡± Yaoyorozu says as she finishes noting the list down. ¡°What about warriors? I think we have a reasonable number of new mid and long-range combatants, but might need some buffing in the short-range department.¡±
¡°I¡¯m legally obligated to pitch in some people from former 1-B.¡± Monoma replies, Yaoyorozu sighing loudly. ¡°Yes, yes, I get the joke. Neito Monoma, promoting 1-B over 1-A, oh, the shock. I¡¯m not apologizing for wanting to see more of my friends around.¡±
¡°No, I¡¡± Yaoyorozu tries to say before she pauses and shakes her head. ¡°I understand and I¡¯m not going to make fun of it. Who do you recommend for the role?¡±
¡°Tetsutetsu, Kendou or Tokage.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°Tetsutetsu is a no-brainer, we¡¯d just have to copy Kirishima. As for the other two, both would do great. Though for all my respect towards Kendou, I think that Tokage will find it much easier to process being isekai¡¯d. Promise her a shot at getting to ride a dinosaur if there are giant magical lizards around and she¡¯d do everything for you.¡±
¡ everything?
¡°Everything that¡¯s not very illegal.¡± Monoma corrects himself. ¡°I half expect her to die to the first giant reptile because she dropped her weapon and tried to hug it. Still, I think that she¡¯s a good pick for now, while Kendou would work as a leader for a hypothetical future third or fourth party.¡±
You could just admit that you don¡¯t look forward to being knocked unconscious by her again.
¡°My head¡¯s pretty sturdy, so I don¡¯t mind that.¡± Monoma replies emphatically. Judging from the look that Yaoyorozu was giving him from the side, Izuku wasn¡¯t the only person who wasn¡¯t sure if he was telling the truth. ¡°People with an affinity for leadership are in limited supply, there¡¯s no need to put more than one of them in a party. It¡¯s bad enough that we¡¯re oversaturated with them already.¡±
¡°Yeah, good point.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs. ¡°I like working with Uraraka, but I must admit that I feel like my skills are getting wasted when I¡¯m only an advisor. That¡¯s for the future, though. Isn¡¯t Tokage more of a ranged combatant?¡±
Eventually, our servants will likely be split between parties of 4-5 people, each with their own leader and all of the bases (melee, ranged, magic etc.) covered, so that they can operate independently.
Congratulations, you¡¯ve discovered fantasy world adventurers¡¯ parties.
I see.
So, I can think of many people with leadership capabilities on our side. But with heroes and villains now working together, I have to ask.
How about the villain side? Any natural born leaders for you to nominate?
¡
This isn¡¯t a high bar to clear, all you need is either a high charisma and average intellect, or an average charisma but a high intellect.
So?
Anyone?
¡
Twice.
Huh?
Twice.
A natural-born leader combining towering intellect with charisma to equal All Might.
He keeps wearing his mask to avoid people around him fainting when they see his handsome face.
Erm.
Surely, you wouldn¡¯t laugh at that. After all, that would mean that you think that Twice is bad at something and for SOME FUCKING REASON you act as if Twice was an okay guy.
Right?
¡
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You¡¯re right, Twice is the leader that we all need.
HA!
¡°With her quirk, all distance is melee distance.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°We¡¯re not trying to recreate her quirk with magic, we¡¯re replacing it with something a bit more mundane . But she is a good if competitive tactician, knows what teamwork is and is among the smartest members of our class. Plus, as stated, I think that she¡¯ll get over it faster than Kendou.¡±
Someone was really invested into bringing her to life. Then again, Izuku can understand wanting more of your friends around.
Shigaraki?
w/e from me
Once again, once they agreed upon the person, their species and their role on the battlefield, figuring out details was a quick and painless process.
For Tokage¡¯s equipment they settled on [Tribal Skirmisher Armor] alongside [Wooden Round Shield] and [Iron Sword]. Yes, the armor was something that fit a rogue more than a warrior, but in an absence for heavier armors it had to do.
As for the skills and abilities, Tokage received [Sword Proficiency I], [Shield Proficiency II], [Wolf Fang School I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken V], [Tracking III], [Temperate Forest Survival I], [Shield Bash], [Lesser Slash I], [Barricade Shield I] and [Predator¡¯s Advance I].
Yes, they settled up on wolfkin being her default species. They more or less knew what to expect from that, and it was a species with decent talent for melee combat. That, together with all the skills and equipment summed her up to a [Barbarian Warrior, lvl 18].
¡°Alright.¡± Yaoyorozu nods as she finishes writing it down. ¡°Who else? If we¡¯re planning to introduce more people and we¡¯re planning to organize ourselves into semi-independent parties, I recommend starting by designing a default party. That would tell us who are we missing.¡±
Three fighters (one tank, one rogue, one somewhere in-between)
Three casters (one mage, one sorcerer, one warlock)
Uhm.
Tank and the warrior hold the line
Rogue and the sorcerer acts as a mobile group (either close support for the line or repelling flanking attacks on the backliners), while the latter can also switch to AoE attacks.
Mage does their buff/debuff thing
Warlock does the same thing while giving the party some personality
¡ have you figured it out so quickly because you thought of it as if you were designing a party in an RPG game?
Yes
Is that a problem?
Nope! I¡¯m fine with that. Your party design makes sense.
¡°It does.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with Izuku. ¡°Though for now we should consider it to be a suggestion more than a law. We¡¯re too weak for our parties to operate separately, meaning that regardless of how we decide to split the casters, they¡¯ll all operate together either way.¡±
¡°In short¡¡± Monoma comments. ¡°... what matters most right now is the fighter to caster ratio, rather than the details of both categories.¡±
So, let¡¯s say
First party composed of Ochako, Himiko and Kirishima for the fighters, supported by Yaoyorozu-san, Ashido and¡ Monoma-kun?
No, you¡¯d be better suited for a role of a sort-of-advisor for the second party (similar to what Yaoyorozu-san is to Ochako).
And what about Spinner? He doesn¡¯t fit either category, right?
Yeah
In the future, we could use rangers as the replacement for warlocks or sorcerers, for now we should just let him operate on his own
Huh?
He doesn¡¯t fit the party composition right now, yes?
But his senses are pretty awesome, especially eyesight
Just have him run one-man reconnaissance missions for us
Oh
That makes perfect sense!
¡°It does.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°It¡¯s a mountainous area, with a lot of vertical slopes that he can scale at ease or use to escape pursuers if he is detected by someone. He can also scale them to get a better look on the area surrounding him. Having him accompany us would be a waste of his talents.¡±
So, the second party.
Tokage, Yanagi and Monoma-kun to start with.
Then¡ probably Tetsutetsu.
Who is Kirishima¡¯s clone.
Todoroki still thinks that they¡¯re long-lost twins separated at birth.
¡°He should stop listening to what Kaminari says after he fries his brain.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs. ¡°It never ends well. Midoriya-kun, do you remember the Power Cable Incident?¡±
I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever forget it.
Huh?
Kaminari is a bit¡ errr¡
He lives by his own rules and considers the laws of reality, gods and society as gentle suggestions at best. At worst, he doesn¡¯t remember that they exist and does things that leave everyone very confused.
The Power Cable Incident is when Iida woke up in the middle of the night, discovered that the power was off and went down to investigate, only to find Kaminari-kun eating cables in the basement.
Iida startled him, so Kaminari got electrocuted and had his brain fried.
As a result of that he went into existential depression while claiming that we¡¯re all characters in a shounen manga and our world is fake.
Then his brain rebooted so he went back to sleep.
Ever since the Power Cable Incident, Todoroki has been following Kaminari everywhere and taking notes of his rants to turn them into conspiracy theories.
I hate that idea because it implies that I¡¯m a shounen antagonist and I¡¯m fated to lose to you
If that makes you feel better, the antagonist would probably be All for One. You, in the meantime, would have a last-millisecond change of mind that would lead to you finding redemption or dying while helping me take down the demon lord.
That sounds fucking stupid
redemption is for losers
LET ME BE THE FINAL BOSS FOR FUCK SAKE
Riiight.
Anyway.
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu sounds like a solid pick, even if I think that giving a weapon made from Ironwood to someone whose name references iron four times is really pushing it.
¡°Oh, he¡¯ll love it.¡± Monoma is quick to reply. ¡°He embraced the vibe with gusto. Four irons in his name and surname, however that happened, his quirk called ¡®steel¡¯, his hero name being ¡®Real Steel¡¯, he was really into it. Give him the ironwood log and, in the future, the heaviest steel armor you can find and he¡¯ll be content with his life.¡±
LOL
Imagine him obtaining some fame in this world and getting a nickname that also references iron or steel
Ironiron Ironiron the Iron-Handed with his trusted ironwood stick and wearing a full iron plate armor
Midnight would give him top grades on the hero informatics lesson for that.
Consistent aesthetics and all.
Seriously, though, how did he get a first name and surname so well-aligned with his quirk?!
beats me
Anyway, the second party also needs a rogue, and I believe that we all know what that means
Token villain teammate.
That would be best.
Your recommendation?
Compress.
But be cautious and regularly measure the amount of honk energy in the air
And don¡¯t fucking let him show you his newest clown costume
every single one of them looks scarier than the last one and we¡¯re at the point when I saw a freaking noumu being terrified of him
Man has given a mindless murder machine a bad case of coulrophobia
Other than that, he¡¯s pretty cool
¡°Keep him off the clown juice, got it.¡± Monoma replies, looking as if he was getting second thoughts about the whole ordeal. Izuku can¡¯t blame him. ¡°And let me guess, we¡¯re making him a catboy, right? Or, well, catman given his age.¡±
Call him catboy if you want, it¡¯s only his body that¡¯s an adult one, his mind is still one of a teenager and not a particularly mature one
But yeah, he should be okay with being part-cat
He helped feed some stray cats that live by Kurogiri¡¯s bar
He only stopped doing that because Kurogiri said no
Huh? Why?
Because he left the bar to leave them some food and discovered that two of the local cats were now wearing surprisingly convincing clown make-ups
¡
Compress is really dedicated to this clown thing of his, isn¡¯t he?
Too much, but ehhh
you learn to tune it out
¡°I¡¯m going to remove this entire exchange from my memory.¡± Monoma sighs. ¡°Anyway, that works for a rogue and by extension for all the fighters. That leaves us with having to figure out the casters. Hedge mage is a no-brainer, they¡¯re so default about their magic that they¡¯re indispensable. So¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re clearly trying to gather up your former classmates for the second party, so how does Yui Kodai sound?¡± Yaoyorozu cuts in and asks. A good pick, Izuku thinks. Her quirk required her to influence the environment for her own gain, which is what mages seemed to be all about. ¡°She, you and Yanagi would¡¡±
¡°No.¡± Monoma interrupts her, the look on his face being that of a man haunted by memories too terrible to recall. ¡°Just, no . Someone else. Anyone who isn¡¯t her, please . We¡¯re not ready for her.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the problem with Kodai?¡± Yaoyorozu asks, only to blink at Monoma as he shivers visibly, the haunted look returning to his face. ¡°Uhm, Kodai?¡± Once again, Monoma shivers while giving her a thousand yard stare. ¡°What on Earth is¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t ask or I¡¯ll answer.¡± Monoma replies, once again cutting in. ¡°Eventually we¡¯ll have to tackle that particular brand of horror, but it¡¯s way too early and none of us are ready for it. So, I have a counterproposal. Can I reclass into a hedge mage myself?¡±
Oh.
Not a bad idea, our list of shaman spells is very limited, and all it can do is some very basic buffing.
Your girlfriend is going to be sad due to missing out on her favorite combat performance-enhancing drug
She¡¯ll imagine someone interrupting our date and that¡¯ll give her all the earth-shattering rage she needs.
¡ I honestly can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re joking
Do you want to change your species while at it?
¡°Actually, yeah.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°I can¡¯t get used to how my eyesight works right now. I think I¡¯ll prefer being a white elf to this. Even if this sense of smell and hearing is absolutely awesome. That won¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±
It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.
What about your party¡¯s third caster?
¡°I think that we can skip this out for now.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°Any third caster right now would be a carbon copy of a caster that we already have, and to be honest, I just don¡¯t see any of my old classmates with a decent synergy with any of our magic classes. Besides, Komori¡¯s literally right there.¡±
Oh. Izuku completely forgot about her. Yes, she wasn¡¯t a mortal anymore, but Monoma was right in that she could play the role of a caster if need be. She just needed to physically manifest herself.
Probably not viable for normal trips outside, but whenever they expected a larger clash, they could give her the time needed to leave the Dungeon with them.
So, I guess we have the list of people.
This means that it¡¯s time for everyone¡¯s favorite - the talk about character details.
Ugh
Wait, I thought that you liked figuring out game characters from the mechanical point of view?
I did. But what you just said implied that I like it, and thus I felt forced to act as if I hated it
Grow up.
***
In the end, before creating any new characters they¡¯ve decided to focus on correcting and improving what was already there, starting from reclassing Neito Monoma.
His equipment was changed to a [Hedge Mage Robe] and a [Hedge Mage Staff].
His skills and abilities were a copy of what Yaoyorozu had. In other words, [Staff Proficiency I], [Herbalism (Vestiria) III], [Basic Alchemy II], [Basic Enchanting I], [Prismatic Core I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [North Vestirian Language, Written VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VII], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VII], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [Elemental Magic I], [Lesser Firebolt I], [Burst of Flames I], [Flametouch I], [Mist I], [Ball of Water I], [Waterbreath I], [Float I], [Move I], [Suppress Smell I], [Earthen Shield I], [Dirt Pellet I], and [Remove Footprints I].
There were also some updates on the field of equipment - including some new outfits. The [Tribal Skirmisher Armor] was, in fact, the first outfit that could be considered an armor, which made its acquisition a great boon to the Dungeon.
No, Izuku isn¡¯t going to thank Shigaraki for extorting it out of Yla, even if she really had it coming.
Himiko had enough free points to be able to equip it. All that Izuku had to do was to make a quick change to her character profile and voila - she was wearing the armor already. Letting Izuku and Ochako see how she looked in it.
This leather armor was so exquisitely crafted that when worn by someone it looked downright skintight . Legs were covered by what looked like thick (but still somewhat flexible) thigh-highs. Yes, it was probably unsurprising that Ochako¡¯s first response to seeing her in the armor was to step forward, lock their lips and immediately check just how flexible the lowest part of the leather armor was.
The part under her belt.
It wasn¡¯t very flexible but Ochako didn¡¯t let that stop her.
All of that while Izuku was seeing all of that while in his immaterial form, being torn between being indescribably embarrassed and wanting to look away¡ and feeling some really strange things stir inside him that made him keep watching.
And, in fact, look for a better angle.
He has no idea what his mom or his d¡ All Might would say if they saw him act like this. Then again, there¡¯s a reason why certain things are kept in your bedroom, right? And Himiko was kind enough to promise them that she wouldn''t do anything really weird while in public.
And so it was alright. Right?
¡°Sorry for that.¡± Uraraka says as she pulls back, grinning wryly at Himiko. Who was blushing furiously at what just happened. ¡°Your new armor really¡ exacerbates your looks. I love it.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even know what exacerbates mean, but it sounds so hot.¡± Himiko replies before rubbing the top of her head into Uraraka¡¯s chin while purring loudly. Uraraka wisely decides that it¡¯s not the right time to educate her girlfriend about the meaning of the word and instead just scratches her head and back some more.
After some consideration, Izuku realizes what was going on. Ochako realized that there was no saving her public image after throwing Himiko over her shoulder and carrying her to her bedroom in front of everyone else. And since there was no way back¡
¡ she could as well go ¡®fuck it¡¯ and embrace her new self completely.
How exactly Izuku is going to survive that remains to be seen. Thankfully no one in his family ever had any blood pressure issues, so maybe his poor veins will survive seeing those two act like this.
W-well, I don¡¯t want to interrupt you, but¡ there¡¯s technically another outfit that one of you might, errr, want to try on.
It¡¯s just a bit, errr, special.
It¡¯s called [Tribal Berserker Outfit] and it¡¯s for Ochako.
¡°Berserker, huh.¡± Uraraka replies, looking and sounding intrigued. ¡°Despite having that as my class, I don¡¯t think that I¡¯d go so far as to refer to myself as¡¡± She sighs. ¡°With Bloodrage I really am a berserker, aren¡¯t I? Alright, show it to me.¡±
I think you should change in another room.
I want to see Himiko¡¯s reaction to it.
And, errr, see the results at the same time as she does.
¡°Well, if my expectations weren¡¯t high earlier, they¡¯re definitely high now.¡± Uraraka replies cheerfully. ¡°Alright then! Wait here.¡±
She then leaves the room and enters their little armory/wardrobe room. Himiko takes advantage of that to speak to him.
¡°Izukun, what is it about?¡± She asks. Despite trying to ask about it calmly, she¡¯s definitely looking forward to it. With very excited anticipation.
¡ wait for it.
You¡¯ll love it, I promise.
¡°That¡¯s all I need!¡± Himiko grins. ¡°I trust you.¡±
And her trust isn¡¯t misplaced. Because when Ochako steps out of their changing room, the clothes that she wears are limited to a combination between a belt and a loincloth, a pair of fur gloves, a reddish cape with a small fur collar¡ and a fur bra.
Despite doing his best, Izuku can¡¯t find a better way to describe it than a ¡®fur bra¡¯.
Her stomach (with some visible abs) is entirely exposed, and so are her bicepses. Needless to say, Himiko¡¯s initial reaction to the sight is a loud squeal before she starts to drool.
Yeah. Izuku can relate to that. If there was ever a sight to make someone drool, it was the one in front of him.
¡°Well I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a very¡ protective equipment.¡± Uraraka says before winking at Himiko. ¡°But neither are the clothes I¡¯m usually wearing, and I don¡¯t have enough points for the armor. And I think that nothing screams ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡¯ and ¡®you¡¯re nothing to me!¡¯ more than charging an enemy in clothes like this, am I right?¡±
¡°Y-yes.¡± Himiko replies, still completely entranced by the sight in front of her. Izuku is ready to bet something quite valuable that she didn¡¯t even hear Ochako.
Then again, whatever horny headspace she was in right now, it was a perfectly reasonable reaction to Ochako in that outfit. Or so Izuku thinks.
I¡¯d prefer you in proper armor.
Because I don¡¯t like seeing you get hurt.
¡°I prefer seeing the bad guys get hurt too.¡± Uraraka grins even wider. ¡°Going past the AML limit is a bitch, and there¡¯s no going around that, so let¡¯s stick with what works, alright? Besides, all jokes aside, the bra and the gloves seem to be made from a pretty thick leather. It¡¯s better than wearing normal clothes, even if not by far.¡±
And you also enjoy the looks that Himiko is giving you, and are ready to look for a justification to keep wearing it.
¡°Obviously!¡± Uraraka replies before chuckling. ¡°Yeah, that too. But you¡¯re fine with that, right, Himiko?¡±
¡°Y-yes.¡± Himiko replies. Her eyes were still absolutely glued to Uraraka and Izuku is almost certain that once again she didn¡¯t hear Ochako, she just reacted unconsciously to hearing her own name.
She was probably too busy engrossing herself in some really, really kinky daydream involving herself, Ochako in her new clothes and Izuku.
***
You know that picture has to be here, don''t you? :v
Imagine this but it''s Uraraka''s face up there.
38: New People, New Information
In the end, they¡¯ve decided to wait until they have enough mana to create everyone at once, instead of bringing them one after another. It was best to have that talk once and have them all get over it together.
That and, well, Izuku just doesn¡¯t feel like explaining where they are and how it all happened so many times. It¡¯s bad enough that they¡¯ll have to do that again a hundred more times in the future.
It took them more than a day to fill up their mana storage, and even that only because they were already mostly filled before that. And they simply don¡¯t have enough of the residual mana capacity for Shigaraki and Midoriya to be a part of the talk physically.
They use their powers and suddenly their Throne Room is filled with people. On one side, Uraraka and Toga in their new outfits alongside Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, Monoma and Spinner.
On the other side, Reiko Yanagi in her black robes, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu looking even more similar to Kirishima than usual (thanks to matching clothes and ogre physique), Ashido who grew to almost two meters of height, Tokage with her brand new pair of wolf ears and a tail, Mr. Compress (nearly unrecognizable without his signature outfit) and Kaminari Denki.
Who just looked confused. Then again, Kaminari always looked confused.
¡°Ah! Villains!¡± Ashido reacts first, noticing Toga and Spinner in front of her, only to freeze a second later when she saw Kirishima stand right next to the latter. Looking similar yet different to her memories. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on? Kiri, since when are you so¡ errr¡ horny? And why is everyone so stra¡ aah!¡±
It¡¯s at this point that she realizes that she, too, is horny. Much more than she used to be. Her initial reaction to this was to grab her horns and use her hands to figure out just how large they were exactly.
The others didn¡¯t speak before her, likely because they were a bit too busy with the things they were holding in their own hands. Ashido had the advantage of having empty hands. So did Kaminari, but¡
Kaminari did the usual Kaminari thing and remained confused. His initial reaction was to wave to the group in front of him before realizing that Toga and Spinner were there, which made him even more confused, but also on his guard.
¡°Huh.¡± Yanagi¡¯s reaction is much more restrained. She just looks at the staff in her hands before raising her eyes to look at the group in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
Mr. Compress looks at Spinner, who nods back. He then relaxes visibly, reassured that this wasn¡¯t a hero trap or something like that.
¡°Uhm, guys?¡± Setsuna speaks next. ¡°Why do I have big ears on top of my head?¡±
That was going to be an interesting talk, that¡¯s for sure.
***
Discovering that you¡¯re a copy of whom you remember yourself to be, spirited away to a fantasy world by an insane god to be a part of their nonsensical scheme is something that everyone reacts to differently.
There is always a denial phase, which is when they look for logical alternatives to what they were just told. Like, say, all of it being a wacky dream. There is also at least one person who suspects it all to be a scheme of some mind-controlling villain.
Eventually, however, everyone has no other choice but to face reality. And they do so rather quickly. They lived in the era of the supernatural, after all. Star and Stripe could probably send someone into another universe, if she fancied that and was ready to deal with the murder accusation.
Sure, it was outlandish. Sure, it was terrifying. But nothing was breathing down their necks with an intent to murder them, so they had the time to process the news and get used to what was now going to be their life.
Spinner has quickly took Mr. Compress aside to explain the situation to him, offering him the ability to steal from people in this universe (and how that was pretty much their job) in exchange for not going batshit insane.
This has made the talk between the hero students significantly less awkward. Toga was still there, but she and Uraraka were staying two or three meters away from the main group, which allowed the others to act as if Toga wasn¡¯t actually there.
¡°Alright.¡± Tokage says before taking a deep breath and then continuing. ¡°I think that I managed to process all of that. I really don¡¯t have any words to describe my own thoughts on the subject. This is¡ this is just damn crazy!¡±
¡°To say the least.¡± Yanagi says in her usual calm and almost emotionless voice. ¡°Good choice of class for me, Monoma-kun. I owe you one.¡±
¡°I knew you¡¯d love it.¡± Monoma replies while nodding back at her. ¡°Oh, by the way, Komori is here too. She¡¯s now living her dream as a spirit of a magical tree, some levels above us. All while maybe sulking a little over not being allowed to sing her enemies a song before the fight.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Yanagi lets out. She looks at the floor before her for a few seconds before raising her eyes to face Monoma again. ¡°I guess that she¡¯s doing well in her second life.¡±
¡°She does.¡± Monoma agrees with her. ¡°Almost disturbingly so. I wish I could say that it¡¯s because she became a daemon, but to be honest, I just don¡¯t know. She could as well just be like this from the start. Would explain a lot.¡±
Yanagi tilts her head a little.
¡°Are you sure that you shouldn¡¯t have stayed with the character class that you mentioned?¡± She asks. ¡°You know, the one that strengthens other people by making them angry. I think you¡¯d be a natural.¡±
Yaoyorozu mouths ¡®ouch¡¯ in the background. Ashido noticed that and responded to it with a giggle. Someone was definitely recovering from the existential dread as well.
¡°I¡¯m dying of laughter.¡± Monoma says dryly. This makes Tokage and Tetsutetsu chuckle. Making Monoma miserable (within reason, of course) seemed to be a 1-B thing.
¡°The only alternative to switching his class was to bring Yui Kodai as a hedge mage in his stead.¡± Yaoyorozu pitches in from the side. ¡°However, that was¡¡±
¡°No.¡± Yanagi says in her usual expressionless way, interrupting Yaoyorozu.
¡°Absolutely no.¡± Tokage shakes her head.
¡°THAT¡¯S A HORRIBLE IDEA!¡± Tetsutetsu speaks at his usual high volume.
¡ really?
¡°I¡¡± Yaoyorozu blurts while staring at them in confusion. ¡°I thought that Monoma-kun was pulling my leg when he vetoed that idea.¡±
¡°No, no he didn¡¯t.¡± Yanagi says, looking away from her. ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± She then repeats much quieter.
¡°Yui Kodai unleashed upon the world without laws.¡± Tokage shivers. ¡°No, just no . A thousand thanks to you for saving us from that, Monoma-kun. Whatever points you¡¯ve lost by antagonizing 1-A all the time, you have regained today. At least in my eyes.¡±
Monoma shakes his head at that but says nothing.
¡°THAT¡¯S A HORRIBLE IDEA!¡± Tetsutetsu says, repeating his earlier words.
¡
I¡¯m as curious as I¡¯m terrified
Let¡¯s just avoid the subject for now
I feel as if they¡¯d keel over and die if we kept digging into it right now
You actually noticed it?!
I¡¯M FUCKING LEARNING YOU PRICK
¡°Al¡right?¡± Yaoyorozu says slowly, before deciding to make a metaphorical step back. ¡°So, I know that it was a lot to swallow, but I have to ask. Are you alright? We need people ready to fight as soon as possible, especially if the Bloom¡¯s cult comes back soon.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t expect any problems with that.¡± Tokage replies. The looks she gets in response are mildly concerned, to put it mildly. She sighs. ¡°We can fight. We were trained to fight, and after the mess that the Training Camp was, I¡¯m ready to hazard a statement that we can work under pressure. When it comes to processing all the revelations, it¡¯ll take us a while to get over it. And even more time for us to start figuring out new goals and plans now that the others are, how should I put it¡¡±
¡°Tragically unavailable.¡± Yanagi pitches in.
¡°Tragically unavailable, yeah.¡± Tokage agrees with her. ¡°In short, we¡¯ll do fine, just¡ I don¡¯t know about the others, but I still wish to close my eyes and wake up in my bed.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not the only one.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs as a few people from the crowd nod. ¡°But I doubt it will happen. Although a part of me can¡¯t help but imagine all of us coming back to Earth just to meet our original selves, and all the chaos that it would cause.¡±
She had the self-control not to look at Uraraka and Toga when saying that, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about Kirishima. At least the glance was brief, but Uraraka still glared daggers at him for about two seconds.
Izuku himself can only wonder about the sheer amount of weirdness that his reappearance on Earth would cause. He would have to go there with the Dungeon as a whole, as that was pretty much his body now, right?
Nedzu would probably get worryingly excited over the prospect of having something that could top the robots and the whole Entrance Exam. Not to mention a combat training area that could easily reconfigure itself to remain ever-changing.
Shame that would never happen.
¡°I think it¡¯s cool.¡± Yanagi states. ¡°I¡¯m a necromancer now.¡± She glances at the staff in her hands one more time. ¡°Cool.¡±
What do you think are the chances of Yanagi becoming a devout worshiper of Nex?
100% once she learns of him
Guess we agree on that.
¡°So, what about you?¡± Yaoyorozu then looks at Kaminari and Ashido. The former was still confused, the latter strangely unreadable. ¡°You¡¯ve been oddly quiet the whole time.¡±
¡°I guess that I¡¯m fine too.¡± Ashido sighs. ¡°I only have a single problem. I don¡¯t like having villains around! Look, I get it, we¡¯re all in the same boat, but it¡¯s a lot for me to swallow and¡¡± She glances at Uraraka. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the last person whom I expected to tolerate Toga, much less get along with her!¡±
¡°Tolerate? Get along?¡± Uraraka raises an eyebrow. ¡°I think that you¡¯ve misunderstood something. I don¡¯t tolerate nor get along with her. This is something else.¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Ashido blinks at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Uraraka-san has gone a bit native.¡± Kirishima replies for Uraraka. ¡°It took me a while to come to this decision, but I believe that I can now confidently say that she did so in a very manly way.¡±
That gets him a toothy grin from Uraraka.
¡®What are you talking about, Kiri?¡± Ashido asks him before glancing at Uraraka. ¡°Sure, her choice of clothes has changed in a pretty interesting direction, but I don¡¯t see how that has¡¡±
Uraraka decides to leave nothing left to doubt and wraps her arm around Toga¡¯s shoulder before pulling her in just to quickly kiss her, Toga naturally - and enthusiastically - reciprocating.
All the newcomers are shocked speechless, with the sole exception of Kaminari. Who quietly spoke a single word, addressed likely to himself.
Said word was ¡®hot¡¯.
Ashido recovers from the shock first.
¡°No.¡± She says as she blinks at Uraraka a few times, as if hoping that it would make the hallucination in front of her dissolve. ¡°No! This is unholy! This is wrong! You¡¯re not allowed to do that!¡±
¡
¡what?
Kirishima coughs loudly into his hand, interrupting the resulting silence and getting Ashido to look at him.
¡°Wording, please.¡± He then quickly says. ¡°They might get the wrong idea.¡±
¡°Wrong id¡ Oh!¡± Ashido realizes what he meant almost immediately. ¡°It¡¯s not about them being girls, it¡¯s about this relationship not being on my 1-A and 1-B shipping chart! It¡¯s thus non-canon! Uraraka-san is shipped with Midoriya-kun while Toga is shipped with a prison sentence! I refuse to accept anything else.¡±
¡°It¡¯s merely a small modification of your shipping chart.¡± Yaoyorozu says, her voice betraying just how exasperated she was by where the whole situation spiraled off into. ¡°As both Uraraka-san and Toga are in relationship with Midoriya-kun.¡±
Why are we even having this talk?
You had snuggles with two girls, now deal with the social consequences lol
I¡¯ll gladly deal with them, all while warming my heart with the knowledge that you¡¯ll never have to deal with them yourself.
¡
STOP BEING SO FUCKING SMUG ABOUT GETTING LAID
Nope.
This time the first person to react to what was just said was, oddly enough, Kaminari. He, once again, said the word ¡®hot¡¯ to himself. They¡¯re yet to inform him how much better a beastkin¡¯s sense of hearing was.
¡°That¡¯s¡ alright.¡± Ashido takes a deep breath all while taking in the new information. ¡°I didn¡¯t consider the IzuOchaToga as a possible ship due to Toga¡¯s bloodthirsty proclivities and Midori giving me the vibes of being too innocent to even consider such a thing, so I guess that one¡¯s on me for misinterpreting the people involved.¡±
Is there someone normal among you hero students?
That depends entirely on your definition of normal.
so the answer¡¯s no, okay
¡°I think that it¡¯s time to have this talk.¡± Kirishima nods to himself before slapping his cheeks for self-motivation and approaching Ashido. And then, when he¡¯s standing right in front of her, he speaks. ¡°Ashido-san, I have bad news for you. Your shipping chart is fundamentally flawed and thus non-canon.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Ashido recoils back as if she just received a physical blow. ¡°This cannot be!¡±
Stolen novel; please report.
¡°Are they making fun of us or not?¡± Monoma quietly asks Yaoyorozu in the background.
¡°I have absolutely no idea.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, her face betraying the severe confusion she was in as she observed one of the weirdest and least expected exchanges in the history of 1-A.
¡°It can be.¡± Kirishima nods with an extremely serious look on his face. ¡°Ashido-san, I need to tell you something truly, truly terrible. And I can¡¯t apologize enough for not being manly enough to confront you about it earlier. Even if I did because I didn¡¯t want to see you sad, it was still incredibly unmanly for me.¡±
¡°W-what are you talking about?¡± Ashido takes one more step back, looking at Kirishima with genuine fear on her face.
¡°Ashido-san.¡± Kirishima looks straight into her eyes while holding her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m not gay.¡±
what the actual fuck
I¡ don¡¯t know?
What should have been a quick and largely inconsequential statement seemed to have sent Ashido into a state of severe shock. She stared at Kirishima wide-eyed and slackjawed for about four seconds before her mind rebooted. ¡°No!¡± She stammers out. ¡°No, it cannot be! You¡¯re gay! You were always gay! I¡ I even had Satou bake you a cake on the first of June! It was all rainbow!¡±
¡°I know.¡± Kirishima nods with a pained look on his face, still holding Ashido to stop her from trying to run away. Or from slamming her head into the floor after fainting. ¡°It was delicious. And your idea to have Satou decorate it with protein powder was a stroke of genius. But you haven¡¯t told me what you meant by it, and I was so much of a dumbass that I didn¡¯t realize the implications until Bakubro explained it to me.¡±
¡°No, no, no!¡± Ashido is still in denial. ¡°This isn¡¯t possible, I¡ I shipped you with Bakugou for a reason! You had such great chemistry together and¡ and I did my best to help you spend as much time together as possible! To give you two a push that you needed to realize your feelings for each other!¡±
¡°Bakugou-kun is gay.¡± Kirishima replies calmly. That information is news to Izuku, who really isn¡¯t sure what to think about it. ¡°But I¡¯m not. And I thought that you were simply being friendly towards both of us. I thought that it was super manly of you, and learning the real reasoning behind it didn¡¯t change my mind.¡±
¡°B-b-but when Aizawa told us how everyone involved with the Kamino Rescue Squad should have been expelled, he had Kaminari-kun go past his wattage limit so that his moronic babbling would distract everyone! Just so that he could give you back the money for the night vision goggles you bought during the mission without anyone noticing it!¡± Ashido then replies. This time Izuku is surprised for a different reason - he didn¡¯t notice any of that! ¡°All of that because you looked down!¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Kirishima nods again. ¡°Like a best friend would. And while it¡¯s kinda unmanly to think that a man needs romantic feelings for their fellow man to be nice to them, it¡¯s Bakubro we¡¯re talking about so I understand.¡±
Did he just diss your ¡®childhood friend¡¯
No.
He proved that he knows him well.
¡°No!¡± Ashido refuses to back down, searching for anything, anything that would validate both her very existence and her shipping chart. ¡°You went to the I-Island together! You even slept in one bed!¡±
¡°Well, yes.¡± Kirishima pulls one of his hands away from her shoulder just to scratch the side of his head nervously. ¡°But that¡¯s because neither of our families are wealthy enough to get us such a visit and make it all-inclusive. We were just trying to save some money. And, uhm, you didn¡¯t think that we had done anything in that bed, right?¡±
The blush that blooms on Ashido¡¯s face tells Izuku everything that he needed to know about that. Yes. Yes, she thought that something has happened there. Izuku has no idea what to think about it, so he elects to throw it out of his memory.
¡°My life!¡± Ashido slumps onto her knees, Kirishima letting her go while making sure that she wasn¡¯t all-around collapsing, just acting. ¡°It has been a lie! All of it!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ashido-san.¡± Kirishima replies immediately while helping her stand up. ¡°It might have been a lie, and your shipping chart was never truly valid. But it¡¯s a new world. You can make a new shipping chart. And there are so many more people to involve in it!¡±
please don¡¯t involve me in it
You really think that anyone would want to be involved with you?
One day I¡¯m going to prove you wrong, and then I¡¯ll laugh at the memory of this sentence
Riiiight.
¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Ashido stands up, her mood changing almost instantly. ¡°You¡¯re so right, Kiri! I¡¯m going to make the most detailed, most insane and yet the most correct shipping chart ever! I¡¯ll help everyone, everyone find the love they deserve!¡±
In your case the challenge isn¡¯t to find the love you deserve, it¡¯s finding someone who deserves the punishment that is you.
Now you¡¯re just being mean
I know.
And you¡¯re going to regret that in a minute
Huh?
¡°That¡¯s the spirit, Ashido-san.¡± Kirishima nods with a wide smile on his face. ¡°This is you at your manliest, always doing your best to make everyone happy! If you need my help, just ask, okay? I feel kind of bad about not telling you the truth earlier.¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Ashido grins back at him. ¡°I¡¯ll go Plus Ultra on that! And thank you for coming out, errr, in reverse! Admitting that I was mistaken about you the whole time required some balls. Manly!¡±
¡°A bit.¡± Kirishima nods once again. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want you to feel bad about the whole thing, and I didn¡¯t know how to break the news to you. It¡¯s a weight off my shoulder, truly! I promised myself that I¡¯d have that talk with you the moment you come to life.¡±
I¡¯m the most emotionally stunted and romantically disinterested person in this fucking room
And even I can clearly see that all your attempts to ship him with the Bakubrat made him fall in love with you and that¡¯s why admitting all that emotional fucking bullshit was so much of a problem to him
Get a room so that we can all move over to something constructive
The room went dead silent after his words, Kirishima and Ashido staring at each other in total shock as both of them began to rapidly blush. Which makes Izuku realize something terrible.
Not only did Shigaraki correctly read two people he barely ever interacted with (and that Izuku failed to read despite spending much more time with them around), he also managed to successfully retaliate to Izuku¡¯s own attacks.
Shigaraki was learning. And that was terrifying.
I can¡¯t believe what you just did.
blasted you back by messing up with your classmates all while saving them a few weeks of tiptoeing around the subject as if they were characters in some stupid slowburn romcom
No, you butted into someone¡¯s love life unpromted, making them - if they end up getting together - forever remember that it was you who made them get together.
You¡¯ve tainted their memories of this day by being in the picture.
I assure you that it was all my intention all along and that making them suffer is just a bonus reward to me
I have to be on a lookout to mess up with you hero students some more
Each time something like this happens, I know that I shouldn''t expect anything more from you, and yet you still manage to disappoint me each time with what an awful person you are.
fuck you
¡°Alright, so I guess we should move all of that elsewhere and finish the talk here instead of standing in the middle of an empty room.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to quickly change the subject. ¡°We should also have you test all your new skills before we¡¯ll make any plans that include you fighting anyone. Uraraka-san?¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Uraraka raises her arm in a triumphant salute. Naturally, she raises the one that didn¡¯t have Himiko wrapped around it. ¡°Onwards, to adventure!¡±
She probably didn¡¯t like Yaoyorozu usurping the decision making in the party, but immediately decided that everything is better than staying around and dealing with any of the lovey-dovey stuff in front of her.
***
They spent the rest of the day figuring out their combat skills. And yes, Mr. Compress is there as well. And yes, Kirishima and Ashido spend most of this time unable to even look in each other¡¯s direction, for obvious reasons.
Shigaraki has made everything super awkward. And, naturally, was enjoying that fact immensely, to Izuku¡¯s consistent suffering.
The rest of the evening was composed mostly of people picking up their quarters. The first five apartments belonged to (from left to right): Spinner, Monoma, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu and, finally, the trio of Izuku, Himiko and Ochako.
The second row of five apartments now belonged to Mr. Compress, Yanagi, Tokage, Tetsutetsu, Kaminari and, finally, Ashido. With this, they¡¯ve managed to fit everyone inside!
Actually, no. No, they didn¡¯t. They had one person too many in the second row and that promised them further mana spending, which made Shigaraki grumble something about wasting resources on useless things.
¡°I¡ uhm¡¡± Ashido looks to the side, clearly not knowing how to say it while being painfully aware that saying the same thing while facing any of them would be undescribably awkward. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind¡ sleeping on the couch, somewhere else you know. It feels like¡ it feels as if getting you to make me a separate house right now would just waste more p-points and¡¡±
¡°T-that sounds like a b-bad thing.¡± Kirishima interrupts her before immediately freaking out and looking elsewhere. ¡°T-that¡¯s not how you should b-be l-living. Thus I t-think that I s-should prove m-my manliness and be the o-one to sleep on the c-couch.¡± He flinches as he realizes something. ¡°That¡¯s i-if you wanted to l-live together with me that is! I-I¡¯ll understand if you d-don¡¯t.¡±
¡°You l-lived here before me.¡± Ashido replies quickly. ¡°I w-wouldn¡¯t want to intrude.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t!¡± Kirishima says before she can continue, only to immediately freak out a little bit. ¡°I mean¡ you wouldn¡¯t i-intrude at all! In fact, I invite you to¡ errr¡ I mean, i-i-if you w-want to¡¡± Kirishima then has a meltdown when he realizes that he all but invited her to live with him.
Setsuna Tokage facepalms loudly in the background.
¡°Just move in together and figure out who sleeps where on your own.¡± Uraraka sighs, having clearly had enough of it. Then again, she isn¡¯t alone in that sentiment.
Thankfully, they listen to her. If they spend a few hours in the same apartment, they should be able to start speaking to each other properly and maybe, just maybe they¡¯ll manage to come to some decisions.
Judging from the fact that they weren¡¯t freaking out even nearly as much on the next day and have officially announced that they were now dating, the problem was properly solved.
***
¡°I believe that we¡¯ve read enough of the documents and books that we¡¯ve taken from the Northern Wind¡¯ facility to have a talk about it.¡± Monoma announces the next day. He and Yaoyorozu were in the [Library], which was definitely their little kingdom by now.
Before that, let me ask a question.
Yaoyorozu-san, please be honest with me.
Have you slept tonight?
¡°No, no I didn¡¯t.¡± She replies. She was sitting by the desk right next to Monoma¡¯s, with a pile of books on it. One of them was lying on the desk right in front of her. ¡°I do not need sleep, I need answers.¡±
¡°No questions about me? I¡¯m hurt.¡± Monoma comments, just to get a tired stare from Yaoyorozu. ¡°Alright, alright, go on. Unless you want me to go first?
¡°Do it, I can wait.¡± Yaoyorozu replies.
¡°Mhm.¡± Monoma hums. ¡°I¡¯ve skimmed through the documents I¡¯ve brought with us from the Northern Wind laboratory. If you expect me to provide you with the answers to all your questions, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be disappointed.¡±
That bad?
¡°Whatever organization Northern Wind is, they understand the basics of information security.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°The level closest to the surface was likely off-limits for anything truly confidential. The documents I found mostly speak of material deliveries, work schedules and similarly mundane matters.¡±
¡°Oh, they did.¡± Monoma waves his hand. ¡°They¡¯ve been moving a lot of laboratory equipment and chemicals into the facility. If I were to guess what they were up to down there, I¡¯d say biochemistry. And rather advanced one, maybe even more than we imagine seeing the amount of words I didn¡¯t recognize. I didn¡¯t find a full employee ledger, but from bits and pieces I gathered that there were about fifty people working down there. That¡¯s pretty much all.¡±
We¡¯ll have to ask the locals what the Northern Wind is exactly, but that¡¯s still progress.
Thank you!
Is that all?
¡°From me, yes.¡± Monoma replies before glancing at Yaoyorozu. ¡°From us, no. Go on.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Yaoyorozu replies before putting her hand on the book in front of her. ¡°This book happens to be something akin to an atlas of species and subspecies inhabiting this world. Sapient ones, to be clear. It lists the basic information on each of them, including a short historical blurb about their origins, a list of their common biological traits, an anatomical chart of their internal organs and, in case of more populous species and subspecies, a distribution map showing where they live.¡±
This is a very big book
Just how many species and subspecies are there?
¡°A lot.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Each of the beastkin subspecies has not one but four entries, for their Telyan, Karadian, Khardic and Menorian variants. Second most internally split species is elves, who have forty-seven different subspecies. In short, we¡¯re not going to run out of unlocks anytime soon, even if more than half of the species and subspecies are either extinct or exist in such a distant place that we¡¯ll likely never meet them.¡±
Forty-seven?
Looks like it¡¯s an every dwarves-lover nightmare
Awesome
What do you have against dwarves?
Nothing
I just like it when people are pissed off and disappointed
Of course you do.
¡°I¡¯m still reading this book, and yet I already learned a few things.¡± Yaoyorozu continues her lecture. ¡°The first thing is about the stone elves. The author of this book appears adamant that their civilization exists entirely underground, in some giant underworld called the Labyrinth.¡±
FUCK
YES
Underdark found!
They truly did dig too shallow in that mine
kek
Sigh.
¡°Shigaraki is¡ being very much himself, but he has a point.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. She still didn¡¯t seem to like speaking his name aloud. Probably because it reminded her of who she was dealing with. ¡°We don''t know how large that mine is, but it¡¯s extremely likely that it leads to a treasure trove of underground biomes. There is also another subject, one much more¡ interesting. And it¡¯s about the place where we landed ourselves in this world.¡±
Where is it
¡°In Europe.¡± Yaoyorozu replies.
What?
I mean, I know that Europe is so far from us that it sometimes feels like another world, but¡
¡°No, literally.¡± Yaoyorozu cuts in while shaking her head, before she opens the book in front of her to the world map.
Or, to be exact, a map of a continent, one named Karadia.
Oh
That¡¯s
That¡¯s literally Europe
Okay
I genuinely didn¡¯t see that coming.
¡°There are differences.¡± Yaoyorozu corrects them. ¡°Some additional mountain ranges, some slightly different coastlines here and there, and some additional isles surrounding the British Isles. Including this one.¡± She points to a large island far to the west of the British Isles. ¡°This island is called Vestiria.¡±
Oh no
Please tell me
that we¡¯re not Brits
What?
Although the animalistic ways of the locals kind of fits, the fact that the beastkin didn¡¯t ask us about our breathing loicenses and didn¡¯t try to confiscate any sharp objects we have doesn¡¯t
¡°No, we¡¯re not.¡± Yaoyorozu replies ¡°In terms of culture and politics, Vestiria and Alvaena, which is the name for the country that occupies what was the British Isles in our world, are completely different countries.¡±
¡°What a relief.¡± Monoma states dryly in the background, only to be completely ignored.
Well, that¡¯s great
Anyway
Imagine being isekai¡¯d
and you¡¯re isekai¡¯d into Great Britain
That would suck hard
¡°Right.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs, clearly deciding that it was enough of interacting with Shigaraki ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m yet to find anything describing the political situation of this island, so we¡¯re still mostly in the dark. However I¡¯ve found out already that the beastkin of this land has arrived here from Telya. Which is a small continent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that didn¡¯t exist in our world. Long time ago but, to be honest, it seemed to be an all-out invasion, so I guess I can tell why the local elves and beastkin do not like each other very much.¡±
After seeing Elder Anaya just a few times I can already tell that if this is the sort of people that invaded this island, I¡¯m ready to risk a thesis that the invasion was, errr¡
An absolute fuckcluster of madness?
Vulgar, but more or less summarizes what I have in my head, yes.
¡°Can¡¯t say anything about it thus far.¡± Yaoyorozu shrugs. ¡°But it seems that today northern Vestiria is held by the beastkin while the rest is primarily elven. Or, to be exact, primarily White Elven. Humans are the dominant species of Karadia, but they¡¯re mostly living on the continent. Though if the words of the elder about the ¡®Grand Empire¡¯ are anything to go by, Vestiria as a whole is a part of the human empire. A part or perhaps more like a vassal or client state? I¡¯m yet to get into politics, and in fact I¡¯ve barely started reading this book. It¡¯s very¡ lengthy. Although well written.¡±
I see.
Anything else you can add?
¡°This map is of incredible quality.¡± Yaoyorozu comments. ¡°This is something that you could find in a geographic atlas in our world, at least considering how its projection resembles modern maps that were made with the help of satellite imagining.¡± She then shrugs. ¡°I think that¡¯s all thus far. And yes, I¡¯m planning to update everyone else about those discoveries today.¡±
***
World map, although only a part of the world and only political version of it.
Vestiria is the group of isles that are to the northwest of Spain and west of Britain.
39: Putting the Dogs Down
Izuku expected a variety of reactions to the discovery that they were in a Fantasy Europe. Shock? Disbelief? Thinking it¡¯s wild? Suspicions that this world is actually Earth but in a distant, post-quirk apocalypse future?
What he got instead was disinterest. Reactions ranging from ¡®oh, cool¡¯ to ¡®mhm, so what?¡¯. The news wasn''t as groundbreaking as he expected, especially as Yaoyorozu had nothing to say about local Japan other than that it existed.
Besides, what were the chances of being able to reach a place on the opposite end of the world with all those horrible creatures prowling the countryside, not to mention daemon, gods and whatnot?
Zero. And what if Dungeon could only maintain connection at a limited distance, meaning that if they died somewhere in Asia, that would be the end of them? Could they hope to ever be strong enough to manage to travel almost the entire length of a fantasy world, through entire continents¡¯ worth of foreign magic and many foreign civilizations that might be unwelcoming towards outsiders?
Probably not. Making the entire discovery into a passing curio at best.
What occupied everyone¡¯s minds much more than that was their first joint expedition, with the Elven Mine being its chosen destination. The only people that were missing out on it were Komori, since they decided that having someone to defend the Dungeon could be wise, and Spinner, who already went on a solo scouting mission.
They departed there the next morning, their new party members getting to see the surface of their new world for the first time. To some mixed feelings, most of which were summarized briefly by Ashido.
¡°That¡¯s¡ that¡¯s some forested mountains.¡± She says with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve expected something with a bit more oomph from a fantasy world, you know?¡±
¡°Like what?¡± Uraraka asks.
¡°Dunno.¡± Ashido tilts her head while staring at the nearest mountain. ¡°Floating isles or something? My grandparents live in a small mountain village in K¨shin''etsu, and my parents took me there a few times. This place looks similar.¡±
¡°Maybe there are things that you don¡¯t know about your grandparents?¡± Tokage pitches in from the side, Ashido turning her head to face her. ¡°Like, what if they were secretly wizards all along?¡±
¡°Pffft.¡± Ashido chuckles. ¡°Yeah, and their magic was summoning sweets and tasty snacks whenever their granddaughter came to visit. Secret magical arts of all the elderly people I know.¡±
The second interesting event of the journey happened around the time when they were crossing the river.
¡°Uhm, am I supposed to be worried?¡± Mr. Compress asks as he gets past the deepest part of the river, the water now reaching up to knees at best, and turns his head around to see most of the others staring at him from the other side of the river. ¡°Is there some horrible magical monster in the forest in front of me and you¡¯re all waiting to see if it¡¯ll eat me?¡±
¡°No, no!¡± Uraraka shouts back while waving at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯re coming.¡± She then turns her head towards Himiko just as the others start to waddle through the water. ¡°You know, I thought that your aversion to water is a cat person trait, but he seems to be doing fine with it.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be a dummy!¡± Himiko pouts. ¡°Shiggy told you all that I was like this before becoming a catkin. You could say that I was always part cat but only on the inside, and now I also have looks to match!¡±
¡°Always a cat, huh.¡± Uraraka smiles. ¡°I think I can see that.¡±
Moody, would play with her food, sweet but will still bite and scratch you the moment you don¡¯t act like she wanted you to (and if you do, this might still happen), yeah, I can see that too.
Himiko pouts a bit harder before responding. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m also lazy and think that I deserve scratches and attention merely for being myself, don¡¯t forget about that!¡±
Pfft.
I¡¯d never!
Uraraka sighs with a wry smile on her face¡ before having an idea. It kind of fit the moment, and there was no one looking at them as everyone was busy crossing the river or preparing to do so. So¡ why not?
She quickly steps behind Himiko, the girl trying to turn her head around to look at what she was doing, but before she could do so, Uraraka bites her in the back of her neck.
Well, ¡®bite¡¯ in this case is something of a misnomer, she didn¡¯t try to bite through the skin, just hold her in place with her teeth by the neck. The results are exactly what she expected (and hoped for, as that¡¯d be hilarious).
Himiko freezes abruptly, her muscles tensing, her tail shivering suddenly. Uraraka can hear something akin to a quiet ¡®hmmmmgh¡± coming out of her mouth. This lasts for about five seconds, which is when her curiosity is satisfied and Uraraka lets her go.
Himiko immediately turns around on her heels.
¡°W-what was that?!¡± She stammers, Uraraka deciding to give her a shit-eating grin. ¡°Hey!¡±
¡°A small test.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°When you hold a cat by the back of their neck, they¡¯ll usually freeze on the spot, because that¡¯s how mothers carry their young. Children have an instinctual response to tense their muscles to make themselves easier to carry when that happens. And so do you.¡± She grins. ¡°Truly a cat through and through.¡±
Izuku can practically see the gears turn in Himiko¡¯s head for a few seconds, before the catgirl grins.
¡°So what I¡¯m hearing¡¡± She speaks, her grin steadily growing wider and wider. ¡°... is that you want to be my mommy?¡±
¡°Eh?¡± Uraraka blinks at her. It takes her a few heartbeats to realize what Himiko meant, and even that mostly due to a loud ¡®pffft¡¯ from Izuku that she hears in her mind. ¡°Start running.¡±
Himiko immediately takes off, Uraraka pursuing her on the other side of the river before delivering a well-earned karate chop to the top of her head.
Some time later they arrive at the mine, do a quick inspection of its First Level to make sure that the spiders didn¡¯t come back while they were away before gathering up in front of the elevator shaft.
¡°Well.¡± Uraraka says while standing at the very edge and glancing down the shaft, before turning around to face the group. ¡°If my sense of hearing is anything to go by, I¡¯d say that the murderdoggos have left the area. Does anyone remember the plan?¡±
She gets a choir of ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®aye¡¯ in response. Lovely, that should work.
¡°Alright then.¡± She nods. ¡°Himiko, Compress, you start. We need reconnaissance down there. Once we¡¯re done, we¡¯re moving to the second step of the plan.¡±
I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d get so vicious with your enemies
some pro-hero trainees you are
They aren¡¯t humans, we¡¯re thus not legally bound by anything when it comes to how we treat them.
Ah yes, the famous heroic doctrine of ¡®it¡¯s not murder if we don¡¯t consider them people¡¯
Wow, aren¡¯t you an annoying one?
And also, the equally famous response of All Might to someone telling him in shock that the villains have spouses and children
¡°I know, they¡¯re next!¡±
Sigh.
I¡¯m just going to ignore you.
The second level of the mines didn¡¯t change a lot. The only thing of note was that not only their old corpses but also the corpses of the Cynocephalii were all gone. Mostly, that is.
When you looked up close you could see bits and pieces of the corpse left behind, Cynocephalii stripping bones clean of flesh before gnawing on the bones until nothing but a few scarce splinters of bones were left.
The creatures weren¡¯t here, but they were probably close enough to hear them if they were too loud. So, they had to prepare for it quietly.
***
What people often forgot was that the most important thing on the battlefield wasn¡¯t their personal strength, but the synergy between personal strength of multiple people. In this case, what defined the outcome of the battle was such a synergy between Neito Monoma, Momo Yaoyorozu and Kaminari Denki.
In fact, it was hardly a battle. It was a massacre.
First they had Monoma and Yaoyorozu quietly climb down and start casting [Ball of Water]. Each of those spells created a substantial amount of water that Yaoyorozu calculated to be about ten liters.
And then, they just kept casting the spell, over and over again. In fact, it lasted for so long that the group that was waiting for them to finish set up a camp on the First Level, sitting around, talking and eating food (roasted meat, of course) that they¡¯ve reheated over an improvised campfire.
They set it up in the unfinished corridor with the exit to the surface, to make sure that the smoke had somewhere to go.
Tokage offered to run back and forth to the river with the water buckets, but with the distance between the mine and the river it was a bit too risky. If she run into more of the Rampant Bloom forces, that¡¯d be¡
Problematic.
In the end, they just wait for the elevator room on the Second Level to have its floor covered in water. They don¡¯t need it thick, it¡¯s pretty much just a wide puddle. And when it¡¯s finally done, they¡¯re ready.
¡°So, you want me to go all out?¡± Kaminari asks for confirmation after they start to climb down the shaft. ¡°Completely all out? No holds barred beatdown? Go bananas on their asses?¡±
¡°Absolutely.¡± Uraraka replies while giving him an encouraging slap on the back. ¡°Go show them what UA is capable of, and instill the fear of god and thunder in their hearts.¡±
And so, he does.
They all went down to the Second Level, before finding themselves a comfortable and safe spot on some of the more stable-looking crates. Monoma and Yaoyorozu made sure to keep them dry so that they would act as insulators.
And then, Uraraka howls.
¡°Hot damn, we can do that?!¡± Tokage responds to that first. ¡°That¡¯s kinda aweso¡¡±
All around them, they can hear Cynocephalii howl back, the echo of their howls forming a deafening cacophony of animal noises that continues to get closer and closer. And soon after that, first of the enraged and forever-starving dogheaded daemons (or maybe they were shard spirits?) storm the room before charging towards the nearest mortal.
Only for electricity to burst out of his arms as he casts [Electric Discharge] sorcery, unleashing massive amounts of electricity straight into the water pool that half of the room now was. With no less than twelve Cynocephalii standing in said pool at the time.
They tested the sorceries in practice before departure. The conclusion? Sorcerers were absolutely batshit broken. In more than one way, unfortunately.
Their sheer damage output was insane when compared to level one attack spells. Even Shigaraki was somewhat intimidated by the discovery of just how powerful the weakest AoE attacks were in an actual fantasy world, one without hit points to soak up the damage.
This single [Electric Discharge] incapacitated all twelve of the spirits that it hit. Even if it required hours of preparation to work in this particular environment, it was still batshit insane.
Especially as the preparations they¡¯ve made have only expanded the sorcery¡¯s effective range, doing nothing to amplify its firepower.
However, the problem with AoE spells was that Friendly Fire was set permanently on. And - which was the second way in which sorceries were broken - it wasn¡¯t a problem just for your allies and random bystanders.
It was, chief among all, a problem for the sorcerers themself.
Izuku was ready to guess that the most common cause of death for the sorcerers were the sorcerers themselves. Ashido actually proved it in the most gruesome way possible during their overnight training session by accidentally dissolving half of her head with acid, forcing them to respawn her.
In combat they were also a guaranteed target for every rogue and ranged fighter. And if they were forced to cast their sorceries repeatedly to ward them off, they were likely going to kill themselves.
Because the more sorceries they casted in short order, the stronger their attunement. And the stronger their attunement, the stronger their sorceries were¡ but also harder to control. Much harder to control.
That¡¯s how they temporarily lost Ashido. She casted [Acid Splash] five times in a row, only for the sixth attempt to misfire, making the sorcery fire in every direction at once, all while a part of said sorcery seemed to manifest within her mouth.
Gruesome. Extremely gruesome, and would likely traumatize her if not for the pain of lethal injuries being somewhat downscaled for people connected to the Dungeon. Instead it traumatized everyone else who happened to be there when it happened.
The attunement amplification mechanism was relevant at that moment for a simple reason. Because a few seconds after the twelve Cynocephalii were electrocuted, even more of their compatriots rushed into the room, jumping over the still twitching bodies of their companions.
Kaminari raises his hands above his head. They are briefly enveloped with electric discharge that connect them in an image of two tesla coils, before he swings them down, unleashing a second [Electric Discharge] into the pool before him.
If they were correct in their counting, this knocked out fifteen Cynocephalii. Most of them were knocked unconscious, suffered from eclectic and, in some cases, suffered from heart palpitations.
¡®Most of them¡¯ were knocked unconscious, because at this point Kaminari¡¯s electric attunement reached the point where [Electric Discharge] became potentially lethal. Some of the creatures of both the first and second wave were thus killed.
There were now so many corpses - or unconscious bodies twitching uncontrollably on the floor - that the third wave had problems getting past them. And despite that, more and more kept coming.
Kaminari timed his subsequent [Electric Discharge] to hit the enemy the moment the fastest of them were about to reach the nearest occupied crates, which was they placed their melee fighters.
Going by their past experiments, Kaminari had enough mana for five, maybe six more [Electric Discharges] before being out of the fight for about six hours that he needed to recharge.
They weren¡¯t sure about the exact numbers, because the faster the casting, the more powerful the attunement and through that, the more mana that was spent on the subsequent sorceries.
Still, he only had a limited amount of castings left, and a lot of Cynocephali left to kill. And once the dead ones piled up on the floor, their comrades would just run over them, and while bodies were a conductor, enough bodies on top of one another would at least slightly dampen the attack.
More importantly, there were now so many twitching or dead obstacles that the newly arriving Cynocephalii had to get past that there were only so many of them present in the killzone each time the [Electric Discharge] happened. And with the number of those limited, they simply had to let some of the Cynocephalii get past the killzone and engage them in combat if they wanted to score enough electricity-induced kills to win the day.
¡°Wow!¡± Tokage shouts as one of the creatures tries to sink its teeth into the top of her shield. She shatters its jaw with a [Shield Bash] a second later, before decapitating the creature with a [Lesser Slash]. ¡°They¡¯re kinda relentless, aren¡¯t they?!¡±
¡°YEAH!¡± Tetsutetsu shouts as he swings his log downward before bashing a Cynocephalii¡¯s head in. ¡°REMINDS ME OF THAT BLACK FRIDAY SALE IN HERO MERCH SHOP AFTER KAMINO!¡±
As a person who was there and almost had their arm broken by a stampede of enraged buyers, I regret to inform you that it was worse.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°YOU ALMOST BROKE YOUR ARM AGAIN?!¡± Uraraka yells before running her spear through another Cynocephalii, its pickaxe falling out of its hands right before she kicks him off her weapon. ¡°We¡¯re having that talk later!¡±
That was just a hyperbole!
Besides, those guys definitely looked worse than me afterward.
bruh
That was a joke.
riiight
Tokage disarms another Cynocephalii with her sword, shield bashing him backward into the pile of corpses just as Uraraka yells at Kaminari to do it now. A second later, another [Electric Discharge] massacres most of the Cynocephalii in the room, killing almost all of those who were already knocked out earlier.
The new ones have to climb over the corpses of their brethren, which doesn¡¯t seem to bother them at all. As they keep coming.
¡°This is so damn fun!¡± Uraraka laughs before taking a pickaxe blow on her shield. It was definitely damaged, but for now it was still holding. The Cynocephalii that attacked her learned of this the hard way, when she [Shield Bash]ed it in the face. ¡°And they just keep coming!¡±
¡°You¡¯re really into it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tokage replies while briefly glancing at Uraraka, before immediately returning her attention to the creature that was trying to jump at her from a pile of corpses nearby.
¡°You bet I am!¡± Uraraka shouts back. ¡°Fighting a horde that doesn¡¯t know what a retreat is and just keeps running at you, so you don¡¯t have to pursue them and can just keep fighting is FUN!¡± Another Cynocephalus swung a shovel at her, but she deftly sidestepped the blow before taking advantage of their height difference (she was standing on a crate) to kick it in the throat. ¡°I HOPE THERE''S A LOT OF YOU, SINCE I DON¡±T WANT IT TO BE A LETDOWN!¡±
could you like
bring her on a date after this or smth
and make her calm her ass
she¡¯s starting to scare me
That¡¯s just one more reason to let her act like that.
Although, I think she¡¯s just venting out the anger caused by words about me almost breaking my arm.
¡
you said that intentionally to rile her up, didn¡¯t you
¡ maybe.
I regret nothing.
¡°I think that it might be a good time to mention that some mines could be pretty large.¡± Yaoyorozu says all of a sudden. She was standing on another crate closer to the elevator, not doing anything just like most of their backliners. The fact that Izuku and Shigaraki immediately heard it despite observing the fight through eyes and ears of people quite far away from her told them immediately that they were the intended recipients of her words. ¡°Like, thousands of people large.¡±
Oh.
Well, we can only hope that this mine is much smaller than that.
I think that thousands of people is too much even for Ochako.
¡°HA, AS IF!¡± Uraraka cackles. A doghead tries to swing a pickaxe at her, but she thrusts her spear into its throat before it can finish the attack, ending the threat immediately.
well
She¡¯s definitely becoming a khornate berserker
just a horny one
and not in the ¡®horned helmet¡¯ way
I think I¡¯m starting to understand why Himiko thinks that people fighting and covered in blood are kinda attractive.
¡
are you fucking kidding me right now
W-wha?!
I mean
When it''s the blood of the bad guys! And the cause of the fight is just!
Only then!
¡
Do us all a favor and stay the same heroic asshole I hate, okay?
If you get influenced too much by Toga, I¡¯ll find it hard to hate you
and that would suck as I enjoy hating you
you¡¯re very hateable in general
¡
Goes both ways.
***
Thankfully, they ran out of Cynocephalii rather quickly. Rather than thousands that they feared, there were instead only a few dozens of them. Still, by the time the last one of them fell, their fighters were winded and partially covered in blood, Kirishima got bitten in the shoulder, and the room was absolutely filled with corpses.
Himiko wasn¡¯t even hiding that seeing Ochako winded and partially covered in blood (while also elated by her victory) made her feel a certain way. And Izuku found himself able to relate to that, which was extremely confusing to him.
Their casters didn¡¯t really get anything to do during the fight, with the exception of Kaminari. Who was completely spent out. He was sitting on a crate, looking completely exhausted and wrecked by small, uncontrollable muscle spasms caused by leftover electricity-attuned mana rampaging through his body.
Every few seconds they could see sparks of electricity jump between his fingers or some of his hair stand straight up due to static electricity. It took most of his willpower and concentration just to keep the vestiges of mana in him under control.
If he tried to cast another sorcery, he¡¯d definitely die. If someone as much as grabbed him all of a sudden and broke his concentration, he¡¯d likely die. It was going to take him a while to recover.
¡°While I can see some of us enjoying themselves greatly¡¡± Yaoyorozu says as she glances at Uraraka who took that moment to flex her biceps, shamelessly showing off in front of completely enchanted Toga. Which totally wasn¡¯t concerning at all. ¡°... but I think that it¡¯s time to face another challenge of the day. Namely the question of ¡®how are we going to bring all of those corpses back to the Dungeon?¡¯.
¡
Uraraka groans loudly. Everyone else in the room seems to be in agreement with her.
***
The plan that they end up agreeing on has them lift the corpses they¡¯ve piled up in the room to the level above, to avoid some wandering group of Cynocephalii running into their loot and eating it raw while they weren¡¯t there, as bringing them all back to the Dungeon would definitely require a number of trips back and forth.
All while making sure that all of the creatures were dead and counting them.
Result of said counting was sixty-seven Cynocephalii, including at least fifty that were killed by Kaminari¡¯s electricity. Needless to say, he was crowned the MVP of the fight, which left him satisfied if still completely exhausted.
¡°I have a rather gruesome question.¡± Tokage raises her hand a moment after they¡¯re all done counting the corpses. ¡°Do we have to bring their whole bodies or is it enough to just bring their heads? I mean, that¡¯s what¡¯s really supernatural about them, right?¡±
Ugh.
I asked Yaoyorozu about it earlier.
She claimed that Romans had a thing for taking human heads as trophies.
looking forward to what your girlfriend will do once she learns about it
Uuuuugh.
Enjoying fighting is one thing, collecting human heads as trophies or offerings is something else.
for now
Give her a month or two
I¡¯m looking forward to see you wriggle around trying to justify it
I assure you that I¡¯ll try to discourage that idea if it¡¯s even brought up.
that depends on whether she¡¯ll ask you when you¡¯re a disembodied consciousness or when she¡¯s in bed with you
and we both know it
¡
For the nth time, I do not consider snuggles to be a justification for everything.
for now
give yourself a month or two
¡°And that¡¯s a good question.¡± Uraraka scratches the side of her head as she glances towards the corpses lying on the floor. ¡°I think that we should carry as many of them as full corpses, but also bring one as just a head, to see if it will count as an unlock.¡±
¡°I¡¯d definitely make it easier on us.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with her. ¡°We should be able to carry all of them back to Dungeon in only two or three trips, instead of at least ten. But the real question is who is going to be the one to cut off one of their heads. And, well¡¡±
¡°... the rest of their heads if it works as intended.¡± Monoma finishes for her when it becomes clear that she doesn¡¯t like what she was talking about. At all. ¡°Any volunteers? Only a few dozen people to behead. Such a funny pastime.¡±
Silence for a few seconds. Eventually, Uraraka starts to open her mouth.
Are you sure about it?
Really, really sure?
Uraraka closes her mouth and ends up saying nothing.
¡°I have an idea.¡± Yanagi raises her hand. ¡°I think I know how to do that. And it should also help us with logistics, even let us leave someone to guard the corpses. But I¡¯m not so sure as to how you¡¯ll react to it.¡±
Monoma realizes what she meant before anyone else does.
¡°Go for it.¡± He says before sighing loudly. ¡°Realize your dreams. I¡¯ve seen you anxious to do that ever since you came to live, and I guess there¡¯s no point delaying it anymore.¡±
¡°Awesome.¡± Yanagi replies, somehow managing to look both emotionless and absolutely giddy with excitement. Then, before anyone can ask her or Monoma what¡¯s going, she points her staff at the nearest undamaged corpse (killed by electricity).
And a second later, the corpse suddenly twitches before going through what looks like a series of seizures. This makes everyone briefly freak out (Kaminari actually trips while taking a shocked step backward, but Kirishima grabs him before he falls) before they realize what was happening.
And shortly after, the corpse manages to stand up, staring at Yanagi wordlessly.
¡°I¡¯m a necromancer.¡± Yanagi grins back at it. ¡°This is so cool.¡±
desecrating a corpse is an offense punishable by up to three years in jail back in Japan
just saying
¡
How do you know that?
I¡¯ve memorized the entire criminal law of Japan
¡ why?
so that I could more efficiently break it obviously
¡
You know, I have the feeling that, by some inexplicable law of reality, every pro-hero has their own archnemesis among the villains.
All for One is that for All Might.
And you¡¯re for Iida.
Not you?
Not me.
¡°Nice!¡± Uraraka processes Yanagi¡¯s new achievement the fastest before coming to acceptance. ¡°You think that you can reanimate them all and have them walk back to the Dungeon?¡±
¡°No, no I can¡¯t.¡± Yanagi shakes her lightly. ¡°Not enough mana. Two, maybe three more. At least I don¡¯t think that I have to spend mana to maintain them. But¡¡± She glances briefly at Uraraka. ¡°Are you sure that the Dungeon will consider it a Cynocephali rather than a minor undead?¡±
¡°Ah, good point.¡± Uraraka decides. ¡°How about this, you¡¯ll resurrect two more of them. We¡¯ll have two of them stand guard here, while the third one will come with us, carrying the head of one more of them. So that we¡¯ll be able to tell if heads are enough and how undead assimilation works. Can it be done?¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Yanagi nods. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±
Really enjoying it, doesn¡¯t she?
Seems so to me.
Which is, uhm, fine with me?
We all need some new goals in life and hers is, errr, alright I guess?
Being a necromancer is alright?
It, errr, depends on what sort of creatures she reanimates.
three years in jail, Midoriya
How much does the jailtime has to grow before you stop justifying things when it¡¯s about your friends
Different world, different laws.
Keep telling yourself that
***
Their group departs from the elven mine some time later, before returning to the Dungeon late into evening. For the new group it was their foray into this foreign world, which was rapidly becoming something of a rite of passage for everyone brought to life.
Despite some of them not getting to do anything during this mission, aside from helping carry the corpses back home.
Still, they were there and saw the fight up close. And some of them had an opinion about it.
¡°Boss, can I be honest with you?¡± Mr. Compress says as he is finally free to head to his own room.
Yes
Yes, you always can
¡°For the first time in my life I¡¯m happy that laws exist.¡± Thief-turned-thief in another world says. ¡°Or that they existed back on Earth. Those kids would be absolutely terrifying if they weren¡¯t supposed to uphold it while fighting us. They aren¡¯t just unhinged, they¡¯re a completely empty door frame.¡±
First of all, you¡¯re 32 by biology but 16 by terms of your maturity
Stop calling them ¡®kids¡¯
Second of all, fucking yes
Kaminari was like ¡®holy heck, this is so cool¡¯ while electrocuting swarms of humanoid enemies to death
¡°Yep.¡± Mr. Compress nods. ¡°Perks of taking teenagers with powerful superpowers and telling them to fight people while they fundamentally lack the understanding of their own mortality and get a power trip out of it as a result. This is why Oji Harima wanted the pro-heroes to only start their training after college.¡±
And to achieve that he stole a bunch of shit, which he believed would make the natural superiority of his ideas obvious to the heroes.
Sigh
No one¡¯s normal around me.
Anyway
Gotta go annoy Midoriya, have fun resting
¡°Sure thing.¡± Mr. Compress nods again.
***
It turned out that the undead Cynocephalii did count as a Cynocephalii, however they suspected that it depended entirely on how long they were undead. And if such a corpse scurried around for days or weeks, it¡¯d eventually be read by the Dungeon as just an undead.
After all, there was a moment when decaying corpses stopped being able to give them any more skills or abilities. They just weren¡¯t sure when it happened.
For now, they¡¯ve managed to obtain twelve additional Cynocephalii. This list included the one that was brought back as only a head, meaning that they didn¡¯t have to bring the whole corpses.
And that sooner or later they¡¯d have to get used to beheading people and creatures that they¡¯ve killed.
¡°Awesome!¡± Uraraka grins when she learns it. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to bring back a bunch of those the next time we go there!¡± She then freezes for a moment, before her smile quickly fades. ¡°It¡¯s going to make us butcher more humanoid creatures, won¡¯t it?¡±
¡ yeah.
It¡¯s for a good cause, though.
And we can have Yanagi¡¯s undead do that for us.
¡°Yeah, I guess!¡± Uraraka recovers her mood a bit. ¡°At this point I just kind of wonder how long it will take me to decide to just¡ bring one of those heads as offerings. It¡¯s gruesome and¡ am I going too native? Be honest with me, Izuku.¡±
Izuku hated it whenever Shigaraki was right about something. And right now, he turned out to be much more right than he had any right to be. In fact, he said that it would take Ochako a month or two to approach this subject, instead of a few hours .
I¡¯m always honest with you, Ochako.
And the answer is ¡®definitely yes, at least on that one subject¡¯.
I do understand that it might be something as terrifying or gruesome for the locals as it is for us, and that there''ll be a moment in the future when we¡¯ll adapt to this place enough to perhaps do such a thing ourselves.
However, it¡¯s way too early to even consider that.
¡°Right, I guess.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°I¡¯m starting to understand Himiko¡¯s point of view about laws and rules of society more and more nowadays, really. Anyway, I¡¯ll just bring a pickaxe or something else that the doggies carried instead. Much less gruesome and¡ offering weapons of defeated enemies sounds like a Saevius thing, right?¡±
She was on the way to combat training with Tokage. Himiko wasn¡¯t there, for once - she was instead in their home, indulging in her side hobby of carving things out of bones. Proving to them all in the process that she did have interests that weren¡¯t horny.
Very good for her, by the way. They all deserved to have something to do in their free time, because honestly, a medieval world wasn¡¯t really strong on solitary entertainment to begin with.
I think so, Ochako.
I¡ kind of didn¡¯t mention it earlier but even if Kaminari stole the show, you were still awesome.
¡°H-heh.¡± Uraraka chuckles nervously, clearly embarrassed by the compliment. ¡°T-thank you, Izuku.¡±
They¡¯ve ended up unlocking a new [Lair], called the [Feeding Ground], which should allow them to house their Cynocephalii once they¡¯d be ready to settle them down in their Dungeon.
They¡¯ve also obtained a [Necromancer¡¯s Laboratory], which was another case of an utility-oriented room after the [Library].
Yanagi was going to love it, Izuku was certain of that. But she¡¯d love it in the future, as for now they simply didn¡¯t have a use for it. They weren¡¯t even sure what it could be used for! What would necromancers need a personalized laboratory for, anyway?
For now, they needed to take a quick rest before going back to the Elven Mine first thing in the morning in order to behead the rest of the Cynocephalii and, if possible, dismantle the smelter and bring it back too.
Yes, they didn¡¯t forget about it.
And once that would be all done, they¡¯d head deeper into the second level of the mine. To see what else was dwelling down there and whether they were strong enough to slay it and bring it back to the Dungeon.
40: Brotherhood
The logistical endeavor of moving the Cynocephali corpses back home continued on uninterrupted until they were about halfway through. Because that¡¯s when Shigaraki suddenly lost his mind.
Or, to be exact, a significant part of his mental faculties, which was bad as in Izuku¡¯s opinion he didn¡¯t have many of those to begin with. He was agitated, and extremely bad at communicating what was the problem, at least without using about three game metaphors each sentence.
Game metaphors that meant exactly nothing to Izuku. Who wasn¡¯t a gamer (with maybe an exception for some Hero Agency Sims).
Given no other choice, he decided that needs help.
Yaoyorozu-san, I need your help.
Shigaraki is acting more annoying than usual and I have no idea what it is about.
Could you please help me?
¡°I can definitely try.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, but it¡¯s clear from her tone of voice that she doesn¡¯t have high hopes in that field. Then again, if he¡¯s to be honest, neither did Izuku. ¡°Shigaraki, what is it?¡±
They were walking towards the mine at the time, Monoma close by with her, the two were busy talking about something they read in the books when Izuku interrupted them.
We were playing the wrong fucking game the whole time
This isn¡¯t an RPG/Dungeon Management game
This is an RPG/Dungeon Management/RTS mix
And that little shit Midoriya doesn¡¯t get it
¡°Uhm, could you please elaborate on this some more?¡± Yaoyorozu asks. It¡¯s clear that she, too, doesn¡¯t get it. Izuku feels vindicated in his own lack of understanding. If she didn¡¯t figure it out on the fly, no one (normal) would!
Have you ever played any of the old Total War game series?
¡°Yes.¡± Yaoyorozu replies immediately and without batting an eye. ¡°Mostly all three pre-quirk versions of the Shogun: Total War, but I¡¯ve also played the second Rome one. What about it?¡±
Wait really?
Wait, really?
¡°I think that I¡¯m allowed to have a hobby, even one that doesn¡¯t seem to fit my character very well.¡± Yaoyorozu appears vaguely insulted by their reaction. ¡°I always enjoyed conquering the world, you see.¡±
Monoma gives her a very concerned look from the side.
(-_- )
I, errr, don¡¯t know how to react to that discovery, so I¡¯ll do what I usually do with complicated issues in my life.
I¡¯ll ignore it until it suddenly crushes me under its weight.
And I¡¯ll be there to throw a few more rocks on top you so that you get squashed like a bug
Anyway
Have you played any of the Total War: Warhammer games?
¡°Yes, although rather briefly and¡¡± Yaoyorozu starts to reply before she almost trips. On her look, a shocked realization. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡ oh. Oh. It really is an RTS game in the making, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Fucking
Finally
Someone with a brain.
Yaoyorozu-san, could you please elaborate?
I don¡¯t exactly know what the games in question are about.
¡°Midoriya-kun, consider this.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, having clearly composed herself. ¡°Is there a single downside to clearing out this mine while having more people on our side?¡±
Well¡ not really? I mean, aside from logistics of feeding them all.
¡°After we finish moving the corpses from the mine to the Dungeon, you¡¯ll have sixty nine Cynocephali that you can order around.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Sixty-nine Cynocephalii that, if you make them manifest physically, will be able to leave the Dungeon.¡±
And now Izuku¡¯s brain finally connects the dots. And judging from the look on Monoma¡¯s face, he isn¡¯t the only one.
Those creatures might not be the strongest ones around, yes. And deploying them anywhere outside of the Dungeon would be a problem, as to avoid the same problem that once knocked out Uraraka so much they¡¯d need to provide them with some appropriate accommodations outside of the Dungeon.
And Izuku was ready to guess that they needed a lot of meat to not turn against each other or their handlers just so that they could eat them. Meaning that they¡¯d need to establish logistics for the entire operation, just like they¡¯d need if they were operating a real army.
We could just¡ spend some time and resources manifesting them physically and then guide them back to the mine, point at the lower level and tell them to go and kill everything that moves down there.
And if they die, it¡¯s only a temporary setback and a minor waste of resources.
Which we can almost immediately repeat.
¡°Precisely.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. ¡°I think that what Shigaraki was trying to convey to you is that Dungeons can easily balloon in strength to almost ridiculous proportions, with people like us used as field commanders for small armies of physically manifested spirits.¡±
And yes, now it really started to make sense to Izuku. They¡¯ve been thinking about themselves and this universe on a completely wrong scale. Most of the enemy forces that they would encounter would politely wait for them to reach them. There is no clearing an abandoned fortress room by room.
Any abandoned fortress inhabited by something spooky had to be assaulted with a small army, if not straight up besieged. And that required raw numbers. Even local adventurers - aside from super-badass ones - probably gathered up in dozens if not hundreds to do a proper sweep of some region or to combat a threat they found there.
The resources that they can obtain from us is just one part of the goods that the beastkin want to get from us
The bigger thing is probably the small armies that we¡¯ll be able to eventually lend them in exchange for some further stuff that they can give us and so on
¡°In hindsight, we should have realized that it worked like this earlier.¡± Yaoyorozu continues. ¡°The Occasa cult attacked us with a small army. And despite us being a very small and young Dungeon, they were wiped out. Do you want to guess how one attacks a more mature Dungeon?¡±
With an army.
If they want to kill it, that is.
As otherwise, they only have to deal with some random patrols and wandering creatures, which is enough to make it an economic boost to the area while also keeping things balanced, preventing sudden changes in value of things suddenly made much more common.
¡°Yes, it seems that the Dungeons are pretty well-designed to fit their own niche.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°But the thing is, for as long as we¡¯re ¡®civilized¡¯, the local civilization can easily obtain a vast array of ¡®mercenaries¡¯ in the form of spirits that the Dungeon has either recruited or subjugated.¡±
Now that Izuku thinks about it, he can imagine a city being built around the Dungeon¡¯s entrance. After all, getting a few hundred (or even thousands) of fighters flooding out of the Dungeon itself when someone is threatening it should definitely improve security.
Especially as you didn¡¯t need to feed, house or pay them. Within the Dungeon, they could live comfortably on just mana-filled air alone.
Of course, that help wouldn¡¯t happen because of the Dungeon being particularly generous. To them, such a city (or a village/town, depending on the development level) was a crucial part of their petty empire. They were alright with some of the people downright dying within their domain, for as long as the greater deal remained strong.
Especially with the Dungeon Lord being limited to staying within his domain, they would never be truly integrated with anything, only being able to interact with things outside of their confines through their servant proxies.
And they¡¯ve brought us the stuff we¡¯ve needed for Shrine of Saevius, to hopefully obtain some daemons of their big divine daddy
so that they can unleash them upon some losers and pretend that they¡¯ve summoned them themselves if someone asked
¡°Yes, that makes sense.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°And thus far, even if they asked, we could only provide a few dozen Cynocephalii. Hardly a valuable addition to one¡¯s army. But in the future? Things might change. They probably will.¡±
Which implies that they¡¯ll have to make even the upper Levels big. Then again, it made sense - it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any limit to that, right? The only limit they¡¯ve seen thus far was about placement of [Node Rooms].
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They could, theoretically, expand those levels into a truly gigantic size. Which would make it easier to do some larger scale mining for the outsiders. If they had the time, patience and Residual Mana to do it. For now, they didn¡¯t.
¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that eventually we¡¯ll graduate from operating like adventurer parties¡ and move over to acting like a small army?¡± Monoma decides to join the talk now that he finally digested the new perspective.
¡°I¡¯m not even sure how common ¡®adventurers¡¯ truly are.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°At least in the meaning of the term that we know from RPG games of our world. It¡¯s entirely possible that such small groups only deal in reconnaissance.¡±
Looks like Izuku figured that out before Yaoyorozu. Or maybe she was just yet to mention it. Huh.
You forget about that Salvia Aurelius person
the one that got to the lowest level of the largest Dungeon ever
It was either entirely civilized and lacked killzone or she brought in a giant army or she brought in a small party of one-man-armies
So I guess that the only option to go anywhere with like 5-6 folks in your party is to be absolutely godfucking broken and be able to massacre a small army by themselves
Good to know
And aren¡¯t we supposed to defeat such a group of people by ourselves?
Yeah
It¡¯s like trying to kill All Might again but you¡¯re on my side
¡
I hate you.
¡°Fair point.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°I guess we should have realized that from Yanagi-san being able to, theoretically, amass a small army of undead on her own. It¡¯s all a matter of the availability of corpses to her. They don¡¯t need maintenance after all.¡±
The real question is whether she can resurrect everything.
I just had a mental image of a giant army of undead deers emerging from the forests.
Or an army of undead squirrels coming down the trees in the middle of the night to bite your or wrists out.
Ugh.
¡°I believe that it requires a certain quality to the corpses.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°Did some testing and animals, at least normal ones, don¡¯t work. So it¡¯s either physically manifested spirits or mortals.¡±
Well, at least they know that much.
***
It takes them quite a lot of time to move all the corpses back to the Dungeon, even with their decision to indulge in some grizzly and gruesome decapitations and logistical necromancy (which was now an actual term for them, thus proving once again that their life was spiraling off in some weird direction ever since they landed in this world) just to accelerate the whole process.
There were just so many corpses to be moved.
And yet, the much bigger issue was moving the smelter, which required them to disassemble it bit by bit and then move over. And yes, as one can expect, the bulk of it was made of solid metal, because that¡¯s what you need to do to make a furnace.
In short, even with two ogres and two mages capable of using [Float] spells it was an absolute hell to move. In fact, it was so bad that they simply had to risk using the elevator, as otherwise there was no telling what could have potentially happened.
It was, in short, an absolute mess.
They were rewarded with unlocking [Metalworks], a brand new [Room] that like [Library] seemed to be a more ¡®utility¡¯ focused [Room]. Those didn¡¯t have a lot of uniqueness in their design, being pretty much a completely normal room of the Dungeon that could be more easily furnished.
They just knew where to put what to make it work. Look, it just did, alright? Being a Dungeon was pretty confusing and neither Izuku nor Tomura had a good way of describing a lot of it to people.
They could also put those smelters elsewhere, and they did seem to operate purely on mana from their surroundings. Or, to be exact, you were supposed to supply your own mana to make them work, but in a Dungeon they could operate freely.
Yaoyorozu was curious as to how they worked but also admitted that to figure out such things, they should have considered bringing in Hatsume.
However, none of them were quite ready to unleash Hatsume Mei upon a fantasy world filled with thousands of magical metals, alloys, crystals, chemicals and who knows what else.
And it also wasn¡¯t anything very time-sensitive, so they could ignore it for now.
And no, they didn¡¯t put the smelter anywhere close to the surface. They don¡¯t want the beastkin to ask questions about the origin of all that intriguing stuff that they didn¡¯t give to the Dungeon themselves.
At least for now.
It¡¯s also when Uraraka had a sudden moment of realization. She was just told that they were going to be playing an RTS game eventually, and that¡¯s when she realized that the beastkin whose skills they inherited must have been pretty much a regular grunt.
¡°I¡¯m a dumbass.¡± She downright facepalms. ¡°I just realized that the Lesser Thrust, the Barricade Shield and so on are too weak to be considered special moves. Lesser Thrust is literally just my default attack. I¡¯m not even supposed to be attacking enemies without it. Nor am I supposed to take attacks on my shield without Barricade Shield on.¡±
Well, it¡¯s¡ better late than never, right?
¡°Yeah.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°Yeah, I guess. I gotta go and find Tokage-san so that we can get some additional combat training with this new information in mind.¡±
***
The next step of their grand expansion plan involves another visit to the elven mine in order to look for more things to kill/unlock. After all, they might have gotten a lot out of it, but surely, there had to be more down there.
And so, they gather up and have their entire party depart, heading to the elven mine once more.
On a sidenote, they¡¯d really like to know the ¡®official¡¯ name for the mine so that they could stop calling it just ¡®the elven mine¡¯. This would get especially awkward if they ever find another elven mine, which would also be lacking its own name.
For now, they return to the mine, once again inspect it for potential signs of Rampant Bloom presence (they find none), and then they carefully descend to the lower level, finding themselves once more in the place of their past battle.
And then they head deeper into the mine.
Almost immediately they find themselves in another large room, with tightly locked large doors on the other side of it, with the minecart railway going under them. There were four side tunnels, two of them on every side wall, their position perfectly mirroring each other.
No signs of enemies. Then again, the enemies that were filling this room earlier were already a part of the Dungeon.
There were signs of life here and there. Signs of previous life, for the record. Some broken bones here and there, a whole pile of them close to the door. The Cynocephalii must have been feasting here.
They could see scratches on the door.
There was only one conclusion to be drawn from the situation.
Was someone¡ feeding them?
It looks so to me
Someone beyond those doors
And they probably know that their canine fiends were slain, so they¡¯re probably waiting for us
¡°Let¡¯s make sure that there¡¯s no one left in this area before we even approach those doors.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain that we¡¯ve cleared this area of creatures, so let¡¯s do it quickly. My party goes left, your party goes right. We meet here once we run out of places to scout or once we decide that it¡¯s too lengthy for it to be safe or if we encounter anything alive, alright?¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Tokage replies with a surprising enthusiasm in her voice. ¡°Alright, fellas, we¡¯re moving out.¡±
¡°Who put you in charge?¡± Monoma grumbles, but obediently follows her.
Ah yes
The world where dogs are in charge
Truly the best one
Huh?
Look, both Uraraka and Tokage seem to be in charge of their parties, and both of them are wolfkin
COINCIDENCE? I think not.
And I think yes.
***
The right tunnel didn¡¯t have a lot for Tokage¡¯s party to explore. The past miners quickly struck gold, hitting a large iron vein that they spent who knows how much time exploiting.
The result of it was an uneven, long hall with the ceiling supported by pit props, a lot of them carrying teeth marks that likely belonged to the now evicted Cynocephalii.
Uraraka¡¯s party didn¡¯t have a lot of luck either. Yes, their side went deeper, but was ultimately as empty as the other one. Maybe twenty minutes after splitting off they gathered up together, back in the door chamber.
¡°Well, that was disappointing.¡± Uraraka comments while shaking her head. ¡°Nothing on your side took, right?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± Tokage replies. ¡°Just a lengthy iron vein, not fully exploited. So, the next thing we do is the door, right?¡±
¡°Aye.¡± Uraraka replies while glancing at the door in question. ¡°But if someone did feed the dogheads, it means that they were confident in them not banging through the door and killing everything inside. So¡ it means a tough fight.¡±
¡°You could at least try to say that without grinning like this.¡± Monoma says dryly. He is, however, ignored.
¡°Sounds so to me, yes.¡± Tokage replies. ¡°So, if we get swarmed by the enemies, we should make sure to get at least something out of this trip, right? So, if we see that we¡¯re losing, someone grabs a corpse of one of the attackers and dashes back with it, right?¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°Though this is the worst case scenario. We fight to win, got it?¡±
¡°Manly.¡± Kirishima nods.
¡°Manly!¡± Tetsutetsu announces his agreement from the other side.
Are you sure that those two aren¡¯t long lost twins
Yes.
Long lost half-brothers then?
I think that they¡¯d know about it before us all.
Not if they are long lost half-brothers
Actually, you know what, I¡¯ll ask
Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, where are you from?
¡°Eh?¡± Kirishima appears to be surprised by Shigaraki of all people asking him that. ¡°I¡¯m from Chiba.¡±
¡°And I¡¯m from Saitama!¡± Tetsutetsu replies.
Two neighboring prefectures, huh
Your parents?
Are you seriously asking this?
I¡¯m just curious
Right before a fight?
Yes.
¡°Well, I was brought up by my mother.¡± Kirishima replies, clearly unsure of why Shigaraki was asking all those questions. ¡°Because my father disappeared from our life before I was born. In the most unmanly way he left the picture and we don¡¯t know where he went.¡±
¡±Wait, really?¡± Tetsutetsu appears suddenly surprised. ¡°Me too! I never mentioned it because it¡¯s kinda a painful subject and a sore spot to me and my mother. I¡¯ve decided to become a true man to never be like the person that couldn¡¯t man up and take responsibility for their family!¡±
¡°Hey, I haven¡¯t mentioned it for the same reason!¡± Kirishima replies while looking back at Tetsutetsu with a combination of shock and ¡®holy shit, you too?! awesome!¡¯ written on his face. ¡°And while my decision to go that way wasn¡¯t originally motivated by the same thing, I did promise to myself to never act like my father did, and when I find myself the love of my life, always be ready to take responsibility and be the best father and husband that I can be.¡± No one decides to comment on Ashido clearly blushing in the background. ¡°Holy shit, we¡¯re really similar, aren¡¯t we?¡±
No.
Yes.
I will ask that question. Because I have to.
Was it your mother who had some sort of hardening quirk for you to inherit?
¡°No.¡± Kirishima replies. ¡°My mom can only create small pieces of rock in her hand¡±
¡°Mine neither!¡± Tetsutetsu replies. ¡°Her quirk let her tell what sort of metals were used in the creation of an object that she was touching!¡±
¡
¡
No way, right?
Yeah, I think that I was right in my suspicions.
So, both of you were brought up by a single mother, in a neighboring prefecture, at the same time, with your fathers having some sort of hardening quirk, which got altered in you depending on what your mother had
And both your fathers didn¡¯t seem like models of virtue, meaning that it was entirely possible that they had two families at the same time, or just dipped from one prefecture to another when their girlfriend got pregnant and then did it again
It takes them a few seconds to digest - unlike most of the others who (judging from shocked looks and loud gasps) figured it out before them.
¡°Wait, so you might be literally my bro?!¡± Kirishima says, staring at Tetsutetsu in abject shock.
¡°And you¡¯re mine?!¡± Tetsutetsu replies, his shock mirroring the one of his apparent half-brother. ¡°Holy shit, we¡¯re brothers!¡±
Then they grab each other in a bear hug, dropping down their combat logs in the process, and repeatedly calling each other their ¡®bro¡¯ in a frenzy of newborn brotherhood.
¡°I¡¡± Yaoyorozu stares at the event in question. ¡°... I have no idea what to think about it. But I guess that I¡¯m happy for them? That¡¯s one hell of a way to discover that you¡¯re related to someone, I guess.¡±
¡°Ugh.¡± Uraraka groans. ¡°I¡¯m happy for them and I just can¡¯t interrupt it, but it really is delaying my promised fight.¡±
This is the moment when you admit that I¡¯ve managed to read those two better than you or their other hero friends
No. That was¡ errr¡ you were playing that on a very easy difficulty.
You just managed to approach the subject without the preconceptions that clouded our judgment.
Ha, loser
41: New Threat
It takes the Manly Duo a while to recover from the shocking revelation, the moment itself easy to spot as the two of them finally stopped bear-hugging each other while saying a lot of words to each other, a worrying percentage of which was either ¡®bro¡¯ or ¡®manly¡¯.
It was met with general relief from the audience, who really didn''t know how to address the whole situation. Because seriously, how do you react to the discovery that two very similar acquaintances of yours - that you¡¯ve repeatedly made fun of on account of their similarity - might have been brothers all along?
Even if the connection that Shigaraki made was actually incorrect - not like they could test us here, at least one universe away from a nearest DNA testing facility - it was made correct at this very moment, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima taking advantage of the mere suspicion to declare eternal brotherhood with one another.
¡°Alright then!¡± Kirishima speaks for them both, seeming more pumped that they ever remember seeing him, a fact matched by Tetsutetsu and clearly making Ashido giddy on the inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±
¡°Finally.¡± Uraraka says quietly enough for just her and Tokage to hear it, before grinning widely. ¡°Let¡¯s go! There¡¯s an enemy out there with my name on them, and I¡¯ve waited enough for that!¡±
And then, they can finally open the door. Although, to be honest, it feels a bit weird to call it ¡®door¡¯ when it looks more like an entrance gate of a castle. Those doors were really damn solid.
And worse of all, barred from the other side.
¡°Well, now that¡¯s a disappointment.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°All that waiting and build-up for a good fight, just to discover that the doors are locked.¡± Tokage nods at those words, which Izuku finds a bit odd, but¡
¡°That would be a disappointment if we were in a videogame.¡± Yaoyorozu replies immediately. ¡°But thankfully, we¡¯re not. And we can employ some more unorthodox solutions to the problems we¡¯re facing. Toga, Compress, if you please?¡±
¡°Sure, sure.¡± Compress nods. ¡°Give us a moment.¡±
How do you inspect doors such as these? Well, they were made to - when open - let minecarts through. As a result, there were the minecart tracks going underneath them, with a small - really small - opening between the rails.
Too tight for even Toga to squeeze through, but quite enough to partially stuck your head in. Just enough to shed some light at what was behind the gate itself.
Dangerous, yes, but they could easily find out if there was something waiting for them on the other side of the doors before trying that (by just laying down on the ground and looking underneath them). And having done that, Compress announced that he sees no feet on the other side.
Toga took a look at the other side of them after that, before telling them that there was a solid wooden bar blocking them from the other side, but also that it didn''t seem to be blocked in any other way. In short - if they lift the bar up, the door will open.
And so they did. But Toga borrowing Tokage¡¯s sword and using it to push the bar up, unlocking the door with minimum amount of noise possible. Which, as the wooden bar hitting the rails beneath them prove, still didn¡¯t mean ¡®quiet¡¯.
But it was definitely better than trying to use something as an improvised battering ram.
gaming problems require real life solutions I guess
Hmm?
Your lack of knowledge about the real culture of Mankind is as disappointing as it was entirely expected.
Has it ever crossed your mind that memes older than quirks might not be an epitome of humour and culture?
No.
And that¡¯s the problem.
***
Behind the doors they found a tunnel, lengthy and straight, which eventually opened up to another hall. However, even before reaching it they have ended up discovering that their attempt to stay as quiet as possible has been met with failure, of the worst possible kind.
Uraraka and Tokage were leading their group, with their shields raised up. They were close enough to hear some movement in the hall ahead, but even they were surprised when they fired upon, one bolt hitting the top of Tokage¡¯s shield, piercing and partially shattering it, scattering bits and pieces around them, but ultimately not hitting anything vital.
The other flew right past Uraraka¡¯s head and lodged itself into Kaminari¡¯s skull, killing him instantly and scattering bits of his brain all over their group, all while talking close to half of their offensive AoE magic in an instant.
It was the worst start to a fight that both Izuku and Tomura had seen in their life. And it was about to get a whole lotta worse.
Despite Kaminari dying a grizzly death in front of them, no one panics. Incidents such as Ashido¡¯s death doing a training accident has managed to ingrain the fact that they cannot permanently die into all of them. Instead, they move.
They rush down the corridor, doing their best to shorten the distance between them and the enemy, before they can fire another salvo while their entire party was still in the narrow corridor.
The enemy that they encounter when they reach the room ahead could only be described with one word.
Grotesque.
They weren¡¯t just obese. They were grotesquely obese, in the way that made them look inhuman, their towering bodies swollen with fat in not only the places where you¡¯d expect it to be but everywhere else too.
They weren¡¯t obese people as much as they were walking caricatures of those, their skin dotted with stretch marks and looking strangely tense when they were moving, as if there was so much fat underneath that their bodies were about to rupture under pressure.
Their faces were¡ abhorrent and grotesque just like the rest of their bodies. Bald but thick with fat to the point when they seemed almost round like a football, with two vertical slits in place of their noses and giant mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.
With how thick their upper bodies were, any clothes or armor pieces they would try to wear wouldn¡¯t fit, so up there they wore nothing. They wore pants, parts of them at least - from thighs down they were mere shreds of cloth, torn apart by their very movement, leaving only the most strategic part (mercifully) covered.
They seemed to be busy erecting a makeshift barricade in the room, likely as a response to their dogs being killed off by someone (they weren¡¯t exactly quiet during their last fight), or perhaps due to the sounds that the falling bad did?
Whatever it was, they barely started their work, meaning that the fortifications weren¡¯t going to be a problem. There were six of them, however, two carrying heavy crossbows with meat cleavers attached to their belts, with the remaining four having either two-handed hammers of impressive size or a one-handed hammers alongside tower shields.
Each and every of the hammers that they could see had an unmistakable shape of meat tenderizers. All weapons in front of them - save for the crossbows and shields - were oversized cooking utensils meant to cut and hammer meat being prepared for consumption.
That, somehow, fit those creatures extremely well.
The moment their group charges into the hall, they immediately split. Ashido is the first to attack, casting [Corrosive Spit] at one of the crossbowmen hiding in the back. It wasn¡¯t a literal spit - that would easily kill Ashido herself - and instead it fired a small ball of acid from the area surrounding the sorcerer¡¯s face, which made aiming it pretty natural.
The creature raised their weapon to block the impact, their crossbow rendered immediately unusable, its spring snapping after being eaten through by the acid. Instantly she attacked the other one, disarming it as well, removing the threat of their crossbow from the fight once and for all. With that done, the creatures at the back of the room have no other choice than to draw their meat cleavers and advance behind their kin.
Ashido kept attacking them, despite the disgusting results of her acid applied to the exposed flesh.
In the meantime, the rest of them clashed with the creatures up front.
Kirishima struggled in a contest of strength with one of them, their weapons locked together, the ogre protecting Uraraka¡¯s right flank. Her left one was still exposed, one of the creatures taking advantage of that to try to swing their two-handed meat tenderizer at her.
She took a step back, easily avoiding the swing¡ just for the creature to intentionally topple forward, barreling toward her with a speed that left her unable to dodge. She fell backward, the creature¡¯s unholy weight pushing down at her shield and spear, the latter of which she managed to raise up just in time for the creature to impale itself onto the spear.
Uraraka isn¡¯t Kirishima. She doesn¡¯t have the strength to push the thing off her, hell, to even hold it up for long. The only reason she¡¯s holding on is that it lost the grip on its warhammer when it fell onto her, otherwise it would raise itself just enough to smash her face in.
And then she can see its throat bulging out.
Oh no, you don¡¯t .
The creature vomits a mouthful of bile onto her, Uraraka twisting her neck barely in time to avoid having all of that land on her face. And if she had any doubts as to the nature of the liquid, they disappear when it starts to fizzle loudly as it touches the ground.
It¡¯s acidic enough to partially dissolve solid limestone. Yeah, no. She¡¯s officially drawing the line here and¡
Himiko appears out of nowhere landing on the creature¡¯s shoulders (the additional weight is¡ OOF) before immediately piercing both of its eyes with her daggers. The creature roars and raises up a bit, one hand on the ground while the other flails around, trying to grab the assailant who was already gone from its back, as Toga immediately rolled off him.
The creature is weakened and distracted, Uraraka takes the advantage of this to crawl from underneath it, stand up and then immediately shatter its neck with the edge of her shield that she slammed into it from behind.
One creature out of the picture. Three if you count the one crossbowman that Mina liquidated in the background and the one that Tokage and Compress managed to kill in a way that was much less messy than the joint work of Uraraka and Toga.
That was going better than intended! Only half of them were left, two of them occupied by Kirishima and Tetsutetsu (whose skills weren¡¯t particularly useful against enemies that turned out to be physically stronger than them) and the third one rushing from behind the barricade to join them, but only armed with a single meat cleaver.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Rushing in its own way. It was marginally faster than walking, but not by far.
She¡¯s almost immediately forced to change her outlook of the situation when the creature whose neck she just shattered suddenly grabs her by her ankle and twists it, almost breaking it on the spot.
Uraraka yelps in pain, as she lands on the ground again. The creature was still partially immobilized by the spear going through its chest, but it was clearly lifting itself up, with the neck already being healed and¡
They can regenerate!
Tokage-san, behind you!
Tokage fails to react in time. The creature that they seemingly fell and left behind lifts itself up just enough to grab its hammer again and do a wide sweep with it, hitting her left leg from the side and breaking it instantly.
Tokage screams and falls to the ground. The creature immediately begins to crawl towards her in order to finish the job, despite its grievous injuries.
Regeneration? Inhuman vitality? Or both, to some degree? Those creatures weren¡¯t individually dangerous, they were slow and cumbersome, their attacks easy to dodge if you had enough space, but they just refused to go down.
Compress immediately gets close and pierces the side of its neck with his dagger. Uraraka in the meantime slams her shield into the blinded creature, which makes its grip on her ankle weaken enough for her to free herself. And then¡
Then she¡¯s doused in blood as she gives in to the Bloodrage. She immediately leaps forward, her vision tinted red, as she gets close enough to wrap her arms around the head before delivering a bone-crushing kick straight into the creature¡¯s face.
And then, before it can recover, she jumps up just enough to slam her entire body¡¯s weight (elbow and shoulder first) into the head from above, the head hitting the stone floor with enough momentum to crack its skull even more.
She tears her spear out of its back, the entire length covered in its blood and nails the creature down into the ground, piercing its neck from behind.
And then doing it again.
And again.
And again.
In the meantime, the others were busy fighting their own enemies.
Tokage, despite Compress¡¯s best efforts, was killed, her head crushed like watermelon under the creature¡¯s hammer before she could stand up or crawl away from it. .
The advancing crossbowman was attacked by his fellow crossbowman from behind, Yanagi thinking quickly and succeeding in reanimating the creature a moment ago. The undead is missing most of his head due to Ashido¡¯s acid, so it¡¯s much weaker than its opponent, but at least it¡¯s enough to delay it a bit.
Kirishima was still struggling with his opponent until Yaoyorozu cast [Float] on him. With his immense weight, he doesn¡¯t float, just gets lighter. This is enough for Kirishima to push him back, and slam his log into his head.
His blow finds limited purchase. The creature was nigh-impervious to blunt damage, likely due to the size of his body and how much fat was there to absorb the impact, especially in tandem with their immense vitality.
They don¡¯t even bother attacking their body anymore, instead going for their heads. Or legs.
Compress proves that the latter option is pretty good too when he lands on the ground behind the creature struggling with Tetsutetsu and cuts through the creature¡¯s tendons, before jumping to the side before the creature falls back, Tetsutetsu finally succeeding in pushing it back.
Uraraka in the meantime helps Kirishima. She¡¯s still under the effects of Bloodrage, her attacks much more vicious than usual. Her spear¡¯s blade broke off when she impaled her earlier enemy a bit too strongly, so she instead jumped at the other creature¡¯s back, her broken spear in his hand, before she started to strangle the creature with it.
The remaining crossbowman is eliminated by a combination of more [Corrosive Spits] and Yanagi¡¯s [Black Bolts] together with his very own undead companion still clawing at them relentlessly.
The latter spell was pretty much what was said on the tin. Yanagi could fire small, black bolts of energy at the target. The effects of being hit by it, despite the system identifying the damage type as ¡®death¡¯ are pretty minuscule.
It makes you weaker. Get hit in the eye, and the eye will be temporarily knocked out of operations. Get hit in the heart, and the heart will stop - and you¡¯ll die.
It also had another interesting property.
I think that [Black Bolts] interrupt or slow down their recovery!
Yanagi-san, target the injuries of the ones that are knocked out but not definitely dead.
¡°On it.¡± Yanagi replies shortly before firing a [Black Bolt] as ordered.
Ashido helps her too by getting closer and using her own sorceries to finish the fallen creatures down.
It takes them a few more minutes to finally finis their enemies off. Their vitality truly was something else, and their strength and resistance to impacts were immense . Their lack of mobility and armor and relatively easy to dodge attacks made them vulnerable to sufficiently fast attackers, though.
Even worse than that, when the fight started, they were scattered around, meaning that they were getting knocked out one by one without being able to aid each other.
If this was a more regular battle and if they were dealing with those creatures fighting in a formation, it would be¡ much more troublesome. Their vitality would allow them to recover from minor injuries while protected by their allies, making them near-invulnerable to skirmish tactics.
In short, they had a lot of luck. Or, to be more exact about it, they made the correct choice when they decided to sneak past the gate instead of breaking it apart. If those creatures realized that they were coming a bit earlier¡
And they still lost Tokage and Kaminari. They definitely have to get stronger. Or at least that¡¯s what Uraraka thinks when the battle ends and her Bloodrage subsides and she can actually think clearly, even if she¡¯s still completely covered in blood.
No points for figuring out what sort of look was Himiko giving her. At least this time she had the decency of waiting until the fight ended to begin to indulge in her daydreams.
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka takes a deep breath. Her muscles hurt a bit, the Bloodrage is definitely not easy on her body. She can move, but¡ ¡°Let¡¯s carry the corpses back. I don¡¯t think that we¡¯re up for another fight.¡±
¡°True.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s get back. Carrying the spoils of our victory back will be a challenge on its own. Yanagi-san, can you reanimate another one?¡±
¡°Hmm¡¡± Yanagi looks down on one of the corpses. ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Out of mana for now, sorry.¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for, you¡¯ve done a great job.¡± Uraraka replies. Tokage isn¡¯t there so it¡¯s her job for now, right? ¡° Unlike our mages. You didn¡¯t do a lot, sorry for putting it that way.¡±
¡°Rude.¡± Monoma says dryly. ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong. Those things were pretty much invulnerable to all our magic, even [Float] was barely making them budge. When it became clear that we¡¯re overwhelming them without our help, I¡¯ve decided to conserve mana for our way back.¡±
¡°Makes sense.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°But I think that Yaoyorozu-san proved that a well-timed [Float] could still help. Anyway, we¡¯ve won and that¡¯s what matters. Let¡¯s start carrying them back and¡¡±
And that¡¯s when she heard a noise. A distant one, but slowly coming closer. Steps. Synchronized ones, as if multiple people were marching in a formation. They sound of ¡
¡metal?
Ah, shit. Armors. Metal armors. And pretty solid ones, for what Uraraka can tell at the distance.
¡°We have to go.¡± Uraraka turns her head away from the source of the sound and back to Yaoyorozu. The elf gives her back a confused look, her senses not even nearly as good as the ones of the beastkin. ¡°We have company. A lot of company. Move, now .¡±
***
Kirishima, Ashido and Tetsutetsu each manage to carry one of the creatures mostly by pulling them by their legs - which isn¡¯t the best way of doing it, but at least it works.
Uraraka and Toga carry another one together, Yaoyorozu keeping it under [Float]. Fifth one is carried by Yanagi, Compress and Monoma, a feat only capable thanks to Monoma¡¯s own [Float].
Finally, the sixth one was walking alongside on their own as an undead.
This sort of arrangement works, but they¡¯re far from being fast , and they¡¯re still rapidly exhausting themselves.
Just get to the elevator, that should stop them!
¡°It¡¯s not as easy¡¡± Uraraka says. She is exhausted, her legs and arms hurt so much. Why is this goddamn thing so heavy?! ¡°... as you¡¯re making it, Izuku.¡±
¡ sorry.
Uraraka immediately makes a mental note to apologize to him for making him feel bad, but that¡¯s for later.
For now, they have to run.
And run they do, all the way until they reach the elevator, the sound of feet coated in metal getting very, very close. In fact, just as they finally stumble onto the platform and throw the corpses that they¡¯ve carried onto the floor, they can finally see their pursuers.
There was a line of four armored soldiers walking down the corridor behind them, with four more standing right behind them.
Each of the coming figures was a woman, wearing an exquisitely crafted, rose-coloured armor consisting of a chainmail under a light plate armor, which in turn was composed of a breastplate with a neckguard (decorated with what looked like a living rose right above the breasts themselves), shoulderpads, gauntlets, chausses and high boots.
There was, of course, a helmet (an open one, letting them see the faces of the people underneath it). As for the weaponry, each of them seem to be armed in a round metal shield with a picture of rose engraved in the front section of it, a spear and a sheathed sword by their side.
There was just one thing that was odd about them, and that instantly dragged their attention away from their exquisite armaments and perfectly-fit armor.
Are they¡ gagged?
Oh boy
I think that we¡¯ve found the servants of the divine big horni
At least they¡¯re more into looking pretty than slutty, so it¡¯s still fairly child-friendly, it probably only gets worse from there
I¡¯m moderately concerned by it.
Uraraka doesn¡¯t bother waiting for them to come any closer. Instead she throws a javelin at them. The warrior she targets decides to utterly disrespect her attempts and doesn¡¯t even bother using her shield.
Instead, she lets the javelin bounce off the side of her chestplate as she continues approaching, her eyes rolling up for a second in an expression that Izuku can only describe as enjoyment before they return to marching forward in formation. They are still on their guard, not breaking the tempo and still holding the wall of shields up.
The look she gives Uraraka is one of pure disrespect.
Naturally, Uraraka is furious, but that¡¯s when Kirishima pulls the right lever and the elevator platform moves up, leaving the group behind. Just in time for Uraraka to notice some of the earlier, obese giants behind the formation, and a few more warrior women with longbows.
Thankfully, they fail to fire at them over their allies¡¯ heads.
The elevator goes up and they successfully manage to disengage from their attackers. Which is great. But then a problem becomes immediately obvious.
Their enemies can use levers as well.
This turns into a bit of a weird moment, with Toga and Compress quickly climbing up to the upper level of the mine to push the lever back, which lasts for a short moment before the attackers give up and let them get up.
They immediately move the corpses off the elevator platform, only for it to start moving down again, forcing Uraraka to make a hard decision and have Kirishima sabotage the mechanism of the elevator by pushing his log into it.
It likely won¡¯t stop them permanently, but for now, they¡¯re off the hook.
Return to the Dungeon.
I think it¡¯s enough for the day, and you want as much space between you and those things as possible, which isn¡¯t going to be easy while carrying the loot.
Yeah, this won¡¯t stop them for long
¡°Alright then.¡± Uraraka nods. She doesn¡¯t like it, it really feels as if losing a fight, but¡ you can¡¯t always win, right?
¡ guess I¡¯ll go start making preparations.
Hmmm?
Not your business.
(-_- )
***
I am not... fully comfortable about posting it, and I''m not sure if I like the gag, but... ehhh.
TCP is likely kept ~16+, so don''t expect more than that lol.
Those guys, uhm, ''behaviour'' will be played for laughs.
42: Returning from Battle
As one can imagine, carrying the giant, overweight corpses of daemons (probably) that they¡¯ve slained in the mine back to the Dungeon was even harder than actually slaying them in the first place.
They were huge, they weigh a lot more than they probably should, and generally speaking, fresh corpses aren¡¯t easy to carry. It gets easier when they¡¯re stiff, but when their hands and body mass are easily bending around your body at random, they feel at least twice as heavy.
This sort of weight would have been cool for a workout, like something that Kirishima casually deadlifts (doubly fast when Mina is looking, of course), but not something that you want to drag through the forest.
Especially as they also need to cover their tracks. They can¡¯t do a lot about the smell aside from hoping that the Cynocephali were the only type of enemy that could track prey by smell and that they¡¯ve exhausted the enemy¡¯s supply on those. That leaves the physical tracks.
They have Monoma and Yaoyorozu to repeatedly cast [Remove Footprints]. Contrary to the name, it seemed to be a more versatile spell, returning dirt to its earlier state, removing both footprints and drag marks.
There were plenty of drag marks to be removed.
They also had the two semi-skilled trackers - Toga and Compress - do their best to make their group leave as few other marks, and they also elected to approach the river at a different point, before spending a while walking in the water (to loud disapproval from Toga), to hopefully confuse any trackers attempting to find them.
They should buy themselves some time, even if the enemy did have some bloodhounds on them.
Hopefully.
Really, it was all a matter of faith at this point. They were almost certain that if the enemy tried to follow them seriously, they would, even if they wouldn¡¯t be led straight to the Dungeon but only its general area.
Their only hope was a rain to happen today or tomorrow, which wasn¡¯t impossible judging from the clouds, but it was still a coin toss.
And, of course, it''d take them more time to achieve that.
In the end, as Compress pointed out, their greatest hope lay in the fact that the enemy was clearly used to operating underground, meaning that the chances of them having skilled trackers who were familiar with the woods were slim.
Still, Uraraka Ochako had a lot of things on her plate, all of which has evaporated from her mind instantly when she returned to the Dungeon and then - right after dropping all the corpses in a random room to let the Dungeon digest them - she saw Izuku.
Truly, just seeing his face - his adorable, adorable face - immediately made the whole day brighter for her.
So, she immediately and without thinking approached him and then grabbed him into a tight hug, only to realize that not only was she still covered in blood (she didn¡¯t manage to get all of it off, even when they were crossing the river), she was also wearing the Berserker Outfit.
Izuku, as expected, reacted to coming into close contact with her (while in said outfit) by losing his ability to think and going very, very red.
Yeah, wrong move, Ochako. And also, great move, Ochako.
¡°W-well, uhm, great to see you again, Izuku.¡± She decides to elegantly and subtly change the subject while taking a step back to give him some breathing space. There was no way that they were having an actual talk while he was like this.
Monoma, who just happened to pass by them in the corridor at the time, just rolled his eyes around. Truly, peak social skills. As expected from the 1-A rab¡
Then he reminds himself that their classes no longer exist. Ugh. Awkward. Awkward! What is he supposed to do without a rivalry that he can then overblow into a truly ridiculous degree while letting himself be as DRAMATIC as humanly possible?!
Well, get a life, probably. Yeah, that¡¯d do it.
It¡¯s not like they¡¯re part of the heroics business with its major focus on often ridiculous aesthetics and publicity stunts.
¡°G-great to see you too, O-Ochako.¡± Izuku stutters, his ability to think returning to him. Slowly. Naturally, Himiko (who was observing the scene from behind Ochako) finds it incredibly cute. ¡°H-how was it?¡±
They are completely unaware of the moment of character development that they¡¯ve given to Monoma. In fact, they seem barely aware of the world outside of them existing. Which is only going to get worse from here on.
¡°Pretty fun, if exhausting.¡± Uraraka replies while grinning back at him. ¡°And, uhm, sorry for snapping at you earlier, you know, about the elevator. That was completely unneeded.¡±
It was really bothering her the whole time, and the attempts to apologize on her way here were for naught, as Izuku was clearly unavailable. Possibly due to already being in his Dungeon Lord form. Which was¡
¡ a bit strange? Why would he be out the whole time?
¡°O-oh, it''s alright.¡± Izuku replies, glancing to the side, still pretty nervous. ¡°U-uhm, so, I figured out that you might be e-exhausted a-a-a-and¡¡±
¡°And?¡± Uraraka asks when he¡¯s clearly stuck.
¡°And I¡¯ve p-prepared a little something for you.¡± Izuku gets promptly unstuck. ¡°I¡ uhm¡ heated some water. For, you know, so that you could get yourself a warm bath after coming back from the fight, and, uhm¡¡± Izuku shrinks a little more. ¡°I g-guess that if your muscles hurt then I could, errr, massage them a little? I¡¯ve been going through some very intense training before the entrance exam and, uhm, I have experienced dealing with sore m-muscles and so on.¡±
Uraraka just stares at him, emotionally floored at the realization that considering how kind and caring Izuku was, this likely wasn¡¯t going to be the last time that this happened. And that was¡
Probably one of the best things ever.
Confessing to him was the best choice that she ever made. Or, at least that she ever made in her second life. Her first life¡¯s self was likely still tiptoeing around the subject despite being in a position to obtain¡ this .
Seriously, though. She can only congratulate herself on having a great taste in boys. And in¡ girls?
That¡¯s when she remembers that Himiko was there as well. And was very busy looking at them both with a mixture of ¡®they¡¯re so cute, I want to hug them!¡¯, ¡®they¡¯re so sexy, I want them to bang me¡¯ and a healthy chunk of ¡®god I wish that was me¡¯ referring to nothing else but the prospect of a warm bath. Or at least a shower.
Or, well, a warm water to clean herself with, considering how allergic she seemed to water as a concept.
This was awkward. It would also quickly make Himiko feel excluded , which felt like a recipe for a total disaster, especially for someone who was this impulsive and so driven by attention they were getting from their two loved ones.
¡°Did you, errr, prepare it for Himiko too?¡± She decides to ask, banking it all on the really high chance of Izuku preparing something for his other girlfriend as well. The chances are pretty high, knowing his kindness, but the risk that he sort of forgot due to being new to love triangles.
Just like she was. And just like she briefly forgot about Himiko. Ugh, awkward.
¡°O-of course!¡± Izuku quickly replies, and not only Himiko¡¯s ears perk up at this, Ochako also feels herself being fully vindicated in her gamble. Izuku¡¯s kindness, truly the company worth buying the stocks of. ¡°T-there¡¯s water for two, one of you can get washed now, then I¡¯ll heat the r-rest of it for the s-second one.¡± Or maybe not, because there¡¯s no way that this particular company could grow since it was impossibly large? ¡°S-sorry about not mentioning it earlier, Himiko, I¡¯m kind of new to the l-love triangle thing and¡¡±
Himiko doesn¡¯t let him continue by throwing herself at him, giving him a hug and a surprisingly prolonged kiss. Water, it seems, was acceptable when it¡¯s Izuku that was bringing it. Or, well, when it¡¯s not dunked on her all in one go, but the Izuku version was definitely cuter.
Uraraka finds this¡ acceptable. But not optimal. They can improve upon Izuku¡¯s genius idea in a way that Izuku himself was a bit too embarrassed to even consider. Thankfully, Uraraka is way past having any sort of restraint when her relationships are involved (it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any salvaging of her public image either way), and is there to fix this oversight.
¡°Alright then.¡± She announces while wrapping her arms around both of them. ¡°I guess that it¡¯s time to go back to our cozy little home and get ourselves ready for the best bath in our lives¡ as of yet.¡±
She was certain that it would only get better from here on!
¡°O-okay.¡± Izuku, having come into contact with her [Tribal Berserker¡¯s Outfit], starts losing his ability to speak words once again. ¡°W-who g-goes i-in first?¡± He then says, having managed to soldier on and speak.
¡°What are you talking about, Izuku?¡± Uraraka says, pretending to be surprised by his words before grinning widely. ¡°Why would we waste time by taking bath separately ?¡±
Izuku goes red in embarrassment (and perhaps slight horniness born out of realization that something will likely end up happening in the process). Himiko goes red in horniness (and perhaps slight embarrassment born out of that something will likely end up happening in the process).
Absolutely perfect.
***
Something did end up happening, which has definitely prolonged the process of taking Uraraka¡¯s first warm bath in her second life but also made it even more enjoyable. And the massage was¡ an absolute delight.
So, Izuku could also act as her personal masseur? Not to mention being ready to prepare her a bath when she was coming back from a lengthy expedition, tired and dirty, and that¡¯s without even being prompted?
Simply because he wanted to surprise her and make her day a bit brighter? Simply because he felt happiest when he was making other people happy?
Seriously, just how perfect that man could get? Each and every time she thought that he couldn¡¯t get more perfect than he already was, he pulled off something like this. If he didn¡¯t have his Superpower quirk, she would suspect that being a Perfect Boyfriend was his quirk, it was just that supernaturally powerful.
And all of that leads to their current situation. Izuku lying in the middle, facing the ceiling. Himiko was curled up by his side, her head resting on his shoulder, allowing him to pet her head, at least while they were both awake.
They clearly fell asleep while doing it, judging from his fingers still being stuck in her completely messy hair.
Judging from the soft brush she felt on her thigh earlier, Himiko wrapped her tail around his own thighs. Cute.
Ochako was to his right, lying on her side a bit higher than he was, just enough to wrap her arms around his neck, his head resting somewhere between her breasts and her chin. And oh boy, if he was awake, he would immediately go full strawberry.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
They didn¡¯t really have any pajamas to wear, alright? Just another copy of the [Tribal Outfit] that worked as their civilian outfit (at least for people like Toga who wore something resembling an actual armor that was stiff enough to make them want to wear something else occasionally). And it wasn''t the best sleepwear out there.
Moments like this were just great. They really made her second life much more bearable. It likely made it bearable at all.
She was¡ she was less ¡®impulsive¡¯ about the whole relationship and more ¡®coping with the situation in an only slightly unhealthy way¡¯, let¡¯s be real about it. And the only ¡®slightly unhealthy way¡¯ was involving Toga in it, especially considering her past.
She is intelligent enough to realize it.
For now, though, she¡¯s just going to lie down and take advantage of the other two being asleep to just¡ take in all the warmth and comfort. Before they wake up and go on another adventure to¡
¡ well, go and kill something.
Not very heroic, she knows that. But she¡¯s no longer a pro-hero, and now it¡¯s all about finding a new way of life that won¡¯t feel unbearable wrong to her. And the current one feels pretty good.
And yes, she carried a half-melted crossbow of one of the creatures back to the Dungeon in her backpack and she offered it to Saevius. It was definitely a good fight. She hopes she¡¯ll have more like it in the future.
***
I¡¯m back.
I¡¯ve been, errr, busy doing things.
Wow, so Uraraka and Toga are just ¡®things¡¯ to you, Midoriya
How heroic
¡ stop that.
It makes you suffer, and thus I am obligated to do that
Sigh.
Anyway, what did we get out of it?
Six spirits called the Gore Munchers.
Rapturous Ecstasy, ETL 16.
So we can put it anywhere on the level that we were planning to put the Cynocephali either way.
That¡¯s¡ nice.
Yeah, but we¡¯re still a bit too early into it to place anything on the Fourth Level, as we don¡¯t want the beastkin to ask too many questions
Still, progress
I think that we could use them for the Floor Guardian fight, as in, we still need something stronger than them to act as the boss but we could have those creatures support said boss
Alright, makes sense.
You¡¯ve also missed an update from Spinner.
Oh?
***
Three Hours Ago
¡°Oh, so I¡¯ve seen it correctly.¡± Spinner nods to himself, congratulating himself for the job well done and on the time that he didn¡¯t waste. ¡°That¡¯s freaking cool.¡±
In front of him was a set of heavy, wooden doors on the side of the cliff. He was still in the same river valley, just a solid distance to the north-east from the Dungeon. It definitely resembled the entrance to the Murakai Burial Site that Aeonia resided in.
Unlike it, it wasn¡¯t on an elevated ground. Instead, the entrance was much better concealed. He almost missed it, really.
Speaking of the directions, the river was definitely flowing in the northern direction, by the way. The Dungeon was on its western side, Aeonia¡¯s graveyard was further to the northwest, while the mine was to the east, and the suspected domain of the Webmistress¡¯ Family was even further to the east from her.
The Northern Wind facility, in the meantime, was to the south-east of the Dungeon. Far further than all other locations that they knew off.
They had no map of the area, only a general understanding of the area.
And now, the area has another location to be aware of. Another Muraekai Burial Site? Perhaps they should rename the one they knew to just ¡®Aeonia¡¯s Graveyard¡¯? Well, that¡¯s not for him to decide. He¡¯s just the party¡¯s scout.
He sneaks upon the door to see them locked. Well, that¡¯s pretty much what you should expect from such a burial site. If anything, Aeonia¡¯s tomb being opened wide is unusual.
Well. It¡¯s probably a pointless inquiry to begin with. Midoriya is going to veto the very idea of robbing graves that aren¡¯t inhabited by murderous undead. And, to be honest, Spinner saw no problem with that.
He would definitely not try to argue against Midoriya on it, that¡¯s for sure.
Look, robbing graves is sort of a shitty thing to do, okay? Unless it¡¯s in a videogame. In videogames, the graves are just differently looking treasure chests nine times out of ten. There are no actual corpses there.
All such games treat this sort of robbery as a natural thing, and in hindsight, it wasn¡¯t a very realistic take on the subject. You just can¡¯t expect to be liked in the area when you do stuff like that, right?
No one liked grave robbers in their past world, not even other villains.
And for this one, well. No one likes seeing some random adventurer walking around with your grandpa¡¯s favorite sword or your grandma¡¯s jewelry on him/her, alright? Spinner can understand that.
He¡¯s something of an expert on being hated by the public, and this honestly sounds like an actually valid reason to be hated.
Anyway.
That seemed to be all for now. But just in case¡ no one is looking, not even Tomura, so Spinner can at least try that, right? There¡¯s no one to laugh at him for being stupid or anything.
He loudly knocks on the door¡ and then quickly runs away and hides behind a piece of rock.
In quite a distance, and making sure that he can see the entrance to the burial site in such a way that should let him maybe remain unseen.
The worst thing that can happen is that he¡¯ll die, which is temporary for him, right?
Still, no one is more surprised than he is when after a minute or so, the doors actually open.
The first thing that emerges from the other side is a large, black dog of undetermined breed, with glowing red eyes and a leash attached to the collar that disappeared somewhere behind the door, where its handler was likely standing.
The dog was clearly scanning the surrounding area, making Spinner immediately congratulate himself on picking the place that was downwind to the graveyard entrance. Smart move, Spinner.
For some reason, he doesn¡¯t feel like coming out to pet the dog and tell him/her that they¡¯re a good boi. That feels like a great way to get your face bitten off. And yes, he¡¯s willing to admit to Tomura that he saw a dog and didn¡¯t do that.
They¡¯re friends, right? Tomura will only be slightly salty. Not the murderous type of salty, the other one.
A moment later, when the dog sees nothing dangerous in the vicinity, its handler emerges.
It¡¯s an elven woman wearing a short black robe, barefoot, holding a lantern staff in her left hand and the other hand of the leash in her right, looking around, clearly searching for whoever knocked on the doors.
There is something¡ otherworldly about her, especially in how her face and hair seemed to lack pigments, both being weirdly white. The same strange vibe that Komori¡¯s new form was giving Spinner. Is it some sort of spirit that he was facing? It seems that those are pretty common in the area.
She looks around, and so does the dog. Spinner does his best to stay hidden, and it seems that he has succeeded, as after a quick check of the surroundings, the duo returns inside. And judging from the sounds that Spinner hears from the other side, they bar the door from the inside.
Huh. Interesting.
He¡¯ll report it back to Shigaraki once he does a routine check up on him, and keeps looking for interesting locations in the area.
He kind of likes scouting work, to his own surprise. It¡¯s fun. A bit lonely, but that¡¯s why he has a place to return to to socialize. And Tomura to talk with, occasionally.
***
Now
Another burial site?
What is it, the Valley of (Elven) Kings?
Yeah, I thought so as well
Then again, this is clearly a place that used to be on the verge of elven civilization, but wasn¡¯t populated
that¡¯s kinda the right place for this type of secret burial site, right?
Yeah, I guess so.
Tokage and Kaminari are back, too
Wait, you can do stuff like this when I¡¯m not there?
Yes, but
I think (it¡¯s one of those moments when we just know some shit and we don¡¯t know why) it only worked because even if you were absent, you still unconsciously agreed to it and in fact wanted it to happen asap
Huh, still finding new things about ourselves, interesting.
Anyway, we have to decide on the next move.
We should visit Aeonia
¡why?
We¡¯ll get that Mourner, we¡¯ll get to find out if we¡¯re strong enough for another chamber, we¡¯ll get to ask Aeonia some questions about stuff like that other burial site and so on
And also Yanagi-san might enjoy meeting Aeonia. Because, you know, undead.
Hmmm?
Oh, yeah, I guess.
Sigh.
I¡¯ll suggest that to everyone.
Though I think that they¡¯d like to rest for a while after this.
Fine
***
To Izuku¡¯s surprise, they all decided to go for another trip. Izuku spending some sweet time with Uraraka and Toga (and then the trio falling asleep for some time), has given them some time to rest.
And socialize.
Tetsutetsu and Kirishima threw a small party to celebrate their newly discovered (or at least severely suspected) brotherhood. Of course, they lacked alcohol and their only food was roasted meat, but that wouldn¡¯t stop them.
Toga was experimenting with some herbs that could be used as spiced and that they were growing on Komori¡¯s level, but the effects were meager and she wasn¡¯t even there for the party.
Izuku, Uraraka and Toga weren¡¯t present, although they were invited to it. Well, Uraraka was - Kirishima told her about his idea to have a party on their way back to the Dungeon, and she mentioned wanting to spend that time with Izuku.
Kirishima originally didn¡¯t realize the implication of what she said, but after Ashido took advantage of it happening during a break and pulled him aside to quickly whisper a few words of explanation into his ear, he realized that Uraraka meant spending the time in that way.
Look, if all the bloodshed made her long for some¡ snuggles, to chill, relax and generally speaking get her mind to focus on something else, it¡¯s her private matter, alright? It¡¯s nothing illegal, either way.
Neither Toga nor Compress showed up, the former for an obvious reason, the latter because he seemed to realize that his presence wasn¡¯t exactly welcome, and he was invited mostly because Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were too manly to cause further divide between former heroes and former villains.
They both needed each other in the current circumstances.
Apparently the funniest part of the evening is Monoma suggesting to the two to change their surnames into either Tetsushima or Kiritetsu which led to the intense debate on what their new surname should be, that seemed to become the highlight of the evening.
Both options had their own supporters, a civil war looming on the horizon the whole time.
In the end, they didn¡¯t change their surnames, but it was still a fun time for everyone involved.
Izuku somewhat regrets the fact that he missed it. At least before he remembers why he missed it. Then he¡ then he realizes that he doesn¡¯t actually regret missing it out, even if he would prefer both activities to occur at different times.
He has to be honest with himself. His, well, snuggles with Ochako and Himiko? He likes it. He likes it a lot . To be even more honest with himself, he absolutely loves it.
He¡¯d still die of embarrassment if someone walked upon them doing it, and he is still knocked out by such simple acts as Ochako hugging him in that outfit, but in private¡ in private he can do it.
It¡¯s great.
He¡¯ll never admit it to anyone, though. Even telling that to Ochako or Himiko in private feels too embarrassing.
And so, they all, minus Spinner, Komori and both Midoriya and Shigaraki, for obvious if different reasons) departed to Aeonia¡¯s graveyard. To ask her some questions, and to get to fight something new.
That¡¯s how they grew stronger in this world.
And it seemed that they were all getting accustomed to it, even their newest recruits. Truly, humans can adapt to everything.
43: Escalation
¡°Another burial site in the valley?¡± Aeonia asks, looking down on the group from her seat. ¡°Yes, I knew about it, however I didn¡¯t know its exact location. Things have changed ever since I was locked in here. More than you can possibly imagine. And I elected against giving you intel the validity of which I was unsure of.¡±
That, to Izuku at least, sounded as if she knew that being an undead doesn¡¯t make people automatically assume good intentions from you and she didn¡¯t want them to think badly of her before getting her dream job in the Dungeon.
Fair.
¡°And the¡ entity that we¡¯ve spotted?¡± Uraraka asks. She is definitely the speaker for their group by now, with only Yaoyorozu occasionally joining talks if she has something important to add. ¡°That woman with a dog?¡±
On a sidenote, the less is said about Kaminari¡¯s reaction to seeing Aeonia in her full glory, the better. Man wasn¡¯t quite drooling, but he was clearly getting dangerously close to it.
However, Aeonia has ignored it, and so have they. At least Yaoyorozu had enough foresight to outright tell Kaminari not to open his mouth during the talk and to not try to hit on Aeonia.
¡°A lampada.¡± Aeonia replies while resting her head on her hand, leaning slightly to the side. ¡°Daemon spirit serving Mors, the Exarch of Passage. The High God of death, funerals and mourning. They take care of the graveyards, although usually only the ones that the mortals have forgotten about. However they are present in all of them that weren¡¯t claimed by the Breathless Tide, just not showing themselves up to anyone if they don¡¯t have to.¡±
¡°Lampada?¡± Yaoyorozu decides to add something as she is looking curiously at Aeonia. ¡°I remember that name being used to refer to torchbearer nymphs from the retinue of Hecate, the Greek goddess of crossroads and a number of other things, like ghosts and necromancy. Who was also associated with dogs.¡±
Yeah, if there was someone among their group to know such an otherwise unimportant piece of trivia from their world, it was definitely Momo Yaoyorozu.
¡°Oh?¡± Her knowledge is enough to make Aeonia look actually interested in her words. ¡°The name Hecate is unknown to me, but the rest of the description does strike oddly close. If you exclude necromancy and ghosts, as those are in the domain of Nex.¡±
¡°Not¡ necessarily .¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°The ¡®necromancy¡¯ in this case refers to various forms of divination that involve asking questions to the dead and receiving answers from them. Nothing more than that.¡±
¡°Then that does sound closer to the domain of Mors.¡± Aeonia admits. ¡°It¡¯s possible then that she and that Hecate of yours are the same entity, the latter being an imperfect reflection of the former that has reached your distant world. Nevertheless, it seems that the inhabitants of the other burial site have never seen the same light as I did and didn¡¯t commit to the cause of the Breathless Tide. How¡ regretful.¡±
Yeah. She didn¡¯t even have to mention it, and they still realized immediately that she¡¯d gladly go there to¡ convince those spirits to change their allegiance to Nex and Calamitas.
Or, if they prove especially resistant to conversion, convincing their corpses was probably on the table as well.
¡°You¡ you were a lampada at some point in the past, weren¡¯t you?¡± Uraraka asks, connecting the dots before Izuku or anyone else could. Though in his defense, he would have that thought a second or two later. They were quite similar, if you exclude the clothes (the one of the lampada were much more¡ reserved ) and the red eyes. Thus making Aeonia look like an evil lampada.
¡°Not quite.¡± Aeonia squints her eyes at Uraraka. It seems that the dots weren¡¯t connected correctly after all. ¡°The old elven religion predates that of the Grand Empire, or at least the presence of the latter in this world. It believed, and in some parts of the world, still believes, that the gods and other spirits require certain rituals and the attention of the mortals to exist. But when I was forgotten, I refused to fade away and accepted a new patron instead. I¡¯ve become one of the pale ones of Nex, who like other daemons of Creation do not require such sustenance. The spirits protecting the other tomb have clearly picked Mors instead, becoming the lampades.¡±
They still didn¡¯t know so many things about this world. It was¡ confusing more than anything else. Gods and daemons could change their allegiance and very nature? Switch from one cosmology to another, just like the mortals could change their religious beliefs?
On second thought, when you considered the fact that daemons were pretty much mortals but from ¡®higher¡¯ universes, it suddenly made a bit more sense. It¡¯s just that when they changed their ¡®religious beliefs¡¯ they¡¯ve also changed the very core of their being. Same probably with profession.
It also opened up another question that they didn¡¯t exactly want answered right now. Namely, what happened to the other spirits present in this burial site alongside Aeonia. Were there any to begin with?
Did they choose Mors and were slaughtered? No, who would then lock Aeonia inside? Maybe they simply faded away, not accepting any of the High Gods as their new patron god.
¡°Let me give you a word of advice.¡± Aeonia then informs them before they can even try to properly digest the earlier revelations. ¡°Do not try to fight them. That burial site is bigger than my own, even if the¡ quality of those entombed within is much lower. The amount of lampades protecting and maintaining it will be significant. I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s less than a dozen of them there. And their dogs are as much if not more of a problem than they are.¡±
¡°What are they?¡± Uraraka asks. What she doesn¡¯t mention is that they don¡¯t really plan to throw their hands with the people who were just minding their own business and protecting a funeral site from graverobbers.
But additional intel could be useful.
¡°They are called gravehounds.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Mors has issues with those trying to cheat or disrespect death in various ways. Each of the types of dogs that are accompanying her servants were bred to deal with one particular type of those acts, in a way that is as swift as it is brutal. The gravehounds are the weakest but most numerous among the hounds of Mors, created to deal with the grave robbers.¡±
Well
I guess that the life expectancy of graverobbers in this world is pretty short
Yeah, I didn¡¯t even see the dog and from how Spinner described them, I still don¡¯t want to be anywhere close to it.
You what ?
You absolute HERETIC
DOGS ARE JUSTICE
Alright, alright, whatever.
¡°And if it wasn¡¯t bad enough, the light of lampada¡¯s lanterns and torches can instill fear in hearts of the mortals and spirits alike, and even temporarily break their mind, making them an easy target for the gravehounds to tear apart.¡± Aeonia decides to add further evidence for the theory about the life expectancy of graverobbers in this universe. ¡°In short, they¡¯re not easy to deal with.¡±
That sounded like a major understatement for Izuku.
¡°Will they immediately attack if we show around?¡± Uraraka then asks a very important question. ¡°We could be the relatives of the people interned there, seeking to visit the graves of our ancestors after finding out about where this place is.¡±
¡°They will definitely ask about that, and only attack if you answer no and then still try to enter.¡± Aeonia admits, immediately proving to them that the servants of the exarchs were much more reasonable than those of the hierarchs. ¡°Unless there is a necromancer accompanying you. If the one among your companions with a good taste is there, they¡¯ll find out quickly. The light of a lampada¡¯s lantern will always reveal a necromancer. And then they¡¯ll kill you all.¡±
Yanagi doesn¡¯t comment on the compliment, but it¡¯s nice to know that Aeonia can appreciate one of them. Even if it¡¯s only for being a necromancer.
¡°Any other questions that you have for me?¡± The pale one then says. When Uraraka gives her a mildly surprised look, she decides to elaborate. ¡°I find getting you up to date on certain things surprisingly¡ enjoyable. Although I still consider this to be an investment into my own future.¡±
If she¡¯s going to go full tsundere on us I¡¯m going to fucking s c r e a m
Please, do it while outside.
In Spinner¡¯s quarters, maybe?
He¡¯s definitely the best at tolerating you.
Truly a saint in the making.
You¡¯re not even trying anymore, aren¡¯t you?
And they do what Aeonia wanted. Uraraka describes to her the elven mine that they found and their entire past history involving it, including the recent clash with the Gore Munchers and their slightly deviant friends.
Aeonia appears genuinely intrigued by it.
And eventually, Uraraka gets to the end of her tale.
¡°Cynocephali, Gore Munchers and the Rose Guard soldiers.¡± Aeonia comments a moment later, enlightening her as to the name of the one enemy that they failed to kill. ¡°How¡ intriguing . It seems that the forces of the Rapturous Ecstasy seized that mine and are using it as a base of operations in that segment of the Labyrinth. Lovely. Just what I needed close to my tomb.¡±
It seems that she isn¡¯t a big fan of the Rapturous Ecstasy. Then again, she didn¡¯t seem to be a big fan of anything that wasn¡¯t the Breathless Tide.
¡°What are they?¡± Uraraka asks, relaying Izuku¡¯s question to Aeonia. Moments before Yaoyorozu could ask it.
¡°Spirits, of course.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Cynocephali are shard spirits, sentient but barely. Their existence is that of endless hunger. In the realm that they come from, they¡¯re dogs. Quite smart and capable of using simple tools and humanoid, but still dogs. Your theory about the miners resorting to cannibalism and being possessed by minor daemons is likely correct.¡±
¡°This can happen?¡± Uraraka asks. Despite having the time to get used to the theory, she¡¯s still a bit surprised by it being correct.
¡°Sometimes.¡± Aeonia replies, tilting her head a little. ¡°It depends on many factors. On the amount of ambient mana in your surroundings. On the time of the year. On simple luck, or lack of it. As for the other two, they¡¯re daemons from Moraver, a nearby Spiritual World controlled by the Rapturous Ecstasy.¡±
¡°Sounds like a fun place to live in.¡± Monoma decides to dryly quip from the background. ¡°Has to be hard to get bored there.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia grees with him with a faint nod. ¡°It¡¯s an idyllic realm of tame climate and friendly nature, dotted with palaces more beautiful than anything that you can find in a Material World, built from the finest marble, decorated with numberless works of art, with silver, gold, ivory and jewels.¡± She sighs loudly before continuing. ¡°Whose inhabitants endlessly indulge in their most depraved fantasies, where nothing is forbidden and everything is encouraged.¡±
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The second half of that description has definitely ruined the first one.
True
¡°Such a realm, naturally, requires some armed forces to protect it from foreign incursions.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Gore Munchers are pretty much a nickname for the militia composed of some of their more¡ food-obsessed civilians, while the Rose Guard are best described as a parade unit made entirely out of people who for some reason have a thing for military discipline. They look great, their equipment is beautiful, and they are one of the few more or less disciplined formations of the Rapturous Ecstasy, but their combat skills are abysmal and their equipment is made from soft and thus easy to form material. For better looks.¡±
¡°Wait, by ¡®thing¡¯ you mean¡¡± Uraraka tries to ask, but gets the answer she seeks from the disgusted look on Aeonia¡¯s face. Their entire military formation was a military formation because they had a fetish for it. ¡°Eugh.¡±
¡°Eugh indeed.¡± Aeonia agrees with her. ¡°The problem is that we¡¯re having servants of Cibus, the Hierarch of Gluttony, and Procacitas, the Hierarch of Lust operating alongside each other. Those of Desidius, the Hierarch of Indulgence are likely not far behind. And if they¡¯re all in one place, you¡¯re dealing with a permanent holdout of Ecstasy¡¯s forces.¡±
¡°Meaning that they¡¯re a plenty of them down there.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°And now that we¡¯ve engaged their regular forces in combat, they¡¯ll look through the previously abandoned upper level and find the exit to the surface.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°You shouldnt¡¯ go back there any time soon, as they¡¯ve likely set up a proper guard by the entrance.¡±
¡°Will they try to spread around?¡± Uraraka then asks. Izuku is ready to guess that she was weighing new opportunities for fighting strong opponents with the squick that would likely accompany said fight.
¡°Possibly.¡± Aeonia admits. ¡°Good news is that they¡¯ll come into contact with Rampant Bloom¡¯s forces first, and they like them about as much as you do. Another good news is that unlike Bloom, they won¡¯t try to kill you, although their presence in your vicinity and their eventual¡ control over you might lead to your Dungeon being made to develop in strange ways that you¡¯ll likely not enjoy.¡±
Which was a very diplomatic way of saying ¡®they¡¯ll try to change you into their personal sex dungeon/drug den/cannibal buffet¡¯.
That¡¯s a big no for me.
You know what, yeah
I prefer this Dungeon in its current form
Not the one that Toga immediately imagined when she heard the term for the first time
Yes.
Besides, can you imagine bringing the adults into such a Dungeon?
How would we even explain that?
Ah, yes, let''s forget that I''m an adult.
Anyway, I just imagined All Might appearing in this world just to see his successor indulging in some weird-ass drug-fueled orgy and you being all like ¡®I CAN EXPLAIN!¡¯, lmao
¡
Eugh.
Good luck explaining your love triangle with Toga to him to begin with
¡
I don¡¯t want to think about this.
Got it, I¡¯ll be reminding you of it as soon as possible then.
Sigh.
¡°You should consider informing the beastkin about that.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Nine Hordes are Rapturous Ecstasy¡¯s enemies, and the iron mine with an access to the Labyrinth will be a major incentive for them to gather up their forces and attempt to conquer that place. You won¡¯t get to explore it anymore than you already did, but seeing that it¡¯s not officially occupied by something, you won¡¯t get to do that either. And if there¡¯s a regular battle nearby, the amount of things that you can obtain by scavenging the battlefield will be significant .¡±
Oh, and that¡¯s a great idea
Can you imagine how many unlocks we would get out of it? All the skills and abilities
And it¡¯s entirely possible that they¡¯ll feed all the slain daemons to us
I agree, although if the beastkin get defeated, we¡¯ll end up in trouble.
Big trouble.
Fair.
But do we have a lot of choices in that field? If Ecstasy starts poking around the area, things are going to get¡ very much NSFW.
I¡¯m trying not to think about it, but you¡¯re not wrong about it, yeah.
Sigh.
¡°I¡ see.¡± Uraraka replies cautiously. ¡°And if I can ask about it, are all of Procacitas¡¯ servants female? It struck me as a bit odd that¡¡±
Aeonia chuckles faintly. And with all the dignity of a former deity.
¡°No, child.¡± She interrupts her. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t limit themselves to just that. Her servants are rather diverse, you just only got to witness the Rose Guard. Which adheres to feminine aesthetic, finding it more graceful or beautiful or whatever, I really don¡¯t want to know their exact reasoning. Even for the Rose Guard, though, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll find when you take off their undergarments until you actually do that. Not that you should ever try that.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Some of the ones you saw were probably very feminine males. Or carried the primary characteristics of both genders. Or none at all.¡±
¡ huh.
That¡¯s one point in Ecstasy¡¯s favor, I guess.
What?
The diversity!
It''s a very good thing to be very, errr, diverse and accepting.
That¡¯s what I meant!
I¡¯m staring at you suspiciously right now.
¡°And before you ask, the higher ups of the Guard can actually speak, if only to issue orders.¡± Aeonia adds. ¡°If you encounter a squad led by one of their officers, expect a much tougher fight. And it¡¯s not like your current equipment is sufficient to defeat even the regular soldiers of the Rose Guard.¡±
¡°Thank you for reminding us.¡± Uraraka replies, sounding vaguely irritated. Yeah, she doesn¡¯t like being reminded that they aren¡¯t strong by local standards. And how a relatively thin-looking plate armor is enough to completely no-sell all their attacks. ¡°Anything else that you think that we should know about them?
¡°They¡¯re all daemons, either born in Moraver before it became a Spiritual World or after, or outsiders that arrived there as wayward souls after dying in their respective Material Worlds.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°From your lack of knowledge about Creation, I¡¯ve figured out that you might be interested in knowing that.¡±
¡°You meant that they can be¡ dead people ?¡± Uraraka realizes what it was that Aeonia wanted to tell them. ¡°From this world?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies calmly. ¡°Of course, most of them continue upward towards the Radiant Worlds, but the ones that stay behind are indistinguishable from regular daemons. Though it takes them centuries to get there, so whoever you encounter likely has no attachments left in this world. Making this rather inconsequential.¡±
The issue of confirmed afterlife being ¡®inconsequential¡¯ was something that they definitely had to spend a while digesting.
¡°There¡¯s something else that I¡¯d like to ask you about.¡± Uraraka decides to change the subject.
¡°Go on.¡± Aeonia replies.
They quickly describe their discovery of the Northern Wind facility. What they¡¯ve managed to get out of this was a rare sight of actually confused Aeonia.
¡°I can¡¯t help you with that, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Aeonia shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a local group, one composed of mortals rather than spirits. While the Spiritual Worlds and their inhabitants change slowly, at least from the perspective of a Material World, the same cannot be said about the latter. Whatever knowledge I had about it has gone entirely obsolete during my imprisonment here.¡±
Well, it seems that Aeonia¡¯s knowledge has its limits. Unfortunate, but expectable. Especially for someone who was locked in here for so long.
¡°I see.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°Well, that would be all, aside from¡ we¡¯re thinking about going after the Mourner.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll succeed with your current party without a doubt.¡± Aeonia informs them. ¡°Mourners can be quite dangerous but their greatest strength is ultimately their ability to make their enemies weaker and their allies stronger. But this one has only a very few of the latter.¡±
Good, that was an interesting and useful intel on the fight that would soon happen. But there was more to ask her.
¡°Is there anything else that our current party can fight here?¡± Uraraka asks.
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°But in most cases, it¡¯s going to be more of what you¡¯ve already seen or will soon see. Deathblades, mourners, a lot of lesser undead, but usually just the skeletons¡ the family behind this burial site was a noble one, but far from a truly distinguished one. Aside from the one that brought their doom, they were just petty court sycophants that only got a bit more important soon before their passing.¡±
She was quite freely dissing the ones that once helped her exist in this realm with their rituals and memory. Then again, she was a daemon serving the lord of all undead now. Expecting kindness from her was a fool¡¯s endeavor.
If anything, it was quite impressive that she stuck loyal to her own words, and did aid them whenever they asked her for it, even if it was mostly for her own long-term good. She was evil, yes, but not in Tomura¡¯s old style of ¡®you looked at me weird so I¡¯ll kill you¡¯.
¡°Aside from the revenant I¡¯ve mentioned earlier and myself, the only true problem is the guards room, due to it being filled to the brim with deathblades and a few of their less common variants, the headhunters.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Past that they are the mourners, a few skeleton mages and sorcerers, a few ravagers in one of the burial chambers and a bone golem in another, though those are beyond you right now.¡±
¡°Ravagers?¡± Uraraka, as expected, goes for the names that they haven''t heard yet. ¡°Headhunters? Bone golems?¡±
¡°Ravagers are creatures born from up to a dozen skeletal corpses banded together into form, a pale recreation of the bone titans sometimes fielded by the strongest of the armies of the Tide. ¡°Aeonia replies. ¡°They¡¯re tall, bulky and surprisingly resilient for skeletons, often armed in heavy weaponry and sent ahead to shatter formations of the armies opposing Nex¡¯s will.¡±
Sounds like something akin to Gore Munchers, just skeletal.
Good synergy with the Cynocephali - break someone¡¯s formation and swarm them with fast attack-type creatures to break them one by one.
Sounds useful then.
¡°Headhunters are a lesser version of the dullahans, headless warriors who are death knights¡¯ counterparts who trade resilience for speed and some magical attacks.¡± Aeonia continues. It¡¯s how elves often fought in the past, so it¡¯s pretty common to see them at elven graveyards. Nowadays they grow much rarer. And bone golems aren¡¯t actually creatures of the Tide per se, just a pile of bones reanimated by an elemental. Tough. Slow but extremely tough.¡±
¡°I think that we¡¯ll take that mourner first, then.¡± Uraraka decides. ¡°Once we take her down, we¡¯ll see what state we¡¯ll be in and if we can take down something else.¡±
¡°Logical decision.¡± Aeonia agrees with her. ¡°Your necromancer won¡¯t be of much use in that fight, as their magic can¡¯t influence the undead, at least not in a negative way. If it wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, is it possible for her to stay with me while you face the mourner?¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Yanagi replies for herself. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°As you¡¯re from another world, apparently, I doubt that you know a lot about what being a necromancer truly is about.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°There¡¯s more to it than just casting spells. And I wish to offer you some guidance.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Yanagi tilts her head a little. ¡°Alright. That sounds great.¡±
There is truly no debating that.
¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Uraraka decides. ¡°Are you going to lead us there again?¡±
¡°Yes, I will.¡± Aeonia says as stands up from her throne. ¡°Follow me.¡±
They barely have the time to move out of the sanctuary when things get¡ troublesome. Very, very troublesome.
Someone enters the Dungeon. Someone that definitely wasn¡¯t invited to it, and that they¡¯ve never seen before. Someone who looked like they meant trouble.
It was a knight in full plate armor, one missing only their helmet for some reason, decorated with some¡ odd and grim motifs and symbols, merely looking at which made them feel uncomfortable.
The head that they could see in absence of the helmet was that of a female cat-morph, with her face covered in some oddly shaped tattoos/facial paint, some sort of black decorations in her hair and with piercing blue eyes that looked human rather than feline.
They were armed with a kite shield and a longsword, the former not decorated with any symbol whatsoever, only more of those strange decorations by the edges of it.
Dungeon failed to gauge her intent for some reason, but it was made obvious by the fact that the moment she saw the shrines, she began to destroy them with an expression of rage (and not a single word coming out of her mouth) on her face. \
Ochako, we have a bit of a problem and I think that I need you to relay a question to Aeonia before fighting the mourner.
***
The new guest. I wonder what she''s up to :v
44: Purifier
¡°Here?!¡± Aeonia, for once, looks absolutely floored by the description that Uraraka just relayed to her, simply freezing in the middle of the corridor. ¡°Why is one of them here ?! They shouldn¡¯t be here!¡±
Well, shit.
That doesn¡¯t sound very good
Yes.
I didn¡¯t even know that she could be this shocked
¡°Are we in trouble?¡± Uraraka asks immediately, staring at Aeonia and being as shocked by this sight as Midoriya and Shigaraki. ¡°Should we rush back to the Dungeon?¡±
According to Izuku, the intruder was still busy defacing the shrines, so if they all rushed back, then maybe, just maybe, they would make it in time!
¡°No.¡± Aeonia replies as she recovers from her brief moment of shock. ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t rush back there, Without me with you, you don¡¯t have a chance at defeating her as you¡¯re right now, and I don¡¯t intend to show up anywhere close to that woman.¡±
Aeonia not wanting to fight her brings the situation straight to the realm of ¡®oh shit, we¡¯re fucked¡¯
Vulgar.
But correct.
And I still want to know why we¡¯re so, uhm, deep in troubles.
¡°As for whether you¡¯re in trouble, that depends.¡± Aeonia continues. ¡°Is your master someone who lived a virtuous life before landing in this world? Was he kind, brave, diligent, helpful towards others and generally indulged in all sorts of goody-two-shoes behavior?¡±
She doesn¡¯t sound as if she was particularly hopeful about that subject. Nor as if she considered those qualities to be anything particularly noteworthy. Huh. Well, she was a servant of one of the local dark gods, they shouldn¡¯t expect a lot on that field¡
¡°Yes.¡± Uraraka replies immediately and with complete confidence. Of course, she¡¯s only talking about Izuku. ¡°Yes, he was. Most of us were like that, we were training to become¡ well, the type of people who were supposed to keep nasty people away from innocent people. ¡±
¡°Then it¡¯s likely that you¡¯re not in trouble.¡± Aeonia replies, clearly deciding not to address the rest of her words. Izuku is genuinely surprised by her reaction. He expected being heroic to be a problem, at least considering how spooky the intruder - who had just finished destroying the shrines and was now taking a casual stroll through the elemental maze, no-selling all attacks without even retaliating, all while clearly looking for the entrance to the second level - looked. ¡°From your description, it seems that she¡¯s one of the khardic purifiers.¡±
¡°I know neither of those words.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, clearly hoping to learn more.
Aeonia obliges.
¡°Khardism is a monotheistic religion from Telya, the small continent to the west of Karadia.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°It¡¯s another cosmology entirely. Purifiers are their¡ religiously motivated errant knights, of sort. I don¡¯t know what this one is doing here, but they¡¯ve likely seen the shrines to some Hierarchs and immediately decided to kill the Dungeon who consorts with them in any way.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies when Uraraka relays the question. ¡°Khardics are¡ their religion is an extreme one. Tolerance towards anything that they consider evil is counted among one of the worst sins. For them, there is no such thing as excessive brutality when it comes to destroying evil.¡±
¡°... how bad is it?¡± Uraraka asks. Thus far it sounded to her as something akin to more combat-oriented pro-heroes, really. At least when it comes to what that particular religion expected from its worshippers.
Most worshippers never got anywhere close to what their religion demanded from them, unfortunately.
She has no idea how wrong she was, but Aeonia doesn¡¯t let her stay like that for long.
¡°When a group of fanatic worshippers of, say, Honor finds an evil overlord oppressing the local people, they¡¯ll slay him and help the people recover, before departing.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°When a group of fanatic worshippers of the khardic Overtyrant finds such a person, they¡¯ll creatively torture him to near death, flay him and his supporters alive, then have the previously oppressed people watch in horror as they dance around the pyre where their oppressors are being burned alive while wearing their skins before concluding the celebration with a cannibalistic feast in which they consume whatever was left of the tyrants they¡¯ve just overthrew. Then they''ll tell the horrified witnesses that if they follow in their former rulers¡¯ footsteps and start oppressing others in the future, they¡¯ll come back and subject them to the exact same fate, before they depart from the scene to do it all over again elsewhere.¡±
¡
Everyone in the corridor stares at her in horror, too shocked by the presented scenario to speak.
¡
¡
You think she¡¯ll do that to All for One if I ask her?
what
He killed Mon-chan
And my family too
And a lot of other people too I guess
Besides, look me in the face (metaphorically) and tell me that you don¡¯t think that All for One deserves that
He¡ he narrowly doesn¡¯t deserve that.
What if he, hypothetically, had a spy planted in 1-A by giving them a quirk and then murdering someone in cold blood right in front of them and their parents and telling them that it¡¯ll be them if he doesn¡¯t get enough intel about the school and All Might, and that they can¡¯t hope to hide from him, ever?
what
Hypothetically ofc
I
why have you even said that
To see if you were ready to permit such a thing happening to someone who harmed your classmates, as I¡¯ve already established that you¡¯d do that for someone who harmed your mom.
In such a hypothetical scenario, I¡¯d be severely tempted to¡ errr¡ look the other way.
Not even denying that you¡¯d do that against someone who harmed your mother, alright.
I didn¡¯t deny that for a simple reason.
I do not like to lie.
¡ uhm
You scare me sometimes.
Truly a failure on my side, as I should scare you always.
Now, cough it out.
Who is it?
The french guy.
There¡¯ll be pain.
Wait, you¡¯re going to punish the spy for that?
What? No! I¡¯m going to punish All for One for that, somehow.
Aoyama-kun is my friend.
He even gave me cheese.
I don¡¯t know much about the French, and I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m supposed to trust Hagakure when she told me that sharing their cheese with people is their sacred ritual of friendship and brotherhood, but I¡¯m still absolutely INFURIATED at someone threatening my classmate and his family.
Especially as I now realized how much of his strange acts towards me must have been motivated by guilt.
All for One is going to suffer.
Oh, well
pog
Thankfully, when they wanted to do it, they could talk with each other extremely quickly. So quickly, in fact, that this entire exchange took them less than two seconds. Being a Dungeon sometimes had its perks.
¡°How does¡ how does someone end up like this ?¡± Yaoyorozu manages to speak out, and asks the right question.
¡°Their ancestors were treated even worse by a group of aberrants with a god complex for centuries before casting off their shackles thanks to an aid by an even greater power.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Violence and suffering were so common in their life that they simply didn¡¯t know how to live differently, resulting in their culture and religion being the way it is. Their greatest change there was that one they focus all said violence and pain on people who in their eyes deserve it.¡± She shrugs when Yaoyorozu gives her a confused look. ¡°I might disagree with them, I consider their religion to be a horrible joke and I know what she¡¯d do to me if she could, but I can as well be honest about it.¡±
Probably to maintain her image of a helpful supporter of their Dungeon. Or so Izuku suspects. She was the exact opposite of altruistic, but at least she was consistent in her actions and clearly ready to uphold her word. That had to be enough.
¡°And you want I¡ our master to confront her?¡± Uraraka appears to be the most shocked by that part of her talk, huh.
¡°Yes.¡± Aeonia replies calmly. ¡°Her holy magic capabilities scale off depending on how guilty their target is in the eyes of the Overtyrant. If your master is even close to what you¡¯ve described him as, he¡¯ll turn out to be immune or nearly-immune to it, proving to the purifier that the Dungeon doesn¡¯t deserve to be killed. If he is exactly how you described him to be, the magic will backfire at the purifier, her god backhanding her for daring to raise her hand at someone who is less guilty than she is, and all while invoking his power and name to do it.¡± She sighs loudly. ¡°If that happens, just have your master tell her about the Webmistress Family and where to find it, preferably in Itavian. Mention the Rapturous Ecstasy holdout too, while at it. If he proves himself to be a better person than she is, she¡¯ll immediately consider this a worthy cause and go slaughter them all or die trying. Buying you some much needed time to expand.¡±
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I¡ are we actually sure that the cult deserves SUCH a punishment?
Oh god fucking dammit just GO
Better them than us
Okay, okay! I¡¯ll spawn myself on the second floor and go up to confront her.
Shigaraki, guide me to her position.
Alright.
***
It works pretty much exactly as Aeonia said that it would.
Izuku gathers up his courage - even after all that he went through back on Earth he really needs that to face someone so deranged as the knight making her way to him - and goes out to meet her.
She sees him stepping out of the Level Change Room and immediately realizes that he¡¯s either a servant of the Dungeon or a Dungeon Lord in person. She points her sword at him and casts some sort of spell.
For a millisecond or two, Izuku can feel a¡ presence . An overbearing presence looking down at him, something akin to what Stain emitted back in Hosu, but a hundred times stronger. Looking down at him, scrutinizing him and everything he ever done in his life.
But then it ceases. And he discovers that when Aeonia compared the spell backfiring to getting backhanded by god, she meant it literally.
It¡¯s as if the knight suddenly received a slap in the face, potent enough to make her stagger solid two meters in the direction of the wall, clearly stunned by the blow¡ before spitting out a bloodied tooth onto the floor.
And staring at Izuku, with clear shock written on her face. Someone didn¡¯t expect that to happen.
¡°I¡¡± He clears the throat and decides to do it as Aeonia suggested. ¡°There is a cult of the Rampant Bloom in a forest valley to the east from here. They¡¯re focused on the spiders, and are wearing this sort of robes.¡± He says as he pulls a Dungeon-replicated robe of the Webmistress¡¯ Family out of his backpack and shows it to the knight. ¡°There is also a Rapturous Ecstasy holdout in the mine close to it. It¡¯s¡ it¡¯s a mine from the Labyrinth that has accidentally breached into the surface in one place, the entrance is barely visible, but if they try to expand onto the valley, it should be easy to follow them back to their base.¡±
Silence in the corridor. The knight is staring at him without a word for a few seconds, and he is increasingly terrified that something¡¯s going to go horribly wrong, only for the woman to turn on her heels and run back towards the exit of the Dungeon.
Still without saying a single word. Was she just¡ mute? Or did she make some sort of vow of silence?
Damn, that was scary.
He immediately despawned.
Did it work?
Yes.
She ran out of the Dungeon, looking as if she just found her life¡¯s calling and went out to murder people as a part of it
Which is probably what happened.
Anyways
You just received a top grade on your moral state from a monotheistic god of good, who declared you less sinful than his own devoted follower
How do you feel about that?
That god is alright with his followers eating the sinners in cannibalistic feasts and wearing their skins while at it.
Shigaraki, be honest with me.
Are we the baddies?
You fucking dumbass
If you were a bad guy, I could actually fucking tolerate you
Oh, uhm.
Thank you!
Shut the fuck up.
***
When they inform Aeonia about the development, she seems briefly surprised by Izuku measuring up to the Overtyrant¡¯s judgment to such a degree, before immediately telling them that they¡¯re supposed to be extra careful about locking her sanctuary.
¡°You¡¯re¡ afraid of her?¡± Uraraka asks, surprised by it.
¡°I¡¯m certain that I can kill her, especially as she¡¯s far from the strongest among her kind.¡± Aeonia replies. They have no idea how she could tell that merely from a brief description of her. ¡°What I can¡¯t be certain of is that I¡¯ll walk out of it uninjured. And that holy magic of hers can cause injuries accompanied by excruciating suffering, ones that will take me lifetimes to heal.¡±
¡°Fair.¡± Uraraka decides. That was a rather wild interruption, but it was the end of it for now. Unless the Family or the Ecstasy manage to take them down, the purified would likely become relevant again, but for now¡ for now they¡¯d do best to focus on their short-term issues. ¡°So, the Mourner?¡±
¡°Yes, follow me.¡± Aeonia replies, before turning around and continuing their walk through the corridors of the tomb. She seemed relieved that it was over too, just emotionally scarce and dignified about it.
Soon after that they arrive at the destination. One more set of otherwise completely unremarkable sealed doors. Aeonia points them at it and tells them that what they came for is there, before turning to Yanagi.
¡°So, why have you decided to choose that particular profession?¡± She asks as the others begin to unseal the door in the background.
¡°I always thought that ghosts and other things that scare people are cool and interesting.¡± Yanagi decides to be honest about it. ¡°In our world, it was all legends and scary stories. Here, they are real.¡± Aeonia says nothing, Yanagi tilting her head a little to give a questioning look to the much bigger woman. ¡°Is my motivation a problem?¡±
¡°No, it is not.¡± Aeonia replies. Yanagi decides that she believes her. ¡°Other Hierarchs demand things from their followers. Rapturous Ecstasy demands hedonism. Gods of the Shadowlight Covenant demand chaos and anarchy. Gods of the Nine Hordes demand war. Nex, however, demands nothing.¡±
The others open the door and storm inside, the fight clearly starting. Yanagi feels pretty bad about missing out on a fight, but¡
Occult knowledge, alright? That¡¯s important to her.
¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can believe in a god offering such powers for free.¡± Yanagi decides to point out instead. She learned enough about the occult to not expect freebies. ¡°There is usually some fine print to such offers.¡±
There is a terrifying, ear-piercing scream coming from the burial chamber. Yanagi can only wonder how bad it was to hear it up close.
¡°Correct, because Nex doesn¡¯t offer us anything.¡± Aeonia replies, completely ignoring the sounds of battle. ¡°You know about the Calamitas, the other High God of the Tide, yes?¡±
Yanagi nods.
¡°Calamitas is what she is because she was cursed by the Engine Aspects, the three eldest of the Anarchs dwelling in the very World Engine, for attempting to enter it.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°For as long as she lives, all she does will inevitably end up in failure and disaster. Now, what are the spells that you know?¡±
That was a clear change of subject that Yanagi didn¡¯t expect. Or¡ was it really? Aeonia was definitely heading somewhere with this.
¡°Life Tap, Shield of Negation, Black Bolt, Vulnerability Hex, Reanimate Corpse, and Summon Skeleton.¡± Yanagi replies.
¡°Black magic of the necromancers is split into two aspects. The first one is the aspect of death, containing spells that create and control undead, and sap the lifeforce of your enemies away from their bodies.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°The other one is composed entirely of curses. They work by invoking the power of Calamitas to strengthen the target, which due to the curse that she is suffering from instead makes it weaker . Now, can you tell me why exactly Calamitas is considered part of the Tide?¡±
Ah, a test. Occult was usually about connecting the dots. Yanagi can do that. And it truly does seem that the earlier change of subject was a meaningful one.
¡°The curse works for as long as she ¡®lives¡¯, right?¡± Yanagi asks, Aeonia nodding. It seems that she passed the test.
¡°Nex doesn¡¯t actually lead the Tide.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Instead, he works relentlessly on turning Calamitas into something otherwise impossible - a high god that is neither alive nor dead. The creation of necromancy and undeath as a whole is merely a side-effect of Nex¡¯s work on breaking the natural order of things. We look up to him as the source of our powers and our very existence, but we do not follow him in the traditional sense.¡±
¡°So, we can do whatever we want, but for as long as we¡¯re doing that as necromancers or undead, we¡¯re a part of the Breathless Tide?¡± Yanagi asks, tilting her head lightly. That sounds much more reasonable to her.
She wanted to become a necromancer, yes. But she wasn¡¯t planning to commit any atrocities along the way. At heart, she was still the person who wanted to become a pro-hero. And didn¡¯t plan to change that.
¡°Correct.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Cults and sects of the Breathless Tide can have vastly different outlook on the world. Some seek to end all life, seeing it as inferior to unlife. Others wish to dominate the former with the latter. Others still are fine with life and unlife coexisting, and there are also those for whom necromancy is merely a tool to achieve their personal goals. That¡¯s why to me, there¡¯s no such thing as a bad reason to become a necromancer.¡±
Huh.
And then Yanagi remembers that Aeonia believes that her current situation as a necromancer was fundamentally temporary. In her eyes, she was only given a free trial of what they could do, and was currently doing her best to sell it all to her permanently.
Aeonia expected Yanagi and the others to eventually disconnect themselves from the Dungeon and become normal inhabitants of this world. But if one of them would experience the power that necromancy could give you, and was clearly alright with using it in the first place, why wouldn¡¯t they try to become a necromacner again, this time for real?
You could only wonder how she¡¯d act if she found out that thanks to Luna¡¯s ¡®cheat code¡¯, Yanagi could easily become a necromancer permanently. And, perhaps, an extremely powerful one.
And that she was actually considering it.
Huh.
¡°I see.¡± Yanagi nods and before bowing her head a little. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in helping me become a good necromancer, then I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±
Aeonia had no idea that the doors that she was trying to break through were unlocked. But if she was adamant to do that, then Yanagi was determined to get as much out of it as she could.
¡°Are you alright with spending a lot of time in one room with corpses? A lot of them rather fresh.¡± Aeonia then asks. ¡°It¡¯s, unfortunately, a prerequisite for when one wants to become a necromancer.¡±
¡°My parents worked in a morgue.¡± Yanagi replies calmly. ¡°When I bugged them about it enough, they did let me see how a dead person looks once I was old enough. I think that it was pretty disappointing. So I think that I should be alright.¡±
It happened around the time she was accepted to the UA, when she could argue that if the best school in the country thought that she was adult enough to battle giant robots, she¡¯s definitely old enough to see what a dead human looks like.
Especially as she would sooner or later see one in her work. Although to be honest, she just wanted to see what characters of so many scary stories did. She expected herself to be scared by it.
She wasn¡¯t.
It was somewhat off-putting, but for as long as this wasn¡¯t anyone that she once knew¡ then she was alright with that.
¡°Very well then.¡± Aeonia clasps her hands with a smile on her face. ¡°You¡¯re definitely well-prepared for the job. Now, let us move over to explaining the basics to you.¡±
Yanagi nods a few times quickly.
She was learning a true occult lore from a deity that has fallen into daemonhood. Just how cool, no, how superb that was? She could never hope for that to happen on Earth. She might have missed all her friends and family, but¡
This was amost as great as all that she lost when she was ¡®born¡¯ here. And, to begin with, did she really lose what she, as merely a copy of herself, never had?
They, unfortunately, barely manage to get through the basics (the types of the lesser undead, how to create them and how to preserve corpses for later use) when Uraraka emerges from the mourner¡¯s burial chamber.
¡°It¡¯s done.¡± She announces to Yanagi and Aeonia. ¡°It was a bit¡ err, well, you weren¡¯t wrong when you said that it¡¯ll be easy for us with our current numbers. No one has even gotten injured.¡±
¡°As I said, mourners depend heavily on their allies.¡± Aeonia replies calmly over Yanagi¡¯s head. ¡°The curses that they can wield are rarely powerful enough to kill their enemies, and they aren¡¯t physical enough to finish them off themselves. With nothing but a group of skeletons by her side, she wasn¡¯t much of a threat.¡±
¡°Yeah, uhm.¡± She briefly looks back behind the door of the burial chamber. ¡°You could have told us that the mourner would change into a pool of liquid when she died. Monoma is trying to put it all in a bottle right now, and I don''t think he''s doing very well.¡±
¡°IT¡¯S A DEVELOPING SITUATION, ALRIGHT?!¡± They all hear Monoma yell from the burial chamber.
¡°I could.¡± Aeonia replies, ignoring Monoma entirely. ¡°But I was simply curious if the knowledge from your world would let you know what a mourner is, and if you¡¯d ask how you deal with an immaterial enemy.¡±
¡°It¡ wasn¡¯t quite immaterial.¡± Uraraka decides to point it out. ¡±Kirishima severed it in half with a swing of his log.¡±
¡°It¡¯s making sounds.¡± Aeonia replies calmly. ¡°It thus has to be at least somewhat material. There are purely mute spectrals who are fully immaterial, and there are those who can speak and make sounds. The latter are made from a special form of matter known as ectoplasm. It can be cut apart, though stronger creatures will easily regrow what they lost or merge it back. And it can also phase through certain things.¡±
¡°Right.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°Like, say, non-organic matter . I tried to stab it with my spear and the metal tip went right through it. If not for the fact that the wooden part of it actually connected with it, I wouldn¡¯t have the idea to yell at Kirishima to hit it with his log.¡±
¡°There are also certain non-organic materials that can cut through ectoplasm even easier than that.¡± Aeonia replies calmly. ¡°Other than that, yes. And I expected you to figure it out on your own. No one was injured, right?¡±
She clearly didn¡¯t consider what happened to be a problem. Then again, neither did Uraraka. Just some additional training in dealing with unexpected things. And to them in a fantasy world, almost all things were unexpected.
¡°Right, right.¡± Uraraka sighs, deciding not to push the subject. ¡°Anyway, we think that we can get another burial chamber done today. Anything you have for us?¡±
¡°There is one with two deathblades.¡± Aeonia replies. ¡°Siblings, formerly. There are also quite a lot of lesser undead there, meaning that it¡¯ll be a tough fight, and some of you will likely die in the process. And there¡¯s nothing for you to get, as you have already unlocked the deathblades.¡±
¡°It still counts as a training exercise.¡± Uraraka replies, suddenly looking pumped up. Hard fight, followed up by return to the Dungeon so that she, Izuku and Himiko could act all lovey-dovey? Yes, please. ¡°We¡¯ll go there once we¡¯re done looking through the stuff in this chamber to make sure that we won¡¯t miss any collectibles, and once Monoma finally manages to deal with, well, you know what.¡±
¡°I HAVE TO SCOOP IT UP WITH MY HANDS!¡± Monoma yells from the room. ¡°IT¡¯S FREEZING COLD AND SLIMY! DO YOU WANT TO BE THE ONE DOING IT?!¡±
¡°No, not really!¡± Uraraka shouts back.
¡°THEN AT LEAST STOP COMPLAINING!¡± Monoma shouts back.
¡°Fine, fine!¡± Uraraka sighs loudly before mumbling ¡®drama queen¡¯ to herself and then turning her attention back to them. ¡°Anyway, how¡¯s the necromancy lesson going, Yanagi-san?¡±
¡°Extremely well.¡± Yanagi replies with a faint smile on her face. ¡°I think that I¡¯m going to become a necromancer in my second life. Permanently.¡±
Aeonia looks satisfied with that. Yanagi can¡¯t help but hope for further guidance. It was going to be absolutely awesome.
45: Progress
The fight against two lesser deathblades was, indeed, a much harder one. It was so bad, in fact, that they almost lost it. They ended up losing Tetsutetsu and Ashido before their enemies finally broke.
And yes, it¡¯s another fight that Yanagi ended up sitting out, learning even more about the basics of necromancy as a profession from Aeonia. Naturally, this wasn¡¯t enough to make her in any way qualified as one, but at least she learned something.
She was definitely looking forward to Aeonia settling in the Dungeon so that she could learn more things from her on a daily basis.
For now, however, she had to bid her goodbyes and help the others carry their spoils of battle to the Dungeon, which was a problem especially as they somehow managed to lose two out of three of their ogres.
¡°I hate it.¡± Kirishima shakes his head. ¡°I hate it that we¡¯re getting so used to dying that it doesn¡¯t even bother us. How¡¯s that manly?! I¡¯ve just seen my girlfriend and my brother straight up dying, and I know that they¡¯ll be alright with that, but just¡ I don¡¯t like seeing that happen.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Uraraka gently slaps him in the back. As expected from his massive frame, she feels the impact more than he did. ¡°We¡¯re just gonna have to get better and this will all stop. Besides, sooner or later we¡¯ll get some semi-useful daemons that we can use in greater numbers, and you know what that means?¡±
¡°That the Dungeon will get more populated?¡± Kirishima asks.
¡°No.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°That we¡¯ll officially progress into an RTS stage, and then we¡¯ll be able to merely lead or even just accompany entire units of daemons serving our Dungeon. They¡¯ll be dying and coming back to life instead of us. Besides, won¡¯t fighting an entire battle alongside a giant army, clashing with another one of equal strength, battling it out against legions and legions of enemies alongside our comrades be super manly ?¡±
¡°You know what, you¡¯re right!¡± Kirishima agrees with her after a moment of thinking it over. ¡°That vision is definitely super manly. Of course, for as long as our cause is manly.¡±
¡°And it will be, because we¡¯re still the good guys.¡± Uraraka grins at him. Kirishima smiles back, his usual enthusiasm and optimism being clearly restored. ¡°See, that¡¯s the spirit!¡±
¡°I get it that you¡¯re having a moment, but could you like, please get back to helping us drag that goddamn deathblade up this hill, finally .¡± Monoma hisses at them from the side, looking as if he finally began to regret promising Yanagi to bring it back to help her in her experiments .
Uh-oh.
That¡¯s definitely a good idea.
***
This time, Izuku wasn¡¯t waiting for them with a hot shower and a massage, but mostly because it was a much shorter trip outside, and Uraraka didn¡¯t get dunked in blood again, even if she really felt that she got close to it when Ashido died.
And yes. Being the adorable and kind cookie that he was, Izuku did ask them if they wanted it while they were still heading back to the Dungeon, but Uraraka told him that it¡¯s not necessary and that he shouldn¡¯t waste anymore mana.
Toga looked quite disappointed by that. Her disappointment vanished with a quick hug from Uraraka. She was¡
She was very low maintenance most of the time. Just give her enough attention, scratch her head (or the back of her neck/area right above the base of her tail, she really liked both) just right, give her a hug and a quick kiss, and she¡¯ll immediately switch over to being happy and satisfied with her life.
Sometimes it really felt as if she was just a human pet for them both. Uraraka didn¡¯t mind it, though. And clearly neither did Toga.
As Izuku and Shigaraki were left to their own devices (mostly checking out what they unlocked this time and furnishing Yanagi¡¯s new [Necromancer¡¯s Laboratory]), the rest decided to eat together (alongside their now resurrected friends) to celebrate another new and successful expedition, and share their opinions about a certain unwanted visitor that came to the Dungeon when they were away.
Everyone seemed to be at the very least highly disturbed by the purifier¡¯s very existence. People with some past issues with law like Mr. Compress doubly so.
At some point in the talk, when they all moved over to the subject of the other burial site that Spinner (the only person missing from the Dungeon right now) has discovered, Yanagi decided to speak her mind.
¡°Can¡¯t we just go there and befriend them?¡± She says, raising her hand to get their attention. ¡°They might know more about the area than we or Aeonia do.¡±
¡°Befriend them?¡± Monoma looks absolutely shocked at the prospect. ¡°I¡ huh?¡±
¡°Aeonia said that they won¡¯t attack if we don¡¯t try to barge in.¡± Yanagi points out. ¡°Just knock on the door, introduce ourselves as servants of a local Dungeon, tell them we¡¯re not going to attack them and ask them if they¡¯d want anything from us and if they know any interesting places in the area for us to visit. How¡¯s that so surprising?¡±
Silence at the table. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu exchanging quick glances. They aren¡¯t the only ones to do that, but with their sizes, it¡¯s definitely the most visible case. They are really bad at being subtle.
¡°I¡ guess that we¡¯ve gotten a bit too used to treating all the discovered places as potential raiding locations.¡± Yaoyorozu eventually comments. ¡°Trading, diplomacy and receiving quests from them just¡ wasn¡¯t the first thing that came to our mind.¡±
¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to ask Shigaraki and Izuku about their opinion on that.¡± Uraraka says. ¡°But I guess that it feels like a good idea. Just¡ you¡¯ll probably have to sit out that mission. I have a feeling that the lampades might not like you being there, at all.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Yanagi shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy getting familiar with my laboratory either way. I¡¯ll likely be spending most of my free time there from now on.¡±
¡°Excuse me for asking, but¡ what exactly is such a laboratory needed for?¡± Yaoyorozu decides to satisfy her boundless curiosity. ¡°I thought that most of what necromancers do is just casting spells.¡±
¡°Corpse dissections, mostly.¡± Yanagi replies idly while putting a piece of meat in her mouth.
¡°Excuse me?¡± Yaoyorozu asks again, clearly confused with her answer.
¡°To create greater undead and summon daemons I require better materials.¡± Yanagi explains after she swallows the food. ¡°Flesh, bones, blood, skin, internal organs and so on. Those can come from different donors, for as long as the quality is correct, there¡¯s enough of it and it¡¯s correctly placed. However, keeping those parts as fresh as possible is key, which requires appropriate storage and regular casting of correct spells.¡±
Aeonia explained to her that Life Tap is a spell whose primary usage is to preserve the corpses for a bit longer by killing all life within indeed - which seemed to include the bacterias responsible for their decay.
Not the word she used, but that¡¯s what Yanagi understood from the explanation.
¡°It¡¯s a bit more complicated with lesser undead, but it¡¯s still possible.¡± She continues her explanation. ¡°In their case, well, it depends on the type of an undead that you¡¯re trying to make. For skeletons, you have to remove all the flesh, obviously. For zombies you need to wait until the decay sets in, for spectrals you need not the corpses themselves but things that were theirs for a long time, that had their owners imprint themselves on it, leaving a memory to be resurrected in a way.¡±
Only after a few seconds does she realize that there¡¯s a dead silence at the table. Yanagi looks at the others just to see the looks of confusion and (in some cases) faint revulsion that they were giving her.
Uh-oh.
¡°Sorry for saying all that at the table.¡± She quickly bows her head a little. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a subject to talk about when people are eating.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Monoma says before sighing loudly. ¡°We have a lot of such subjects, like whatever the Ecstasy is doing at their mine right now. Eventually we had to stumble upon one of them.¡±
¡°Right.¡± Uraraka clearly agrees with him. ¡°I guess that another one of us went native, huh? Well, for as long as you¡¯re happy with that, the least I can do is accept and support you, right?¡±
¡°Oh, errr, thank you.¡± Yanagi replies. She only now figured out that it wasn¡¯t exactly about talking about such things at the dinner table, but being alright with such things in general.
She, honestly, doesn¡¯t care. She is now a necromancer, and that¡¯s what matters to her. She is going to do her best for them all to survive, as they¡¯re still her friends (some of them, at least), but she¡¯s going to do it while achieving her dreams.
***
Both Izuku and Shigaraki decide that Yanagi¡¯s idea for indulging in some diplomacy with the lampades from the other burial site is a good one, even if Shigaraki had some pointy words said about meeting potential allies in sketchy places.
Izuku tried to make fun of that only to discover that he referred to Overhaul killing Magne and half-disarming Mr. Compress, at which point he decided that it wasn¡¯t funny and he¡¯d feel bad if he tried to make fun of any of it.
He even apologized to Shigaraki, which only made him more annoyed. That was definitely the best way of apologizing to someone like him.
As their entire expedition group, minus Yanagi, departed, they had the time to consider further expansions of their Dungeon.
Yanagi was busy in her laboratory, training her dissection skills (and her newly obtained [Butchering III] skill that made her level up as a Necromancer from level 19 to 20) on some human corpses.
How did she obtain mortal corpses, at least aside from the [Deathblades]? Well, looks like the long-forgotten ¡®Decoration¡¯ in the form of desiccated human corpse was finally useful.
No. Izuku didn¡¯t want to even think about what was happening there. Is he getting¡ corrupted as well? He is noticing himself steadily agreeing to more and more¡ outlandish ideas, simply because he already agreed to the past one and this one was merely a bit worse than it.
Then again, what was he supposed to do? Tell Ochako to stop enjoying combat? Tell Himiko to stop being happy that she can finally live without having to conform? Tell Yanagi-san to stop indulging in her (admittedly slightly concerning) childish dream of being a necromancer, even if it required butchering corpses?
Would they even listen to him, in the first place? And if not, then what is he supposed to do? Pull their souls out of their body and keep them in a perpetual freezer? To begin with, would Shigaraki even agree to that?
Probably not, if only to spite Izuku.
So, he quite literally couldn¡¯t do anything. So¡ should he just¡ stop resisting it? Or, to be exact, set up some simple new¡ is the moral system a good term to use here? One or more rules that would act as uncrossable lines to him, the whole thing allowing him to recover his bearings, more or less?
¡
No harming innocents. That was it. That was his new moral guiding light.
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He was going to absolutely veto everything that would involve injuring, killing or robbing people who didn¡¯t deserve that. People who did harm, murder or rob innocents? Free hunting season.
He has to get used to people dying. He doesn¡¯t like it, but he has to. Not a lot of people in this world seem to care.
When it comes to things that are merely ¡®offending¡¯ the sensibilities that he carried out of his old world¡ Well, as long as Yanagi-san isn¡¯t butchering innocent people, what¡¯s the problem?
No, he is also going to draw a line on butchering innocent people killed by others. They might have family members wishing to give them a proper burial. It counts as pillaging innocent people.
That was more or less everything he needed, really. Simple and straightforward. Not a lot of nuances there, then again, that would only make it more complicated.
Actually, now that he thinks about it¡
Shigaraki, I have a question.
ugh
what is it
You mentioned once that in such isekai stories slavery is often a thing, right?
Ye, what about it
¡ are you into it?
what
Are you a fucking dumbass
Yeah, I¡¯d definitely be rebelling against societal hierarchy if I wanted people to own other people and the latter not being able to do shit about it
that makes so much fucking sense
So you¡¯re not interested in using that to obtain a woman who can - or in this case, has to - spend time with you?
Look
I might be a bit of a pervert
and I might have had very little contact with opposite gender
but I¡¯m not a fucking incel, okay?
Everyone who uses the very system of slavery that way is even dumber and more worth killing than average user of said stupid fucking system, got it?
Okay
Sore spot, right?
Obviously
I was pretty much kidnapped and then groomed by an asshole who killed my beloved dog
I¡¯m NOT into anything resembling this bullshit by definition
Great.
So, if it¡¯s out there, we¡¯re not touching it with a fifty feet pole and we don¡¯t allow anyone in our domain to do so either.
We have that settled, okay.
let me guess
figuring out your new approach to this world after whatever bs Yanagi is doing, are you
¡ maybe.
sigh
You might want to add an exclusion clause to that one when daemons are involved
Unless we¡¯re planning to get every single one of them eaten alive from the inside by one of our otherworldly associates, we¡¯ll have to order them to do stuff against their will
Good point.
But I don¡¯t want it to be a good point.
Ugh
Dumbass
Look, just think of yourself as a fucking prison, okay?
What?
Let¡¯s say that we eat up a few of those Rose Guard guys/gals/non-binary whatevers
For as long as they¡¯re following your orders, they can¡¯t move around at random and do shit to other people
You - or in this case, we - are just literally a fucking prison for spiritual beings and lesser deities (in the future)
And I guess that forced work for inmates is a thing here
Oh.
Oh.
That makes sense.
So I can be alright with forcing daemons who belong to the ¡®bad¡¯ factions and did bad things to fight for us (fight or work, nothing yucky ), and it¡¯ll just¡ make sense.
And for daemons of the ¡®good¡¯ factions, I can stick to signing contracts with them and treating them accordingly.
Of ¡®good¡¯ factions or, in cases like Aeonia¡¯s, of ¡®bad¡¯ factions for as long as they¡¯re reasonable enough to establish a contract with us.
That makes sense.
¡ wait, why are you helping me?
Because, you fucking heroic dumbass, I don¡¯t want you to get a weird idea and start to vetoing reasonable, life-changing decisions that we as a Dungeon need because of some stupid fucking internal conflict
The faster you get through this bs, the faster I can be certain that you¡¯re not going to become a critical weakness of this Dungeon
Got that?
Yeah!
It worked. He now had an ethical system that was a logical middle-ground, a compromise between what he wanted to live like and what this world and his entire new life had demanded from him.
It was a weight off his shoulders, really.
¡ you do realize though that if we find people in need out there, I will be adamant about helping them, right?
You don¡¯t say?
Yes, yes I figured that much out.
And I¡¯m ready to accept such an unfortunate situation if only because the alternative is getting chain-vetoed by you at everything that¡¯s halfway logical
Besides, loot is loot, right?
Even if you go out to save a village of a bunch of boring sods, we¡¯ll at least get the loot from whoever endangered it, and that¡¯s good enough for me
You¡¯re¡ strangely okay with catering to my moral needs, you know that?
Look
Overwhelming majority of our potential servants are hero students and heroes
I¡¯m not stupid enough to not realize what my position there is
Even if I do order them all to go burn a village to the ground, they¡¯re just not going to listen
For as long as you don¡¯t do anything critically stupid and suicidal, I¡¯m fine with being the reasonable one in our group and telling you all stuff that you¡¯re too stupidly heroic to know while letting you and your loser friends chart up the course
Survival is my goal
And I¡¯m even ready to conditionally listen to heroes if it means surviving
Alright
You¡¯re just a tsundere
I¡¯M GOING TO SKIN YOU FUCKING ALIVE YOU BRAT
That hits the spot.
Oh, really?
Well, there¡¯s something that¡¯s going to hit my spot
You know what that will be?
Seeing you trying to explain to All Might how permitting Yanagi to dissect human corpses for her own gains and all the other stuff that you¡¯re going to do in the near future was absolutely necessary
I¡ I¡¯ll manage, somehow.
and what about your mom
Stop talking about my mom or I¡¯ll have Yanagi vivisect you
Okay, okay
Not like that¡¯s possible, but considering your pure rage I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you manage to find a way, so I¡¯ll not risk it
***
1. Entrance, 2. Feeding Grounds, 3. Mining Areas, 4. Metalworks, 5. Projectile Trap, 6. Node Room, 7. Secret Tunnel, 8. Floor Guardian Room
Their end version of Level Fourth was¡ large . They ended up moving the entrance to it a bit, adding a rather giant zone surrounding it, one including a few new interesting bits that made this level a bit unique.
Such as a whopping eight [Feeding Grounds], which allowed them to house every single of their Cynocephali, making everyone who would try to fight their way into the deeper level be forced to deal with the equivalent of Cynocephali swarm that they faced when they initially entered the 2nd Level of the Ecstasy-occupied mine.
Each and every one of them resembled exactly what the name implied. Piles of bones of undefined creatures scattered around, Cynocephali constantly trying to chew on them or attempting to eat each other, only for their victim to bite back, both sides tearing each other constantly only for the act of feeding making themselves regenerate.
They¡¯ve gotten manifested in their spiritual form. Their bodies weren¡¯t that of long-dead (perhaps) elven miners. Instead, their bodies are slightly more muscular and fur-covered, the Cynocephalii now lacking clothes but also seemingly lacking genitals.
They now looked much more like humanoid dogs of various (but always large) breeds. There were no weapons there, limiting them to their fangs and pure physical strength together with extreme ferocity, lack of self-preservation and ability to regenerate injuries by devouring something.
Just to taunt the visitors some more, they¡¯ve ended up putting three [Mining Areas] with a mixture of tin and copper ore veins around the entrance room, and then a [Metalworks] zone in the room right before the twisty corridor leading to the ¡®old¡¯ segment of the level.
There is one of these mana-fuelled smelters that should theoretically allow people to not only smelt tin and copper but also make bronze if they knew even the basics about smelting.
Of course, they¡¯d have to spend hours carrying ore there, and waiting for the process to finish. And then carrying the whole thing outside of the Dungeon. Still, even a dozen or two bars of bronze should carry some value in a pre-industrial society, right?
And you¡¯d have to do all of that while dealing with regularly respawning Cynocephali. Because [Lairs] can do that. Not super fast, but you¡¯d still have to stay constantly on your guard while doing your mining & smelting routine.
The fall trap and the projectile trap stayed as they were, but once someone would rush their way through the latter, they¡¯d enter a Node Room.
One that they just happened to populate with six of their recently obtained Gore Munchers. Or, well, they intended to populate them that way, as they first wanted their servants to come back home.
It was the first time when they were going to spawn previously hostile daemons, and they weren¡¯t sure what to expect, so they decided to wait just in case.
They intended to get a few more Gore Munchers if possible, together with something a bit larger (no idea what exactly, at least for now) as the Floor Guardian fight.
In other words, the level was done.
I have a feeling that we¡¯re keeping those a bit too¡ concentrated.
Whoever enters this level will have to deal with 69 Cynocephalii storming at them from all directions.
We don¡¯t really have any other dungeon to observe so that we¡¯ll know how to balance this place for average adventurers rather than a regular attack
We¡¯ll figure it out eventually
But yes, we¡¯ll likely end up having to make the Levels a bit¡ larger , but less concentrated, we¡¯ll figure it out eventually
Right.
Guess it¡¯s free time for now.
Yes.
46: Networking
It takes them quite a while to reach the burial site. The distance itself isn¡¯t the problem, the fact that they were traveling through untamed wilds, however, was.
They did have Spinner to guide them, which was reassuring as otherwise they¡¯d have never found it. It was really well-hidden.
Unfortunately, he decided not to stay around for the meeting and instead immediately departed for some further exploration. He seemed really pumped up for it, so they decided to let him go.
¡°So, how are we doing it?¡± Uraraka asked the others for their opinion.
¡°We¡ knock on the door?¡± Kirishima asks, clearly surprised by her question.
¡°Gently!¡± Tetsushima (no, wait, it¡¯s Tetsutetsu) agrees with him with a truly manly enthusiasm.
¡°If the doorkeeper is going to react to it like she did the last time, and she opens the door just to see a whole group of adventurers armed to the teeth, they might misunderstand Tetsu.¡± Tokage points it out to him. ¡°And if we start fighting them, it might be hard to stop.¡±
¡°Oh, makes sense.¡± The two brothers say almost in unison, all while nodding. They¡¯re really similar to each other, huh? And somehow the similarity grew in intensity ever since they discovered their suspected
¡°Let¡¯s just pick one or two of us to knock and have the rest stand at a distance.¡± Yaoyorozu suggests. ¡°That should make it clear that we¡¯re here to talk, the others moved back precisely to appear less threatening.¡±
¡°Good point.¡± Uraraka decides to agree with her. ¡°So, me, you and¡ I¡¯d pick Monoma, but we all know that diplomacy isn¡¯t his strongest point.¡±
¡°Diplomacy wasn¡¯t my strongest point when we were in Japan and we all had an image to uphold.¡± Monoma decides to counter her. ¡°I assure you , that I¡¯ll behave.¡±
Well, unless Uraraka wanted to make their second party feel excluded , Monoma really didn¡¯t leave her a choice.
¡°Alright then.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°The three of us are going. Everyone else, keep your distance. And try to look, uhm, not threatening?¡±
Kirishima raises an eyebrow at her. He¡¯s still the same colossus of muscles as always, and so is his brother.
¡°At least try , okay?¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°Ask Ashido-san before doing anything that¡¯s not breathing. Same for your brother.¡± Tetsutetsu nods quickly. ¡°And now, onward. To another adventure!¡±
***
They knock on the door just as Spinner did some time ago, and then they take their position solid five meters away from them, with the rest of the group a further ten meters behind them. So that whoever sees the first group should also immediately see the other one.
As expected, after some time, the doors are once again open, with the first one to emerge being the gravehound. It almost immediately barks at them, but there is no real hostility behind it. It¡¯s an announcement for them to keep their distance and to their handler that there¡¯s someone out there. Nothing more.
The way the doors eventually open some more is way more cautious than it was when Spinner first knocked on them. But they do get to see the lampada hidden behind them, even if the looks that she¡¯s giving them is that of suspicion to begin with.
¡°Who are you?¡± She speaks in a pretty, melodious voice. One that speaks in Itavian (so, the local latin). Meaning that out of the three people of their contact group, only two could actually understand it.
Big oof.
However, Uraraka is smart enough to not make it known that she doesn¡¯t understand a word. All while Izuku is quickly switching over her stats to temporarily slip in the basic skill for understanding Itavian language into her.
The effects of that are going to be delayed due to distance. And she¡¯ll likely have to sleep it off afterward (doing a lot of strange things with their servants made them really, really exhausted). But, it was just the best option here.
¡°We¡¯re representatives from a nearby Dungeon.¡± Yaoyorozu takes over immediately. She knows that Uraraka is temporarily out of the conversation completely. Judging from his lack of visible reaction, so does Monoma. ¡°We came to discuss the terms of our future co-existence.¡±
The lampada stares at them for maybe two or three seconds. The word ¡®Dungeon¡¯ was definitely nowhere near the top of the list of things that she expected to hear. But she snaps out of it pretty quickly.
¡°Wait here.¡± She replies, before pulling the dog back in (it seems very obedient) and locking the door behind her.
¡°Off to a great start.¡± Monoma sighs while turning his head towards Uraraka. ¡°I guess she went to inform her superior of what just happened. How¡¯s your Itavian?¡±
¡°I¡ think that I¡¯m slowly figuring it out.¡± Uraraka replies. In the Northern Vestirian. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll just keep pretending that I understand what it is about, while you two are talking and Izuku is translating what¡¯s going on to me.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. ¡°That is, of course, unless she went to gather up reinforcements for a fight.¡±
¡°You¡¯re awfully optimistic today, did something good happen?¡± Monoma quips back.
¡°Yes, I had a very nice dream in which we were all living in our Dungeon together, in peace, except you weren¡¯t there.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to escalate the situation. Who knew that she had such a nasty tongue? ¡°Now, can it. They might be listening.¡±
Oh, so that¡¯s why she made sure to mention themselves being part of the Dungeon in her counter. To make it all look as if they were a part of it after all in case some of the lampades were listening.
Monoma does go quiet. And after a while, the doors open again and the lampada sticks her head out of them.
¡°The three of you may enter.¡± She says. ¡°The rest must wait outside.¡±
Someone was very cautious, it seems.
***
The insides of this burial site resemble that of Aeonia¡¯s graveyard. Straight corridors with burial chambers of all sides. The same art style, even if the ones in this tomb were clearly of slightly inferior quality.
The differences lied in three things. One - the burial chambers were all unsealed. Two - it was inhabited by a number of lampades and gravehounds, all of which were giving them rather cautious looks. And third - things here were significantly more¡ aged.
Which made sense. The anti-entropic aura that the undead were spreading simply wasn¡¯t a thing here. As a result, the place has actually aged a lot more than the other tomb.
All the corpses placed to rest in this burial site were still entombed in their coffins and sarcophagi. The only ¡®living¡¯ things in this place were the lampades and their guard dogs.
If they needed any accommodations, they¡¯ve seen none of it. Then again, did spirits require anything else than just pure mana to thrive? Everything else seemed to be a bonus to them¡ or a replacement.
The room that they¡¯re eventually brought into resembles Aeonia¡¯s sanctuary, except once again - the amount of treasures and the quality of decorations is much lesser. The person sitting on the throne looks similar, but her skin isn¡¯t pale and her eyes are of more natural color.
They might be slowly getting more and more used to encountering daemons, as they¡¯re definitely sure that they shouldn¡¯t risk the wrath of this one.
The lampada that brought them here bows her head before the one sitting on the throne, before standing by the wall. They are the only people present in the sanctuary aside from the three visitors.
¡°I must say that when Ka¡¯ara told me that we were visited by self-proclaimed representatives of a Dungeon, I thought that she was fooled by some very creative grave robbers.¡± The elder lampada says, looking down at them from her throne. Like in the other burial site, it was elevated, which together with her height made it pretty easy. ¡°Now that I got to see you up close, however, it seems that you truly are what you claim to be. How surprising.¡±
In other words
She invited them here for more efficient murder, with perhaps a side dish of asking them whom are they working for and if they can expect more graverobbers
Yes.
Then again, if we were graverobbers, that would be arguably justified.
¡°As you can see, we¡¯re not here to steal anything.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Our goal is to establish a peaceful relationship with your tomb.¡±
¡°A peaceful relationship? With a tomb ?¡± The elder lampada appears downright amused by those words. ¡°My tomb has been peaceful for decades, child. The word that you¡¯re looking for is a tribute . That¡¯s what your kind considers a peaceful relationship.¡±
I get a feeling that we¡¯re not exactly liked in this world.
Everyone either wants to exploit us or expects us to exploit them
sigh
and I can¡¯t even do the latter because you would say no
What happened to the Tomura ¡®Slavery is Stupid Because It¡¯s Exploitation¡¯ Shigaraki that I could almost stomach the presence of?
You do realize that there¡¯s a big difference between wanting to buy and sell people and wanting to rob them
I concede the point.
¡°You might be surprised with us then.¡± Yaoyorozu counters. ¡°We truly are interested in a mutually beneficial relationship.¡±
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°In fact, a big reason for our attempt to establish such a thing¡¡± Monoma decides to join the talk, making almost everyone who knows him start praying in their mind. ¡°...is because it¡¯d be reassuring to have a neighbor who isn¡¯t trying to kill us and might actually have some information about this entire region from before our Dungeon was born.¡±
He actually spoke like a normal person?!
I know, right?
Perhaps he actually can avoid annoying people.
He just elected not to in the past.
¡°I see.¡± The elder lampada squints at them. ¡°Let me guess. There¡¯s a significant presence of the forces loyal to the dark gods in the area. And you¡¯ve already had an encounter with them.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Yaoyorozu takes it over from Monoma. ¡°There are a lot of them in the area. And, to be honest, we¡¯re simply interested in contact with a group that¡¯s slightly¡ less problematic to deal with in the long term.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Lampada gives them a rather blank stare for a few seconds. ¡°How bad is it?¡±
¡°We¡¯re expecting a regular clash between forces of Rapturous Ecstasy, Nine Hordes and maybe even Rampant Bloom in this very valley.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to slightly upscale the situation for persuasion purposes. ¡°It¡¯s entirely possible that whoever wins will seize the whole region, and if so, they might find you as well.¡±
Then again, the upscaling in question was merely the addition of Rampant Bloom to the already volatile mix. Which definitely was in the area, just too busy with their own stuff to - hopefully - start to investigate what happened to their search party.
Since (almost) everyone out there was ready to put aside their differences to exterminate servants of the Bloom, the Webmistress Family was clearly digging deeper, expecting an attack. Or doing their best to hide.
¡°And that¡¯s¡ definitely a notable threat.¡± Lampada admits, after a few seconds of looking at them, her teeth clenched. ¡°Provided that you¡¯re not lying. Assuming that you¡¯re honest - how exactly can you help us?¡±
¡°The beastkin want our services.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°In exchange for it, they¡¯ve promised to respect our authority within three days of walking from our Dungeon. This means no permanent presence in the area and no pillaging or harvesting places without our agreement.¡±
¡°And so, for as long as we¡¯re paying you tribute , we won¡¯t be ransacked and the Dead under our protection won¡¯t have their rest disturbed?¡± The lampada eventually replies. And yes, now that she does, Izuku does realize that what they were doing was pretty much an extortion.
Kind of.
¡°No.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. Did she get the same idea as Izuku did? ¡°It¡¯s an offer of alliance . We¡¯re looking for¡¡±
¡°To cut down the irritating segment of the talk where you don¡¯t believe us and we repeatedly fail to persuade you otherwise with words¡¡± Monoma once again cuts in, and once again everyone who knows him starts praying. ¡°... please tell us, is there anything that your tomb requires and that we can provide and receive things from you in exchange?¡±
You know what
I¡¯m starting to like him
It was all going towards some sort of fetch quest either way
That¡¯s a¡ that¡¯s a good point, really.
¡°Something that my tomb requires?¡± The lampada asks, before looking at them for a few seconds, clearly realizing that her attempt at mockery didn¡¯t work. ¡°Actually, there might be something that we need and that you might be able to provide. Namely, resources allowing us to renovate this tomb. As you can see, without access to mortal craftsmen, this burial site has declined greatly.¡±
That was putting it lightly. But none of them decided to say that aloud. With how protective the lampadas seemed to be of their tomb, that felt like a great way to start a fight that they couldn¡¯t win.
¡°That can be arranged.¡± Yaoyorozu quickly informs her. ¡°What exactly do you need?¡±
¡°Everything.¡± The elder lampada states flatly. ¡°At this point we don¡¯t even have brooms to sweep the floors, and all that we can do is to guard the dead entombed in this place and the few remaining valuables that survived the test of time. This place is, frankly, a complete and utter mess, and this means that we failed as its caretakers. And thus, we need tools and other materials to start renovating this place.¡±
¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Yaoyorozu replies immediately. ¡°We can provide you with everything you need. If not now, then in the future, once we grow some more.¡±
¡°I see.¡± The lampada nods. ¡°That offer is enough for me to¡ agree to certain things. I have to ask about one thing before agreeing to any arrangements.¡± She squints at them and Izuku immediately knows what it¡¯s going to be about. ¡°Do you have or plan to have any contacts with the minions of the Breathless Tide?¡±
¡°I assume that this is a dealbreaker for you?¡± Yaoyorozu asks.
¡°Yes.¡± The elder lampada replies immediately. ¡°Tide is an anathema to everything that we hold dear.¡±
¡°Define ¡®contact¡¯.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. It becomes immediately obvious that the lampada doesn¡¯t like the implications of that question.
¡°I think¡¡± She replies, squinting at Yaoyorozu. ¡°... that I don¡¯t have to define the word when you clearly know exactly what I meant by it.
¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¡± Yaoyorozu tries to respond, but that¡¯s when Monoma decides to open his mouth again.
¡°Let me put it this way.¡± Monoma replies. One more time everyone starts praying, minus Izuku who at this point decided to trust him. ¡°Dungeons, in a way, are prisons for spirits. Every daemon of the Tide locked by us is one less roaming the countryside. From this point of view, the more contact we have with the Tide, the better the world is.¡±
¡°The problem doesn¡¯t lie in your master using the slaves of the Tide for his or her advantage.¡± Lampada replies. ¡°The problem lies in their existence within your Domain incentivizing graverobbery in order to obtain further materials for experimentation. Not to mention how many higher ranked servants of the Tide turn out to be very persuasive when suggesting their accursed form of ¡®immortality¡¯ to people.¡±
Ah, Izuku realizes it right now. She thought that the people in front of her were the usual sort of Dungeon servants. So, locals recruited into its service. And those, indeed, could be potentially persuaded to look for true, permanent immortality outside of Dungeons.
And look for it under the guidance of the Breathless Tide.
Actually, isn¡¯t that literally what happened with Yanagi? Well, this is awkward. But at least it proves that the elder lampada knew her enemies well.
¡°Our master will never permit such a thing.¡± Uraraka opens her mouth for the first time in this talk. It seems that the language skill has finally settled in. ¡°He has explicitly stated that he¡¯ll never pillage any grave. In fact, he only wishes to assimilate people that trespassed upon their domain or were actively hostile towards them or their servants. Even if he finds an untended grave, he¡¯ll not open it.¡±
She says this with absolute certainty that warms Izuku¡¯s heart. And no, this isn¡¯t a case of telepathy - they¡¯re close, but not that close, at least not in that direction. And even in the other direction, Izuku can only speak into her mind, not read it.
Izuku naturally consulted her on his newly found moral system. And yes, she definitely agreed with it. In fact, she considered it to be a good summary of how her new self acted, one definitely worthy of being adopted by her as well.
Both in battle and in bed. Because yes, her relationship with Himiko worked the same way. It wasn¡¯t strictly illegal, but it was definitely wrong by the morals of Japan. And since they were no longer in Japan and no one was injured in the process, she just didn¡¯t care about it.
¡°And are you ready to trust his word on that?¡± Lampada replies with a question.
¡°Yes.¡± Uraraka replies immediately.
¡°With your life ?¡± Lampada replies with another question.
¡°Yes.¡± Uraraka, once again, replies immediately and without a tiniest shadow of doubt.
¡
You don¡¯t even have a face and yet
I can tell you¡¯re fucking blushing rn
I am.
Ochako¡¯s so cool.
Ugh
¡°Well¡ it seems that you genuinely mean it.¡± The lampada sounds surprised by that. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s assume that I believe you. For as long as you do not violate any graveyards and transfer every mortal corpse that wasn¡¯t hostile to you and didn¡¯t give you your permissions to use their bodies after death here for appropriate burial, we¡¯ll trust your master¡¯s words that they won¡¯t succumb to the Breathless Tide.¡±
Oh
she persuaded her
It seems that you¡¯ve managed to turn being painfully lovey dovey with your girlfriend into a feat that gives you bonuses to persuasion rolls
Incredible
Really?
Yes
It¡¯s incredible how fucking stupid it is, but since it works, I¡¯ll take it
Classic you, eh.
¡°What if there¡¯s a graveyard that has already been claimed by the Tide?¡± Yaoyorozu decides to ask another important question.
¡°Do not desecrate the Dead that weren¡¯t already desecrated by the Tide.¡± Lampada states. Sounding from the tone of her voice, there is no place for negotiations here. ¡°As for those Nex has already claimed, while I¡¯d prefer them to be put back to rest, I don¡¯t have the power to force the issue and I don¡¯t think that I can persuade you to leave all of them behind.¡± Before any of them can ask, she speaks again. ¡°Feel free to rob such places as well. Once again, I can¡¯t exactly stop you.¡±
¡°If it makes you feel better, we¡¯re open to returning old corpses that we¡¯ll have no use for back to you.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. In Izuku¡¯s opinion, it was a bit of an unnecessary concession, but¡ it should definitely make things slightly more palatable to the lampades. ¡°Now¡ what exactly can you offer us in exchange for all of that?¡±
Ah. Yaoyorozu decided to make a last-minute concession to perhaps make the lampada a bit more generous. Makes sense.
¡°Three of my sisters and nine of our dogs under strict contracts allowing them to walk out of the deal if your side violates the deal.¡± Elder lampada then promptly surprised them by giving them something that they didn¡¯t even ask for. ¡°My intel on the area is somewhat outdated, so consider this as something of an¡ equalizer .¡±
¡°And also a way of keeping an eye on us.¡± Uraraka comments. Lampada doesn¡¯t engage. ¡°Do you have something that can help us unlock the shrine of Mors? We aren¡¯t sure how exactly it works, to be honest.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know for sure either.¡± Lampada admits. ¡°If contracting a daemon serving a deity won¡¯t work, it might require assimilating some object blessed by the power of such deity, or being seen as blessed by the mortals. One of our lamps should suffice, and since you¡¯re going to temporarily assimilate three of our kind into your Domain, it should be enough in any case.¡±
¡°What about the intel on this area?¡± Yaoyorozu asks.
¡°All my intel will be more than forty years old.¡± The elder lampada replies. ¡°That¡¯s when the shield-city of Taer fell to the forces of the Immutable Hierarchy, and the whole region was practically abandoned. Even before that, it was nearly uninhabited, and without a foothold that Taer was, the presence of civilization in this area has waned completely. Some of those things shouldn¡¯t change, but most of them likely did.¡±
Ah. That explains a bit more about just how empty this place was.
¡°One additional question concerning that¡¡± Yaoyorozu tilts her head a little. ¡°Have you ever heard of the term ¡®Northern Wind?¡±
They immediately understood that yes, yes she did. She squinted at them with a worried frown on her face.
¡°Yes.¡± She says slowly. ¡°Yes, I did. Where did you hear that name?¡±
¡°We¡¯ve found an abandoned facility of theirs some distance away.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Filled with very old corpses. It seemed to be abandoned for years.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Lampada sighs, clearly relieved. ¡°It¡¯s one of the few organizations composed of mages who split off from the Imperial Magic Guild in order to do their own things. In this case, attempt to use techmaturgic relics that they barely understand in order to improve bodies of the mortals, creating horrid abominations to fight for them and changing their own bodies so that they and their descendants could be better than everyone else. They look down on everyone else, and are both dangerous and ruthless. They¡¯re all criminals and outlaws according to the imperial law, so you¡¯re not only free but actually encouraged to kill them all if you encounter them.¡±
Oh
so genetic supremacists
pretty much magical nazis, even in the aesthetic of their uniforms
cool
Really?
yes
it¡¯ll be pretty cool to kill them if we find them
and also, do you remember how there was something moving down there?
oh
That means something physical that might be replicable in large numbers by the Dungeon, unless it¡¯s spirits that invaded the place.
Yes
Cool, even if it¡¯s probably too powerful for us quite yet. We don¡¯t know how deep that facility goes, and if the Northern Wind decided not to retake this place, it¡¯s probably something very dangerous.
Yes
¡°I see.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind. For now, we¡¯ll move over to talking about what you know about the area. Uhm, before that, what¡¯s your name? I think it¡¯s high time to learn that.¡±
¡°Lorae.¡± The lampada replies. What was with this world? Why was everyone introducing themselves so late into the talk? Was it normal here, or was it just something common only among the daemons? ¡°Head caretaker of this tomb. And you?¡±
Their names did raise some eyebrows at how foreign they sounded. But in the end, she clearly decided that those were aliases or something like that and decided to roll with that. And deliver them the intel that they needed.
47: Order of Battle
Lorae turned out to be a wellspring of knowledge concerning the area, even if the years passing since the tomb was left effectively isolated from the world has put everything that she told them under the ¡®requires verification¡¯ status.
To begin with, they learned that this area was never truly settled, instead existing in something akin to a power vacuum between the elven states to the south and the beastkin tribes to the north.
The ¡®shield-city of Tael¡¯ that Lorae mentioned turned out to belong to the elves. ¡®Shield-city¡¯ in this case meant a heavily fortified settlement near the edge of the inhabited area, which was established for two reasons.
The first one was to act as a staging point for deeper expeditions into the unknown, by either soldiers or mercenaries/adventurers, which allowed the civilization to more or less know what was happening in the regions beyond and to exploit some of the natural resources existing there.
Usually, the things that were really valuable and didn¡¯t require a large-scale harvesting process. So, miles-wide farming plot was a nope, but a small quarry where some particular rare stone was, or a mine, or some harvesting/hunting operation in the area where there were rare plants/animals was an option.
It just had to be something that could be somehow preserved, because taking all of those things back to civilization required forming a heavily-defended caravan. The sort of thing that you usually did once a month or so, not every day.
The second one was to literally act as a shield, taking in the first blow of any army/raiding party emerging from said no-man¡¯s land before it could reach the more economically significant inhabited territories, and allowing the defenders of the region to mobilize and repel the attack.
Until some cult of the Hierarchy managed to perform daemon summoning on such a scale that they managed to raise a regular army that way. It ended up laying siege and eventually taking Tael. This broke the border defense line and allowed the Hierarchy forces to make a deeper push beyond it.
While the army and the cult were eventually defeated, Tael was still in their hands the last time someone visited the tomb. As a result of that - and the surrounding countryside being thoroughly decimated - the border of the elven kingdom of Vestiria was pushed back south.
Now, their Dungeon happened to be located in the Iron Brook Valley, which was a lengthy valley through which the Rust River flowed from the Drakespine Mountains in the center of the Vestirian Isle to the Vestirian Sea.
What was considered to be the center of civilization on the isle that was located in the south, where the elves lived. Everything north from the central Drakespine Mountains (which is where the shield-city of Tael was located) was generally considered to be more or less a no-man¡¯s land.
Yes, despite the presence of the beastkin. To the Grand Empire (they elected not to prod too deeply into it for now, it felt like too much of a subject to get through it on one sitting either way), they were just a part of a larger problem, or to be exact the part of it called the Nine Hordes.
It was a notably less problematic one than most, to the point of occasionally getting some recruits for the auxiliary legions from them, and some trading happening here and there, but it still wasn¡¯t officially a part of the ¡®civilization¡¯.
Where was this whole fragment getting to?
When Tael fell, the beastkin clearly pushed south in the absence of the elven presence in the region, enough for at least one of the tribes (the one that their past and future visitors belonged to) to settle somewhere south of that part of the Iron Brook Valley.
Before the fall of Tael, there was a marble quarry about one day of travel to the southwest, a hunting camp two days of travel to the east, a gold mine a bit above a day to the northeast, and a small fort almost three days to the west.
All of those locations could house something interesting and valuable - or be complete ruins with next to nothing interesting there. Still, they¡¯d have to check it out. In fact, Izuku had Shigaraki immediately contact Spinner and ask him if he¡¯s willing to head to the marble quarry right away.
And guess what? The answer was yes.
Spinner was doing his best to become one of the most useful people around, and that¡¯s without them turning him into a walking instrument of doom by giving him a videogame or a few from which he could learn how people of this world fight.
Yes, Izuku still remembered his downright unbelievable skills in learning things from videogames.
Unless it was a quirk. Was there some sort of reptile out there that was good at mimicking the movements of others? Izuku has no idea, but he has some suspicions.
Look, just because his quirk theories were usually wrong didn¡¯t mean that he couldn¡¯t make more, okay? It never stopped Todoroki-kun with his really wild theories about everything.
No, Todoroki-kun. Izuku wasn¡¯t All Might¡¯s secret love child (unfortuna¡ errr). Ochako wasn''t a secret child of Thirteen. Itsuka Kendou wasn¡¯t a secret love child of Mt. Lady and Death Arms (their ages alone just didn¡¯t fit). Kamino wasn¡¯t a secret custody battle over Izuku and for God¡¯s sake, All for One and All Might weren¡¯t past lovers (and Inko wasn¡¯t the surrogate mother for their child, just¡ no ).
And, very importantly, Kaminari wasn¡¯t related to Pikachu. No, the Pokemon series wasn¡¯t a tale of a Dawn of Quirks in Australia. No, Todoroki-kun, I don¡¯t care that Kaminari started shouting ¡®Pika-pika, PIKACHU!¡¯ each time he was about to unleash his quirk, he was just making fun of you.
And also, no. If Dabi really was a much uglier Endeavor coming back from a future where All Might became immortal and thus could forever occupy the Number One Hero spot, trying his hardest to stop that utopian future from coming into fruition, I¡¯m sure that everyone would notice how he was clearly a Todoroki.
Especially your family.
There were also other revelations, including some of nearly theological nature.
¡°The victory of the Rapturous Ecstasy is highly unlikely, especially a long-term one.¡± Lorae appears adamant about that. ¡°I can say a lot of things about the beastkin, but not that they can¡¯t fight well.¡±
¡°While I agree that they¡¯re rather ferocious in combat¡¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°... I don¡¯t think that I have any good things to say about their commanding skills. Or tactics. Or readiness to do anything that isn¡¯t charging head first into danger.¡±
That really was a good summary of their past history with them, yeah. Izuku can agree with that.
¡°However bad they are at it, Rapturous Ecstasy is worse .¡± Lorae replies calmly. ¡°Out of all the pantheons that the Hierarchs have split into, it is generally considered to be the least threatening. For a lot of very good reasons.¡±
Oh?
¡°Very good reasons?¡± Uraraka is the one that asks.
¡°In the end, the pantheons are for Creation what the political parties are for mortals.¡± Lorae replies. Izuku is immediately surprised by them knowing what political parties are. Did Ancient Rome have those? ¡°Just with an ability to alter parts of Creation to reflect their own beliefs. When Tyrannus was deposed, the High Gods broke apart over what to do with Creation, each of the subsequent pantheons having their own answer to that question.¡±
¡°Let me guess, Shadowlight Covenant¡¯s answer to that is ¡®anarchy¡¯.¡± Monoma replies.
They were still standing in front of the throne. It made the talk a tiny bit awkward, but¡ well, they were talking to a daemon, that alone was weird, right? Besides, it¡¯s not the fault of the lampades that tombs usually weren¡¯t filled with tables and chairs.
And for some reason Izuku was certain that sitting on the coffins or sarcophagi just wasn¡¯t an option, and merely suggesting this would infuriate the lampades.
¡°Correct.¡± Lorae replies. ¡°They believe that Tyrannus¡¯ reign over the Hierarchs was a mistake not because he was a bad ruler but because there was a ruler to begin with. Immutable Hierarchy is its polar opposite, it thinks that anarchy and even any sort of freedom whatsoever is an aberration and that the previous state of affairs should be restored. To the high gods of the Nine Hordes the problem was that the Creation was too civilized , and peaceful , and it should instead be embroiled in constant war and should be much less civilized, as being civilized means that masses grow weak and complacent. Rampant Bloom takes that idea much further and thinks that not just the sapient inhabitants of Creation but everything within should be embroiled in eternal struggle for survival. The Breathless Tide¡¡± She speaks those words as if they were particularly vulgar swear words. ¡°... thinks that change as a concept is a problem, and if everyone and everything was eternal and unchanging, things wouldn¡¯t get worse. Even if it would also mean that they couldn¡¯t get better.¡±
That wasn¡¯t exactly how Aeonia described it to Yanagi-san. Propaganda of either side at work? Or maybe Tide was just as internally broken that both options were true?
¡°Pentagram, in the meantime, thinks that Creation itself is a problem and should be erased.¡± Lorae continues, before sighing loudly. ¡°Then, there¡¯s the Rapturous Ecstasy. Whose opinion on the Creation with all its flaws is ¡®Fuck it¡¯. In one case, literally.¡±
The f-word coming out of her mouth is so unexpected that the three of them actually stare at her in shock for a few seconds. Even the lampada that brought them to this room (and was still standing by the wall) appears shocked and almost horrified by Lorae swearing.
¡°They have no greater plans for the Creation, and very little in terms of lesser plans for their direct surroundings and their own future.¡± Lorae continues. ¡°They¡¯re still dangerous, yes. They¡¯re still evil, a dozen times yes. But while the Covenant¡¯s forces are chaotic but also devious and cunning, Ecstasy is not only chaotic but also completely whimsical. And that¡¯s why in the field it usually yields to almost everyone else.¡±
¡°It can¡¯t be that bad, right?¡¯ Yaoyorozu replies, clearly uncertain about her own statement. A rare feat. ¡°Sure, the Rose Guard forces that we¡¯ve seen have some¡ worrying elements of their equipment, but they seemed well-equipped and could fight rather well.¡±
An eyebrow gets raised when the Rose Guard name is spoken. But that¡¯s all that it achieves.
¡°They¡¯re even worse than whatever you¡¯re portraying in your head, I assure you.¡± Lorae replies. ¡°An entire army of Ecstasy can drop a plan to invade a certain city simply because they¡¯ve found out that there¡¯s a famous cook living there and they want to taste his food instead of accidentally killing him during the siege. They can also attack their supposed allies simply because one of their leaders saw, say, a daughter of the king of their allies and decided that he desires her body. And both of those things can and likely will happen entirely on a whim, with no deeper thought put into that.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ insane.¡± Yaoyorozu replies after a second or two of digesting those words. ¡°They can¡¯t win any war that way. Unless¡¡± And then she realized it.
The rest of them needed Lorae to spell it out for them.
¡°... they simply don¡¯t care whether they win or not.¡± Lorae finishes it for Yaoyorozu, who nods. ¡°Yes, because they don¡¯t. Defeat, even if it leads to their execution precedes by torture, is just another type of fun to them. Rapturous Ecstasy is the divine equivalent of getting completely drunk while your ship is sinking, simply because you¡¯ve given up on trying to save it and you want to have your fun before it¡¯s too late.¡± She sighs loudly. ¡°Let me make an educated prediction of how the battle will turn out. The Ecstasy forces will put up a pretty decent fight from the start, but they¡¯ll eventually break. Not because of the beastkin being so much better than them, but because they fundamentally don¡¯t care about winning and a solid part of them that will be still in this world by then will start getting intrigued by what the beastkin might do to them if they¡¯re taken alive.¡±
She shakes her head, making it clear that she just doesn¡¯t like talking about it. And, to be honest, Izuku just can¡¯t blame her.
¡°I think that I¡¯m starting to understand what you meant when you said that they¡¯re the least threatening among the Hierarchs.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to concede the point. ¡°They look like petty annoyances rather than a serious threat.¡±
¡°Oh, they are a threat, just as a source of moral corruption rather than a force on a battlefield.¡± Lorae corrects her. ¡°Their cults can be incredibly depraved and quite capable of both hiding from the authorities and spreading their depravity through society. As a result, Cibus, Decidius and Procacitas have some of the most disgusting and dangerous cults among all the Hierarchs, except for Pentagram. They also enriched Creation with such great things as a drug extracted from a plant that only grows on the dreams of a mortal tortured beyond the breaking point of their mind and several different spirits that are explicitly designed to only breed with mortals of one or either genders, and aren¡¯t even daemons but shard spirits instead. Simply because Procacitas finds the idea attractive or something equally disgusting.¡±
It takes Izuku a second to realize just why Lorae looked so disgusted by the last fragment of this talk.
Shard spirits are essentially animals and plants from a Spiritual World.
¡
So, Procacitas is basically operating on hentai logic and is trying to make it into the foundation of the entire Creation
okay
This is absolutely disgusting.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Hmm?
Oh, yeah. It¡¯s disgusting, yes. Yes.
¡
On a sidenote, Procacitas is now the High Goddess of Hentai Logic to me, and I¡¯ll refer to her domain in no other way
Understandable.
¡°That¡¯s¡ absolutely sickening.¡± Uraraka decides. Lorae shrugs.
¡°It definitely is, and you¡¯re invited to help eradicate it from Creation, one self-indulgent hedonist at the time.¡± Lampada replies dryly while leaning on one of her armrests. ¡° Thankfully , they¡¯re usually so self-centered and lack greater scope plans that they¡¯re not a common sight, if only because of usually being easily extinguished by other factions. Especially away from the quote unquote civilized folks among which they can hide. I¡¯m genuinely surprised that they have an actual stronghold in the wilderness. They¡¯re usually marginally smarter than that.¡±
In other words: if the beastkin crush the Ecstasy forces occupying that mine, it¡¯s entirely possible that we¡¯ll simply not have to deal with more Ecstasy forces in the foreseeable future.
Letting us focus our Dungeon on things slightly more¡ tolerable.
Like the undead.
I can¡¯t believe that the literal walking and often rotting corpses are better than something else.
Mood
¡°We¡¯ve caught some Gore Munchers during our past fight with them.¡± Uraraka decides to ask the right question¡ all while completely ignoring the disgusting implications of everything that was just said. ¡°Will it be hard to persuade them to fight on our side?¡±
How smart of her, Izuku decides.
¡°Gore Munchers¡ oh, those guys.¡± It takes Lorae a second to recall them. ¡°That depends entirely on how much food they¡¯ll be getting while serving you. They care for nothing else but that. They prefer their food to be very fresh, preferably as raw as they can get, but aren¡¯t very picky as to what it¡¯s made of.¡±
Which, they understand immediately, means that they¡¯re alright also with human meat. How lovely. Ecstasy was just¡ getting better and better with every new information that they had about it.
Absolutely incredible.
¡°That¡¯s enough to make them fight their own old comrades?¡± Yaoyorozu seems to still struggle to comprehend the existence of something as chaotic and disorderly as the Rapturous Ecstasy.
¡°It¡¯s the Rapturous Ecstasy that we¡¯re talking about.¡± Lorae shrugs. ¡°The biggest problem with servants of Cibus during a military campaign is that they¡¯ll gleefully devour each other or even themselves if not supplied with an ungodly amount of food, constantly. Their very High God is portrayed as having two bodies that are constantly trying to devour each other. They just follow his example.¡±
Well, it looks that having those Gore Munchers work for us shouldn¡¯t require much coercion.
How reassuring.
Boooring.
¡ weren¡¯t you against coercing others to do stuff?
I was, so what?
¡
You¡¯re inviting my crushing response so openly that I suspect a trap, and I won¡¯t take the bait.
Boooooooring.
¡°One more question.¡± Uraraka decides to take the lead once more. ¡°What exactly can we expect from the servants of other pantheons? What I mean by it is which one of them is the most dangerous, and what are their common strengths and weaknesses?¡±
She¡¯s looking for a good fight, doesn¡¯t she?
Of course she does, who am I kidding
She is seeking to prepare us against future threats, especially those that will befall us suddenly, giving us little time to gather intel about them in advance. Like the great and thoughtful hero that she is.
¡
And she¡¯s looking for a good fight.
At least you¡¯re honest about it.
Lorae surprises them a little by giving them all a vaguely confused and almost suspicious look. Uh-oh. Is this something that''s pretty common knowledge in this world? If a group of people showed up on Earth and asked a random passerby what are those ¡®pro-heroes¡¯ that they¡¯ve heard about, Izuku can expect them to get a similar stare in reply.
¡°Where exactly did your Dungeon find you?¡± Lorae then asks them the one question that they didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°I originally considered you to be rookie adventurers, but this question is something that they get an answer to during the mandatory lectures for new recruits of that profession.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve got us.¡± Monoma rolls his eyes around. ¡°We¡¯re secretly heroes from another world. A mundane world, which means no magic and none of that High God juice to get very high on, hence our confusion about what you clearly consider basic knowledge about this world.¡±
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu stare at him in shock. Honestly, so did Izuku.
¡°You could just say that you don¡¯t want to answer.¡± Lorae replies dryly, glaring daggers at Monoma. Who just shakes his head, looking genuinely disappointed.
That slick, conniving bastard
what
Monoma just answered the question honestly, in a way that made Lorae automatically disregard that answer as a false one.
As a result, if she ever finds out the truth and will complain about it, Monoma will just tell her that it¡¯s not their problem that she didn¡¯t believe them, as they were honest with her from day one
That absolute bastard
He¡¯s fucking perfect and I want him as our official diplomat from now on
What?! That¡¯s¡ he pretty much lied to her! Just in a different way!
Midoriya, let me enlighten you about the nature of diplomacy
it¡¯s an art of telling someone to fuck off in a way that makes them excited about the journey ahead
Shigaraki, let me enlighten you about the value of your opinion on the subject.
Have you ever engaged in diplomacy with someone - anyone - without it ending in immediate bloodshed?
Yes.
When I recruited Toga and Dabi through Giran, our black market assistant/recruiter, there was no bloodshed
Let me guess
Kurogiri stopped you from murdering each other
¡ how?
You met Himiko and Dabi, at the same time.
There¡¯s no way that this didn¡¯t end with a murder attempt.
Okay, logic checks out
but how did you know that it was Kurogiri who stopped that murder attempt?
Not Giran?
Because I don¡¯t know that guy, but I did see Kurogiri one or two times and he seemed like the only even vaguely responsible member of the League.
Actually, are you sure that he wasn¡¯t secretly a hero? Or at least a former one? That would explain a lot.
¡
Let¡¯s just keep listening to the talk
¡°You¡¯ve already met Rapturous Ecstasy, which is usually composed of three branches, each dedicated to one of three of their High Gods.¡± Lorae starts her lecture, completely ignoring the looks that the two others were giving Monoma. ¡°First one belongs to Cibus and is usually composed of creatures with voracious appetite that are often empowered when they do manage to eat something. Second belongs to Procacitas, and it¡¯s usually something either irritatingly oversexual or merely filled with enough magic-empowered capacity for seduction that they can sway people to join their side even in the middle of a battle. The third one, belonging to Decidius, is the most diverse. It ranges from combat junkies that go on a complete rampage on the battlefield, destroying everything in a drug-induced frenzy to those that are completely numb to everything, including pain, which makes them very hard to fell, though also rather slow.¡±
¡°There is a material for a good synergy there.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to comment¡ and stop glaring daggers at Monoma. ¡°Line of those unstoppable juggernauts of Decidius, reinforced by enough fast moving servants of Cibus and Procacitas to stop them from being surrounded and taken down one by one. While also allowing the seducers to do their thing while protected from melee attacks by the proximity of said juggernauts and the hungry ones to feast on something to recover and then quickly return to the battlefield. Plus the frenzied ones to shatter the enemy line when it¡¯s already vulnerable and half-broken. ¡±
¡°That would be a material for good synergy, if they were organized enough to employ such a tactic.¡± Uraraka points back and earns a nod from Lorae.
¡°It¡¯s extremely rare for such a tactician to end up in the ranks of the Rapturous Ecstasy, and even rarer for them to be perverse yet charismatic enough to persuade others to follow their orders to the letter, but it does happen. And easily becomes a problem.¡± She admits. ¡°But chances of it being a thing in such a small and otherwise insignificant local outpost are close to zero.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll see the quality of their commander when the beastkin learn of the threat to their Dungeon.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, the flex on the word ¡®their¡¯ making it clear that she doesn¡¯t agree with that assessment. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±
¡°Nine Hordes depend on pure, undiluted rage.¡± Lorae continues. ¡°Every single of their daemons and most shard spirits live to charge at their enemy headfirst, before breaking them in melee combat, with ranged combat and magic only used to soften the enemy before going for the kill. They¡¯re also commonly underestimated, because people keep forgetting that aside from Saevius they also worship Dolositas, the Hierarch of Deceit. They might be primitive and have nothing but contempt for the achievements of the civilized people, but they can be surprisingly cunning, even when completely enraged.¡±
She described Ochako quite well.
She might not be playing in the same league as Yaoyorozu in terms of academics, but she can and will fight both ferociously and smartly.
Less simping more listening
For as long as I live I will be simping for Ochako
Ugh.
¡°Rampant Bloom and the Breathless Tide¡¡± Lorae then says, once again speaking the words ¡®Breathless Tide¡¯ with pure disgust. ¡°... both go for quantity over quality. The latter field massive armies of inferior fighters reinforced by a number of fairly powerful greater undead and daemons that can easily boost their performance, while the Bloom is focused purely on quantity. And environmental damage that can easily soften their enemies.¡±
Makes sense, Izuku decides. It¡¯s hard to feed an army when a swarm of overgrown locusts just ate not only your foodstocks but also most of your peasants.
¡°Shadowlight Covenant is just pure anarchy.¡± Lorae continues. ¡°It¡¯s a ragtag coalition of concepts and aesthetics that makes precious little sense when mashed together. Luna likes darkness, night and shadows, with just a sprinkle of blood all over it. Her partner in crime, Laenimentus, is a god of unchained progress, of mad pursuit of techmaturgical superiority and of false enlightenments of natural science. You can expect advanced equipment and combat machines that can and likely will at some point explode, malfunction or leak toxic fumes, sometimes all of the above at the same time. And a lot of flashing lights.¡±
Oh god
Hatsume-san is going to become his Chosen One and conquer this universe for him.
Who is that Hatsume-san?
¡
Aoyama-kun, for all my warm feelings for him, is straight up bad at spying.
¡°Immutable Hierarchy is definitely the most conventionally dangerous of the dark pantheons.¡± Lorae continues her short lecture. ¡°Their forces are small in numbers but usually immensely powerful. They also weaponize fear, which to them is what lust is for servants of Procacitas. It can break the minds of their enemies and turn them into utterly servile thralls. They also employ some rather¡ grim aesthetics to make themself even more terrifying.¡± She sighs. ¡°And usually, it works.¡±
¡°I assume that Pentagram is the most unconventionally dangerous, then?¡± Monoma asks dryly. Then again, he often speaks that way ever since his arrival in this world. Which is still better than his very loud screaming from Japan.
¡°Yes.¡± Lorae replies, looking extremely serious all of a sudden. ¡°Servants of Pentagram are masters of corruption, often so corrupted themselves that merely gazing upon them can drive a mortal into madness. You should avoid them at all cost, as they are known to have driven many Dungeons into murderous insanity in the past. Corrupting their servants in the process, changing them into undying hosts of daemons and shardspirits that continued to exterminate or drive insane everything in the vicinity until their deranged master was slain.¡±
Well
I guess this counts as a single positive of being sent after a hero.
We hopefully won¡¯t have to deal with those guys.
Yeah, I guess
But I don¡¯t like how everyone, even Luna herself, warned us about these guys
It feels like foreshadowing
I sincerely hope that it¡¯s not.
Yeah, same
Oh
I think we¡¯ve forgot what day it is
We¡¯re having beastkin visitors, the group that came with the elder Anaya last time
Oh
Great
You think that Yanagi-san will manage to deliver them the letter without any troubles?
Like, murder attempts?
No
I¡¯ll do it myself
Have fun with that.
48: Another Visit
The beastkin did, indeed, return. Elder Anaya wasn¡¯t there, and neither were the other familiar faces like Uzar and Yla (then again, they don¡¯t expect Yla to show up in their Dungeon anytime soon).
Instead, the group that came inside was composed of eight younger members of the tribe, including Keran, the novice shaman and Anaya¡¯s sidekick.
Izuku didn¡¯t consider him to be a ¡®familiar face¡¯, if only because they¡¯ve heard him talk a whole one time, and very briefly as it was only him saying how much he¡¯s ready to do what elder Anaya told him to.
The group was composed of Keran, two catgirl rogues and five wolfkin warriors, three of them male, the other two female. All of them geared up in the standard tribal outfit that they¡¯ve seen most of the other tribal younglings wear.
Starting from Ekana.
So, are we going to listen in on them, hoping to learn some interesting and useful things?
yes
Alright.
I guess we can leave Lorae and her tomb to Ochako and the party.
Wait, why aren¡¯t you already manifested?
I told Yanagi to grab the letter and go up to meet me right at the top of the Second Level.
I have a while
Okay.
They did learn a few things, but nothing truly groundbreaking.
Keran did his best to herd the group that he was nominally in charge of, having them massacre the elementals in an organized and fairly efficient manner. They were just skillful enough to be able to do it without any injuries for as long as none of them tried to do something extremely stupid.
Like running away to fight them on their own to prove how strong they were. Which, to be honest, would be very in character.
A fact that they proved by almost doing that three times, each time requiring Keran to yell at them to get back in formation and treat it seriously. Man had at least some authority among them, and that has probably stopped them from getting some otherwise avoidable injuries.
Within maybe thirty minutes from entering the First Level, they¡¯ve managed to thin out the elementals and earth golems enough for them to start appearing in smaller and even more manageable groups as they were spat out from the [Elemental Overflows] on the level.
As the pressure that the mobs applied to them lessened, they could move over to harvesting. And that was one of the most interesting parts of observing their first ¡®commercial¡¯ visitors at work.
Namely, they could see what they were actually interested in, allowing them to tailor the floor further with commercial exploitation in mind.
There were clearly two things of interest to the beastkin on the First Level. The first one were the corpses of the earth golems. Once the beastkin properly eliminated one, Keran ordered the others to guard him while opening up their insides and scooping out some¡ dirt from their insides?
Some slightly discolored dirt, huh.
Dirt?
Weird
They don¡¯t snort it or anything, right?
That would be really weird.
It might be some sort of alchemical reagent, we¡¯ll ask one of our alchemists later.
They were both, unfortunately, busy talking with Lorae right now. Now that Izuku knew what sort of questions he should ask about their craft, they should actually be able to answer them.
Receiving crafting skills from a Dungeon was¡ weird. And that was putting it mildly.
The other thing was, strangely enough, the strange kind of colorless liquid that the spiritually manifested spirits (in this case, elementals) were turning into when they were slain.
However, the method of harvesting it seemed weird. Which automatically made it interesting.
One of the warriors was carrying an odd tool resembling a¡ honestly speaking, Izuku is lacking a good comparison there.
It seemed to be a small pouch, filled to the brim with small solid objects, sounding a bit like¡ marbles? Each time an elemental died and collapsed into a smear of that strange liquid, he wiped the floor with said pouch, looking as if the very act was indescribably annoying to him.
There wasn¡¯t enough of the liquid to form even the smallest pool on the floor, and in fact it seemed to immediately merge with the floor and then quickly vanish.
Strange.
¡°This is stupid.¡± The warrior tasked with the process finally has enough. ¡°There isn¡¯t enough aether for it to be worth it! We¡¯ll get maybe a few drops of it by the end of the day. What¡¯s the point?!¡±
¡°Tekhan, I think I missed the part of this talk where I asked you for your opinion.¡± Keran responds immediately. And in a surprisingly savage way. ¡°Get to it. And I better see you put your back into it, or you¡¯ll be on the aether harvesting duty for the next month.¡±
The warrior grumbles loudly but decides not to fight the shaman and returns to his job.
So, it¡¯s called aether
Sounds like something magic-related
Maybe it¡¯s something the locals need for mana potions?
Drinking dead spirits (or even dead daemons) to make yourself stronger sounds kinda metal ngl
Tokoyami-kun would absolutely love it.
And so would All For One
¡ I still can¡¯t comprehend how the boogeyman of the underworld just keeps giving me stronger and stronger chuunibyou vibes the more I get to know him.
Tell me about it
Getting the elementals roaming the level under control did make the beastkin get a bit more open up with each other. They even started talking with each other more or less freely. Thus allowing Midoriya and Shigaraki to get to know them a bit more.
In the process of that they learned that the beastkin were kind of bad people. By the standards of Earth, that is. A fact that opened up an interesting philosophical quandary on whether judging them by those standards was wise.
It was even worse considering the recent changes in Izuku¡¯s morals.
During the twenty minutes between the start of the harvesting operation and Shigaraki finally manifesting as a Dungeon Lord and thus leaving the Core, they¡¯ve ended up hearing the following conversations:
- Two beastkin wondering when their tribe would next try to raid anyone, as they were feeling pretty bored nowadays. Thus proving that their tribe was alright with pillaging others unprompted.
- A brief argument revealing how two of them have apparently stolen something from another beastkin that wasn¡¯t part of their little friend group, the other ones in said group clearly finding it funny rather than questionable.
- Two other beastkin having a ¡®lighthearted¡¯ conversation about a body of some slave that they had some fun with a while ago. Thus proving that not only did they have slavery as an institution, they also seemed to not really care a lot about their slaves.
Not to mention being strangely neutral about the concept of ¡®using¡¯ slaves that way. As in, to them it seemed to just be a fact of life. No one else seemed to really mind it, even the women among them.
It was one thing to treat slaves as a forced workforce, it was another to not treat them as really human (or, well, mortals in general).
To say that it was disturbing to listen to was to say nothing. This world - or at least the beastkin of northern Vestiria - seemed to be much, much different from any modern culture on Earth.
Which made sense. It was a different world, after all. The beastkin were worshiping gods of war and slaughter and of cunning trickery. They were warriors, who didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with raiding others, who bowed only to strength and wiles of others rather than law.
Of course, they were only a small part of the wide arrays of subjects that Izuku and Shigaraki heard being mentioned. Crushing the majority of them was pretty¡ normal . Disturbingly so, concerning the rest of their culture that they¡¯ve just begun to learn.
A few of them joked about one of the others who couldn¡¯t hold his alcohol and did something incredibly embarrassing while drunk (they didn¡¯t mention what exactly, they all seemed to know what it was), with even the target of their joke ending up laughing about it.
Another one boasted to others how he could defeat that incoming elemental faster and how their training was showing fruits. And how sooner or later they¡¯d officially become a warrior of the tribe.
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Someone was complaining to their friend how another person (not from their group) wasn¡¯t noticing their attempts to court them, and how he worried that someone else could snatch her from them.
One of the wolfkin was openly hitting on one of the catkin (to some mixed results and a lot of laughs).
They even laughed about Yla, one of the wolfkin making a spicy joke on how they might all get to see a lot of funny things if any of their rogues would be mean to the Dungeon with such a taste (Izuku absolutely hates that Shigaraki made the beastkin see them that way), leading to the one of the catkin shooting back that she¡¯s going to act nice, but if he keeps calling Dungeon a pervert, he might end up being the one to run back to their tribe in his underwear, and that she¡¯ll definitely enjoy those sights.
Prompting everyone else to laugh, even Keran chuckling quietly despite clearly trying to look as serious as possible.
Those beastkin were really questionable people by Earth¡¯s standards, but they seemed to be pretty normal by those of their tribe. Just a group of young adults, getting drunk, getting laid and getting into fights together and having a good time while at it. While clearly being friendly towards each other.
They didn¡¯t feel like villains . They didn¡¯t feel like deranged sociopaths. They were¡ normal.
All while being alright with stealing from people who weren¡¯t smart or strong enough to protect what they own, and seeing no issue with capturing people for the purpose of slavery, for as long as it wasn¡¯t one of them.
That somehow made them even more disturbing to Izuku. Especially when he realized that sooner or later he was going to have to get used to living in a world where such people were the norm, at least in some parts of it.
Even if they grew to their full-size, they were going to be far from the strongest thing in Karadia. They couldn¡¯t hope to enforce their rules anywhere outside of their Domain. They would have accepted a lot of weird things happening often right outside them.
On a sidenote, Izuku doesn¡¯t know a lot about the Roman Empire, but he is fairly sure that they wouldn¡¯t feel very out of place in it. Or, to be exact, as a part of one of the many tribes that surrounded it at the time.
It really made you realize how much ¡®their¡¯ humanity grew up since then.
There was also another interesting exchange that happened right after Tomura finally left the Core, leaving Izuku alone in it.
¡°Hey, Keran, so I¡¯ve been thinking¡¡± One of the wolfkin speaks suddenly while turning his head to face him.
¡°It had to be a shocking new experience for you.¡± One of the catkins says in the background, prompting most of the group to laugh. Even the target of the joke himself laughed briefly before speaking again.
¡°Is it true that there¡¯s an envoy from the Grand Empire making rounds through the Twenty-Four Tribes?¡± The man finally asks. Was the Twenty-Four Tribes the general term for the beastkin inhabiting the region? ¡°I heard that they¡¯re discussing recruitment of auxiliaries for a military campaign.¡±
Keran sighs. He clearly expected this question to show up sooner or later. And yet didn¡¯t want it to happen.
¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± The novice shaman eventually replies. ¡°What about it, Talan?¡±
Izuku doesn¡¯t even need that question answered. He can see a few of the other beastkin being suddenly¡ interested and almost excited at the words.
¡°You think that we can volunteer?¡± Talan asks, looking at Keran with fire in his eyes.
¡°Ugh.¡± Keran groans. ¡°Yes, I know that you¡¯re all getting very excited by the idea of leaving your tribe for a few years and getting to fight strong enemies before returning to the tribe with spoils of your victories¡¡±
¡°Hell yeah!¡± One of the wolfkin women says while raising her sword up, to popular acclaim. It really reminds Izuku of Ochako.
Just¡ her evil cousin or something like that? She even has brown hair, even if that¡¯s where the similarities ended. How awkward.
¡°... but it¡¯s not a good idea.¡± Keran finishes his words, ignoring her interruption.
¡°What, why?¡± Talan asks, clearly surprised. Keran sighs. He¡¯s really reminding Izuku of the elder Anaya right now. Not in methods or behavior but in being clearly irritated with how simpleminded many members of his tribe were.
¡°I asked elder Anaya a similar question.¡± Keran replies. ¡°She hit me in the head with a stick and told me to start using my brain. Then told me to ask myself the following question: who exactly might be the target of the campaign that the Grand Empire is preparing on this island?¡±
When it¡¯s clear that the others have no idea what he is talking about, Keran sighs again.
¡°The only two targets that might warrant imperial intervention on the island right now are the undead on Mount Kalenir and the forces of the Pentagram in the ruins of Aelvharia.¡± Keran replies. ¡°But the former is currently the target for a Chosen One of the Sun. So it¡¯s almost certainly going to be Aelvharia.¡±
The other seems to start to realize what he was trying to tell them, but just in case, he continues his explanations.
Just as Izuku realizes that they¡¯ve just obtained a very important piece of intel. The Chosen One of the Sun that was supposedly attacking Mount Kalenir (whateever it was) had to be ¡®their¡¯ target.
He had no idea how powerful the undead holding the mountain were, but he wished them the best. There was no way that they¡¯d actually eliminate that hero, but they should at the very least keep him occupied for some time.
No. He didn¡¯t want to kill that man/woman. But he suspected that if they did know that they were aligned with Luna, they¡¯d definitely try to kill them . And he really doesn¡¯t think that they have a slightest chance of surviving that.
¡°This means that the auxiliaries are going to be used as meatshields for a bloody campaign, risking not only your bodies but also your minds, all so that the elves and humans won¡¯t have to.¡± Keran continues. ¡°And there won¡¯t even be any spoils of victory, because everything there is corrupted and will have to be completely destroyed to make sure that it doesn¡¯t spread the touch of Pentagram. You¡¯ll be happy if one in five of you will come back.¡±
Silence, as the beastkin look at each other, clearly digesting what Keran just told them.
¡°But what sort of fame and respect we would get if we returned home after conquering Aelvharia.¡± Talan says, stars in his eyes, a few of his companions nodding, showing how much they agree with him.
Keran groans painfully and shouts at them to keep moving as they have a quota to make, having clearly given up on trying to make them see reason.
Wow, Izuku is genuinely impressed. Those beastkin might have come from a completely different culture that was much less civilized and developed by his own, but in spirit, they resembled him sooo much. He, too, didn¡¯t seem to care about his own injuries in the pursuit of his goals. They only differed in terms of the goal in question.
Jokes aside, the beastkin seemed to suffer from a terminal lack of a self-preservation instinct. Or, at least, the younger ones.
The younger warriors were striving to prove themselves and rise up on the social ladder, which resulted in a lot of them kicking the bucket without getting anywhere. Which seemed to be what annoyed elder Anaya so much.
An average warrior society in a nutshell.
***
To Izuku¡¯s surprise - and slight disappointment - the rest of their short ¡®mission¡¯ concluded without much issues.
Shigaraki manifested as a Dungeon Lord and climbed from Second to First Level with the help of a ladder placed in the vertical cave segment that acted as a level change. And he did that right after taking a sealed letter that they had Yaoyorozu write for them before leaving the Dungeon from Yanagi, who brought it up from the Sixth Level, before starting her return journey to indulge in her ¡®crafts¡¯ once more.
Yaoyorozu wrote down Shigaraki¡¯s words in order to maintain the ¡®manchild¡¯ vibe that they needed to make it appear genuine. As for the contents: it was a rant about the Ecstasy¡¯s forces seizing a nearby iron mine, with a mention that they seemed to come from Labyrinth, which was enough for the Dungeon to be furious about them not letting its servants explore the Labyrinth for more stuff.
In short, it was a rant that was perfectly in character for Shigaraki and should have the beastkin tribe go absolutely militant. Even if they didn¡¯t want to just fight the Rapturous Ecstasy, the ¡®iron mine¡¯ - and one that was already largely established and only needed to be manned to start working - should do the job.
And there was also the part about it being a point of breach to the Labyrinth. They just aren¡¯t sure how valuable that is.
Just in case, they¡¯ve also mentioned in the rant how much they¡¯re open to letting the beastkin operate the mine for as long as they don¡¯t forget that it belongs to the Dungeon and that it wants a safe passage to the Labyrinth beneath.
And yes, since they decided to start unleashing the beastkin at their problems (just like what they already did with the purifier), they¡¯ve also mentioned being attacked by a bunch of annoying cultists of the Rampant Bloom.
There was a sign that this was the end of the segment of the Dungeon open for commercial reasons. Literally, a sign. Large, wooden and with the words written all over it. Once again, Yaoyorozu proved to be a godsend.
Shigaraki passed by all of that, and Izuku then ended up guiding him to the beastkin¡¯s current position.
No one attacked him, mostly because Keran immediately realized that he was facing the Dungeon Lord and decided to be as cordial as beastkin could.
¡°How may we help you, Dungeon Lord?¡± Keran says before any of his companions can do anything stupid.
¡°Letter.¡± Shigaraki says dryly. ¡°To the elder. Her eyes only.¡± He adds while extending the hand with a sealed letter inside it towards the shaman.
¡°We¡¯ll deliver it without fail.¡± Keran replies immediately while grabbing it. ¡°There are no¡ problems with our presence here, right? We can still be here?¡± Is he afraid that the Dungeon is for some reason breaking the deal?
¡°Yes?¡± Shigaraki makes a very convincing emulation of being actually surprised by his words. Or maybe he just really was surprised by them? ¡°I made a deal and I won''t break my word. Keep doing whatever you¡¯re doing, I don¡¯t care.¡±
Then he just walks away,
Yes. He absolutely nails the ¡®manchild barely interested in human interaction¡¯ vibe. He¡¯s absolutely perfect as a face of the Dungeon while it¡¯s still supposed to be mentally underdeveloped.
Then Izuku has an idea. And he quickly contacts Ochako, who was clearly about to leave Lorae¡¯s tomb, just waiting for Lorae to pick the three lampades to leave her domain for some time.
Ochako, a quick thing.
I need you to ask Lorae where Mount Kalenir and Aelvharia are.
¡°Alright!¡± Ochako replies cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯ve got a new question to relay to you if you don¡¯t mind it.¡± She then says to Lorae.
¡°Go on.¡± She replies. She¡¯s really calm about it, isn¡¯t she? It reminds Izuku of Aeonia somewhat. Although he¡¯s certain that both of them would be annoyed if he compared them to their faces.
¡°We¡¯d like to know the location of two places. Mount Kalenir and Aelvharia.¡± Uraraka replies. Izuku, now seeing the world through her eyes, can immediately tell that she doesn¡¯t like the former name. ¡°And what are they too?¡±
¡°Mount Kalenir is the largest bastion of the Breathless Tide on Vestiria.¡± Lorae replies. ¡°It was created when a group of mages from the south went renegade and switched their allegiance to the Tide, adopting the name of the Cabal of the Dying Breath and fleeing north. They used undead workforce to cover the entire mountain in fortifications and began to slowly expand outside, securing nearby resources and grabbing every corpse they could get their hands on. They even got a few of their members to become liches. They¡¯re close to the north-western end of the isle, quite a distance away from the Iron Brook Valley. You¡¯d have to pass through the entire beastkin territories.¡±
So, nothing immediately dangerous to them. And it sounded like something to make Sol¡¯s hero busy for a moment.
Then again¡ was he (or she) heading there alone ? Or just with their party? Like¡ just how incredibly powerful did they have to be? Their mission (and no, Izuku still doesn¡¯t really want to fulfill it, even if he¡¯ll likely have to) was really going to be a long one.
¡°As for Aelvharia, it¡¯s a small elven state to the east, close to the coast.¡± Lorae continues. ¡°Puppet king ruled from the backseat by the nobility, partially surrounded by the Lost Lands, and entirely dependent on Vestiria¡¯s government to stay afloat. Tail end of nowhere, really. What brought the question? I don¡¯t remember it being in any way interesting.¡±
Uh-oh.
¡°The beastkin visiting the Dungeon right now mentioned something about the Grand Empire mobilizing forces to clear its ruins from the presence of Pentagram¡¯ forces.¡± Uraraka replies. Lorae immediately gives her a look that¡¯s equal parts disgusted and disturbed. ¡°We were wondering if that¡¯s anywhere close to us.¡±
¡°Thankfully, no.¡± Lorae replies. ¡°Other side of the island, almost. Weeks of travel through the territory of groups that will do their best to stop any group of Pentagram worshipers and will cooperate with each other to achieve it, even if they hate each other.¡±
Reassuring.
¡°But I have to say that it¡¯s increasingly confusing how little you seem to know about this island.¡± Lorae then says, squinting at them and making them immediately realize that it was one question too far. ¡°How come? No, I¡¯m not convinced by the answer that I got earlier.¡±
Which was kind of awkward, as Monoma said the truth back then. Just one that they disregarded completely.
¡°You could say that our Dungeon got an access to a group of people that were¡ very sheltered in the past.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, clearly picking her words very cautiously. ¡°And our presence in its vicinity wasn¡¯t, how should I put it, something that happened with our consent.¡±
¡°And is Northern Wind somehow involved in this entire¡ scheme ?¡± Lorae asks back, on her face an expression of pity but also caution. Oh, so that¡¯s what she suspected them to be. A bunch of kidnapping victims that the Wind used in order to build themselves their own Dungeon. Or something like this.
¡°We¡¯d prefer to keep our secrets if possible.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°All we¡¯re willing to say right now is that things are getting better and we¡¯re free to make our own choices. Are you still willing to trust our word?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Lorae replies after a second of considering it. ¡°But this won¡¯t stop me from observing your action¡¯s closely.¡±
Izuku really can¡¯t blame her for that, that¡¯s for sure.
49: Sense of Humour
Some time later, Uraraka¡¯s group begins their return journey to the Dungeon, accompanied with three lampades and nine gravehounds. The lampades were named Kana, Aeria and Lanna and seemed somewhat excited by the prospect of working in a Dungeon for a while.
For ten years, to be exact. The contract they¡¯ve agreed upon permits the Dungeon to use them for combat purposes (and combat purposes only), together with a lot of additional clauses, including one that they and the servants of the Breathless Tide cannot be hosted on the same Level.
At least, the spirits can¡¯t.
Yaoyorozu was quick to point-out that lesser undead generated by the Dungeon are pretty much puppets resembling actual undead, and that three lampades and nine gravehounds is hardly enough for a Level.
Lorae didn¡¯t like it, but she did decide to concede the point. Meaning that they could put skeletons on the level while using the lampades for a boss fight. That was the material for a completely new level.
Great!
In the meantime, Shigaraki returns to the Core.
I¡¯m back
Did it work?
Seems so.
Keran didn¡¯t open the letter and they seem to be preparing to leave to get back to their tribe.
Great
Anything else to mention?
We¡¯ve got some last-minute intel that I¡¯ve already confirmed with Lorae.
There¡¯s a ¡®Chosen of the Sun¡¯ on the island, who is currently busy campaigning against the Breathless Tide¡¯ holdout on Mount Kalenir, which is a solid distance away from us.
oh
Well, alright then
I have something to add too
That being?
We gotta make the levels bigger.
First Level is all cool but it was just dominated by a group of seven newbie invaders within thirty minutes or so
It¡¯s not good
Yes, but it¡¯s not SUPPOSED to be good in that way.
We¡¯re supposed to let people exploit that level commercially, The defensive-oriented levels start from Second Level onward.
It¡¯s not even that good in that way
It¡¯s too small
Clearing the whole level completely takes maybe an hour, and then what?
More creatures means more resources to be harvested and more groups of adventurers that can operate within our domain simultaneously
We need it bigger
We should make all the levels bigger eventually
That¡ makes sense.
At least for creatures like the elementals which we can easily produce in any number we want.
How do you picture it?
I imagine it like this:
We concentrate the resource harvesting and processing rooms, there¡¯s no point spreading it around completely at random, we also add some [Lairs] there to keep the stuff have at least some difficulty level
We construct every Level from such zones, and the deeper you go, the more goodies in them
Plus some occasional [Lairs] between them to make sure that there aren¡¯t any large parts of the level that are without any creatures to let people rest deeper into the Level
Makes sense.
But this is going to make our every level much, much larger eventually.
We should keep the level change/floor guardian rooms in the central zone though, at least until we¡¯ll get something to allow us to move between levels faster, as otherwise we¡¯ll spend hours just walking out of it.
¡ wait, it just occurred to me.
?
We don¡¯t need to keep the inhabitants of every level to be on the very edge of the ambient mana limit, right?
All that matters is a growth in difficulty level between the Levels to make sure that getting to more valuable stuff isn¡¯t easy
Adventurers will just be able to reach a level or two deeper, but it¡¯s not like it matters, it¡¯s just a number.
Where¡¯s this going?
We can split the current First Level into two, turn the entire First Level into a sort of guest area slash divine favour farm and then massively expand the second part of the First Level into a dedicated, giant elemental Level
Oh, I get where it¡¯s going
One more level, stronger creatures, less content restrictions sooner
Yes.
And I really think that eventually one or more of the ¡®killzone¡¯ Levels will likely be just our equivalent of barracks, holding all the bound daemons that act as our regular army to repel deadly attacks or operate outside of the Dungeon if needed.
Yes
We¡¯re slowly figuring things out, aren¡¯t we?
Yes.
One more thing that Dungeons likely figure out naturally as they develop.
So, what do we do first? Expand First Level, expand Second Level, split First Level or what?
I¡¯d split First Level in two.
Why?
So that we can improve our servants asap.
Ochako and Tokage-san using only their shields and either a spear or a sword is illogical. Spear has greater reach by default, but when you lose it (or, in this case, if Ochako loses it), you¡¯re basically helpless.
We should give them both a spear AND a shield.
That makes sense
And also, if we do get a bunch of creatures from the Ecstasy, we might want to have the barracks level as soon as possible and have it have the highest possible Ambient Mana Level to accommodate for when we¡¯ll start forming our army
especially if we want to ¡®recruit¡¯ the Rose Guard, they look like they have a bit higher AML than the usual riffraff that we¡¯ve encountered thus far
Great
We haven¡¯t expanded in the number of levels in a while
It was like a week.
I wouldn¡¯t exactly call it a long period of time.
Whatever
We¡¯ll start working on that once the beastkin leave the Dungeon.
***
And eventually they do. After squeezing some of that colorless liquid from that strange pouch-thing into a small metal bottle, through a funnel to not lose a single drop. There truly wasn¡¯t a lot of it.
Then again, they just didn¡¯t know how much of it counted as ¡®much¡¯. It could be really valuable. But it just couldn¡¯t be more than a 10th of that bottle, and that - together with earlier words of the beastkin warrior tasked with collecting it - makes it unlikely to be a lot.
By the time their servants and their new recruits return from Lorae¡¯s tomb, they are done with that expansion of their domain.
First Level is now composed of two parts. First one is a meeting hall/dining room of substantial size, with a small kitchen by it and a small [Growing Area] right beyond it, set up to automatically grow a handful of herbs like sage that can be used for culinary purposes.
Yes, there¡¯s a fake hole in the ceiling there.
Look, if they¡¯re making a proper guest area, they could as well do it properly. And in Izuku¡¯s opinion, that works. Everything is completely bare other than the most basic of furniture, there¡¯s not even any cutleries there, they don¡¯t want the newcomers to straight up steal them.
And besides, they only use wood there. Very primitively shaped one. Just to make sure that the visitors won¡¯t steal the furniture.
He even added some showers. Pretty much a harness for a bucket of water above your head, with a handle attached to one side of it so that you can easily douse yourself in water. It¡¯s rudimentary, but it works.
They have the same thing in their apartments on the lowest level. It¡¯s primitive, but works well enough. Especially when you, errr, fill the bucket with hot water and do this with two very attractive and naked girls, the three of you making washing into an¡ errr¡ team-building exercise.
Anyway.
The other side of the First Level is the Divine Favour farm. They intend to fill the whole area with as many shrines as possible. They do not care if the gods in question hate each other, this is a neutral zone for their wars and rivalries and everyone can worship in peace.
All while feeding the Dungeon with the divine favor of the High Gods who get themselves venerated by the visitors. They aren¡¯t exactly doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, obviously.
The rest of the past First Level gets massively expanded, growing more than five times in size and being populated with even more basic elementals and earth golems. The next time the beastkin will show up for a visit, they¡¯ll find a much larger place to explore.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
They¡¯ll expand the spider-themed level too. After all, now that they¡¯ve expanded themselves from six to seven levels, they are contractually obligated to make their Second Level open for the beastkin as well.
They should have enough mana for it soon. And to expand First Level some more.
So, I think that I have an idea.
What is it?
Mana power plant.
¡ go on
We should be able to put a significant number of Node Rooms right next to each other, and it shouldn¡¯t matter for our safety unless we let someone reach all the way down here which, objectively speaking, would mean that we¡¯re done for either way if someone hostile got this deep to begin with.
Oh
Oh, I guess.
We can spend a while putting it up from surplus mana, like when we have nothing better to do and we¡¯re close to filling the tank completely
That¡¯s another good idea in a short succession, sweet
Speaking of, are we going to cash in on those favors?
Your girlfriend #1 is earning some brownie points from Mr. Not-Khorne with her acts of wanton slaughter and we could cash in on that
Wait a fucking second
No
NO
NONONONONO
What?!
Luna did another Luna thing and changed the way the favor rewards work
Just check this horrific abomination yourself
O¡okay?
And he does as he was told. He heads to [Religion] and immediately sees that there¡¯s a large ¡®Redeem Rewards¡¯ button right next to it, very clearly not fitting the general theme of the UI, just like the one that led to Luna¡¯s ¡®cheat code¡¯.
And he clicks it. Just to immediately see a large window with what quickly turns out to be a letter. From their divine kidnapper.
Hello there, my favorite kidnapping victims!
It¡¯s me, ¡®ya boy (for about twenty seconds more and before I get bored of, you know, being a boy). See, I¡¯ve been thinking a bit more and I realized that the whole thing is still not unique enough.
I mean, I¡¯ve copied you into a foreign world, gave you the cheat code and all, but it¡¯s still not quite unique enough. I want the new story of your life to just be¡ extra spicy, you get me? And a tad bit more random.
So, I¡¯ve been looking through the memories of your past world and then it occurred to me. I figured out how to achieve both the extra spice and extra randomness and chaos.
Gacha games!
From now on, instead of directly buying appropriate rewards in exchange for the divine favor, you¡¯ll instead unlock High God-themed gacha rolls.
Now, I know what you¡¯re thinking, and it¡¯s probably screaming in abject horror. Especially Shigaraki. But! It¡¯s better.
To begin with, there wasn¡¯t an actual divine ¡®favor¡¯ being involved in the process. Sorry for putting it that way, but High Gods are usually a bit too focused on their own stuff that¡¯s done on a multiversal scale to notice a mere Dungeon.
Oh, make no mistake, you need to be noticed to receive a theurgy from a god such as Saevius, even if it¡¯s a passing notice (and trust me, there¡¯ll be more waiting for Midoriya¡¯s girlfriend if she keeps acting the way she does, she has all the traits that the Nine Hordes endorses as a pantheon).
What was I talking about¡ oh, right. Divine favor. Usually, it¡¯s more about aligning your very nature more with that High God or another, which makes you a more inviting environment for certain entities that you can then openly just invite. So, with other High Gods not being directly invested in the process, I could twiddle with it a lot.
And I made it better!
Look, normally, it was almost entirely about the shard spirits and daemons. Now, there¡¯s more. Pulling a Saevius roll will reward with you either a spirit or a new unlock fitting his theme. Weapons, outfits, armors, martial arts manuals (and martial arts themselves), valuable crafting schematics, Wrath Magic spells etc. etc. And guess what?
Element of randomness.
You can, technically, roll something that¡¯s much more valuable than what you¡¯d normally get. Nothing stops you from rolling a legendary top tier archdaemon at your first roll (however confused THEY would be with appearing here in such an odd set of circumstances).
Wouldn¡¯t it be funny if that happened? Lmao.
Hell, you can even roll some unclaimed legendary artifacts. Of course, the chances for it are astronomically low, but¡
Wouldn¡¯t it be INCREDIBLY funny if that happened? Lmao.
Anyway, have fun!
Signed:
Luna,
High God of An Actually Great Sense of Humour
PS1. And you¡¯ll even earn some favor from Proditio, the Hierarch of Dice. Because, you know, Dice. Gambling. Random chances. Ain¡¯t I great?
PS2. For the love of myself, don¡¯t tell the lampades about me and your mission. Mors is the closest ally of my sister among the exarchs, and while their murderboner against the Hierarchs is focused entirely on that nerd Nex and my brother, they¡¯ll still have issues with me trying to strike a blow against Sol.
Although congrats for earning their help, that¡¯s NOT something that any of my followers would have done in your place. I¡¯m really curious as to where it would lead to :D
PS3. Put Shiozaki in the body of another hamadryad (or any other daemon, really) and then make her choose it to be her body forever. I¡¯m curious what the outcome will be, but if my suspicions are correct, she¡¯ll love it. And with some thinking, I think you¡¯ll figure out why :P
Izuku read the whole text, realized that Luna managed to simultaneously be a jerk and be surprisingly helpful. Her changes to the system appeared to be rather beneficial to them, even if with a radical addition of randomness to it.
The warning about the lampades being allies of Sol was¡ a welcome one. They didn¡¯t know that, and they wouldn¡¯t know that at least until their next meeting with Aeonia. Izuku immediately made a mental note to contact and warn everyone about not talking about Luna and their mission whenever the lampades were anywhere near them.
As soon as possible.
As for Shiozaki-san¡ what could that be? What could that do?
Oh.
Oh.
When Aeonia changed her beliefs into that of the Breathless Tide, she changed her very nature to that of one of the daemons of the Tide. Because to daemons, their identity defined everything, including their equivalent of the species, or at least that¡¯s how Izuku imagined it for now.
But Shiozaki-san was extremely Christian in her beliefs. And while temporarily possessing a body of a daemon seemed to not trigger the ¡®identity crisis¡¯ thing - at least judging from how Komori was alright with being a hamadryad - what would happen if Shiozaki-san possessed a daemon and was then fully merged with it, permanently?
Would she become some sort of angel? Were they a thing in this universe?
That would be¡ interesting, that¡¯s for sure. Definitely a potentially interesting experiment. Maybe something to persuade Shiozaki-san to cooperate, but he needed more knowledge about this world to try that.
That and, well, a completely animalistic and hostile daemon to try it all on. He is actively against doing that to sapient daemons, even ones hostile to them. This is just way too much to do to someone capable of reasoning.
Dismissing the pop-up leads Izuku straight to hell.
The screen is colorful but in the worst possible way. It¡¯s a hell of mismatched colors, with even fonts different in every word. Even someone as unfashionable as he is (Ochako had a lot of opinions about his T-Shirts even in the past world, and she was the second least fashion-interested person after himself there) realized that it was just bad.
Absolutely horrible.
It was an absolute hell to read through it and figure out how exactly it worked.
Okay, so apparently they have several different¡ types of rolls? Yes. They can make a Normal roll, a Special roll, a Premium roll, a Deluxe roll and a¡ Special Premium roll? Deluxe Special roll? Special Premium Deluxe roll? Errr?
Luna was absolutely atrocious in naming things. Then again, it was probably the point. What really mattered was that the better the roll, the more favor it cost, but the better their odds.
He immediately elected to rename all of those atrocities. Numbers? Yes, numbers. Level one roll to level ten roll. This is much better than, say, saying that they¡¯re going to do a Super Special Deluxe Super Premium roll.
What is your opinion about that absolute atrocity
That it¡¯d be classified as illegal gambling in all the countries of the Euro-American Trade Zone due to the odds of scoring items in question not being mentioned anywhere.
Making it be against the rules.
Which, I suspect, is kind of the point.
For once I fucking agree with the law
¡ Do you want to talk about this?
You¡¯re the second last person that I¡¯d want to talk about my problems with.
The first one is All for One?
No, Overhaul.
All for One ties with you for second place, as I could at least have fun about his manipulation tactics while he was trying to employ them as now I¡¯d know that they¡¯re manipulation tactics.
I
That hurt me more than I think it would.
SCORE
Anyway
Gacha games fucking suck, and to this day I¡¯m salty about failing to roll for that dog which resembled Mon-chan despite emptying my allowance and running hundreds of fucking rolls
Sigh.
It all goes back to Mon-chan with you.
Will you become a better person if the lampades will let you pet their dogs?
¡
No promises are made.
Okay.
Do we make some rolls?
We have enough favor for 3x Level One Saevius rolls, 1x Level One Occasa roll and 3x Level One Luna rolls.
Wait, that¡¯s how we¡¯re calling them now?
Yes.
Okay
Why not, what¡¯s the worst that can happen?
Let¡¯s roll all of that and empty the bank for now.
We should be able to recover sooner or later.
Aye.
The results of the rolls are as followed:
Saevius rolls have given them two Common-Grade and one Uncommon-Grade unlocks.
Common-Grade were [Brass] (as in, the Copper and Zinc alloy) and [Blessing of Carnage], which was apparently a type of a spirit.
Uncommon-Grade was an [Amazon], which was a daemon of Saevius. Izuku could guess from the name alone that it was going to be some sort of female daemonic warrior.
They already had Ochako, but having another fighter like her was always a plus.
Occasa roll resulted in the [Blood Hornet] unlock, which was a Common-grade¡ monster? Oh. They could actually produce it in any numbers they wanted! And as a side-effect of that unlock, they¡¯ve immediately unlocked [Blood Hornet Hive] as a [Lair]!
Big win. Unexpected boon from Occasa. Very nice. She was still an abominable demon of a god, but at least they¡¯ve got some cool things out of her roll.
Luna rolls have given them a Common-grade spirit called the [Blessing of Shadows], Uncommon-grade material called the [Shadow Iron] and, surprisingly enough, a Very Rare-grade spirit called [Snatcher-in-the-Dark].
[Blood Hornets] had the same threat level as Giant Spiders. Both Blessings had their Threat Level stated as N/A, oddly enough (it required some more practical testing to figure out). Amazon had stats comparable to that of the [Lesser Hamadryad] and as for [Snatcher-in-the-Dark]¡
Threat Level Sixty-Two.
Izuku had a lot of questions but he was a bit too busy being scared of the answers to do so. The one with likely the most terrifying implications was this one: If ¡®Very Rare¡¯ unlocks included ETL Sixty-Two creatures¡ then what sort of threat levels could one obtain if they scored a Legendary-grade unlock?
Was there even such a grade? There probably was one.
We¡¯ll probably end up having to test the [Blessings] and summon the [Amazon], as it seems like a decent strengthening for our current combat group.
Oh, aren''t you afraid that she¡¯ll steal Uraraka from you?
¡
Okay, okay stop
I can tell I¡¯ve crossed the line, and I¡¯m immediately crossing it back, okay?
Uraraka loves you, she¡¯ll never betray you, I never implied otherwise and I wouldn¡¯t dare as she¡¯s a great girl that loves you deeply and will stay like that for the rest of her natural and unnatural lifespan
Happy?
Yes.
You¡¯ll live.
That¡¯s when Izuku decides to calm himself down by checking up on their expedition party that was returning to the Dungeon¡ only to witness a scene of unmitigated carnage.
Purifier was back.
50: Rampage
Izuku only learned how exactly it happened afterwards, once he interrogated Ochako about it and she described the start of the fight in detail to him. But it went something like this.
Their entire party was heading back to the Dungeon, walking alongside the river. That was pretty much a necessity for traveling in a large group, the area surrounding the river was the closest thing they had to an easily navigable route through the area.
Flat ground, with some actually decent line of sight. Very good.
Until you realized that ¡®decent line of sight¡¯ worked both ways. Their group realized it the moment Mr. Compress suddenly yelled at them all to duck, and so they did, with even the lampades leaping behind some conveniently placed boulders, the gravehounds following them.
They managed to do it right before the arrows began to fly past them.
Uraraka glances over the rock that she dove behind, looking in the direction of the other side of the river. From where the arrows were coming.
Rose Guard. The gleaming armors were unmistakable. Ten of them, scattered around the other side of the river, three of them carrying longbows. A strange pick of weapons for someone wearing light plate armor, but¡
So much about their hopes of the Ecstasy forces not starting to investigate the surface. There really was going to be a battle in the valley sooner or later.
The remaining seven, each of them carrying shields and spears, with some swords visible in their sheaths, were clearly advancing towards them, most of them in the water already. That meant¡
¡°KAMINARI, BLAST THEM!¡± Uraraka yells. Kaminari rolls closer towards the water¡¯s edge, Tokage reacting immediately, her shield covering him from two arrows fired by the rose archers.
And then he unleashes the full scope of his electric sorceries straight into the water, against enemies wearing a lot of steel.
If it was his old quirk, they would all die. But for now, he was weaker than he was in the past. And for as much as the Rose Guard warriors were extremely kinky, they were also fairly professional and their equipment was decent.
In other words, they had some leather under the chainmails and armor plates, to withstand impacts and to ward them against the cold and heat. Steel was very thermal conductive, after all.
As a result, only the two warriors that managed to get the closest to them are killed instantly, their bodies jerking up in the water for a while before they begin to drift alongside the river¡¯s current.
The rest are only briefly paralyzed or slightly electrocuted. Not enough to knock them out from a fight.
¡°GET OUT OF THE WATER, NOW!¡± One of them yells from the back. They didn¡¯t get into the water, and not only do they lack the gag, their armor also has some golden details to it. A commanding officer? ¡°Archers, kill the sorcerer!¡±
Of course. It couldn¡¯t be that easy, right?
Kaminary yelps while curling up behind Tokage¡¯s shield that gets repeatedly struck by arrows. Tokage herself was crouching to make sure that they couldn¡¯t fire at her legs underneath it. Enemy melee fighters that survived the initial burst of electricity were leaving the water and gathering up around the officer, only slightly dazed.
Lovely.
¡°Can you do anything to them?¡± Uraraka says loudly towards the lampades.
¡°At such a distance?¡± Lanna - the oldest one among the lampades, or at least giving Uraraka such a vibe with how calm and collected she was - replies. ¡°Hardly. Our lanterns work the best in the dark. And our hounds will be decimated with their arrows before they¡¯ll manage to cross the river.¡±
Makes sense. It¡¯s annoying, but it makes sense.
Uraraka was about to ask Yaoyorozu and Monoma for their ideas on how to disengage before they are interrupted by a horrid, terrifying scream followed by a similarly terrifying, fleshy crunching sound.
She looks over from behind her cover just to see the Rose Guard officer levitating around a meter above the ground¡ and then her spine breaking, her entire body bending 180 degrees backward with enough strength to crush both the armor and the bones underneath it, the malformed leftovers of the officer then collapsing onto the rocky ground.
What the fuck?
It took her a second to notice a figure charging at the Rose Guard squad from the side. Grimdark-looking plate armor, exposed face with some black tattoos and the most bloodthirsty expression that she had ever seen on anyone, cat ears and¡
The Purifier?!
Despite something killing their officer in one of the most grizzly ways imaginable before they could even acknowledge the new threat, the squad reacted quickly. The archers stayed focused on the enemies on the other side of the river, keeping them pinned down, and the remaining six warriors faced the charging knight.
What followed was an absolute massacre.
The purifier charged in before her enemies could form a proper defense line, pushing one of their spears to the side with her shield all while colliding with the warrior that was holding it with enough momentum to topple her backward and break the line before it could even be formed.
She turns around instantly, doing a quick swirl around and somehow managing to turn her sword around in the process, delivering a skull-breaking hit with the hilt of her sword to the back of the head of the second Rose Guard warrior, the woman(?) collapsing into her knees and then promptly burying her face into the ground, completely unmoving.
It was about that time when Izuku decided to check up on Uraraka and ended up witnessing the massacre that followed.
Purifier was fast. Faster than the Rose Guards, although not by far. What really changed the fight into a massacre was that the khardic warrior didn¡¯t give a shit about her own survival, fighting in a way that surpassed ferocity and went all the way into resembling a feral, rabies-driven dog. Or, in this case, a cat.
Second Rose Guard died when the purifier grabbed her sword partially by the hilt and partially by the blade, before using some forward acceleration martial arts to rush towards her opponent and guide the tip of the sword directly in between armor plates, instantly piercing through it and through the flesh underneath it.
Third Rose Guard died when they made a mistake of freezing in befuddlement when their sword bounce off the exposed head of the purifier harmlessly, the slight glow of the tattoos proving to them that she wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet for a reason, the purifier instantly slicing through the woman¡¯s throat.
Fourth Rose Guard died after the purifier jumped back and briefly pointed towards her with her sword, her arm glowing and a cluster of tentacles (fleshier yet just as dark as Blackwhip was) erupting out of it with speed that was hard for their eyes to follow, the target collapsing onto the ground while completely missing her head.
That left just the three archers behind, and their death was just as gory as that of the other ones. One of them had their throat torn apart by Purifier¡¯s teeth, the supposed paladin spitting what looked like the woman¡¯s trachea right into her face as she was collapsing onto the floor, unable to breath.
The second one ended up being toppled over and had their own face impaled onto the sword, the Purifier at this point having clearly won the fight (despite the bruises that she had to suffer from the blows that the Rose Guards managed to make connect with her) and having time to enjoy in some pointless brutality.
The third one was disarmed, strangled into unconsciousness and then dragged away by the Purifier. Who, before doing so, approached the broken corpse of the officer and¡
Izuku can practically feel Uraraka gulping loudly as she observes the Purifier helping herself to what looked like the woman¡¯s liver, torn straight out of her completely ruined body. Did that count as cannibalism? Was there some religious significance to it, or was the Purifier just this fucked in the head?
Half a minute later, the Purifier disappears in the forest, still dragging the unconscious Rose Guard behind her with one hand, while using the other to hold the liver that they were eating bit by bit. Completely ignoring the fact that she was practically covered in gore.
And with all that he knows about the Rose Guards, Izuku can¡¯t help but wonder if she was going to enjoy what was going to happen to her.
He is also completely unsurprised when he can hear vomiting in the background. Both Yaoyorozu and Ashido clearly had enough of what they¡¯ve just seen, although it was clear that Kaminari and Tokage have almost joined them.
Kirishima immediately rushed to check on Ashido. Monoma - despite how often they seemed to bicker - did the same thing to Yaoyorozu. How nice of him.
Izuku can also hear Uraraka mumble to herself how she won¡¯t be in a mood to eat anything today. And he immediately makes a mental note to find a way to lift her mood. Maybe a date? He had an idea about it for a while now, and he had enough time before they¡¯d come back to the Dungeon to set it up.
Anyway. He has to focus on the practicals for now.
Look I know that you¡¯re all shaken a lot, but I think you should pick up the corpses and carry them back to the Dungeon, and two of them are currently busy drifting towards the sea.
So if one of you could pick them up before they leave the area, that would be great.
¡°Su-sure thing!¡± Tetsutetsu does his best to yell, but it¡¯s clear that witnessing the gorefest on the other side of the river took his toll on him too. He then quickly begins to run after the corpses of the Rose Guards that Kaminari killed, before wading through the water, grabbing them and pulling them back to the shore.
¡°Why is one of them here?¡± Lanna damn near hisses the words to Uraraka, who turns to face her with a questioning look on her face. ¡°Why is one of the khardics in this valley?¡±
¡°We have no idea.¡± Uraraka replies honestly. ¡°She stormed into our Dungeon all of a sudden, cast some sort of spell at our Dungeon Lord but had it backfire on her, then he told her about the Ecstasy and Bloom forces in the area, and that was the last time we¡¯ve seen her. She just ran out of the Dungeon and that was all. Until, errr, today.¡±
Lanna doesn¡¯t seem happy about it. The other two lampades didn¡¯t seem happy either. Uraraka decided to ask before Izuku requested her to.
¡°How much of a problem do you have with the khardics?¡± She asks, glancing at Lanna. ¡°We get it that she seems to have a murderboner for the bad guys, but lampades are the good guys, right? Making sure that no one can desecrate a graveyard shouldn¡¯t be a problem to her. If anything, that¡¯s admirable.¡±
¡°They¡¯re not militantly against us.¡± Lanna replies. She doesn¡¯t vocally acknowledge the compliment, though Izuku is pretty sure that Uraraka earned herself some brownie points with that. ¡°They just do not acknowledge the godhood of the High Gods, or any other god that isn¡¯t their beloved Overtyrant. To them, everyone else is just his wayward servant. Destroyed if they¡¯re evil, ignored but still treated as a lesser entity otherwise.¡±
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It¡¯s clear from the tone of her voice that the very concept of treating Mors as a lesser entity made khardic presence insufferable to Lanna. Then again, Izuku was ready to guess that most of the daemons would react similarly to their gods being belittled.
Maybe aside from some creatures of the Breathless Tide, their approach to their own god was a bit weird to Izuku and he wasn¡¯t sure if he fully understood them as a phenomenon yet.
¡°You seem to be very knowledgeable about them.¡± Uraraka replies. The other two lampades looked clearly surprised with her words, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°This tomb isn¡¯t my first post in this world.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°I joined it only about sixty years ago. A few centuries ago I guarded a cemetery in the Verkvenan Confederation, on the northern coast of Telya. We had some khardic visitors there.¡±
A few¡ centuries? And only about sixty years ago? Izuku can¡¯t help but wonder about the daemonic perception of the passage of time. That had to be a fascinating subject. Especially as Lanna spent those sixty years in a tomb, doing next to nothing aside from some cleaning of the place, and it was still ¡®only¡¯ about sixty years.
Izuku would have gone insane out of boredom a hundred times over in the meantime. Every mortal would have gone insane in the meantime, in fact.
Then again, it was a problem for mortals because they were still beings of flesh. Daemons were pretty much eternal, right? Sixty years when compared to, say, a hundred years of a (sufficiently lucky) human being¡¯s lifespan was a lot. But how much was sixty years when compared to eternity?
The lampades were alright with leaving their tomb and their friends(?) for a decade to serve the Dungeon, because to them it was probably an equivalent of having an eight hour shift. You usually didn¡¯t bring your friends with you to work, but it¡¯s not like this was a problem for anyone.
Which, naturally, opened up some slightly worrying yet fascinating questions about how long Izuku and the others were going to be alive. Perhaps the ability of their servants to eventually disconnect from the Dungeon and leave to have their own life elsewhere was so that they¡¯d be able to have their own lives once they¡¯d grow tired of eternity.
He hopes that Ochako and Himiko won¡¯t get tired of it anytime soon. Izuku doesn¡¯t want to be left alone with Tomura Shigaraki.
***
The brief skirmish with the Rose Guard has led to them earning nine [Rose Guard Warriors] with ETL of 25. In short, they¡¯ve just got themselves an equivalent of several deathblades. That they could actually use outside of their Domain.
Oddly enough, they didn¡¯t unlock their weapons and armors. Which seemed to imply that weapons and armors of daemons were a part of their very being. As yes, when they checked it out, they could spawn Rose Guards with the weapons that they¡¯ve unlocked for them specifically, namely the spear & shield or longbow, with swords as side weapons in both cases.
They did unlock [Rose Steel IV], though. How did it work, exactly? Not the metal itself, but the whole daemon looting?
It clearly didn¡¯t. They didn¡¯t obtain any armors and weapons from the deathblades either. Which, again, made some amount of sense. Even physically manifested daemons seemed to bind with their weapons and armors, which were¡
Well, now that Izuku thinks about it, those weapons and armors were literally physical manifestations of their spiritual weapons and armors. To use them against someone in combat was the equivalent of wearing someone¡¯s skin and hitting someone else with a severed arm.
There could also be some deeper conceptual meaning in the whole thing. As in, in order to be able to use that for anything without any problems, you had to first stop those weapons and armors from being weapons and armors. Make them into something without direct conceptual connection with the daemon - so, for example, melt them into base materials.
Like, [Rose Steel IV]. Which was likely just steel but with some better attunement for the type of magic that Procacitas¡¯ servants usually employed.
They also got themselves the [Rose Guard Barracks]. And oh, boy. They¡¯ve actually put it somewhere for a quick test. Unlike the [Lairs] for less developed daemons, here they had to manually furnish the place from a series of unlocks that came tied to it.
Those unlocks weren¡¯t available on their own. Which for once wasn¡¯t something new. It was also a case with a number of other things, [Rooms] and [Lairs] alike.
For example, the same thing happened with the [Necromancer¡¯s Laboratory], and in a smaller case, with places like the [Hamadryad¡¯s Grove] where they could set up exactly how the tree would look like.
It could be set to furnish itself, but it clearly wasn¡¯t a case for the Rose Guard. And probably for other creatures of this degree of intellect.
Unfortunately.
I
I¡¯m never going to unsee any of this, right?
Yes.
And neither will I.
How the fuck did they manage to make fucking doors look suggestive
I think it¡¯s the doorknob.
And the carving in the door itself.
Have you seen the beds
I decided not to look at the beds.
Good.
¡?
I decided not to look too close at them but I¡¯m fairly sure that some of the carvings include animals
¡
Rapturous Ecstasy really is something else.
Yes.
The worst part was that most of the furniture looked absolutely beautiful. Works of art, almost. Except, they were a work of an incredibly perverse and downright obscene art. It was the equivalent of seeing a detailed painting of an obscene sexual act in the Louvre, drawn by Leonardo da Vinci.
Even if they could move stuff outside of the [Rose Guard Barracks] (and they were yet to find out if that was possible), Izuku can¡¯t imagine anyone ready to furnish your room with this sort of furniture.
¡
Aside from Mineta. And probably Toga.
Yeah, no.
***
They ended up placing [Gore Munchers] next. Their fighters were finally back after all. If something bad happened, they had a way to repel the Gore Munchers before they could cause significant damage to anything.
It didn¡¯t turn out to be a problem.
They could pick up the [Gore Munchers] equipment, the situation operating just like the [Rose Guard]. They spawned a whole one as a test, with the default melee weapon in the form of the two-handed meat tenderizer hammer.
¡°Ghrrr!¡± The Gore Muncher tries to raise his hammer at Uraraka, but isn¡¯t allowed to.
¡°Stop!¡± She yells, and the Muncher obediently freezes, the man (creature?) staring at its own arms that just refused to budge, clearly angry. ¡°You have been captured by a Dungeon. You will serve it. Anything to say about it?¡±
He growls some more before speaking, clearly coming to terms with what he was just told.
¡°Feed me.¡± He says in a deep and somewhat gutullar way. ¡°Feed me and I will serve.¡±
¡°That can be arranged.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°When we¡¯ll be satisfied with your performance. What¡¯s your name?¡±
¡°Ghh¡¯yrak.¡± The creature says. It¡¯s¡ it¡¯s a really weird word. Then again, they¡¯re a daemon from another world, right?
¡°From now on and until you¡¯re ordered otherwise, you¡¯re in charge of the Gore Munchers we place here.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°You will fight to defend the Dungeon, or outside it when we order you to. Even if it will be against others of your kind.¡±
¡°I will obey.¡± Ghh¡¯yrak growls. He doesn¡¯t seem to be awfully concerned by being told that they¡¯ll end up fighting others of their kind. Everything as they expected.
Alright then, one problem dealt with. They can now spawn more of the Gore Munchers and have Ghh¡¯yrak explain their situation to them.
Are we placing the Rose Guard somewhere?
¡ I thought that you didn¡¯t want to see them?
I didn¡¯t want to see what their dwelling looks like, nor do I want to know what they¡¯re doing off-work
But it¡¯s a firepower that we¡¯ll definitely need sooner or later
I¡¯m not very into it.
But we¡¯ll probably end up having to do that, yes. Just¡ not now.
I have a date.
Normie
Yes, and I refuse to be ashamed of that.
***
Uraraka ended up stopping there on her way to the living quarters in order to help them spawn the Gore Munchers. Toga, naturally, hung around her the whole time. This means that they¡¯ve reached their house on the Seventh Level after everyone else did.
This gave Izuku the time he needed to spawn there before they arrived and wait for them inside.
His reward was Uraraka staring at him wide-eyed and gasping loudly. It took Toga a second or two more to realize what she was looking at, and follow her eyes to find Izuku - and she, too, went wide-eyed, just staring at him in shock for a few seconds.
¡°E-err.¡± Izuku scratches the side of his head. ¡°Uhm, I¡¯m suddenly not sure if that was a good idea.¡± He says right before chuckling nervously, the scratching growing in intensity.
His clothes didn¡¯t change. His looks didn¡¯t change either. So what brought that reaction from them?
His ears.
His rabbit ears. He decided to experiment a little and manifest as a Dungeon Lord of another species.
And Ochako did tell him once that the top of his hood made him look like a green rabbit (worst of all, All Might did realize what it was supposed to be immediately, and guess what, that was embarrassing as hell).
It just made sense to do that, at least to him.
¡°Izuku, you¡¯re sooo cute!¡± Himiko lets out, recovering from her shock first and running towards before grabbing him in a hug. ¡°And you even have a pompon tail!¡±
¡°Eeep!¡± Izuku lets out as she grabs his tail all of a sudden. ¡°Y-yeah, I do. I f-fifugre¡¡±
It was supposed to be ¡®figured out¡¯ and then go to explain the logic behind his decision, but he failed to get to that before Uraraka hugged him too. And he failed to notice her thanks to Himiko occupying his attention for a moment.
¡°Mmmm¡¡± She mumbles to herself quietly while burying her face into the side of his head. ¡°I was exhausted after all that walking, and absolutely lost my appetite after seeing the purifier at work, but would you look at that? I¡¯ve been instantly rejuvenated.¡±
¡°M-mission accomplished then.¡± Izuku stutters. Seriously, why was he losing his ability to speak to this degree in moments like this? ¡°E-especially as Himiko l-looks happy as well.¡±
¡°I am!¡± Himiko replies cheerfully, burying her own head into him from the other side while hugging him. ¡°Mmm, so soft.¡±
¡°And I¡ errr¡ prepared something of a¡ d-date for us.¡± Izuku says. ¡°For me and you, O-Ochako, but H-Himiko is i-invited too, if you want her to be.¡±
Uraraka glances at Himiko, who gives her back some very convincing puppy eyes, making it clear that she wants to be there very, very much.
¡°Alright.¡± Ochako decides. ¡°She¡¯s invited. But that¡¯s for later. For now, there¡¯s something else for us to do. You know, this is surprisingly bold for you, Izuku.¡±
¡°I-it is?¡± Izukus stutters out.
¡°Mm-hmmm.¡± Uraraka hums while leaning forward and blowing him a kiss on the cheek before whispering into his ear. ¡°You¡¯ve come as a rabbit for a date with a wolf, here. And I guess that it makes me very¡ hungry.¡±
It¡¯s absolutely adorable just how incredibly red this makes him go!
¡°And the other girl in the room is a cat.¡± Himiko says before blowing him a kiss on the other cheek. ¡°A very big one. I guess that it¡¯s all carnivores versus you for the evening, mrrrr.¡±
Somehow this makes Izuku go even more red. Oh, yes, Uraraka is feeling more and more lively by the second, and it¡¯s all thanks to him.
***
¡°So I can do that?¡± Shigaraki asks just in case. It¡¯s best to have that clarified before doing that, alright? It¡¯s just being reasonable.
¡°Well¡ yes.¡± Lanna appears vaguely confused by the entire situation. Shigaraki was definitely not acting like she expected a Dungeon Lord to. It was bad enough that she just heard that the Dungeon has two Dungeon Lords, and was clearly confused about it. ¡°Yes, you can do that.¡±
Less than a minute later, Shigaraki has his face licked by a gravehound, just as he is busy laughing cheerfully and ¡®wrestling¡¯ with the dog on the floor.
The dog who is clearly a good boi, even if only when you¡¯re not a graverobber. Yes. This is happiness. Not some normie bullshit dates.
51: Date
It took them a while to finish fooling around in their home, clean themselves up and change into their ¡®civilian¡¯ outfits, and then they could finally check what exactly has Izuku prepared for them.
It was a swing.
He blackmailed (or just persuaded) Shigaraki into letting him do additional, temporary change into the Dungeon, and then persuaded Kinoko Komori to allow such an addition to her tree. This led to a swing now hanging off one of the tougher side branches.
¡°I, uhm¡¡± Izuku - still surprisingly sheepish, is it some influence of his new species? - says, as Uraraka is staring at the swing in question (Komori has left the whole grove to them for the time being). ¡°... remembered how you mentioned that you liked the swing that your dad made for you in your old house, before the financial troubles made you move to a smaller one and I figured out that¡¡±
Every subsequent word is said a tiny bit quieter, as Izuku is clearly giving in to his shyness and embarrassment. Except, it doesn¡¯t end because his voice becomes completely inaudible, it ends because Uraraka closes in and kisses him on the cheek.
He gets extremely red as a result. Uraraka loves every second of it.
¡°I mentioned it once.¡± She says while hugging him closely. ¡°A few months and several villain battles ago. And you remembered?¡±
¡°O-of course.¡± Izuku looks down on his feet. ¡°You were my b-best friend, b-best friends remember such things about e-each other, right?¡±
Few more weeks of this relationship and Uraraka¡¯s pure rage will end up transcending universes and make her Earth¡¯s version marry Izuku. Instantly. Just, no dating or anything before, they¡¯ll just wake up in the middle of their marriage ceremony.
No need to waste any time. Just get them straight to the good stuff.
She understands that people have different preferences and that some people might look for different things in their boyfriend/girlfriend candidates, but c¡¯mon. Izuku was just straight up perfect.
What was there not to love?
Soon after that, she finds herself on the swing, Izuku pushing it just as the two of them chat brightly, Ochako telling him how she was absolutely obsessed with the swing in her old house because when she was going upward on it, it felt as if she was going up towards the sky (and the stars dotting the night sky if it was late enough), and how once her mom ended up banning her and her dad from using the swing for a month because she - in her childish stupidity and lack of self-preservation instinct - used her quirk on herself while using said swing.
Which was a horrible idea, and made her vomit mid-flight before landing on the ground a hundred meters away and breaking her arm.
At least she used the swing much more responsibly afterwards, so not all was lost.
¡°In other words, you used your quirk and it b-broke your arm.¡± Izuku replies from behind her as he grabs the swing and pushes it away, Uraraka finding it hard not to punctuate the motion with the loud ¡®weeee!¡¯. ¡°I guess we really fit each o-other, right?¡±
She ended up laughing so much that she almost fell off the swing, which made Izuku freak out a bit and yell at her to be careful, which in turn let her respond with a loud ¡®You¡¯re the last person to say that, Izuku!¡¯.
And then they both laughed. She took advantage of that to - when the swing had her return to him - turn around just so that she could grab him in a surprise hug and kiss him, taking advantage of his hands being completely occupied to have a free reign.
Awesome!
The fact that her Earth¡¯s version was missing out on something like that - and while being, you know, in Japan, which meant a lot more places to visit and a lot more mochi to eat - was just goddamn sad.
She is interrupted when Himiko - who was sitting on the ground a few meters away from them, observing them closely - sighs loudly, looking at them with dreamy eyes.
No, they didn¡¯t forget about her. They just focused on themselves for a while. She clearly told them to do that, telling them to have their date and let her just observe them, but¡ well, now that they were reminded that she was there, it got kind of awkward.
¡°Uhm, how are you doing, H-Himiko?¡± Izuku asks, Uraraka glancing at her as well.
¡°Don¡¯t mind me, really!¡± She replies, her head resting on her hands as she just keeps staring at them. ¡°You two are sooo cute together! I can¡¯t get enough of it, truly. You don¡¯t even need to be all bloody for me, you¡¯re super lovely and cute as you are right now!¡±
That was¡ err¡ slightly disturbing, but they¡¯ve already gotten used to it. What was the worst that she could do to them if she somehow snapped? Kill them? Yeah, good luck with that. And, well¡
She was cute, funny and had an absolutely endless imagination and knowledge when kinky things were involved, greatly improving their, errr, team-building exercises. So, yeah, they were willing to cut her some slack.
Izuku glances at Ochako. Ochako glances back at him. They come to a decision without saying a single word.
¡°Do you want to use the swing too?¡± Izuku asks and he immediately gets the answer from the look on her face.
¡°I¡ I can?!¡± Himiko says, shocked, her eyes gleaming. ¡°I really can?! My parents never let me, and said that good girls shouldn¡¯t play like this.¡±
¡
¡°Your parents were just straight up horrible people.¡± Uraraka shakes her head while jumping off the swing. ¡°C¡¯mon, me and Izuku can push you alternately.¡± She definitely knew how to hype the activity more for Toga.
***
Less than half a minute later Izuku and Ochako realized that for once, Toga¡¯s parents were right. Good girls definitely shouldn¡¯t play like this. And it wasn¡¯t about having fun on the swing, it was about having fun on it like that.
¡°She¡¯s going to hurt herself!¡± Uraraka lets out as Toga - with loud sounds of happiness and joy - does another swing, her voice filled with horror.
They are no longer pushing her swing, she¡¯s doing it with her own body. Because she was now standing on the swing. And she builds-up enough momentum to make the swing go solid ninety degrees in both directions.
She was standing perfectly sideways each time the swing reached the edge of its movement arc.
¡°I-I know!¡± Izuku says back to her, staring at the disaster in progress with wide-eyes. ¡°Bbut how do we stop her?!¡±
Toga is completely unaware of their fear and horror, instead building up her speed even further with a loud WEEEE, clearly trying to build enough of it to do a full 360, consequences be damned.
Izuku would have liked seeing her so happy, but goddamnit, she¡¯s really going to hurt herself!
And then he gets an idea.
¡°H-Himiko, if you get down, we¡¯ll go d-do some c-cuddling back at home!¡± Izuku tries, but the loud WEEEEE (she was making that sound pretty often it seems) prevented her from hearing.
It didn¡¯t work. Dammit, it didn¡¯t work!
Uraraka¡¯s mind races through many, many ways in which she could maybe reach Himiko. In her state of panic, she blurts one of them without a single conscious thought about that.
¡°Himiko, I¡¯ll l-let you e-eat me out if you come down right n-now!¡± Uraraka says only to immediately realize what she just did as Izuku gives her a shocked look. Her first reaction is to cover her face. The other was to start screaming. ¡°I DIDN¡¯T MEAN TO SAY THAT! OH GOD I DIDN¡¯T MEAN TO SAY THAT!¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s alright, I believe you.¡± Izuku replies, and if his smell is anything to go by, yes, he definitely means that.
Thank all the gods that there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the room. She would never live that down.
Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t even work, as Himiko was too much into her fun, doing another wide swing with a loud WEEEEEEE! Himiko was a bit¡ Himiko was very horny most of the time, and a part of Uraraka suspected that it was because her unfortunate backstory made her be severely confused about the differences between romantic and sexual attraction.
Those two were usually - but not always - connected, but for Himiko, they were pretty much one and the same thing in absolutely every set of circumstances. When she loved you, she wanted to have sex with you. When she wanted to have sex with you, she loved you.
In a way, the fact that she had very odd preferences (like the whole ¡®I¡¯ve seen you blooded, dirtied and fighting for your life¡¯ thing) was what made her be more or less coherent and faithful in her romantic pursuit. Otherwise she would probably be ¡®falling in love¡¯ left and right, with completely random people, which in fact would be more about finding them attractive.
Uraraka knew where her dumbest moment ever came from, but it was still stupid.
Ugh.
¡°H-Himiko, we¡¯ll cuddle and do something s-sexy if you come down right now!¡± Izuku then surprises her by taking her idea and running with its slightly less embarrassing version. That also combines both sides of the coin.
And it works.
¡°E-eh, really?!¡± Himiko actually reacts this time, looking down at them from the swing. ¡°I¡¯m coming down then, Izu!¡±
And she does. By jumping down.
She gets to see their horrified faces for about a second, Izuku almost managing to yell the warning at her before the returning swing that she so callously abandoned hits her from the side.
At least it hit her arm rather than her head. Otherwise that might have actually killed her. Instead it just breaks a bone. In her arm.
It was a big swing and a lot of momentum.
¡°Owie!¡± Himiko yelps out. ¡°That was a bit, err..¡±
She isn¡¯t given the time to say or do anything more before they get to her.
¡°Ochako?¡± Izuku asks Himiko who was busy staring Uraraka with pure surprise on her face (and a slight flinch of pain) as Ochako was inspecting her arm for damage.
¡°Radius bone is definitely broken.¡± Uraraka shakes her head. ¡°Welcome to the Arm Breaking Club, Himiko.¡±
¡°W-well, I¡¡± Himiko tries to say something (the arm¡¯s not quite in pain yet, the adrenaline is still there, at least for now), but she doesn¡¯t have the time for that yet.
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¡°Shigaraki, you there?¡± Izuku says, staring towards the ceiling for a moment. ¡°Great, I¡¯m going to need splints and something to wrap around them. Look, you can tell what happened yourself, Himiko broke her arm and¡ I don¡¯t care that it will hurt only for a few hours before it heals on its own, it¡¯ll hurt a lot by then, trust me, I¡¯m an expert.¡± He listens to something only he can hear for a few seconds, before frowning. ¡°Wait, so All for One let you just hang around with a broken arm if you broke it due to making a mistake in training until¡ you know what, no, I¡¯m not having that talk. Give me the splints, or we¡¯re back to Meow Meow Dabi.¡±
Himiko has no idea what ¡®Meow Meow Dabi¡¯ is, but it had to be something terrifying for how successful of a threat it was. Almost immediately, a pair of splints and some cloth to use as bandages appeared out of nowhere right next to them.
¡°Uhm, guys, you really don¡¯t have to¡¡± She tries to say, but she is completely ignored.
¡°So, I¡¯m taking Iida-kun¡¯s position, right?¡± Izuku asks Ochako as the latter picks up the medical equipment and gives him a quick nod. ¡°That¡¯s going to be sooo weird, I was always the one with the broken bones.¡±
¡°Trust me, I know.¡± Uraraka sighs. Izuku promptly sits crosslegged on the floor, right next to a very confused Himiko. ¡°Himiko, lie down. Your head goes there.¡± She adds as she points to Izuku¡¯s lap.
Himiko does her usual thing and buries herself there, face-down, making Izuku let out a loud ¡®Eeep?!¡¯ and Ochako sigh loudly while telling her to put the side of her head there. Which is a bit less fun, but¡ okay?
A moment later, she discovers that the goal of the position is to have her let her broken arm rest on the side of her body so that Ochako can put it in splints and bandage it properly.
¡°W-well, so normally when it happened Iida-kun made me start talking about All Might to, errr, make me not focus so much on the pain.¡± Izuku then says as the process of bandaging starts. ¡°Do you have anything that you¡¯d like to ramble about, Himiko?¡±
¡°Just how often¡¡± She says, tilting her just enough to be able to look up at his face. ¡°... did it happen, exactly?¡±
¡°Oh, well¡¡± Izuku blushes a bit. ¡°A few times? I mean, I broke my arm a few times¡¡±
¡°His left one five times, his right one seven times.¡± Uraraka comments dryly from the side. ¡°Usually we had him lie on his back because he broke both of his arms at the same time. And there are also his legs to be counted.¡±
¡°Yes, and, errr, I also dislocated my shoulder¡ a few times.¡± Izuku continues, clearly growing more and more embarrassed by the situation.
¡°He did that four times.¡± Uraraka decides to not let that go. ¡°It was so bad that Recovery Girl made me and Tenya go through a special training in first aid, one focused entirely on field-dressing the sort of injuries he suffered from the most often. Also, do you remember what All Might-sensei told you in front of the class after you came to the school late because you sneezed on the way to it and accidentally fired your quirk and broke your arm?¡±
Izuku sighs. And then his face suddenly morphs into such a great copy of All Might¡¯s face that Himiko actually stares at him wide-eyed in shock. Just¡ how was that even possible?!
¡°Midoriya-shonen!¡± He then says, in a booming voice, somehow nailing even that. ¡°If you can¡¯t stop breaking bones, then for the love of God and heroics, break mine for a change! I can take it! Let yours rest for at least a week, please!¡± He then returns his face and vocal cords to their natural state. ¡°Todoroki-kun just glanced at the whole scene for a second before pulling out his Theories and Evidence Thereof notebook and starting to scribble something down in it. Very, very fast.¡±
He sighs loudly. The worst part about the whole theory that All Might was secretly his father was that it was just¡ so emotionally confusing to him. Like, he wasn¡¯t exactly against it, but not only did it feel like some sort of wish-fulfillment on Todoroki¡¯s side (with him projecting what he would have liked to have in his life onto Izuku, which definitely wasn¡¯t healthy) it was also kind of¡ redundant?
He is the first one to admit that All Might was sometimes treating him like his son, but that was just a part of being his mentor. He is 100% certain that Nana Shimura treated All Might the same way. All Might didn¡¯t have to be his secret father all along for as long as he was his mentor.
It, naturally, meant being an adult who was strongly invested in a child/teenager¡¯s success and was ready to go to great lengths to help them achieve it.
On a sidenote, thank the gods that All Might decided to be ¡®his¡¯ Nana Shimura rather than Gran Torino. Izuku remembers All Might channeling Gran Torino on him exactly once, during the Final Exams, and to put it lightly he beat the crap out of him and Kacchan.
He prefers the emotionally confusing Dad Might to that.
¡°And I also remember you suddenly stopping walking down the corridor with us and then immediately racing off without a word.¡± Uraraka then adds while shaking her head, her hands still focused on the splint. ¡°We followed you, worried that something bad happened and thus we¡¯ve seen you randomly run up to All Might-sensei and have the funniest but also the most concerning conversation I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Toga glances at Ochako. That sounded really, really fun! ¡°What was it about?¡±
Ochako looks at Midoriya over her head, before speaking in a pretty good-ish approximation of his own excited voice.
¡°All Might-sensei!¡± She shouts with stars in her eyes. ¡°I figured out how to stop breaking my arms!¡± In the background, Izuku sighs, tells himself that it¡¯s for the sake of distracting Himiko and puts up his best All Might impression.
¡°That¡¯s wonderful news, Midoriya-shonen!¡± He then says in the Number One Hero¡¯s booming voice. ¡°Please, tell me more!¡±
¡°I have legs!¡± Uraraka lets out, making Izuku/All Might¡¯s face warp into the expression of sheer terror, the last thing that Himiko could ever imagine on the Symbol of Peace¡¯s face.
¡°Midoriya, NO!¡± Izuku then lets out, prompting Himiko to have a giggling fit. He immediately returns to his normal face. ¡°Look, what I meant to say is that I decided to move from punching to kicking, which due to legs being stronger than arms should decrease the amount of¡ accidents, but I was so excited that it came out a bit, errr, unclear.¡±
Maybe it was unclear, Himiko thinks to herself while giggling loudly, but definitely super hilarious!
¡°It was the first and last time that I saw All Might-sensei drop the shojo and shonen while talking to a student.¡± Uraraka shakes her head. ¡°Truly, a great achievement, Izuku. Anyway, I think I¡¯m done here. How does it feel, Himiko?¡±
¡°W-well, it still kinda hurts.¡± Himiko replies while slightly moving her broken arm. ¡°But less so! Thank you! And, uhm¡¡± She says as she lifts herself up to sit. ¡°... sorry for ruining the date. I got a bit too, errr, excited with the swing and¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Uraraka replies while helping her stand up, Izuku doing the same from the other side. ¡°If we didn¡¯t expect you to quote unquote interrupt us at some point and weren¡¯t alright with that, we wouldn¡¯t invite you to the date. And besides, now that you have broken your own arm, you¡¯re officially a part of our secret club of arm-breakers. Izuku¡¯s the president, of course, as I only broke my arm once and as a child.¡±
Izuku just sighs. He¡¯s now a talking, reality-warping tesseract lost in another world and somehow, just somehow, Ochako is still on the bone juice thing. This was never going to change, wasn¡¯t it?
¡°Secret club?¡± Himiko grins back at her. ¡°Is the first rule of it to not tell anyone that it exists?¡±
¡°No.¡± Uraraka replies dryly. ¡°The first rule of this is to know how to field-dress broken bones, especially when Izuku¡¯s around.¡± Izuku sighs again but says nothing. ¡°On the subject of the club, though, I miss Iida-kun.¡± Izuku can¡¯t help but agree with her. ¡°But I¡¯m really not sure when and how we should introduce him to this world.¡±
¡°Huh, why?¡± Himiko asks her, tilting her head a little
¡°He¡¯s a bit¡ okay, he¡¯s very straight-laced.¡± Uraraka replies while shaking her head. ¡°A stickler for all the rules. He will have problems with us cooperating with the villains, with Yanagi-san doing whatever she¡¯s doing with all the corpses in her laboratory and even with me enjoying fighting people to death, a lot, because murder is apparently illegal, even when it''s self defense.¡±
¡°Tenya Iida will complain about murdering people?¡± Himiko asks, clearly even more confused. Wait, did she¡ ¡°Didn¡¯t he try to murder the Hero Killer in Hosu? I heard Shiggy and his Sensei talking about how he almost died trying to do that and only survived because Izu and Endeavor¡¯s son arrived in time and they all defeated Stain together, but the police decided to attribute the capture to Endeavor as otherwise they¡¯d have to arrest Iida for vigilantism.¡±
¡ oh, crap, she actually knew what happened in Hosu.
Izuku¡¯s entire life flashes before his eyes as Ochako¡¯s head turns to face him.
¡°Oh, really?¡± She then says with a face neutral, too neutral, and this time, Izuku can feel himself shrinking under her gaze. ¡°So a certain call for help wasn¡¯t because you¡¯ve accidentally run into the noumus? And Iida-kun¡¯s injury wasn¡¯t because of fighting them, in self-defense?¡±
¡°W-we-hehehehe¡¡± Izuku tries to start his response with the word ¡®well¡¯, only to have it devolve into a derange-sounding nervous laughter. ¡°In o-our defense, we were m-made to sign NDAs about it!¡±
¡°Yes, Izuku.¡± She squints at him, Himiko only now realizing that she just ruined Izuku¡¯s chances of surviving this day. ¡°Because papers that you¡¯ve signed were always so precious to you.¡± He gulps loudly. ¡°I love you, Izuku. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to give you a ten seconds long headstart. Start running.¡±
She doesn¡¯t have to tell him that twice. Izuku turns on his heels and sprints out of the [Hamadryad¡¯s Grove], being so afraid for his life that he actually forgets that he¡¯s immortal and that he can just despawn.
Uraraka is generous enough to give him the ten seconds headstart she promised. But she isn¡¯t generous enough to not use [Predator¡¯s Advance] to catch up with him quickly.
Himiko runs after them, ignoring her broken arm and giggling loudly the whole time. Her two cuties were soooo silly! But that just made them cuter in her eyes!
***
In the end, Izuku is captured and mercilessly tickled until he surrenders, apologizes and promises to do his best to make up for lying to her through omission (as the actual one to say a lie to her was Iida-kun, and yes, he is getting super-tickled for it too).
It takes them a while to decide on what he can do to properly apologize for his great sin, and in the end it¡¯s Himiko (who has at this point caught up with them) that gives Uraraka a great idea for an apology.
All of that leads to them being back in their apartment. Izuku sits in the middle, with Ochako to his right and Himiko to his left. They are lying on their chests, their heads resting on his thighs.
His hands are very, very busy petting their backs.
Or, to be exact, he¡¯s scratching the back of Himiko¡¯s neck with his left hand, which makes her purr nearly constantly. As for Ochako, his right hand is supposed to scratch her back randomly, from the base of her tail to the neck.
As one can imagine from this description, Ochako wasn¡¯t exactly wearing anything right now, allowing him unrestricted access to a lot of scratchable space and also making his imagination race nigh-constantly.
Definitely a part of the punishment.
It was all fur, by the way. With how the Karadian Beastkin worked, their backs were entirely covered with fur. Short, yes, extremely so, but it felt¡ soft. It actually felt pretty nice to scratch it.
It also had to feel awesome to be scratched like that, especially considering how Himiko¡¯s head was practically vibrating on his thigh with how intensely she was purring, and how Ochako¡¯s tail was swinging in both ways rather vigorously.
¡°U-uhm, girls?¡± He decides to speak after all. ¡°H-how long is this going to continue? I think that it¡¯s been at least t-two hours. My hands are starting to tire, and even my back starts to complain, it¡¯s not exactly the most comfortable position and¡¡±
Ochako and Himiko open their eyes, glancing up at him and Izuku immediately resigns himself to his fate.
Except, he is actually spared from it.
¡°Alright, alriiiight.¡± Uraraka sighs loudly. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t want you to be too uncomfortable, especially as you learned your lesson about not lying, right? Even through omission?¡± Izuku nods quickly a few times. ¡°You¡¯re officially forgiven then. Anything else that you weren¡¯t allowed to share with me in the past but you can do that right now?¡±
Well, Shigaraki or Himiko were going to spill the beans sooner or later, right? He can as well do it himself and be done with it.
¡°The reason why All Might was acting so fatherly towards me and why our quirks are so similar isn¡¯t our secret father-son relationship but his quirk being a special one, transferred from one vigilante or hero to another for generations, and he has chosen me as his successor and gave it to me even before I got to the UA.¡± Izuku recites quickly and surprisingly smoothly. He didn¡¯t even stutter for once!
¡°What?¡± Ochako says, her chin still on his thigh, but her eyes now wide-opened and staring at his face.
***
Lanna isn¡¯t sure what she expected from her first day in this Dungeon, but definitely not this.
It was bad enough when the Dungeon Lord was just wrestling and petting one of the gravehounds. Now that he came back (while grumbling something about normies wasting productive time with their shenanigans) he was actually throwing a wooden branch (it¡¯s way too large to call a stick) and had the gravehound bring it back to him.
And the gravehound was doing it, receiving extra pets and hugs for being a ¡®good boi¡¯, all while also being called a ¡®chonky pupper¡¯.
Lanna isn¡¯t sure if ¡®chonky pupper¡¯ is a good way to describe 75kg of pure murder, bred in a Spiritual World to act as an undying scourge for those disrespecting the sanctity of death, but¡ alright? The dog was clearly liking the Dungeon Lord, so it was fine¡ right?
Right?
52: Much Needed Explanations
Uraraka, to put it lightly, had a lot to say about the newest revelation, making Izuku congratulate himself on doing it right now. When Uraraka has openly invited him to come out with things that he was hiding from her.
Being angry at him about it would make her feel bad, and a bit like a hypocrite, so she didn¡¯t. But she still asked more questions. A lot more questions. Discovering such things as the fact that when he suddenly exploded with black tentacles during the Joint Training with 1-B it was because he started to awaken the quirks of past Holders, and that was one of them.
¡°Wait, Izuku could spawn tentacles back on Earth?¡± Toga, naturally, focuses on that. And there is a very, uhm, new blush on her cheeks. ¡°And I missed out on this?!¡±
She is ignored.
¡°So you¡¯re telling me that All Might-sensei has given you his incredibly overpowered quirk and his instructions on using it was to tell you to¡ clench your buttocks and yell SMASH?!¡± She says, and the unspoken accusation against All Might immediately switches on Izuku¡¯s Fanboy Mode.
Insulting All Might isn¡¯t allowed in his presence. Just, no. Even when it¡¯s Ochako and even when she¡¯s making those insults be more like unspoken accusations.
Make no mistake, actually meeting the man has changed Izuku¡¯s outlook on All Might greatly. To him, he was no longer a divine patron of Heroism. He was no longer a perfect demigod.
He was just a very, very good person, with their own faults just as all people - even the best ones - had. And you could say a lot about him, but not that he wasn¡¯t aware of said faults and wasn¡¯t doing his best to fix them.
In other words, he was still his idol, but he was now a human idol.
In practice, it somehow changed almost nothing. He was still looking up to All Might, and felt perfectly justified in that.
¡°Ochako, in his defense, for him using it came completely naturally.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°You can¡¯t blame him for not adequately preparing for an issue that he had no reason to suspect would occur. Especially as when it came to the issue that he had reasons to fear, he did his best to prepare me for it. I¡¯ve done some of the most extreme training regimens you could possibly imagine before getting to UA to strengthen my body enough for it to be able to withstand the quirk. And he was there for me every step of the way.¡±
¡°Wait, so it could be worse than just breaking your bones?¡± Uraraka asks, staring at him in shock.
She has thrown her clothes on, deciding to have a very serious talk about what Izuku just shared with her. And apparently it¡¯s not something that one can have when they¡¯re naked. Which is perfectly reasonable and also makes Izuku feel a tiny bit better about himself.
Although Himiko clearly didn¡¯t care about any of that, as she was still naked and still enjoying some head scratches from Izuku. Then again, her relationship with the concept of clothes was a rather¡ loose one, occasionally.
¡°Well, a-apparently my limbs might have¡ entirely came off if not for the training with All Might.¡± Izuku admits, Uraraka¡¯s eyes going wide. ¡°And when it became clear that it¡¯s not exactly working as intended, he had me train with Gran Torino, his old teacher that helped him figure out One For All. And it worked! Since then, I could actually use the quirk without accidents! From then on, I only broke limbs when circumstances forced me to go beyond my own limit to survive, like when I had to go all out to fight back Muscular during the Training Camp.¡±
Uraraka considers his answer for a while, eventually arriving at the conclusion.
¡°Alright.¡± She says, clearly conceding the point. ¡°That¡¯s a point for All Might, I guess. I¡¯m just¡ I¡¯m just absolutely angry about all the injuries you suffered, alright? I¡¯m just looking for someone to blame them on. However illogical that is.¡±
¡°I know, I know.¡± Izuku sighs, Uraraka coming closer to wrap him in a hug. Himiko was still enjoying herself with the head scratches, having clearly decided to not butt in for now.
It feels really nice to have Ochako care for him so much. It¡¯s¡ just nice, alright? It¡¯s warm. The best kind of warm. She cared for him even before, obviously, but¡ the romantic developments somehow made it better.
Warmer.
¡°So, how exactly did a quirk like this get born?¡± Uraraka asks as she pulls back a bit. ¡°I never heard about quirks being transferable. Even in any of your rambles, and you were really talking about everything when quirks were involved.¡±
Oh, boy, it¡¯s going to be a mess.
The tale goes on, and Uraraka even admits that it sounds like something out of a heroic fairytale, at least until she reaches the point where it turns out that the Quirk Thief was really a thing, and it was actually the Kamino Villain.
¡°Wait, did All Might tell you that there¡¯s an invincible super-supervillain after that quirk before giving it to you?¡± Uraraka asks, immediately activating Izuku¡¯s All Might Defense Mode. Again.
It¡¯s completely automatic for him.
¡°He lost his lung and his stomach while battling said super-supervillain, and ended up destroying his head so thoroughly that it was missing entirely.¡± Izuku retorts. Because yes, he did ask about the details at some point in the past. ¡°And it¡¯s not like he just left it there. While the corpse was stolen, it was after hours of missing its head, and after it was tested multiple times and it was conclusively confirmed that its quirk factor was dead and its heart had also stopped.¡± Izuku sighs loudly. ¡°To this day, no one has a clue just how did All for One survived and I can¡¯t blame All Might for not telling me about the Quirk Boogeyman if he was completely certain that he was dead, right?¡±
To him, it¡¯s just the absolutely logical thing. And he fails to even imagine someone coming to a different conclusion with that information in mind. They¡¯d have to be really biased against All Might to do so.
Like, Tomura Shigaraki-level of biased.
¡°I guess.¡± Uraraka sighs while leaning back, her back resting on the wall of their living room right next to Izuku. ¡°He probably wanted to let you become a smiling, optimistic hero without all that baggage, right? I can¡¯t even imagine how it feels to fight the Quirk Thief, a man with who knows how many quirks gathered over decades. For so long. And win against him twice. Somehow it just makes him feel cooler as a hero. Actually¡¡± She glances at him, squinting a little. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how All for One survived, can¡¯t you just¡ ask Shigaraki about it? He might know the answer, right?¡±
¡ why didn¡¯t Izuku think about it? Oh, right. It¡¯s because he generally tried to avoid talking with Shigaraki as much as possible.
¡°Shigaraki, are you there?¡± Izuku asks, but gets no answer. ¡°I guess that he manifested as a Dungeon Lord too, and he¡¯s doing¡ well, something. I¡¯ll ask him later.¡± It¡¯s just idle curiosity, really. Unless they can somehow send a message to themselves on Earth.
It was unlikely.
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka nods. She¡¯ll satiate her curiosity later. At least that part of it. For now, there¡¯s another thing that she wants to find out! ¡°And, uhm, if I may ask¡ how is this quirk transferred? It sounds absolutely fascinating, it¡¯s like a¡ holy sword of a fantasy world¡¯s hero! There has to be some sort of super awesome ceremony or something, right? I can¡¯t help but¡¡±
Izuku was absolutely waiting for it. And so, as Uraraka was talking, he pulled his hand off Himiko¡¯s head (making her look up at him, clearly saddened by the sudden lack of pleasure) and pulled off one of his hair strands.
Before doing his best All Might impression.
¡°EAT THIS!¡± He then says in All Might¡¯s voice with that smile on his face, making both Himiko and Ochako freeze instantly, which lasts until the latter realizes that this was a recreation of how the transfer of One For All actually looked like.
And she completely loses it, doing her adorable ¡®pffft!¡¯ thing before collapsing into a wild giggling fit and starting to roll on the floor right next to them.
***
So, I¡¯m back.
Have you done anything interesting while I was away?
Yes.
And it was much more interesting than whatever you did.
¡ okay?
And what was that?
I played with a dog.
The gravehound.
It¡¯s a good boi.
No Mon-chan, but a good boi nonetheless.
Uhm¡ okay?
Good for you.
Anyway, I have a quick question.
How exactly did All for One survive the first fight with All Might? I figured out that while it¡¯s no longer really relevant for anything, I¡¯m just¡ curious.
Cellular Reconstruction.
Huh?
His main scientific sidekick had access to a proto-noumu with a quirk that could make a corpse - or even a living being that was missing some of its flesh - reconstruct its missing parts
It didn¡¯t resurrect it if it was already dead, and no attempts to resuscitate the corpse afterwards could produce anything other than a vegetable, but AFO discovered that it also briefly reactivated the quirk factor of the target during the reconstruction
Oh
So it reactivated his quirk factor briefly in the process of reconstructing the missing chunks of flesh according to the data stored in his DNA, which made the supposedly extinguished Hyper-Regeneration quirk kick in, and actually resurrect him, restoring his brain activity to a previously saved state
Not the Hyper-Regen, if AFO had it back then he would be back to his peak form, just some much weaker regeneration quirk that did manage to resurrect him, but barely and changed him into a talking potato
It was basically the final contingency plan for a situation where all else failed
he definitely didn¡¯t expect to ever use it, that¡¯s for sure
Huh, fascinating.
Anyways, I gotta ask the lampades about something.
That being?
Just listen to the talk.
Uraraka will have it for us.
***
¡°Physically-manifesting daemons?¡± Lanna asks as Uraraka asks the question. ¡°It¡¯s not really a problem for Dungeons. I wish that I could say the same thing for the world outside of them.¡±
Not exactly the answer that they hoped for.
¡°Yes, but this Dungeon is still learning things.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°And it wants to know exactly how this occurs.¡±
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The lampada raises an eyebrow at her, clearly confused about the very question. What Uraraka doesn¡¯t know is that this isn¡¯t the first time that lampada was severely confused by the actions of the Dungeon today.
¡°Daemons can manifest permanently in the Physical World by reconstructing their body from the local materials.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°The better the quality of the materials, the better the result. The more the material resembles the daemon, the shorter the time that¡¯s needed to form the body.¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Uraraka nods a few times. ¡°I need both of those statements defined a bit more.¡± So did Izuku.
How nice it is to have a representative in real life that somehow reads your mind. Ochako was awesome, and Izuku accepted no other statements.
¡°Don¡¯t you have two novice mages among your group?¡± Lanna asks, even more confused by the entire inquiry. ¡°They might be hedge mages, but they should still know the answer to that question. It''s common knowledge.¡±
¡°Special circumstances.¡± Uraraka shrugs. ¡°We were all very sheltered. Frankly, we¡¯ve got all our skills from the Dungeon and we barely know more about the world than it does. We¡¯re still-developing blank slates, really.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡ that makes sense.¡± Lanna says while nodding to herself. Uraraka congratulates herself on how easily she managed to persuade the lampada. ¡°First, the similarity. If I¡¯m slain and my physical body is destroyed, I can recreate it from a sufficient amount of flesh. But it doesn¡¯t have to be flesh of mortals. In fact, for the servants of the exarchs, it isn¡¯t.¡±
¡°Wait.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°So the body in front of me is¡¡±
¡°Technically, my flesh is that of a cow that was offered to Mors as a sacrifice.¡± Lanna interrupts her with her answer. ¡°Of course, I have long ago made it my own. However, if I were to do the same again, to just some random bovine out there, it could take months. Weaker daemons and spirits could as well spend years carefully shaping their new body to resemble them.¡±
¡°So what made it happen so fast?¡± Uraraka asks back.
¡°The flesh belonged to a cow that was ritualistically slain and sacrificed to Mors.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°It was thus made more aligned with her servants, and with the cow dead, there was no mind and not even the flimsiest of souls inside to resist me. Both of those things contributed to making it much easier for me to mold. Dumping a lot of aether into it and thus forcefully filling it with mana can also accelerate the process.¡±
Looks like we know what¡¯s that ¡®aether¡¯ used for
One of its usages, at least.
¡°Then there¡¯s the matter of material compatibility.¡± Lanna continues. ¡°Flesh works best, usually. But earth elementals, for example, can only construct their bodies from earth. Spirits of the Wild Courts prefer plant matter. You have one here, don¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°A hamadryad.¡±
¡°If you want to physically manifest her, just make a large enough chunk of wood, leaves and so on, and have her possess it.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°While in Dungeon, everything is heavily saturated with magic, making matter much more malleable for spirits. It should take mere minutes to get it done. If our gravehounds are slain, just gather up enough flesh and have them inhabit it.¡±
If the doggos are slain, I¡¯m going TO GO ON A FUCKING CRUSADE
AND JAM WHATEVER SHARP IMPLEMENT OF DESTRUCTION I WILL ARM MYSELF WITH DOWN THE FUCKING THROATS OF WHOEVER HURT THEM
Okay.
You need help.
Much more than I thought.
DEATH!
DEAAAAAATH!!!
¡°As for me and my fellow lampades, you can use any flesh you want too.¡± Lanna continues her lecture. ¡°But it¡¯ll be even faster if you give us the body of a mortal. The Dungeon should be able to mass-produce those, and it already did for you if you were slain even once while in its service.¡±
Oh, makes sense.
Just make a soulless puppet of a mortal being of any gender, and then just have the lampada possess the corpse.
Got it.
What about the ¡®quality of materials¡¯ that she mentioned earlier?
¡°What I just described only works like that for weaker spirits.¡± Lampada replies when Uraraka relays the question. ¡°Stronger spirits need more powerful containers to be able to use their power fully. Or, to be exact, closer to what they¡¯re capable of in a Spiritual World. Although with enough time it¡¯s possible to upgrade the body closer to that state, like what I did with my current body over the decades spent in our tomb.¡±
¡°So, when you want to physically manifest a daemon that the Dungeon identifies as having an estimated threat level of twenty five, you¡¯d do best to provide them with a corpse of a mortal that has the race, skills, abilities and so on that the Dungeon qualifies as the estimated threat level of twenty five?¡± Uraraka asks before Izuku can digest what Lanna just said.
Oh, that made sense.
¡°I don¡¯t know what that ¡®estimated threat level¡¯ means¡¡± Lanna replies. ¡°... as I didn¡¯t get to interact with any Dungeons in the past. However, using a body of comparable baseline strength to daemon inhabiting it is a sound principle.¡±
Once again, that makes sense.
I¡¯d ask ¡®why couldn¡¯t Luna just leave us with a fucking tutorial¡¯ but I guess we all know that they just find our struggles funny
Yes, yes they definitely do.
I fucking hate them
Oh, really?
Counterargument: with some time and effort you can gather every single type of dog (giant or not) that this multiverse has to offer in this Dungeon, and build your very own dogtopia.
I
am I in Heaven
No.
There¡¯re a lot of people that I think deserve it, but you¡¯re definitely not on the list.
Wait a moment
You were groomed into evil by All for One, which is a big extenuating circumstance all things considered
Is this a Purgatory and have I somehow become some sort of¡ parole officer for you?
¡
I wanted to say that Toga being here means that it can¡¯t be it, but then I realized that you¡¯ve already found even more extenuating circumstances in her and decided to redeem her like some annoying shonen protagonist you give me the vibes of being
Oh, uhm, thank you?
Although in this case, you did that because Uraraka was very, very horny for Toga and you¡¯d try to redeem literal Satan if she found him hot
Aaand I¡¯m back to hating you.
And just to annoy you more, I¡¯d be alright with redeeming even you, for as long as you¡¯ve given me any reason to believe that it was possible.
Yuck
Thankfully I don¡¯t have any
Except for being a victim to All for One¡¯s mental manipulations and grooming.
And your love for dogs which makes it even more clear that you have human emotions, it¡¯s just that you¡¯re emotionally scarred so much that you only really know how to open yourself up to dogs
You need therapy
STOP TRYING TO RUIN DOGS FOR ME
No.
I mean, yes.
I¡¯m not even trying to do that.
Our school¡¯s guidance counselor has a dog quirk, would you at least consider therapy with him
No
It¡¯s not the same thing
I¡¯m sure he¡¯s able to bring a therapy dog with him.
Uhm
no
you considered it for a moment
FUCK OFF
¡°Speaking of, is there any particular reason why this Dungeon has two Dungeon Lords?¡± Lanna then suddenly asks a very dangerous question. ¡°My experience with Dungeon might not be a large one, but I have never heard of such a case.¡±
¡°Look, it¡¯s, err¡¡± Uraraka is a surprisingly good actress, managing to convey the ¡®I¡¯m kind of embarrassed to admit it here, but¡ ¡°You know how sometimes people end up having a split personality? I just think that it¡¯s something like this with them, but since Dungeons are heavily magical, the split just went much further than that.¡±
your gf just called you my split personality lmao
I¡¯m not even angry, that was just a good¡ well, a good way of fooling Lanna, really.
The word you¡¯re looking for is ¡®deception¡¯. Or just a ¡®lie¡¯
¡°That¡ makes sense.¡± Lanna immediately confirms that Uraraka¡¯s deception was successful. ¡°Was one of the fiends of the Pentagram involved? This sort of corruption of one¡¯s nature is something up their valley, though I can¡¯t imagine them stopping halfway like this. Then again¡¡± She looks vaguely confused by it for a moment. ¡°One of them did act a bit strange.¡±
¡°I know.¡± Uraraka says, once again pretending to be embarrassed to admit it aloud in the Dungeon. ¡°The one you¡¯ve encountered? I think he¡¯s a bit¡ you know. A bit slow in development.¡±
¡°That makes¡ some degree of sense.¡± Lanna admits.
She
Did she just
Yes.
I hate you all
As you should.
¡°I also wanted to talk about your¡ accommodations.¡± Uraraka then decides to change the subject. ¡°Do you need anything?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t really need anything in particular.¡± Lanna replies immediately. ¡°We do not require any sustenance, even our physical bodies are doing fine as they are. Mors wants us to guard places of burial, so they are all somewhat saturated in her divine influence, making it a natural habitat for us. It¡¯s not as nourishing in mana as a Dungeon is, but it¡¯s enough to help us exist, even with no other amenities provided.¡±
¡°Yes, but don¡¯t you want any amenities?¡± Uraraka then asks back, refusing to take a step back. ¡°I don¡¯t know about our Dungeon Lords, but I¡¯d definitely feel guilty to have you just stare at the wall in-between Dungeon invasions.¡±
Lanna looks genuinely surprised by Uraraka¡¯s words. But definitely in a good way. Which, of course, shouldn¡¯t be that surprising, considering the fact that lampades were the servants of a good local deity.
Izuku isn¡¯t sure how good they are exactly, but he at least expects less evil than from their dark counterparts.
¡°It¡¯s a¡ complicated situation.¡± Lanna replies eventually. ¡°We can eat and drink, but it¡¯s not easy to find things that we can truly enjoy on a Physical World. Most things here lack mana, making it fundamentally be less than everything you could find in the Spiritual Worlds of our origin.¡±
¡°So you¡¯d have to eat and drink something really magical to enjoy it, and otherwise it would just feel¡ bland?¡± Uraraka asks for confirmation, Lanna nodding back. ¡°And what about things like beds, chairs and tables?¡±
¡°Well, we¡ we wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡± Lanna admits after two or three seconds of thinking. ¡°Not beds, as we don¡¯t need to sleep. But a table and some chairs, maybe a couch or two would be nice. Not necessary, but nice.¡±
¡°Great.¡± Uraraka nods. ¡°We¡¯ll get you those. Anyway, we¡¯ll probably be giving you a proper Level, even if it will involve the undead, I¡¯m afraid. Just the fake ones.¡±
¡°Even Lorae agreed with that, even if none of us like it.¡± Lanna replies. You didn¡¯t need to hear her words to know her opinion on it, the look on her face said it all. ¡°Just¡ please. Don¡¯t have any of those creatures be present in the same room as we are. I understand that they¡¯re merely puppets resembling actual undead, but¡ it¡¯s not something that we¡¯d like to constantly see.¡±
¡°Sure, sure, that¡¯s what we planned to do either way.¡± Uraraka replies. For now, they were put in the Boss Room of the Cynocephali & Gore Munchers room. The atmosphere of pure disdain when they were crossing the room full of Gore Munchers - disdain that was going both ways - was almost palpable. ¡°Next subject is the payment that we¡¯ve promised.¡±
¡°Our tomb can wait.¡± Lanna then immediately surprises her. ¡°It has stayed like this for decades and it can definitely stay like this for a while more. If there¡¯s truly a battle that¡¯s going to occur soon in this area, you¡¯re free to focus on that.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Uraraka blinks at her. ¡°I¡ kind of didn¡¯t expect that.¡±
¡°We¡¯re interested in restoring our tomb to its appropriate state, yes.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°But we¡¯re not unreasonable about it. To expect a Dungeon to prioritize supplying us over ensuring its own survival would be straight up delusional.¡±
I feel insulted
You should instead feel ¡®appropriately described¡¯.
I¡¯d prioritize giving them what we promised, after all.
dumbass
Alright, so what do we do next?
You¡¯re actually asking me?
I¡¯m surprised.
Shut it
and speak
¡ so do you want me to speak or be quiet
get to it ffs
Alright, alright, fine.
I think that we should check out that Amazon daemon for some additional firepower, then add a new level for the lampades to inhabit
Which should at the very least improve the available Ambient Mana Level enough to let us rearm Ochako and Tokage-san.
Oh, right, the whole spear & sword combo
Yes.
makes sense
053: Terrible Revelations
Within about ten seconds of summoning the Amazon, they realized that their gacha roll had given them someone¡ with a personality. A lot of personality. Perhaps a tiny bit too much of it.
The woman that appeared out of nowhere on one of the lower levels of the Dungeon, had the same hard to pinpoint, otherworldly quality, as the spirits seemed to have.
She was wearing a leather tunic with pauldrons made of rough fur, was armed with what looked like a bundle of javelins, a one-handed axe with a jagged edge attached to her belt, a small square wooden shield, and had surprisingly pretty auburn hair worthy of a model.
Face was rather pretty too.
She proved immediately that she¡¯s no material for a model by looking around the room before Uraraka could say a single word and then looking straight at Uraraka with a bloodthirsty grin.
¡°Is this one of the physical worlds?¡± The amazon says in oddly accented Itavian. Uraraka raises an eyebrow before nodding. ¡° Nice . What am I supposed to kill though? I see no enemies here.¡±
That¡¯s an introduction worthy of Muscular
Yes
¡°Hold your horses there.¡± Uraraka replies for them. ¡°I get that you¡¯re excited, and I share your excitement for a good fight, but we¡¯re not quite there.¡±
¡°Eeeeh.¡± The amazon groans. ¡°Sounds boring. I get that you have to be patient for a good hunt to succeed, but¡ won¡¯t I get back to my world without doing anything? From what I heard from others, unless I immediately get a body to inhabit, I¡¯m going to be back home soon.¡±
Oh. Well, they eventually had to find a daemon that wasn¡¯t immediately knowledgeable about near-everything. And a daemon of Saevius felt like a good place for this to start.
¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, as you¡¯ve become a part of the Dungeon.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°You¡¯ll be here for a while. And you should get the fights you want to have.¡±
¡°Dungeon?¡± The amazon blinks at her. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
I have no words
I don¡¯t think that they have those in Spiritual Worlds (it would be pretty redundant), and she actually feels young.
So it makes sense. The others were just familiar with this world.
It takes Uraraka a while to explain Dungeons as a concept to the amazon. As expected, the daemon absolutely loves it.
¡°So I just sit on my ass around, and strong opponents come to me instead?¡± She eventually summarizes the introduction, Uraraka nodding. ¡°I love it! I¡¯m going to defeat and kill so many strong opponents and then come back to my tribe with all the tales and spoils of my victory! My sisters will be green with envy! Hahahaha!¡±
Looks like summoning daemons of the Nine Hordes should be really, errr, easy
Yes, I just can¡¯t even imagine any of them saying no to a good fight.
If they¡¯re like this one, at least.
Speaking of, what¡¯s her name, Ochako?
¡°Ay¡¯zira!¡± The amazon grins widely when Uraraka relays the question to her. ¡°I¡¯m Ay¡¯zira! No nickname or title yet, I¡¯m barely of age and have no big achievements. Yet .¡± It¡¯s clear that she expects to get some out of this adventure. ¡°Speaking of, are you up for a duel? You look decently strong.¡±
¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to tell me twice !¡± Uraraka grins back at her. Immediately proving to Izuku that she and Ay¡¯zira were definitely operating on the same wavelength.
Uh-oh.
***
The fight lasted for about two minutes, and ended with Ay¡¯zira¡¯s defeat. A narrow one. She was lacking the space to use her javelins, but Uraraka really felt the lack of a backup weapon.
It was rather clear at this point that Ay¡¯zira was a skirmisher, supposed to bloody the enemy before the melee with her javelins. This naturally made her get in trouble when she was made to fight Uraraka at melee range, as while the latter could throw javelins, she was a better melee fighter.
They had an impromptu javelin throwing contest next and Ay¡¯zira proved to be better at it than Uraraka, confirming those suspicions and making their little ¡®duel¡¯ into a tie in the end, while making both of them develop a certain degree of respect towards each other.
Daemons of the Nine Hordes seemed really straightforward. They just seemed to like a good fight, a simple meal and then an even better fight. And the fact that Uraraka seemed to have a similar mindset to them was vaguely concerning.
Then again, she was happy, and that¡¯s what mattered for Izuku.
For as long as she didn¡¯t cross any moral lines. Because if she even tried to, Izuku would call her out on that. For her own good.
***
They end up adding a completely new level to the Dungeon. For the lampades, the gravehounds and the undead.
It¡¯s, to be honest, not a very¡ great level. More of a placeholder for one, although practical enough that it should actually delay a regular attack on them. Once or twice, before the potential invaders figure out the outline.
It¡¯s a small maze of randomly put corridors, with a lot of skeletons wandering around. They¡¯ve given them either bows or the spear & shield combo, creating a reasonably dangerous environment.
1. Entrance. 2. Skeletons. 3. Exit.
They¡¯ve also experimented a bit with a two-level Level design, with the lampades¡¯ joint boss room being one ¡®level¡¯ lower than the rest of it, with the tunnel connecting it to two larger rooms filled with skeletons and requiring one to climb some stairs there.
It¡¯s not pretty, but it was decent enough. They¡¯ve also given the lampades some chairs, tables and a large couch by the wall of their room. It was all pretty primitive, as was most of their decor, but it worked well enough.
This brought the total number of levels in the Dungeon up to eight.
First Level: Guest Area/Entrance, [Limestone Cave] biome, pretty much finished but it was going to be expanded in the future. And yes, they also added the shrine of Mors, as it got unlocked when they connected the lampades into the System.
Second Level: Elementals. Just¡ elementals. [Limestone Cave] biome. It was massively expanded into its ¡®final form¡¯, and could as well be left as-is. Open for business, too.
Third Level: Mining & Spiders. [Limestone Cave] biome. Here they were going to do a large expansion akin to Second Level, making it many times larger for more concurrent visits. Other than that, nothing significant.
Fourth Level: The undead & lampades with their gravehound companions. [Limestone Cave] biome. A bit of a filler level, frankly, and they were considering replacing it eventually with the [Blood Hornets], but for now, it worked.
Fifth Level: Plant growing area & [Hamadryad Grove]. They intended to eventually expand it, but they needed more than just a lot of [Lesser Lignomorphs]. Especially as they planned to keep it the Fifth Level, as [Limestone Cave] biome just¡fit the growing area a bit more.
Sixth Level: Mining & Smelting zone with all the Cynocephali and Gore Munchers that they gathered up thus far. They have now officially converted it into the [Elven Mine] biome too.
Seventh Level: Boulder Trap of Death. Not much more to say. They did change it into the [Elven Mine] too.
Eighth Level: The living area for their servants.
And all of that while still having ideas for two more levels: one for the blood hornets (unless they¡¯d reshuffle it around with the undead one) and one that would be their ¡®official¡¯ army barracks, hosting their Rose Guard.
They had great hopes of capturing more. And the Rose Guard had enough discipline to act as an organized fighting force on the battlefield, even if the source of said discipline was yucky to say the least.
Of course, the problem was that the Rose Guard had a bit too high of a level for the barracks level right now, they¡¯d still need to grow a bit. Which makes sense, considering how good their equipment alone was.
So we¡¯re officially open for business until Third Level now.
Ye.
Although we¡¯re kinda cheating there, since one of those open levels is just the entrance
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The beastkin can now mine tin and copper on the Third Level, they shouldn¡¯t complain.
Yes, especially as we¡¯re still developing
It¡¯s still a big progress and that¡¯s what matters
If anything, it¡¯s all growing annoying because without the [Laws] thing to give us some means of fast travel, it¡¯s taking longer and longer for the servants to leave the Dungeon
Soon, soon.
For now, we should update said servants, as Eighth Level has a baseline AML of 2.4, and that gives us new options .
They¡¯ve decided that they have enough mana to give everyone the ability to read, at least in Itavian. They only had books in Itavian, and giving them a new thing to do in free time felt like a good idea.
The fact that the lampades and the amazon were reasonably fluent in Itavian together with the access to books written in this language has ended up changing the ¡®common¡¯ language of the Dungeon almost overnight. Although they still had Japanese to talk in if they wanted the locals to not understand them.
They made everyone keep the beastkin language, of course. The beastkin seemed common in the area, so it just felt like a logical thing to do.
Ochako also got an [Iron Sword], [Sword Proficiency I] and [Lesser Slash I], which leveled her up to a [Barbarian Warrior, lvl 24]. Setsuna Tokage also got an [Iron Spear], [Spear Proficiency II] and [Lesser Thrust I], which leveled her up to a [Barbarian Warrior, lvl 21].
They¡¯ve also elected to give Tetsutetsu and Kirishima the [Tribal Skirmisher Armor], as while it doesn¡¯t exactly suit their looks, it¡¯s still an improvement. They didn¡¯t get the thigh highs, and no skirt-like segment, and instead got hard leather pants.
The others had only minor changes.
It seemed that with their current equipment and available skills and abilities, most of them had topped at anywhere between level 18 and 21. This meant some supernatural combat capabilities and some equipment and very basic weapons. Which was enough to fight a simple creature, but would likely make you lose to anything even remotely strong.
Shigaraki was looking forward to the battle to break through the bottleneck. Izuku had some mixed feelings about it.
¡°So, I know that this is a bit of an unexpected announcement¡¡± Tokage says during the common meal this evening. ¡°... but I think that I¡¯m starting to dig that war god thing of yours, Uraraka-san.¡±
¡°Eh, really?¡± Uraraka blinks at her in shock over the table in their common dining room. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s great that you¡¯ve found something for yourself, though I¡¯m not really big on proselytizing, so I¡¯m not really all that emotionally invested in it, if you get what I mean.¡±
The two parties were sitting together. Uraraka and Tokage were on the edges of their respective parties, which just happened to make them almost face each other.
¡°I don¡¯t think that you can proselytize me into anything.¡± Tokage agrees with her. ¡°Just, you know, decided that I like fighting too. Where¡¯s that new friend of yours, by the way?¡±
¡°Ay¡¯zira?¡± Uraraka asks for confirmation, Tokage nodding. ¡°She is touring the Dungeon, trying to learn every nook and cranny. We¡¯ve had a fun training brawl earlier, want in on the next one?¡±
¡°You know what, yeah.¡± Tokage nods. ¡°I think I want to. It kind of sucks that we don¡¯t seem to improve in any notable way, but the more we¡¯re used to fighting, the better.¡±
¡°So, finally found something for yourself, huh.¡± Monoma glances at her from the side, he was sitting right next to. ¡°I guess fighting is better than coming back to that time.¡±
¡°We don¡¯t talk about that time.¡± Tokage cuts back. But it¡¯s already too late.
¡°What¡¯s that time?¡± Ashido suddenly shows interest in the subject. ¡°I smell something embarrassing! C¡¯mon, let it out, we¡¯ll all laugh at it once and then we¡¯ll officially know each other better.¡±
¡°Alright, alright.¡± Tokage sighs. ¡°I had a gyaru phase in the past, alright? But I don¡¯t like talking about it.¡±
That earns her a few chuckles from the crowd, but nothing really significant.
¡°Eehhh, I expected something more embarrassing.¡± Ashido sighs, sounding genuinely disappointed. ¡°Like whatever Yui Kodai is into, seeing your reaction to her being mentioned. Oh, yes, that reaction exactly.¡±
Everyone from the 1-B present in the room shivers when Yui Kodai is mentioned. Again. Izuku is growing more and more concerned with those reactions.
¡°We do not talk about Yui Kodai.¡± Monoma announces. ¡°Just¡ don¡¯t.¡±
I¡¯m so curious at this point
Yes.
Speaking of, Monoma-kun. I forgot to mention it earlier, but Luna''s recent message implied something interesting for Shiozaki-san. And I wanted to know your opinion about the subject.
¡°Oh?¡± Monoma raises his eyes from his food. ¡°Do tell.¡±
Izuku quickly elaborates on what Luna said about Shiozaki, and his own thoughts on the subject. Monoma listens to him attentively the whole time.
¡°This¡ might work.¡± Monoma admits. ¡°Unless she ends up deciding that this is insulting to angels. She¡¯s¡ very Christian.¡±
¡°How did that even happen, if I may ask?¡± Uraraka ends up cutting in. ¡°I think that she¡¯s the only Christian among the hero students, at least in our year. It¡¯s¡ well, she does stand out with that a little bit.¡±
¡°Teenage rebellion.¡± Monoma replies dryly, Tokage and Tetsutetsu nodding together
¡°Wait, what?¡± Yaoyorozu suddenly shows interest in the talk. ¡°What do you mean by a ¡®teenage rebellion¡¯?¡±
¡°Her parents are pretty famous designers in the field of support engineering.¡± Tokage replies for Monoma. ¡°The thing is, they made Midnight¡¯s hero uniform, and that¡¯s something of a brand aesthetic for them, if you get what I mean.¡±
¡°So she converted to a foreign religion because she has a problem with that ?¡± Yaoyorozu appears genuinely confused by it.
¡°She has it all planned out in detail.¡± Monoma replies dryly. ¡°Her goal is to become the Number One Hero while wearing a modest hero uniform, hopefully permanently changing the dominant trends among the female Top Hero outfits into ones less sexual, and force her parents to reform their wicked ways, while also making Japan¡¯s future a bit brighter. And more religious. You can call her many things, but ¡®not ambitious¡¯ isn¡¯t one of them.¡±
¡°I¡¡± Yaoyorozu stares at Monoma for maybe two seconds, before shaking her head. ¡°I have no idea what to think about it.¡±
¡°Both you and that invisible girl are the last person who should complain about any of that.¡± Monoma decides to push a needle where it hurts. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely surprised that Shiozaki didn¡¯t call the pope and ask him to organize a crusade the moment she saw your hero costumes.¡±
Yaoyorozu opens her mouth to counter that, but Uraraka does it faster.
¡°She¡¯s taking it too far, but she has a point.¡± She admits, Yaoyorozu glancing at her in confusion. ¡°They made my hero uniform way more skin tight than I actually wanted it to be and I think I know exactly why that change happened. I get it that physical attractiveness sells, but c¡¯mon! I was fifteen!¡±
If it makes it better, I absolutely loved that outfit.
¡°Uhm, what about your current outfit?¡± Yaoyorozu then asks. Why was she so invested in the subject?
¡°It¡¯s temporary until I get proper armor.¡± Uraraka replies. The smirk on her face that Izuku¡¯s words brought has vanished already. ¡°And, besides, the goal is to show the enemy how much I don¡¯t fear them and be attractive to certain people.¡±
¡°And it works!¡± Himiko announces from Ochako¡¯s side.
Yaoyorozu just stares at Uraraka for a few seconds, before sighing and clearly deciding to stop the talk. Or, to be more exact, change the subject.
¡°So, Monoma-kun.¡± She then says while turning her head towards the 1-B part. ¡°I think that I¡¯m tired of being in the dark. What¡¯s the deal with Kodai-san? Why are you acting like this each time she¡¯s mentioned?¡±
Silence. Monoma and the others exchange glances¡ and, eventually, arrive at the conclusion.
¡°She¡¯s the most perverted, depraved and thirsty person that any of us has ever known.¡± Monoma eventually admits, making Kaminari almost choke on the food in the background. ¡°Trust me when I¡¯m saying that she makes Mineta look like a saint. It¡¯s what caused the petition.¡±
¡°The petition?¡± Yaoyorozu asks. The tone of her voice and the look on her face makes it clear that she still suspects that it¡¯s some sort of a joke. ¡°What petition?¡±
¡°O-oh, I remember it!¡± Kaminari replies for them. ¡°Some folks from the 1-B wanted to exchange Mineta for Kodai, but he said no, because he looks up to some of his classmates, especially Midoriya-kun, and he also thinks that letting her into it would be disruptive and make people uncomfortable. And because he thinks that the 1-A girls are super hot too, not gonna lie there.¡±
Yaoyorozu - and the rest of 1-A people present at the table - look back at Monoma, having clearly realized that no, he wasn¡¯t making fun of them.
¡°Seriously?¡± Uraraka asks, staring at him wide-eyed. ¡°She¡¯s that bad?¡±
¡°She has been writing and occasionally drawing extremely perverted smut stories about the teachers and other pro-heroes, with some really fucked up pairings and tags.¡± Monoma shakes his head. ¡°And one of the goals for her heroic career is to obtain herself a reverse harem. No words can appropriately describe the sheer amount of pure horror that Yui Kodai learning of Procacitas will bring upon this world.¡±
ayfkm
I¡ I think that I now understand why they reacted like this to the idea of her being unleashed upon a world without any laws or even the society to restrain her.
Same.
And I hate it
¡°And then she began to switch over to writing about people from our year.¡± Monoma shakes his head, his words somehow making it even worse. ¡°It was so bad that Shiozaki-san seemed to genuinely consider exorcisms. And just in case, she has repeatedly ambushed Kodai and sprayed her with holy water. Before pouring an entire bucket of it on her when she was leaving the dorm room. Didn¡¯t seem to work thus far, regretfully. And we were spirited away here before she could obtain a whole bucket of holy water blessed by the pope in person, to bring the big guns in.¡±
¡°She was writing filthy smut fics about us?¡± Yaoyorozu says, sounding completely and understandably outraged. And clearly omitting the part about holy water. For some reason.
¡°Yes.¡± Monoma replies dryly. ¡°Almost every imaginable pairing. And with some guest characters like the League of Villains members, or adult pro-heroes or our teachers and so on. Absolutely disgusting .¡±
Wait
League members
WHICH ONES?!
Do you really want to know?
Do you really think that finding out that there was a lewd drawing of, say, All For One x All Might or Tomura Shigaraki x Dabi (or even worse, me) in our old world will make anything better?
FUCK
Now I don¡¯t even want to go back to Japan, as I don¡¯t want to be in the same universe as this filth
¡°But well written.¡± Yanagi says calmly, drawing the attention to herself. ¡°She made people read them, and thus I know. She is extremely good at writing that filth. And almost as good at drawing it.¡± She sighs. ¡°Do you remember the Hospital Bed Incident?¡±
¡°I¡ I tried to forget.¡± Tokage wails, her hands covering her face. ¡°I tried so hard to forget!¡±
Monoma gives her a reassuring pat on the back.
¡°What was the Hospital Bed Incident?¡± Oddly enough, it¡¯s Mr. Compress who asks. The man has definitely felt a bit out of place most of the time, by age and his past villain status alone, but he seems to have decided to join the talk.
Mostly out of sheer shock at what he was just learning.
¡°She had a month where for some reason she was very into writing about Midoriya-kun.¡± Monoma replies as he openly hugs Tokage, letting her wail into him. He also ignores Uraraka¡¯s shocked ¡®eep?!¡¯. ¡°Various pairings, most of them highly questionable at best, almost criminal at worst. There was a special one, though. Izuku Midoriya x Hospital Bed.¡±
Wait, she shipped me with a hospital bed?!
¡°You bet.¡± Monoma shakes his head. ¡°And it was¡ errr, well, it was apparently disturbingly hot, and I quote Tokage-san here. The scene of you just lying down on the bed was apparently more erotic than all the Midnight-sensei¡¯s merch combined. And then she¡¡±
¡°And then I got injured!¡± Tokage wails, pulling her head back from the hug for a moment. ¡°Right after that! And I landed in a hospital bed! For hours! And it all came back to me! She made me sexually confused over a piece of furniture!¡±
¡°There there.¡± Monoma says in a soothing tone, patting her back as he hugs her again. ¡°There, there. It''s an old story now, there are no hospital beds in this world. They can¡¯t hurt you.¡±
You think that Procacitas has her own school of magic?
Yes.
You think that Kodai will seek to master it?
Probably.
***
Ay''zira. Old gen by me (I think).
Don''t worry, they all get more muscular and scarred the higher you go in their hierarchy lol.
054: Apologies
Soon after that, Spinner has managed to find the abandoned quarry, where the elves once mined marble which was then moved south past the border. It was located near the lowest point of another valley, one without a river but going more or less parallel to the Iron Brook Valley.
There were no elves around, just a large hole in the ground and some dilapidated buildings surrounding it that once housed the workforce, tools and marble awaiting transport south. It was clearly left to rot ever since Tael fell and the border was moved south.
But it didn¡¯t mean that it was abandoned.
What are those things?
Stone golems, imo
Shigaraki was checking up on Spinner pretty regularly, as a result it was him who called Izuku to check up on him too because Spinner had arrived at the first of the locations that Lorae gave them.
Their scout made a good call of checking the quarry out from a distance before trying to approach it. Because the amount of enemies surrounding it was¡ substantial.
Izuku counted twenty roughly humanoid figures stumbling around the quarry, each one of them made of solid marble. They were malformed, their arms often of different length, their postures tilted in every direction at random.
There seems to be no logic in their movements. They just shamble around without any conceivable goal in mind.
Huh.
¡°Looks like stone golems to me.¡± Spinner agrees with Shigaraki. ¡°What do we do about them, though? I don¡¯t think that any weapon I have can even scratch them if they¡¯re truly made of solid rock.¡±
Makes sense.
It¡¯s like trying to fight twenty Kirishimas¡¯, except their quirk doesn¡¯t eventually shut down on its own.
We¡¯d need some solid firepower to deal with them.
Blunt weapons and high STR builds, I think
They don¡¯t seem well constructed, they probably have tonnes of weak spots like joints
Even so, Spinner only has his arrows and a knife.
There¡¯s no way for him to score a single kill here.
¡°I think I can take one down, but it depends on the positioning and timing.¡± Spinner counters. ¡°I don¡¯t know how fast they are and how good their senses are, but if I make them run after me and make them fall off a cliff, like into the quarry itself, gravity should do the rest.¡±
¡°Well.¡± Spinner shrugs. ¡°What¡¯s the worst that can happen to me? Will I die?¡±
Good point.
Ye
Go and kick their asses, Spinner
I have faith in you
¡°That¡¯s the plan, Tomura.¡± Spinner replies. ¡°I don¡¯t think that I can carry even a single of those things back to the Dungeon, at least not the whole thing, so I¡¯ll just try to trick exactly one of them and go back home with whatever I can carry. How does that sound?¡±
Like a very good plan
I¡¯ll go have someone ask Lanna if she knows anything about the stone golems of this world.
Ochako, could you¡
Seriously?
Again?
When he switched his attention to Ochako, he found her in the middle of a fierce spar with both Tokage-san (who clearly decided to enjoy some physical violence to forget about her recent hospital bed trauma) and Ay¡¯zira.
They were all bleeding from multiple light wounds.
Himiko was observing the events from the side of the room, with a really dreamy look on her face.
¡°What?¡± Uraraka appears surprised by him being surprised. ¡°It¡¯s fun! We gotta do something to kill time, right?¡±
¡°Aye!¡± Ay¡¯zira raises her jagged axe in a salute and a sign of agreement. Tokage simply nods.
She didn¡¯t hear Izuku¡¯s original words. The thing is, Dungeon Lords could only freely communicate with their servants, who seemed to be directly created from their power, establishing some deeper connection between them.
Odd.
the amount of bloodthirsty and deadly women in this Dungeon continues to grow
and it¡¯s slightly concerning
You¡¯d rather have the number of dogs grow.
Yes, obviously.
Dogs are precious.
¡°So, what¡¯s up, Izu?¡± Uraraka then asks. ¡°Cough it out.¡±
Spinner encountered some stone golems in the quarry, and I figured out you could ask Lanna about them for us.
No need to waste mana to manifest as Dungeon Lords to ask the question ourselves, right?
¡°Sure, sure.¡± Uraraka sighs, before turning her head towards the other two women. ¡°Alright, girls. Izuku wants me to ask the head lampada about golems. So I guess I¡¯ll be leaving for a while, but have fun in my absence, alright?¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Tokage nods. She knows better than to try to talk Uraraka out of immediately helping Izuku in something. ¡°You¡¯ll come back once you¡¯re done with that, right?¡±
¡°Golems?¡± Ay¡¯zira is still at that part of the talk and speaks right before Uraraka could reply to Tokage. ¡°Hey, I know golems! My world has them. Tall humanoids made entirely of brass, with lotsa sharp edges and decorated with the trophies from the creatures¡¯ they¡¯ve defeated. They roam the plains, slaughtering everything that moves and are super powerful!¡±
¡°That definitely sounds like an awesome fight!¡± Uraraka grins back at the amazon who grins back at her. ¡°But those ones are made from stone. Different types of golems.¡±
¡°Yes, but I do remember my older sister saying that there are many types of elementals out there, all throughout the Creation.¡± Ay¡¯zira is clearly trying to remember the words she once heard, at least judging from a somehow clouded look. ¡°There was an entire tale about them, uhhhh¡ I think they are born in the Vortex in the center of Creation, from the High Gods of the four prime elements, who are constantly fighting and mating in there. But there are a lot of variants because most of them are just blank slates that get filled by whatever they encounter on the way out of the Vortex. I think.¡± She scratches the side of her head. ¡°I¡ to be honest, I just didn¡¯t listen to it because we were going on a hunt the next day, and that was kind of much more interesting.¡±
¡°As it should.¡± Tokage comments dryly, just to roll her eyes around when Uraraka gives her a questioning look. ¡°What? I¡¯d pick hunting some giant otherworldly beast over listening to old stories too. And I refuse to be ashamed of it.¡±
So, I guess that this is a case of stone elementals possessing some chunks of marble from the quarry, which makes sense.
And if we manage to obtain a stone elemental from it, we should be able to put it in limestone and make a slightly tougher stone golem
Sweet
¡°I do remember hearing that mages from the Physical Worlds often use golems.¡± Ay¡¯zira decides to add something more. ¡°Mostly for melee, because they¡¯re usually a bunch of scared pussies unable to fight properly.¡± Izuku isn¡¯t sure if Yaoyorozu or Monoma would have agreed with that assessment. ¡°Some are made of stone, others of metals or crystals, a few from materials such as flesh or bones. I¡¯d love to fight them.¡±
Of course she would.
Just how powerful a steel golem made by some sort of metal elemental has to be?
How do you even cut through a body made entirely of steel?
You melt it with heat or smth instead
but in general, yes
It looks like we can have a lot of further development with from the elementals and golems, sweet
Alright, I guess that we don¡¯t need Lanna¡¯s opinion on that.
Keep having fun.
¡°Alright!¡± Uraraka grins. ¡°Girls, time to fight!¡± They both seem to be extremely enthusiastic about it.
***
The plan works great.
Spinner manages to aggro a single stone golem, which turns out to not be very quick. In both movement and thinking. It ran after him and then fell off the cliff, flying down to the bottom of the quarry, where it slammed into the solid stone floor and promptly broke into pieces.
It also made them realize that the quarry was creepy. More and more spirits were coming in, possessing parts of it and slowly forming their bodies out of it.
The walls of the quarry had arms and legs. Not the whole of it, but there were entire segments which were nothing but limbs, some of them actually able to move.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
And now that Spinner has arrived here, at the very edge of the quarry, he could see the whole of it. And there were some very different creatures down there. Golems, yes, and ones made from marble too.
But they were much better formed.
To Izuku, they looked less like animated chunks of rock and more like animated Roman or Greek sculptures of people, except ones that were for some reason faceless, nothing but smooth marble where their facial features should be.
Five of them scattered around the place. Were they the oldest elementals, the ones who had the most time to shape their containers, or were they shaped by more powerful elementals? So many questions.
Spinner slides down the wall and starts to quickly grab pieces of the crushed golem, throwing them into his backpack. Was it going to be enough?
DODGE!
Spinner does that instantly, the giant piece of rock slamming into the cliff¡¯s wall close to him. When he looks up, he sees the nearest of those better formed stone golems sinking its fingers into the ground next to it, starting to pull another piece of rock from it, the stone under its feet being soft like a jelly in its hands.
They might not be the fastest creatures around, but it seems that they know how to deal some damage at range. Lovely.
Spinner takes that as his cue to leave and quickly climbs the wall of the quarry, dodging another rock projectile and then runs away into the forest as quickly as he can, easily avoiding the few stone golems that tried to stop him.
Great.
So, now we can only wait to see if those rocks are enough to give us a stone golem, as even one should be quite a potent tool.
Just have him block a corridor and voila.
Boulder trap!
Huh?
They are pretty much boulders that can walk, right?
We can put them at the end of the corridor and have them walk in the opposite direction to the incoming boulder, crushing the invaders between them!
You¡¯re absolutely unhinged when it comes to murdering people.
Yes, yes I fucking am!
And I¡¯m happy being like this.
***
The next step of the plan was the expansion of the spider level to ensure that it was up to their new standards for the commercially available levels. So, expand it several times, adding more [Spider Breeding Chambers], and more mining locations.
They need to fill their Residual Mana storage and then empty it in full to achieve that. But, there was progress. Sooner or later they were also going to start constructing their mana power plant.
Stat-wise, we¡¯re going to need the barracks to be put on 9th Level to allow the regular Rose Guard warriors to lounge around.
You can see the problem there, right?
Yes.
We need more Levels.
A lot more.
Ye
tbh I think we¡¯re going to start snowballing from now on
so it¡¯s not that bad
True.
The more daemons we already have, the more forces we can field outside of the Dungeon to help us in obtaining more daemons.
I¡¯m fairly sure that Ay¡¯zira will gladly follow Uraraka and Tokage during any away missions, just to have fun fighting something.
Makes you wonder just how many overpowered creatures that a Dungeon with 200 levels can field at will.
Tens of thousands, probably.
Awesome
Anyway, are we having them go somewhere right now?
We could try to fight through another chamber in Aeonia¡¯s tomb
You¡¯re really interested in going back there as soon as possible, huh.
Anything you want to tell me?
Yes.
But then you¡¯ll be a bitch about me telling you to finally end yourself, thus ridding me of your annoying presence, and you¡¯ll rat me out to your girlfriend who is going to be a pain in the ass
I know, right? She¡¯s so cool.
¡
***
They ended up not doing anything significant for the next day. The closest they got to doing something constructive was debating where to put the [Blood Hornets], and wondering what exactly they are.
They haven¡¯t ended up deciding on anything.
Others were mostly busy with doing their own stuff.
Uraraka did some more combat training with Tokage and Ay¡¯zira, before retiring to their home and having a very nice evening with Himiko. With Izuku present in spirit, and perhaps in something more.
Or, to be more exact, observing what was happening there in great detail. And he refuses to be ashamed of it.
Although, to be honest, if someone did call him out on it, he¡¯d be extremely ashamed of it.
Kirishima and Ashido have finally admitted that they¡¯re together, managing to overcome their surprisingly intense denial on the matter. They spent a while talking with the rest (and observing the combat training) and then went on a walk together through the Dungeon, talking with each other about a variety of things.
Monoma and Yaoyorozu were reading something in the library, for some reason ignoring the presence of each other completely. They only seemed to leave it to refill their mugs with some of the herbal tea that they could now brew.
Yanagi kept butchering corpses in her laboratory with wild abandon, while noting down some things in a notebook. And for as much as Izuku liked notebooks, he was sure that he didn¡¯t want to know what was written down in this one.
Tetsutetsu ended up doing some arm wrestling with Ay¡¯zira once she was done with combat training with Uraraka and Tokage, before moving on to regular wrestling and general combat training.
Ay¡¯zira was really simple-minded, but she did end up announcing that Tetsutetsu is strong and pretty cool, which he liked and told her that she¡¯s invited to challenge him anytime, and said that she was ¡®manly¡¯.
She didn¡¯t seem to mind it, instead immediately taking that as a compliment, which led to Izuku starting to realize that her world is clearly inhabited by nothing but an endless army of people resembling Miruko, Stain, Uraraka and Kirishima. Oh, and Muscular too, to somehow make it worse.
He had no idea what to think about it.
For now, he should probably be happy that Ay¡¯zira has found another friend(?). It¡¯s good, right?
¡°My world?¡± Ay¡¯zira asks back, surprised, when Tetsutetsu does ask her about it. Izuku immediately listened a bit closer. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a great place. Lots of strong people to fight and prove your own strength.¡±
Thankfully, Himiko and Ochako were done with their things by now, so he could do it, although he really couldn¡¯t help but have his imagination race and his thoughts being rather¡ lewdish. Not openly lewd, but he was leaning that way.
He had seen some truly incredible things and he regretted none of that.
¡°Yeah, but how does it look, exactly?!¡± Tetsutetsu says back loudly. ¡°Spiritual Worlds sound like a weird place.¡±
What an understatement. Then again, they only knew of one, and it was occupied by the forces of Rapturous Ecstasy. Which by default made them¡ well, maybe not weird, but definitely as yucky as a world could get.
¡°It¡¯s not weird, Physical Worlds are the weird ones!¡± Ay¡¯zira shoots back. ¡°Vanarea is awesome! Endless plains covered with either steppes or forests, inhabited by tribes like my own and numerous animals and other creatures we hunt or fight for glory. We have martial tournaments each time blood begins to rain from the sky, establishing who is the strongest among the tribe¡¯s warriors. We also clash with other tribes for resources, but fight alongside when someone invades our world. Vanarea¡¯s never boring!¡±
Tetsutetsu seems to have some mixed feelings about the whole idea (especially the ¡®blood raining from the sky¡¯ sound pretty sus, to quote Shigaraki), but he goes along and admits that boredom¡¯s definitely not a problem for people of that world.
Ay¡¯zira has no idea how evasive that answer really was and goes along. Phew. Izuku was definitely surprised by how diplomatic Tetsutetsu turned out to be. Although, considering how good at it she was, this wasn¡¯t even nearly as much of an achievement.
Kaminari had nothing interesting to do and went to sleep earlier.
In short, they¡¯re all spending a pretty nice time, doing their own things. It actually takes Izuku a while to realize that there was someone he didn¡¯t check up on. And so, he looks for the person in question.
Mr. Compress was busy throwing knives at a wooden plank hanging up on the wall in the now empty communal dining room. Judging from the holes and scratches on the plank in question, his accuracy was actually pretty decent.
Huh.
Good aim.
¡°Hm? Oh, thank you.¡± Mr. Compress replies after a second of pause before he realizes who was talking to him. ¡°I decided to do some additional training. Retrain old and somewhat rusted skills. Like this.¡±
He throws his knife again, the projectile hitting the board almost in the very center of it, with enough strength to partially pierce the thin wood.
Not bad, especially at the range of about seven meters.
¡°I was much better at it in the past.¡± Mr. Compress then adds as he pulls another knife from the table nearby. ¡°Though back then I could use dedicated throwing knives, not this. Still, not bad. Might be useful.¡±
Yeah. It could be.
He weighs the knife for a moment in his hand, before sighing loudly.
¡°I really missed my arm.¡± He then adds. ¡°I¡¯d say that getting it back is a big positive of this isekai adventure. I also don¡¯t have any issues with my new body. It¡¯s pretty good.¡±
Great.
¡
This is really awkward.
¡°It is.¡± Compress agrees before throwing the knife again. It, once again, almost hits the mark. ¡° Nice . Look, about the Training Camp, I wanted to say that¡¡±
I don¡¯t think that I really want to talk about the Training Camp.
¡°But I want to.¡± Compress sighs. ¡°I wanted to apologize for it, alright?¡±
Really?
¡°Yes.¡± Compress replies. ¡°In my defense, by the time I heard that Muscular and Moonfish were supposed to be there, I couldn¡¯t exactly walk out on the group without becoming a loose end. And you don¡¯t want to become a loose end for someone like Shigaraki¡¯s Sensei.¡±
You didn¡¯t seem awfully concerned with All for One and villainy in general afterwards.
¡°Because All Might punched him out literally the next day.¡± Compress counters. ¡°And then my civilian name was publicly known and I was a designated villain. We as a League were a group. Yes, we had our¡ problems , but we were comrades. And I remained a part of it willingly. But the only person we lost during the Training Camp and Kamino that I actually missed was Mustard. Definitely not Muscular and Moonfish, and definitely not All for One.¡±
So you¡¯re regretting that night?
And, you know, the whole kidnapping of a minor?
¡°Ugh.¡± Compress clearly didn¡¯t like it being put that way. ¡°In Shigaraki¡¯s defense, it was supposed to be a recruitment attempt, not a kidnapping for blackmail or a ransom. And just so we¡¯re clear about it, the kid in question was shown on TV earlier, restrained and wearing a muzzle. And definitely not having consented to any of that.¡±
Alright, I guess that¡¯s one point for the League.
This does sound like something that could be argued to be an act of vigilantism more than villainy, at least until Muscular and Moonfish showed up in the same forest as a bunch of children..
And I guess that if there¡¯s someone out there who could be considered a master of manipulating people into burning their bridges, it¡¯s All for One.
¡°Yeah.¡± Compress replies while glancing at his shoes. ¡°So, in short, my sincere apologies for the Training Camp. I¡¯m not going to apologize for anything that happened afterwards, though.¡±
Not even the death of Snatch?
¡°No.¡± Compress shakes his head. ¡°We were villains. We seeked to obtain something that was needed to achieve our goal, and Snatch tried to stop us. He was an appropriately trained combatant and knew the risks. I¡¯m not going to apologize for that. But the Training Camp just really stuck with me, so I figured out that I could as well apologize, at least to the people that I actually ran into that night.¡±
Well, I¡¯ll be honest.
I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll ever like you as a person, especially considering Snatch.
But I accept the apologies for the Training Camp.
¡°Great.¡± Compress nods. ¡°That¡¯s what I hoped for. Aside from endangering minors, I¡¯m all for doing the dirty work for this Dungeon. If you need me to spy on someone, or rob them blind, just tell me. Although I¡¯d prefer Shigaraki to be the one to do it. I kind of like him.¡±
That can be done.
Although I don¡¯t expect a lot of robbing people blind.
¡°This is fine with me too.¡± Compress shrugs. ¡°Although I have to admit, I was looking forward to becoming this world¡¯s Oji Harima. A thief of undying fame.¡±
If we find some genuinely bad people, there¡¯ll be room for negotiation.
¡°And now you¡¯re speaking my language.¡± Compress grins. ¡°And can I¡¡±
No clown make-up in my Dungeon.
Compress gasps loudly, falling onto his knees and pretending to have been struck in the heart by something. Izuku can practically feel Shoto Todoroki writing down his newest conspiracy theory suggesting that Mr. Compress and Neito Monoma are secretly related. And that man doesn¡¯t even exist in the same universe as he does.
055: Of Golems and Hornets
Some time after Izuku¡¯s brief talk with Mr. Compress, Yaoyorozu had a great idea. Although one that had a somewhat bumpy road into becoming reality.
¡°So, it just occurred to me¡¡± She says after receiving confirmation that Izuku was listening to her. ¡°... we can easily create earth golems, right? They are very cheap.¡±
Yes, in almost any number and any place, although they barely count as an obstacle to the attackers.
They don¡¯t seem to be very dangerous, the beastkin just walked through them.
What about that?
¡°Using them for fighting is not what I was thinking about.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while shaking her head. ¡°I considered making them into our workforce. Carrying things for us, fetching stuff from other rooms when needed, delivering leftovers from our meals to the Gore Munchers and so on.¡±
Huh, that does sound like a good idea.
But they¡¯re kind of, how should I put it¡
Malformed.
I don¡¯t think they can carry things without spilling/dropping anything, even light stuff.
¡°I know.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. She was sitting in the [Library], of course, with an open book left alone on the table in front of her for now. She was spending most of her day either reading books in the [Library] or sleeping. While usually taking a book with her to read in her bed. ¡±But I realized that we can experiment with that a bit. What if we shaped the body properly before having an elemental possess it?¡±
Wouldn¡¯t that just make the golem warp to resemble the elemental more over time?
¡°That would be the most obvious outcome.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°But I think that we might be greatly surprised if we try it. The golems we¡¯ve seen thus far appear to be vastly different from one another. It¡¯s possible that either elementals are completely different from each other or they don¡¯t have a predefined shape, and are merely randomly changing their possessed medium to give themselves mobility. If we create a body that¡¯s just plain better optimized, it might take it as is.¡±
Okay, I think I get it.
It¡¯s definitely worth a try.
What materials do you want to use? Earth feels a bit too soft, especially if we want them to carry anything heavy.
¡°I thought about using clay.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Earthenware, to be exact. It¡¯s arguably connected to earth as a concept, malleable and resistant enough to be used to form bricks for millennia. But it¡¯d require some work, even with your ability to manually create a kiln out of nowhere and at minimal cost. And, to be honest, I know no one who¡¯s good at pottery.¡±
¡
You know what, I have an idea. It¡¯s stupid, but it¡¯s definitely worth trying. Give me a second.
Spinner, I have a question for you.
¡°Yeah?¡± Spinner replies immediately. He seemed to be getting close to the Dungeon, enough to have clearly just crossed the river. ¡°What is it?¡±
Are you, perhaps, skilled in pottery?
We have a small idea to test, and we need some clay to be formed and fired to achieve it.
¡°Pottery?¡± Spinner appears surprised for a moment. ¡°Well, I did play a simulation game about forming pottery once, I was really bored and went to look for some obscure indie games on the internet and¡¡±
Alright, we¡¯ll test it then.
We¡¯ll prepare everything that you¡¯ll need for when you come back here.
¡°Alright.¡± Spinner nods, despite his words being clearly unconvinced about it. ¡°But I¡¯m really not sure if¡¡±
Midoriya doesn¡¯t stay around long enough to hear him in full before switching back to Yaoyorozu-san. He has decided to trust Spinner¡¯s inhuman learning capabilities when videogames were involved.
Spinner played a simulation game about working with pottery once.
I think that we should let him give it a try.
¡°He played a game ?¡± Yaoyorozu clearly doesn¡¯t buy it. ¡°And he did it once ? I don¡¯t think that it makes him a qualified potter.¡±
At least let him try.
He has an¡ interesting track record of becoming concerningly skilled in various things merely by playing a videogame.
I want to test how far it goes.
¡°Alright then.¡± Yaoyorozu shrugs. ¡°Worst case scenario, we¡¯ll just waste some time and materials.¡±
***
Assimilating the marbles that Spinner brought to the Dungeon has unlocked them not only [Marble] as a material but also [Marble Cave] as a biome and [Stone Elementals]. Or, to be exact, a single [Lesser Stone Elemental].
Oddly enough, the new biome isn¡¯t very useful for them right now. It¡¯s just a variant of the [Limestone Cave], although [Marble] was more valuable than the [Limestone]. Then again, it was also pretty heavy and due to that, likely not something that could be mined out of the Dungeon.
Then again, it was going to take a while for anyone to be interested in mining marble out of them. After all, good luck carrying blocks of [Marble] anywhere from their current location in the middle of nowhere.
They needed infrastructure to be able to export a bigger volume of loot.
The real question, though, was how exactly did the elementals that the beastkin brought to them allowed them to produce the elementals in any number? Well, this was irritating. Very irritating. Annoying even.
Its base stats are identical to those of the other elementals, though. They¡¯ll experiment with creating a stone golem out of it later. For now, Izuku decides to check out Spinner''s work in the improvised pottery room.
Shigaraki is there too. Not physically, but he¡¯s definitely observing the events in person, chatting with Spinner about various games they¡¯ve played in the past. Izuku has nothing to add to that, so he just listens.
Izuku realizes that his decision to trust Spinner was a good idea long before he gets to put the sculpture in the oven.
Spinner does that in several fragments. Torso, limbs and head. Fingers were a problem, as the parts there were just too small to properly form. At least their inner workings. As one can imagine, joints were the biggest problem.
There has to be some movement at the joints, so Spinner spent a few hours modeling them and decided to make the solid fragments out of properly fired earthenware, but leave the rest to be made from clay, in hopes of the elemental being given more freedom of movement as a result.
They¡¯d see how good it¡¯ll work in practice soon.
Once the firing of the earthenware is concluded, Spinner pulls out all the objects from the kiln and inspects it to make sure that there were no cracks and so on in the pottery. With that done, they had all the pieces of the golem to assemble it.
And they did.
Soon after that Izuku decided to let Yaoyorozu in.
He really wants to see her reaction to Spinner¡¯s work. He definitely doesn¡¯t want to see her proven wrong and himself proven right. Definitely. He¡¯s not that petty of a person, alright?
The moment she enters the room, she immediately notices the golem strewn on the floor. It¡¯s smaller than a human being, just tall enough to barely reach Izuku¡¯s neck, which keeps it roughly in line with the size of the naturally born Earth Golems.
They suspect that the stronger the elemental the larger the body they can efficiently control. Which made sense - after all, when allowed to form them naturally, elementals picked that particular size of the body. And if there was no limit there, what would stop an earth elemental from inhabiting a whole mountain ?
It''s lacking a face, Spinner deciding not to add it. Apparently it was a better option than giving it a face just for it to not display its emotions properly. Uncanny valley and all. Izuku decided to trust his sense of aesthetics.
It was definitely better than his own.
The body is sculpted like a piece of art. Its genderless, with vaguely androgynous built, well pronounced muscles sculpted everywhere where they should be. It could be used as a reference picture for the beauty of the human body, it¡¯s just this realistic.
Its surface, despite being made from earthenware, looks almost natural . Almost worthy of being called ¡®skin¡¯ instead of ¡®surface¡¯.
¡°I¡ you made it?¡± Yaoyorozu says, her eyes wide-open and locked onto Spinner. As she does so, Izuku is quietly celebrating one of his life¡¯s greatest achievements - being right while Momo Yaoyorozu was wrong.
¡°Yeah?¡± Spinner replies, clearly confused about her reaction. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s any good, I just did the same thing as I used to do in a game. But I think that it worked out pretty well.¡±
He thought that she reacted like that because it was so bad. Wow .
Yaoyorozu blinks at him, having clearly bluescreened completely. Izuku decides to step in finally.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
I think that we should be happy that there was no such game as ¡®Hero Society Takedown Simulator¡¯
as then Spinner would have played it and we¡¯d be absolutely done .
¡°Y-yes, I guess.¡± Yaoyorozu wakes up from her stupor. ¡°I believe that I¡¯m justified in reassuring you that yes, it¡¯s pretty good. Very good, in fact. Are we putting a Lesser Earth Elemental inside it then?¡±
No need to waste any more time
let¡¯s a fucking gooo
***
And it works.
When they manifest a [Lesser Earth Elemental] and shove it into the golem body, it obediently merges with it. And a few seconds later, the golem¡¯s upper body raises up, before the rest of the body follows suit.
It¡¯s not very large. But its movements are definitely much smoother and better coordinated than those of naturally-born golems. This has immediately proved to them that shaping the material before turning it into a golem had a positive effect on the quality of the resulting creature.
It was now standing upward, showing them all just how short it was in the end. Izuku of all people could look down on it! But it was definitely pretty¡ errr¡ jacked, or at least looked like that.
The idea of making joints be made of several rotating and moving parts sunk in the easily moldable non-fired clay was a truly inspired one, at least in terms of the freedom and precision of movement.
They were yet to see what influence it had on their ability to carry heavy weights.
¡°Not bad, not bad.¡± Yaoyorozu nods, only for the creature to try to walk around, in the same manner that most of the elementals and golems seemed to just be aimlessly wandering around. ¡°Stop.¡±
It stops obediently. The servants were representatives of the Dungeon Lord, imbued with a fragment of their power and authority, at least in that particular department. The lesser creatures did listen to them.
¡°Go to the dining room and bring me a cup of tea.¡± Yaoyorozu then decides to issue one of the most Yaoyorozu orders imaginable. However, the golem does nothing, just stands there. ¡°I see. It probably doesn¡¯t understand the instructions. Let me test something.¡±
A few minutes later they do confirm that golems can be used as house servants - to some degree and in sufficiently repetitive tasks. While the golem had no idea where or even what kitchen was, it could learn.
Yaoyorozu proved it by showing the golem their kitchen, the cup of tea resting inside it and then having it carry said cup of tea to Yaoyorozu in order to make it understand the concept of ¡®bringing something to the person who told you to do it¡¯.
Once that happened, the golem proved capable of bringing tea to Yaoyorozu regardless of where she was at the time, with the exception of the fact that she had to be in the same place where she ordered him to bring it.
So, what¡¯s the result of the test?
¡°The test has proven that the golems can be used for menial work, however it has to be a repetitive one.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem capable of showing initiative, and requires everything to be described to it in detail. We would have to train every golem separately, and with a particular job in mind, but it¡¯s doable.¡±
Which still leaves us with plenty of possibilities.
¡°It does, although I wish that it could leave the Dungeon to carry heavy weights for us.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°I think that I¡¯ll be able to train them on my own, given that Spinner will teach me how to create their bodies. As otherwise I don¡¯t think that he can do both his scouting and working on golems.¡±
No, he probably can¡¯t do that.
Shigaraki?
I¡¯ll ask him.
Spinner, are you able to teach Yaoyorozu how to make golems?
¡°Huh?¡± Spinner¡¯s first reaction to the question is that of complete surprise. The man was busy cleaning up their improvised pottery room when Shigaraki spoke to him. ¡°She wants me to teach her? I¡¯m a complete amateur in pottery!¡±
Spinner
Spinner my friend
my brother
my best bro for life
my forever player two
You¡¯re not an amateur
Get it to your thick head that your ability to learn shit from simulation games is probably your second quirk as it¡¯s certainly fucking supernatural
So, yes or no?
¡°I mean¡ alright?¡± Spinner is clearly not fully convinced of it, but decides to go along with it. ¡°If she thinks she can actually learn something from me, then sure, I¡¯ll do my best to help her.¡±
Great.
Go and do that then
Spinner really is something else.
I know, right?
The villain ranking he got from you heroes was a fucking disgrace
Anyway, we¡¯ve got this figured out
Which is great
What next?
I guess we¡¯re going to wait for a while, preferably until the beastkin show up.
I just don¡¯t think that with not one but two hostile groups in the area leaving for too long is a good idea, especially for a long time (and all the locations like the marble quarry are way too far from the Dungeon).
Although I think that there are two more loose ends to be tied before that happens.
One of them is the blood hornets, right?
And the other is the Blessing of Carnage and Blessing of Shadows and what they really are
Yes.
¡ you¡¯re going to ask Lanna about them, won¡¯t you?
Figuring everything out in practise is great and awesome and so on
But when you have someone you can just ask about it, what¡¯s the point of taking the harder way?
Booooooriiiiing
***
They left Yaoyorozu and her new golem to do a few more quick tests before starting her pottery lesson with Spinner, mostly about the maximum weight that it could carry and for how long.
Yaoyorozu made it clear that she fully expects the golem to break in the process, as she was going to increase the weight of the cargo until that would occur, thus telling her how much such a creature could carry.
A bit scary, but¡ elementals clearly weren¡¯t even animals, so Izuku was ready to allow that much to happen.
It was only going to be the fate of their first, prototype golem. The future ones were - hopefully - going to have a lengthy and successful life, full of thankless, menial work.
Izuku didn¡¯t like putting it that way. So he decided to ignore all of it.
¡°Blood hornets, ugh.¡± Lanna replies, with a look of disgust on her face, when Uraraka finally gets to ask her the question. ¡°Disgusting things. If you found a hive of them in the valley, you should do your best to burn it to the ground.¡±
Well, ain¡¯t that a great start
True
¡°What are they exactly?¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°We only know that they¡¯re something from Occasa¡¯s domain.¡±
¡°Because they are.¡± Lanna replies. She was sitting on the couch in the lampades boss room, one of the others sitting on the other end of it while the last one was giving some much needed attention to the gravehounds at the other side of the room. ¡°They¡¯re another branch of the endless swarm of horrid abominations that she¡¯s ¡®blessing¡¯ the Creation with. Arguably worse than the spider one that you already have some experience with.¡±
It¡¯s worse than the spiders?!
Uh-oh.
¡°Blood hornets feed on flesh and blood.¡± Lanna replies. ¡°Their stingers are armed in paralytic poison that lets them knock their victims out, before bringing their victims back to the hive where they are devoured and recycled into the wax and honey.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ creepy.¡± Uraraka decides.
Izuku and Tomura reach the conclusion that it was a massive understatement completely separately from each other and without a single word.
¡°It gets worse.¡± Lanna decides to make things even worse. ¡°They don¡¯t operate like normal hornets. They don¡¯t have queens to give birth to more of them. Instead they paralyze their victims, animals and mortals alike, and inject their eggs into them. When the young spawn, they begin their life by devouring their host from the inside.¡± Uraraka stares at her in shock, Lanna shaking her head. ¡°They sometimes don¡¯t even paralyze you, instead try to do that to you in the middle of the combat, so that even if you kill them all, their hive will survive. Absolutely disgusting and lethal.¡±
Uhm
And they don¡¯t even invite you to dinner first?
I can tell that this one was forced.
Don¡¯t bother.
sigh, yeah, yeah
Anyway, are we putting them in?
I don¡¯t think that this is a great idea, on multiple levels.
Ye
¡°Sorry to put it that way, but it does sound a bit¡ personal.¡± Uraraka replies, completely unaware of the brief exchange between Izuku and Tomura. ¡°I don¡¯t want to pry, but¡¡±
¡°Blood hornets enjoy seizing various underground locations for their hives.¡± Lanna replies, interrupting her. ¡°This includes tombs. I had to deal with an incursion of those back in Verkvena, and while we succeeded in wiping them off, my physical body was destroyed as a result of having some of their eggs deposited in my body. The pain was horrible, even to a daemon. I will definitely enjoy seeing those abominations die.¡±
Yeah, I can get how that makes you hate something
Yes.
¡°Your masters want to put them in the Dungeon?¡± Lanna doesn¡¯t let them digest her earlier words and immediately asks Uraraka the potentially dangerous question.
¡°They¡¯re still considering it.¡± Uraraka replies. At this point she doesn¡¯t even seem to be bothered by Midoriya and Shigaraki being referred to as her ¡®masters¡¯. ¡°I don¡¯t think that what they just learned from you will make them more likely to put them inside their Domain.¡±
To put it lightly.
Yep.
¡°Well, I don¡¯t like the hornets, but I do prefer to be open about things to let your master make informed decisions.¡± Lanna says before sighing loudly. ¡°Those fiends are indescribably annoying and equally disturbing, but their honey is considered a rare delicacy. Both in its natural form and as mead, and not only in the Physical Worlds. Even daemons can enjoy it. If you put a few of their hives in your domain, it will definitely make for a popular thing to be harvested by adventurers. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, their wax has some alchemical usages as well.¡±
Oh?
And that¡¯s¡ actually interesting.
Yeah.
Are we putting them in?
I would kinda like to try that honey.
See if it¡¯s worth the hype.
Yeah.
Me too.
¡
¡
Don¡¯t you have one guy in your class who is good with sweets?
Rikidou Satou/Sugarman, yes.
¡
¡
Now that you say that, I do have to admit that eating roasted meat with herbal tea for every meal, ever, has to be tiring.
And having a dedicated cook who would explore this world¡¯s flavor palette in order to improve everyone¡¯s morale sounds like a good idea.
I haven¡¯t said anything, but I did think it, and now I feel as if you¡¯ve violated my brain by your very presence inside it, stop reading my thoughts and get out
We¡¯re both inhabiting the same brain, in case you forget
I know
And I want you out of it even more
Sigh.
Anyway, so are we putting them in? And if so, at what level?
Yes, let¡¯s do it.
How about this: We make a new level for the hornets and put it as the new Third Level, pushing the spiders to be the new Fourth level.
We¡¯d also switch the skeleton/lampades level around with Komori¡¯s one, which should leave Komori¡¯s as the last boss of the first five-level segment of the Dungeon, and with skeletons being a level deeper we should be able to improve their equipment, and they¡¯d be the opening segment of the Elven Mine segment
Yes/no?
Yes, we¡¯ll do that later.
Ask her about the blessings
¡°Blessings are exactly what the name infers.¡± Lanna replies when Uraraka relays their question to her. ¡°They are a type of a spirit. They¡¯re to space in the Physical Worlds what daemons are to their mortal inhabitants and shard spirits are to their plants and animals.¡±
That answer, to be honest, doesn¡¯t answer anything.
¡°Could you elaborate?¡± Uraraka replies in their stead.
¡°I keep being surprised by how little you know.¡± Lanna sighs. A bit rude, though they definitely earned it. If anything, she was being quite patient with them. ¡°If you put a Blessing of Night in a room, it¡¯ll render the room extremely dark, yet with sharper shadows, which is perfectly suited for shadow magic. Blessing of Carnage, in the meantime, acts by empowering the anger of everyone in the vicinity, while making every injury bleed much faster. That¡¯s all that the Blessings can do.¡±
Well, that definitely explains the N/A threat level rating.
I don¡¯t think they can be attacked or attack anyone in return.
Kind of useless on its own, something that just buffs or debuffs everyone in the room, depending on a number of other factors
True.
But it still can be pretty useful if used properly.
Ye
The beastkin arrive two days later, and things immediately take a turn for the interesting.
056: More Hornets - and Guests
In hindsight, they might have gotten a bit too enthusiastic with their new hornet level. It was nearly entirely composed of blood hornet hives, and that was a bit¡ excessive , yes. But it made more or less sense if you realized the thought behind it all.
The level (thus far) was just pretty small, but rather dense. It was also taking full advantage of their recently discovered concept of multi-levelled levels.
Anyone entering the Level would find themselves facing the corridor splitting in two, which quite quickly converged again into a Level Change (not Floor Guardian) room, which was very large and largely empty.
But the funny part of that place was that they made the ceiling be very high (about twenty meters tall, to be exact) and put three separate hives in the rooms adjacent to it, connected with it far above the ground.
Look, if someone wants their honey, they gotta earn it.
They also made one fairly narrow but extremely tall corridor cutting through the Level in the middle of it, with six more [Blood Hornet Hives]. Only two of them - the ones in the middle - were actually on the floor level.
The remaining four were pretty hard to reach and were located at the far edges of that perpendicular corridor. They also made sure to make the main corridors be pretty wide in order to allow the hornets to swarm the adventurers more efficiently.
All of that has made the whole level absolutely crawl with the Blood Hornets. Which looked like hornets, if someone made them to be about one meter long, and replaced yellow parts with crimson red ones.
Their buzzing was somehow evil.
Izuku doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s possible to make a buzzing sound be evil , but somehow Occasa succeeded in this incredible task. Truly, a feat worthy of a High God.
They¡¯ve made about fifty of those move all around the level, with the plan of slowly expanding the number (but that¡¯s how much mana they had right now) just as they expand the level.
They are absolutely creepy.
You think they also have a girl version somewhere
Yes, but I refuse to think about it.
¡
same
The hives, though, were a bit of a disappointment. Nothing was there, at least at the start. Yes, the place could automatically respawn some of the blood hornets that were killed, but that was all.
No honey, and no wax. Nothing at all, really.
I think they have to actually eat things and deposit them in their hive for it to show up, as otherwise, it¡¯d be just spawning the stuff directly from the system but with extra steps
Makes sense.
We should still consider spawning Satou-kun to let him work with the local flavors asap, though
I¡¯m curious about said flavors, yes
but I think that defense takes precedence considering the current situation
and the potential battle that might soon occur pretty close to us
Fine.
We should still drop some meat to this level, to see if the hornets will start to properly make the stuff.
Alright, that¡¯s fair.
¡
Wait, do we actually have enough meat?
I¡
No?
Wait a moment.
WAIT A MOMENT.
Have we ever tried to assimilate any of the forest animals? Like a deer? Or did we just have them butchered and eaten? Before assimilating some leftover stuff like their bones?
¡
You¡¯re an idiot.
I just saw Himiko having fun while hunting creatures and never really gave that any more thought.
Also, you didn¡¯t have that idea either.
So what, you¡¯re still an idiot.
Ugh.
Anyway, yes, that was a stupid oversight, although in our defense, there just didn¡¯t seem to be any point in populating the restricted area of the Dungeon with, say, deers.
We¡¯ll try it very quickly, Himiko should be going hunting soon either way.
Alright.
***
And yes, it works. Just as they suspected, it worked.
As a result of the brief hunting trip they¡¯ve managed to obtain both a [Deer] and a [Rabbit], both of which belonged to a completely new category called the [Wildlife]. Rabbit had a measly ETL of 0.2, while deer managed to be scored with 0.6.
What¡¯s even more important, they¡¯ve obtained the [Butcher¡¯s Workshop], which was another room designation (after [Necromancer¡¯s Laboratory], [Library] and [Metalworks]) that didn¡¯t change a lot if you excluded the fact that you had all the appropriate furniture pieces available from a single menu.
For now, it didn¡¯t mean that much. They didn¡¯t have that many unlocks. But once they¡¯d be having tens of thousands of minor furniture pieces from numerous cultures out there? Yes. Then they¡¯d be thanking whoever designed that particular part of the menu.
Sweet.
So we can just spawn deer under our rooftop, and then have them killed, thus obtaining a lot of meat that we can then use to feed the Gore Munchers and the Blood Hornets
It seems so to me.
We¡¯re gonna need a qualified butcher to work there full-time, eventually. Part-time, now.
At least if we want to leave the choice bits for ourselves.
Especially if we want the blood hornet to produce their goods on a reasonable timescale.
Don¡¯t have me start on feeding the Gore Munchers and maybe even the Cynocephalii.
And I think that if we feed them properly, they¡¯ll be able to fight harder.
probably
We might get someone to work this for us sooner or later, but in the meantime, have you considered asking the amazon girl
She looks like the hunter type, and she should be able to do stuff like that, right?
Do you want to be the one to tell her that she¡¯s supposed to do menial work instead of fighting?
She can do both
Work in the butcher¡¯s workshop, but leave the level in question to repel attackers and during the raids
Well, we can try asking, that¡¯s for sure.
***
Ay¡¯zira agreed, on the condition that this was going to be temporary. As while she was alright with that, she wanted to fight , not to work . And that was something that Uraraka was fully supportive of.
They¡¯ve expanded the lowest level of the Dungeon by adding the [Butcher¡¯s Workshop] then, which involved all the stuff that they needed for efficient dismantling of corpses. With none of the creepy stuff that was happening in the [Warlock¡¯s Laboratory] next door.
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They could then easily spawn animals inside and have them quickly dismantled, of course unless you were dumb enough to get kicked or charged by a deer, which would likely cause some interesting event to occur in their Dungeon.
If you were into chasing fleeing animals through the corridors of the Dungeon. None of them were.
Why couldn¡¯t they just create meat itself? It was weird. They could create leather, but not meat. They also couldn¡¯t create plants themselves, even if they could let them grow on their own. Why? They have no idea.
It really feels somewhat arbitrary.
Arbitrariness aside, that has solved another issue with their Dungeon¡¯s operations. Great. They were slowly getting better and better. What next?
They were all just waiting for the Beastkin to come back and tell them what to do. In fact, it was so bad that Izuku was genuinely worried that they wouldn¡¯t believe them and that would be¡ disappointing .
If we put a new Level between the boulder trap and the living area one, we should be able to put the [Rose Guard Barracks] there.
I know
You really want the horny brigade to be here
I want additional warriors, because there might be a fight out there soon, so we should be prepared.
Riiight.
Alright then, so fine, we should get it done and be done with it.
I genuinely think that forcing us to design their barracks piece of furniture after piece of furniture is Procacitas indulging in some mental torture kink on us and other Dungeon Lords
Couldn¡¯t it be completely automated, like the Hives for example are?!
I
That¡¯s definitely possible, and I hate it.
Anyway, let¡¯s just wait for the Dungeon to recharge, place that Level and be done with it.
We¡¯ll get to ten full levels that way! Isn¡¯t that cool?
Yes, yes it would be.
***
They don¡¯t get to create the new level of their Dungeon that day, as unfortunately (or fortunately) that¡¯s where the beastkin arrive.
Elder Anaya practically storms into the Dungeon, flanked by Uzar and five more decently-equipped beastkin. All of them are wolf-morphs like Uzar, looking like they mean business.
The look on elder Anaya¡¯s face made it clear that she was absolutely livid . Or at least very emotional .
¡°Dungeon Lord, I do not know if you¡¯re hearing me, but we need to talk.¡± Anaya announces as the entire group stops in the middle of the corridor that formed the main axis of the First Level. She must have realized that the place changed a lot and didn¡¯t want to head in blindly.
Go on and try to be a bit less childish than usual, remember that you were supposed to grow up as a person as the Dungeon did.
Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, stop being a complete asshole.
To you? Never.
***
Some time later Tomura climbs from Second to First Level and walks down the corridor to meet the beastkin.
¡°Dungeon Lord.¡± Anaya is respectable enough to bow her head a little. ¡°I apologize for the urgency, but we¡¯re here in response to your letter.¡±
So the letter did reach them. Looks like Keran¡¯s trustworthy as a messenger. They had nothing to say about his speed, though, as they had no idea how far the nearest beastkin settlement was from the Dungeon.
¡°Good.¡± Tomura grumbles back. ¡°Those people are annoying and I want them gone.¡±
He was truly the best person to act the manchild. Izuku¡¯s decision to use him as the official face of the Dungeon was a truly inspired one. He was natural at it!
Literally.
¡°We wanted to clarify a few things before proceeding to removing those¡ intruders from your valley.¡± Anaya replies. Tomura stares at her without blinking, giving her that unsettling dead fish stare. ¡°Are you willing to answer some questions from us?¡±
¡°Go on.¡± Tomura replies shortly.
¡°In your letter you¡¯ve mentioned finding an entrance to the mine coming from Labyrinth up and reaching the surface.¡± Elder immediately moves over to asking the questions. ¡°Are you completely certain of that?¡±
¡°You think I lied to you?¡± Tomura hisses at her. For a second Izuku was worried that he forgot what he was supposed to do, but no. It was a calculated moment of anger. ¡°The mine is right there. They tried to use explosives to deepen the tunnel and breached the surface. The entire entrance to the mine is a crack in the ground, with the elevator on the top level going only down . What else could it be?¡±
¡°Please, do not misunderstand.¡± Elder Anaya decides to play nice. Izuku can only wonder how much they all complain about having to deal with Tomura the moment they¡¯re out of the Dungeon. ¡°I am not accusing you of lying to me. However, I had to use a lot of favors and bribery to have a significant amount of our warriors committed into this valley. I¡¯ve trusted your warriors, but if you misunderstood something, I might lose my position in the tribe. Which I¡¯d prefer to avoid.¡±
Elder Anaya was definitely banking on the Dungeon. How many people in her tribe did even see the Dungeon? No one expected it to exist in such a place, and it was reasonable to doubt its existence.
However, Anaya knew for certain that there really was a Dungeon. And that it could offer them some long-term benefits. And so, she was ready to take some risks, or even act against the will of the tribe (to some degree).
It was very likely that everything that they¡¯ve got from the beastkin as a gift was delivered by Anaya rather than her tribe.
If they really happened to find an access route to the Labyrinth, and if that was as valuable as everyone in the Dungeon suspected, it might mean that elder Anaya was going to receive the return on her investments much earlier, and have them be several times higher than she could expect.
¡°You won¡¯t.¡± Tomura decides to take a step back from his fake moment of outrage. ¡°It¡¯s there. We got some stuff from it. Including some desiccated corpses of stone elves. Those live only in the Labyrinth, right?¡±
They clearly did. Izuku could say that from the looks on the faces of the beastkin. Even elder Anaya looks suddenly¡ calmer, and yet even more excited than she was earlier.
¡°You can sometimes find some of them living on the surface, but it¡¯s very rare.¡± Anaya replies, clearly relaxing a bit. ¡°Not just an iron mine with high quality iron ore but also an access to the Labyrinth. Incredible.¡±
The last word made it clear that she meant it. That it really was as valuable as they suspected.
¡°You still have to secure them first.¡± Tomura decides to ruin her mood. Classic Shigaraki. ¡°And it''s occupied right now. The Ecstasy forces have already begun to leave it to explore the area. We had a fight with them a few days ago.¡±
¡°Rose Guard and Gore Munchers, from what you mentioned.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°Anything else? How many?¡±
¡°A lot of the Cynocephali, but we¡¯ve cut down their numbers by something like eighty or eighty-five.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°No idea how many of the others. We¡¯ve killed and assimilated six Gore Munchers, too. And as for the Rose Guard, the answer¡¯s ¡®probably a lot¡¯.¡± He tilts his head a little, scratching the side of his head while staring at the beastkin. ¡°The patrol we encountered had ten of them. The main force is probably much larger.¡±
¡°It definitely is.¡± Anaya agrees with him. ¡°If they¡¯re sending so many on a simple patrol, they might have a few hundred soldiers in total. Thankfully, that¡¯s exactly how many warriors of my tribe are waiting about a day away from here.¡±
A few hund¡ Oh, yeah.
Anaya was definitely taking a giant gamble with this entire situation. But Izuku was definitely going to remember her willingness to raise a few hundred warriors merely because the Dungeon said that they¡¯re needed.
Both as the promise for future cooperation and an unspoken threat for what would happen if they managed to annoy her.
¡°Great.¡± Tomura manages not to say anything, but Izuku knows what he¡¯s thinking. He¡¯s imagining how many unlocks the battle between those two forces was going to bring. And for once, Izuku not only understood his thoughts but also agreed with them. ¡°But we have to decide on a few things first.¡±
¡°Let me guess, you want to talk about what we do after the battle?¡± Anaya asks. She clearly expected that from the start.
Then again, as Izuku was spending more and more time as a Dungeon Lord, the more he understood why the Dungeons were clearly some sort of compulsive hoarders. They sometimes felt almost designed to be compulsive hoarders, really.
¡°Yes, but not just that.¡± Tomura replies, clearly surprising Anaya a bit. ¡°There are two elven burial sites in the valley. I want neither of them disturbed as their inhabitants have sworn themselves to me in exchange for protection. This is non-negotiable.¡±
Anaya stares at him in clear surprise for a few seconds, before managing to speak.
¡°There were elven burial sites here?¡± She asks, clearly still surprised by Tomura¡¯s words and not actually expecting an answer. ¡°Very well then. We¡¯re not planning to overstay our welcome in the valley either way. However, there is a subject that I have to bring up right now. It¡¯s the ownership of the mine.¡±
Of course she wanted to talk about it. Izuku and Tomura expected it to happen. In fact, they¡¯d find it heavily suspicious if Anaya didn¡¯t want to have that talk with them.
¡°It¡¯s not far from here.¡± Tomura decides to pretend in hopes of earning something from the Beastkin. Probably. ¡°I was promised everything within the three days of walking from my Domain.¡±
¡°You were.¡± Anaya replies while nodding. ¡°However, the situation has become a bit more complicated. I assume that you¡¯re not interested in renegotiating our deal, right?¡±
¡°Right.¡± Tomura replies dryly.
¡°If we do secure the mine, are you interested in lending it to us?¡± The elder then replies with a question. Oh, so that¡¯s how she decided to play it out. ¡°We¡¯d exploit it by ourselves while also keeping it well-defended for you. Yes, it¡¯d mean a somewhat greater presence of my tribe in the valley, but we¡¯d stick to the places that you¡¯ve allowed us to visit. Dungeon, the mine and the route between it and the nearest settlement of our tribe.¡±
Tomura squints at her. Making her immediately decide to add something more to the deal.
¡°We¡¯ll allow your servants a free passage through the mine into the Labyrinth.¡± She adds. ¡°Naturally, we¡¯d also explore it on our own, and with the deal between us and you still in effect, you could expect some additional tribute from that mine.¡±
I think that¡¯s all that we can get from it.
Don¡¯t push too far, it¡¯s all that we wanted either way.
¡°Very well.¡± To Izuku¡¯s surprise, Tomura actually plays along. Huh. ¡°I agree. The mine will be ours, but you¡¯re free to operate it in any capacity that you want. How are you planning to deal with the Ecstasy forces?¡±
Yeah. Good point. They were sharing the spoils of an enemy that was still out there. Having likely fortified their mine even further.
But it had to be done.
¡°We¡¯ll simply march towards the entrance in question.¡± The elder replies. ¡° Slowly. If they decide to face us on the surface, they¡¯ll have the time they need to leave the mine, allowing us to not have to deal with pitched close-quarters battle underground.¡±
¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± Tomura asks.
¡°Then we¡¯ll set camp outside of the crevice, preventing them from leaving.¡± The elder replies calmly. ¡°And then we¡¯ll start dumping flammable liquid through the crevice before setting it aflame and blocking the crevice so that the smoke will choke everyone underground or at least force them to move away from the entrance into the mine. Contrary to how it looks, a mine is far from a defensible location.¡±
¡
That¡¯s¡ a bit extreme.
But definitely very practical.
¡°They probably know that.¡± Tomura decides to remind Izuku that for all his faults, he wasn¡¯t stupid. Lacked a lot of knowledge on many subjects, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. ¡°And you¡¯re planning to approach the mine slowly to give them time to realize you¡¯re there and exit the mine to fight you.¡±
¡°That would be the plan, yes.¡± The elder replies. If she¡¯s surprised by Tomura¡¯s words, she doesn''t show it on her face or in her voice. ¡°However, the question I have for you is whether you wish to participate in the battle.¡±
¡°Let me guess.¡± Tomura tilts his head a bit, giving the elder that unsettling stare that seemed to be his specialty. ¡°You hope to clash with them in the part of the valley in front of the Dungeon, so that we can suddenly unleash our own forces at the enemy¡¯s flank.¡±
¡°That would be ideal.¡± The elder replies. This time she did glance at Tomura with a somewhat weird look on her face. ¡°Even if it won¡¯t work, a wave of weak spirits can be helpful if timed correctly. The real question is how much you could provide us.¡±
Tell her.
Cynocephali, Gore Munchers, maybe the Rose Guards. Add that some of our servants might be interested in joining the battle.
I¡¯m not denying Ochako a chance to take part of a real battle.
¡°I currently possess sixty-nine Cynocephali, six Gore Munchers, nine Rose Guards although I¡¯m yet to actually spawn them and a few servants that should be alright with joining your ranks for the battle, if it¡¯s possible.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°There¡¯s also an Amazon and a Hamadryad, but dunno if the latter will want to take part in it.¡±
None of them missed Uzar and Anaya exchanging glances before the latter spoke again.
¡°That¡¯s¡ more than I actually expected.¡± She admits. Tomura manages to look smug at the compliment. ¡°How many levels do you have right now?¡±
¡°Nine.¡± Tomura replies shortly. ¡°I¡¯m going to have ten by tomorrow.¡±
¡°That¡¯s extremely quick for a Dungeon.¡± Anaya replies, giving him a somewhat surprised look. ¡°Do you know what your maximum size is?¡±
¡°Does a child of your tribe know how tall they¡¯ll be when they grow up?¡± Tomura replies, frowning. ¡°Don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t care until it becomes important. Get to the point and answer.¡±
¡°The answer is yes.¡± Anaya replies, clearly dropping that dangerous subject.. ¡°Your servants are free to participate in the battle as well. As for the rest, that depends on how the situation develops. Is there anything that you want from us in exchange for that help?¡±
¡°A test of my Domain.¡± Tomura replies, to Izuku¡¯s genuine surprise. What was he talking about? ¡°A group of you, with some actual combat skills, going down. Just a quick dash through it, no need to waste time. Might be past the limit of open levels.¡± He scratches the side of his neck. ¡°I need to get a reading on how good my defenses are.¡±
Oh. That was actually a good idea. And one that Tomura had. What a surprise.
¡°This¡ this can be arranged.¡± Anaya decides a few seconds later. ¡°But I¡¯ll have to contact the camp beforehand.¡±
057: Testing Run
Soon afterwards, Izuku discovers that inviting the beastkin to do a test run was merely the first of Shigaraki¡¯s great ¡®ideas¡¯ that he didn¡¯t think to share with Izuku beforehand. Because he also decided to follow the beastkin as they headed deeper into the Dungeon.
Why?
Izuku has no idea, and since Tomura was close to the beastkin at all times, he also couldn¡¯t talk. And thus, he couldn¡¯t answer Izuku¡¯s questions. If he even bothered to ask them while knowing that it was just a waste of time.
But he didn¡¯t.
He instead switched his attention over to Ochako, letting the beastkin send one of their own as a messenger to their forces outside the valley.
Ochako, together with Himiko, decided to hang out with Ay¡¯zira. And by ¡®hang out¡¯ Izuku means ¡®butcher some animals together¡¯.
Which was bloody. So, just like all the girls in question liked it.
So, Ochako, I have news for you.
¡°Huh?¡± She freezes in place when she hears his voice in her head. She lacked [Butchering] skills so she was instead busy slaying and carrying the deer for them to process. Then the look on her face brightens instantly. ¡°Izuku! What¡¯s going on?¡±
She had a dead deer thrown over her shoulder and bleeding all over. Despite all of that, Izuku didn¡¯t mind any of that and thought that seeing that smile of hers brightened his day instantly.
He was really deeply in love with her.
She was just so pretty, smiled so brightly, loved him back so much and (although in big part thanks to Himiko¡¯s, errr, tutelage) showed him so many great and intriguing things behind the closed door of their apartment.
Not to mention how caring and kind and ready to break Shigaraki¡¯s kneecaps if he showed up outside of the Dungeon Core and bullied him she was.
He had no idea what he felt towards Himiko, but he was certain that the situation was developing there as well. He liked her smile (big change from Japan when Himiko smiling usually meant that someone was at the risk of dying), he laughed at her antics, and all around liked spending his time with her, even if Ochako was definitely taking the first place in his heart by far.
The beastkin are here and they brought a few hundred of their kind for the battle that will soon happen.
And guess what?
They agreed to have some of our servants join their ranks for the battle.
Uraraka squeals. Which drags the attention of both Ay¡¯zira and Toga, both of the girls pausing their work and looking at her over the corpses that they were butchering.
¡°Ochako? What¡¯s going on?¡± Himiko asks. She can definitely see that it was something nice, and she definitely heard the word ¡®Izuku!¡¯, so she knew who brought the reaction, they just didn¡¯t know what.
¡°Izuku got the beastkin to agree to some of us taking part in a battle!¡± Uraraka says, making Ay¡¯zira¡¯s face bloom into a wide smile. Himiko was less excited, and Izuku could easily guess that she loved seeing Ochako being so happy rather than the reason for her happiness.
¡°Yes!¡± Ay¡¯zira shouts while raising her arms. ¡°YES! And so quickly into being summoned here?! Physical Worlds are awesome!¡±
She was really easy to satisfy, it seems. Just give her some blood to spill from time to time, and she was happy with her life.
Huh.
¡°I gotta go ask others, especially Tokage-san, if they want in too!¡± Uraraka says cheerfully as she drops the dead deer. ¡°I¡¯m back once I get the answer from her! Izuku, don¡¯t spoil it by asking her in my name. I want to do it myself!¡±
Alright!
Have fun, Ochako!
Uhm, shouldn¡¯t you clean yourself from the blood first?
¡°Doesn¡¯t matter now, I¡¯m in a hurry!¡± She shouts back and runs out of the [Butcher¡¯s Workshop].
Huh.
***
Tokage does, indeed, want to take part in the battle, proving to them once again that she was clearly getting influenced by Uraraka and was finding more and more enjoyment in combat.
Others lacked the same development.
The elven members of their group decided not to participate if only because they would stand out too much and weren¡¯t sure if they would be able to hide their intelligence level while in combat.
In other words - if one of those 2-3 elves present on the battlefield spoke, shouted or something like this, it would be remembered and they still weren¡¯t sure just how developed a Dungeon¡¯s servants should be at this point.
Same thing with the ogres.
However, if the same thing was done by one of hundreds of beastkin scattered through the battlefield, the chances of anyone post-battle remembering that it was one of them in particular who spoke were slim, to say the least.
Spinner didn¡¯t care about the battle, though he did admit that if Tomura wants him to participate, he will. However, they didn¡¯t know just how common lizard people were among the incoming army.
Compress didn¡¯t care about the battle and seemed completely disinterested in what he considered to be a pointless bloodshed, though once again, he would participate if ordered. Izuku didn¡¯t feel like forcing anyone to do anything. And he couldn¡¯t ask Tomura.
Himiko, as expected, was ready to follow Ochako all the way into the underworld if she asked, much less into battle.
In short, they had exactly three volunteers in the Dungeon, four if you counted Ay¡¯zira. Not a lot. But it should be enough, if only to point their Cynocephalii swarm in the right direction.
Once Uraraka asks the questions to everyone, she goes back to working on mass producing the raw flesh that they need to manifest the Cynocephalii in their full number. They don¡¯t know how deep the beastkin will get, so just in case they only store the meat for now.
They don¡¯t want to physically manifest their spirits just to have them be slaughtered by the visitors that Tomura invited into the Dungeon.
Without consulting that brilliant idea with Izuku.
Yes, it makes Izuku be a tiny bit salty about the whole thing. Then again, he is already pretty salty about Tomura just existing.
Some time later, the wolfman used as a messenger comes back. Until it happened, elder Anaya and the others spent their free time chilling at their entrance level, sitting at a table and drinking herbal tea.
Or, to be exact, Anaya was drinking herbal tea. The others gave Izuku the vibes of not wanting to drink anything that wasn¡¯t beer. Or water if they were suffering from a really bad hangover.
Tomura was standing in the background, his back resting on the wall and staring at the visitors. Not saying anything. Just, staring.
If the beastkin mentioned something interesting while talking with each other, Izuku could only hope that Tomura was listening in on them, because he certainly wasn¡¯t. He was a bit too busy observing Ochako in her most enthusiastic self, trying to convince people to leave the Dungeon to fight in a regular battle out there with her.
Look, she was the prettiest girl in the multiverse, the enthusiasm was making her even prettier than that, and he refused to be ashamed of finding enjoyment in just¡ watching her bright smile.
¡°I¡¯ve relayed the message.¡± The beastkin who returned reports. ¡°They haven¡¯t spotted any enemies, but they¡¯ll start sending scouts into the valley. Mizar said that he¡¯ll personally ensure that no place they find will be disturbed. Especially the elven burial grounds.¡±
¡°Good, good.¡± Anaya nods before taking a final sip from her mint tea, before glancing towards Tomura. ¡°If the enemy doesn¡¯t decide to take our bait, one of your servants will have to guide us to the mine entrance. I assume that you know that.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies dryly. ¡°Start moving.¡±
He is still as much of a jerk as usual. And as usual, it worked as they intended it to.
***
As one can expect, early stages of the Dungeon weren¡¯t exactly a problem to the beastkin.
Last time it was just Anaya, Uzar and that annoying catgirl that ended up forfeiting her clothes to the Dungeon (Izuku found himself unable to recall her name off the top of his head).
Today, though, it was Anaya, Uzar and five more wolf-morph beastkin, equipped to a similar standard as he was. They had actual metal armors, even if incomplete - but even a chainshirt was definitely an improvement over normal clothes.
They had shields, swords, spears, axes and so on. Their weapons were of decent quality as well.
It might not be the same level of equipment than the Rose Guard had, to be honest. But they felt much more experienced and dangerous.
In all honesty, the Rose Guard looking pretty but lacking a proper combat strength that should be coming with such great equipment was¡ well, now that Izuku thinks about it, wouldn¡¯t it feel pretty on-brand for the Rapturous Ecstasy?
It definitely would.
First obstacle they encounter is the elemental level. And, well, it¡¯s not an obstacle at all. They just walk through it, nearly completely ignoring attempts by the elementals to slow them down.
¡°Were there any changes to this level?¡± Anaya asks Tomura midway through the shortest route to the level exit.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°Made it a few times larger. But it¡¯s just more of the same.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Anaya nods. ¡°Understandable. I assume the added space is for more people to harvest things inside you, and without the ability to completely suppress the elemental overflows on this level.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies again. ¡°If I have to allow you to steal my stuff, I might as well make it difficult.¡±
Izuku is still amazed by how natural Tomura was at being a manchild. And the beastkin are buying it all wholesale! Lovely.
***
Third Level is where things get interesting. Because it¡¯s a completely new addition to the Dungeon, and one that Lanna advertised as producing some quite interesting goods - and ones not interesting just for the Dungeon but also for those living outside of it.
The party doesn¡¯t even get to leave the starting room when they can hear distant buzzing. Distant evil buzzing. The beastkin¡¯ hearing was one of their greatest strengths as usual.
¡°Wait, what is that?¡± Anaya halts the groups¡¯ advance, while listening to the buzzing attentively. ¡°That¡¯s a sound I don¡¯t recognize.¡±
¡°I¡ I think that I do.¡± One of her sidekicks - not Uzar for once - speaks a few seconds later. ¡°It sounds like the blood hornets.¡±
¡°The blood¡¡± Anaya turns her head around to face that guy, her voice betraying how much she didn¡¯t expect such an answer. ¡°The blood hornets? Here?¡±
¡°It definitely sounds like them.¡± The sidekick replies. ¡°When I was serving in the auxilia I was tasked with dealing with a large scale infestation of those. The sound¡¯s exactly how I remember it.¡±
¡°Blood hornets?¡± Uzar asks Anaya.
¡°Spawn of Occasa.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°Annoying. Disgusting. Extremely dangerous. Can destroy entire ecosystems if allowed to spread unchecked. But both the honey and the wax they produce are extremely valuable¡ and I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s any other source of those on Vestiria, at least not in significant numbers.¡±
Uh-oh. It seems that Lanna was right. The Occasa roll turned out to be extremely valuable.
¡°So the Dungeon just became more valuable.¡± Uzar nods to himself. ¡°Not bad, not bad. It seems that our pursuit of Ekana is a gift that keeps on giving.¡±
¡°Correct.¡± Anaya replies shortly. ¡°Their honey is considered a delicacy and like a lot of food originated from the Spiritual World, it¡¯s extremely nourishing. I¡¯ve heard that a single bottle of it can satiate the hunger of a grown adult for a whole week.¡± She glances at Uzar. ¡°I also heard that it¡¯s a minor aphrodisiac and that mead made out of it maintains that trait.¡±
Oh.
Well, that has only made that honey more valuable. Nothing sells better than sex - maybe except for All Might as a brand.
Of course, Izuku immediately suspects that it was done for a reason. Does Occasa sound like a deity ready to give freebies to people? Of course not. So why were the blood hornets producing such a delicious thing?
In Izuku¡¯s opinion, it was so that the prey would willingly approach them so that the hornets could then sting it, paralyze it and use it to breed more of themselves, all while acting as an incentive for keeping small blood hornet populations alive.
After all, it was a Good Business?, right? Well, at least until something happened and you lost control of said population, making it spiral out of control.
¡°It¡¯s true.¡± The sidekick who spoke earlier adds. His face looks perfectly neutral. ¡°I can definitely attest to that.¡±
Well, someone seemed to have had some fun after dealing with that infestation, that¡¯s for sure. Well, good for him.
¡°Good to know.¡± Anaya says dryly as one of the remaining sidekicks chuckles loudly. ¡°As for the wax, it can be used for ritual candles, and for all the normal applications of wax. Such as lubricants for woodwork, ways to make paper waterproof and so on. In short, it¡¯s greatly valuable and will likely become a major focus of our subsequent visits here.¡± She glances towards Tomura. ¡°But if I may ask, where did you obtain those creatures?¡±
¡°Occasa likes it when her servants are killed.¡± Tomura replies calmly and with his signature unsettling stare. ¡°Turns out that she¡¯s ready to reward such behavior. So I just bought it from her.¡±
¡°I¡ see.¡± Elder Anaya seems oddly confused about the concept of the manchild right next to her managing to ¡®buy¡¯ something from a god. ¡°Well, it was certainly a great choice. One that we¡¯re greatly thankful for.¡± She looks in the direction of the deeper part of this level. ¡°It¡¯s¡ time to deal with the problem at hand. Don¡¯t let yourself get stung. Keep your durability-enhancing martial arts on at all times.¡±
***
The fight is brief but brutal. Hornets immediately home in on the intruders and attack with near-suicidal ferocity, seemingly fine with having most of them die just to secure more food and more flesh to incubate more of themselves in.
It¡¯s the behavior that they learned to expect from Occasa¡¯s brood.
However, the enemy that they encountered was simply too strong for them. Despite making the corridors significantly taller and wider, they still know how to fight and do that as a team. As a result, the blood hornets are cut down swiftly and efficiently.
They know how to cover each other and they can do wide-slashes that can instantly kill two or three hornets if they position themselves correctly (and with their lack of intellect, the hornets position themselves correctly almost constantly).
To put it mildly, it was a sad spectacle. Although the fact that they considered the threat serious enough to keep their defensive techniques up was a saving grace.
¡°Lovely.¡± Tomura comments as they finally reach the level change room and fight off the swarm of the hornets coming from all directions. ¡°Bad news is that I¡¯ve added it very recently, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any of that honey to ransack. And it¡¯s also a bit of a disappointment, difficulty level wise.¡±
¡°Please, don¡¯t make it any harder than it already is.¡± Anaya replies immediately. Oh? ¡°In fact, you should consider making it a bit easier. If Keran¡¯s group was the one doing this, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d manage to get through this level without at least a single casualty. Hopefully just a temporary one, although the paralysis of those can last for a long time if I remember correctly. But if the victim gets the eggs instead of the paralysis, it¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±
¡°I thought that Dungeons were supposed to be hard to access.¡± Tomura replies, faking (slight) outrage quite well.
¡°Yes, but it¡¯s supposed to grow with every level in a more or less consistent manner, to make it so that only the stupid, the reckless and the overly greedy die a painful death.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°This is a major difficulty spike. And if the next level is the one with the spiders, it really feels as if the difficulty stays roughly the same for two levels in a row.¡°
¡°Hmph.¡± Tomura grumbles. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. Continue on.¡±
¡°I was promised honey and I was given none.¡± One of the sidekicks groans in the background, Anaya glaring daggers at him for a second before the group descends to the Fourth Level.
***
Fourth Level was as they expected it. A problem, but not a giant one. Something to delay this group rather than actually stop it or cause any injuries to them.
If anything, the beastkin warriors seem to be treating it like some sort of warm-up routine. Tomura looks annoyed by it and honestly, so is Izuku.
The absolute disrespect.
¡°We¡¯ll have to get you some sort of smelting tools for this level.¡± Anaya comments as they¡¯re passing by an entrance to one of the mining rooms, the two warriors acting as their vanguard slaughtering spiders that are trying to swarm them, not just on the floor but also on the walls and even the ceiling. ¡°Transporting the ore outside of the Dungeon has to be¡¡±
¡°My servants stole a mana-powered smelter from the elven mine before Ecstasy drove us out.¡± Tomura doesn¡¯t let her finish. ¡°But we¡¯ve put it on a lower level than this. Too valuable and I don¡¯t want anyone to steal it from us.¡± He squints. ¡°I¡¯ll be very angry if someone does that.¡±
¡°Oh, I ¡ I see.¡± Anaya didn¡¯t expect that to happen, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°If we provide you with a less¡ valuable one, more primitive and less efficient, will you be willing to put it on this level?¡±
Tomura tilts his head and stares at her without a word for a few seconds before finally speaking.
¡°Alright.¡± He eventually decides. ¡°But not for free. Same with lowering the Second Level¡¯ difficulty. If you want to dictate to me what I¡¯m supposed to do in my own domain, I want something for it.¡±
There is a brief flinch on Anaya¡¯s face that makes it clear that she isn¡¯t enjoying spending time with Tomura and getting pushed around like this. But she plays along. Then again, it¡¯s a deal that¡¯s very profitable for her as well.
¡°Go on.¡± Anaya replies eventually. ¡°What do you want?¡±
¡°Water.¡± Tomura replies. He is so cryptic about it, that he actually earns a confused look from her. ¡°I want a water level. A flooded cave or something like this. Hot springs, maybe?¡± He tilts his head, managing to look convincingly confused. ¡°Dunno how it works and what do I need to get that done. But you can definitely try.¡±
That wasn¡¯t something that any of them discussed in the past. Izuku definitely didn¡¯t expect that.
Tomura could show some surprising initiative, good to know. Something that he should definitely remember.
¡°Very well then.¡± Anaya decides not to have a fight over it, especially when it likely shouldn¡¯t be a very hard thing to obtain for her tribe. ¡°We¡¯ll provide that as soon as possible.¡±
¡°We have a deal then.¡± Tomura replies shortly and the journey continues.
They¡¯re going to have hot springs in their Dungeon? That was definitely going to improve everyone¡¯s morale! And was also going to make their hygiene into a much more enjoyable thing and¡ oh, dear.
He just imagined himself, Ochako and Himiko in a hot spring. And oh, damn. If he had a body right now, he would become completely red in an instant. The mind images were just¡ they were a lot.
***
What comes next is the Fifth Level, which is the one with Kinoko Komori as the final boss. Izuku doesn¡¯t have a lot of hopes for it, especially as elder Anaya wasn¡¯t going to be surprised by her lack of fear of fire for the second time.
And, well, he was correct in not having high hopes. Because their journey through the Fifth Level ends up being pretty much how he expected it to happen.
Against so many enemies at once, Komori doesn¡¯t manage to put up anything even remotely resembling a fight, and gets promptly chopped into pieces alongside the [Lesser Lignomorphs] that tried to fight alongside her.
¡°This level didn¡¯t change a lot.¡± Anaya comments a moment later. ¡°In fact, it doesn¡¯t seem to have changed at all.¡±
¡°I haven¡¯t gotten anything more to put here.¡± Tomura replies, sounding annoyed by the unspoken accusation. ¡°Putting more Lignomorphs and more random plants and nothing more feels pointless.¡±
¡°You want more creatures of the Wild Courts?¡± Anaya replies with a question. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can provide some of them. We have some very annoying neighbors that we clash with occasionally. That¡¯s how we got you some ogres.¡±
¡°Sure.¡± Tomura shrugs as Izuku can feel his desire for murder grow. ¡°Have fun with that. Give me more of it and I¡¯ll expand this level. With more plants.¡±
He did that explicitly so that he could annoy Izuku by having the beastkin kill people for them, didn¡¯t he?
And this jerkface was going to treat that as being a payback for the whole ¡®manchild¡¯ thing, right? And he was going to be super smug about it as if it was actually good payback, allowing him to get an edge over Izuku.
Worst part was that he wouldn¡¯t exactly be wrong about it.
Ugh.
***
The Sixth Level is when things become difficult. It was the level inhabited by the veritable army of skeletons, that thanks to being moved a level lower had their equipment a bit improved.
In fact, their melee fighters were now carrying somewhat aged-looking versions of the [Tribal Skirmisher Armor], which had mildly improved their resistance to hits. In the end, though, the beastkin almost immediately realized their weakspot.
Legs.
You could have an armor stick to a skeleton¡¯s body by having it hung off its shoulders, but if you tried the same with their leggings, they¡¯d just fall off. Same with leather thigh-highs. As a result, once the melee started, they immediately targeted the less-protected legs.
At one point, Izuku could see a single beastkin warrior immediately severing seven legs with one horizontal slash. Not good, to put it lightly.
But the sheer number of skeletons and the fact that they had their own archers meant that it at least somehow resembled a fight, forcing the beastkin to use their abilities and even actually block attacks.
¡°So¡¡± Anaya speaks at some point of the beastkin¡¯s aimless wander through many dead-end corridors of the level, under constant attack from the skeletons that seemed to converge on them from all directions. ¡°... one of those elven burial sites is held by the Breathless Tide, am I right?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies shortly. ¡°But if their leader didn¡¯t come all the way to my domain, the Rampant Bloom¡¯s forces would have killed me. I consider myself to be personally indebted to that particular individual and I¡¯ll take any attack on them as an attack on myself.¡±
¡°Point taken.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°Paying back your debts, both positive and negative, is something that my tribe understands well.¡± She then sighs. ¡°But did you really have to make this level into such a maze?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura deadpans. ¡°And I¡¯m looking forward to making it worse.¡±
Anaya just groans. All while Izuku is looking forward to the lampades¡¯ debut in the service of the Dungeon.
058: Doggopocalypse
¡®Hiring¡¯ the lampades to serve the Dungeon turned out to be a good decision, even if Izuku was genuinely worried the whole time that Tomura was going to enter genocide mode and try to slaughter the beastkin for daring to not only injure but actually slay the dogs in his presence.
However, to his surprise, Tomura remained uncharacteristically restrained. And intelligent. Hell, you could even say that he had enough foresight to foresee his own murder spree and managed to take some steps to prevent it from happening!
By informing Anaya¡¯s group that he¡¯s not going to be with them for that one fight and refusing to elaborate on the reasons for it.
Izuku is, secretly, very proud of his progress. Perhaps one day he was going to become something that actually resembled a human being.
Izuku has his hopes, but he knows that he should be realistic about it.
It was deeply unfortunate, but the visitors to their Dungeon were, eventually, going to exchange their knowledge about it, making every surprising twist to their Domain not stay surprising for long.
Why was that a problem? Because goddamn, the beastkin just completely froze in shock when they ran into three lampades (and their small group of Very Large Dogs) right after a whole level full of skeletons.
It was as hilarious as it was surprising even to Izuku. He genuinely expected them to be more conscious in combat.
Lanna raises her staff without a word, the lantern at the end of it glowing a pale white light, before the staff suddenly descends, the hilt hitting the floor and the light explodes out of the lantern.
The motion drew the visitor¡¯s eyes onto the lantern, making the resulting blast of light to hit them all in an instant. It was downright crippling , the glow transferring to the victims and making their eyes glow faintly as they staggered around in shock, one or two of them shouting in shock as their entire party briefly lost cohesiveness.
The gravehounds rushed forward. All nine of them, the two remaining lampades holding them back while Lanna was casting her magic.
For a moment, Izuku actually worried that it was going to be a total party wipe. That they were going to really mess it up and have them downright slaughtered, and completely helplessly. But it doesn¡¯t happen.
Despite her advanced age, Anaya reacted the fastest out of all of them. She realized what was happening in time and closed her eyes in time, which was enough to resist most of the influence. Then she immediately cast a defensive magic bubble around her party.
The gravehounds slammed their full body into it, the lampades all joining their attack by firing some sort of pale light beams out of their lantern staffs, the attacks hitting the shield right above the gravehounds heads.
The bubble doesn¡¯t last for long. But it¡¯s enough for some of the warriors to recover before the wave of flesh fangs slams into them.
Two gravehounds are dead or severely injured by the beastkin¡¯ spears before they get too close. And then, things get complicated for the beastkin, who are absolutely swarmed by the gravehounds.
Izuku sees one of the gravehounds closing its jaw on one of the warrior¡¯s hands, making the man lose their blade and scream in pain. Another one actually tried to lunge at the man¡¯s throat at the very same time, but one of his compatriots stopped it by grabbing the hound¡¯s neck and wrapping his arm around it, struggling with the enraged animal and proving to be surprisingly strong.
Another wolfman was actually toppled over, losing the grip on his spear, the gravehound leaping on top of him and trying to tear his face off. The man managed to grab his upper and lower jaw with his hands, desperately trying to stop them from closing on their throat.
All while screaming at the others to help him.
Izuku is briefly surprised by the fact that gravehounds are doing so well, despite the servants of the Bloom failing to do so. Then he remembers that the gravehounds are all on the level of [Spider Maidens], and this starts making more sense.
They are still dying one by one, but with lampades¡¯ assistance they¡¯re actually having problems with that.
Speaking of lampades¡ Uzar manages to decapitate the gravehound that landed on his comrade a moment later, only to get hit by a light beam from one of the lampades. He actually shouts while covering his face and taking a step back, clearly blinded and not enjoying that a lot.
A moment later the lampada that achieved that was hit by a surprisingly large fireball casted by the elder, which almost immediately set her robes on fire. As she is trying to put it out, she is almost cut in half by a sword of one of the beastkin.
They didn¡¯t actually get close to her. It seemed to be some sort of short distance ranged attack with a sword, projecting its cutting edge away from his actual sword.
The defenders are definitely losing the fight, but it¡¯s definitely not as smooth as Izuku - or Anaya for that matter - expected.
Before Uzar can recover from the light blast, one of the remaining gravehounds bites him in the thigh, toppling him over once more and starts shaking its mouth around, its fangs trying to force their way through the armor.
It shakes Uzar out of his stunned state. The beastkin warrior has no chill and immediately shoves his thumbs straight into the dog¡¯s eyes.
Izuku is happy that Tomura didn¡¯t see it. He had a much less extreme attachment to dogs, but even to him, this was just painful to watch.
Uzar used that method because the dog¡¯s initial attack made him lose the grip on his sword. It seemed to be happening almost too often for it to be natural. Is it some sort of side-effect of the lantern light? Some slight relaxation of the muscles that makes it easier for the gravehounds to disarm their opponents when they get into melee?
Disarm them in terms of their weapon first, then do the same for their arms. Those were some really angry doggos.
But unfortunately, they were running out of their numbers very quickly. But if there were two or three more gravehounds, the entire squad of professional fighters that just faced them in fight wouldn¡¯t manage to get past this room without casualties.
Izuku considered that a good enough grade for the boss room.
Second lampada dies when a beastkin warrior that was freed after defeating ¡®his¡¯ gravehound impales her on his spear. Since it was actually Lanna, Izuku considers this to be an unofficial end of the fight.
Then the third remaining lampada reminds him that despite her theoretically command position, Lanna was the same type of creature as her two ¡®sisters¡¯. By firing another light beam at the elder and actually hitting her in the face, stunning her briefly, and then immediately firing a different, slightly greener light beam.
Judging from the fact that hit the elder in the shoulder and seemed to do it with enough impact strength to actually dislocate said shoulder , it had to be carrying some kinetic energy.
Note to self - just because a demon listens to another one of their kind and seems to be less confident about things and less knowledgeable, doesn¡¯t mean that their personal combat skills are sometimes lesser.
Good to know.
Even if Uzar promptly decapitates the lampada (does he have some sort of thing for decapitating his enemies?), she still managed to teach Izuku something important for the future.
The rest of the beastkin finishes the last of the gravehound and starts to check up on their injuries (even if there weren¡¯t many of them and none seemed to actually take anyone from the further fight). Uzar, naturally, rushes to the elder¡¯s side.
¡°Set it straight.¡± Anaya says immediately. To Izuku she seems annoyed more than concerned by the injury. Uzar, without a single word, just does it.
Anaya doesn¡¯t even flinch, earning some respect for her pain tolerance from Izuku. He has no idea what sort of stuff she lived through in the past, but she really does give him a vibe of someone that has quite literally seen it all and refuses to be shaken by anything.
¡°Well, I¡¯m definitely going to feel that in the morning.¡± She says while shaking her head and checking out how her shoulder now works. ¡°Being old is really annoying. What a great reward for managing to survive so long. Are you alright?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Uzar replies. ¡°It didn¡¯t bite through the armor, though I probably got a bruise out of that. Anyone injured?¡± He then shouts to the others.
They shout back at him. Only one reported being actually injured - it was the one who got bitten in the arm and almost flanked by another gravehound. The fangs actually managed to pierce the skin, but the injury was minimal.
It¡¯s over, Shigaraki.
I think you can enter now.
¡°The dogs corpses didn¡¯t despawn?¡± Shigaraki asks. It was clear that he didn¡¯t like even hearing that fight.
They came to the Dungeon while physically manifested.
They¡¯re not despawning until the visitors leave this Level so that I can assimilate them.
¡°Ugh.¡± Shigaraki groans. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll try to kill them all for this next time.¡±
He then walks into the boss room.
¡°How was it?¡± Shigaraki asks, Anaya giving him a mildly irritated look.
¡°How did you manage to have servants of Mors coexist in a single Level with forces of the Breathless Tide?¡± Anaya asks. Yeah, that was definitely a surprising thing to see.
¡°I¡¯m very persuasive.¡± Tomura replies. Judging from the look that he gets from Anaya and Uzar, none of them are buying it. ¡°The skeletons are just puppets resembling corpses, not actual corpses. The lampades decided to agree to act as a floor boss fight for as long as none of them invade their personal space.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Anaya sighs. ¡°That was¡ unexpected. Your Sixth Level definitely represents a sudden increase in difficulty.¡±
¡°Good.¡± Tomura replies dryly. ¡°I intend to make every five Levels into a separate segment of my Domain. An over-Level, of sorts. Having a sudden spike in difficulty is intended.¡±
¡°Then it definitely worked out as you hoped it would.¡± Anaya replies before sighing loudly again. ¡°Almost too good, in fact. Evakh, grab their lantern staffs. They¡¯re valuable and hard to come by without annoying Mors permanently.¡±
¡°On it!¡± One of the beastkin nods and moves over to pillage the corpses. Tomura doesn¡¯t seem to mind.
Being a Dungeon Lord was a really weird experience. Izuku just saw a few people get slaughtered, one of which had spent a while talking with his best friend. And¡ he¡¯s supposed to not care as someone steals their stuff.
All of that because their lives weren¡¯t actually endangered in the process, and their stuff wasn¡¯t actually lost.
Weird.
He should do his best not to get desensitized to violence and death because of that. People outside of the Dungeon could still die permanently, after all. And so were the invaders and visitors entering the Dungeon.
¡°It only gets harder from here, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Uzar then decides to speak to Tomura. If anything, he sounds vaguely resigned.
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies without batting an eye. ¡°If you struggled here, I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re going to make it past the next one. But you¡¯re invited to do your best.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Well, we¡¯re definitely planning to try.¡± Anaya replies while shaking her head a bit. ¡°On a sidenote, I meant to ask about it earlier. This Level is modeled after the mine?¡±
Oh, so they¡¯re finally asking about it. Izuku wondered when it would happen for a while now. Anaya probably didn¡¯t want to waste time talking before they would clear the level properly and would be safe from random ambushes.
She gave Izuku the vibes of being a person who would do that.
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°Except the corridors there are usually wider and have a minecart rail in the middle.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Anaya nods. ¡°What about the skeletons? Are there any chances of fielding them in the battle?¡±
¡°It won¡¯t work.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°They¡¯re puppets made from my power. They can¡¯t leave my domain.¡±
¡°Regretful, but understandable.¡± Anaya replies before deciding to change the subject into something much more constructive. ¡°Very well then, let¡¯s continue on.¡±
***
Anaya¡¯s group run into the Dungeon ends on the Seventh Level, exactly as Tomura suggested earlier.
It¡¯s not even a lengthy fight.
They barely have the time to use the elevator to get to the second level of the mine segment before they hear howls. Coming from every direction at once, the elevator room on the Seventh Level opening in four directions at once.
There¡¯re barely any enemies coming from two of them, but the remaining two are nearly immediately swarmed by the Cynocephalii. A whole tide of Cynocephalii seeking nothing else but to tear them apart and devour their body as they¡¯re still alive, screaming for help.
The beastkin - very reasonably if someone was to ask Izuku - responded by immediately hitting the lever, making the elevator start to go up, only some of the Cynocephalii managing to grab onto the edges of the elevator before being promptly pushed off it by the nearest warriors.
In short, their reaction to the swarm is best described with the word ¡®NOPE!¡±.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s¡ not something that we can deal with in our current state and with our current numbers.¡± Anaya manages to look confident and authoritative even while admitting her defeat. ¡°How many of them are there?¡±
¡°Sixty-nine.¡± Tomura replies calmly. ¡°And then you get to the trap segment that you already know, except when you get past the projectile room one, there¡¯s no short corridor. And instead you immediately walk into the fight with the Gore Munchers.¡±
¡
There is an awkward silence at the elevator, interrupted only by the howling of the hungry Cynocephalii the level beneath them. Eventually, it¡¯s Anaya that breaks it.
¡°Difficulty spike, I see.¡± She says before shaking her head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely a place that could use some¡ thinning out of its population. And did you really have to make four exits from the elevator room?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura replies while giving her the Stare. ¡°I¡¯m tailoring those levels for when I¡¯ll have to deal with actual invaders. We¡¯re past the commercially accessible part of my domain, after all.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s a fair point.¡± Anaya concedes the point. ¡°Are there any interesting things from here on out?¡±
¡°There¡¯s the smelter I mentioned on this level.¡± Tomura replies. ¡°And some mining areas. Beyond this is the boulder trap that I¡¯m planning to improve after the battle. And then my personal living quarters, where I don¡¯t want any outsiders in. I also plan to put a barracks level between it and the boulder trap, where I¡¯ll house my army.¡± He tilts his head a little. ¡°Mostly Rose Guards right now.¡±
¡°You want to make the boulder trap even more annoying?¡± Anaya asks. Tomura can congratulate himself - he actually made her look horrified with something. Rare achievement.
¡°Yes.¡± Tomura stares back at her. ¡°Stone golems. I consider putting stone golems there that can make for a walking wall to crush you between themselves and the boulders. I consider this to be a wonderful decision and a great improvement to my domain.¡±
Izuku genuinely can¡¯t tell if Tomura was sharing that with them for the sake of more successful deterrence (making it a logical decision) of potential betrayal or if he just wanted to scare them a little and perhaps receive some words of acknowledgment for his planning and trapmaking skills.
Without even considering how he¡¯s betraying a significant part of their defenses. Thus making it an extremely bad idea.
Classic Tomura.
What he managed to earn was a moment of complete silence in the room. The elevator has already reached the still empty lampades¡¯ boss room, drowning out the howling. While only Uzar and Anaya experienced that place, the reaction of the other beastkin seems to make it clear that they heard the tales.
¡°I see.¡± Anaya breaks the silence eventually. ¡°You¡¯re definitely investing a lot of time, effort and thoughts into your own defense. That¡¯s¡ good .¡± She says nothing, but it seems that she has a lot of thoughts on the level in question. Huh. ¡°Is it enough for you? I believe that we¡¯re done with this visit and we should probably make our way back to the camp.¡±
¡°Hmm?¡± Tomura blinks at her, surprised by the sudden change of subject. ¡°Oh, yeah. You can go. That¡¯s all that I needed from you. I think that you¡¯d need one of my servants to follow you for communication, right?¡±
¡°Yes, that would be perfect.¡± Anaya replies. ¡°You should start to prepare your forces, too. We don¡¯t know when exactly the enemy will respond to our presence in the area. Can you get everything prepared on your end within a full day?¡±
¡°Should be possible.¡± Tomura replies. Izuku agrees with him. It¡¯s going to be a bit tough, but they should manage. ¡°You can go back on your own. The creatures won¡¯t attack you, but don¡¯t rush back or my servant won¡¯t catch up with you on the way back.¡±
¡°I assure you that we¡¯re not planning to rush anywhere.¡± The elder replies dryly. Yeah, right after having your shoulder dislocated Izuku would prefer to take it slow too.
Tomura says nothing. Just despawns himself, vanishing into thin air. That was a bit rude in Izuku¡¯s opinion, but alright. He didn¡¯t expect him to be well-mannered either way.
Okay, I¡¯m back.
How was it?
Surprisingly good for you.
Asshole.
Compress is on his way to join them as our representative.
Great.
¡
¡?
Okay, so I¡¯ll say it.
Good job, Shigaraki.
You¡¯ve managed to milk them for quite a lot of stuff.
I¡¯m especially looking forward to the hot springs.
You fucking horndog
you imagined yourself in the hot springs with Toga and Uraraka
I did
And I regret nothing.
¡
And also don¡¯t have me start on the additional properties of the blood hornet¡¯s honey, as I¡¯m really looking forward to testing it.
pervert
¡ maybe a bit.
You weren¡¯t like this in Japan.
I didn¡¯t have a girlfriend in Japan.
And I didn¡¯t even consider that being an option. Like, ever.
Now I have two (one and a half?).
And both of them are very much into me.
¡
So, yes. I¡¯m enjoying that. A lot. And I refuse to be ashamed of it.
You¡¯re fucking insufferable
Should I find myself a goth gf just to flex on you
First of all, why would that be better than having a khornate berserker gf with her perverted catgirl rogue sidekick gf?
STOP MAKING ME FUCKING UNCOMFORTABLE
YOU¡¯RE SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING G-RATED YOU PRICK
Second of all, you want a girlfriend?
You?
I, uhm¡
I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage to find one! Eventually.
Somehow?
AND DON¡¯T YOU DARE FUCKING PITY ME, YOU BITCH
¡
Fine I won¡¯t.
let me guess, it¡¯s because you prefer to not pity me and instead fucking bully me
No.
I just realized that I shouldn¡¯t act like a mean person just because I have two girlfriends.
It makes me feel like a bad person, even if you¡¯re a bad person yourself.
In fact, I even feel bad about calling you a bad person.
¡
And I shouldn¡¯t look down on you, regardless of the reasons for that.
Stop being so blindingly fucking pure
What?
You¡¯re being annoyingly nice and this is, well, annoying
I don¡¯t think that being nice to you should annoy anyone.
It¡¯s annoying because it¡¯s YOU who is doing it, as you¡¯re annoying by default.
And not a single fucking word about me needing therapy for anything.
Okay, okay!
¡
Be honest with me, are you jealous? Is that why you¡¯re so angry right now?
YES, YES I FUCKING AM YOU FUCKING JERK
I NEVER HAD A FUCKING GF IN MY LIFE BECAUSE MY ¡®ADOPTIVE FATHER¡¯ WAS GROOMING ME FOR SOME FUCKED UP GOALS I DON¡±T EVEN KNOW AND DIDN¡¯T WANT ME TO HAVE ANY FUCKING ATTACHMENTS IN THIS WORLD
AND HE ALSO KILLED MY DOG AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY
Stop rubbing salt into my wounds, okay?
¡ will you chill down and not be as annoyed at me if I tell you that if you find someone you like and it won¡¯t be anything in any way illegal, I¡¯ll be ready to help you make them like you?
Wait, really?
Yes.
¡ why though?
I just realized that I feel kinda bad about myself for acting as if I¡¯m better than you for having a girlfriend.
People shouldn¡¯t look down on other people for something like this. And I don¡¯t want to feel bad about myself.
I only accept looking down on other people when it¡¯s because of what they did, and even that only if what they did was evil .
¡ and you also think that the right gf might help make me become a better person because you have a thing for sobby redemption stories
Guilty as charged.
Sigh.
You know what, fine.
We have a deal.
Alright.
¡ be honest with me, is there anyone that you already like?
what?
I think that you wouldn¡¯t be THAT angry if it wasn¡¯t some serious thing down there. Something personal.
¡ I¡¯ll tell you, but if you tell anyone
I¡¯d say that you¡¯re yet to forgive me for the fact that I exist, but I assume that this would be an extra level of no-forgiveness.
Yes.
Alright. I swear on All Might that I¡¯ll keep your secret a secret.
Ugh.
Aeonia.
Happy?
¡
DON¡¯T YOU FUCKING DARE TO LAUGH AT ME
I¡¯m not going to laugh!
I¡ I can actually see you two together, you know?
Really?
Yes. I think you would feel right at home sitting in a room and comparing your plans for world domination.
Uhm, alright, that¡ that kind of makes sense.
Y-yes. So, anyway, if you need any help there, just tell me.
And for now, we should make a new level and put the Rose Guard and the undead there. Business before pleasure, right?
Right.
You¡¯re still a total hero jerk and an annoying All Might fanboy.
And you¡¯re still, well, you¡¯re still Tomura Shigaraki.
059: Opening Strikes
What happened next was the first day of the battle. Because yes, the battle of the Iron Brook Valley was going to be longer than that. Mostly because it started in a surprisingly calm and quiet way for a battle.
Then again, Izuku had no knowledge about medieval battles to be able to tell if it was supposed to be surprising. And while he could ask Yaoyorozu, he was certain that the answer that she would give him would be a very guarded one.
After all, it wasn¡¯t a normal medieval battle. It was a magical medieval battle. Everything that she¡¯d say would be pure speculation considering how little she knew about magic. Was there even a point in asking her just to see her being super defensive before giving him an answer that would be nothing but conjecture?
No, probably not.
Instead, Izuku ended up witnessing the battle from the perspective of Elder Anaya. Because Compress (who proved to be extremely adept at pretending that he was a brainless puppet) was tailing her constantly.
They¡¯ve got to see the camp that the beastkin set up at the verge of the valley. It was pretty large and¡
Well, to be fully honest, Izuku has no idea how to describe it otherwise. It was just a camp. Some tents, yes, but those seemed to be occupied mostly by the older and better equipped warriors. A lot of people slept on the ground, with only a blanket to make it slightly more palatable.
Turns out that if you put those close to each other, you can then cut some small trees, chop the branches off and drill them into the ground, before putting a large blanket on top of them and stretching it between four separate pillars and voila.
You have a super-low cost field ¡®quarters¡¯ for a ~dozen people or so.
You just had to get someone to dig out latrines, because it turns out that a camp for ~half a thousand people produces a lot of¡ well, excrements. Obviously, with how keen the beastkin senses were, they dug it in quite the distance away from the main camp.
To be honest, Izuku doesn¡¯t really want to dig into this subject. They weren¡¯t smelly and kept their hygiene to a level that was fairly impressive for such a primitive society, that was what mattered.
Back to the battle.
Anaya sent some scout groups into the valley, being roughly told where the entrance to the mines was. The mission was to confirm the presence of the Rapturous Ecstasy forces and establish how many of them were there.
Most of them steered clear of the Ecstasy''s own patrols, their enhanced senses allowing them to detect their enemies far before they could do the same. It would be completely different on a more open ground, but with trees restricting eyesight so much, it was all up to smell and hearing. And they excelled in that.
They could run circles around most enemies in such an environment.
The only exception was the group that Anaya tasked with announcing that they¡¯re no longer alone to the Ecstasy forces. That one did ambush a Rose Guard patrol. Did so right by the river.
Izuku only learned of it when the reports reached the elder, but, well. It wasn¡¯t anything big or impressive. Group of beastkin skirmishers attacked the patrol in question by throwing javelins and firing slingshots at them. However, with just how well-armored the Rose Guard was, they didn¡¯t manage to cause any damage. Then again, they weren¡¯t really trying to.
The closest thing to ¡®injury¡¯ that the Rose Guard suffered was to their dignity and came in the form of a catgirl skirmisher using [Cat Leap] to jump at one of them and make them fall into the river and get completely wet (and not in the fun way).
Only to quickly retreat just as her comrades were showering the remaining guards in insults and laughing at the one that fell into the water and seemed to have problems getting out of it.
And even then, it was questionable if there was anything to injure, as Izuku didn¡¯t think that Rose Guard had anything resembling dignity to begin with.
In short, the first day battle could be summarized to ¡®catgirl injures Rose Guard¡¯s pride and is insufferably smug about it when reporting to the elder¡¯. Not much, but it definitely helps solidify the image of the beastkin¡¯s culture in the eyes of both Izuku and Tomura.
They were brave . Suicidally brave, almost. Their entire culture venerated bravery to the point where being reckless was actually considered a great way to attract fame, and probably some girls/boys to your bed while at it.
That is, of course, if you managed to pull it off, thus proving both your personal strength and smarts. So, the attributes of their two High Gods.
No wonder that Anaya was so salty about so many youngsters of their tribe rushing straight to their death for numerous stupid reasons, even if those that proved that they can do that and survive (repeatedly) had to be ridiculously strong and hard to kill.
It was easy to forget about it, seeing how the elder and her sidekicks retreated immediately from the Cynocephalii swarm, but¡ it happened after spending about three to four hours fighting almost constantly and without resting, in a completely foreign territory and against completely unexpected enemies (like the blood hornets and lampades), while amassing some lesser injuries and being forced against an enemy that had a numerical superiority of about 10:1.
And Izuku is 100% certain that they could easily fight their way through that (at the cost of really having to rest in some secured Node Room) if they could set up a chokepoint, instead of having to face an attack from four directions at the same time.
With the benefit of hindsight, they probably retreated because they couldn¡¯t be sure if they¡¯d manage to keep their elder safe and losing their commanding officer in a purely optional combat encounter right before a large battle would be the height of stupidity.
In short, the first day of the battle was really boring.
The most interesting thing was Monoma and Yaoyorozu engaging in a lengthy discussion as to how exactly the beastkin society can feed so many purely or almost purely carnivorous people. Only to - after something like an hour of an increasingly heated argument with a lot of sassy remarks on one another - come to a decision that they had no idea how it was possible.
It was such an incredible letdown that it made Izuku of all people groan loudly. In his mind, yes. He wasn¡¯t manifesting as a dungeon lord at such a crucial time, he wanted to keep an eye on Tomura just in case.
It looped back to being hilarious when Tokage - who was munching on a large chunk of roasted rabbit in the background while the debate was occuring - took that moment to raise her hand and ask if it¡¯s possible that there are more extremely filling foods out there, like the blood hornet¡¯s honey. Which could apparently satiate a grown man for days with a single meal.
And if some of that food was meat.
And if that¡¯s why the camp that Izuku described to them all earlier included some massive furry herbivores that seemed to resemble aurochs but were much bulkier and larger. The same creatures that Monoma and Yaoyorozu disregarded as a ¡®real¡¯ solution due to how few of them were there.
The duo looked absolutely disappointed with themselves for missing that.
Tokage just shaked her head and returned to eating the rabbit.
Strangely hilarious.
Uraraka spent most of the day doing some really dirty, dirty things with Toga. And Ay¡¯zira. The addition of the amazoness should make it clear that it wasn¡¯t about sex, as while Uraraka and the daemon did hit it off right off the bat, it was in the ¡®mutual respect and friendship¡¯ way.
Uraraka was absolutely and completely committed, and so was Toga.
The ¡®dirty¡¯ thing in question was butchering. Constantly. Just¡ butchering and butchering. And not for consumption. They needed fresh meat to create entire piles of it that Izuku and Tomura could then push the souls of the Cynocephalii into, forcing them to manifest physically.
Then they had Kirishima herd their newly created ¡®soldiers¡¯ into a separate part of their level, to avoid the whole thing getting messy. They had no problem with the physically manifested spirits to continue with their standard activity of trying to eat each other, as it was clear that the regeneration was working just as well as when they were in their ¡®natural¡¯ forms.
Naturally, Ay¡¯zira was getting physically manifested as well, because there was no way that she was missing out on the battle. She would become incredibly insufferable if they even suggested that.
***
Second battle was mostly the same thing as what happened on the first day, except for Anaya clearly deciding to increase the pressure applied to the Ecstasy forces in the valley.
She already made it clear that there were beastkin in the area on the first day, now it was time to make it clear that there were significant beastkin forces in the area. Or at least that¡¯s how Tomura and Izuku identified what they could see through Compress¡¯ eyes.
This time they actually committed more than just the skirmishers into the valley. About fifty warriors - all of them wolfkins of either gender - marched after the skirmishers, commanded by Uzar and supported by two foxkin shamans.
There was also someone else attached to their unit. Someone whose very existence made them realize that for all their combat skills and ferocity on the battlefield, the wolfkin are far from the strongest fighters among the beastkin.
It was a female bearkin . A head taller than Uzar and significantly wider as well, likely at least 30 or 40kg heavier than him and all of that had to be muscles . Her thighs alone looked as thick as a tree trunk and were definitely thicker than his head. And Izuku was fairly certain that it was all muscles too.
Most of that already impressive body covered in metal plates, their back additionally covered by a fur cloak. Unlike many of the poorer beastkin warriors, she was also wearing a helmet, although of a bit of a weird design.
Izuku could understand the front of it being open, but holes for ears, really? At least they weren¡¯t too big. But it made sense, it was a semi-logical compromise between protection and the enhanced senses of the beastkin.
As if to make it even clearer that the Ecstasy warriors were screwed, she was carrying a two-handed axe.
I¡¯ll be honest with you
Please don¡¯t be.
I think that I wouldn¡¯t mind having my head squashed like a watermelon if it meant said head finding itself between those thighs even for a moment
¡
I thought that you¡¯d say some variant of ¡®I wish that she dies in the battle so we unlock that subspecies¡¯.
Well
That too, I guess
Right.
Do you agree with me on that?If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
No.
On both accounts?
No.
But I refuse to elaborate.
She had skills to back it up. It was clear that Uzar was in charge of the operation, but the moment they encountered the enemy, wow .
Because this time, they did manage to witness the fight. It happened close enough to the Dungeon for Spinner to observe it from the top of the cliff by its entrance. Although, yes, it¡¯s still happening in the distance. They don¡¯t see a lot of details.
They do see the bearkin champion severing two Rose Guard soldiers in half with a horizontal swing of their battleaxe.
The fight was brief and rather intense. The day-one clash has alarmed the Ecstasy forces that they¡¯re not alone in the valley, but also made them severely underestimate just how many enemies they had in the area.
As a result, they scaled up their patrols, likely looking for the origin of the beastkin. Instead, they ran into a few dozen warriors, supported by a few groups of skirmishers. Cue, a really nasty fight.
That also told them a lot about the beastkin tactics.
The bearkin champion led the charge, their sheer size, weight and the resulting momentum (together with a swing of their weapon) almost immediately crushing the very center of the formation that the Rose Guard attempted to form.
It was made immediately clear that they were dealing with more than just the Rose Guard. The unit that the beastkin engaged in combat was composed of twenty of those that formed the main battleline, but there was more than that.
They were also a few sword dancers-type characters, wearing rather scarce clothes as one should probably expect, and dual wielding curved swords. They seemed elven from a distance, probably due to the bodies that they inherited after descending to this plane.
They seemed to be the more irregular part of the Procacitas¡¯ forces. The ¡®irregular¡¯ meant not sticking to formation.
Considering the fact that Izuku counted three wolfkin warriors that ended up dying to them (in two cases, due to being swiftly and easily decapitated), and a few more that got various degrees of lesser injuries out of the fight, irregular definitely didn¡¯t equal ¡®weak¡¯.
Yes, it was far from being bloodless on both sides this time.
One of them got too close to the beastkin champion and got sliced in half as well. Vertically . The axe almost got lodged in the ground beneath her feet, the blow was so strong.
I think that I¡¯m starting to realize just how weak we are in general.
¡ mood.
It was a messy clash that lasted for a few minutes, before Ecstasy decided to call it a day and pulled back.
Unleashing two new daemon types at the enemy to cover their retreat. One of them seemed to be of the flagellant type (purely non-eroticone, so definitely nothing related to Procacitas, their bet was on Decidius), while the other one¡
There were two interesting things about them.
First one was their physical strength and durability, with looks to match. They resembled Muscular with his quirk on with how large and muscular their bodies were. They lacked weapons but they didn¡¯t need them to begin with.
Izuku got to see one of them grabbing an unlucky wolfman warrior and then ¡®hugging them¡¯, with enough strength to clearly break their spine. If Spinner¡¯s extraordinary eyesight was anything to go by, their grip was strong enough to malform metal plates that formed a part of that man¡¯s armor.
The other thing was that each and every one of them seemed to have their face covered with what looked like a jute bag over their head, bound with a rope around their neck. They had no idea why they blinded themselves so much.
Two of those towering brutes actually ended up tackling the bearkin champion to the ground, leading to a brief but rather intense struggle. She emerged victorious in the end, but it was clear from the distance that she paid for that with a broken arm.
The end result of the second day of the battle was as follows:
Beastkin lost seven wolfkin warriors dead and twelve more injured, and one bearkin injured.
The Ecstasy lost six Rose Guard soldiers, five of those giant, blind wrestlers and five flagellants, plus two sword dancers. One Rose Guard and one sword dancer were taken prisoner.
Spinner could see them, disarmed, their arms tied behind their backs, hurried back to the camp alongside the beastkin.
Why?
They¡¯ve been imprisoned because the beastkin want to interrogate them, right?
¡
Just to interrogate them, right?
I don¡¯t know.
But considering the fact that this universe missed one or two thousand years of development as civilization and the beastkin clearly have the morals of, well, barbarians, I kind of don¡¯t want to know.
That¡¯s just¡ great.
Though tbh I think that doing anything like this to a servant of the local version of Slaanesh is just inviting supernatural corruption
But don¡¯t take my word for it
Are you¡ are you trying to reassure me?
No
I just don¡¯t want to consider that as well
So I¡¯m trying to reassure myself, not you
So if I ask Yaoyorozu-san for confirmation, it might make you suffer?
Are you going to willingly make yourself suffer just to make me suffer?
¡
You know what, I just remembered how ready you were to break every single bone in your body just to break Muscular slightly more, don¡¯t answer that.
Words cannot describe how much I fucking hate you, Midoriya
Cope and seethe.
¡ how do you know those words
Hmm?
Tell Toga that if she keeps sharing things (especially insults) she overheard while me and Spinner were playing videogames with you, I¡¯m going to veto spawning anything that she can use as¡ aid in your romantic endeavors
¡ okay
***
When asked about it, Yaoyorozu sighs. Loudly. Painfully. She was reading a book in the [Library] while drinking her herbal tea. It was her free time activity - her actual ¡®job¡¯ right now was learning how to create golems from Spinner.
¡°I preferred to stay unaware of this.¡± She eventually replies. ¡°I do not wish to speculate, but¡ you remember the book about the species of this world? The one where I found the world map in?¡±
Yes.
¡°One of the species mentioned in it were the half-daemons.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, temporarily putting her book down. ¡°Humans can have children with at least some daemons. The problem is usually not in biology per se, but in that particular species¡¯ of daemons interest in having sex. Majority of them simply are to a various degree asexual by design.¡±
I don¡¯t like where this is going
Think of Aeonia.
Good point.
¡°Humans are apparently basic enough for the result of their couplings with daemons to be daemonic enough to classify as a different subspecies.¡± Yaoyorozu continues. ¡°In the case of other mortals, even subspecies of humans, children get most of the things from their mortal parents whose species they inherit fully. The daemon only contributes some miniscule elements, like an increased aptitude for magic.¡±
Uhm, why are you telling us this?
I figured out that it has to be somehow relevant, I just don¡¯t directly see a link.
¡°The link is that there is an entire half-daemon subspecies when a human and a daemon of Procacitas do the thing.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. It¡¯s clear that she doesn¡¯t enjoy speaking about it, clearly. ¡°And they are described as being functional , in the meaning that they aren¡¯t born as fanatical servants of Ecstasy. All that they get is almost unnatural beauty and the fact that sometimes their biological gender is a somewhat quirky subject.¡±
Ugh.
???
Sigh
What she¡¯s trying to say is that there seems to be no intrinsic corruptive threat to doing anything explicit to the captives.
Beastkin are likely going to enslave whatever captives they get out of the fight.
They¡¯ll only give us the dead ones.
¡
I hate this as a concept.
Same
At least this isn¡¯t going to happen anywhere close to our Domain
We won¡¯t get to see anything
Yes.
If it has to happen to someone, it should probably happen to the guys who more likely than not are into it
Even if I¡¯d definitely prefer it to not happen at all
How about we just¡ skim over the subject, accepting that stuff like that¡¯s happening in the world out there but never really mentioning it unless it for some reason becomes in any way or shape relevant?
I think that neither of us want to even think about it.
Yes
Izuku could only wonder how many other things he would be forced to ignore the existence of. He was going to stay in this world for the rest of his life, after all. And it was entirely possible that he¡¯d be around for more than this. Afterlife was apparently a thing, right?
Ugh.
***
In the end, the beastkin end up dropping the corpses by the entrance to the Dungeon, before leaving the area and returning to their camp to patch up their injured. Surprisingly enough, despite the Dungeon never talking about that and never demanding it, they also dropped their own dead inside.
At least most of them. A few of them were clearly omitted, and it was clear that Uzar made that decision. But¡ why?
Izuku could only speculate that the few that were omitted had families that could have an issue with their corpses being sacrificed to the Dungeon.
They¡¯ve got six additional [Rose Guard] soldiers, bringing their total number to 15. That was¡ reasonable, really. Izuku still hated those guys being the bulk of the Dungeon¡¯s ¡®army¡¯, mostly due to how disturbing they were.
The bulky wrestlers turned out to be the [Rapturous Brutes], and they definitely needed some more understanding of whatever they were. On the other hand, Dungeon identified them as ETL 42 . And they had five of them. Alright.
The bearkin champion crushing two of them with notable injury (yet still crushing two) was actually rather terrifying and opened up a lot of questions as to just how powerful she was. And what sort of skills she was carrying in her body.
Contrary to them, the [Moraverian Sword Dancers] and [Frenzied Bloodletters] had much more available ETLs of 30 and 25 respectively. The former seemed to be a tiny bit better than the Rose Guard, the latter seemed to be their equivalents.
This seemed to confirm their suspicion. The Rose Guard had cool-looking equipment¡ but their combat skills? They sucked . There was no other explanation to it all. Looking pretty and sticking to a formation was all that they were capable of.
To be fully honest, looking pretty seemed like a valid focus for the forces serving Rapturous Ecstasy, at least for the part of it that was dedicated to Procacitas.
Unlocks from the beastkin in the meantime?
Skills: [Axe Proficiency II], [Axe Proficiency III], [Spear Proficiency III], [Sword Proficiency II], [Sword Proficiency III], [Shield Proficiency III], [Blunt Weapon Proficiency I], [Blunt Weapon Proficiency II], [Blunt Weapon Proficiency III], [Wolf Fang School II], [Wolf Fang School III], [Butchering III], [Mining I], [Mining III], [Woodcutting IV], [Basic Bone Carving I], [Basic Bone Carving III], [Basic Refining I], [Basic Smithing II], [Mana Pathways II], [Mana Pathways III].
Abilities: [Shield Bash II], [Shield Bash III], [Lesser Thrust II], [Lesser Thrust III], [Lesser Slash II], [Lesser Slash III], [Lesser Blow I], [Lesser Blow II], [Lesser Blow III], [Barricade Shield I], [Barricade Shield II], [Barricade Shield III], [Predator¡¯s Advance II], [Predator¡¯s Advance III], [Enraged Charge I], [Multistrike I], [Assault Dash I], [Dash I], [Defensive Stance I], [Offensive Stance I].
Notable equipment pieces? They¡¯ve got the [Tribal Warrior¡¯s Armor] which seemed to be the light chain/metal plate/leather mixture that Uzar was wearing and which seemed to be the standard equipment of the somewhat experienced wolfkin warriors. Plus some better quality swords, axes, spears and shields used by the beastkin.
Some minor material unlocks too.
And that was the result of a relatively brief opening clash. It was enough to upgrade Uraraka and Tokage¡¯s equipment, skills and abilities (and through it, the ETL) by far . What were they going to get from the main thing?
Izuku could only wonder about it.
060: Battle [01]
The next day was the day when the main battle was going to happen - at least for as long as the Ecstasy was going to pick up the glove that just got thrown in its face. As that¡¯s what the last two days were all about.
Provocations. Nothing but provocations.
Whether it worked was going to be discovered today, when the forces of the beastkin would enter the valley one more time. Before that happened, though, there were last-minute decisions to be made in the Dungeon.
They technically started their final preparations by having Compress ask Anaya (in the most impersonal, empty and mechanical voice possible) whether tomorrow will be the time for the servants to join the beastkin.
Anaya said yes, and told them where to head once the day starts. But¡ that just opened up an additional subject.
They had two wolfkin warriors that were really raring to go, both Uraraka and Tokage really didn¡¯t want to miss out on the battle. There was also Ay¡¯zira, who wanted to be there just as much.
Two wolfkin warriors¡ and they just unlocked a lot of things for the wolfkin warriors. There was a field for quick last-minute improvements to them, to make them as strong as possible for the battle to come.
¡°I¡¯m going to miss my current outfit, you know?¡± Uraraka says before sighing loudly. ¡°It was pretty fun to wear.¡±
¡°You mean, it was pretty fun to wear it and see what sort of stares it drew out of Midoriya and Toga.¡± Tokage corrects her.
¡°Well¡ yes.¡± Uraraka decides not to sugarcoat it. ¡°You should have seen their reaction when I wore it first!¡±
The two of them were in the Throne Room, which was still as bare as ever. It¡¯s not as if they needed anything to be placed there, right?
¡
Your gf¡¯s really talkative about you when she¡¯s with her new bestie I guess
How do you feel about this?
If you ever try to act like a therapist towards me, I¡¯m going to show you something worse than everything you¡¯ve seen thus far, combined.
Okay, okay, sheesh, chill
¡°Yeah, I can imagine.¡± Tokage shakes her head. ¡°Toga is one thing, but Midoriya is very expressive when embarrassed.¡± Izuku doesn¡¯t show that - he doesn¡¯t have a body for a moment after all - but he knows that if he could, he would act in a way completely confirming Tokage¡¯s words. Which just makes it more embarrassing.
Please focus on the refit, we don¡¯t want Midoriya to drop dead out of embarrassment and pollute the insides of my body with his rotting corpse
¡°Alright, alright!¡± Uraraka decides to concede the point. ¡°What can you offer us exactly?¡±
They quickly run into the first problem - the choice of a side weapon. Spears were useful - frankly, there was no reason not to use them. They offered you an advantage in reach and were good at stopping charges, not to mention being able to cause much more injuries to big enemies.
In short, pointy sticks were extremely useful as weapons.
However, unless they find an indestructible wood (ironwood seemed to be a good start), they could expect a sufficiently intelligent and strong enemy to try to separate the stabby part of the spear from the rest of it. Leaving them exposed.
This, for the record, was far from easy. However, it became much easier once the spear¡¯s blade got stuck in something, or if your enemy was really powerful. And in the world of magic, it was entirely possible to encounter powerful enemies.
Worst of all, it was going to be an important decision, at least if they were going to settle down in their current bodies eventually. Once they¡¯d get used to one type of such a weapon, it was possible that if they really liked it they¡¯d stay with it forever.
In the end, following a period of intense deliberations that in Izuku and Tomura¡¯s opinion was much longer than it should have been, Uraraka decides to dedicate herself to spear & sword combo, while Tokage decides to reclass herself slightly and focus on axe & spear combo.
In her own words, it¡¯s the closest that she can get to her old quirk. As in, she¡¯ll be splitting the bodies of others with her axe.
Izuku decides that it¡¯s time to face the music and count Tokage into the ¡®Gone Native¡¯ category of their servants. She definitely found something that she likes in her new life. Good for her.
What followed then, were the obvious equipment upgrades. [Tribal Warrior¡¯s Armor] was worth 0.5 ETL - meaning that, to put it bluntly, Uraraka was immediately disqualified from switching over to it right now.
As the maximum ETL that they could maintain on the 10th Level without changing their apartment into a Node Room was a still rather puny 28, while her current level was 24. And while Izuku was very open to changes in decor of their new home, adding a giant glowing crystal to his bedroom was going a bit too far.
¡°Well, that kind of sucks.¡± Uraraka sighs when they come to that realization. ¡°I¡¯ll probably end up being killed because of my bad personal protection. I don¡¯t think that changing my skills seriously right before the battle makes a lot of sense, so let¡¯s stick to what I already know, but make it better, please.¡±
Sure!
So, [Mana Pathways II], [Wolf Fang School II], [Sword Proficiency II], [Lesser Thrust II], [Lesser Slash II], [Shield Bash II], [Barricade Shield II] and [Predator¡¯s Advance II], which should make you a Barbarian Berserker, lvl 30.
How does that sound?
¡°I¡¯m in!¡± Uraraka smiles. In a somewhat bloodthirsty way. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to testing the differences between levels.¡±
And what about you, Tokage-san?
Do you want better armor?
¡°Hmmm, that¡¯s a good question.¡± Tokage replies. ¡°In general, I¡¯m all for an armor improvement, but I get the feeling that I¡¯m going to end up looking kind of dumb. I mean, I¡¯m going to look like one of the beastkin veterans, but I¡¯ll be lacking like two-thirds of their skills. On the other hand, I also think that wearing my current outfit will make me look out of place.¡±
I don¡¯t think that the beastkin are this unified in equipment
I¡¯ve definitely seen wolfkin fighters in that skirmisher armor through Compress¡¯ eyes
So why is it called Tribal ¡®Skirmisher¡¯ Armor?
Because it¡¯s probably worn by a significant number of their skirmishers
not all
Rest wears whatever they got their hands on
Mhm, makes sense
I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it changed its name once we¡¯d get a few more sets of armor, our UI is adaptive and keeps evolving on us as our understanding of our situation and nature grows.
¡°All of those are very good points, but as I said, since my life isn¡¯t really at risk, I¡¯d prefer to surprise an enemy with how skillful I am rather than with how weak I am.¡± Tokage decides to join the talk again. ¡°So I think that I¡¯ll temporarily switch my armor for the regular clothes, and get more skills instead. But I¡¯d speak to the familiar ones too.¡±
Alright. So¡
[Axe Proficiency III], [Spear Proficiency III], [Shield Proficiency III], [Wolf Fang School III], [Mana Pathways III], [Lesser Thrust III], [Lesser Slash III], [Barricade Shield III] and [Predator¡¯s Advance III].
Making you a level 30 Tribal Warrior.
Though we¡¯ll have to remove [Temperate Forest Survival I] and [Tracking III] for it to fit.
¡°Fine with me.¡± Tokage replies, before letting a wry smile bloom on her face. ¡°For as long as we don¡¯t get hooked into doing kinky S/M stuff for life by the victorious Ecstasy army after this battle, we¡¯re going to have so many things to choose from, you know? Really looking forward to it.¡±
¡°And so does Himiko, she¡¯s really lagging behind.¡± Uraraka replies, quickly nodding a few times. ¡°And doesn¡¯t like it one bit.¡±
In Izuku¡¯s opinion, the bigger problem was with their non-beastkin members, but that was for the future them to deal with.
***
After some considerations, Uraraka decided to switch over to a normal set of clothes as well, all in order to better blend into the crowd of the younger warriors of the beastkin tribe. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Izuku managed to squeeze in [Sword Proficiency III] and [Spear Proficiency III] in its place.
Interestingly enough, this change was going to have a major impact on the battle to come, but they were yet to find out.
The final step of their battle preparations was having Ay¡¯zira manifest herself physically so that she could participate in the battle. They¡¯ve given her an empty shell of a catkin body to make hers, with Ay¡¯zira having enough of control over the process to make the ear, eyes and tail remain as it was.
Namely, she could blend in among the beastkin too. However, her eyes and ears weren¡¯t really functional, at least not in the same way as they would be for a ¡®real¡¯ beastkin.
They¡¯ve also finished preparing their Cynocephalii. The real problem with them was with deciding as to who would lead them outside if they turned out to be important.
In the end, Spinner volunteered to do so. A single person issuing orders to them, with the authority of the Dungeon Lord behind them was perfectly enough.
***
The situation progressed just as the beastkin suspected. On the third day, there was a battle. Although it was a bit bigger and much fiercer than anyone in the Dungeon expected. In big part because proficiency with numbers wasn¡¯t exactly a beastkin¡¯s strong point.
In short, their numbers were actually bigger than even the elder assumed. In big part because of how little the beastkin usually cared for organization. No one really cared to count their forces, for as long as you had a solid approximation (in the line of ¡®a few hundred¡¯ or ¡®a few thousand¡¯) it was fine enough for them.
After the battle there were some attempts made by Yaoyorozu and Monoma to establish just how many of them were there exactly, but despite having Mr. Compress as their inside man, they never really narrowed it down very much.
In the end, their estimations varied between seven hundred and one thousand three hundred. To go by the average, then, around a thousand people.
The bulk of those were the warriors. To go by the average of the estimations of beastkin total forces stated above, there were around six hundred of them. One in three was an experienced fighter with decent armor and weapons while the rest was made usually from hotheaded youngsters.
As for species, wolfkin were a majority, although boarkins made for a notable number. There was also a relatively small minority of catkin warriors.
From the remaining four hundreds, about fifty were the beastkin champions. Usually bearkins, but there were also more exotic morphs mixed among them, with Mr. Compress almost certain that he saw what looked like a tigerkin.
Then, there were about fifty shamans, most of them foxkin, but there were also some catkin and wolfkin among them, though both of them being a minority. Elder Anaya was counted among that category, obviously.
The remaining three hundred (again, approximately) were the more irregular combatants. The first notable group from that category was the skirmishers. Mostly catkin (but there were also wolfkin), armed with javelins, slings, throwing axes and so on, plus some light melee weapons for self-defense.
They made for the majority of the irregulars, but Yaoyorozu and Monoma weren¡¯t sure how large of a majority they actually were. Two hundred, perhaps?
That left a final hundred beastkin, who were split between a very diverse group of berserkers (with examples from every subspecies present on the battlefield that day) and a few dozen lizardkin archers.
Whose existence made it clear that they weren¡¯t the first ones to realize how much of an asset the lizardkin eyesight was. The other beastkin knew, and they were using it to their advantage.
The shamans have also prepared something special for the day, which meant that Ay¡¯zira wasn¡¯t going to be the only daemon of the Nine Hordes to be present on the battlefield that day.
All those forces were divided into three parts, two of which were on the opposite side of the river (as seen from the Dungeon), while the third one was supposed to march right by it, meaning that there was a river separating it from the rest of the beastkin forces.
All three parts were using a mostly similar formation. Skirmishers and archers ahead, expected to harass the enemy before the main clash. Then came the warriors, experienced and fresh recruits mixed together with the champions.
Berserkers were usually scattered around the front of the formation, supposed to act as formation breakers right before the clash. Shamans were mostly placed in the back, expected to support their allies from there.
So much about the beastkin. Now, over to the forces of the Rapturous Ecstasy. The first thing that has to be said about them, was that they¡¯ve brought less fighters to the battle than the beastkin, but still more than the beastkin expected.
The total numbers of the Ecstasy army (if you could call it an ¡®army¡¯) were later on estimated to be around seven hundred. Around half of that were the Rose Guards and their significantly improved version, the Rose Knights.
Since they were the closest thing that the Ecstasy had to an actually disciplined combat force, they happened to play roughly the same role as the beastkin warriors. Namely, they were supposed to fight in melee while staying a part of a formation, forming the bulk of an army while having everything else support them (or harass their opponent).
Out of the remaining three-hundred fifty, they were dealing with about forty Rapturous Brutes, forty to fifty Moraverian Sword Dancers, thirty to forty Frenzied Bloodletters and at least a hundred Gore Munchers. These were the enemies that were previously known to the Dungeon.
The ones that they didn¡¯t know about included about twenty Languid Juggernauts, ten Moraverian Alchemists and a large crowd of about eighty Ghouls.
The Languid Juggernauts were giant, ironclad servants of Decidius, that seemed to be perpetually high on some sort of fantasy opioids. They could feel no pain, and in return were, well, rather languid.
They were usually armed with two-handed weapons, giant warhammers usually. Their blows were very slow, but if they did hit you, you were likely going to turn into a blood smear on the ground.
When he saw them for the first time, Tomura Shigaraki compared their looks to some ¡®ironclad soldiers¡¯ from Dark Souls II, a comparison that Izuku had no way of confirming the validity of, for obvious reasons.
Tomura Shigaraki was likely the only person in this universe that has ever played such an ancient game.
Moraverian Alchemists were men and women wearing robes that vaguely resembled that of stereotypical plague doctors, except for a mask that was replaced with somewhat more modern-looking gas masks. Very fancy ones, as expected from an inhabitant of Moraver. They were using some form of rock crystal instead of glass, the rest being made from metal encrusted with some jewels.
They were armed with gas grenades dotting their belts, each of which carrying some gaseous form of drugs. When they exploded nearby, you would usually overdose lethally - if you were lucky. If you weren¡¯t, they would drive you into a violent frenzy, making you injure or hurt everyone nearby, especially your allies, before being put down by them.
The ghouls, in the meantime, were cannibals. Frenzied, forever-hungry cannibals, with unnaturally wide mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth and hands ending in really mean looking claws. They were playing the role of skirmishers, many of them bringing javelins and other thrown weapons onto the battlefield.
In the end, Rose Guard formed the backbone of their army, with Languid Juggernauts mixed into their ranks, Frenzied Bloodletters and Rapturous Brutes being placed right before them to play the role of the beastkin berserkers.
Gore Munchers were stationed behind the melee line, using their height to be able to fire crossbows above their allies¡¯ heads. Unlike the lizardkin archers, they were way too slow to be placed up ahead. If the Rose Guard ranks began to break, they could also move ahead to reinforce them.
Finally, ghouls were playing the role of skirmishers alongside the Moraverian Alchemists and Sword Dancers. If Yaoyorozu¡¯s post-battle suspicions were correct, the Ecstasy¡¯s commanders hoped that the beastkin skirmishers would get overly excited about the battle and rush into melee with the ghouls, only to be absolutely butchered by the Sword Dancers and Alchemists.
Interestingly enough, both sides had the exact same plan for the day. Send ? of their army up ahead on the opposite side of the river (looking from Dungeon) while making the rest advance beyond the river in order to then cross it back and flank the enemy forces. Resulting in the major clash right in front of the Dungeon.
Unfortunately for the Rapturous Ecstasy forces, the beastkin actually expected this to happen and had already planned to flank the enemy flanking attempt by involving the Cynocephalii swarm out of the Dungeon at just the right time.
Uraraka and Tokage joined the beastkin warrior ranks, while Ay¡¯zira and Toga joined the skirmishers, naturally on ¡®their¡¯ side of the river. The beastkin didn¡¯t seem to care about their arrival, aside from some veteran warrior growling at the two newly arriving youngsters and telling them to stick to formation.
Uraraka decided not to engage, and quickly realized that the warrior probably thought that they left earlier to take a leak or were late to leave their camp and only now caught up with the army.
The beastkin organization was really lacking.
***
The battle started on the other side of the river, as the skirmishers of both sides ended up encountering each other.
Fighting in the forest environment has given the beastkin an edge over their opponents, although in the end, most of it was evened out by the Ecstasy¡¯s usually better equipment, making the result of the battle be decided by the clash between beastkin¡¯s quantity and Ecstasy¡¯s quality.
The first clashes happened between the skirmishers around the center formations of both sides, the both sides managing to see each other deep in the forest and immediately beginning to throw projectiles at each other.
Ghouls quickly proved to be better at throwing javelins, however slings that many beastkin were using ended up giving them an advantage.
Slings, after all, don¡¯t sound like an extremely dangerous ranged weapon¡ unless you know that a trained slinger with a good sling can launch stone pellets at the speed up to 160km/h . And while that was a much lesser speed than that of a gun, the caliber of the sling projectiles was usually larger.
Meaning that a direct headshot from those could easily take off a solid part of one¡¯s head in a single blow. Even when you were wearing a metal helmet, it could as well cave the helmet in and break your skull.
Those things came out of use on Earth because of how much time it took for someone to train a slinger into being combat-viable. Bows were simpler to use and had a larger range. Then crossbows showed up, which were even simpler to use than bows - and the cycle continued.
A lot of the slingers recruited in Mediterranean Antiquity were shepherds, who decided to find some entertainment in their incredibly boring work composed almost entirely of minding a bunch of sheep that didn¡¯t even belong to you by throwing rocks at things.
Before suddenly finding themself able to crack a wolf¡¯s skull with a well aimed shot. Or, well, a bandit¡¯s skull.
That clash has spread onto the other side of the river as well, happening a few hundred meters ahead of Uraraka and Tokage, whose formation was still advancing through the forest. Toga got to see it up close (and through her eyes, so did Midoriya and Shigaraki).
Ay¡¯zira even got to throw some of her javelins, although she ended up not scoring a single hit, the loose formation of the ghoul skirmishers being far from a good target for such attacks. The same couldn¡¯t be said about a catgirl slinger whose exploits they got to see through Toga¡¯s eyes.
She managed to kill or severely injure four ghouls in a short order, each of her hits eliciting loud cheering from other beastkin and a rain of insults targeted at the victims.
Of course, the ghoul skills weren¡¯t to be scoffed at, and they did score a few kills in return. However, a lot of their javelins ended up hitting the branches of the trees that they happened to be fighting amongst. Contrary to that, the beastkin seemed to be doing pretty well with aiming in such an environment.
Clash of the skirmishers was ultimately decided in the beastkin favor. Ecstasy lost at least twenty ghouls and a few sword dancers before pulling back. The beastkin would have gotten away with only five skirmishers lost if not for an enterprising alchemist who ended up sneaking close to the beastkin skirmishers at the exact opposite side of the battlefield.
This resulted in death or severe injuries of six beastkin, and the alchemist getting javelined to death in return.
What followed was the beastkin skirmishers¡¯ attack on the Ecstasy¡¯s main forces, which completely ignored the defeat of their skirmishers and continued advancing through the forest to meet and hopefully crush the enemy..
Despite the artistic beauty of the armors of the Rose Guard, they simply weren¡¯t enough to stop a slingshot bullet. Javelins were also doing pretty well, something that Ay¡¯zira proved by scoring a hit, her javelin piercing the armor of one of the Rose Guard and getting stuck in her shoulder, to a loud yell of bloodthirsty satisfaction from the amazon.
Shields ended up being much better protection from the skirmishers than the armors, managing to save most of the soldiers that got hit from suffering any injuries so early into the battle.
The situation seemed to be developing just right for the beastkin, except this changed very quickly when the Gore Munchers showed up behind the Ecstasy ranks and started firing their really big crossbows at the scattered skirmishers ahead of them.
Sure, the trees decreased the effective range of their crossbows, by whenever they had a straight shot, they took it. And began to rapidly bleed the beastkin dry. Even Ay¡¯zira almost got shot, the bolt thankfully only grazing her side.
Despite that, the beastkin skirmishers refused to yield and kept throwing their ammunition at the advancing ranks of the Ecstasy forces, doing their best to attack while hiding behind the many obstacles that a forest could provide.
It was hard to exactly count it, but by later estimations, twenty to thirty of the Rose Guards got injured or killed, in exchange for a similar number of casualties on the beastkin side. Considering the greater numbers of the beastkin, it was definitely a good deal for them.
When the advancing lines of infantry began to get close to each other, the beastkin skirmishers retreated behind their allies. Toga, naturally, made sure to run past Uraraka to give her one last ¡®good luck, Ochako-chan!¡¯.
They didn¡¯t run far away. They ran behind the infantry, staying about a dozen meters behind its last line. Likely planning to wait there until the infantry would break the enemy formation so that they could pursue the enemy.
Their equipment was significantly lighter and they were mobile enough to ignore a lot of terrain obstacles.
Then, however, it became clear that the Ecstasy¡¯s skirmishers were advancing at the infantry¡¯s flank, prolonging their battle line. With the beastkin¡¯s right flank being protected by the river, they suddenly found themselves at a risk of being flanked on their left, forcing the skirmishers to relocate there to prevent that.
In the end, infantry was going to clash with the infantry, while the skirmishers would be doing the same right next to them, between the infantry¡ and the entrance to the Dungeon.
In the end, the opening clash of the battle ended in beastkin¡¯s favor, but it was far from a one-sided victory.
061: Battle [02]
The beastkin were a diverse group. Not only in the vast selection of subspecies that they brought to the battlefield, but also in their equipment and weaponry. There was no standardization among their ranks.
They didn¡¯t know about that yet, as their knowledge about their society was still rather fragmentary but the beastkin weren¡¯t actually given any equipment.
Everything that they would use in a battle, they earned. Some by earning enough money to buy it, others by stealing from their defeated enemies, and some by showing enough combat prowess to receive it as a form of investment by much wealthier or more experienced tribesmen.
An investment that they were expected to pay back for.
Except for the ¡®stealing¡¯ option, they usually ended up picking the stuff that they thought suited them most from a rather diverse pool of available equipment. Hence, the all around diversity of the beastkin forces, made even worse with their cultural and economic ties with both the elves of Vestiria and the Grand Empire as a whole.
This meant that every single type of protective equipment common on the continent could find their way into their hands. Gambesons and padded cloth. Leather armors and brigandines. Chainmail, scale and lamellar armors. And, finally, plate armors (although those were extremely rare).
Everything.
However, there were some rules to this chaos. The main one stated that the more skilled you were, the better the equipment you could obtain. The rough outline of the consequences of this rule went like this.
Novice infantry and novice skirmishers were usually wearing just their own clothes, although stacked quite thickly to absorb some blows if possible. Usually with an added leather or padded cap to protect the head, with holes cut out in them to make it possible to wear them in tandem with large animal ears.
The former usually got a round wooden shield and a spear, together with an ax, a mace, a club or a knife as a side weapon. The latter only got their ranged weapon and one of the side weapons from the list above.
The bulk of the warriors wore heavy cloth or leather armors, together with similar weapons but of typically better quality. Same with skirmishers, although this is where the improvement in their armors ended. They needed to be able to run around pretty quickly, so they preferred light armors that didn¡¯t restrict their movement much.
The beastkin veterans were typically recognizable by access to protective equipment made of metal. Chainmails seemed to be the most common choice, but scale and lamellar armors were also pretty popular. They were all further customized by details such as bracers, boots, pauldrons and helmets.
It was also not uncommon for a beastkin veteran to wear a chainshirt or a scale armor over, say, a gambeson. Or a metal breastplate over a chainmail. Or a lamellar armor over a chainmail.
However, even the veteran beastkin usually stuck to a combination of shield and a spear as their primary weapon choice, although there were much more swords among their side weapons, with clubs largely replaced with either them or the axes.
In short, most of their warriors were spearmen. Coincidentally, so were the Rose Guardsmen, making the battle being waged mostly between two mutually hostile groups of spearmen, their flanks protected by their skirmishers.
However, aside from the warriors there were also the shocktroopers. Especially in a battle as small as this one, where both sides'' ranks were only two to four people deep, those could decide the outcome of the battle right at the start, by shattering the enemy formation and exposing the remaining enemy soldiers to be swarmed and overwhelmed by their warriors.
Uraraka and Tokage found themselves in the third beastkin rank, close to the flank of the formation protected by the skirmishers. Relatively safe, all things considered, as they had two full lines of beastkin warriors between them and the advancing Ecstasy forces.
However, despite that, Uraraka had to admit that seeing a number of Brutes - each of them a towering, enraged giant with a body build reminding her of All Might - charging towards her through the forest was actually intimidating.
Right behind them were those blood frenzied flagellants. Each of them a rather grotesque sight, topless men and women wearing reddish masks shaped like a deformed skull, every bit of their exposed skins covered in self-inflicted injuries, their belts and pants completely soaked in their own blood.
In short, scary as fuck. And whoever told you otherwise was a liar.
However, many of the beastkin warriors expanded upon their equipment with something as simple as javelins. Two or three, to be thrown at the enemy before melee. In a way mimicking the usage of pilums by the Roman Legions.
The few voices among the beastkin ranks - usually belonging to veteran warriors or the champions - shouted at everyone to use them now. Uraraka, obviously, joined it.
The few dozens of javelins thrown at the incoming enemies lead to some kills. The flagellants saw it coming and could at least try to dodge it (even if they usually failed). The Brutes, though?
No way. They were blind to begin with.
Most of them that Uraraka could see from her position were hit by so many javelins that they began to resemble hedgehogs. Two of them dropped to the ground instantly - she actually hit one of those, although her javelin definitely wasn¡¯t the one that killed it.
Some of the flagellants were hit too. But they were much less of a prime target than the Brutes.
Once that happened, there was only one thing left between the remaining shocktroopers of the Ecstasy and the beastkin ranks. Namely, the beastkin shocktroopers.
There were a handful of differently clothed beastkin standing in front of their ranks. Light equipment, very light - she could see a wolfkin woman wearing the same [Tribal Berserker¡¯s Outfit] that Uraraka previously wore. But, to be honest, she was among the better equipped of those people.
Some, for as far as Uraraka and Tokage could see, weren¡¯t wearing anything at all. Which was¡ really odd.
Actually, it was totally insane, and neither of them had any idea as to why someone would show up completely naked to a battle, carrying nothing but a round wooden shield and their weapon of choice. Seriously, who does that?!
They realize the answer to that the moment the enemy shocktroopers get close¡ and blood begins to rain down on those naked or almost naked beastkin.
Yeah. That immediately explains everything to them. And it also seems that the more exposed you are, the more of the blood gets on your skin and the more enraged you become. Which also means that the resulting boost to strength and speed gets bigger.
The berserkers charge forward to meet the Ecstasy¡¯s own shocktroopers, accompanied by loud cheers from the warriors that began to advance after them.
The clash between the berserkers and the incoming brutes was brief but incredibly brutal. The best picture of it was that it ended with a catkin berserker having her arms torn off, except it happened right after she sank her teeth into the throat of the brute responsible for it.
It was the last one of those in front of their formation. There were still some berserkers left (most of them, in fact) who immediately proceeded to continue their rage-fuelled charge by going after the flagellants. Who responded by trying to bleed them dry.
The amount of blood being spilled or just covering people up right in front of them was enough to make Himiko uncomfortably horny if she was there to see it, that much Uraraka is absolutely certain of.
A moment later the two forces clash, letting Uraraka and Tokage participate in their first ever true battle.
***
Himiko Toga was definitely not enjoying the battle very much. Oh, make no mistake, fighting was cool, she was fine with spilling blood, and it was a great way of getting to stretch her body a little.
But she¡¯s far enough from Ochako-chan that she doesn¡¯t get to see her getting all bloody and excited by being able to crush her enemies! That just sucks!
She¡¯s also really outmatched in terms of her combat skills. Seriously, why is she even here? She isn¡¯t really good with any ranged combat skills, so what sort of a skirmisher is she really?
After this battle, Izuku should give her a slingshot skill as a gift. Being able to blow someone¡¯s head off their neck at range would be sooo cute!
The ghouls might have been somewhat bloodied by the initial clash of skirmishers, but they were still raring to go. They charged at the beastkin - including Toga! - and that was bad enough on its own.
As Toga sees another catwoman like herself speared in the guts by one of the ghouls before he and his pal topple her onto the ground and proceed to tear her to shreds with their claws and teeth, messily devouring entire chunks of flesh straight out of her body as she screams and desperately thrashes around, Himiko has to correct herself.
That was very bad on its own.
And then there were also those damn dancers, who moved extremely fast and were as proficient in slicing limbs off and gutting people as they were pretty. And they were super pretty.
Himiko spent most of the early fight just dodging attacks and watching their skirmishers getting absolutely butchered. There were some deaths on the other side, but¡ yeah, it kind of sucks.
They¡¯re also constantly losing ground. That also kind of sucks.
What is Ochako doing right now? She can only wonder.
***
The blade of Tokage¡¯s axe hits the top of the enemy shield, forcefully pulling it down, exposing the Rose Guard and allowing Uraraka to thrust her spear right into the woman¡¯s throat, piercing the armor and allowing her to officially score her first kill for the day.
The triumphant howl leaves her mouth on her own. She sees no problem with that, though. The enemy she killed isn¡¯t really dead, they¡¯ll be dragged into the Dungeon later and thus imprisoned. And they¡¯re definitely a bad guy, right?
It took them a while to actually get close enough to the enemy to see some action. Earlier they were mostly focused on pushing forward, the two formations practically merging with each other.
The flagellant creatures, lacking space to maneuver in, were mostly wiped out quickly, at least except for those that managed to escape the closing space between ranks in time. Contrary to them, the few remaining berserkers were doing much better. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
The main problem was with the giant, slowly moving and heavily armored guys that Uraraka didn¡¯t know the name for. Those guys seemed to be hard to bite even for the beastkin champions!
And one of them was pretty close to them right now, Uraraka having to finish her howl early to dodge the gigantic maul that was about to pancake her.
The impact was still strong enough to shake the ground under her feet, making her stumble. Goddamnit, those things were strong as hell! And worst of all, she didn¡¯t have enough space in the formation to really dodge such blows for long!
Thankfully, before the enemy juggernaut had the time to raise their maul again, a bearkin champion finally waddles through the beastkin formation and manages to hit it in the shoulder with their two-handed battle axe.
It doesn¡¯t seem to have fully pierced the armor, despite the bearkin¡¯s prodigious strength. It¡¯s stuck in there, the bearkin proceeding to try to wrestle his armored opponent, something that Uraraka is rather happy she¡¯s not taking part in.
She¡¯s not quite ready to throw hands in that particular weight class. But she is looking forward to changing that.
The battle continues.
***
Ay¡¯zira headbutts the ghoul that was trying to take a bite from her, before sinking the tip of her javelin into the daemons guts. Toga doesn¡¯t get to see that, because at that very same time she jumps at the ghoul from behind and slits his throat, the blood gushing from the wound and practically showering the amazon.
The ghoul thrashes around, but the damage is definitely enough to take him down. They have maybe two seconds to celebrate their successful takedown when one of the sword dancers dances past them, long sabres in both of their hands, one of them severing half the fingers of Ay¡¯zira''s left hand in the passing.
The sword dancer finished her pirouette, turning around just to get a good look at them. She looks rather pretty, Himiko decides. Belly dancer outfit, the two aforementioned sabers, nothing but bracelets on her feet and a face veil, the sort that leaves eyes exposed.
All of that covered in blood splatters. And if the look in her eyes is anything to go by, she¡¯s definitely enjoying the carnage in all manner of ways. And was looking forward to finishing off Ay¡¯zira and killing Himiko.
Cute, but Himiko was taken and loyal to her two cuties. So, hard pass.
The sword dancer leaps towards them, weaving her sword around with a blinding speed that Toga can¡¯t hope to match. Neither can Ay¡¯zira, especially not with her earlier injury. Himiko doesn¡¯t even bother trying to fight back, she instead [Cat Leaps] outside of the sword dancer¡¯s reach.
Ay¡¯zira swears loudly, before jumping away, performing a pretty decent combat roll despite her damaged hand, one that actually lets her narrowly dodge being sliced in half. The sword dancer prolongs her graceful dance, reaching a catkin skirmisher that was trying to run away from a charging ghoul, stopping right in front of him just to chop off both his arms at once, before performing a pirouette that resulted in the man¡¯s head being sliced cleanly off.
Yeah.
That would be an incredibly hot sight to Himiko, except it¡¯s not Ochako-chan wearing that outfit and spilling blood so efficiently and gracefully. This kind of sucks. Also, Himiko will likely die next, and that feels even worse.
She ended up missing the briefest moment of contact that Ay¡¯zira had with someone behind them while the sword dancer was busy butchering that unfortunate skirmisher. The amazon meets the sword dancer¡¯s dance head on, diving beneath her swords and wrapping her arms around her lower body, thus stopping her movement.
Before Himiko has the time to charge in, trying to save her ally from certain death that was brought by her own bad decisions, a shaman located somewhere behind her casts a blood magic spell that creates a short-lived projectile made of solidified blood which pierces the dancer¡¯s throat, taking full advantage of the woman being stopped in place for a second to actually score a hit.
Oh. Ohhhh. So that¡¯s what the plan was. Makes sense in hindsight.
¡°You alright?¡± She quickly asks Ay¡¯zira as the blade dancer staggers backward, choking on her own blood.
¡°Are you kidding?!¡± Ay¡¯zira looks back at her, her face partially covered in blood, the bloodthirsty smile behind it in full view. ¡°This is the most fun that I had in my life!¡±
Huh. Well, Himiko is taken and committed, but she can definitely admire some sights, right? Right. This was really badass.
They¡¯re still getting their butts kicked hard, the beastkin skirmishers were getting wasted all around them and being steadily pushed back. It was only a matter of time before the beastkin infantry was going to be flanked, and in fact it already began to suffer that, with some ghouls turning around to hit the side of their formation.
Unless something changes. Preferably right now.
***
Now?
Now.
Spinner, bro, it¡¯s time to earn that bread
¡°Alright.¡± Spinner nods. He¡¯s on the uppermost layer of the Dungeon, surrounded by a small army of Cynocephalii. They are loud and constantly trying to bite each other. Ugh. ¡°LEAVE THE DUNGEON! ATTACK EVERYONE WHO ISN¡¯T A BEASTKIN!¡±
And so, having received the orders from their Dungeon Lord through one of his representatives, the dog-headed man-eating monsters began to flood out of the Dungeon.
Right towards the flank of the Ecstasy¡¯s skirmishers were just busy mopping up the leftover beastkin skirmishers.
If they were unleashed upon the disciplined line of Rose Guard warriors, such a formation would likely withstand their fury quite easily. It would be messy, they might have scored a few kills but that¡¯s all. Here though, they weren¡¯t facing such a force.
They were facing individuals scattered around, all of them either ghouls, sword dancers or the few surviving bloodletters. None of those were very proficient in dealing with the enemy while fighting in a formation.
As a result, most of them ended up being promptly swarmed by an entire group of opponents, managing to slay one or two of them before being overwhelmed and torn to shreds before having their meat heal the attackers that they injured without killing them.
Within a minute, the Ecstasy skirmishers began to give ground and rapidly break apart. And that¡¯s when it happened.
¡
Shigaraki, did that ghoul just yell at the sword dancers to stop enjoying being eaten alive and start fighting properly?
Yes
Oh.
Well, Rapturous Ecstasy truly is, errr, a state of mind.
I¡¯d say they¡¯re a meme, but considering how many people they killed today alone, they come off as scary more than funny.
They¡¯re completely unhinged.
Yeah, even I can¡¯t disagree with that
Everything is just a night on the town for them
Other living beings are just things for them to play with and like the spoiled brats they are they usually destroy the toy by the end or even destroy it right away with about as much moral qualms as I¡¯d have over breaking an All Might figurine
I¡¯m not sure if your comparison to the night on town on Earth is particularly correct, but I agree with the general message.
How does it feel to help the slightly less bad guys defeat and imprison the slightly more bad guys?
Stop ruining the moment for me
***
They switch over from the scene of Ecstasy skirmishers being overwhelmed and the beastkin skirmishers gaining second wind at the scene back to Uraraka. And goddamn it, if the situation over there didn¡¯t escalate.
Uraraka¡¯s eyes were on a towering knight riding on an equally armored horse, armed with a kite shield and a long lance, with a sheathed sword on their belt. Said knight was currently busy effortlessly piercing through the beastkin¡¯s lines a few meters away from Uraraka, impaling an unfortunate beastkin veteran through their chainmail and their shoulder.
The veteran warrior in question was the same one that earlier growled at Uraraka and Tokage when they appeared to join the beastkin ranks. A fact that Izuku noticed but didn¡¯t even address because something else grabbed his attention.
Shigaraki, is the symbol on the knight¡¯s shield what I think it is
What?
Wait
Oh you¡¯ve gotta be kidding me
I needed to look at it for a few seconds before realizing that it¡¯s a penis, I give them that much
Ugh, I need to take a shower after this battle and I don¡¯t even have a body right now.
Ochako, what¡¯s going on?
¡°Well, the knight showed up and started to beat the shit out of everyone, that¡¯s what.¡± Uraraka replies, raising her shield to stop a spear thrust from a Rose Guard soldier. ¡°It¡¯s his second charge, he has killed like six people already, and I think that he plans to keep doing that.¡±
She then thrusts her own spear, the Rose Guard responding in kind and blocking it with her shield. The moment she lowered said shield to see what was going on in front of her, Tokage appeared out of nowhere and lodged the blade of her axe in the woman¡¯s skull, splitting the helmet open.
Izuku got to see bits of her brain in the wound for a moment. Tokage lets out a triumphant howl that Uraraka immediately joins. Should he be concerned with their behavior? Nah, probably not.
They¡¯re having fun fighting bad guys and while the injury was definitely a lethal one, daemons can¡¯t exactly die, and considering their post-battle fate, they were all going to go to jail. Making it just pretty much an arrest, just a lot more grisly to witness.
The knight¡¯s horse tramples another beastkin warrior while its rider spears not one but two newbie beastkin warriors at once, killing one and severely injuring the other, to loud (but muffled) cheer from the side of the Ecstasy soldiers.
It was muffled because of a reason that Izuku doesn¡¯t want to remember right now.
You know what, considering it¡¯s Ecstasy that we¡¯re talking about, we should be happy that this dude¡¯s riding on a horse, instead of on an another weirdo but in a pony suit
Pony suit?
¡
Look, in my defense, Saints Row was a very good game series that let you go batshit crazy on society, and some of the things from the game were left in me.
???
Ugh, let¡¯s just pretend I never opened my mouth right now, okay?
Yes.
The horse pulls back from the middle of melee, the knight shield bashing the beastkin champion that tried to engage her before they could retreat to prepare for another charge. Not enough to injure the champion, but enough to successfully disengage.
The knight then decides to deal the beastkin some morale damage by riding on the other side of the Ecstasy line (now in shambles and with Gore Munchers filling the gaps after slain Rose Guards), taunting them and telling them to come and do their best, all while the lethally impaled beastkin warriors was still hanging off their lance which was now pointing at the skies above.
I don¡¯t think that the beastkin are doing so well, I can see a lot of them dead on the ground or injured and pulled back
Gore Munchers aren¡¯t super strong, but their enemy is wavering, and the knight is actively making things worse
Yes, I noticed that as well
Do you think that they¡¯ll hold the ground until the Cynocephalii and the skirmishers start rolling the Ecstasy¡¯s flank?
No clue, but even if they do, it¡¯s going to be a close call
What in the fucking fuck is this
The knight stops their parade instantly, looking at the same thing that attracted the attention of almost everyone in that section of the battlefield (Uraraka and Tokage included), the fight calming down for a second as all eyes dart towards the group of shamans that just finished casting something big.
The space in the middle of their small circle breaks, blood gushing from the resulting injury, flooding the ground surrounding it just as something pushes out of it.
A tall, muscular figure whose height and muscle-mass ratio is definitely rivaling that of All Might. Except, Izuku feels confident using the word ¡®muscle¡¯ twice in such a short description, because the creature lacks skin. Their muscle mass is completely exposed together with their teeth (all of them fangs).
It carries two axes, so large that Izuku is certain a human warrior would need two hands to wield them.
One of the shamans shouts something at it while pointing towards the mounted knight, the creature responding by grinning at the knight, the look on his face so bloodthirsty that it made Muscular in Izuku¡¯s memories look peaceful and calm.
Looks like the beastkin shamans realized that the situation wasn¡¯t going too well, and decided to take immediate steps to amend it.
062: Battle [03]
It was only after the battle ended and they described the summoned being to Ay¡¯zira they found what it was.
They were called Manflayers. There was an entire species/caste/profession of daemons living in Vanarea, Ay¡¯zira¡¯s home plane, dedicated wholy to slaughtering worthy enemies and collecting their skins as trophies.
Apparently they were so dedicated to the act that none of them actually owned their own skin. There was always a bigger fish to them, and they saw no problems with friendly sparring matches that ended with the victor flaying the defeated.
Ay¡¯zira was absolutely inconsolable over missing out on being able to witness such a glorious warrior in combat. Manflayers - like all the powerful daemons of her realm - were idols to her. Someone that she dreamed of becoming in some distant future.
Now that a rose knight began to slaughter the beastkin warriors with them being able to do little to stop that from continuing on, the shamans decided to summon their equivalent of an angel to fight off the enemy while proving the strength of their god to their wavering allies.
The shamans didn¡¯t even need to point the knight to him. The moment the manflayer spotted the rose knight and realized that he was in for a challenging fight, he almost immediately took off, charging right towards their enemy, his axes raised high, a bloodcurdling scream of bloodlust and joy immediately drowning out most of the noises from the background.
The beastkin and the remaining Ecstasy soldiers that just happened to be between him and the knight have wisely evacuated from there, the battle temporarily dying down at least in their parts of it.
The rose knight met the manflayer¡¯s charge mid-way, thrusting their lance with enough strength and speed for the wind pressure to almost topple several closest beastkin warriors. The manflayer dodges it surprisingly gracefully for a man of his size, using the dodge¡¯s momentum to do a quick pirouette before slamming one of their axes right in the side of the knight.
It reminded Izuku of how the sword dancers fought. What normal person does pirouettes in combat instead of going for more practical moves? Except, here it was so quick and took full advantage of the lance not being the fastest weapon to actually get it done.
The knight lowered their shield enough to protect their right leg from being severed in half, likely alongside their horse. The sound of impact was still deafening, and there was a clear dent in the shield.
Funnily enough, the very ornamental and artistic take on male genitalia ¡®decorating¡¯ the shield was just broken in half. Big oof.
Knight discovers that it wasn¡¯t the end of the attack a second later. The giant axes of the manflayer weren¡¯t exactly wieldy when you were pretty much in wrestling distance. The skinless warrior¡¯s solution to that?
He takes advantage of being as tall as the mounted knight he was fighting and headbutts him. The helmet splinters, the knight is pushed back. For a second Izuku thinks that they¡¯ll fall off their horse, but no. They manage to hold onto it, and before the manflayer can attack again, their horse makes three quick leaps away from him.
No, horses definitely don¡¯t move like that. Whatever strange things are done to horses in the Rose Guard¡¯s home dimension in order to make them move like that is something that neither Tomura nor Izuku want to know a single thing about.
The manflayer charges again just as the knight uses their shieldhand to tear off what¡¯s left of their helmet, revealing a face just as beautiful as what most of the servants of Procacitas sported, with short black hair.
The look she gives the manflayer before charging back at him makes it rather clear that she was enjoying this fight just as much as he did.
Battle junkies. Battle junkies everywhere. Then again, Izuku was hopelessly in love with one of them, so he wasn¡¯t in a position to really complain about it.
The knight tried another lance thrust, but the manflayer was waiting for it. He, once again, dodges the blow, this time by jumping sideways before hitting the lance with one of his axes. It¡¯s severed in half, the knight immediately dropping it and grabbing the hilt of their sword.
Before they have the time to unsheathe it, the manflayer is on them, delivering a whole sequence of frenzied blows, forcing them to focus on defense and hold their shield with both hands to withstand it.
That is, until it becomes clear that the shield¡¯s about to break, which is when the horse once again jumps away. The manflayer once again charges in to close the distance, but the knight was given enough time to draw their sword.
The axe arcs towards her head, but before it can split it in half, the scimitar she just drew almost cuts the manflayer¡¯s arm in half, nearly splitting his right biceps in hand. The cut definitely goes all the way to the bone.
Instead of backing down, the manflayer just flexes their bicep, somehow forcing the wound to close by pressing it down with muscles (what the hell, this had to be some sort of regeneration power at play), before promptly punching the knight in the face.
She didn¡¯t seem to like it. But despite her nose being completely shattered and her skull likely getting at least a few cracks, she easily blocks the follow-up axe blow with her shield.
Before retaliating by headbutting the manflayer.
The man is stunned, but less by the damage and more by sheer audacity that trying to headbutt him required. He wakes up a moment later, jumping back to avoid the scimitar¡¯s swing that would have likely chopped his head off.
Makes you wonder how high the ETL of those two are.
Yep.
Also I take back everything I thought about that knight after realizing what sort of crest she was carrying on her shield
She knows how to fight
Yes, she is holding back a guy that looks uncomfortably similar to Muscular, even if she seems to be losing the fight.
¡°She is winning, Izuku.¡± Uraraka corrects while quickly glancing towards the shamans. Who, indeed, seemed to be panicking. The fighting around them died down, with the exception of the clash of titans, both sides cheering on their champion, with some of the beastkin taking advantage of that brief lull in hostilities to evacuate their injured. ¡°You forgot that the muscly guy is in their spiritual form, not a physical one.¡±
Oh
Ah, crap
He¡¯s running out of time, isn¡¯t he?
She is only fighting him to stop him from going full monkey on other Ecstasy soldiers, and stays defensive to draw out the fight
The time¡¯s on her side
That¡¯s when they discover that the manflayer was also aware of that fact. His last charge is interrupted as he stumbles forward, collapsing onto his knees, as if he suddenly ran out of power. He is still trying to stand up when the knight closes in for a finishing blow.
There is more to Nine Hordes than just Saevius, the god of rage and war. There is also Dolositas, the goddess of cunning and deceit. The knight is reminded of that fact when the manflayer suddenly jumps forward, revealing his moment of weakness as a feint.
That their enemy completely fell for.
Manflayer¡¯s battleaxe strikes the shield bearing arm of the knight right by their shoulder right before the knight can block it with their shield. It then promptly cuts through the armor, flesh and bone, completely severing off their limb before plunging into the flesh of their mount.
Judging from the horse suddenly collapsing onto their stomach and their hind legs going limp, their spine was definitely a goner.
The knight shrieks in pain and shock, but manages to retaliate with a swing of her scimitar that decapitates the manflayer. Then again, he was probably about to despawn, his final charge being his way of not leaving the fight empty handed.
His body and weapons collapse onto the ground, rapidly turning into a multi-coloured liquid that quickly begins to soak into the ground.
The beastkin side - that to this point was loudly cheering on the manflayer - goes quiet. The Ecstasy soldiers erupt in loud cheers (even if most of them are rather muffled).
And that¡¯s when Uraraka is suddenly showered in blood.
While the fight was raging on, it moved from the center of the formation to a place slightly behind the beastkin line. The knight¡¯s mount has collapsed with her back turned towards most of the beastkin warriors. And while the beastkin happened to be (mostly) petrified by the champion of their god falling in battle, the same couldn¡¯t be said about Uraraka.
She - while under boost from [Bloodrage] - storms towards her, past shocked beastkin, before grabbing the top of knight¡¯s head and pulling it back. Izuku gets to see a close-up of the knight¡¯s shocked face before Uraraka crudely slits her throat with the blade of her sword.
A second later, Uraraka is sent flying by an elbow blow from the knight¡¯s surviving arm that hits her squarely in her side. However, the deed was done.
Whatever inhuman vitality kept the knight alive after losing her arm (the bleeding from which was rapidly stopping before Uraraka did her thing), couldn¡¯t deal with two major injuries. She tried to grab her throat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, but without one hand it was a futile endeavor to begin with.
The moment she clearly goes limp and leans forward, still sitting on her saddle but clearly going unconscious, the beastkin spring to life.
It took them a while to realize what happened. The beastkin saw their gods-annointed champion fall, and wavered, likely on the verge of rout or at least beginning to fall back. Then, however, some completely random no-name looking like a rookie warrior with next to no experience came out of nowhere, unleashing the blessing of their god and promptly using it to finish off the enemy champion.
No self-respecting beastkin warrior could run away after this. Either because it would mean spitting in the face of their gods (whose theurgy it was that saved the day) or because it would also mean looking like a complete loser baby in comparison to the rookie warrior who moved when they dared to be afraid.
They fell at the Ecstasy soldiers with double their usual ferocity and even more bloodlust-filled howls just to make up for this moment of weakness.
And just like Lorae predicted a few days ago, the Ecstasy promptly broke. They had their fun battling the beastkin thus far, but it was clear that they were going to lose and that meant that it was time to accept a completely different form of fun.
Most of the remaining Rose Guard soldiers began to drop their weapons and either surrender or run away. Leaving the gore munchers to curse their cowardice as they were then taken down, one by one, alongside the languide juggernauts. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Especially the latter needed to be completely swarmed by their opponents, made to fall onto the ground and then picked out of their armors. Their armors were so heavy that immobilizing them and tearing at least some of it off was the only way to kill them.
Needless to say, the battlefield turned into a complete chaos in a matter of seconds. Uraraka didn¡¯t get to see that, the injury she sustained (together with a backlash of quickly interrupted [Bloodrage]) making her black out.
Tokage, however, did. And she did her best to wade through this mess to get to Uraraka and to check on her. But it was easier said than done.
She almost got to Uraraka when she suddenly found herself facing one of the Rose Guard soldiers.
And four beastkin that were busy tearing off her armor.
Oh for fuck sake, really?!
Like, I get it that it¡¯s a thing, and I can¡¯t expect a barbarian tribe to have the same morals about it as us, but c¡¯mon
¡ yeah.
Setsuna Tokage completely freezes for about three seconds. She was a hero trainee, yes, and she knew how she should have reacted, but¡ if she tried to stop it, they could as well just beat her up, she had little hopes of winning 4-on-1.
Should she just go around them instead or¡
She is saved from having to make any decisions by a veteran beastkin warrior appearing out of nowhere and starting to hit the beastkin involved in the situation with the blunt side of his sword while yelling at them to stop wasting time because they have to capture or kill as many of the enemies before they can retreat to the mines.
Which wasn¡¯t exactly the best reason and way to stop an attempted gangrape, but at this point in time and space, Tokage would take it. And be extremely grateful for it.
The fact that the captured soldier looked disappointed by the intervention has only made it worse by adding an element of morbid hilarity to what should have logically been a depressive and shocking moment.
She quickly sneaks by the whole scene, glancing at it one last time to see the veteran ordering one of the injured warriors to tie the captive and lead her back to the camp before running after fleeing enemies.
¡°Urgh, sometimes I fucking hate this world.¡± She says to herself, only Izuku and Tomura hearing her.
Reasonable.
Yeah
She makes it to Uraraka, checks up on her and then decides to quickly carry her unconscious body away from the battlefield. It was enough fun for them for the day.
***
While the rout started from the Ecstasy infantry on their side of the river, it quickly spread. The skirmishers fighting beside them were the first to go, the ghouls and sword dancers that managed to survive until now quickly realizing that if they stay around, they¡¯re gonna get surrounded.
Izuku could imagine sword dancers being interested in going through the experience of being completely encircled by their enemies, if not for the cynocephalii. Who would just straight up tore them to shreds. And even then, some of them were clearly into that.
Even thinking about it made Izuku desire a quick shower.
With the enemies on their side of the river going into full rout, the Ecstasy soldiers on the other side were faced with the prospect of being flanked. Or, worse, of the enemies pursuing their fleeing allies all the way to the mines, and thus cutting them off from it completely.
So, they¡¯ve tried to retreat. And there is no maneuver more dangerous in battle than an organized retreat.
With the beastkin breathing down their necks, the retreat quickly began to turn into a full rout. Ecstasy needed a true miracle to turn it around. And they received none.
The battle ended with the beastkin¡¯s full victory. It was rather bloody, with between fifty and one hundred of their warriors dying and one to two hundred receiving various non-life threatening injuries.
As for Ecstasy, no one managed to count their full numbers. However, the final tally of the daemon bodies carried into the Dungeon (took them a few days to get that done) included 227 Rose Guard soldiers, 6 Rose Knights, 16 Rapturous Brutes, 35 Sword Dancers, 23 Frenzied Bloodletters, 96 Gore Munchers, 20 Languid Ironclads, 8 Moraverian Alchemists and 45 Ghouls.
If you added the ones that got captured alive by the beastkin, you were going to reach about 600 total casualties. Out of about 700 that the Ecstasy was starting the battle with.
The Ecstasy has lost the battle hard, their prospects of managing to hold the mines not looking great.
Izuku, however, didn¡¯t really think about any of the implications of the battle. As Ochako regained consciousness soon after returning to the Dungeon, and it didn¡¯t take a lot of time for Himiko to show up too.
***
¡°Izuku, be honest with me.¡± Uraraka says, Izuku opening his eyes just to look at her face. ¡°Am I a weirdo? Am I going native a bit too much?¡±
¡°Weirdo?¡± Izuku replies confusedly. ¡°Why would you be a weirdo?¡± He just doesn¡¯t get what brought the question.
¡°Well, I came back from spilling a lot of blood on the battlefield and immediately dragged you to bed.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that doesn¡¯t make me a weirdo. Or, even worse, a bad person.¡±
They were in their bed, naked, Uraraka partially wrapped around Izuku. When she raised herself up a little to be able to look at him properly to have that talk, she exposed enough of her body for Izuku¡¯s face to start changing color as his eyes tried to stick to her face.
Fun. She loved teasing him a little bit in private, his reactions were just so¡ genuine. It was just nice to see how attractive she was to him.
¡°Well, were you in the mood for¡ errr, t-this because of spilling blood?¡± Izuku asks. Uraraka does a quick soul searching and shakes her head. ¡°Then I think that it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re just riding down an adrenaline high. In a way that¡¯s p-p-p-pretty n-normal, for a-a-as long as you d-don¡¯t g-get too f-far.¡±
He stutters badly by the end, because Himiko took that moment to raise herself up a bit - as she was lying at his other side the whole time - before reaching over to Ochako and giving her a kiss.
Right in front of Izuku.
He still has no idea how to process all the mixed signals that his body is giving him when it happens.
¡°Don¡¯t be a dummy, Ochako-chan!¡± Toga lets out as the kiss ends. ¡°If you like it that way, what¡¯s the problem? It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s hurt or anything, right?¡± She still wasn¡¯t super sold on the concept of ¡®hurt bad¡¯, but her two cuties were, and so she decided to make some concessions. ¡°So if you want to top a day of fighting and making other people bleed with some hot bedroom action, just do it!¡±
Uraraka glances at Izuku (who is completely out of it due to what he just got to see) before sighing loudly.
¡°If you two are planning to be my shoulder angel and devil, I should be lying in the middle.¡± She replies while shaking her head a little. Then she returns to lying down, wrapped around Izuku who, ever since her love confession, has become her favorite body-pillow.
So warm and comfy.
Himiko is getting pretty close to matching him on that field.
¡°I actually feel k-kind of bad about not b-being there.¡± Izuku suddenly says, drawing Uraraka¡¯s attention and making her open her eyes. ¡°I saw you f-fight through your e-eyes, and you were super cool, but you¡¯ve also gotten i-injured and¡¡±
¡°Izuku, don¡¯t.¡± She says as authoritatively as she can, making him immediately stop speaking and look at her in shock. ¡°There was no risk of us dying.¡±
¡°You were pretty badly injured.¡± Izuku counters. ¡°Himiko almost died a few times as well, and while I know that it wouldn¡¯t be permanent, I still¡¡±
Uraraka gently but firmly puts a finger on his lips, making him stop.
¡°Izuku, when you saw me injured and pinned down, you leapt at a giant robot and blew it to shreds, without a single conscious thought.¡± She says. ¡°At the USJ it was your idea that saved Tsuchan and Mineta-kun from the villain. Then, when Aizawa-sensei narrowly saved Tsuchan from almost being turned to dust by Shigaraki, you didn¡¯t waste a second before trying to punch him away, despite knowing that it would leave you crippled and surrounded by villains. And then you almost broke yourself, once more leaping into the fray when All Might was about to be killed by Shigaraki and Kurogiri.¡±
¡°Well, I had to do that, because he¡¡± Izuku tries to speak, taking advantage of Uraraka¡¯s finger briefly pulling up, but she once again presses it down, silencing him.
¡°You then broke your own body, multiple times, just to not only win your fights in the Sports Festival but also to help Todoroki-kun.¡± She continues on. ¡°Then it¡¯s the Training Camp, when you bravely fought Muscular, the meaner cousin of that daemon we saw today. Then Kamino. Then, you know, Overhaul, whom you battled against in what was the most epic hero versus villain fight I¡¯ve ever seen or heard about.¡±
¡°S-so?¡± He asks, taking advantage of Uraraka inhaling.
¡°So, you have nothing to prove.¡± She informs him. ¡°I know that when need be, you¡¯re a total badass. And I know that you love me. You¡¯re thus not only free to but also encouraged to just¡ take the backseat. Relax a little. Have some fun in your free time. Cheer at me as I improve my somewhat lackluster combat record from Earth and help me get as strong as I can possibly be. But do not feel bad about not joining me in a fight, alright? Keeping you safe is a part of my job, and the moment you actually get to fight someone, it¡¯ll mean that I¡¯ve failed.¡±
She doesn¡¯t add it, but Izuku taking said backseat, and not relentlessly endangering his own life every twenty minutes or so, would also be a welcome change. She knows he¡¯s brave and heroic, but c¡¯mon. He was going too far way too often.
¡°A-alright.¡± Izuku stutters a little, before getting himself together. ¡°I guess that makes sense. But I still think that it¡¯d be awesome to be able to fight side by side with you, you know?¡±
It¡¯s really hard to be stern with a person that you want to hug and kiss with all your heart. Alas, Uraraka perseveres.
¡°I know that it would be awesome.¡± Uraraka agrees with him. ¡°But just because it doesn¡¯t happen, don¡¯t feel bad about it, okay? I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll be able to truly enjoy fighting if I know that you¡¯re feeling bad because of that.¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Izuku nods quickly a few times. ¡°I¡¯ll try. Still, you were awesome today! If you didn¡¯t charge when you did, the beastkin might have suffered even more casualties! So, you saved a lot of people! Even if, well, I don¡¯t really think that they¡¯re particularly good people.¡±
¡°Yeah, I heard about it from Setsuna.¡± Uraraka sighs. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡ be happy that none of it is happening in the place where we¡¯re the ones setting up rules. So, in the Dungeon. None of that ¡®when in Rome, do what Romans do¡¯ bullshit! We set up the rules in our house, and we¡¯re going to make people pay for breaking them!¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Izuku nods quickly, looking surprisingly motivated before giving her a slightly mischievous smile. ¡°I¡¯m kind of looking forward to telling the captive daemons that they¡¯re now in the timeout corner for their little parties.¡±
Ochako imagines telling an entire group of Rose Guard soldiers that sexual abstinence was now going to be a Dungeon-enforced policy, and they literally can¡¯t have sex anymore because they literally can¡¯t disobey a dungeon servant.
Oh, it was going to be sweet.
So, she grins back at him. And then, when she sees the almost heartstoppingly cute smile he gives her in return, she promptly kisses him.
Toga is briefly forgotten, but she doesn¡¯t mind. While the two of them had their little talk, she was lying beside them, her head resting on Izuku¡¯s arm, Himiko observing her two cuties being just¡ so sweet together that she could practically feel the diabetes and the tooth decay setting in.
She wanted to hug them, but she also didn¡¯t want to interrupt their moment.
***
Maybe an hour later Izuku returns to the Core, leaving Ochako and Himiko to lounge in their bed a bit longer. In his opinion, they definitely earned it.
Did I miss anything?
Not really
The beastkin chased the Ecstasy leftovers back to the mines and escorted the captives back to their camp
They are now busy gathering up their dead while pillaging whatever they can from the battlefield
First corpses (mostly of Ecstasy demons) were already brought to the Dungeon and assimilated by me, Elder Anaya relayed to us through Compress that they¡¯ll sort out their own dead and hand some of them to us
¡ why are you so helpful all of a sudden?
There¡¯s no deeper reason to that
You figured out that if you¡¯ll be so helpful I¡¯ll be spending more time with Himiko and Ochako, meaning that you¡¯ll be free from me more often?
¡ fuck you, Midoriya
Izuku was so satisfied with figuring out Shigaraki¡¯s game plan that he failed to ask where Spinner was and what Compress was up to.
Just as Shigaraki hoped.
063: Victory Party
In the end, it was Yaoyorozu who noticed that something was amiss. And immediately brought it to Izuku¡¯s attention.
¡°Where are Mr. Compress and Spinner?¡± She asks early in the morning. Funnily enough, they didn¡¯t have anything to do in the aftermath of the battle. The beastkin were doing all the legwork for them.
Yesterday, that is. They were doing their job yesterday, carrying all the corpses into the Dungeon and letting them grow fat and happy with no hard work whatsoever. This morning, though, the flow of corpses took an oddly long time to resume.
This prompted Izuku to voice his surprise by it to his old classmates, which promptly led to Yaoyorozu noticing another discrepancy.
¡
Shigaraki?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
GOT YOU!
What have you done?!
Well, what do you think beastkin did the evening after their victory?
Once they moved every injured person to their camp and did their best to patch them up?
I¡ don¡¯t know?
They partied, dumbass
They partied hard
I figured out that you¡¯re going to complain about it if I asked you for your consent, so instead I made a sovereign decision to accept Atsuhiro ¡®Rave God¡¯ Sako¡¯s petition to go and get wasted, for as long as he grabs Spinner and wingmans him into getting laid, without asking you
¡
Really?
Character development, asshole
I care for my subordinates and go out of my way to make them happy, in exchange for their continued loyalty
As for the reason why the beastkin stopped carrying corpses inside, it¡¯s probably because half of them aren¡¯t currently available due to being on the verge of death by hangover or drug comedown
I only peeked through their eyes once or twice, and damn, let me tell you this shit was wild
You know what, I won¡¯t even ask.
Also¡ Rave God?
Have you seen how that man looks? And, if you ignore his clown moments, he¡¯s good at acting and an entertainer by profession
Before becoming a proper villain he was dumping most of the money he was getting on his frequent visits to nightclubs, and his outing as a villain has likely disappointed a lot of girls and boys he met there
I see.
Well, hopefully he didn¡¯t do anything stupid while partying.
***
Izuku¡¯s worries turned out to be well placed, a fact that they discovered when Mr. Compress finally returned to the Dungeon a few hours later, looking like a textbook definition of hangover and carrying a backpack filled with stolen goods.
He was accompanied by Spinner, who was carrying a second backpack filled with stolen goods. And, to add insult to injury, the duo was also carrying a large, unopened keg of liquor. That they also stole.
¡ please tell me that you got all those things legally.
¡°Pfffft.¡± Mr. Compress manages not to break into laughter but he gets close. ¡°Yeah, right. Legally. That¡¯s definitely a word, one that I have never heard in the past and one that I elect to ignore in the future.¡±
¡°He stole it, and roped me into helping him.¡± Spinner decides to clarify the situation. The two of them were proudly marching down the Level Change Room on the First Level. Likely to get as far away from the potential beastkin pursuers.
Nice
How was the party?
That¡¯s not nice, that¡¯s a cri¡
I¡¯m not even finishing this sentence, you¡¯d just reply some variant of ¡®that¡¯s what makes it nice¡¯
You know me so well, sob
¡°Wildest party in my life, boss.¡± Mr. Compress replies. ¡°Beastkin might not be the nicest people, but they know how to party, I give them that much. I¡¯m ready to bet my liver that at least a few of them died in the process, and the rest just kept partying. Rivers of alcohol, more drugs than I can name and sex. A lot of sex. Though they could work on the music a little, even if the drums had that interesting rustic charm to them.¡±
Well, sounds fun
Spinner?
¡°Y-yes.¡± Spinner replies, suddenly sounding a bit nervous. ¡°Thank you sooo much, Tomura. Your idea to have me go and have Compress, errr, help me a little was pure genius.¡±
Sweet
Bring all the loot to the lowest level, I want all the heroes go through the trauma of being accessories to mass robbery before we assimilate it
¡¡
Cope and seethe, Midoriya
***
¡°You did what?!¡± Yaoyorozu speaks for the entire group, now gathered in their common room in front of the two thieves.
¡°We¡¯ve stolen a bunch of stuff from the beastkin while they were too busy partying to care.¡± Mr. Compress replies. He¡¯s thoroughly unapologetic about his act of thievery.
¡°Are you serious?!¡± Uraraka joins the argument.
¡°That¡¯s super unmanly.¡± Kirishima judges. Judging from the look on Mina¡¯s face, his girlfriend was in full agreement with him.
¡°Did you get something cool?¡± Toga asks, immediately drawing a lot of eyes to herself. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?! Beastkin are fine with stealing stuff from each other and usually blame the victim for being dumb enough to get robbed, duh. Compress just did the same to them.¡±
That was something that Izuku had to agree with, at least on the surface level. The problem they were facing was less about the beastkin being robbed and more about what it meant for their own morality and conscience.
¡°And I¡¯m supposed to believe that he did it as a punishment?¡± Yaoyorozu replies, staring daggers at her before turning her eyes towards Compress.
¡°Nope!¡± Compress grins back. He is definitely hungover, but he¡¯s so much of a drama queen that he¡¯s forcing himself through it just to keep the show going. ¡°I just saw some cool stuff lying around and decided to take it.¡±
Absolutely and thoroughly unapologetic. Hell, proud of what he just did.
¡°Midoriya-kun, I know that Shigaraki won¡¯t like it, but I feel that regardless of the beastkin¡¯ behavior and culture, this is crossing a line.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to directly address a higher authority. ¡°We should give it back. Or, if we don¡¯t want them to suspect us, just drop it in the forest somewhere where they should find it.¡±
Izuku is yet to answer that when Compress decides to make an attempt on persuading a whole group of hero trainees to ignore a blatant act of thievery. He does it by pulling something out of his backpack and putting it on the table in front of them.
It¡¯s a bar of soap.
¡°I¡¡± Yaoyorozu¡¯s eyes darted towards it before returning to Compress. Izuku can see a number of people in the group react almost identically to her. A concerningly large number of people. ¡°I don¡¯t think that a bar of some¡ primitive soap works as an argument for thievery.¡±
¡°I think you massively underestimate beastkin alchemists, Yaoyorozu-san.¡± Compress replies, looking at her with a smug smirk on his face while grabbing the soap from the table. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s a really good soap. A lot of foam and it smells really nice.¡± He sniffs it, his eyes on Yaoyorozu the whole time. ¡°Lavender scent, definitely. Would be such a shame to give it back and wait for who knows how long for the beastkin to gift us with it on their own.¡±
Silence in the room. Izuku can see a lot of his classmates exchanging glances. No one says a word, yet. But to his shock, Izuku realizes that they were actually wavering.
¡°You know, I¡¯ve seen the beastkin be up to some really shady shit yesterday.¡± Tokage finally decides to take the bullet for the team and speaks up. ¡°He didn¡¯t rob some poor innocent people, but pretty much the local version of villains. Better than any alternative, but¡¡±
¡°I¡ guess that you have a point.¡± Uraraka says slowly a few seconds later, the shocked looks switching from Tokage to her. ¡°We¡¯re imprisoning the daemons, and that¡¯s fair enough of a punishment for their crimes, but the beastkin¡ they¡¯ve kind of got off scot-free, right?¡±
¡°Girls, that is not manly at a¡¡± Kirishima tries to interject but Mina suddenly squeezes his arm. He looks back at her, but she says nothing, instead staring at the soap without a word and with worrying intensity in her eyes.
¡°Isn¡¯t that just like a bonus reward?¡± Kaminari speaks, suddenly reminding everyone in the room of his existence. ¡°Uraraka-san helped the beastkin win and lower their casualties, so she definitely earned an additional reward. But we can¡¯t just go and ask them for it, because we¡¯re hiding how smart we are from them. So, it¡¯s just like a bonus reward, right? And, besides, Tokage-san said she saw some shitty thing, so getting a recompense for it is valid. It¡¯s like making them pay a fine, right?¡±
¡°Yes!¡± Tokage fist bumps her open palm, just as Monoma, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu give Kaminari looks best summarized with the words ¡®Et tu, Brute?¡¯. Kaminari looks confused by their reaction. ¡°That makes perfect sense! I was definitely traumatized and need reimbursement for my suffering.¡±
Uhm, I¡¯m all for seeing moral corruption of heroes (especially the ones that annoy me a lot), but they DO remember that we can just copy this stuff once we assimilate it?
We can¡¯t be sure that it doesn¡¯t require too much Ambient Mana for us to spawn it immediately. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for something as simple as a bar of soap, but we can¡¯t be sure.
That¡¯s a very you thing to be concerned with a still hypothetical crime
Mr. Compress puts the soap back on the table. Yaoyorozu promptly swipes it before giving it a quick sniff, her eyes on Compress (and his smug smirk) the whole time.
¡°You won.¡± She then promptly surrenders. So it really must have smelt like lavenders, huh. ¡°I, errr, withdraw my veto. This one time.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
¡°Great.¡± Uraraka sighs. She doesn¡¯t seem to be awfully happy about participating in the act of thievery, but¡ soap. ¡°What else did you two bring?¡±
Wow, what a way to get bribed
With a bar of soap
You win this time, now stop being so annoyingly smug about it.
Nope
Suffer, bitch
The next thing that Compress pulled out of his backpack is a book. Or, as he quickly corrects himself, several thin-looking books, wrapped in leather. All of them are roughly similar in size, comparable to an A5 format and per Izuku estimation of thickness, probably having about¡ 200-250 pages?
This looks to me like some murim-themed manga/manhwa/webcomic martial art manual
¡°You¡¯re completely correct about it, boss.¡± Compress replies. ¡°Beastkin are all about individual skills and earning your stuff, but if they limited learning opportunities by making them work through the same mechanism, they wouldn¡¯t have enough warriors. So, I borrowed some books from their unofficial public library. Only the entry level stuff, and they had more than one copy of those.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± Uraraka lets out, her tone betraying how intrigued she was by this part of the spoils. She quickly leans towards the pile of books and finds the one with ¡®Wolf Fang School, Basics¡¯ written on the front, before quickly leafing through it.
Through her eyes, Izuku sees a lot of highly detailed anatomical diagrams of wolfkin of both genders, with a number of symbols, points and lines. Likely showing how to form and strengthen your mana pathways. Thankfully, there are also a lot of words describing how it works for those with completely no understanding of the basics.
There are also descriptions of various forms of footwork and combat techniques to be used with the basics described in earlier chapters. They already ¡®know¡¯ most of them, although not in the same way.
¡°Nice.¡± Uraraka grins as she puts the manual down on the table. ¡°Looks like the final obstacle to becoming a wolfkin permanently has just vanished. I¡¯ll finally be able to train myself properly.¡±
¡°Wait, you want to stay a wolfkin?¡± Monoma asks, glancing at Uraraka. ¡°You know that there are much stronger bodies out there, right?¡±
¡°And what¡¯s the baseline difference between them in ETL?¡± Uraraka counters. ¡°One point? Two points? Get some good equipment and you can bridge that easily, even without training. It¡¯s hard work that matters.¡±
¡°Both of you have a point.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to join in. ¡°Yes, there are species in this world that are much more powerful, but there¡¯s a possibility to bridge that gap with sufficiently hard training, good equipment and some luck. However, Uraraka-san is going to remain connected to the Dungeon for the foreseeable future, if only because Midoriya-kun is as well. This means that she can amass combat experience, skills and equipment with no risks to her life, and while taking full advantage of her lifespan being effectively unlimited.¡±
¡°So, unless the worst happens and the Dungeon itself is killed, we¡¯ll all become powerful.¡± Uraraka summarizes it. ¡°The real question is how quickly it happens. And guess what? I¡¯m tired of all my physical training being for nothing, because all the changes to my body reset back to mediocrity each time I die! I want to train myself in both martial arts and normal physical training. So, yes, I¡¯m totally up for this change.¡±
¡°Wait, so does it mean that if you do some weightlifting and so on, you¡¯re gonna develop more muscles? Permanently?¡± Toga suddenly perks up. Uraraka nods. ¡°Oh, hell yes!¡±
Uraraka sighs, clearly exasperated but also amused by Himiko, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. As usual. Himiko was really funny when there was no risk of her killing someone, and when she somewhat toned down her bloodlust.
And also, she was very relatable to Izuku, at least right now. Because he, too, wouldn¡¯t mind Uraraka getting some more muscles here and there.
N-not like she wasn¡¯t perfect as she was right now, though! But when they created their bodies in this world, those were mediocre by default. If they get humans, the bodies they¡¯ll be able to make will likely have exactly 0.5 baseline ETL, exactly in the middle between the strongest and weakest human ever.
As a result, due to being above the average for the human species before landing here (thanks to their training to become pro-heroes) they all grew somewhat weaker in the process, although the losses were smaller than they could have been thanks to their new species having higher average strength, speed, stamina etc.
In short, Uraraka¡¯s muscles were significantly less pronounced than they were on Earth, even if she didn¡¯t get visibly weaker in the process, and they all (minus the ogres) went through a similar thing.
And Izuku could only wonder how strong Ochako could get. And¡ well¡ yeah, he can¡¯t say that even in his thoughts, but he definitely empathizes with Himiko¡¯s words. The ones concerning the associated aesthetics of such a change.
¡°Right.¡± Yaoyorozu clearly decides to ignore Toga¡¯s interruption and focuses on looking through the pile of books instead. ¡°Let¡¯s see what we have here. Wolf Fang, Tiger Claw and Tail Splitter Schools, which is something that we already have some practitioners of.¡± She says as she puts three of the books to the side.
There are more books there. Izuku can¡¯t help but feel somewhat¡ excited about it. But it¡¯s an excitement tainted with guilt, considering that he felt it towards stolen goods.
Goddamnit, Shigaraki. It¡¯s all your fault, and Izuku is going to make you suffer for it. Somehow.
¡°Here we have the¡ Battering Ram School?¡± Yaoyorozu raises an eyebrow at this. ¡°Oh, right, it¡¯s for the sheepkin. Rams. Funny. Anyway, next we have the Rabbit¡¯s Foot School for the rabbitkin, Bull Charge School for the cowkin, Hog¡¯s Tusk School for the boarkin, Foxtail School for the foxkin and the Mauling Paws School for¡ bearkin, it seems.¡±
Only the last one had a name that didn¡¯t immediately betray what species it was made for, forcing Yaoyorozu to spend a brief moment checking it.
¡°A substantial haul, all things considered.¡± Yaoyorozu then says, clearly deciding to evict the fact that she was talking about stolen things out of her head. ¡°Nothing for the mages, though.¡±
Compress says nothing. Instead, he pulls a few significantly thicker books from his backpack. He was definitely waiting for the best moment to do a dramatic reveal.
He earns himself silent stares from almost every former hero trainee in the room, except for Kaminari, who clearly didn¡¯t realize yet what the problem was. Then again, Izuku genuinely couldn¡¯t tell if he was properly following the conversation.
This time, Shigaraki of all people notices it.
I have a question to you
Is Kaminari, you know, all there?
Yes.
Sort of.
He¡¯s a bit of a dunce 95% of time, but a galaxy-level supergenius for the rest of it.
You just learn to roll with it.
¡ ok?
¡°Alright.¡± Yaoyorozu sighs, looking simply¡ defeated. Compress definitely considers that his win. ¡°Let me see¡ looks like we have two books concerning basic, entry-level skills and training for both Rage and Blood Magic and two more, which are¡ give me a second.¡± She leafs through the pages of the remaining two books. ¡°Oh. Beastkin must have gotten those from some necromancer they killed. One¡¯s for Death Magic, the other is for Curse Magic.¡±
¡°Gimme.¡± Yanagi doesn¡¯t wait any longer than absolutely necessary before grabbing those two books and immediately beginning to read one of them. Completely ignoring everyone else at the table.
Izuku starts to suspect that not only Ochako but also Yanagi-san and perhaps even Spinner will switch their bodies to a permanent one very, very soon. And he was happy for them, as that meant that they¡¯ve found themselves a new identity, successfully wading their way through the existential horror that their arrival in this world was.
Yaoyorozu just glances at Yanagi, before quickly shaking her head and turning towards Compress once more.
¡°You¡¯ve gotten us tutorial books for martial arts and magic, which is¡ good.¡± Yaoyorozu then says to Compress through her teeth. ¡°This leaves our sorcerers, who¡¡±
Compress, with utmost speed and dexterity, stars pulling even more books out of his backpack before staring at a frozen Yaoyorozu with this annoying smug smirk of his. Even being severely hungover doesn¡¯t stop him from being a troll.
¡°They will never find your body, nor the murder weapon.¡± Yaoyorozu says. Slowly. Carefully. And with utmost focus on every single syllable, her eyes locked onto Compress the whole time.
He looks supremely unimpressed, and shrugs in the most comically exaggerated way Izuku could possibly imagine.
Yaoyorozu, once again, is forced to concede defeat and quickly checks the contents of the books in question.
¡°Well, yes, those are manuals and guidelines for rookie sorcerers.¡± She eventually says. ¡°We have entry level knowledge on fire, ice, acid and electric sorcery, all of them written in Itavian so definitely not locally manufactured. Beastkin probably stole it from someone. There are also two scrolls written in the local language, and those are for rage and blood sorcery.¡±
Izuku doesn¡¯t say it, but he has a theory about the origin of at least some of those goods. He could imagine fire and ice being rather common ¡®elements¡¯, but ice and acid? Too much of a coincidence. Same with black magic books.
He is ready to bet that Compress just reunited the property of several of the beastkin former ¡®sacrifices¡¯ with their owners. In the Dungeon. The beastkin must have stolen the books for themselves before dumping the bodies in the Dungeon. And now, Compress stole them back.
That helped Izuku a lot in persuading himself that this particular involuntary repossession of goods was¡ tolerable. Although while he did succeed in that, it was a narrow victory, one motivated entirely by the beastkin not having anything resembling a code of law. And their spoken traditions actually encouraging this sort of thievery.
¡°Any other books you have in that backpack of yours?¡± This time it¡¯s Uraraka that asks. Yaoyorozu closes her mouth, consigning whatever she was about to say into oblivion.
¡°No, but I have some other things. Although I don¡¯t expect you to agree with my choice of loot.¡± Compress replies. ¡°There was no real point in stealing valuables, seeing as we have a wide selection of gemstones, crystals and coins readily available once the Dungeon gets deep enough. I¡¯ve instead decided to wander towards the few huts operated by the beastkin medics accompanying their army, although they¡¯re perhaps more appropriately referred to as alchemists.¡±
¡°... you stole their drugs, didn¡¯t you?¡± Yaoyorozu asks, sounding resigned more than anything else.
¡°Well, yes, but.¡± Mr. Compress replies quickly. Someone definitely didn¡¯t like the way she put it. ¡°They are actually pretty advanced about it. To a degree that¡ Ah, damn, just see for yourself.¡±
He gestures at Spinner to hand him his backpack, before pulling something out of it and putting it on the table.
It¡¯s a syringe.
Glass syringe with some metal coatings here and there, looking like something straight from the Earth¡¯s hospital, although with glass that was maybe a bit thicker. It¡¯s filled with a not-yet identified liquid, the identity of which was probably a crucial element of Compress¡¯ next¡ performance.
¡°No way they can produce something as detailed as this, not with their technology level.¡± Yaoyorozu states while grabbing the syringe to look at its content up close. ¡°Let me guess, imported from the Grand Empire?¡±
It had to be the Northern Wind hideout, Izuku decides. It already showed them that there was something distinctly wrong with this world¡¯s technological level, so expecting the syringe to come from a connected source made sense.
¡°Yes.¡± Compress replies. ¡°Which both makes sense and doesn¡¯t make sense at all. Barbarian tribes clad in furs and metal are running around its territory, and yet its more civilized provinces seem to have technology approaching the level of at least late 20th Century, which is¡ weird.¡±
I think that the term you¡¯re looking for is ¡®Schizo-Tech¡¯
But yes, yes it¡¯s definitely the case here
¡°After seeing one of the local maps being drawn in a projection implying that whoever made it had access to satellite imagining, nothing can potentially shock me on that field.¡± Yaoyorozu states flatly, before glancing at the syringe one more time. ¡°It¡¯s morphine, isn¡¯t it?¡±
And suddenly Compress¡¯s behavior and choice of things to bring home made sense. Sure, their connection to the Dungeon seemed to make them somewhat numb towards their own pain, but what if they accidentally injured someone they didn¡¯t want to, some unfortunate visitor to the Dungeon, and they needed to patch him up?
Morphine was dangerous due to its addictiveness, but it was also an extremely potent painkiller. And seeing what sort of injuries the locals were casually dealing to each other while fighting, especially when magic or daemons got involved, having a painkiller available could mean a world of difference.
¡°Yes.¡± Compress replies. Izuku didn¡¯t miss the flinch on his face when Yaoyorozu figured it out. ¡°The beastkin seem to be growing a lot of opium poppy, enough to have a whole industry going. And their alchemists are something else, because despite working in tents, maybe wooden huts in the forest, one of their products is something called the sleeping dust, which per description of its effects sounds like heroin.¡±
¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± Yaoyorozu stares at him, almost mortified. She isn¡¯t the only one, it was quite a bomb to drop. ¡°They are producing heroin?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t see it myself, so I can only speculate, but the description I got from one of the beastkin fits.¡± Compress replies. No one feels like asking why he¡¯s so knowledgeable on the subject. ¡°Although despite being a major producer of opioids, they are very particular about not using them themselves. The only thing that beastkin themselves are permitted to take are some sort of ¡®cookies¡¯ made by mixing grinded poppy seeds with flour, which is a very, very lightweight drug. Morphine¡¯s only allowed for medicinal purposes, and heroin¡¯s a straight nope for everyone.¡±
¡°They aren¡¯t using it?¡± Uraraka raises an eyebrow. ¡°Then why do they¡ oh. They¡¯re exporting it, aren¡¯t they?¡±
¡°Yes, and let¡¯s just say that the elven authorities have some very valid reasons to dislike having beastkin as neighbors.¡± Compress replies. ¡°On a sidenote, sorry for that boss, but I think I¡¯ll have to mention it, even if it¡¯ll make it harder for you to, errr, torture Midoriya. The corpses that the beastkin delivered to the Dungeon, all of them, starting from that first catgirl, are a result of a recent drug crackdown in Anaya¡¯s tribe. Someone was stealing the sleeping dust from the shipments going south and tried to sell it among the beastkin and let¡¯s just say that the elders didn¡¯t like it one bit.¡±
Ehh, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve milked those corpses for all I could either way
Midoriya being tortured over whether the beastkin were killing random people to give their corpses to him was fun to watch, but
Time to find something else to torture him over.
Classic you.
Yes. Cope and seethe, Midoriya
Hmmm? No. I never back down. When in doubt, I throw caution to the wind and counterattack.
Here, kawaii catboy Stain.
AaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
064: Victory Party 02
Hearing Tomura Shigaraki have a complete emotional meltdown in the background has allowed Izuku to take a deep breath and relax. Everything was as it should be. The world was in perfect harmony.
Once he is done relishing in Shigaraki¡¯s suffering, he returns to listening to the talk.
¡°... treat it like alcohol, apparently.¡± Compress says while pointing at a package of something wrapped in waxed paper.
¡°I heard about it.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, glancing at the package with a rather hard to read expression on her face. ¡°In the book about local species, that is. It¡¯s how elves get around alcohol being highly toxic to them.¡±
¡°Alcohol¡¯s toxic to them?¡± Uraraka says, suddenly leaning over the table. ¡°Like, more than it¡¯s to humans?¡±
¡°Apparently.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°According to the book, elves were originally created by some old and really nasty empire as servant species. Their masters didn¡¯t want them to waste time on something as unproductive as drinking alcohol, so they designed their bodies to react violently to it. Naturally, elves almost immediately began to look for alternatives. Those leaves are apparently one of the most common solutions.¡±
So, it was basically an elven weed. Or at least that¡¯s what Izuku thinks it is. Although he couldn¡¯t be sure of it, if only because he has never seen weed in his entire life. In fact, he was yet to see anything that was considered an addictive drug.
That is if you excluded alcohol (he saw his mom drink a bottle of wine once or twice with Bakugou¡¯s mother) and, well, the morphine that Compress showed them earlier.
¡°Thankfully, non-elves can also smoke it and have fun.¡± Compress says. ¡°Which is what I plan to do later. In moderate doses. It¡¯s the same reason why I stole the beer keg - I figured out that it¡¯s the time to leave the party, but that I can have a bit of an afterparty back at home. With Tomura, if he wants to join.¡±
They had exactly three adults in their Dungeon. All of them were villains, and all of them seemed to be interested in taking drugs.
Wow.
Truly, being an adult had to suck and their favorite way of coping with it was likely illegal in Japan.
¡°You¡¯re naturally free to join the party as well.¡± Compress continues. ¡°Even take some of the stuff, since I¡¯m definitely not interested in being the moral police. So it¡¯s all up to you, personal choices, personal responsibility, yadda yadda yadda.¡±
As one can expect, those words did provoke some reaction, with Uraraka reacting the quickest.
¡°Wait, you do remember that we¡¯re technically underag¡¡± She says, before freezing mid-word and turning her head to look at Himiko. Who responded by blinking at Uraraka confusedly, not knowing what it was about. The wolfgirl then looked back at Compress. ¡°You know what, no. I¡¯m not opening this can of worms. I¡¯ll instead ask, is that really just beer?¡±
¡°The beerest beer that ever beered.¡± Compress replies. ¡°Locally produced, not exactly the strongest thing I¡¯ve ever drunk. I don¡¯t think that you can really get wasted with it, just slightly tipsy. And if it¡¯s still too strong for you, you can always dilute it with water.¡±
Looks like it wasn¡¯t liquor after all. It seems that Compress, for all his faults, had at least some sensibilities left. That or he decided not to take high percentage alcohol drinks while clearly suffering from a hangover.
Neither Yaoyorozu nor Uraraka (who were clearly taking the lead today) have the time to answer before Compress suddenly sighs loudly.
¡°Look, if you¡¯re curious, just try it.¡± He says. ¡°You have two people upstairs that can literally pull your very souls into a timeout corner the moment they decide that you went even a centimeter too far. Hell, if they both decide to join the party, then I¡¯ll be a reasonable adult and I¡¯ll be the one to personally send you home if you go too far.¡±
¡°Are you sure that this is what a reasonable adult would do?¡± Monoma comments dryly, finally reminding them all that he existed. ¡°Be alright with people of questionable adulthood drinking alcohol?¡±
¡°Look, what I¡¯m saying is that if more parents told their children ¡®look, alcohol is bad but if you are really curious as to how it tastes, you¡¯re always free to try it at home instead of going with your quote unquote friends to some shady bar and be roped into trying some shady shit due to the whole forbidden fruit appeal¡¯, the world might have been a better place.¡± Mr. Compress shrugs. ¡°Besides, what are you expecting from me? Wholesomeness? I¡¯m a villain, lest you forget. Technically a former one, but things stay with you in that line of work.¡±
¡°Sounds personal, want to talk about it?¡± Monoma cuts back. ¡°Baby got roped into trying alcohol in a shady place and ended up taking the clown pill before getting themselves a chuunibyou sugar daddy?¡±
¡°Oh, screw you.¡± Mr. Compress straight up flips him the bird. Uh-oh. ¡°I¡¯m fabulous, regardless of what I do and how I do it.¡±
¡°Alright, alright, so let me intervene before you two start another public villain versus hero feud.¡± Uraraka says quickly, interrupting Monoma¡¯s scathing reply that he was clearly about to unleash. ¡°How about a compromise? Beer and maybe those leaves are permitted in the Dungeon, but anything else isn¡¯t. And the moment you start looking as if you¡¯ve gotten too attached to it, Midoriya and Shigaraki put you into permanent abstinence mode.¡±
¡°What a childish policy.¡± Mr. Compress comments. ¡°But if you need¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re included.¡± Uraraka glares at him. ¡°We can¡¯t have a reasonable adult be a bad influence over others, am I right? Feel free to get wasted outside the Dungeon, but inside of it, we¡¯re going to have that little thing called laws.¡±
¡°Shigaraki, could you please tell them something?¡± Mr. Compress decides to refer to the higher authority. ¡°Like, say, your veto?¡±
He isn¡¯t emotionally available at the moment due to being busy processing the sight that was cat-eared femboy Stain.
¡°Midoriya, with all my respect to you as a hero that impressed Stain, you¡¯re a sick fuck.¡± Mr. Compress replies while shaking his head. ¡°My life is now permanently worse because I know that this concept could even theoretically be made into reality.¡±
And if you party too hard while in the Dungeon, I might just coerce Shigaraki into actually making it a reality, with the alternative being me showing him something even worse.
¡°There is nothing worse than that.¡± Mr. Compress counters.
Do you want to talk about charming fellows known as Gigantomachia or Kyudai Garaki? I don¡¯t know why my old pediatrician is on the list of potential characters but I have a strange feeling that you do.
¡°Alright.¡± Mr. Compress throws his hands up. ¡°You won. No drugs and strong alcohol in the Dungeon, ever. I don¡¯t even want to know what you could do with those two, especially as it would probably be something completely and utterly disgusting and downright a war crime. Are you happy now?¡±
Yes.
FUCK YOU MIDORIYA
And now I¡¯m even happier.
***
Some time later.
¡°¡ and then I charged at her, when everyone else wavered!¡± Uraraka nearly shouts, waving the mug around. One of her feet was on her chair, while the other one was on the verge of the table, allowing her to tower over everyone, even their ogres. ¡°And I slit her throat!¡± She adds, as she does the horizontal motion, almost spilling some of her beer. ¡°Then everyone suddenly regained their spirit and charged, breaking the enemy!¡±
¡°Holy shit, that sounds manly!¡± Kirishima looks absolutely pumped up by the tale. The fact that slitting the throat couldn¡¯t actually kill that particular enemy definitely helped him. Judging from the look on Tetsutetsu¡¯s face, he was in full agreement with his brother.
Both Toga and Midoriya were there, staring at Uraraka with stars in their eyes. Tokage and Ay¡¯zira looked definitely super impressed but without the clear erotic subtext that Compress preferred not to touch with a ten feet pole.
He sighs in the background as he raises his own mug. Ignored during the whole party by most people, except for Spinner and Shigaraki that were sitting right next to him.
He wasn¡¯t saying anything about it, but it was great to have them around. Even Shigaraki somehow got friendlier ever since they came here. Midoriya was a positive influence on him, but saying that aloud would probably start a fight.
Also, right now he has something else to complain about.
¡°Don¡¯t be a bad influence, my ass.¡± Compress groans as he stares at Uraraka. ¡°She drank more than I did.¡± So much about anyone in the room being reasonable.
¡°I always knew that the heroes were all sick in their head, but I never knew that it was that bad.¡± Shigaraki grumbles. ¡°Or that it started so early. I should have dusted them all in the USJ, it would have made not one but two worlds so much better.¡±
¡°There, there, boss.¡± Spinner says, taking that moment to return from taking a refill at the increasingly empty keg of beer. He immediately puts one of the mugs in front of Shigaraki. ¡°No need to get murderous. Or political. Just drink another one. I¡¯m not sure if this can make you black out and erase memories of this evening, but you can definitely try, right?¡±
Shigaraki says nothing, just immediately empties the entire mug, before wiping his mouth and continuing to grumble while staring daggers at Midoriya over the table.
Uh-oh.
It might have been good that they only had light alcohol available to them, or Tomura might have ended up becoming the first Dungeon Lord ever (probably) that fell into alcoholism, and all of them would have exactly one person to be blamed for that.
And no, it wouldn¡¯t be Tomura.
***
In the end, the only casualty of the evening was Momo Yaoyorozu. Who, due to having only second-hand information at how the elven magical leaves worked, has grossly miscalculated the appropriate dosage.
In short, she smoked way too much of them through the wooden pipe that Compress stole from the beastkin alongside all the other goods.
As a result of that she went through the ¡®improved mood, slightly lowered inhibition and improved self-esteem¡¯ phase lightning fast before crashing hard and falling dead asleep in the middle of the party. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Seeing that, Monoma groaned loudly before grabbing Kaminari (who was grinning even more than usual due to inhaling some of the excess fumes thanks to sitting right next to Yaoyorozu) and carrying Yaoyorozu to her room together.
He returned, holding the pipe as if it was the spoils of a hard-earned victory. This period of happiness lasted until Mr. Compress sneaked at him and stole said pipe, before telling him that it¡¯s enough fun for today and that he¡¯s confiscating both the pipe and, as he called it, the ¡®elven zaza¡¯.
This, in turn, led to a brief fight which lasted until Kirishima and Tetsutetsu intervened. However, they still ended up confiscating the pipe and telling everyone involved that it was definitely enough of the leaves for the day.
¡°You know what, I feel almost bad about drinking.¡± Mina comments as the two ogres return to the table and sit beside her. ¡°I, like, don¡¯t feel it at all. And neither do you. We¡¯re just stealing the fun of others and not getting anything out of it.¡±
¡°Yeah, I guess we¡¯re more resistant to alcohol.¡± Kirishima shrugs. ¡°Or is it just our body mass and weak alcohol? Besides, hey, think of it as us confiscating it so that others won¡¯t go too far.¡±
¡°Huh.¡± Mina thinks it over while taking a quick sip from her mug. Not exactly a great fan of the taste, it was a bit too bitter for her, but it was still arguably better than tasteless water. ¡°You know what, I can work with that. By the way, have you seen Uraraka and the rest of her love triangle? I think they vanished on me when I wasn¡¯t looking.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve seen them!¡± Tetsutetsu says. He was sitting on the opposite side of Kirishima and needed to raise his voice a little to be audible to her. ¡°Midoriya whispered something into her ear, she made a shocked but very happy face, then the three of them excused themselves and vanished.¡±
¡°Oh, great.¡± Mina sighs. ¡°It¡¯s something perverted again, isn¡¯t it? I just can¡¯t understand those three. Like, I get it, they have fun time in their bedroom, but it just feels like all the perversity detracts from how romantic it can be, you get me?¡±
Kirishima has no idea how to emotionally process Mina talking about sex and promptly focuses on chugging down his beer. Great way to escape from his own emotions, his adult life truly was off to a great start.
***
At the same time, elsewhere.
Himiko purrs loudly, every second of Ochako-chan scratching the top of her head giving her an intense feeling of bliss. She was absolutely loving it, even if it was rather clear that Ochako¡¯s mind was somewhere else.
It was focused entirely on Midoriya.
Who had the brilliant idea of using scraps of paper materialized by the Dungeon - and some writing implements borrowed from Yaoyorozu¡¯s study - to recreate Ochako¡¯s favorite board game.
The two of them were sitting cross-legged on the floor of their living room, busy trying to bankrupt each other in the first Monopoly game that has ever occurred in this universe.
All while Himiko - whom they already bankrupted - was enjoying herself, her head resting on Ochako-chan¡¯s leg and receiving all the scratches that she could ever hope for. And then some.
Nice. Very, very nice. She didn¡¯t even need sex (at least, not right now), for as long as she was given enough attention. And some scratches. Yes. It was fun, especially as they were with her and also had fun.
A few more minutes of this and she was going to move over to Izukun and see if he would start scratching her too.
***
Midoriya had a lot of pointy words to say about Mr. Compress, but he had to admit one thing. The man wasn¡¯t lying. The alcohol was really weak, and they only had a single keg (however large it was). In short, no one actually got drunk.
By the time the party finished, it was already pretty late, so they all just went to sleep. Come morning (of the third day after the battle) and the steady flow of corpses into the Dungeon returned.
The beastkin must have cleared their heads and finally recovered from their own party. One whose intensity Midoriya could only speculate about.
Even Yaoyorozu woke up eventually.
¡°Well, that was definitely an experience.¡± Is her first public statement about the events of last night. ¡°One that I don¡¯t plan to repeat ever again.¡±
¡°Yeah, you were really out of it yesterday.¡± Uraraka agrees with her. The two of them were in the common room on the lowest level of the Dungeon, Yaoyorozu immediately moving over to boil some water for a herbal tea. ¡°So, no more magical leaves?¡±
¡°Hmmm?¡± Yaoyorozu glances at her with a surprised look on her face. ¡°No, I meant no more overdosing on them. It was a pretty interesting experience before I knocked myself out, thus cutting it woefully short.¡±
Uraraka blinks at her, before deciding that she isn¡¯t paid enough to deal with that and immediately moving back to reminiscing about the last evening.
She was absolutely going to defeat Izuku next time!
***
The amount of loot they gain from that battle - even aside from the daemons - is absolutely insane. The unlocks just keep on going and going and going, and at some point they become downright overwhelming.
In [Sapient Species] they unlocked the Bearkin [ETL: 10] and Tigerkin [ETL 10] - which concluded the list of expected unlocks, and even then Tigerkin were a bit of a surprise (Compress claimed to have seen one but he wasn¡¯t certain about it).
Then, however, were the Wyvernkin [ETL: 15] and Dragonkin [ETL: 20], immediately making it rather clear that the fighting on the other side of the river had to be even more intense than it was on their side of it.
They¡¯ve also unlocked Night Elves, which came as a total surprise. What was an even greater surprise was that they were listed as having a baseline ETL of 15. So, thrice that of the White Elves.
As for the old daemons, they¡¯ve got:
1) 227 Rose Guard Soldiers [ETL: 25], bringing their total number to 242.
2) 16 Rapturous Brutes [ETL: 42], bringing their total number to 21.
3) 35 Sword Dancers [ETL: 30], bringing their total number to 37.
4) 23 Frenzied Bloodletters [ETL: 25], bringing their total number to 28.
5) 96 Gore Munchers [ETL: 16], bringing their total number to 102.
As for the new daemons, they¡¯ve got:
1) 45 Ghouls with ETL of 23.
2) 20 Languid Ironclads with ETL of 40.
3) 8 Moraverian Alchemists with ETL of 25.
4) 6 Rose Knights with ETL of whopping 50.
With enough time and energy they could now raise a small army. Yes, it was going to be an absolutely disgusting army forcing them to take a shower each time it was deployed anywhere, but an army nonetheless.
Which definitely was going to improve their chances of surviving the near-future. Who knew that all out battles could be so profitable?
As for items, wow. The amount of new unlocks was absolutely insane as well. In fact, it was so bad that the entire ¡®outfits¡¯ category got internally split between three subcategories [Civilian], [Combat] and [Magic].
[Civilian] has mostly given them various iterations on the standard tribal clothes. Which was great, because it was going to give them some diversity on the field of what they were going to wear in their free time.
[Combat] subcategory was, however, completely insane. There was no better word to describe the variety of protective equipment they¡¯ve got. Gauntlets, boots, pauldrons, shoulderpads, greaves, sabatons, helmets and more. Chainmails, splint armors, scale armors, lamellar armors, gambesons, leather armors and more.
Add to that the variety of shields added to [Weaponry], namely round shields, kite shields, coffin shields, tower shields, bucklers and more, and you reached the point where they could customize their servants'' protective equipment very far.
Some of their past equipment pieces got renamed to fit in better, such as the [Tribal Skirmisher Armor] becoming a [Tight-Fitting Leather Armor Set], composed of multiple sub-elements that they could further customize.
They could also easily save their designed sets for easy access. It was very handy. Like a lot of the Dungeon¡¯s system.
Oddly enough, a lot of equipment pieces they found had grades. So, they had equipment pieces like [Chainshirt] and, next to it, [Chainshirt I] and [Chainshirt II]. Izuku originally suspected that the latter two would be made of better materials, but then he discovered that they could customize those too.
So, they could easily make [Steel Chainshirt], [Rose Steel Chainshirt I] and [Copper Chainshirt II]. Which meant that the numerical markings meant something else than durability and resistance to damage.
One more thing that they had to figure out. However, what they discovered rather quickly was that ETL influence of said markings was insane. With [Copper Chainshirt II] requiring three times more points than the [Steel Chainshirt].
The difference between [Steel Chainshirt] and [Steel Chainshirt II] was twice as large. Although, oddly enough, the difference between [Steel Chainshirt I] and [Steel Chainshirt II] was much smaller than between [Steel Chainshirt] and [Steel Chainshirt I].
Very confusing.
[Magic] subcategory (or, as they were going to refer to it from now on, [Magic Outfits], as they had a lot of magic elsewhere) had mostly what they¡¯ve already unlocked beforehand. So, robes for hedge mages, necromancers and sorcerers, of Webmistress Family and the Northern Wind.
However, [Sensalist¡¯s Attire] was something completely new. And deeply traumatizing, as they both discovered when they decided to check what it was.
my eyes
this one time I empathize with you as we both suffer the same horrid fucking fate
the beastkin must have nailed some Ecstasy cultists and we assimilated them without realizing
that¡¯s, errr, quite a collection
Half of it is definitely fetish stuff
like the shibari ropes
even if it¡¯s called differently
same with all the, errr, gags, collars, plugs and whatnot
and I¡¯m genuinely shocked that locals know what latex is
Or that they can make lingeries with garter belts at their technology level, unless they somehow imported it from Moraver
please stop talking
And let¡¯s pretend we¡¯ve never seen any of it.
You know what, for once I¡¯m in full agreement with you.
The improvements in the [Weaponry] category were much more SFW. And definitely much more palatable. It also included the same confusing system of numerical markings by their name that they were yet to decipher.
They¡¯ve got a wide selection of melee weapons of all types and stripes. This included knives, short swords, long swords, great swords, maces, clubs, hammers, two-handed axes, two-handed blunt weapons and, last but not least, spears.
There were also whips, but they had a theory as to where they came from and they immediately elected to ignore their existence.
In the ranged weaponry, they¡¯ve got slingshots, greater choice of javelins and short-bows, their first recurve bows, long bows and light crossbows. But there was also something that felt completely out of place on the list.
They¡¯ve decided to spawn one of those things by giving it to Momo Yaoyorozu. It was way above the limits of her ETL and in fact above the limits of their currently Ambient Mana Level, but they could still spawn equipment above it for as long as they marked it as being in possession of one of their servants.
Yaoyorozu looks at the thing that she was now holding, blinks a few times in total shock, before raising her eyes and looking into space.
¡°Midoriya-kun.¡± She says, her voice filled with disbelief. ¡°This is a bolt-action rifle with a 5-round stripper clip.¡±
I know.
It also has a 2x scope and a bayonet in optional attachments.
¡°The fact that you know it is deeply reassuring because it means that all the elven weed that I smoked yesterday didn¡¯t give me brain damage.¡± Yaoyorozu replies dryly, and almost uncharacteristically venomous. Did she actually think that she was hallucinating for a moment? ¡°Alright. Alright. There has to be a logical explanation for this gun being a thing and I¡¯m going to find it. Or die trying.¡±
Great.
Just don¡¯t hold onto it for too long, or you might end up going into a temporary coma. It requires a lot of Ambient Mana to maintain.
¡°Duly noted.¡± Yaoyorozu replies while shaking her head. She lost consciousness exactly once, and she already had enough of it for a long time.
This world seemed to be such a disjointed mess and she was looking forward to figuring out the reason for it.
65: Flood of Unlocks
Naturally, the material unlocks weren¡¯t everything that they¡¯ve got. There were also the more immaterial ones, namely skills and abilities. And those were an absolute legion. It was such a massive list that to go through it and properly memorize it would take them ages.
Firstly, there were [Weapon Proficiencies]. They¡¯ve already gotten a few of those out of the beastkin warrior that died in one of the pre-battle skirmishes. But right now, they¡¯ve gotten more. Much, much more.
It was perhaps best to just list them all, including the ones previously unlocked to show how much was available to them right now.
First were the one-handed melee weapons. In that category they had:
[Dagger Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Spear Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Sword Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Axe Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Blunt Weapon Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
And a [Shield Proficiency] of levels I to IV to accompany them.
They¡¯ve also unlocked a number of two-handed melee weapons. Namely:
[Greatsword Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Greataxe Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Heavy Blunt Weapon Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Heavy Polearms Proficiency] of level II.
[Staff Proficiency] of level I to III.
Then were the ranged weapons. Including:
[Slingshot Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Bow Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Javelin Proficiency] of levels I to IV.
[Crossbow Proficiency] of levels I to III.
[Rifle Proficiency] of level II.
It was hard to describe how much it expanded upon their capabilities. They had enough different combat styles to outfit a dozen more servants without having to suffer from having doubles. And it¡¯s not like that was even a problem, as shown by the similarities between Tetsutetsu and Kirishima.
Although, to be exact, they weren¡¯t planning to expand their own ranks uncontrollably, at least not right now. They had enough characters to go by as it was.
Then, there were the [Martial Arts]. Oh boy, the [Martial Arts].
[Tiger Claw School] of levels I to IV.
[Wolf Fang School] of levels I to IV.
[Tail Splitter School] of levels I to III.
[Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels I to IV.
[Foxtail School] of levels I to III.
[Mauling Paws School] of levels I to IV.
[Dragon¡¯s Rage School] of levels III and IV.
This meant that they could finally update Spinner, Mr. Compress and Toga to more viable combatants, all while potentially fielding bear and boarkins. And the last one was either for just the dragonkin or also for the wyvernkin. In both cases, it could offer them a lot in the future.
Next was [Magic].There they now possessed [White Magic] of levels I and II, [Wrath Magic] of levels I to III, [Desire Magic] of levels I to III, [Dark Magic] of level I and [Filth Magic] of levels I and II.
Seeing as before this battle they only owned [White Magic I], [Wrath Magic I], [Dark Magic I], [Filth Magic I] and [Filth Magic II], the improvement was massive. From that alone it seemed that the shamans were once again going to become a viable choice.
They also had some improvements on the field of [Sorcery Attunements], seeing as they added several new attunements. [Wrath Attunement] I and II, [Blood Attunement] I and II, [Fire Attunement] I and II, [Water Attunement] I and [Ice Attunement] I and II. In short, they¡¯ve got a lot.
So much in [Combat Skills]. However, people needed more than that to live, and as a result they¡¯ve got a massive score in all other subcategories of [Skills].
In [Crafting Skills/Raw Resources] they now had the following skills:
[Butchery] of levels I to V.
[Farming] of levels I to III.
[Mining] of levels I to V.
[Woodcutting] of levels I to V.
[Animal Husbandry] of levels I to V.
[Herbalism [Vestiria]] of levels I to V.
In [Crafting Skills/Processing], they unlocked the following options:
[Basic Leatherworking] of levels I to VII.
[Advanced Leatherworking] of levels I to III.
[Basic Bone Carving] of levels I to VI.
[Basic Cooking] of levels I to V.
[Basic Smelting] of levels I to IV.
[Basic Gem Cutting] of levels I to II.
Unfortunately, they were yet to realize what was the difference between ¡®Basic¡¯ and ¡®Advanced¡¯ skill in that field.
In [Crafting Skills/Shaping] they¡¯ve got following unlocks:
[Basic Sewing] of levels I to V.
[Basic Smithing] of levels I to VI.
[Advanced Smithing] of levels I to III.
[Basic Alchemy] of levels I to V.
[Basic Enchanting] of levels I to III.
[Basic Sculpting] of levels I to IV.
[Basic Pottery] of levels I to III.
[Basic Woodworking] of levels I to VI]
Again, no idea what was the difference between [Basic Smithing] and [Advanced Smithing]. Sculpting and Pottery also sounded like something that could greatly aid Yaoyorozu in her future endeavors into the field of golem making.
Spinner¡¯s unsung genius could only take them so far.
Next were the [Magical Skills]. Here there were some major changes in the organization of the things. Previously there was only one subcategory [Mana Circulation], now however it was split into [Mana Pathways], [Mana Cores] and [Mana Overflows].
They possessed [Mana Pathways] of level I to IV and [Mana Overflows] of level I to II. The real fun was in the [Mana Cores].
[White Core] of levels I and II.
[Red Core] of levels I to IV.
[Brown Core] of levels I to II.
[Black Core] of level I.
[Orange Core] of level I to III.
Next were the [Other Skills]. Starting from [Communication].
[North Vestirian Language, Spoken] of levels V to IX.
[North Vestirian Language, Written] of levels V to IX.
[Western Elven [Vestirian Dialect, Modern], Spoken] of levels II to VII.
[Western Elven [Vestirian Dialect, Modern], Written] of levels II to VII.
[Itavian, Spoken] of levels I to VII]
[Itavian, Written] of levels I to VII].
[Western Elven [Alvaenian Dialect, Modern], Spoken] of levels II to III.
[Dragontongue, [Kirian Dialect], Spoken] of levels I to IV.
[Dragontongue, [Kirian Dialect], Written] of levels I to IV.
[Runic Language [Vanarea]] of levels I to III.
[Runic Language [Moraver]] of levels I to III.
Then was the [Survival].
[Tracking] I to VI.
[Hunting] I to VI.
[Temperate Forest Survival] I to VI.
And, finally, [Crime and Trickery].
[Sneaking] I to V.
[Pickpocketing] I to V.
[Trapping] I to VI.
[Lockpicking] I to IV.
Especially the last addition was a blessing. Toga was good at it, but she was good at it in their world. They couldn¡¯t be sure that more advanced locks in this world weren¡¯t made in some special way.
All of that has concluded the list of their available [Skills]. However, next were the [Abilities]. And there it was such an absolute chaos that in the end Midoriya and Shigaraki needed Monoma and Yaoyorozu to make them a few visual aids (graphs and whatnot) to make them figure out the whole scope of their new list of [Abilities].
When it happened and they finally managed to wrap their mind around it, the system responded by evolving in tandem with them. Allowing them to either sort their [Abilities] per their type (so, for example a [Footwork] subtype of [Martial Arts]) or per the Martial Arts School or Magic School that they belonged to.
That made the interface much easier to navigate through.
First was the [Tiger Claw School]. Their list of unlocked [Offensive Techniques] of that school included a number of similarly named martial arts that made it rather clear that whoever made this school stuck to a single naming convention with impressive focus.
[Sharpen Claws] of level I to IV.
[Bloody Claws] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of level III and IV.
[Repelling Claws] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of level III and IV.
[Silent Claws] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels III and IV.
[Enraged Claws] of level I, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of level IV.
[Surprising Claws] of level I, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of level IV.
There was a clear lack of defensive techniques in that school, implying heavily to them that it was focused on mobility. Especially considering the amount of [Footwork] techniques.
[Cat Leap] of level I to IV.
[Fall Immunity] of level I to III, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels II to IV.
[Feline Grace] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels III and IV.
[Dodge] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels III and IV.
[Hunter¡¯s Steps] of level I to II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels III and IV.
This school was further expanded upon in the new subcategory of martial arts, called the [Stances]. Although only by a single entry.
[Evasive Stance] of level I and II, requiring [Tiger Claw School] of levels III and IV.
Next was the [Wolf Fang School]. And if [Tiger Claw School] was made mostly for agile but hard-hitting skirmishers, this one was definitely made for much more ¡®boring but practical¡¯ warriors. First, naturally, were the offensive techniques. Which¡ Well, their names weren¡¯t exactly imaginative.
[Shield Bash] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Thrust] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Slash] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Blow] of levels I to IV,
[Multistrike] of levels I to II, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of levels III and IV.
Unlike their fellow [Tiger Claw School], here there were some defensive techniques. Quite a number of them, in fact. And most of them were very clearly named, which was going to make figuring out what the hell they were much easier.
[Barricade Shield] of levels I to IV.
[Reinforce Armor] of levels I to II, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of levels III and IV.
[Resist Elements] of levels I to II, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of levels III and IV.
[Redirect Impact] of level I, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
They still had a number of footwork techniques, but again, none of their names counted as imaginative. Almost all of them seemed to be branching off at around the level IV of their Martial Arts School, oddly enough.
[Predator¡¯s Advance] of levels I to IV.
[Dash] of level I, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
[Assault Dash] of level I, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
[Enraged Charge] of level I, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
And, finally, two stances. Both of them, too, happen around level IV. It seemed that the whole martial arts school was rather basic before that point.
[Offensive Stance] of level I, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
[Defensive Stance] of level lI, requiring [Wolf Fang School] of level IV.
Next on the list was the [Tail Splitter School]. Which offered some immense benefits to Spinner, while clearly being tailored mostly towards ranged combat. Which, seeing as the lizardkin seemed to be the only ones with great long-distance vision in their lands, made sense.
Their offensive techniques seemed pretty funny, in that one of them was about using their natural weapons (and had a name similar to the techniques of the [Tiger Claw School], while the rest seemed to be from a completely different naming convention. Odd.
[Lacerating Claws] of level I to IV.
[Empower Self] of levels I to III, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of levels II to IV.
[Hold Steady] of levels I to III, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of levels II to IV.
[Breath Less] of levels I to II, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of levels III to IV.
[Look Closer] of level I, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of level IV.
They also had some defensive techniques, again clearly based on their ¡®natural¡¯ capabilities more than on using tools such as armors and shields. Which - if the primary thing they were defending themselves from was enemy counterfire - made some degree of sense.
[Close Wounds] of levels I to IV.
[Hard Scales] of levels I to IV.
[Lightning Reflex] of level I to II, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of levels III to IV.
[Lesser Regeneration] of level I, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of level IV.
Then, naturally, came the footwork. Here there didn¡¯t seem to be very blessed, with only two entries. Which was still better than their list of stances, which was completely non-existent.
[Vertical Movement] of levels I to IV.
[Quickstep] of levels I to II, requiring [Tail Splitter School] of levels III to IV.
Then came their completely new acquisitions. First was the [Hog¡¯s Tusk] school for the boarkin. Which seemed to be focused mostly on unrelenting assault and being stubborn as hell (at least going by the names). First were the [Offensive Techniques].
[Devastating Impact] of levels I to IV.
[Flattening Tackle] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
[Crushing Headbutt] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
They had no idea if trying to tackle or headbutt your enemy in combat was such a good idea, nor about the differences between those two techniques and the basic [Devastating Impact]. However, the names were definitely rather imposing.
Next were the [Defensive Techniques].
[Impenetrable Skin] of levels I to IV.
[Defensive Counter] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
[Forget Pain] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
[Suppress Bleeding] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
[Clear Mind] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
Then, [Footwork]. One of their names reminded them of a certain element of the USJ attack. Hopefully it wasn¡¯t going to be anything really similar, right? It was also another after the [Tail Splitter School] martial arts school without any stances.
[Unstoppable Charge] of levels I to IV.
[Shock Absorption] of levels I to II, requiring [Hog¡¯s Tusk School] of levels III to IV.
Next was the [Mauling Paws School], used primarily by the bearkin. As one can expect, it seemed to be geared towards some really heavy attacks and defense in exchange for mobility.
However, there was also clear similarity in some parts of their naming convention to the [Wolf Fang School]. Which implied more of the ¡®Boring but Practical¡¯ approach to combat.
First, as always, are the [Offensive Techniques]. It was the second (after Wolf Fang) school which included a clear difference between slashing, crushing and piercing damage in their basic attack techniques.
[Rend Enemy] of levels I to IV.
[Maul Enemy] of levels I to IV.
[Impale Enemy] of levels I to IV.
[Impact Shockwave] of levels I to II, requiring [Mauling Paws School] of levels III to IV.
[Stunning Roar] of levels I to II, requiring [Mauling Paws School] of levels III to IV.
Then came the defensive techniques. And they had a number of those. Again, with a few of them having a similar naming theme.
[Increase Mass] of levels I to IV.
[Increase Armor] of levels I to IV.
[Increase Endurance] of levels I to IV.
Next was the footwork. Or, they should have been footwork, except the bearkins clearly didn¡¯t need it to kick ass, instead relying entirely on their natural speed and their immense durability and incredible attack power. Leaving them with only the stances.
[Attack Stance] of levels I to III, requiring [Mauling Paws School] of levels II to IV.
[Defend Stance] of levels I to III, requiring [Mauling Paws School] of levels II to IV.
[Destroyer Stance] of level I, requiring [Mauling Paws School] of level IV.
The last new Martial Arts School was the [Dragon¡¯s Rage School], which they assumed belonged to the likes of Dragonkin and Wyvernkin. Oddly enough, they had no martial arts of level I and II for it.
It was only after thinking that through that they realized that if anything, having level I and II martial arts for the [Mauling Paws School] was weird. Did the beastkin send completely rookie ¡®champions¡¯ into the battle? Weird. Then again, those had to gain combat experience somewhere.
As usual, it started from the [Offensive Techniques]. Here they had three martial arts techniques, all following similar naming theme. And a rather intimidating one.
[Death Through Impalement] of levels III and IV.
[Death Through Blunt Trauma] of levels III and IV. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
[Death Through Blood Loss] of levels III and IV.
Next, the [Defensive Techniques]. Here, too, there was a clear naming theme. Which, in Izuku¡¯s opinion, made it look professional. It was as if he was reading some dragon hero¡¯s super move list!
[Dragon¡¯s Might] of levels III and IV.
[Dragon¡¯s Fury] of levels III and IV.
[Dragon¡¯s Willpower] of levels III and IV.
Then came the [Footwork]. At this point Izuku had to decide that dragons and wyverns seemed very serious about sticking to their naming conventions. And it was pretty impressive.
[Denial of Fall] of levels III and IV.
[Denial of Limits] of levels III and IV.
And, finally, [Stances]. Where one of them was clearly shared with the bearkin, or at least their name was.
[Unbreakable Stance] of level III and IV.
[Destroyer Stance] of level III and IV.
Beyond that all that they had was the [Hammer of the Wilds School] for the ogres, which was very, very limited with only some level one techniques. At least the sheer physical strength of the ogres made them still viable in combat.
This concluded their list of martial art techniques that they¡¯ve managed to unlock. Representing a giant, completely insane step forward on every imaginable field. Seriously, it was so much that it was almost too much. Trying to fine tune the skills of their servants was going to drive them insane.
And that¡¯s before you moved over to magic. Because magic received an expansion that was just as large as the martial arts did.
First was the [White Magic], which at this point seemed to have split itself into three subcategories, named [Aspect of the Elements], [Aspect of the Arcane] and [Aspect of the Material].
The first one alone included an absolutely insane amount of spells. Immediately making it clear that the mage that the beastkin delivered them earlier had to be really, really incompetent. And it explained a lot of Aeonia¡¯s behavior towards Yaoyorozu.
[Lesser Firebolt] of levels I and II.
[Burst of Flames] of levels I and II.
[Flametouch] of levels I and II.
[Stream of Fire] of levels I and II.
[Suppress Ignition] of levels I and II.
[Blessing of Flames] of levels I and II.
[Mist] of levels I and II.
[Ball of Water] of levels I and II.
[Waterbreath] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Icebolt] of levels I and II.
[Ice Shield] of levels I and II.
[Soaking Touch] of levels I and II.
[Float] of levels I and II.
[Move] of levels I and II.
[Suppress Smell] of levels I and II.
[Clear Air] of levels I and II.
[Conjure Wind] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Protection from Arrows] of levels I and II.
[Air Blast] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Airbolt] of levels I and II.
[Recycle Oxygen] of levels I and II.
[Shocking Touch] of levels I and II.
[Earthen Shield] of levels I and II.
[Dirt Pellet] of levels I and II.
[Remove Footprints] of levels I and II.
[Shape Earth] of levels I and II.
[Scan Earth] of levels I and II.
[Stone Shield] of levels I and II.
[Stone Dome] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Stonebolt] of levels I and II.
[Aspect of the Arcane] has only worsened the situation by adding further spells to the list. And not an insignificant amount of those either. In fact, it might have had more spells than the Elemental aspect (although here Izuku and Tomura were in disagreement, due to a number of Arcane spells having several similar variants).
[Lesser Magic Bolt] of levels I and II.
[Guided Magic Bolt] of levels I and II.
[Exploding Magic Bolt] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Mana Shield] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Mana Armor] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Physical, Self] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Physical, Others] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Physical, Field] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Elements, Self] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Elements, Others] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Elements, Field] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Magic, Self] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Magic, Others] of levels I and II.
[Protection from Magic, Field] of levels I and II.
[Detect Magic] of levels I and II.
[Detect Movement] of levels I and II.
[Detect Lifesigns] of levels I and II.
[Lower Gravity, Self] of levels I and II.
[Lower Gravity, Others] of levels I and II.
[Lower Gravity, Field] of levels I and II.
[Higher Gravity, Self] of levels I and II.
[Higher Gravity, Others] of levels I and II.
[Higher Gravity, Field] of levels I and II.
[Vector Redirection] of levels I and II.
[Enlarge Space] of levels I and II.
[Shrink Space] of levels I and II.
[Enlarge Mass] of levels I and II.
[Shrink Mass] of levels I and II.
[Drain Mana] of levels I and II.
[Empower Spells, Self] of levels I and II.
[Empower Spells, Others] of levels I and II.
[Empower Spells, Field] of levels I and II.
[Weaken Spells, Self] of levels I and II.
[Weaken Spells, Others] of levels I and II.
[Weaken Spells, Field] of levels I and II.
[Gravity Step] of levels I and II.
[Gravity Shift] of levels I and II.
[Accelerate Time, Self] of levels I and II.
[Accelerate Time, Others] of levels I and II.
[Accelerate Time, Field] of levels I and II.
[Decelerate Time, Self] of levels I and II.
[Decelerate Time, Others] of levels I and II.
[Decelerate Time, Field] of levels I and II.
[Raise Temperature, Self] of levels I and II.
[Raise Temperature, Others] of levels I and II.
[Raise Temperature, Field] of levels I and II.
[Lower Temperature, Self] of levels I and II.
[Lower Temperature, Others] of levels I and II.
[Lower Temperature, Field] of levels I and II.
Contrary to those two giants, the [Aspect of the Material] looked almost small in comparison. But it still seemed to include some rather important and useful spells.
[Lesser Magic Arrow] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Magic Shield] of levels I and II.
[Conjure Projectiles] of levels I and II.
[Conjure Weapon] of levels I and II.
[Harden Material, Self] of levels I and II.
[Harden Material, Others] of levels I and II.
[Harden Material, Field] of levels I and II.
[Soften Material, Self] of levels I and II.
[Soften Material, Others] of levels I and II.
[Soften Material, Field] of levels I and II.
[Explosive Transmutation] of levels I and II.
[Heat Metal] of levels I and II.
[Freeze Metal] of levels I and II.
[Purge Impurities, Liquid] of levels I and II.
[Expel Poison, Body] of levels I and II.
¡°Well¡¡± Yaoyorozu sighs loudly when they finally finish reciting all the spells for the first time. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve been playing mage wrongly the whole time. How lovely.¡±
They have nothing to add to that. The only thing left to them is to move over to the [Wrath Magic] which, too, receives a major expansion. And while the list of spells is significantly smaller (and there are only two Aspects to it), the numbers get higher. Much, much higher.
In the [Aspect of Rage], they have the following spells.
[Rage] of levels I to IV.
[Blessed Rage] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Infectious Rage] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Enraged Blow] of levels I to IV.
[Killing Trance, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Killing Trance, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Injury, Self] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Injury, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Injury, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Pain, Self] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Pain, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Pain, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Fatigue, Self] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Fatigue, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Ignore Fatigue, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Drain Anger, Self] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Drain Anger, Others] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Drain Anger, Field] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Bestow Rage] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Taint of Wrath] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Lesser Blessing of Saevius] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Lesser Blessing of Dolositas] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
In the [Aspect of Blood], they¡¯ve unlocked a number of spells which seemed to be more oriented towards both healing and damaging others. Which was a somewhat interesting contrast.
What was more interesting is that a lot of those spells seemed to alter not just blood itself but also the rest of the body. Like bones. How did that work?
[Lesser Bloodbolt] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Bloodcutter] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Shield of Blood] of levels I to IV.
[Lesser Armor of Blood] of levels I to IV.
[Staunch Bleeding, Self] of levels I to IV.
[Staunch Bleeding, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Staunch Bleeding, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Hasten Bleeding, Self] of levels I to IV.
[Hasten Bleeding, Others] of levels I to IV.
[Hasten Bleeding, Field] of levels I to IV.
[Mend Flesh] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Set Bones] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Hasten Blood Production] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Blood Purification] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Regeneration, Self] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Regeneration, Others] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Regeneration, Field] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Blood Explosion] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Slower Heartbeat, Self] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Slower Heartbeat, Others] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Force Blood Circulation] of levels I to II, requiring [Wrath Magic] of levels III and IV.
[Stop Heartbeat, Touch] of level I, requiring [Wrath Magic] of level IV.
[Restart Heartbeat, Touch] of level I, requiring [Wrath Magic] of level IV.
[Blood Transfusion] of level I, requiring [Wrath Magic] of level IV.
And then, there was the one thing that none of them wanted, and that none of them planned to. Namely, their three levels of Desire Magic, divided between aspects of [Hunger], [Lust] and [Rapture].
In the first one they had the following spells.
[Enhance Flavour] of levels I to III.
[Induce Nausea, Self] of levels I to III.
[Induce Nausea, Others] of levels I to III.
[Induce Nausea, Field] of levels I to III.
[Induce Hunger, Self] of levels I to III.
[Induce Hunger, Others] of levels I to III.
[Induce Hunger, Field] of levels I to III.
[Bless Food, Stamina] of levels I to III.
[Bless Food, Satiety] of levels I to III.
[Addictive Flavour] of levels I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Weakness, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Weakness, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Weakness, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Vomiting, Self], of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Vomiting, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Vomiting, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Starvation, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Starvation, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Starvation, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Food, Strength] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Food, Endurance] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Food, Mana Regeneration] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Food, Poison Recovery] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Food, Disease Recovery] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
Then came the most dreaded of the [Desire Magic] aspects. The [Aspect of Lust]. And, frankly, they¡¯ve gotten exactly what they feared. And, perhaps, more. And if there were some spells that they agreed to never admit the existence of, then that was going to stay between them.
[Enhance Pleasure] of levels I to III.
[Enhance Sensitivity] of levels I to III.
[Touch of Seduction] of levels I to III.
[Read Desires], of levels I to III.
[Induce Attraction, Self] of levels I to III.
[Induce Attraction, Others] of levels I to III.
[Induce Attraction, Field] of levels I to III.
[Mark of Desire, Self] of levels I to III.
[Mark of Desire, Others] of levels I to III.
[Mark of Desire, Field] of levels I to III.
[Cloud Mind, Self] of levels I to III.
[Cloud Mind, Others] of levels I to III.
[Cloud Mind, Field] of levels I to III.
[Bless Sex, Stamina] of levels I to III.
[Bless Sex, Satisfaction] of levels I to III.
[Mark of Exhibitionism, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Exhibitionism, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Exhibitionism, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Sadism, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Sadism, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Sadism, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Masochism, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Masochism, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Masochism, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Submission, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Submission, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Submission, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Domination, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Domination, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Mark of Domination, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Sex, Strength] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Sex, Endurance] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Sex, Mana Regeneration] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Sex, Purge Diseases] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Sex, Healing] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
And, finally, the [Aspect of Rapture]. Where the things have gotten somewhat palatable. Somewhat. Then again, was there something worse than the [Aspect of Lust]?
¡ they should stop tempting fate. Besides, it all depended on what you considered ¡®worse¡¯. Whatever Pentagram had going was definitely worse according to most metrics.
[Enhance Experience] of levels I to III.
[Induce Dizziness, Self] of levels I to III.
[Induce Dizziness, Others] of levels I to III.
[Induce Dizziness, Field] of levels I to III.
[Induce Somnolence, Self] of levels I to III.
[Induce Somnolence, Others] of levels I to III.
[Induce Somnolence, Field] of levels I to III.
[Identify Drug] of levels I to III.
[Suppress Drug] of levels I to III.
[Bless Drug, Stamina] of level I to III.
[Bless Drug, Duration] of level I to III.
[Bless Drug, Intensity] of level I to III.
[Warp Perception, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Warp Perception, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Warp Perception, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Quick Boost, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Quick Boost, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Quick Boost, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Lift Morale, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Lift Morale, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Lift Morale, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Combat Stimulants, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Combat Stimulants, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Combat Stimulants, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Killing Frenzy, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Killing Frenzy, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Killing Frenzy, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Auditory Hallucination, Self] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Auditory Hallucination, Others] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Induce Auditory Hallucination, Field] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Drug, Strength] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Drug, Endurance] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Drug, Mana Regeneration] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Drug, Disease Immunity] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
[Bless Drug, Healing] of level I, requiring [Desire Magic] of level III.
To conclude their summary of spells, they also had six spells of Death Magic, including six of the Aspect of Death and one of the Aspect of Curses, this division being something new. The spells were as follow:
[Life Tap] of level I.
[Shield of Negation] of level I.
[Black Bolt] of level I.
[Reanimate Corpse] of level I.
[Summon Skeleton] of level I.
And, among the Aspect of Curses, they had:
[Vulnerability Hex] of level I.
The last school of magic they had anything unlocked for was the Filth Magic, which was something that they never planned to use for anything. Still, they had it, and it got split into two Aspects as well. In the [Aspect of Life], they had:
[Guide the Flock] of levels I and II.
[Mother¡¯s Embrace] of levels I and II.
[Combat Weaving] of levels I and II.
[Unleash the Swarm] of levels I and II.
[Lesser Carapace Armor] of levels I and II.
[Premature Birth] of levels I and II.
[Broodmother] of levels I and II.
[Borrow Eyes] of level I, requiring [Filth Magic] of level II.
[Piercing Touch] of level I, requiring [Filth magic of level II.
And in the [Aspect of Poison], they had:
[Poison Spit] of level I and II.
[Incapacitating Spit] of level I and II.
There was also a notable improvement in their list of unlocked sorceries. Thus far they only had the [Electric] and [Acid] Attunements, with three sorceries each. Their [Electric Sorceries] were as follows:
[Electric Discharge] of level I.
[Static Electricity] of level I.
[Shocking Touch] of level I.
And as for their [Acid Sorceries], they had:
[Corrosive Spit] of level I.
[Acid Splash] of level I.
[Shield of Acid] of level I.
Now, this list of sorceries was significantly expanded by five new Attunements. First two were the ones definitely aligned with the beastkin the most.
In [Rage Attunement] they got the following sorceries:
[Blast of Rage] of level I and II.
[Rage Explosion] of level I and II.
[Waves of Anger] of level I and II.
[Break Mind] of level I, requiring [Rage Attunement II].
In [Blood Attunement], in the meantime, they got those:
[Rain of Blood] of level I and II.
[Rapid Blood] of level I and II.
[Boiling Blood] of level I, requiring [Blood Attunement II].
[Blood Explosion, Mass] of level I, requiring [Blood Attunement II].
A bit more surprising - but welcome nonetheless - were the elemental attunement unlocks. They got three of them, including two with their second level as well.
In [Fire Attunement] they got the following sorceries:
[Exploding Fireball] of level I and II.
[Set Aflame] of level I and II.
[Ignite, Mass] of level I and II.
[Waves of Heat] of level I and II.
[Lesser Firestorm] of level I, requiring [Fire Attunement II].
In [Ice Attunement], in the meantime, they got:
[Exploding Iceball] of level I and II.
[Snap Freeze] of level I and II.
[Freeze, Mass] of level I and II.
[Waves of Cold] of level I and II.
[Lesser Icestorm] of level I, requiring [Ice Attunement II].
And, finally, the [Water Attunement]. Here they only had a single level, unfortunately.
[Deluge] of level I.
[Douse the Flame] of level I.
[Shield of Water] of level I.
This was the most annoying day in my life, and I can¡¯t even truly be annoyed at it because it¡¯s going to make us cooler (or, to be exact, me cooler and you slightly less uncool but still super uncool)
Right.
So, what about the new [Rooms]?
¡
Fuck you, Midoriya.
Another day.
Maybe another week.
Now I need a fucking rest.
But we are going to look for ways to use all that stuff to make our servants stronger, right?
Obviously.
But definitely not fucking now, we all need a solid few days of not doing anything after the bullshit that this whole war was.
In the end, they didn¡¯t have a few days before things began to happen again. But they were yet to discover that.
66: Updates and Terrible Revelations
As expected, they do get some additional [Locations]. A lot of those, in fact. So many that the system did have to reorganize it all to keep it more or less readable. The first category was the [Rooms], and now it had five subcategories: [Dungeon Basics], [Utilities], [Harvesting Zones], [Production Facilities] and [Religious Facilities].
In [Dungeon Basics] they had the [Throne Room, Basic], [Node Room, Basic], [Level Change Room], [Floor Guardian Room] and, surprisingly enough, [First Guardian Room]. And yes, it seems to be the combination between a [Throne Room, Basic] and [Node Room, Basic].
In [Utilities] they had just the [Library]. Not a lot, but they could easily add more by adding new room archetypes for, say, their common room - it would show up here and keep all the appropriate furniture easy to put there.
In [Harvesting Zones] they had the [Mining Area], [Growing Area] and, oddly enough, [Farming Area]. The last bit was a new one, and it seemed to be to a [Growing Area] what organized agriculture was to plants growing in the forest.
Still no idea why they couldn¡¯t just materialize food. There was no logical reason not to, implying that it was some sort of arbitrary rule imposed upon the Dungeons for reasons they were yet to figure out.
In [Production Facilities] they had the [Butcher¡¯s Shop], [Alchemist¡¯s Laboratory], [Necromancer¡¯s Laboratory], [Metalworks] and, finally, [Workshop]. Which seemed to be something of a basic template for workshops that they could further specialize towards, say, smithing or glassmaking.
Thus unlocking new room archetypes for this category.
In [Religious Facilities] they had the shrines for Saevius, Dolositas, Occasa, Luna, Procacitas, Desidius, Cibus and, oddly enough, Mors. Which happened to be the first non-evil god to grace them with a shrine.
The [Lairs] got sorted alongside their origin, usually their religious pantheon.
For the [Wild Courts] they had the [Hamadryad¡¯s Grove].
For the [Rampant Bloom] they had [Spider Breeding Chamber] and [Blood Hornet Hive].
For the [Rapturous Ecstasy] they had the [Feeding Ground], [Rose Guard Barracks], [Moraverian Alchemy Lab], [Court of Dancing] and a [Ghoul Settlement, Small].
For the [Breathless Tide] they had the [Burial Chamber].
And, finally, for the [Elementals] they had the [Elemental Overflow]. Here they actually did notice a difference that they missed earlier, as among the potential Overflow types there was now ¡®Stone¡¯.
Shame that they only had a single elemental of this type.
The only category of the [Locations] that saw no growth were the [Halls], since they still had only the [Underground Ecosystem] there.
Alright, so I hate to state the obvious but damn, we¡¯ve scored improvements on nearly every field imaginable and to actually take full advantage of this is going to take us a while.
Yeah, many options, only so much Residual Mana.
And we¡¯re still yet to make that power plant idea of yours into reality.
On the other hand, the valley right now is occupied by the beastkin who are busy laying siege to the mines, meaning that we can take some risks and experiment here and there, right?
Oh, good point.
No one¡¯s going to attack us.
Any ideas that you wish to test in practice?
I have two, but one of them is definitely impractical to test right now.
Go on
The impractical one is whether we can put other things in the [Underground Ecosystem] to change its designation. For example, if putting enough ghouls there would change it into a [Ghoul Settlement, Large].
Ohhhh, yeah, now that you talk about this, it makes sense
What¡¯s the more practical idea?
To find out whether we can put two shrines of the same pantheon in the same room.
And it turns out that yes, they can. They prove it by expanding the [Shrine of the Hierarch of Conquest] on the 1st level and putting Dolositas¡¯ own shrine inside. Which creates a completely new room designation called the [Temple of the Nine Hordes].
Dolositas turns out to be portrayed as a catwoman wearing a short hooded robe, her identity further concealed by a face mask, with one hand pulling what looks like a knife out of a pocket while the other seems to be hiding some shiny in another pocket.
There was only a single offering bowl for the two of them.
The system decides not to play around with them and immediately unlocks not just the [Temple of the Nine Hordes] but also the [Temple of the Rapturous Ecstasy], since they also unlocked more than one shrine of it. And by now, they simply knew that it was going to work like that.
Let me ask the Question.
Are we putting it anyway in the Dungeon?
Uhm.
I¡¯m not a big fan of the idea, but hey, religious tolerance, right?
We set up the shrine of Occasa, so going ¡®ugh, no¡¯ on Ecstasy would feel weird.
We¡¯ve set it up to flex on her cultists, not because of ¡®religious tolerance¡¯
Oh, right.
Still, I think it¡¯s fine to just set it up by the entrance, if the visitors decide to do some kinky stuff there, it¡¯s their choice but ours Favor.
Unless they do something illegally kinky.
Alrighty there, let¡¯s set it up then.
The statue of Decidius is that of a man reclining on the sofa, surrounded by empty bottles and with empty eyes staring into the void, making it clear that the man was completely and thoroughly high on something.
He seemed to be a human, strangely enough, and the very art style was different from that of the gods of Nine Hordes. Felt much more refined, with smoother contours and clearer details. It was also the only one that was horizontal more than vertical.
The statue of Cibus was, in fact, that of a pair of identical twins, both of them looking to be teenagers/young adults. Humans, again. The sculptor managed to portray movement of the body pretty naturally.
They were clearly wrestling with each other while standing, one of them biting the other in their shoulder, while having their own arm chewed on in return.
Procacitas was a deity whose sculpture they feared the most. In the end, it was surprisingly modest, portraying a woman sitting on a throne and wearing a Roman toga over a tunic, with a laurel crown in her long (and, frankly, fantastic-looking) hair.
She definitely had the body shape of a supermodel/modded Bethesda game female character, the former according to Izuku¡¯s first comparison and the latter according to Tomura.
Well, that could have been worse
She looks like a queen more than a slut, that¡¯s for sure
Which is almost weird to me. Then again, at least the Rose Guard was mostly tame, at least on the outside.
I wonder if there¡¯s some deeper meaning to all of that.
Obviously, lol.
You again
So much about not showing up at all until our mission is concluded (or not).
I lied xD
Only about this, though, not lying about the mission¡¯s results and rewards, though, so no stupid thoughts.
If I backstabbed people that I struck a deal with, no one would be making them with me, it¡¯s just common sense.
I dropped by to see how you¡¯re doing in the aftermath of the First Big Thing of your great tale.
But I guess you¡¯re doing pretty okay.
We do, thank you.
Also, wait.
FIRST Big Thing?
No spoilers ;)
Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m waiting for some really crazy shit to happen.
But even in the worst case scenario, you have about a month before the hammer drops, though probably a few days until things start to happen.
As for Procacitas¡¯ looks, if you go through all the myths, they are pretty consistent about Tyrannus creating her as his consort after he and Honor made the Creation, making her something akin to a Queen of Hell in these parts.
Makes sure to look the part, even if she definitely doesn¡¯t act it.
You can see how well all of this worked out for Ol'' Tyrannus seeing as she was among the Hierarchs that overthrew him and shattered his very existence into pieces.
They probably love each other very, very much after this
Oh, you have no idea lol
One of the rituals pretty common among Procacitas¡¯ worshippers involves one of her priestesses using, errr, a solid implement to attack a man, preferably a captive worshiper of Tyrannus wearing an outfit making them resemble their god, from behind, if you catch my drift.
Seeing as most of the local cultures see this as an ultimate humiliation for a man (of the ¡®just kill yourself after this, seriously¡¯ level), you should get a clue as to their, errr, post-divorce relationship.
This is very, very high on my ¡®I never wanted to know this¡¯ list.
Yeah
And how does it go the other way?
Well, let¡¯s just say that Tyrannus worshippers like to hit Procacitas¡¯ followers where it really hurts.
Although using their expertise in breaking people to crush their spirits to the point where they can no longer find any sort of enjoyment in anything but serving their captors is also pretty high on the list. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Wow, and here I thought that I was a villain
Only by the standards of your world.
By the standards of this one you were more of a mild annoyance.
UGH
Alright, so spit it out.
Why are you here?
You could observe us without making us aware that you¡¯re there.
Sure, sure, I mostly just wanted to gently suggest permanently fusing Kinoko Komori¡¯s soul with the hamadryad.
I have a hunch that it might lead to some hilarious outcomes, and it¡¯s definitely a necessary step towards something bigger.
Something bigger, as in doing the same thing with Ibara Shiozaki?
Yep.
Don¡¯t you already know what will be the outcome of that? You¡¯re literally a god.
More like an avatar of an avatar of a god.
You didn¡¯t think that I was actually The Luna, right? You¡¯re a fun plot against my sister, a hilariously ironic one even, sure, but ultimately just one of thousands that I have going at every point in time, and that¡¯s just me. As in, me-me.
There are more of me, and there¡¯s also the Big Me, you following?
Mostly. But you didn¡¯t answer my question.
I can see the future and past of humans as I see fit, but daemons are a bit more complicated as their future and past is significantly more¡ fluid, so to speak.
And more prone to greater powers intervening.
So, while I know what¡¯s going to happen in your corner of the Material World, I can¡¯t say the same about knowing what¡¯s going to happen with her.
Aside from making educated guesses.
And why are we ¡®hilariously ironic¡¯?
Because everything in the Material World is a pale reflection of something in the Spiritual World, which in turn is a pale reflection of something in the Radiant Worlds.
Huh?
And it just so happens that all Dungeons are a pale reflection of Panopticon, my sister¡¯s prized prison in the nearby Spiritual World of Damina that her daemons are holding.
A prison without bars, one where it doesn¡¯t matter how far you escape from it, it¡¯s always with you, always knowing your every step and able to take you back into your cell whenever and wherever the warden wishes so.
And boy if it doesn¡¯t sting when one of her servants gets their shit kicked by a pale reflection of one of her own creations, lol.
Oh, so I¡¯m officially a jailer for the bad guys.
God fucking dammit, what a shitty second life to have
Kek.
Alright, so we¡¯ll ask Komori-san if she¡¯s interested in permanent fusion, but if she says no, that¡¯s it.
Are you happy?
Are you there?
Clearly not anymore
Rude
So, are we asking her?
I never said that I¡¯d ask her immediately, and right now I¡¯m greatly interested in being as petty as possible.
Let¡¯s upgrade everyone and decide on potential new servants first.
Lmao.
***
And damn, there was a lot to upgrade or change. Their highest available ETL was 30, meaning that they could push everyone to around that level. And they finally had the means to achieve that.
They started from Uraraka. Her problem was that she was already a [Barbarian Berserker] lvl 30, meaning that to change something, anything in her they needed to take something out. However, Uraraka had an idea.
She wanted to try temporarily giving up on spears, arguing that carrying a spear, a sword, a shield and a few javelins at the same time was seriously straining. And she could get faster if this equipment was lightened.
Especially as she was also carrying a pickaxe, which turned out to not be very useful due to Uraraka not getting to mine anything yet. And they could give it to her if she ever decided to clear the collapsed passage in Aeonia¡¯s tomb.
Tomura then suggested giving her a [Longsword], which was basically a normal sword but with a lengthier hilt, meaning that it was possible to grab it with two hands for some additional oomph behind your hits. Uraraka decided that it was worth testing out.
In the end, Uraraka¡¯s new equipment was composed of [Steel Longsword I], [Wooden Round Shield], [Tribal Berserker Outfit], [Backpack], [Iron Javelin x2] and [Javelin Quiver].
They¡¯ve managed to give her a [Steel Longsword I], which meant that they could finally test what the ¡®I¡¯ meant. Though they ended up having to give up on some of the [Skills] and [Abilities] to get that done.
Her full list of skills was as follows: [Shield Proficiency II], [Sword Proficiency II], [Javelin Proficiency I], [Wolf Fang School II], [Mana Pathways II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VI], [Tracking III] and [Temperate Forest Survival I].
Add to that her abilities - namely [Shield Bash II], [Lesser Slash II], [Barricade Shield II], [Predator¡¯s Advance II] and [Bloodrage] - and you get a [Barbarian Berserker, lvl 30].
Setsuna Tokage went through a similar alteration to her stats. She, too, decided to temporarily give up on the spear, deciding that she had enough other things to specialize in for now.
Her new equipment was now composed of [Steel Handaxe II], [Wooden Round Shield], [Mail Shirt], [Open Ridged Helmet] and [Backpack]. Which should offer a significant improvement in survivability and damage, hopefully.
Her new list of skills included [Axe Proficiency III], [Shield Proficiency III], [Wolf Fang School III], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken V], [Mana Pathways III]. It was definitely on the shorter side, even shorter after removing [Spear Proficiency III] out of it.
She didn¡¯t have Itavian, neither speaking nor reading. She was fine with not reading any book for a while, for as long as it meant that she was good enough in combat. This would eventually change once they¡¯d get some additional ETL.
As for abilities, she had the same thing as previously, just without the [Lesser Thrust]. So, [Shield Bash III], [Lesser Slash III], [Barricade Shield III] and [Predator¡¯s Advance III].
All of that made her into a [Barbarian Warrior lvl 30].
The next problem they were facing was an increasingly terminal lack of new martial arts for their ogre warriors. After some deliberations they elected to go around it by giving them the heaviest armor they could. With an intent of making them proper ¡®tanks¡¯ as Tomura called them.
The heaviest armor they could give them turned out to be [Scale Cuirass over Striped Gambeson], a set further enhanced with lamellar pauldrons, splint gloves and boots and a peaked helm over a mail coif.
Which really contrasted with the fact that they were still wielding a small tree as their weapon of choice. They were planning to work on that next, once they would have some free ETL to wiggle around.
The end result was equipment composed of [Ironwood Tree], [Scale Cuirass over Striped Gambeson] and [Backpack]. With the last thing mostly being there because it seemed to cost pretty much nothing.
The skills remained largely the same, with both Kirishima and Tesutetsu sporting [Heavy Blunt Weapons Proficiency II], [Hammer of the Wilds School I], [Mana Pathways I], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI] and [Itavian, Written VI]. Same with the abilities, both of them having [Shockwave I], [Fortify Flesh I] and [Heavy Blow I].
Both of them were now [Barbarian Juggernauts, lvl 30].
Himiko and Mr. Compress had even more changes to them, with their equipment, skills and abilities lagging behind for a long while. But¡ not anymore.
Their equipment was now identical, and composed of [Tight-Fitting Leather Armor] (in both male and female variants), [Steel Dagger x2], [Slingshot] and a [Bag of Pebbles]. Thus giving them some proper ability to fight at range.
Himiko¡¯s new list of skills included [Dagger Proficiency III], [Slingshot Proficiency III], [Tiger Claw School III], [Mana Pathways III], [Basic Bone Carving II], [Tracking III], [Hunting III], [Temperate Forest Survival III], [Sneaking III], [Pickpocketing III], [Lockpicking III], [Trapping III] and [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI].
She ended up dropping Itavian, both spoken and written to save some points. It was at this point that they realized that the costs of non-combat skills were identical, and depended entirely on their numbers. So, the more of them, the costlier every level was.
Good to know.
Compress instead had [Dagger Proficiency IV], [Slingshot Proficiency IV, [Tiger Claw School III], [Mana Pathways III], [Tracking III], [Hunting III], [Temperate Forest Survival III], [Sneaking III], [Pickpocketing III], [Lockpicking III], [Trapping III] and [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI].
As for abilities, they both had an identical set of those, composed of [Sharpen Claws III], [Bloody Claws I], [Repelling Claws I], [Silent Claws I], [Cat Leap III], [Fall Immunity II], [Feline Grace I], [Dodge I], [Hunter¡¯s Steps I] and [Evasive Stance I]. They ran out of points before giving them a full set of newly available skills.
This made them both into [Barbarian Skirmishers, lvl 30]. Yes, they made sure to hit their level limit whenever possible.
What came next were their mages. And almost immediately they decided that they¡¯re going to need a shaman again - because a solid half of the [Aspect of Blood] spells was healing magic. And they needed healing magic.
Monoma volunteered to do the switch, for as long as they¡¯ll let him stay a white elf. They decided that there was no reason to look for anyone else after that. Besides, whom exactly could they pick for the job?
Yaoyorozu¡¯s equipment stayed as it was, composed of [Hedge Mage Robes] and [Hedge Mage Staff]. Her skills, however, were largely purged out of crafting-oriented skills. They decided that for now they needed a strong mage more than a crafting specialist. And they didn¡¯t have enough points to go for both.
In the end, Yaoyorozu¡¯s skills were as follows: [Staff Proficiency I], [White Core II], [White Magic II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [North Vestirian Language, Written VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VII], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VII], [Itavian, Spoken VI], and [Itavian, Written VI].
As for her full list of spells, wow. Her spellbook was growing quickly, and Izuku really looked forward to the results of it.
[Lesser Firebolt II], [Burst of Flames II], [Suppress Ignition II], [Mist II], [Float II], [Suppress Smell II], [Clear Air II], [Lesser Protection from Arrows II], [Stone Shield II], [Remove Footprints II], [Lesser Mana Shield II], [Protection from Physical, Others II], [Protection from Elements, Others II], [Protection from Magic, Others II], [Detect Magic II], [Detect Movement II], [Detect Life II], [Harden Material, Others II] and [Soften Material, Others II].
She was definitely shifting herself towards being a proper support character. It was what mages around here were supposed to be.
¡°I believe that I won¡¯t be able to hit my full potential as a mage without locking myself into a body and actually learning the spells that the Dungeon can¡¯t bestow.¡± She comments once she settles on her list of abilities. ¡°Too many spells, not enough points.¡±
Neito decided to stick to his current clothes, just switching the staff for the brass bells. This meant that his current equipment was composed of [Hedge Mage Robe] and the [Shaman¡¯s Brass Bells].
He, naturally, threw out the [Staff Proficiency] and the crafting skills just like Yaoyorozu did. His new list of skills included [Red Core III], [Wrath Magic III], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [North Vestirian Language, Written VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VII], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VII], [Itavian, Spoken VI] and [Itavian, Written VI].
As for his spells, he ended up picking up [Rage III], [Enraged Blow III], [Ignore Pain, Others III], [Ignore Injury, Others III], [Ignore Fatigue, Others III], [Lesser Bloodbolt III], [Staunch Bleeding, Others III], [Mend Flesh I], [Set Bones I], [Hasten Blood Production I], [Blood Purification I] and [Regeneration, Others I].
He was now a [Barbarian Shaman, lvl 30]. She was a [Hedge Mage, lvl 30].
The next problem they were facing was making Kaminari and Ashido stay viable for combat missions. Which was a problem, as they had nothing to improve on their primary combat skills. That is, until Kaminari suddenly had one of his unexpected galaxy brain moments.
¡°Can¡¯t you give someone more than one sorcery attunement?¡± He asks, looking somewhat confused at this not being brought up before. ¡°You can do that with White Magic, right?¡±
And holy shit, it turns out that the answer was yes. They could give sorcerers more than one [Attunement]. They tested it very quickly and discovered how it worked in practice.
The more sorceries of attunement A someone casted in a sequence, the stronger they got (but the greater the risk of the sorcery backfiring on the caster). However, it was possible to then cast attunement B sorcery, which would be much weaker than usual but would desync your leftover mana before starting to attune it with themselves.
So, with a few casts, their strength would be back to normal. In other words, as a sorcerer, you could either hit the enemy with one attunement, over and over again for scaling up damage but greater risk of backlash, or play a rhythm game with attunements, avoiding backlash by switching between them every other cast but also not reaching your peak damage capacity.
They both picked [Water Attunement] as their secondary one. Ashido because it was similar to her [Acid Sorceries], Kaminari because being able to soak enemies in water would make the subsequent electrocution more damaging.
Ashido thus ended up with [Acid Attunement I], [Water Attunement I], [Mana Overflow I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II], while Kaminari with [Electric Attunement I], [Water Attunement I], [Mana Overflow I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI], [Temperate Forest Survival II].
And for their abilities, Ashido had [Corrosive Spit I], [Acid Splash I], [Shield of Acid I], [Deluge I], [Douse the Flame I] and [Shield of Water I], while Kaminari ended up with [Electric Discharge I], [Static Electricity I], [Shocking Touch I], [Deluge I], [Douse the Flame I] and [Shield of Water I].
They both ended up as [Elemental Sorcerers, lvl 29].
Finally, there was Spinner. Who, too, got some significant progress and a lot of new unlocks. His new equipment reflected that, with Spinner now owning a [Recurve Bow], [Cured Leather Lamellar Armor] with an added pair of bronze bracers and a ridged cap over cloth, [Quiver], [Steel Arrows x20] and [Backpack].
His new list of skills included [Bow Proficiency III], [Tail Splitter School III], [Butchering III], [Mana Pathways III], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Tracking III], [Hunting III], [Sneaking III], [Temperate Forest Survival III].
As for his abilities, he had [Lacerating Claws III], [Empower Self II], [Hold Steady II], [Breathe Less I], [Close Wounds III], [Hard Scales III], [Lightning Reflex I], [Vertical Movement III] and [Quickstep I].
All of that ended up making him a [Barbarian Archer, lvl 30].
In the end, only Reiko Yanagi out of their entire combat roster lacked available combat skills and abilities to be brought to ~level 30. Which tied in with the next big thing that they needed to address right after this.
New party members. Who and with what skills and equipment?
67: Developmens that will definitely not explode in everyones faces
They ended up having to do something else before they got to having the talk about new servants. Someone has finished her investigation and was absolutely dying to share the results.
¡°I believe that I¡¯ve managed to unlock the secrets of this rifle.¡± Yaoyorozu announces the next day after the equipment improvements, while putting the rifle on the table in the common room.
¡°Wait, so quickly?¡± Uraraka blinks at her in surprise, her own breakfast tragically interrupted. ¡°I know that you kept firing it whenever you had some spare time, but¡¡±
¡°I work fast.¡± Yaoyorozu shrugs. ¡°And besides, the mystery wasn¡¯t as complicated as I initially expected it to be. Although it does give me more questions than answers.¡±
Go on, we¡¯re listening.
¡°There¡¯s no easy way of saying it, so I¡¯ll go straight to the point.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°This weapon blows.¡±
Hearing Yaoyorozu use such a¡ professional terminology leads to a sudden case of gaping mouths from both Uraraka and Toga (who, as usual, was tailing whichever of her love interests was available at the moment).
Frankly, Izuku would have reacted the same if he had a face right now.
E-excuse me?
¡°This weapon is bad, Midoriya-kun.¡± Yaoyorozu rephrases her earlier statement into something sounding much more like her. ¡°To begin with, contrary to how it looks, it is not a firearm.¡±
It looks like a firearm tho
¡°It does, but it¡¯s just that. It looks like it.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°It doesn¡¯t use any form of gunpowder known to me. The cartridges are instead filled with what appears to be a powdered, bluish crystal. Instead of being ignited and causing a localized explosion with the gas build-up pushing the bullet out of the barrel, those require an injection of mana from the user that¡¯s directly converted into kinetic energy that then drives the projectile through the barrel.¡±
So, basically a magic rifle?
¡°Yes, exactly.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°However, this is much less efficient than modern smokeless gunpowder. In fact, while I don¡¯t have the exact numbers on me, I believe that it¡¯s less efficient than even the early forms of blackpowder. The effective range of this rifle is about a hundred meters. Beyond that, you can hit someone only by complete accident. And injure only someone who is wearing no protective equipment whatsoever.¡±
Which probably explains why the scope that we can attach to it has just the 2x zoom.
It doesn¡¯t need anything more than that.
¡°True.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him once more. ¡°This rifle has an effective range comparable to crossbows. Both can be fired at a much longer distance, but with the chances of hitting anything being extremely small. Both have a better range when fired from an elevated position, like the wall of a fortress, but¡ that¡¯s it.¡±
¡°And how does it compare to bows and crossbows?¡± Uraraka asks.
¡°Bows launch arrows on a parabola, which means that they can actually injure someone at a distance longer than rifles and crossbows, especially the longbows, thanks to gravity.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°They shoot faster than crossbows but slower than rifles. Rifles are definitely easier to aim than crossbows, especially with the scope, and with a bayonet it can also be used as a short spear if the enemy gets close. Hard to say what¡¯s better against armor, but I¡¯d lean towards a heavier crossbow. In short, I¡¯d imagine rifles as somewhat better crossbows. But there¡¯s a problem, their design is much more complicated, so I¡¯m nearly certain that it costs much more.¡±
¡°So, a toy for a wealthy hunter, but definitely not something that you can equip an army with.¡± Uraraka summarizes it.
¡°Precisely.¡± Yaoyorozu nods. ¡°You can probably make twenty crossbows for a single rifle, and fifty bolts for a single cartridge. And that¡¯s without counting in the costs of the powder itself, as I don¡¯t know how hard to produce it is. This weapon has its advantages over the crossbows, but it¡¯s definitely not a replacement for them.¡±
So, why didn¡¯t the locals just use gunpowder? Like, you know, civilized people do when they face a problem needing a solution?
¡°I only figured this out after I had my skills upgraded.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Suppress Ignition spell seems to project an aura which stops small fires from happening. Any non-magical source of ignition flat out refuses to work. You could enter a room full of gasoline and gasoline fumes, and no matter what you would do, you would fail to ignite it.¡±
¡°You think that it works for gunpowder too?¡± Uraraka asks. Yeah, she figured it out just as Izuku did, just a bit faster.
¡°I¡¯m almost certain that it does.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°The second level version of this skill has an effective range of twenty five meters. This means that a fresh graduate from one of those local collegiums that Aeonia mentioned can probably stop any firearm within a hundred meters from working. Any sufficiently talented and experienced mage can probably do the same thing within anywhere between five hundred meters and a kilometer, as it really doesn¡¯t seem to be a complicated spell.¡±
So, the reason the locals don¡¯t use gunpowder is because magic can completely stop it from working, forcing them to produce rifles with some odd magical powder that can ignore it.
That makes sense
Couldn¡¯t they make some designer sniper rifles that can snipe mages from outside this spell¡¯s effective range, though?
¡°Seeing as this rifle has a design somewhat similar to bolt-action rifles of the early 20th Century, that¡¯s definitely possible.¡± Yaoyorozu agrees with him. ¡°However, it would be a very situational weapon. And it¡¯s also possible that the local ¡®archmages¡¯, however, they are called, have an ignition suppression area that outranges any sniper rifles.¡±
And it all comes back to such weapons being incredibly expensive, and probably requiring handcrafted cartridges.
¡°The question of ¡®how did the locals design something this advanced¡¯ also stays open.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°Personally, I¡¯d say that all the signs point to the technological level of the locals suffering some sudden decline in the past. They maintained enough knowledge to know how the rifle looks and works, how to produce morphine and heroin, how the world map actually looks and so on, but it¡¯s something that¡¯s probably a privilege of the few. Most are forced to rely on what I¡¯d call a ¡®Fantasy Middle Ages¡¯ technology, with magic used to patch whatever holes in said technological knowledge they have to deal with. The aesthetic of the Northern Wind facility serves as further proof to me.¡±
Makes sense.
We should have asked Luna about it. And about why the Dungeons can¡¯t make food.
We should have, yeah
HEY, LUNA, ARE YOU THERE?! WE HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU!
Sigh, nothing.
They¡¯ll show up when they¡¯ll be able to have a laugh at our expense.
Definitely
Do you want to keep the rifle, Yaoyorozu-san?
¡°Tempting, but the answer¡¯s no.¡± Yaoyorozu shakes her head. ¡°It would cost me too many of my spells. But I believe that it can be made to work with all types of magic, so we can give it to someone else in the future. Or just wait until we get to summon Snipe-sensei. I¡¯m sure he could make good use of it.¡±
I¡¯d rather not bring any annoying adult pro-heroes until we run out of annoying hero students to bring, so it¡¯s gonna be a distant future
Right.
Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Yaoyorozu-san.
¡°The pleasure¡¯s all mine.¡± She replies.
***
Some time after that, they all finally gathered up to have a very serious talk on who to bring next. And how to make them all work as a team. Almost immediately, they were forced to face a change in their combat line up.
¡°I know that I¡¯m just not strong enough right now to fight alongside you.¡± Reiko replies while shrugging. ¡°You won¡¯t hurt my feelings by admitting this aloud. I¡¯m fine with staying behind in the Dungeon and continuing to acclimate myself with the basics of necromancy, maybe even producing a number of creatures that can leave the Dungeon and accompany you, and wait for more skills to be unlocked for me.¡±
¡°Well, that¡¯s reassuring.¡± Tokage replies. They were all gathered up in the common room, both main parties mostly clustered together. ¡°I was afraid that¡¡±
¡°... the bigger problem is that if you want to keep having your party populated mostly by former 1-B students, there¡¯s only one good replacement for me that¡¯s available.¡± Reiko continues, interrupting her. ¡°And we all know whom I¡¯m talking about.¡±
As if on cue, every former 1-B student in the room shivers. They all realized whom she meant.
Yui Kodai. Japan¡¯s Horniest mixed among Japan''s Finest. The woman that made Minoru Mineta look like a saint and a champion of modesty, chastity and self-restraint.
And they just got a lot of spells of the Desire Magic unlocked. Alongside the equipment. Oh god, the equipment.
¡°Can we control her?¡± Tokage asks, glancing at Monoma and looking for help. ¡°Restrain her? Lock her in a horny jail and throw the keys out? Force her to wear a chastity belt all the time?¡±
¡°I¡ don¡¯t know.¡± Monoma replies, hunching over the table. ¡°I just don¡¯t know. I think that it all depends on whether we¡¯ll find someone ready to act as her horny jail¡¯s parole officer. Full time.¡±
¡ I think I have an idea.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
And he shares it with them. To his positive surprise, it¡¯s uniformly and enthusiastically accepted.
¡°This¡ this can work, even if it will severely limit her usefulness in combat.¡± Monoma decides. ¡°Alright. Worst case scenario, you¡¯ll just pull her soul out and keep it in the freezer. What species?¡±
¡°Night elf.¡± Yaoyorozu replies immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve read it up in the encyclopedia after we unlocked it. You see, the evil empire that created the elves established a genetic caste system among their servants, each of their subspecies created to play a particular role, and just that role. Some, like white elves, were expected to form the backbone of a population of some biome. Others, like the night elves, had a much more niche position.¡±
¡°Please tell me that the night elves weren¡¯t created for what I think they were.¡± Monoma interrupts her, looking at Yaoyorozu with a thousand yard stare.
¡°I believe that it¡¯s exactly what you think.¡± Yaoyorozu looks at him, pressing her lips together. ¡°Prostitutes, concubines and so on. They were never very numerous and were believed to have gone extinct after their masters¡¯ died and the entire system collapsed, only to start popping up again in modern times, usually as cultists of Ecstasy. They are noted to be unusually suited for the Desire magic, which likely explains their higher baseline ETL.¡±
Monoma groans loudly.
¡°Giving such a body to Yui Kodai sounds like a recipe for a very horny disaster.¡± He then says. ¡°But you know what, fine. Worst case scenario, she¡¯ll be sent to the timeout corner. To, maybe, reconsider her life choices.¡±
The biggest problem was, in the end, the fact that Izuku had to willingly enter the customization tool for the [Sensalist¡¯s Attire] and look for something that looked even remotely passable.
Shigaraki categorically refused to help.
In the end, Izuku sets up on a pair of black thigh-high socks with what seemed to be called a ¡®suspender garter belt¡¯, which thankfully remained mostly covered by what looked like a short, black dress ending right above in the middle of the thighs.
Black color mostly because it fit Yui Kodai as Izuku remembered her. Black hair and all.
It was, honestly speaking, probably the most modest thing that he could pick up from the list. Merely imagining for a second that it was Ochako or Himiko wearing some of the things he saw almost made him have a heart attack. And he didn¡¯t have a heart in his current state.
He was yet to realize that he made a crucial mistake in not checking the back section of the designed outfit, thus failing to realize that the short dress was almost entirely backless. Which, in his defense, was still much less erotic than at least 90% of the things they had unlocked.
Imagine a civilization losing most of their technological base and yet maintaining the ability to produce so much erotic or downright fetish stuff.
¡
Actually, now that Izuku thinks about it, it would definitely happen on Earth too if it suffered from some global disaster.
They end up deciding to give her a rather simple set of skills. No crafting stuff. Just the ability to speak Itavian and both the languages of the local beastkin and elves. If she wants to have something to do as a hobby, that¡¯s for her to decide.
The end result is [Orange Core III], [Desire Magic III], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VII], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Spoken VII] and [Itavian, Spoken VI]. As for the spells, [Induce Nausea, Others III], [Induce Hunger, Others III], [Induce Weakness, Others I], [Induce Vomiting, Others I], [Induce Dizziness, Others III], [Induce Somnolence, Others III], [Identify Drug III], [Suppress Drug III], [Quick Boost, Others I], [Lift Morale, Others I], [Combat Stimulants, Others I].
The lack of Procacitas magic was an entirely deliberate choice and was going to be a part of Yui Kodai¡¯s restriction plan.
It all came together into making her a [Sensalist, lvl 30]. But for now, they just made the template. They wanted to decide upon other characters first. As there were going to be more of them coming alive in this batch.
I want Dabi as a fire sorcerer
Wait, don¡¯t you hate him?
I don¡¯t hate him
More like, I was deeply disappointed in him and I hoped he¡¯d explode while I was busy dealing with Gigantomachia
The point is, I¡¯m trying to become a better leader, and a good leader has to cooperate not just with people he likes (Spinner) and people he is alright with (Compress), but also people like Dabi
So, I want to see if I¡¯m good enough about leading people now to not to kill him on the spot
¡ okay.
But I¡¯m bringing in Shoto Todoroki as a fire/ice sorcerer.
Sure, why not?
What about their species? And should we do something about Dabi¡¯s body?
DON¡¯T EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING THE FUCKING SLIDERS YOU SICK FUCK
Wha
No, not the sliders!
I mean all the injuries his quirk gave him, we can fix that you know?
Like we did with Mr. Compress¡¯ missing arm.
Oh, oh!
You know what, I can¡¯t even imagine Dabi without his burns, can we heal everything on the inside but leave the surface burns as purely an aesthetic thing
Huh? Yes, I don¡¯t see why not.
They end up deciding to make them both as White Elves. It¡¯s a decision open to future changes. In Izuku¡¯s opinion, none of them give him the elven vibes. But what else could he make them to be?
Todoroki ends up receiving [Ice Attunement I], [Fire Attunement I], [Mana Overflow I], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VI], alongside [Exploding Fireball I], [Set Aflame I], [Ignite, Mass I], [Exploding Iceball I], [Snap Freeze I] and [Freeze, Mass I].
Dabi ends up being specialized purely for fire sorcery, with Shigaraki pointing out that the man was burning himself to a crisp with wild abandon back on earth, so he already had an experience in melting his face off.
He gets [Fire Attunement II], [Mana Overflow II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Western Elven (Vestirian Dialect, Modern), Written VI], alongside [Exploding Fireball II], [Set Aflame II], [Ignite, Mass II], [Waves of Heat II] and [Lesser Firestorm I].
[Elemental Sorcerer lvl 30] for Shoto Todoroki and [Fire Sorcerer lvl 29] for Dabi.
They weren¡¯t sure if those two would actually find a job in any of their two adventuring parties, but it would be nice to have someone combat-capable in the Dungeon at all times. Just for added security.
¡°Alright, so I think that it¡¯s time to face the music and bring in some non-combatants.¡± Monoma says right after they¡¯re finished deciding upon the details of the stats of those two. ¡°Or, at least, some folks for whom combat isn¡¯t a priority.¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to bring in Hatsume Mei for her, err, expertise in creating stuff, won¡¯t we?¡± Uraraka asks while shaking her head. ¡°She has such a¡ large personality that I genuinely don¡¯t remember the name or face of anyone else from the Support Course.¡±
¡°Large personality?¡± Himiko asks her, clearly confused by it.
¡°Very large.¡± Uraraka replies dryly. ¡°Izuku can confirm that, as I remember seeing him getting into very close contact with it.¡± Himiko blinks again, clearly even more confused.
She is well-built, in more ways than one.
And, errr, she once exploded herself out of the support lab and landed on me, right in front of Ochako and Iida-kun.
¡°Ooooh.¡± And now Himiko gets it. And clearly finds it very amusing, as she immediately descends into a giggling fit.
¡°Wait, you had your own ecchi school life moment with that oppai girl from the Support Course?¡± Kaminari wakes up. ¡°Are you sure that you¡¯re not secretly a shonen protagonist, Midoriya-kun?¡±
I think that I¡¯d know it first. And I don¡¯t think that having a girl land on your face, breasts-first, is enough to make one a shonen protagonist.
¡°Well, you also have your own fearsome rival that you ended up facing in an epic battle of brawn and brain, and your quirk is definitely super similar to All Might¡¯s, whose own antagonist is that super mysterious Kamino Villain.¡± Kaminari continues, making it clear to Izuku that he was now in his Galaxy Brain Mode. And what a fearsome power that was. ¡°I mean, the signs are all there, bro.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¡± Uraraka tries to interrupt and perhaps steer the conversation towards safer waters, but Monoma is faster.
¡°No, no, let the man cook.¡± He leans back in his chair, looking curiously at Kaminari. ¡°Keep going, please.¡±
Please, stop.
Man, did you hear that?
I¡¯m your ¡®fearsome rival¡¯ that you¡¯ve ended up facing in ¡®an epic battle of brawn and brain¡¯, ha!
It¡¯s about the USJ?
¡°Huh?¡± Kaminari blinks. ¡°Not you, I was talking about Gentle Criminal.¡±
What
Who the fuck is Gentle Criminal?
Please, stop this. And let¡¯s get back to the subject.
Talk to me ffs, who the fuck is Gentle Criminal and how did he steal the position of your fated archrival?!
Uraraka clearly having problems with not joining Himiko in her own laughing fit didn¡¯t exactly help Izuku getting the situation back under control. Thankfully, Yaoyorozu decided to step forward.
¡°If we want someone a bit less¡ explosion-prone, I recommend Maina Furasu.¡± She pitches in her own idea. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with her a few times, and she¡¯s good at her job. And doesn¡¯t cause so many explosions.¡±
We¡¯ll eventually end up having to bring more than one person to deal with that, I just have a feeling that Hatsume will take not bringing her first, you know, personally.
Maina Furasu¡¯s definitely second on the list.
¡°Very well.¡± Yaoyorozu shrugs. ¡°If there¡¯s a good place to cause random explosions in, it¡¯s probably the Dungeon. Everything here is replaceable, after all. Even our bodies.¡±
They end up deciding on making her an ogre. Which means a lot of physical strength that she¡¯ll likely need once she switches from a support engineer to blacksmith. Once again, though, this is a field open to change.
Hatsume gets no abilities, and no language skills. She doesn¡¯t need those - they can communicate in Japanese, and the chances of Hatsume leaving the Dungeon anytime soon are rather minimal.
And if she decides to do it, for some strange reason, they¡¯ll just give her the appropriate skills.
The freed points are enough to give her [Basic Leatherworking VII], [Advanced Leatherworking III], [Basic Bone Carving VI], [Basic Smelting IV], [Basic Sewing V], [Basic Smithing VI], [Advanced Smithing III].
The system identifies the result as [Crafting Specialist, lvl 30].
¡°We should consider bringing Maina Furasu later, if only so that we¡¯ll have someone to experiment with alchemy.¡± Yaoyorozu comments a moment later, once they¡¯re finished deciding the details of Hatsume¡¯s character. ¡°She was an engineer, not a chemist, but you can¡¯t be a mechanical engineer dealing with quirks without at least some knowledge on this field.¡±
Oh, good point.
Quirks are a¡ special field to work with.
I don¡¯t think that you have anything to add to that, Shigaraki?
I do, a single but very important question
Who the fuck is Gentle Criminal?!
Oh for God¡¯s sake, it¡¯s that youtuber I¡¯ve mentioned once, stop acting like a teenage girl who just discovered that her crush knows another woman and can¡¯t get over it.
I
WHY DID YOU PHRASE IT LIKE THIS
I¡¯m going to fucking vomit
Suffer.
¡°That leaves me with one more¡ petition concerning this expansion.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to speak once more. ¡°I vote to bring Rikidou Satou. Likely as an ogre, if only because he was big as a human and they are omnivores. We need someone to help us diversify our diet. Because I, no, we need better food. And drinks.¡±
Her motion is accepted immediately. And by everyone. Even Shigaraki doesn¡¯t complain about wasting time and mana.
However, [Cooking] is just a single skill, and thus not giving such a skilled fighter anything else felt like a complete waste of space. So, they decide to bring him in as another [Barbarian Juggernaut] like Kirishima and Tetsutetsu, just without the armor. At least for now.
The end result for Satou is [Heavy Blunt Weapons Proficiency II], [Hammer of the Wilds School I], [Mana Pathways I], [Temperate Forest Survival II], [North Vestirian Language, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Spoken VI], [Itavian, Written VI] and, of course, [Basic Cooking V].
Add [Shockwave I], [Fortify Flesh I] and [Heavy Blow I], and the end result was [Barbarian Juggernaut, lvl 21]. Which was good enough.
Alright, so now that we have all of this established, the next thing to talk about is Komori-san.
Luna seems insistent that making her fuse with the daemon permanently is going to lead to some ¡®hilarious¡¯ but also intriguing results.
Monoma-kun, will she accept that?
¡°Well, she seems to have never been happier in her life now that she has become a daemon.¡± Monoma replies, scratching his chin. ¡°I reckon that she¡¯ll be overjoyed to make that move. Should I talk with her about it?¡±
Please do.
It might be something useful.
And Luna also implied that the ¡®Next Big Thing¡¯ after this battle is going to start happening soon, and will find its conclusion in about a month, so it¡¯s probably best to be prepared.
¡°Oh, great.¡± Monoma sighs. He doesn¡¯t seem happy about it, and it seems that for once he¡¯s in agreement with everyone in the room. ¡°More fun stuff to deal with. I guess that we¡¯ve gotten stronger just in time, haven''t we? I¡¯ll go and talk with her about it immediately once we¡¯re done here.¡±
Great.
Let¡¯s summon them all, starting from¡ should we start from Yui Kodai or Shoto Todoroki and Dabi?
Wait, why those two together?
Why not? Todoroki-kun is definitely much chiller than Dabi. I just want to bring someone that will not cause any problems at the same time as Dabi. For, you know, my own sanity.
Oh, sure. Good point
68: They Are Here
The decision to bring Dabi and Todoroki-kun to life at the same time was either the worst or the best idea that Izuku ever had. Maybe both. Yeah, probably both. And it could easily be just the worst idea ever if Shigaraki didn¡¯t insist on having them spawned outside of the Throne Room.
They do that in their common room. Dabi materializes right in front of Spinner and Compress, which should probably stop him from doing something stupid on instinct. Shoto ends up appearing right in front of Yaoyorozu and Uraraka.
Toga decided to join her own villainous teammates for once, while the rest of the 1-A students that they had around were gathered up behind Yaoyorozu and Uraraka.
The 1-B students decided to not participate and instead moved over to Kinoko Komori¡¯s boss room to have a talk with her about her soon-to-be permanent change in status and ascension into daemonhood.
¡°Where the fuck are¡¡± Dabi says before Spinner or Compress can open their mouths, looking around before his eyes lock onto Shoto Todoroki, with an absolutely hateful glare erupting on his face.
¡°How intriguing.¡± Todoroki in the meantime says dryly, studying Yaoyorozu and Uraraka new looks carefully. ¡°So you two were actually yokais in hiding. I can¡¯t believe that I didn¡¯t foresee this development.¡±
Uraraka just blinks at him in shock at being called a yokai while Yaoyorozu sighs and points at her own ear, while giving Todoroki a strange look. He reads it correctly and grabs his own ear. It, too, is pointy.
¡°Huh, fascinating.¡± Todoroki doesn¡¯t appear to be as confused by it as Izuku expected him to be. ¡°So I, too, was a yokai all along.¡±
¡
Is everything alright with his head?
Opinions vary.
¡°You¡!¡± Dabi shouts, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to himself. He is yelling at Shoto, for some reason. ¡°Why are you here, and why are all those annoying hero shits here as well?! And why aren¡¯t you doing anything?!¡± He then yells at his own supposed allies.
Toga just rolls her eyes around. Compress tries to be a bit more diplomatic.
¡°Situation changed, we¡¯ve gotten kidnapped and sent into another world, and we¡¯re supposed to work together.¡± Compress replies, Dabi giving him a shocked look to which Compress just shrugs. ¡°Look, if they all die, so do we.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not going to work with him!¡± Dabi screeches while pointing at Shoto.
¡°What is your problem with me?¡± He asks Dabi, with a look of mild confusion on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t remember us ever meeting. And if it¡¯s another case of accidental insult, like with Inasa Yoarashi, then I can¡¯t apologize enough for it being accidental and I¡¯m always ready to insult you deliberately.¡±
Oh, oof
Oof indeed.
You sure you¡¯re not long lost siblings or smth, I¡¯m seeing similarities between you two
Can it.
¡°What is my problem with you?!¡± Dabi shouts. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with you, I have a problem with you and your entire family! You want to know why?¡± He spreads his arms wide, looking at Shoto with perhaps the most deranged expression that Izuku has ever seen. ¡°It¡¯s because I AM YOUR BROTHER, SHOTO!¡±
Holy shit what a twist
¡
Uraraka and Yaoyorozu gasp loudly. The rest of the audience seems to react similarly. No one expected that! If that was the truth, then¡ poor Shoto! How is he going to deal with such a terrifying revelation?!
Shoto looks at Dabi, studying him from the top of his head to his shoes and back for a few seconds, before deciding upon a verdict.
¡°You¡¯re too thin and ugly to be Natsuo.¡± He announces. ¡°Try again.¡±
Dabi¡¯s moment of deranged fury is cut short when he briefly loses his ability to breathe. Someone definitely didn¡¯t expect this to happen, and despite likely running through this scenario a thousand times in his head never foresee such a reaction.
But this doesn¡¯t last for long.
¡°I¡¯m not Natsuo!¡± Dabi shouts. ¡°I¡¯m Touya!¡±
¡°Touya is dead.¡± Shoto replies calmly. ¡°So, logically, you can¡¯t be him.¡±
¡°I can, because I actually survived!¡± Dabi shouts again. That man¡¯s vocal chords had to be burned out more than his skin, Izuku thinks to himself. It¡¯s nothing but shouting from him. ¡°And I spent years preparing my revenge on Endeavor!¡±
¡°Touya was declared dead, because there is no way that someone could survive such a fire.¡± Shoto replies. ¡°Also, if you truly were Touya, you would have enough inside information about Endeavor¡¯s household to take him down. You could use your injuries and confirmed DNA match to take his prized reputation and career down, thus breaking that man, in record time and with little trouble all while receiving appropriate medical treatment for your burns. You thus cannot be Touya, because according to what I heard about him from Natsuo and Fuyumi, he wasn¡¯t an idiot.¡±
Shots fired shots fired
Holy shit, this is so fucking cathartic to watch
¡ maybe a bit.
¡°He wasn¡¯t an¡¡± Dabi unconsciously repeats the last few words before somehow managing to get even angrier. ¡°YOU FUCKING DARE?!¡±
Todoroki looks supremely unimpressed by both the volume and the unspoken threat of being burned to ash. That¡¯s what makes Dabi suddenly take an emotional step back and calm down a bit.
¡°Wait a fucking second.¡± He says, glaring daggers at Shoto. ¡°Are you trying to gaslight me?¡±
¡°Gaslighting isn¡¯t real.¡± Todoroki replies dryly. ¡°You¡¯re just crazy.¡±
¡°I think that you should calm down a bit.¡± Compress decide to be actively suicidal and tries to make Dabi stand down. ¡°I can relate to your anger caused by your claims to be related to a Top Hero being met with disbelief, but I really think that jumping to murder is too much.¡±
Wait, he can relate to that?
Oh, yeah, one of his pre-League businesses was running a scam in which he pretended to be Miruko¡¯s cousin gathering money to help her deal with some lawsuit about excessive brutality against villains
People were eating this up like American police officers in a donut shop
¡ I think I prefer Compress just conventionally robbing people to this.
¡°I don¡¯t jump to murder!¡± Dabi shouts back at him. ¡°That¡¯s my default fucking setting, you prick!¡±
Aaaand I¡¯m starting to regret bringing him here.
what are you talking about, this is hilarious
¡°I¡¯ve planned to kill you for years, just to see Endeavor broken at the loss of his masterpiece.¡± Dabi then unleashes another nugget of info concerning what an awful human being he was. ¡°But there¡¯s no point in it if you don¡¯t believe that I¡¯m Touya. It won¡¯t hurt you enough! So, let me prove to you that I truly am a Todoroki. Fuyumi always kicks off her quilt in her sleep because it¡¯s too hot for her under it. The spare key to Endeavor''s training room is always hidden by the tree behind the house. Natsuo has a girlfriend with a mouse quirk, but he keeps it hidden from the world so that people won¡¯t pester her due to dating a son of the Number One Hero.¡±
Todoroki gasps loudly, covering his mouth and looking at Dabi with his eyes wide open, Dabi taking that as a sign of a job well done and stopping his litany of little secrets of the Todoroki household.
¡°You¡¯ve been stalking us!¡± Shoto then says, denying all expectations and making Dabi look back at him in total shock for a change.
¡°Wha¡ no!¡± Dabi shouts back, waving his hands around as if trying to repel the allegation physically. ¡°I¡¯m not stalking you, I know that because I am a Todoroki! What the fuck even brought this?¡±
¡°Half of the League of Villains is stalking someone from my class.¡± Shoto replies. ¡°Toga stalks Uraraka-san, Shigaraki stalks Midoriya-kun, you stalking me just makes sense in this context.¡±
What
Hey, he¡¯s onto something.
Not ¡®onto something¡¯, more like ¡®on something¡¯.
I¡¯m not stalking you.
What about the mall before the Training Camp?
An exception confirming the rule.
¡°Well, I¡¯m not stalking anyone.¡± Compress decides to defend the honor of the League by raising his hand and speaking. ¡°How¡¯s that for your theory?¡±
¡°Why though?¡± Shoto looks at him, temporarily ignoring the now shocked speechless Dabi. ¡°Do you feel like you¡¯re too good for this? Are you looking down on your teammates?¡±
Compress, who clearly didn¡¯t expect those words, ends up just staring at Shoto with a gaping mouth, his shock almost equalling the one that Dabi was now going through.
¡°Uhm, Tomura?¡± Spinner whispers quietly and in the opposite direction to everyone. ¡°Quick question. Was it, like, a requirement? I remember being ill for a few days before the Training Camp, did I miss a meeting when we were deciding on this?¡±
Oh for fuck sake
There was no such meeting, there was no such rule and I¡¯m not stalking Midoriya
Todoroki is either gaslighting us all or has serious brain damage and it¡¯s his genuine dogshit opinion about the League
Either way, don¡¯t get brainwashed by him
¡°I¡¯m going to¡¡± Dabi finally wakes up from his brief mental break, but that¡¯s when Shigaraki decides to intervene.
¡ do nothing at all about it.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Yes, it¡¯s me, Shigaraki.
I now have a power of god over you and I¡¯m going to need you to take the chill pill
Try to make his life a living hell without violence if you need it, but the moment you try to attack anyone, I¡¯m pulling your soul out of your body
Try me
¡°VERY FUCKING WELL!¡± Dabi yells and tries to throw a giant fireball at Shoto. Before he gets more than a few embers going, he suddenly goes limp and hits the floor, face first.
He wakes up almost immediately as his soul is injected into his own body once more, Dabi pulling his head up just to reveal his definitely broken nose.
¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± He shouts, scattering droplets of blood on the floor. It¡¯s colorless but quickly turns blue when exposed to air. Izuku totally forgot that elven blood worked like that, huh.
You breaking your nose on the Fuck Around and Find Out rule that I¡¯m implementing rn
We¡¯ve all been isekai¡¯d to another world and we gotta work together to survive, leave your great revenge for another time
¡°Oh, really?¡± Dabi growls while standing up. ¡°Or what? Are you going to just make me stay unconscious? That¡¯s much less of a punishment than getting to see daddy¡¯s little masterpiece and not be allowed to set him on fire.¡±
Then I¡¯ll do something worse
Something much, much worse
I¡¯ll ask Midoriya to punish you
Why are you bringing me into the League¡¯s inner drama?!
Because it means that you¡¯ll be allowed to creatively torture a villain with your fucked up mind
¡
I know you want this, Midoriya
¡°The green-haired Mini-Might, really?¡± Dabi laughs. As everything he is doing, he does so in a visibly deranged way. ¡°That¡¯s your solution? C¡¯mon, All Might Junior, show me what you have.¡±
Sigh.
If you don¡¯t play nice with us, or at least if you won¡¯t stop trying to kill other servants of this Dungeon, I¡¯ll be randomly spawning Endeavor in the same room as you are. In the kitchen, in the toilet, in your bed, under your bed and in a hidden room behind a mirror in your bathroom so that it¡¯ll look as if he was your reflection.
Forever.
And I¡¯ll experiment with his looks, so get ready to have your life enriched with such things as ¡®Femboy Endeavor¡¯ and so on.
You¡¯re fucked up, Midoriya, but now that I¡¯m on your side of this sort of mental torture I can understand why you¡¯re doing it.
What an incredible feeling of pure schadenfreude
Dabi doesn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he is just standing there, staring into space with strangely empty-looking eyes. This lasts for a few seconds before Compress gets close and pokes him with his finger.
Which makes him fall backward only to be caught mid-fall thanks to Compress¡¯ quick acting, the man fainting instantly the moment he heard Midoriya¡¯s threat.
I¡¯ll take that as his agreement to cooperate
¡ that was much more draining than it had any right to be.
Yeah
Let¡¯s get your Todoroki up to speed and get ready for the next thing on the list
***
Shoto takes being told that he was isekai¡¯d and will never return to Japan surprisingly calmly. If anything, he seems more disappointed in his yokai theory being disproved than concerned about the existential horror that he was just served.
¡°And if you want to talk with someone about the whole Dabi situation, I¡¯m all ears!¡± Uraraka decides to give him a good taste of her friendship, Yaoyorozu nodding her agreement in the back.
¡°You do seem to have experience with being stalked by dangerous people that want to be like you, or in this case a part of your family.¡± Shoto replies calmly before nodding to himself as Uraraka and Yaoyorozu exchange worried looks. ¡°This talk might be useful to me. How are you dealing with Toga nowadays?¡±
Is he being serious or did he change gaslighting into a form of art
I have absolutely no idea.
¡°I don¡¯t think that my methods can or should work in your case.¡± Uraraka replies quickly, Todoroki letting out a disappointed sigh. ¡°But if you need any help, just tell me, alright?¡±
¡°Alright.¡± Todoroki replies.
At the same time, Dabi ends up recovering from his brief loss of consciousness and accepts the same explanation talk from Compress and Spinner, with Toga there mostly to provide¡ Let''s call it emotional support.
Izuku isn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s a good name for it but ehhh, it works.
At least he seemed to somewhat recover from his initial shock. When Compress - for testing purposes only, obviously - mentioned Midoriya¡¯s threat, Dabi didn¡¯t faint. He just started to retch and only avoided vomiting on the spot due to his stomach being completely empty.
¡°By the way, we might be forced to kill people in this second life of ours.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to address the important subject. ¡°We even had to do that already when the Bloom¡¯s cultists attacked us.¡±
¡°Sounds horrible.¡± Todoroki decides. ¡°Even if it¡¯s probably necessary. Midoriya-kun, let me ask you for clarification: do you want me to kill people?¡±
Well¡
Yes?
¡°Alright then.¡± Todoroki nods with a determined look on his face. ¡°I¡¯ll do it if I have to.¡±
Yaoyorozu stares at him, clearly shocked by his statement. Oh, right, she didn¡¯t get the full story behind their fight during the sports festival and how Izuku subsequently became his first friend while pulling him into his group of friends and making him slowly learn how to socialize.
Todoroki was taking this friendship very seriously.
¡
I ship that
I stare at you judgmentally right now.
I could either say that and make fun of him being ready to kill your enemies or yell at you all for being oh so very heroic
So why haven¡¯t you picked option B?
Because I like seeing you slide down the moral slide towards the abyss of villainy lol
You¡¯ll be disappointed.
***
Yui Kodai¡¯s new body was largely similar to her old one, if you exclude the pointy ears and the faintest pinkish hue to her skin.
Also, a fun fact - as they discovered during their brief foray into the mystical realm of sliders, the night elves were much less restricted in their body-built than the rest of the elves. When they stick to the defaults whenever possible, the result was pretty close to how Yui Kodai was built in the past.
She appears in the middle of the room, wearing her rather scarce outfit, blinking at them all in shock at their appearance.
Just as 1-B was absent for Todoroki¡¯s arrival, so is 1-A for Kodai. It¡¯s something of an inside thing to them.
No, not because the classes still exist in any shape or form, it¡¯s because they were the ones who suffered from Kodai¡¯s horniness.
¡°We¡¯ve been isekai¡¯d to a magic world.¡± Monoma takes the lead. ¡°You¡¯re now a Desire Mage, your entire magic dedicated to the trio of local gods of hedonism.¡±
Kodai stares at him for a few seconds before letting out a loud ¡®Mm!¡¯. Izuku still can¡¯t get over a person that was this expressionless also being this horny. Truly, a lesson about not judging the book by the cover.
¡°However, you¡¯ve received no spell dedicated to one of said gods that is about sex.¡± Monoma continues, earning himself a (slightly) wide-eyed stare from Kodai. ¡°Tetsutetsu-kun, bring it now please.¡±
Tetsutetsu does as ordered, bringing a giant pile of paper sheets and putting it on the ground right next to her. It¡¯s about as tall as Yui Kodai herself.
He also gives her the necessary writing utensils, which she accepts while clearly being completely confused about the situation.
Okay, not clearly. But Izuku thinks that this is what she¡¯s thinking. It¡¯s kind of hard to read her.
¡°You¡¯ll be able to pick one spell of that aspect once you write down ¡®I will never write fictional stories about real people¡¯ five thousand times.¡± Monoma informs her, and this time Kodai is definitely shocked by it. She even went slackjawed! A little bit. ¡°For the second spell you¡¯ll need to write it five thousand times again. And you can lose your spells if you act in public in ways that will make everyone living here uncomfortable, forcing you to start writing all over again. Do you understand?¡±
Kodai stares at him for a few seconds, before looking at the others gathered in the room with an unspoken plea for salvation. But she finds none.
So, she sighs loudly before looking at Monoma again and letting out a faint ¡®mhm¡¯. It seems that Midoriya¡¯s plan for restraining her is a success. They¡¯ll just have to stick to it and make sure that the severity of their sanction won¡¯t start to diminish as time passes.
***
Contrary to Dabi, Shoto and Yui Kodai, bringing Satou and Hatsume to life wasn¡¯t even nearly as emotional. Satou seems to take that exceptionally well.
¡°Cooking in another world?¡± He replies once the brief explanation is given to him. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much my favorite manga genre! Yes, I¡¯m in, even if it sucks that we¡¯re not going to go back. So, what sort of ingredients have you already gathered? Meat of some otherworldly creatures? Fruits that don¡¯t exist in our world?¡±
Silence in the room as Yaoyorozu visibly shrinks a little.
¡°Well, errr, it¡¯s a still developing situation.¡± She replies. ¡°But we have, errr, meat. From deers and rabbits.¡±
¡°... do you at least have salt? Satou asks her, but he immediately reads the answer from her face. ¡°Flour then?¡±
¡°Well, not exactly.¡± Yaoyorozu replies, once again looking as if she suddenly decided that having this talk was a mistake.
Satou stares at her for a few long seconds. If Izuku had to describe the look on his face with one word, it¡¯d be ¡®disappointment¡¯.
¡°... can I, uhm, can I go back to whatever void my soul was in until the situation changes for the better?¡± He then asks, looking absolutely dejected at seeing his hopes and dreams tarnished.
¡°We do have some honey produced by giant, man-eating hornet species that¡¯s apparently a rare delicacy in this world.¡± Uraraka decides to pitch in her own idea. And it actually ends up working.
¡°Well, that changes everything!¡± Satou suddenly straightens himself up on his seat, a smile blooming on his face. ¡°Honey can be used as a marinade to tenderize the meat while it¡¯s being cooked, and I¡¯m curious how the result will taste! You should have started from this.¡±
Wow, she really wants to test the properties of this honey, doesn¡¯t she?
And she¡¯s not the only one.
¡ please be horny elsewhere
Hatsume, in the meantime, reacts to being isekai¡¯d in a very¡ Hatsume way.
¡°It¡¯s another world?¡± She asks once they finish delivering the explanations to her. ¡°There¡¯s magic here, but also some advanced technology here and there? And I¡¯m supposed to craft things to unlock new stuff for this, errr, Dungeon, that it can then be used for more efficient threat disposal and to attract more people into it with a prospect of getting some of my prized creations for themselves?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the gist of it, yes.¡± Uraraka replies. ¡°It¡¯s mostly about such a gear likely not having as much of an influence on our equipment limit due to not being created by the Dungeon, but figuring out how local industry works should tell us a lot as well.¡±
Hatsume grins.
¡°I haven¡¯t felt so excited ever since I decided to make the world¡¯s best self-defense support tool!¡± She exclaims while rubbing her hands together. ¡°That one ended up a disappointment, something about firearms being illegal even when you classify them as a support tool, but I¡¯m getting really good vibes from this one!¡±
Wait, so she was trying to illegally produce firearms for sale?!
That¡¯s one way of saying it, I guess.
I wish Aoyama told me about her in the past, she would make such a great asset to the League.
No.
Yes, Midoriya.
Fucking yes.
¡°Well, that¡¯s¡ great?¡± Uraraka replies. It was the first time that she heard about the firearms bit, and it was clear that it was giving her some mixed feelings. ¡°We¡¯ll get you a room and some materials to experiment with soon.¡±
And in this foreign world the rules about gun control and creating explosive materials from our world do not apply, just so you know.
Stop enabling her!
Lol no
¡°Ooh, the voice inside my head that sounds suspiciously like Tomura Shigaraki is raising some valid points.¡± Hatsume replies, rubbing her hands even more aggressively. She was really impatient to do something with them, and this was her coping mechanism (probably).
Uh-oh.
¡°Please don¡¯t listen to him.¡± Uraraka is quick to intervene. She doesn¡¯t even know what said voice said, but she knows that it was probably something bad.
¡°Well, I always looked forward to Hatsume Industries becoming a great brand in our world.¡± Hatsume ignores her, however. ¡°And now that I have my original self working on it back home, I can do the same here. Hatsume Industries shall stretch its power across the vastness of the multiverse!¡±
Yaoyorozu just sighs in the background. This is exactly why she thought that Maina Furasu was a better choice.
69: Ascension
The next thing on the list is Komori¡¯s official ascension into daemonhood. Up until now, she was a daemon but she could still back out of it. Become a human again. But this was going to change now.
It should have been a Big Thing on its own, however Komori was taking it extremely chill, to the point where it was making Izuku vaguely uncomfortable.
¡°Sure, I¡¯m fine with that.¡± She replies when Izuku asks her about it one more time. She already had that talk with her former classmates, but Izuku wasn¡¯t there to see it. ¡°I mean, what¡¯s even the problem with that? I like my new self. It¡¯s cool!¡±
You could borrow the body of a stronger daemon.
They don¡¯t grow up in strength at the same timescale that mortals do.
You will probably end up getting defeated by adventurers over and over again.
¡°Meh, I know what death is but it doesn¡¯t really apply to me anymore.¡± Komori replies while shrugging. ¡°They could kill me ten times a day and it would still barely be an annoyance to me. Frankly, what is death to me? The worst part of it is probably losing out on something that¡¯s happening elsewhere or what I was doing at the time. If the worst part of getting stabbed to death lies in not being able to keep reading the book you just started while dead, death becomes a brief timeout corner.¡±
I¡ guess that¡¯s one way of putting it.
¡°Oh, don¡¯t act like that, I know that it¡¯s weird.¡± Komori shakes her head. ¡°But it¡¯s my human memories of death being serious business at work, not my current self. Besides, it¡¯s better for me to become a hamadryad rather than wait for a stronger daemon. Those are all, you know, actually sapient.¡±
Good point¡ it would be pretty much murder, now that I think about this.
Isn¡¯t it still murder?
The hamadryad might have been rather animalistic and hostile in behavior, but she was still theoretically sapient
I can¡¯t hear you.
The connection¡¯s breaking down.
Dick
Komori-san, we¡¯re doing it right now.
¡°Alright!¡± Komori grins.
They all expected something crazy to happen after seeing Luna being oddly interested in it, but they didn¡¯t expect it to be this crazy. Which, in hindsight, was pretty stupid of them. After all, Luna was kind of a Big Deal in this world.
Whatever she was intrigued by had to be a big thing.
The moment they merge Komori¡¯s soul with the hamadryad¡¯s body/soul, she warps, her entire body changing itself completely in an instant.
A second before, she was a hamadryad wearing Kinoko Komori¡¯s face. An admittedly beautiful woman covered by moss and plants, with a pair of wooden antlers on top of her head and her hands completely empty.
A second later, though, she was a significantly taller Kinoko Komori with white strands mixed into her hair, wearing a short dress, thigh-high socks/stockings/boots and elbow gloves. All of her clothes were snow-white, the reason for which Izuku discovered a moment later when he noticed that her clothes weren¡¯t made of any form of textiles known to man.
They were made from mycelium growing all over her and shaped into clothes.
She was also holding a staff that definitely wasn¡¯t there before. It¡¯s long and decorated with a small piece of white rock lodged between a Y shape protrusion at the top, that¡¯s¡
¡ actually a dense cluster of mycelium growing around a crossbar connecting the two sides of the Y shape, now that Izuku looks at it more closely. Huh.
Komori extends her hand, looking at it intensely as her white glove blooms with mushrooms of multiple species, growing up in an instant. It really reminds Izuku of her old quirk.
¡°That¡¯s so damn cool!¡± She coos at the sight. ¡°What happened to me?!¡±
Sometimes my genius is almost frightening.
Quoting Top Gear now, really?
Why can''t the Dungeons make food?
What?
I¡¯ve decided to ask this question the second Luna shows up again. So that they don¡¯t vanish on us without answering.
And so I did.
Huh.
Totally arbitrary limit established by the Powers-That-Be to ensure that the Dungeon Lords aren¡¯t completely self-sufficient, even if it¡¯s about such largely optional things.
Wanting to eat tasty stuff, drink alcohol and enjoy yourself in general works as a motivation.
It also prevents Dungeons from making their neighbors completely dependent on them by becoming their main source of food.
Even if you set up a full farm in yourself, you won¡¯t be able to produce enough food for more than a small town, and even that would require a long time.
And forget about being able to just mass-produce foreign cuisine, so you gotta get acquainted with the locals and import some ingredients/hire a foreign cook to get this done.
Alright.
Back to Komori-san.
What happened to her?
Why don¡¯t you check your [Entities] list and find out ;)
They both open it at the same time and almost immediately discover that the [Lesser Hamadryad] was gone from the list. But there was a completely new entry, titled the [Mycelium Singer].
In the newly opened subcategory, titled [Archdaemons].
Oh, you¡¯ve gotta be kidding me.
What, how?!
I think that you¡¯ve realized by now that the various ¡®species¡¯ of daemons are the equivalent of a mix between a mortal¡¯s profession/religious belief/social status.
It¡¯s just that the daemons¡¯ identity is reflected by their body, mind and the way they influence the world around them (so, their ¡®powers¡¯).
So?
Archdaemons are what happens when a daemon obtains perhaps the rarest trait of them all.
Individuality.
Their skills, their beliefs, their perception of self is one that cannot be conflated into the crowd, that cannot be categorized per pre-existing categories.
There are tens of thousands of pro-heroes in your old world, having more or less identical jobs, facing more or less identical opponents and playing more or less identical roles in society.
Their quirks might be different, their outfits might be different, but in the end, they are just that. Variants of the same thing, shaped by minor differences in their environment and upbringing.
But then you have people like Miruko, Hawks, Endeavor and All Might. Individualities in character, skills and stories, powerful enough to have others want to be like them.
Archdaemons are to daemons what those top-heroes are to pro-heroes.
And since each and every one of us come from another world, one completely different from what you can usually find in the Creation, we¡¯re individualities by definition.
Oh, shit
Yep! ;)
I suspect that most if not all of your former classmates, companions in crime and the pro-heroes/major villains that you have the souls of will inevitably become archdaemons if they are permanently fused with a daemon¡¯s souls.
Actually, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the more successful of your mortal selves would have a shot at becoming archdaemons in their eventual afterlifes.
And what are the practical consequences of it?
There¡¯s a handful of those.
Archdaemons have their own personal set of skills (and potential loot) that¡¯s unique to them.
They can also split parts of their power to create their own shard spirits, even if it weakens them for some time.
They can also ¡®convert¡¯ daemons into their servile daemons, which is basically a separate daemon ¡®species¡¯, usually smaller versions of themselves.
Although this happens pretty rarely because it¡¯s not easy to do - for daemons, their beliefs are a core element of what they are.
It¡¯s a bit more common, at least in a Material World, for an archdaemon to just have children that function as their servile daemons.
Also, a small bit of info that Shigaraki should find hilarious¡
???
¡ another local term for archdaemon is ¡®daemon lord¡¯ ;)
Oh, fuck
Not this shit again
kek
Anyway, she¡¯s only as strong as the [Lesser Hamadryad] was, basically the weakest archdaemon ever (or close to it). If she disconnects from the Dungeon, someone will kill her and harvest her organs quickly.
But if you keep her in the Dungeon, she¡¯ll grow in strength, much faster than one of the more ¡®mass-produced¡¯ daemons would.
Hey, in a few decades she should be strong enough to leave the Dungeon and settle somewhere at the verge of civilization, strike a deal with a local settlement about protection in exchange for offerings and she¡¯ll become a lowest-ranked deity in no time!
And you suspected that this would be the outcome of this ¡®experiment¡¯ from the start, didn¡¯t you?
Yep ;)
We¡¯re cheating the system here real hard.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
I¡¯ve basically converted you into an archdaemon printing machine lol
Or maybe it¡¯s more like a proof of concept for it?
If needed, I can just kidnap (isekai is just a fancier term for kidnapping and we all know it) a few more characters from your world or maybe another distant world, and then I¡¯ll be able to turn them into archdaemons.
Imagine the chaos that this would bring!
¡ right.
Is that all for now?
Yep ;)
Looking forward to seeing you deal with the shitstorm that¡¯s about to hit the whole area.
And to you checking out what will happen if you give Ibara Shiozaki the same treatment ;)
Have fun!
***
Kinoko Komori¡¯s reaction to being elevated into the status of a daemon lord was one of pure excitement.
¡°That''s so damn cool!¡± She coos again. ¡°I mean, damn, can you imagine how popular I¡¯d be on Earth if I could introduce myself as a daemon lord? And if I actually was a daemon lord and I could prove that to people? The public would be all over me on the internet!¡±
God I wish that I could record this moment just to show it to All for One
Imagine the physical pain this would give him
We can always reenact the whole scene, preferably once we do it a few more times, just to have him face a world where a bunch of hero students have stronger claim to the throne of the ¡®demon lord of Japan¡¯ than he does.
I hate you and everything you stand for but this is just fucking brilliant
Right.
So, what can you do now exactly? Aside from making mushrooms grow?
¡°Oh, I know exactly what I¡¯m capable of.¡± Komori grins. ¡°It¡¯s like I was given the full manual for myself. Then again, if I didn¡¯t know that I could do it then I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, right?¡±
Good point.
It seems to be working like that for daemons.
So?
Komori says nothing. Instead, she puts the upper end of the staff closer to her mouth - and sings.
The staff amplifies her voice, making it work like a microphone. The song that she¡¯s singing is a pop song that was popular in Japan right before they¡¯ve gotten kidnapped from Earth, the chances of any local hearing it and understanding a word are pretty slim.
If anything, it will probably feel rather otherworldly.
A second after she starts singing, she glances in the direction of the distant wall of her bossroom. That very instant, a mushroom blooms. A white puffball that takes less than a second to violently erupt, creating a small cloud of what Izuku presumes to be spores.
It vanishes pretty quickly though, around the time that Komori stops singing.
¡°Those spores are poisonous, albeit not lethally so.¡± She announces with pride in her voice. ¡°I can have them grow in any place my voice reaches, for as long as I know the outline of that area. And check this out!¡±
She touches the wall with her hand. In an instant, the several square meters of it are covered with rapidly growing mushrooms.
Izuku didn¡¯t have a lot of memories to compare it with, but he was almost certain that they are growing much faster and thicker than they used to.
¡°I pretty much got my quirk back!¡± Komori exclaims cheerfully. ¡°But it got stronger and is now tied up to my second most favorite thing, singing! I can do so much stuff with mushrooms right now, this is so freaking cool! I gotta show it to Tokage-san and the others!¡±
Sure, sure.
Why not?
Work on your choice of songs, tho
Beating people up to the tune of uplifting pop music songs straight from a karaoke club is fucking weird
Can you imagine dying in combat while someone¡¯s singing J-Pop songs in the background?
Ugh
¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I get it, I get it.¡± Komori waves her hand. ¡°Decorum and all that. If I end up having to beat someone up, I¡¯ll pick the calmer and more atmospheric songs. No latin chants, though, I bet a lot of locals can actually speak that language.¡±
Great.
Sigh.
Wait a fucking second, I just realized something horrible
Wait, you too?
Uhm
Go first, I want the pain to end asap
Alright.
If we put Mr. Compress¡¯ soul in one of the daemons, the result would likely be the world¡¯s most terrifying clown daemon, one that also steals stuff, gets high and gets laid.
Oh fuck
This is going to come back to me as a nightmare, I just fucking know it
I¡¯ll suffer too.
So, what was your terrifying realization?
Shoto Todoroki¡¯s older brother definitely didn¡¯t have a girlfriend while his oldest brother was still around.
¡
So, Dabi was stalking the Todoroki¡¯s.
Okay, I actually didn¡¯t notice that at the time.
But it seems so.
Wow.
And so, this opens up another question
That being?
Is he, like, actually Touya Todoroki or just pretending?
Pffft.
Don¡¯t you dare fucking laugh at me!
You better get your friend to stop being so good at gaslighting people
I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s the fucking truth anymore
I think it¡¯s his face.
He is always so serious-looking and expressionless that no one can tell if he¡¯s lying or telling the truth.
Huh
So is he serious about thinking that Dabi¡¯s just a stalker or not? You know him better, so you should be able to tell if he¡¯s honest or lying, right?
I¡¯ll be honest with you.
I have absolutely no idea.
***
¡°Midoriya-kun, I have a question for you.¡± Todoroki asks some time later. He seemed to have already realized that merely by referring to him like that you can summon Midoriya¡¯s attention.
It just worked like that, at least in the Dungeon.
Yes, Todoroki-kun?
¡°It has come to my attention that you and Uraraka-san have developed a romantic relationship.¡± Todoroki says, entering the subject that Izuku wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable talking about with someone else. ¡°Does that mean that the position of your best friend is no longer occupied?¡±
¡ uhm
I guess so?
¡°Can I apply for it?¡± Todoroki then asks.
Todoroki-kun, you¡¯ve publicly declared your readiness to kill my enemies.
I don¡¯t think you have to apply for it.
¡°Wonderful.¡± Todoroki nods. ¡°That pleases me greatly. We should hang out at some point in the future. When you won¡¯t be busy with Uraraka-san. And¡ Toga as well?¡±
And finally, this subject is brought up. Ugh. Izuku just isn¡¯t comfortable with it yet.
¡ yes.
She¡¯s pretty likable when you¡¯re not at risk of getting stabbed.
¡°I see.¡± Todoroki replies calmly, making no indication of his opinion on the subject. ¡°Well, you¡¯re probably pretty busy with that and your job, but as I said, when you want to hang out, just tell me.¡±
Sure!
Uhm.
What about Dabi?
¡°What about him?¡± Todoroki asks, raising an eyebrow at the question.
¡ you know what, no, let¡¯s not have that talk.
Just remember that if you decide that you need to talk with someone about it, I¡¯m always there for you.
¡°I haven¡¯t doubted that for a second.¡± Todoroki replies.
***
What happened next was the necessary expansion of the lowest level of the Dungeon. They needed it. The new members of their group were totally homeless right now, that alone just couldn¡¯t stand.
It took most of the next day to slowly gather up the necessary energy to get the entire lowest level vastly reshaped, which included the first version of Midoriya¡¯s mana power plant. For now, most of that was just empty rooms, as filling them all with the Nodes was going to take them a while.
However, they were being very optimistic about it. It was definitely going to accelerate their expansion and, in the long term, finance their attempts of making the commercially available levels much wider.
It was large. Very, very large. This level, to be honest, required solid renovation for a long while. However, it kept being pushed for later due to them having to deal with the battle.
They had the power plant as stated, they gave Yaoyorozu (and Spinner) a separate room to work on the golems, gave another personal workshop to Hatsume and put a smelter alongside the full set of unlocked tools for blacksmithing, leatherworking and other professions that they¡¯ve given her skills for.
She seemed completely unconcerned with Reiko Yanagi butchering human corpses literally next door.
They ended up moving their quarters to a lower level of the same Level - with just a normal stairwell going up and down instead of complete Level Change. They¡¯ve decided to limit the number of apartments on a single level to a grid of 3x3 for now. But put it on several levels.
If it grew too much, they¡¯d just add another stairwell and through it, another ¡®apartment block¡¯. To prevent people from having to walk an ungodly distance to get anywhere.
Proper training room was probably next on the ¡®to add list¡¯, Uraraka was clearly getting impatient about binding her soul to her body and once that would happen, she would definitely need it.
The library was now right next to their common room. For now it was a very empty library, but at some point in the future it would maybe become a ¡®proper¡¯ library, allowing them to do something fun in their free time.
There was also a proper kitchen right next to their commons room, with a connection to the butcher¡¯s workshop next door. Satou was going to have a place to store any future ingredients.
On the opposite side of the corridor to his kitchen they put an [Underground Ecosystem], filled with one large [Growing Area] taking full advantage of the fake ceiling letting in some fake sunlight to grow plants.
For now, it was [Growing Area] because they lacked seeds to set up a [Farming Area] to produce things such as flour on their own. Of course, to get that done they¡¯d need people with farming skills.
And they still weren¡¯t quite sure how quick they¡¯d be growing. [Growing Area] was definitely pretty quick, though. So they were optimistic about it.
We¡¯ll probably end up bringing Maina Furasu as an alchemist next and give her her own workshop. We don¡¯t know what alchemy actually is in this world, and the faster we start figuring it out, the better.
Well, it can definitely help if we ever decide to enter the¡ drug industry.
Have you ever considered switching your job from hero to heroin dealer? It¡¯s basically the same thing, just some added letters.
No.
Well, suit yourself.
btw, what are we doing next?
The beastkin are still occasionally dropping some corpses and at least some of them are burned so I guess they are trying to smoke the leftover Ecstasy forces from the mines, so that place is out.
Aeonia¡¯s tomb maybe?
I don¡¯t think that visiting your girlfriend right now is wise.
Uhm
Actually, are you sure that she isn¡¯t a tsundere that was influenced by her long solitude more than she admits, and this is why she¡¯s so talkative when we visit?
That
That would actually explain a lot.
I see, well, we still shouldn¡¯t visit her right now, it¡¯s best to not make the beastkin aware where she is, just in case.
Maybe we should sneak away from the valley and check on the remaining locations from Lorae¡¯s list?
Well, that¡¯s a decent idea I guess
But probably tomorrow, it¡¯s getting late.
Their plans get derailed when the Purifier shows up in the middle of the night with a very important message for them. One concerning the Next Big Thing that Luna mentioned.
So much about resting or returning to their normal operations.
70: Feast
Izuku had big plans for the next day. They involved Satou-kun cooking them all some deer meat in a blood hornet¡¯s honey marinade and Uraraka finally embracing her new life as a wolfkin berserker.
Those plans were immediately scrapped when an intruder entered the Dungeon. Izuku¡¯s attention immediately jumped to the entrance, just to see the Purifier stride inside. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t seem to be hostile.
That was reassuring, as they still weren¡¯t sure if they could take her on. They only saw her fight once, and she absolutely demolished those Rose Guard soldiers.
Looks like we¡¯re going to have to waste some additional resources.
Or¡ you could spawn now and hang around until dinner.
And leave you free from the suffering that is my companionship for such a long time?
I don¡¯t think so.
Alright, that does it
I spawn earlier as well and go pet the lampades¡¯ dogs
Who unlike you are likable
Despite being made to tear people to shreds
Have fun with that.
***
Despite the Purifier not appearing hostile and the outcome of their last visit in the Dungeon, Izuku can¡¯t say that he feels comfortable meeting her face to face. Thankfully, he doesn¡¯t have to.
Uraraka volunteers to join him. And when she does that, so does Toga. And when that¡¯s on the table, Midoriya is immediately reassured, even if a part of him dreads Overtyrant¡¯s moral judgment of Himiko.
Purifier was nice enough to wait for them on the First Level, sitting around the guest area. She would likely start moving soon, but thankfully they managed to get there just in time for her to not get impatient.
¡°I take it that you came here to talk with me about something.¡± Izuku says as the Purifier stands up from the chair. Uraraka and Toga were doing their best to pretend to be standard puppets of the Dungeon.
They had a lot of experience in that.
The Purifier nods before pulling something out of the backpack that she earlier set down by her chair. It¡¯s¡ it looks like a framed sheet of stiff paper, one that she quickly starts to write something on it with what looks like a graphite stick.
They are writing pretty quickly, and within ten seconds or so, they turn the sheet around to let them see the message.
THE BLOOM¡¯S CULT IS UP TO SOMETHING BIG.
Well, it seems that Izuku just learned what was the ¡®Next Big Thing¡¯ that Luna mentioned. And it¡¯s Bloom. Huh.
¡°Uhm, you can¡¯t talk?¡± Izuku asks back. To be honest, he did that mostly on instinct.
Purifier raises an eyebrow at him, before quickly scribbling a message on her sheet.
I GAVE IT UP.
IS THAT A PROBLEM?
¡°No, no, I was just surprised.¡± Midoriya quickly replies. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the cult?¡±
More scribbling. This time they get four messages in a row.
I DON¡¯T KNOW EXACTLY.
THE VALLEY NEXT TO THE MINES IS JUST ONE OF THEIR BASES.
NOT EVEN THE LARGEST ONE.
I¡¯VE SEEN A LOT OF MOVEMENT DOWN THERE RECENTLY, THEY ARE PREPARING FOR SOMETHING BIG.
¡°Do you want me to pass the message to the beastkin?¡± Izuku asks. Whatever it was, it sounded like something that they needed a lot of combat strength to deal with. One that they didn¡¯t have quite yet.
They were yet to place [Rose Barracks] anywhere. And, in fact, had rather mixed feelings about it.
The scribbling he gets this time feels full of pent-up religious extremism. It¡¯s as if she was trying to stab the sheet with her writing stick. The fact that she erased what she wrote two times before finally deciding on the message has also spoken volumes.
I WON¡¯T ALLY MYSELF WITH ONE EVIL JUST TO TAKE DOWN ANOTHER.
That was¡ about what Izuku should have expected from her. His knowledge of her religion was very faint, but the whole part about ¡®tolerance being one of the worst sins¡¯ that Aeonia hinted at said volumes.
It quickly turns out that she wasn¡¯t done with messaging, although she definitely calmed down a little.
I KNOW OF TWO BASES OF THE CULT, I WANT TO HIT THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.
HOPEFULLY FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE UP TO.
ANY CHANCES OF YOUR SERVANTS ATTACKING ONE OF THEM?
And that was¡ not something that Izuku expected to happen. Sure, they have already slayed a number of the warlocks of Filth (although ¡®witches¡¯ seemed to be the official local name for those) during their failed attack on the Dungeon. But¡
That was something they¡¯ve done in self-defense.
And even then, the only reason why they all managed to get through it so well, despite killing people, was that those people wore identity-concealing clothes. To the point where they had no idea what they exactly looked like.
It was surprisingly easy to imagine them as something that wasn¡¯t human and also couldn¡¯t be reasoned with it. And yes, it was still deeply concerning that they managed to get past it like this, but¡
It was self-defense.
To actually come out on their own to attack them in their own bases was something completely different. Even if Ochako did mention something about finding their homes and setting them on fire for their attack on the Dungeon interrupting her sweet time with Izuku.
He wasn¡¯t sure if she was serious about it.
He opens his mouth to tell the Purifier that he needs a moment to think it over, but that¡¯s when it occurs to him that if he does so, then¡ then what?
They just don¡¯t know enough about the Purifier to know whether the mere implication of not being sure about charging at the enemy headfirst wouldn¡¯t be enough to make her hostile. Or wouldn¡¯t just make her leave.
And while she was definitely a wildcard, the mere fact that she came to share with them what she knew about the cult made her invaluable.
Especially as, however fleeting of a suspicion it was, there was a chance that she was a total wildcard to Luna. Who acted as if the whole Next Big Thing was going to stay hidden from them for a while longer, something that Purifier just rendered wrong.
And, if Izuku is to be honest, the Webmistress¡¯ Family is just a bunch of all-around nasty people. Worse than probably every villain that Izuku could encounter while a pro-hero on Earth. Whatever plans they had in motion would likely end up with a wave of giant spiders devouring everything that lives in the area, including inhabitants of local villages/towns.
Izuku might be at this point trying to justify an act of murder to himself, but if there was ever a good reason to kill someone, saving a lot of children and other innocent people from being cocooned before having their insides liquified and slurped out of their bodies by an army of giant spiders while they were still alive was probably it.
In other words, f-fuck Bloom.
Damn, it feels wrong to even think the F-word.
¡°Alright.¡± Izuku replies, noticing Uraraka giving him a surprised look in his peripheral vision. ¡°But we won¡¯t be able to depart before tomorrow. And my Dungeon¡¯s still not ready to field all the daemons we¡¯ve captured in the last battle. How many enemies might be inside?¡±
This wasn¡¯t exactly the truth. They were large enough to field not just the [Rose Guard] soldiers but actually most of the Ecstasy fighters they captured in the last battle, with the exception of [Languid Ironclads], [Rapturous Brutes] and [Rose Knights].
However, they just weren¡¯t quite sure if they wanted those guys around. Or to be exact, if they wanted them around right now.
They were yucky.
Purifier scribbles down the answers.
20-30 WITCHES, MOSTLY FIRST AND SECOND CIRCLE, MIGHT BE A FEW THIRD CIRCLE ONES.
UNKNOWN NUMBER OF SPIDERS
Well, that was definitely more than they could deal with with just their servants, even if they all decided to participate. They will have to spawn at least a few dozen of the Ecstasy daemons to give them some much needed manpower. Maybe even have Komori-san physically manifest herself to join them on the trip.
Ugh.
¡°I¡¯m going to need at least two days to get all the daemons spawned and physically manifested.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°Only then can we depart. Where is their base?¡±
This time the Purifier scribbles down a rough map of their surroundings, before showing it to him, pointing at one location on it, wiping it all out and quickly writing some additional information on how to get it.
About two days of travel from the Dungeon. They would need to cross the river and march through the area now patrolled by the beastkin before trekking past the mountain there. That, naturally, opened up another problem.
¡°I¡¯m also going to need to inform the beastkin that we''ll be passing by.¡± Izuku says. The last thing he wants is them noticing Ecstasy soldiers marching by and attacking them. ¡°Unless they say no, it¡¯s doable.¡±
Purifier nods before quickly scribbling down their goodbyes. Then she leaves. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Huh, that was nerve racking.
¡°Are you sure that this is a good idea, Izuku?¡± Uraraka asks him the second Purifier vanishes from sight. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, we don¡¯t really have a way of saying no to you when you and Shigaraki decide upon something, but¡ this doesn¡¯t mean you should make such a decision without at least consulting everyone.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡± Toga grins towards her. ¡°I don¡¯t follow orders unless you or Izukun are the ones issuing them. Then I¡¯m all for it, mrow.¡±
Uraraka shakes her head while sighing loudly and giving Himiko a quick scratch to the head. That was about what she expected her to do, either way.
¡°If they say no, I won¡¯t force them to take part.¡± Izuku replies. ¡°We¡¯ll just send more Ecstasy daemons to compensate. I mean¡ I figured out that you at least would want to take part.¡±
¡°Of course I do, Izuku!¡± Uraraka grins at him. ¡°I still have a score to settle with them for interrupting our time together by attacking the Dungeon! So, I¡¯m absolutely taking part in that attack, stealing all their valuables and setting whatever houses they have on fire!¡±
Hearing her being so serious about having bloody vengeance on people for interrupting them makes Izuku blush.
Seeing Izuku blush makes Uraraka hug him tightly and almost entirely on instinct. He was just so¡ huggable!
Seeing Ochako-chan hug Izukun makes Toga press her lips together with all her might, only barely suppressing her intense desire to squeal loudly. They were just so¡ adorable!
***
They were on quite a tight schedule concerning the upcoming battle. So, naturally, they focused on the most important things.
¡°Satou-kun, this is absolutely delicious!¡± Uraraka exclaims after her first bite of the meal. She says nothing more, just begins to (pun intended) wolf it down with extreme enthusiasm.
Izuku can¡¯t help but agree with her. He could understand why blood hornet¡¯s honey was considered a delicacy in this world. And he also had an inkling as to why according to their lampades it was a ¡®magical¡¯ ingredient that made meals be more of a meal.
Satou-kun had an extremely limited list of ingredients available to him. Meat of deers and rabbits and a handful of herbs that they could find in the forest and grow in a [Growing Area] (with most prominent finds being rosemary and sage), plus of course the honey.
And yet, what he made was as tasty in his opinion as his mom¡¯s katsudon.
The honey made the meat soft and tender, all while having that meaty yet sweet taste that made it feel as if you weren¡¯t eating honey, but instead meat that was so soft that it was almost a liquid, or as if it was just melting in your mouth.
This, naturally, opened a completely new question in Izuku¡¯s mind. Namely, how good would his mom¡¯s katsudon get if she got to use similarly supernatural ingredients to improve upon it?
That was something he definitely intended to find out eventually.
Satou-kun didn¡¯t seem to hear Uraraka¡¯s words as he was too busy swallowing his own share of the meat - right before he began to stare into space while lightly crying.
¡°So this is how the food tastes¡¡± He whispers, his eyes still blank, the man clearly in his own world. ¡°... when you¡¯ve gotten isekai¡¯d to be a cook in a magical world. It tastes like my dreams.¡±
Izuku mentally notes him down as another person who has gone native and fully accepted their second life. Good for him.
¡°Don¡¯t eat too much.¡± Monoma decides to rain down on Satou¡¯s parade. Since he can¡¯t eat it due to being a genetic vegetarian, Izuku lets it slide. He would be salty if he missed out on it too. ¡°You might not like the side-effects. Seeing as the honey, apparently, doubles as a mild aphrodisiac.¡±
He and their remaining elves were instead drinking herbal tea spiced with said honey. Judging from the speed in which it was disappearing, the honey worked there just as good as it did with meat.
They¡¯ve also made sure to send some of the meat and drinks to the lampades, a golem carrying it for them. Ay¡¯zira was in the room, too, wolfing down her meal almost as quickly as Uraraka did.
¡°Remember the deal with the spells.¡± Monoma then immediately whispers to Yui Kodai who was sitting right beside him. And whose reaction to hearing about said side-effect was to give a rather sharp look to Satou-kun. It¡¯s as if she was measuring him with her eyes.
Kodai says nothing, just sighs and returns to drinking her tea in measured sips. Satou, who didn¡¯t get the memo about Kodai being Mineta (but hornier and much more attractive), looks back at the two of them, completely confused.
¡°Well, that¡¯s something that I¡¯m definitely looking forward to testing!¡± Uraraka exclaims before immediately returning to wolfing down the meat on her plate. It was vanishing very rapidly.
Izuku fails to contain the blush, which earns him a loud groan from Shigaraki. One so loud that he could hear it two tables away. And over the sound of Dabi grumbling loudly that if it ain¡¯t kicking, it¡¯s not worth drinking.
¡°You know what, I think I know what Uraraka-san sees in him.¡± Tokage whispers into Reiko Yanagi¡¯s ear at the. They are both at the table that was mostly occupied by former 1-B students. Even Kinoko Komori dropped by. ¡°When he¡¯s like that, he makes you want to wrap him in a blanket and hug.¡±
Yanagi glances at Midoriya while taking a dignified sip from her cup. Then she notices someone else, who despite his lineage and past position at nearly the top of the class was somehow blending into the background.
¡°What about Todoroki-kun?¡± She whispers back to Tokage. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he give off a similar vibe?¡±
Tokage says nothing, just looks at Shoto Todoroki with a deeply thoughtful expression on her face.
¡°Hey, Mr. Cookman!¡± Dabi decides to interrupt the moment by being himself. ¡°Can you at least make this into mead? So that the grown-ups can actually enjoy it?¡±
¡°Speak for yourself, this meat is good.¡± Shigaraki replies before Satou can. ¡°Feel free to diss all the heroes, I¡¯m all for that, but leave the guy who makes food for us alone, alright? Never disrespect the people who make you food.¡±
Spinner, with his mouth full, nods quickly a few times.
¡°Or what?¡± Dabi replies, glaring at Shigaraki.
¡°Or they might start adding things to it that you didn¡¯t want.¡± Shigaraki replies angrily. ¡°It¡¯s basic etiquette and survival instinct, you prick. Same with the people who clean your house. I remember insulting Kurogiri over him complaining about my room being so dirty that it¡¯s just inviting an infestation of something, and then bam, I started finding worms and other nasty little critters in my bed sheets, each and every damn day.¡±
¡°Really?¡± Spinner clearly didn¡¯t hear this story earlier, and it made him swallow his food before speaking. ¡°Was he warping them in?¡±
¡°Oh, absolutely.¡± Shigaraki replies while shaking his head. ¡°Figured it out after I found a giant spider under my pillow. The largest fucking abomination I¡¯ve ever seen before getting isekai¡¯d. And two days later I heard that someone stole an identical spider from an exhibit at a local zoo, so yeah, it wasn¡¯t hard to connect the dots.¡±
¡°Am I supposed to be impressed by his passive-aggressive parenting skills?¡± Dabi cuts back at him.
¡°No.¡± Shigaraki points his fork at Dabi almost threateningly. ¡°You are supposed to be nice to our cook. If you need to insult someone, insult Midoriya.¡±
Uraraka stops eating for a moment just to show him a middle finger. Shigaraki just shakes his head.
¡°Well, as for the question, I¡¯m not sure.¡± Satou decides to ignore the entire exchange and focus on the question that he was asked. ¡°I know the theory behind it, it¡¯s just fermented honey, but the problem is that I don¡¯t have appropriate yeast on hand. And just because I know how it¡¯s made in theory doesn¡¯t mean that I know how to make it taste good. Also, I don¡¯t know how long it will be. Normally it takes almost a year, and while the Dungeon makes things grow faster than they should be, I don¡¯t know if it works for alcohol fermentation too.¡±
¡°You should ask Sero-kun.¡± Kaminari comments, the man busy staring at the contents of his cup just as his brain randomly decided to deliver them all a most important piece of information. ¡°His family¡¯s business is all about producing various types of alcohol for sale and he was helping them for years. If someone knows how to make mead and make it good, it¡¯s definitely him.¡±
¡°And that¡¯s¡ definitely something to consider for the future.¡± Yaoyorozu decides to comment. ¡°If the fermentation process is faster than normally, we could easily obtain a lot of it for sale. Makes you wonder why not a single one of the beastkin that died in the battle carried a Brewing skill.¡±
¡°Maybe it¡¯s under Alchemy?¡± Monoma asks, Yaoyorozu just shrugging in response.
¡°Speaking of, I have a question.¡± Kaminari raises his hand, his eyes finally moving from the contents of his cup.. ¡°Uhm, we¡¯re going to settle the Ecstasy folks down in the Dungeon, right?¡±
¡°We will, probably on the Ninth Level.¡± Izuku replies. He was yet to announce his decision to attack the Webmistress¡¯ Family and their need to use some of their recent acquisitions to succeed. ¡°Why are you asking?¡±
¡°So, hypothetically, what¡¯s the official policy on visiting said level for entertainment purposes?¡± Kaminari then asks the one question that Izuku didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°I wanted to be clear about it.¡±
¡°Oh, and now I¡¯m suddenly interested.¡± Shigaraki says before anyone can react, turning around his chair to face Midoriya. ¡°Go on. I¡¯m looking forward to you trying to persuade him that this is a bad thing because they are your former enemies and villains all while you¡¯re banging Toga. Go on. Entertain me.¡±
Toga shows him her tongue. Shigaraki doesn¡¯t seem to care.
Izuku does, in fact, find it hard to find a reasonably sounding counterargument to that. Because Shigaraki had a point. What sort of argument did he really have to present?
They are bad people who have done bad things in the past? Questionable, seeing his relationship with Himiko. Playing the age card? He would shoot himself in his feet if he did.
¡°Alright, this is time for Mina ¡®the Cupid¡¯ Ashido to take a step in.¡± Ashido announces loudly while standing up to add further gravity to her statement. ¡°Kaminari-kun, Jirou likes you. In the romantic sense.¡±
¡°W-what?!¡± Kaminari stares at her in shock. ¡°She does?! But¡ she keeps stabbing me with her earlobes and laughing whenever I do something stupid.¡±
¡°She just likes dumb but kind men.¡± Ashido replies. ¡°You know, the whole himbo aesthetic. She wants someone she can lightheartedly laugh at without them feeling bad about it, and while knowing that they are good people she can definitely trust. But if you go and sleep with random women, especially those women, she¡¯ll definitely not like it. So, whom do you pick - Jirou as a girlfriend or sex with the thots?¡±
¡°Screw the thots!¡± Kaminari announces while putting his cup on the table, right before freezing as he realizes what he just said. ¡°Uhm, not like literally, you know? I¡¯m picking Jirou.¡±
¡°Perfect.¡± Ashido says as she sits down right beside Kirishima. ¡°Love Intervention successful!¡± Kirishima gives her a thumbs-up gesture, before the two fistbump each other.
¡°I was promised Midoriya being either forced to accept it or be painfully hypocritical about it.¡± Shigaraki groans as he turns around, his choice of a seat picked specifically to not have to look at Midoriya. ¡°But I got neither. What a disappointment.¡±
That''s when Yui Kodai raises her hand, saying absolutely nothing. Monoma immediately shivering in his seat.
¡°We¡¯ll get back to this subject once you get yourself at least a few spells unlocked.¡± He then says, immediately shutting her hopes and dreams down. At least for some time. ¡°I¡¯m getting you reformed or die trying.¡±
Kodai looks back at him before sighing lightly and putting her hand down. Shigaraki, it seems, wasn''t the only person who suffered from extreme disappointment during this meal.
***
Descriptions of the aphrodisiac effects of the honey have been rather overblown in Izuku¡¯s opinion, but it was still a rather interesting afterparty for him, Himiko and Ochako. Especially as Himiko snatched a bottle of honey and had some¡ interesting ideas for its application.
Izuku is genuinely happy that he can¡¯t die because otherwise he would totally drop dead due to blood pressure alone.
His cardiovascular system was built for supplying his muscles with energy that he needed to punch out villains and for not dying out of blood loss due to his own injuries, not this.
Some time later he was back in the Dungeon Core. No longer having a body, but still with all the memories. And he could get back to being a productive member of their society. By finally having that talk.
And you agreed to attack them?
On the spot?
Without any moral issues?
Are there any moral issues when attacking cultists of the Rampant Bloom is involved?
Yes, Midoriya.
They are people.
You don¡¯t ¡®arrest them¡¯ like you do daemons, you straight up kill them, the confirmed afterlife aside
And you agreed to that
Your point being?
Sob
They grow up so fast
I¡¯m such a good influence on you
I have words that I would like to say about you, but my mom brought me up too well for me to have such a filthy mouth.
Uh-oh.
I assume that there would be no problems from you, then?
Sure, let¡¯s kill them all.
Let¡¯s tell everyone and see who is onboard with it first.
Character Growth
Surprisingly enough, everyone was on board with it. Absolutely everyone, even their newest members that only heard some stories about what sort of absolute aesthetic atrocity and scourge upon the innocents this cult was.
Although, to be exact, Hatsume and Satou wouldn¡¯t take part in the attack to begin with, Kodai was unreadable, Dabi was down for murder regardless of the reason for it, and Todoroki once again stated his readiness to kill people if Izuku asked him to. Which was, well, maybe a little bit concerning.
Especially to Yaoyorozu.
Also, for once Izuku could see the suspected family similarity between Dabi and Shoto. And he wasn¡¯t sure what to think about it.
So, he did what he usually did when he wasn¡¯t sure what to think about something and stopped thinking about it. Surely, such a policy wouldn¡¯t cause him any trouble down the line.
Alright, that¡¯s¡ great?
We still have to send the message to the beastkin and set up the Ninth Level as the barracks.
Eventually we¡¯ll probably put most of our daemon army a level or two above our own living area.
Once we figure out the Laws we can just make a two-directional teleportation devices that only allow people in service to Dungeon to use them, so that we¡¯ll pretty much have entire daemon cities in our killzone, with them showing up to patrol appropriate levels of the Dungeon as a day job.
That makes sense.
It¡¯s going to be an interesting time, ngl.
So, we put down the [Rose Guard], right?
¡ we probably can¡¯t have Himiko and Kodai-san design it for us?
God I wish
Let¡¯s just drop shit at random and let them furnish it for themselves
Good idea.
***
In the end, they decided to go for a bit more generous approach to furnishing the Ninth Level. Creating tunnels and rooms, after all, didn¡¯t cost a lot. It¡¯s filling them that really drained their budget.
To begin with, their endgame for the level has them add either one or a few [Underground Ecosystems] for the express purpose of allowing the defenders of this level to wage war on a slightly larger scale. After all, what¡¯s the point of having hundreds of warriors if they are forced to fight in a tight corridor?
All you need is a few strong enemies that will switch around when one of them will be tired or are accompanied by a mage that can lift exhaustion and their numerical superiority will become meaningless.
It¡¯s one lesson that they¡¯ve got from the Elder Anaya¡¯s brief foray into their Dungeon. If the Cynocephali had to attack them through one or even two entrance points, they would get one-sidedly butchered.
For now, though, [Underground Ecosystems] were rather costly, so they¡¯ve elected to only leave a scaffold of corridors where they were eventually supposed to be placed.
They¡¯ve centered the newly added Ecstasy ¡®wing¡¯ on the level around a larger empty room to give the inhabitants their own space in the middle and to place the teleportation devices in the future (and to not have to delve deeper into it if they needed anything from them).
They put the [Moraverian Alchemy Lab] right in front of it, seeing as the Alchemists with their crowd control capabilities could be pretty useful in the soon-to-be raid, and settled the rest with [Rose Guard Soldiers] and [Ghouls].
They¡¯ve immediately discovered that [Rose Knights] were automatically connected to the [Rose Guard Barracks] Lair, just as [Rapturous Brutes] and [Languid Ironclads] were to the [Moraverian Alchemy Lab].
They did a quick test of it and it seemed that the [Frenzied Bloodletters], alongside [Sword Dancers] belonged to the [Court of Dance]. Although they were just a bit short of Ambient Mana to be able to place the latter, so they elected not to add either for now.
For now.
The ghoul settlements were just a scattered bunch of bedrolls, a handful of slightly less ramshackle tents (settled mostly for privacy rather than protection from the elements) and some tables.
Primitively shaped out of wood or other basic materials, they could make them from sculpted rock.
Another part of the decor that they could put there were meat hooks for draining their victims of their blood. For some reason Izuku is almost certain that said victims aren¡¯t random animals.
Ghouls definitely eat people. Eat and drain them of their blood that they seem to be drinking. Which is¡ lovely.
We should definitely try to put the [Lair] designation on a [Hall] to see what will happen, but for now this should be enough
How many do we spawn?
One each, to make the talk quick.
Then we have them deliver the message to the others after they are spawned.
We should have them all set up a single representative that will be allowed to speak for the rest, because I sure as hell don¡¯t want to micromanage those people.
I can get behind that.
Let¡¯s send our usual representatives there to have that talk and spawn one of each of those guys once they¡¯re there.
***
Their usual representatives are Neito Monoma, Momo Yaoyorozu and Uraraka Ochako, the last one being there mostly because adding some rather intimidating brawn just felt like a good idea.
Besides, the enemy might have needed someone to growl at them to cooperate. You never know.
So¡ ready?
¡°Let¡¯s get it over with.¡± Monoma sighs. ¡°That shower has my name on it and I¡¯m looking forward to it more than you can imagine.¡±
¡ I get you sooo much.
Alright, doing it now.
In an instant, three daemons manifest right in front of them.
The first one of them is a Rose Guard with their usual equipment, although thankfully lacking the ballgag (probably because they intended to bring one that could talk). Their first reaction to the situation was to raise her shield and do nothing but stare cautiously at the three people in front of them.
The second is the alchemist. What they are wearing is a combination of thick leather outfit that resembles a plague doctor¡¯s attire covered with a belt and some bandoliers and pouches, and a surprisingly modern looking gas mask. There is a long dagger and some grenade-looking things at their belt.
They don¡¯t do anything, clearly realizing immediately that they can¡¯t hope to achieve anything when there was a melee combatant so close to them, Izuku making sure to put Uraraka quite close to him for that exact reason.
The ghoul looked like a savage. Part of its attire was made of leather that Izuku was almost certain belonged to humans. He also acted like a savage, immediately trying to jump Uraraka, only for Yaoyorozu to bark out an order to stop.
And stop he did, freezing in the middle of his attack, his clawed arm extending towards Uraraka¡¯s face.
She didn¡¯t bother to raise her shield, just gave him a really cold look. She was just so damn cool. Izuku can¡¯t help but be amazed.
¡°Dungeon.¡± The alchemist says calmly, their gasmask lightly distorting their voice. Looks like they¡¯ve found the brains of the Ecstasy¡¯s representatives. ¡°We were consumed by the Dungeon.¡±
¡°Yes, yes you were.¡± Yaoyorozu replies. ¡°And you will serve it. Whether you want it or not.¡±
Well. That was another type of impressive. Intimidating for sure, although Izuku finds it a bit too ruthless to be cool. Still, nice.
The alchemist sighs tiredly. He was definitely not enjoying the situation at all. However, while the average mortal would react to the prospect of life sentence combined with forced labor with horror, for the daemons it was more of a minor inconvenience.
Izuku just couldn¡¯t get over the strangeness that being a daemon was. Worst of all, he probably should do that as soon as possible, because his very existence right now was closer to that of a daemon than a mortal.
The daemons in front of him were just old enough to have accepted that thoroughly and completely.
The ghoul growls. Their growl is completely inhuman and somewhat intimidating. Izuku likes hearing Ochako growl, but this is something completely different.
Probably because Ochako never growled at him. But, rather, at those that were mean to him. Which was nice.
He liked it when people defended him. He usually preferred being the one to defend others, but it was also nice when he was the one that was protected. Ochako with her ¡®even heroes might need help¡¯ policy scratched an itch that Izuku didn¡¯t know existed before she started doing it.
¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s a new experience to have.¡± The Rose Guard soldier grins. Once again confirming their suspicion that Ecstasy as a faction was just a multiversal force of complete psychopaths looking for more and more depraved things to do just to satiate their boredom. ¡°So, how about¡¡±
If anything, they should be happy that most of them stayed in their Spiritual World and kept doing weird stuff to each other.
¡°One rule before we start.¡± Uraraka cuts in, interrupting the soldier. ¡±The Dungeon has a very serious policy concerning sex. No underage individuals, no animals and plants, no shard spirits, nothing that¡¯s dead, and if something doesn¡¯t want to have sex with you, you¡¯ll respect their decision and don¡¯t do a thing.¡±
That sort of order would normally cause nothing but a brief surprise at someone feeling the need to state such an obvious thing. However, they were dealing with forces of the Rapturous Ecstasy.
So, naturally, the reaction of the Rose Guard soldier was a loud gasp of horror and shock, and a wide-eyed stare.
¡°Y-you can¡¯t do that!¡± She exclaims loudly. ¡°What¡¯s the point of fighting if not to¡¡±
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°The point of fighting is to either fight because you enjoy it or fight for a good cause. Preferably both at the same time.¡± Uraraka cuts her short, giving her a very hostile stare. ¡°You will either follow those rules, or suffer. In a way that you definitely won¡¯t enjoy.¡±
The soldier closes her mouth and says nothing, but the look she was giving Uraraka was definitely a defiant one. Oh, well. They¡¯ll learn.
I give them two weeks before they start fetishizing the ban and the threat of severe punishment alongside being forced to obey said orders with their very bodies being unable to disobey us
Did you really have to say that?
Yes.
Because I suffered this thought, and if so, you will suffer it too.
Ugh.
Well, at least they won¡¯t do, you know, anything horribly wrong for as long as they are restricted like this.
If they get off to being restricted, that¡¯s on them.
¡ yeah.
Neither the ghoul nor the alchemist seemed to care a lot about the soldier¡¯s suffering. They didn¡¯t look down on her for what she was representing, they just didn¡¯t care about her fate and were much more concerned with potential bans for them.
¡°As for you, you¡¯re an alchemist.¡± Yaoyorozu speaks, eyeing at the man in question. ¡°Can you make anything that¡¯s not narcotics and mind altering stimulants?¡±
¡°Is there anything else that¡¯s worth making?¡± The alchemist replies. Sounding completely serious about it.
Alright. So they were all completely useless for everything that wasn¡¯t combat. That has more or less confirmed their suspicions. Still, a bit disappointing.
¡°Another question then, what¡¯s the deal with Ecstasy¡¯s presence in that mine?¡± Monoma decides to change the subject. This wasn¡¯t a part of the plan, they didn¡¯t really care about the rest of the battle, it was for the beastkin to deal with.
¡°Does it really matter anymore?¡± The alchemist replies. That was¡ a bit surprising, Izuku expected a straight and automatic answer. ¡°We¡¯ve lost the battle, with so many casualties the beastkin will capture it.¡±
¡°It might not matter, but it¡¯s definitely rather interesting.¡± Monoma replies. ¡°Answer the question.¡±
The alchemist sighs before delivering the answer. It was a story that sounded painfully typical for Ecstasy.
A cult composed largely of the night elves, operating on one of the upper layers of the Labyrinth (that giant underworld that they were yet to learn more about) spread throughout the nobility of a local kingdom of the stone elves.
This led to an attempted coup d¡¯etat by a noble clique of utter degenerates that was backed (or, more likely, controlled from shadows) by the cult in question that ended up being a failure.
What followed was a brief civil war. The loyalists were winning handily, but the traitors held on long enough for the cult to manage to summon in major reinforcements from their patrons, including a demigod and a handful of archdaemons, with a growing tide of daemons that were following them, dragged into the Material World by a prospect of a very good party.
Except, it didn¡¯t work. They had some decent progress, which lasted until the demigod in charge of their army was slain in combat by the sorcerer-king of the elves and his personal retinue, which led to a rout.
Although it was a rout that was far from being quick and simple. The elves were definitely struggling to clean their country up.
The mine they found was seized by one of the remaining regiments of the Ecstasy army that moved in after hearing about the miners supposedly breaking to the surface (and promptly having to abandon the uppermost level due to the spider infestation), slaughtered or forced the miners into cannibalism followed by Cynocephali possession and occupied the mine.
They checked the uppermost level and slaughtered the spiders, which was the main reason why the spider lair on the level was so abandoned. They confirmed that there was an exit to the surface and then focused on fortifying the lowest level of the mine and sending some squads around to help the surviving remnants of their army retreat back to the mine.
Their idea was to reorganize their forces in the mine and then barge to the surface as an organized fighting force, but it backfired horribly when the beastkin found them first and crushed their forces into pieces.
They¡¯ve also completely missed some of the spiders returning.
Interesting, but not exactly useful.
¡°We¡¯re planning to hit the Rampant Bloom cult in a few days.¡± Uraraka says when they¡¯re done grilling the alchemist for intel. The rest were much less talkative. ¡°We¡¯re going to need some additional manpower for that. We¡¯ll be spawning more of you, but we aren¡¯t having this talk again. So, I want you to explain the situation to them.¡±
¡°This can be done.¡± Alchemist replies, as neutrally as possible. The mask hid his eyes from them, but Izuku was almost certain that he glanced towards the Rose Guard soldier. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend taking more than a few ghouls. They aren¡¯t a good pick against most of the Bloom creatures.¡±
The ghoul just growls. He doesn¡¯t seem insulted by the words, more like¡ disappointed at missing out on the carnage? Yeah, it was probably this.
¡°Duly noted.¡± Uraraka replies dryly. ¡°Figure out which one is supposed to represent you, because we¡¯re definitely not dealing with all of you at the same time. And if you have anything you need spawned in your quarters, contact us through said representative.¡±
***
So
Did you notice it
The part where the alchemist didn¡¯t seem compelled to follow our orders to the letter when Monoma asked him about the origin of the local Ecstasy forces?
Yeah
How do you think it works?
I think that they can¡¯t act against us, so when we tell them to fight someone or stop they will, but we can¡¯t force them to speak something just as we can¡¯t force them to write or think something (I think).
Which is somewhat arbitrary, but it makes sense.
Without this clause in, everyone wishing for some exotic morsel of supernatural knowledge would just kill a daemon and pawn it off to a Dungeon in exchange for being forced to spill the beans.
Arbitrary or not, it makes some amount of sense
There has to be a limit to control over them, being able to forcefully brainwash them just by telling them to think as we want them to would be really damn broken, and on so many levels
But this opens up a problem
That being?
If the Rose Guard daemons know about some really secret stuff, like Luna¡¯s bullshit cheat code, they can yell those secrets to any visitor simply out of spite for being denied their fun
Oh
Oh
Yeah
If anything, Ay¡¯zira is a major security threat right now
I don¡¯t think that she would betray anyone, she is definitely Uraraka and Tokage¡¯s friend, but if she doesn¡¯t know that something¡¯s a secret, she can accidentally spill the beans
so
I¡¯ll have Ochako have that talk with her.
I, uhm.
I have to admit that, however it pains me.
?
Good job, Shigaraki.
wow
Wish I could take a picture of that message and frame it
I could then show it to All Might without providing the context
What a great moment for you to start having semi-decent villainous ideas, Shigaraki.
Long after you stopped being a villain.
I¡¯m fucking learning, you dick
Also, I consider this to be the New Game+ of my villainy
Riiight.
***
In the end, Ochako decided to not wait with becoming a wolfkin permanently. She felt completely fine in her body, but she also wanted to be able to properly improve it. And, unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t do much about it without making this step.
Which was a source of great annoyance to her.
¡°Do it, Izuku.¡± She announces right after she agrees to have That Talk with Ay¡¯zira. She, too, was pained by Shigaraki having that idea. What was the point in having him around if they couldn¡¯t laugh at his misfortunes?! ¡°I want to be able to train.¡±
I know, I know!
And I understand you.
In fact, errr
I think I agree with Himiko that the results of this change are going to be, errr¡ nice.
¡°Strong and muscular girls are sexy!¡± Himiko decides to make what he meant even more clear. ¡°Although I like them cute, too. But you, Ochako-chan, look cute regardless of how you¡¯re built, so it¡¯s like, two best things ever in one package!¡±
¡°Well, now that¡¯s an opinion I like hearing.¡± Uraraka smiles wryly at Himiko, who considers that to be a sign of a job well done. ¡°But, yeah. I believe that I figured out the manuals, and I know how I¡¯ll be able to strengthen my pathways and train the techniques. I¡¯m also looking forward to getting my body trained properly. And I¡¯m perfectly fine with my current looks. So, let¡¯s do it!¡±
Well, I really can¡¯t say no to that.
No last-minute changes? It¡¯s the last moment when you can get any plastic surgery you wish to have for free, instantly and permanently.
¡°Pfft, as if I¡¯ve ever cared about my looks.¡± Uraraka rolls her eyes around. ¡°Every change that I could potentially like has already happened to me when I was aged up. And yes, you know what I mean. Mostly because I mean it due to your reaction to it.¡±
Uhm
In my defense, I¡¯m a boy.
¡°That I definitely noticed.¡± Uraraka replies before chuckling when she hears him let out an anxious mumble. ¡°No, seriously, the only potential change to my body I could ever consider would be some scars here and there to appear like I mean business to people, but if I want to look like a grizzled veteran of a thousand battles, I should probably be a grizzled veteran of a thousand battles. So, nothing for now." She then pauses for a second before speaking again. "Okay, I''m going to correct myself there. Make me a bit taller. It makes you hit harder and I want to hit harder."
... how tall are we talking about?
"I''d love not to be ten centimeters smaller than you." Uraraka sighs. "I also don''t want to be a giant. How about making me about the height of Yaoyorozu-san?"
That would make her... a few centimeters taller than Midoriya. Although, of course, his height right now - and forever onward - was going to be his own personal choice. But he does recognize the flash on Toga''s eyes who realizes that taller girlfriend = more muscles.
Fine then.
Here comes nothing.
If they expected any shocking changes, like the ones that Komori went through, they were solely disappointed. Nothing seemed to change in Uraraka, in fact she didn¡¯t seem to notice any changes to herself.
The only change was that Izuku could no longer alter her current body. And that, if killed, she would be resurrected in that exact same body.
¡°Well, that was a bit disappointing.¡± Uraraka glances down at her own body but sees nothing amiss there. ¡°Not that I suddenly expected to become an archdaemon or anything, but I expected to at least feel anything.¡±
Well, I guess I can help with that.
I¡¯ve prepared a little something to celebrate this moment.
Although Hatsume-san and Kirishima-kun helped me a lot.
Could you, uhm, head outside right now? I¡¯ll guide you there.
¡°Alright!¡± Uraraka exclaims cheerfully. Izuku had something prepared for her? This had to be something awesome! Like all other gifts he had for her. ¡°Lead the way!¡±
***
It was a gym.
Izuku, that absolute madlad that Uraraka would love to just grab, take home and make him the world¡¯s most cherished househusband (if saving people wasn¡¯t so important to his own mental and emotional wellbeing that she just couldn¡¯t take it from him) had created her a gym.
He carved out a room at one edge of the middle level of their apartment block and replicated as many training utensils from their world as he could, asking Kirishima on tips of what could be added to it, and Hatsume to make some designs that the Dungeon system had problems with making into reality.
Hatsume, being herself, worked extra fast on it. It was mostly basic stuff like dumbbells but she was certain that it would only grow in scope as time passed.
And there were even separate showers and changing rooms here!
D-do you like it?
¡°Izuku, you have no idea what sort of things I¡¯d do to you right now if you were here, but I¡¯m sure that you would enjoy every single one of them.¡± Uraraka replies. Before she gets to immerse herself in the adorable ¡®Eep?!¡¯ that Izuku lets out, Himiko hugs her from behind.
¡°So, does it mean that I¡¯ll get to see you, all sweaty and exhausted after some super hard training that you¡¯ve pushed yourself to your limits on, on a regular basis?¡± She asks her, practically whispering the words to her ear. Ochako simply nods. ¡°Oh, fuck yes.¡±
Well. She lost a lot when she landed in this universe, but damn. There were some perks to it as well.