《The Mad Rat's Lab》 Prologue A human walks through a dark forest at night. There is almost no light, the moon hidden by thick dark clouds. But there is no foliage that stops the little light that filters through the clouds because the trees are a husk of what they once were. They have no leaves remaining. The dry branches are twisted and covered in a dark slimy and slightly shining substance. Their branches break with the simplest of touches from the human. On the ground, the little grass crumbles to dust as the human steps on it. A thick fog covers the ground. It only reaches twenty centimeters from the ground but it seems to stick to everything it touches. *Clink! Clink!* The humans armor is the only sound in the forest. Clad from head to toe with armor, a sword on one hand and a shield on the other, the human looks imposing. A faint holy aura surrounds its figure. This isnt a normal human, it is a paladin, a high ranking profession specialized in dealing with wicked and evil creatures. The paladin sees a bat on one tree branch, and tries to cast a spell to kill it. But the bat notices first and flies away while screeching loudly. As if in response to its cries, the ground trembles a little and hands start rising from it. Slowly, the hands push and raise the rest of their bodies from the ground. Decrepit, putrid and extremely disgusting corpses of different humanoids surround the paladin. They are Zombies, undead creatures created when animating corpses with black magic. The paladin raises its sword and readies the shield while murmuring: This is starting to get annoying How many stupid zombies does this dungeon have!? Zombies start attacking the paladin from all sides, who, with a single swing of his sword, immediately decapitates the closest two. After less than a minute only the paladin is left standing, surrounded by a bunch of corpses with multiple parts cut and strewn on the floor. The paladin sighs and continues moving forward.
A hooded figure is running through a huge columned hall. The hall is lit by torches that illuminate the numerous engraving in each of the columns. Not too far away, a giant golden flying figure can be seen, chasing after the hooded figure. The hooded figure barely has enough time to hide behind a column before Fwoooosh! a huge cone of fire envelops the area. A golden dragon is the one responsible for the fire. Luckily, the column protects the figure from being burned to a crisp. The figure is covered with a multicolored veil, the visual effect of the Invisibility spell. It seems it is powerful enough to hide it from the dragon. But the dragon can still sense its presence somehow, and continues to chase and attack in the general direction of where the hooded figure is. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Despite the hot air and the intense chase, not a single drop of sweat can be seen in the skinny and mummified hooded figure. This is because it is not a normal human, but a lich: a high level undead sorcerer. And liches dont get tired, nor do they sweat. An eerie blue light emanates from the lich''s eyes while it looks around, trying to find a way around the dragon. After having an idea, the lich summons a few skeletons and makes them move in random directions. And in a do or die bet, it starts running towards the end of the hall. The dragon gets distracted by the skeletons and momentarily loses track of the lich, allowing the lich to reach the end of the hall. There, the lich finds another chamber illuminated by torches, with lots of engravings and a glowing purple crystal in the center. Without wasting any time, it reaches towards the crystal with its bony hand and grabs it. Then, the lich breaks the crystal.
In a dark room, bright letters appear on the only illuminated screen:
Dungeon Battle Finished!
Eternals vs Iron Shield
Corrupted Forest Hall of Fire
Dreadlight LordChicken
Winner: Eternals!
A voice sounds in the dark room: Wow, that was quite something! It was almost like a movie! Ricard was right, I had to take a look at this game. The dungeon battles in Dungeon Masters Arena are amazing. The best part is the thrill of not knowing what enemies they will face and how they will fight against them. Well, lets watch another stream before going to sleep. Ch 1 - The bizarrest one Everythings ready! VR equipment prepared and game installed. Its time to start playing DMA! DMA - full name Dungeon Masters Arena - is a VRRPG that has been gaining popularity recently, especially since they implemented the option to stream the Dungeon Battles. At least this is what my college friend, Ricard, says because I didnt know about the game until a few days ago. Its true though that the DMA streams I watched were very entertaining. After loading the game and connecting to the server, a message pops in front of me asking for my DMA account, so I fill in the information. Then the game starts reproducing a small trailer followed by an introduction to the game. I skip both because I already know about the game. Finally inside the game. This must be the main menu, lets see It is all darkened except for this Create New Dungeon button. Aaahh, can you stop blinking so much, pleeease!? Ive already seen you! I press on the annoyingly blinking button and everything turns dark as the menu disappears. Then, five translucent figures materialize in front of me. Four look like humans and another looks like a mix between an eagle and a lion. On top of their heads there are labels: [Farmer], [Soldier], [Paladin], [Mage] and [Griffin]. There are more translucent figures at the right and left of the current ones, separated by some space. A screen pops up in front of me.
Faction Selection
The first step in creating a dungeon is choosing a faction. Each faction has its own unit roster that no other faction can use, and a theme that represents them. They also have good and bad aspects that you can see in the faction screen.
Each faction uses a special resource. It is unique to each faction and complements the factions gameplay. A special resource is the most important resource needed to develop the dungeon for that faction.
This is an RPG game, and the Champion you will be playing as is going to be one of the factions units. We recommend choosing the faction by the units and theme and not by its advantages and disadvantages, but the decision is up to you.
Once selected, the faction cannot be changed. If you want to change to another faction you will need to create a new dungeon. Choose wisely!
From what I can read here, the faction selection is the most important decision you make when creating a dungeon. This means I shouldn''t pick randomly. I suppose these translucent figures are some of the units available in each faction. I say to myself while closing the screen. By swiping left and right I can change the selected faction. I see elves, dwarves, orcs, fairies even one faction that reminds me of cthulhu-style horrors. Well, lets return to the first faction, the humans and slowly read each factions details. I return to the first faction, the humans, and select them. A window opens in front of me with information about the human faction.
Iron Shield
Composed mostly by human units, the Iron Shield is a very balanced faction, with units that range from weak to strong and with a wide variety of abilities. Humans are versatile but dont have innate skills like a lot of other units have.
Uses civilians as the special resource. Civilians are needed for almost everything, they are the working force of the faction. Civilians can be automatically obtained over time as long as you have enough food to feed them and they have a place to live.
Pros Cons
No specific exploitable weaknesses Balanced range of units Its easy to obtain civilians Doesnt excel at anything No innate skills Training civilians is expensive
As expected, humans are the vanilla faction. They are the jack of all trades but master of none of this game. Still, this doesnt make them useless. In competitive environments like this games Dungeon Battles, not having any weak points that the enemy can use against you can be a huge boon. You can play to the enemy''s disadvantages while not having to worry about your own. This is definitely not a faction for me. They look too bland for my liking. And they dont even have innate skills!! Innate skills are only available if that unit or race starts with them, which means that the Iron Shield cant have anything truly unique The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Theres a button here to read more detailed info about the faction. But no thanks, next faction!! I mutter as I close the faction screen. I keep reading all the factions and find a few I like, but only two that I really want to play as. The first one is called Wild Ferals, a faction with heavy animal vibes. They have werewolves, werebears, wereboars almost every were-something you can think of. All werebeasts have the innate skill to turn into the beast that gives them their name. I really like the absurd amount of utility and unpredictability that the werebeasts can give. Also, since they are mixed with normal beasts, enemies can never know which ones are normal beasts and which ones are werebeasts. The second one is called Magic Engineers. As its name suggests, they specialize in producing everything that can combine magic and machines. They start with little options, but can research new components and combine them in any way they want. Golems are their main battle force, together with traps, contraptions and even magical equipment. They are one of those factions that you can never know what to expect when facing them. I like the ability to modify and create units with my own preferences the most. Now I am reaching the end of the faction list, and this section is packed with the more bizarre factions: slimes, cthulhu horrors, demons, etc. Nothing here interests me until The hell is this!? This faction only has one unit? And it looks ultra gross! The only unit looks like a bunch of humanoid parts from different races that are stitched together in a vaguely humanoid shape. It reminds of Frankenstein''s monster but a LOT more gross. Not even the zombies were this repugnant. [Stitched] is written on the label on top of its head. This must be the bizarrest one of all the factions. And how can you defend your dungeon with only a single type unit? That is unless it is the strongest unit in the game Full of curiosity, I open the factions information screen.
Flesh Monstrosities
Successful and failed experiments are one and the same for the Flesh Monstrosities. Composed of a living amalgamation of one creature and parts of one or more other creatures, the Flesh Monstrosities inherit the characteristics of all of its donors.
Uses bodies as the special resource. Bodies are needed to create new units and research new unit types. They can only be obtained by capturing other factions'' units alive. In invasions to other players'' dungeons, the number of bodies you can bring back is very limited.
Pros Cons
High versatility and personalization Can create units using other factions units Obtain bodies innate traits and stats Can only have living units Non-basic units are very expensive Bodies are hard to obtain
This looks promising I say as I open the detailed info screen about the faction. There, a lot more information on the faction is displayed. Fufufu Hahaha! I chuckle darkly. No waaaay! This is too good! How can they put something like THIS in a game!?!? The Flesh Monstrosities start with a single unit: the Stitched. They are masses of flesh and body parts stitched together and reanimated using electric currents. They are the most horrendous and the weakest basic unit of all factions. The only resource needed to produce them are corpses of any other humanoid unit. The fun part of the Flesh Monstrosities starts with the other unit they can create from the start: the Hybrid. As its name implies, they are a mix of two other units. To create a Hybrid, you need a body of each unit you want to use to create it. All Hybrid have stats equal to the sum of the two original units, and inherit all of their innate skills. The game says it is difficult to obtain the bodies to create the Hybrids and any more advanced unit. How difficult, I dont know yet! Also, when it says they are expensive, it is no exaggeration. They are EXPENSIVE with capital letters. They literally cost the sum of all of the units that have been used to create them. So this might be why the game is balanced with this kind of faction in it. And later on you can even unlock advanced units that are the fusion of more than two other units This is it! I dont need to keep looking through more factions! I pause for a moment before pressing the button to accept. The Flesh Monstrosities have the things I liked from both the Wild Ferals and Magic Engineers. They can surprise and do multiple things, like the werebeasts, and I am able to customize them as I want, like with the golems. Yes, its decided! I will play as the Flesh Monstrosities! It sounds like lots of fun. I hope I wont regret it later! As I press the button to confirm the selection a window pops in front of me.
Warning!
The Flesh Monstrosities is a highly difficult faction to play and is not recommended for new players! Are you sure you want to pick this faction?
Yes No
Yeah, yeah I already assumed so. And you know what? I will play them anyway. Without waiting anymore, I press Yes.
Faction selected: Flesh Monstrosities
"Little did I know at that time that I would regret ignoring the warning. More than one time."
Ch 2 - Champion creation The next thing after selecting the faction is creating the players avatar. It is called Champion. As Im thinking about it, a screen pops in front of me.
Champion Creation
You now need to create your Champion. When inside the game, this is the unit you will be playing as. Champions are very powerful units and are mostly used as the principal force to invade other players dungeons, though they can also be used to defend from others invasions. In the Dungeon Battles, the Champions are the cornerstone of each players strategy.
For health and comfort reasons, only humanoid units can be turned into Champions. *Warning! Werebeasts are permitted for Champion selection but we warn players to avoid extended use of their beast forms, or to avoid using them altogether.
A Champion costs more or less depending on the unit it is based on. You can later improve your Champion and make them more powerful, but keep in mind that, except in very specific cases, a Champion cant obtain new innate skills after creation.
You currently have 1000 cp (creation points) for creating the dungeon. The Champions costs will be reduced from those points. We recommend that you spend between 100 and 200 cp in your Champion.
It will be possible to create new Champions later on, so dont worry if the Champion you want is too expensive to create right now.
Thats nice information to know. Especially the part about the creation points. Then lets see what options I have. I remove the screen from view and find myself in another black empty space. Only that, this time, in front of me there is a human-shaped slime? Dont judge me! It does look like one! It has the same body proportions as humans but is made of a strange transparent substance. Also, it doesnt have any defined features: no face, no hair not even hands or feet. But if I move, it mirrors whatever I do. So I play with it. Only a little, I promise. *Khm, Khm* Ok, thats enough fooling around I interrupt myself an undetermined amount of time later. I dont know how much time has passed, but it surely isnt only a little. Lets actually see what options I have. This time for sure. I say as I open the menu. I kind of expected it. The Flesh Monstrosities only have two options: Stitched and Hybrid. Though there is a note at one side.
Important Note
For balance purposes and to help players with their first Champion creation, we have disabled all advanced humanoid units for the Flesh Monstrosities.
To compensate, once you unlock those units, you will be able to use your current Champion as the base, effectively upgrading it in a way the other factions cant do.
Well, there is nothing I can do about the blocked units. But if I can later upgrade the Champion, doesnt it mean I can keep using this Champion forever? No surprises about the units I can use. Also, theres no way Im making my Champion a damned Stitched. Still, Im going to look at them first anyway, to compare them to the other units.
Stitched
HP 60 STA 5 SOU 3
EP 50 MP 30
STR 5 CON 7 AGI 2
SPI 4 WIL 4 DEX 1
SPD 3
Cost: 20 cp
Well, I cant say how weak or strong they are, but at least they sure are cheap. That is, compared to the 100 to 200 recommended cost. I select the Hybrid next and open its info screen.
Hybrid
HP ? STA ? SOU ?
EP ? MP ?
STR ? CON ? AGI ?
SPI ? WIL ? DEX ?
SPD ?
Unit 1: ? Unit 2: ?
Cost: ? cp
Everythings a question mark? Oh, yeah! Its because I havent selected any unit to use. The stats must be updated after selecting the units. I press the Unit 1 slot and a list of all available units to select appears, sorted by cost. It seems I can choose between all the units from the other factions. With the exception of non-living units like the undead, of course. The Flesh Monstrosities can only use living units. I press on the humans basic unit and immediately a screen shows its stats.
Farmer
HP 50 STA 5 SOU 5
EP 50 MP 50
STR 5 CON 5 AGI 5
SPI 5 WIL 5 DEX 5
SPD 5
Cost: 20 cp
It was already explained in the faction selection, but the Stitched really are weak. The Farmer unit has better or equal stats in almost everything and costs the same. Also, it seems the default value for the stats is 5 (50 for the HP, EP and MP). Nice to know. I mean, it is the human basic unit, of course it is going to have the most basic and average stats! I return to the unit list. The range of selectable creatures is incredible. The weakest are the 20 cp units, but it continues to grow until past the 1000 cp I have for creating the dungeon. Wow, hello!? Demigod!? What the hell!? And it costs 10,000 cp!! what the fuck its stats are insane! What faction has this unit? I cant see their factions in this list Focus, focus! I say to myself, again. Lets be reasonable and dont waste time looking at useless units or units I cant use. I am setting a cp range for the units Im going to pick. Between 50 and 200 cp is reasonable. This way I wont spend too much time, but also not miss on any reasonably-priced good units. I like playing spellcasters, so first Im going to find a suitable unit to make a spellcasting Champion. After a few minutes of looking at the units, I pick the High Elf unit (I swear, I wasnt distracted by fooling around, not this time!). It is going to be the central point around which I am going to build my Champion. High Elf has decent stats for a spellcaster and an amazing innate skill called Manna Attuned.
Mana Attuned (Innate passive skill)
Reduces MP costs by 10% and increases the damage of skills that use MP by 10%
The High Elf costs 100 cp. I assume that the units with 100 cp costs are the ones most players are going to use as their first Champion. I can see a lot of decent units with 100 cp cost: the humans Soldier, the dwarfs Blacksmith, the orcs Hunter I select the High Elf as the first unit and return to the Hybrid creation screen. It now shows the stats of the High Elf.
Hybrid
HP 100 STA 7 SOU 9
EP 80 MP 120
STR 8 CON 8 AGI 9
SPI 12 WIL 10 DEX 10
SPD 6
Unit 1: High Elf If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Unit 2: ?
Innate Skills: Mana Attuned
Cost: 100 cp
Quite a decent pick for a caster, if I say so myself. It lacks a little on the physical stats but thats not really needed to cast spells. Now for the second one! What should I choose? Some unit with a hiding skill? With a hiding skill, I can work around the lack of physical stats. And make a mage-assassin that surprises enemies by blasting them with magic! Or maybe take a physical focused unit to compensate? Hmm no, definitively no. If I do so, I wont have a spellcaster, I will have a hybrid unit and I dont want that. And a werebeast? The game does warn about their transformation skill, though Well, lets take a look at them anyway! I look through the werebeast units and find only two within the point range I set for myself: the Wererat and the Wererabbit. The skill to turn into beasts must be quite good because werebeasts are expensive. The Wererabbit is focussed on speed while the Wererat is quite balanced, with a slight focus on magic stats.
Wererat
HP 120 STA 8 SOU 8
EP 100 MP 100
STR 9 CON 9 AGI 10
SPI 10 WIL 9 DEX 10
SPD 7
Innate Skills: Rat Transformation
Cost: 120 cp
The Wererats stats are in the same range as the High Elf. But it is more expensive at 120 cp. With the Rat Transformation skill, I should be able to scurry away in case of need, or to make unexpected ambushes. For now I select the Wererat and see how the stats of my Champion look like.
Hybrid
HP 220 STA 15 SOU 17
EP 180 MP 220
STR 17 CON 17 AGI 19
SPI 22 WIL 19 DEX 20
SPD 7
Unit 1: High Elf Unit 2: Wererat
Innate Skills: Mana Attuned, Rat Transformation
Cost: 220 cp
It was true that the Hybrids have the stats of the two units added! Except for the Speed which makes kind of sense because otherwise I would be moving absurdly fast. I imagine myself moving so fast, that I splatter myself in a wall. Still, the final Speed takes the highest value between the two units. Hmm Other units in the 200 cp range have similar stats to my current configuration. I say while taking a peek at those units. This means that Hybrids are actually balanced, contrary to what I thought at the beginning. So, do I want to play as a High Elf and Wererat hybrid? It has decent stats for casting magic, a spellcaster innate skill and the possibility to turn into a rat for utility. It is, though, a little over the recommended cp range But I dont think 20 cp will make that much of a difference. I imagine a scene where a humanoid rat-headed monstrosity is leading a bunch of flesh abominations while casting spells from the back. Yes! Yes! That''s good! And it also fits the factions theme! Not wasting more time, I press the done button. Now is the turn for the Champions looks.
Champion Design
You can customize the aspect of your Champion here.
After the Champion is created, only a few minor changes will be allowed, like hairstyle changes. Dont create a messed up Champion!
Note: later, normal units will be able to be customized too, but the options will be severely limited. If you plan to coordinate how your Champion and units will look, think about it now.
Customization: Hybrid
You have selected a Hybrid unit as your Champion. As a Hybrid, you can choose which of the two units model you want to use for each body part.
The parts are [Body], [Head], [Arm] x2 and [Leg] x2.
Between the parts that are from different units, you must choose a type of union. This way, it will clearly show that the two parts are not from the same creature. You can also do so for parts that are from the same unit, if you wish to do so.
So I have extra customization options since Im creating a Hybrid It makes sense. Its already settled that the head must be from the wererat. And for the rest of the body, I dont want to be confused with normal wererats, so I dont have any other choice than to use the elves extremities." Why do I have to use elf parts for the extremities to not be confused with a normal wererat? Because wererats are furred and have claws in all extremities. If all the visible parts are from a wererat, there won''t be any visual difference between my champion and a normal wererat. Now, for the torso Elf too? Hmm Yes. This way the difference between the head and the body will be more noticeable. As I make the changes, the figure in front of me, the one that previously looked like a humanoid slime, changes. It now looks like a skinny human with a giant rats head. Why does it look like a human? you may ask. Well the principal difference between humans and elfs is in the head (you know, the pointy ears and good looks). Soooo yes! You guessed it right! With a rat head there is no visual difference between the two. I wonder if other players will know it is actually based on an elf without inspecting my Champion. I continue with tweaking the details while the Champion in front of me changes. I think this looks good. It has this nasty and crazy look that I wanted. The figure in front of me is slightly hunched. The rat head is big and all its teeth are twisted. From its slightly open mouth saliva slowly drips to the ground. Its funny that there is an option to set how much saliva drips from the mouth. The eyes look in different directions and there is a huge scar in its left eye. It covers almost half of the head. Part of the right ear is gone, which, together with small patches of fur that are missing and its dirtiness, makes one feel the rat must have been tormented for a long time. The head is grotesquely stitched to a skinny human-looking body. Its arms, though, are too wide to belong to the same creature. They, too, are stitched to the skinny body in a disgusting way. Its done! Took a little long but I really like its final look! I confirm the Champions aspect. Now, it asks for the starting equipment the Champion is going to wear. I obviously chose the Mage equipment. And the last step is, as anyone could guess, the Champions name. It has a rats head and it looks like its crazy I dont think too much about it and immediately introduce the Champions name.
Champion Name: Mad Rat
How to reach the top rankings with your dungeon, you ask? Well, of course the dungeon has to be good, and a little bit of luck is helpful. But the most important thing is that it has something that attracts the players. For example, some of the top ranking dungeons are simply there because by conquering them you obtain a lot of resources. There are also ones that are incredibly beautiful and detailed, which make you feel like you are in a real fantasy world. But in my opinion, the most important thing is originality: to have something that the players havent seen before. - Excerpt of an interview to a high ranking DMA player.
Ch 3 - A mass of flesh and limbs Ive already completed the Champions creation and I should be able to, finally, start creating the dungeon. There is a flash of light and I close my eyes. When I open them, I find myself in an underground cave? Building? It looks like a mix of both. There are a few electric lights that illuminate part of the area, but most of what I can see is covered in darkness. It consists of a single large room with some laboratory equipment.
Dungeon Creation
You are now in your dungeon. It isnt empty because the most basic elements have already been created for free. Create, change and edit everything you want and build the dungeon to your liking. Dont forget to add the dungeon creatures that will defend it from invaders!
Spend the rest of the 1000 cp you had to create the dungeon now. Any remaining amount will be lost once you confirm the dungeon creation.
After you confirm the dungeon layout, your dungeon will be open to the public and other players will be able to invade it.
I can finally demonstrate my dungeon design skills! I look at the time after saying this. There is a permanent in-game clock at the top left of my vision. But not right now, because I have to go eat lunch. I am almost late. I pause the dungeon creation for now and go to eat lunch. Today we have bolognese pasta and potato omelet. Of course, the omelet has onion. A potato omelet without onion is an authentic abomination. A monstrosity! The Stitched cant even compare, it is a thousand, no, no, a MILLION times worse than the abomination of flesh called Stitched. After eating lunch, I stay with my family for about half an hour and then return to my bedroom to continue playing Dungeon Masters Arena. Once the game finishes loading, a message pops in front of me.
Welcome back! Do you wish to continue with the dungeon creation?
Yes No
Of course, I select yes. And I find myself in the same spot as before. Im inside the dungeon again. I want to test my Champion a little before building the dungeon. Im itching to have some action! I do some stretches, then some simple exercises and finish with a short running session. I dont feel any discomfort with the Champions avatar. Im not used to having a snout in my face. With some movements, my hands or arms end up colliding with it. Its also really weird seeing the snout protrude from my face. I hope Ill get used to it over time. Lets test the Rat Transformation now! I need to know how it works. And also how to move in the mouse form. I say while activating the skill. The skill isnt instantaneous. It takes about two seconds until the transformation finishes, during which I see my eye level lower and feel like everything is getting bigger. This is uncomfortable. Its bearable, but I feel like something is wrong. And I cant really point out what it is that is wrong. I stay still, trying to get used to the sensation. Ill start moving. I say. Mostly to convince myself, because I still dont feel comfortable with the new form. After taking a few steps in my new form, I stop. Ueeeh I dont feel good. I, want, to, puke I cant stand this anymore. Its like something is trying to mess with my brain. Luckily for me, I only need to think about returning to my humanoid form for the transformation to end. Otherwise, I dont know what could have happened. I stay there, laying on the ground, for who knows how long. Im sure I look like a corpse right now. A very grotesque one. I slowly recover from the nausea. I dont want, to repeat, this again. At least, not any time, soon. It takes a few more minutes for me to completely recover. Wow. The games warning was spot on. Taking a werebeast and transforming into an animal is a bad idea. I am going to seal Rat Transformation. Yes! The skill is sealed from now on! I stand up and start pacing up and down. But doesnt this mean that I wasted 120 cp on a useless unit with a useless skill?! Hey system! I want a refund! A Champion remake! Some kind of compensation!! Obviously, nobody answers my angry cries. Now that I already liked this Champion and faction, do I really need to start again from the start? I wanted to create the dungeon already!! Lets calm down, lets calm down! I say after shouting everything that came to my mind. Lets think about it carefully. Why do I play this game? Obviously to have fun. Do I regret my decisions? No, I only regret that the skill is useless. Will this skill affect how much fun I have? I suppose it doesnt. I can simply not use it and focus on other things. Then? Then I should continue as if the skill didnt exist? Yes, good answer! Thank you, me! Youre welcome, me! After a short internal monologue, I finally start with the dungeon creation. First, I open the dungeon menu. And there I look for the building list. They are the most important in any dungeon because they are needed for the dungeons development and to create new units.
Buildings
Operating table 0/1
Reanimation machine 0/1
Stasis capsule 0/10
Corpse warehouse 30/30
Their names are pretty much self-explanatory, but I still read their detailed descriptions. To start, the numbers at the right. The first one is how many are being used right now, and the second is the total amount that the dungeon has. And for the Stasis capsule and the Corpse warehouse, its the current amount and total storage capacity. The Operating table is for creating humanoid units. For now, only Hybrids can be created. It looks like a normal operating table, only that it is fully metallic, formed by a single metal plate, has rusted parts and some impossible-to-remove blood stains. Believe me, I tried to remove them. Then the Reanimation machine. It says it is exclusive to create the Stitched. It looks like an operating table with lots of cables and electric coils. The part where the corpse rests can rotate up to a certain point, to put it in a standing or lying position. It has a lot more rust, but no blood stains, because corpses dont bleed. It also has a capsule to cover the whole thing, with only a small glass window at the face level. Oh, and I lied! It doesnt look like an operating table. Not at all. Except for the part where the humanoid can fit inside, of course. The Stasis capsules are amazing. There are a total of ten, each giving capacity to store a single body. They remind me of those sci-fi movies, where they keep living organisms for long periods of time, or those used to create clones. They consist of a huge cylindrical glass filled with a bubbly and mysterious liquid and a bunch of cables everywhere. In front of the cylinder, there is a small operating panel. This panel is fake and doesnt work, but I can change the color of the liquid and how much the capsule glows through the dungeon menu. The Stasis capsules are used for storing living humanoid sized or smaller bodies inside. And they are, of course, empty. I am the one responsible to legally obtain the bodies of the volunteer subjects. And the Corpse warehouse Its just a room filled with corpses. Literally. But it is supposed to have magic to prevent the corpses from deteriorating. I am reading this from the games description because this is a game and, of course, the corpses wont deteriorate anyway. I currently have 780 cp to spend. This is the amount I have left after paying for the Champion. Right now, I dont have any living humanoid bodies, so I can only create Stitched. Up to 30 of them, since I have 30 corpses. But this will cost 600 cp. Each Stitched costs 20 cp, after all. Hmm I will make twenty of them. Then, If I have extra cp after finishing the dungeon, I might create more. This will cost me 400 cp leaving a total of 380 cp for the dungeon. I open the Reanimation machines menu. Here, I can see a few options. The first one is asking me for a template. What is a template?
Templates
To speed up dungeon management, you can create unit templates. When a unit is assigned to a template, the unit will automatically receive the same setup as the template.
If you change a template, all units assigned to it will change too. Keep in mind you need to pay the cost of the change for every unit.
When creating units. You can select a template and they will be automatically assigned to the template after creation.
You can also create subtemplates. They will inherit the setup of the template but can have some differences. This is very useful for having identical units with different levels, skills, or equipment.
Nice! So I only need to make the changes once and they will be applied to the other units! Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I start creating a new template for the Stitched unit. The first thing that asks is how I want them to look. I want them to have random parts of different humanoid races, at least four different humanoid races for each one. I say while setting the parameters. I will keep everything else as default for now and see what happens. The game asks for the template name. Im Oh!? Wait a moment! They have two more stats than before? I quickly read the new stats description. The new Stitched stats look like this.
Stitched
HP 60 STA 5 SOU 3
EP 50 MP 30
STR 5 CON 7 AGI 2
SPI 4 WIL 4 DEX 1
SPD 3 INT 1 COM 0
Mental stats
These stats are special and exclusive to non-Champion units. They indicate how complex the behavior of the unit can be.
INT (Intelligence) How intelligent the unit is. The basic AI tends to be more complex the higher this stat is. Furthermore, for each point, the player can add or remove an extra connection in the AI of the unit.
COM (Communicate / Command) How good the unit is at communicating and commanding other units. For each point, it can give commands or communicate with an extra type of unit. At least one point is needed for the unit to be able to communicate or command the others.
Aah I see So, my Sitched are going to be weak, stupid, AND not being able to communicate at all. I already have the perfect name for the template. I write Braindead in the templates name. Now that I have the template created, I start with the Stitched production. Every Stitched takes one minute to be created. During this time, I need to stay within one meter of the machine or the progress will stop. And I can only operate one machine at a time, regardless of how close they are. I suppose this is where units with high Dexterity come. You can use them to stand in your place. But this machine needs 30 Dexterity and the Stitched arent very dextrous. Lets leave it at that, or Ill start crying. Players themselves are exempt from this rule, they can always use the dungeon buildings and machines regardless of their stats. After one minute, the first stitched pops from the Reanimation Machine. Hello, you ugly faced! I say. But the stitched ignores me and starts moving randomly through the room. It bumps into everything and makes quite a lot of noise. Luckily, this is a game and objects are static, so it doesnt break anything. While waiting for more stitched to appear, I take a look at the Stitched AI. This is how to call it simple? Yes, lets leave it at simple. The Stitched AI has basically two states: Idle (or out-of-combat) and Combat. The combat is fine. Move towards the enemy and attack. Simple but effective. The problem comes with the Idle state. Now that more time has passed, I can clearly see the problem with the five stitched already created. The stitched are moving randomly like the first one, and the bumping noise is starting to get annoying. The problem is that they are clearly and utterly ignoring each other. Half of the bumping noise is from them bumping into themselves! They are making something that resembles a dance, where they bump from the front in a contest of strength kind of thing, until one decides to move into another direction and the jam is undone. So I edit the Braindead template. The AI edition works in a drag and drop style. Each action the AI does is a node (or box), and they are connected by simple decisions. I only need to drag the action or whatever I want the AI to do and reconnect the boxes. Of course, there are more complex things going on, hidden behind these simple boxes, that I cant modify. With the ONLY Intelligence point of the Stitched, I can only add or remove one of such boxes. In the Idle state, I add the follow x unit action, set x as the closest allied unit, and reconnect the AI boxes so that they work properly. Then, I wait to see the results of my changes. There are ten stitched created right now. And they are *Sigh!* This is getting ridiculous The stitched are all clumped together in a huge mass of flesh and limbs. They are, still, trying to get closer to each other. And they continue to bump between themselves while pushing towards the center of the chaotic mass, trying to get closer to the other allied units. This is clearly not working. I can make them follow me instead But this will only make the same scene repeated, this time with me at the center And I dont want to even imagine that. If I keep moving all the time, then the horde will be following, which will look cool and somewhat awesome, but when Im not there all stitched will return to the normal behavior of bumping into everything. And I need them to move by themselves because they are supposed to defend the dungeon without me intervening. And I cant make them move in groups because I need them to have at least a one in the Command stat. Only Champions or units with the Command stat and the command action enabled in the AI can be put into the follow x unit. I looked at it before. Or can I? I remember that each unit is supposed to have skills, and some of them can raise the units stats. Let''s take a look! Fast, this blob of flesh is reducing my sanity!
Skills
Each unit starts with one skill slot and gains another skill slot per level. The only exceptions are Champions and Bosses, which start with three.
There are three types of skills: active, passive, and triggered. Active skills can be used when the unit wants, passive skills are always activated, and triggered skills can be very powerful but need a condition to be activated.
A unit must first allocate the skill points so that it has at least one skill of each type. Then, it can use the rest of the skill points to obtain new skills or to upgrade the current skills. The skills upgrades are specific to each skill.
I will look at what triggered skills are later. First comes the skill to fix the stitched. I assume it is going to be a passive skill. I select the Braindead template, go to the passive skills and search for stat skills. This is it! Ive found you!
Commander (Passive skill)
Increases the units Command stat by 1.
I immediately select the skill and was going to apply the changes to the template. Wait! I dont need this skill on every stitched, only in a few! I add two subtemplates to the Braindead template. I call them Braindead Mob and Braindead Leader. Then I add the Commander skill to the leader subtemplate. To the AI again! I modify the AI of the two subtemplates. First the leaders. I enable the command option in the AI and set it to a maximum of three units. With five leaders, and three mobs each, the total is 20 units. Which is the number of stitched I am creating. I also reset the Idle state, add the stay away from x action and reconnect the nodes. Finally, I set the x to other Braindead Leader, the distance to 10 meters, and save the changes. This way, they wont get too close to each other and start bumping between groups. And to finish, I move to the mobs AI. I reset the Idle state too, and add the follow x commander action. The x is, of course, Braindead Leader. This way, the game automatically assigns up to three of the Braindead Mobs to each Braindead Leader. Oh! I almost forgot one thing! To add a skill to the Braindead Mobs! I open the skill menu again. After looking around, I find a very interesting skill. It seems this skill is exclusive to some factions that are especially disgusting.
Too Gross to Look At (Passive skill)
Other units that can see this unit have a 20% penalty to hitting targets. This skill doesnt stack and doesnt work on allied units.
With this skill the stitched will be quite the danger. At least, I hope so *Sigh* Who am I trying to fool? I dont have any expectations for them. Not anymore. With the new changes to the AI, the stitched start moving in five groups of four. Enough time has passed and all of the stitched are created. They are no longer a single mass of flesh and limbs. They still bump into everything though, and sometimes, between the stitched of the same group. Yep, definitely better! Arise! Awake from your slumber, my monstrous legions! Lets conquer this world! I shout, raising my arms while on top of the operating table. I always wanted to say something like this. Meanwhile, in the background of this epic image, the stitched continue shambling through the room. Completely ignoring me, while continuing to bump into things, and between themselves.
You must start every Dungeon Battle by picking the Champion you are going to use. Look at the enemy faction, then pick the Champion that can better abuse their weakness. Then, plan the units you are going to use to defend your dungeon in the opposite way. Expect the enemy to choose the worst kind of Champion for you, then design a strategy to stop that. Finally, complement the squad you are going to use to accompany your Champion by expecting the enemy to do the same. Pick the units that can help your Champion to overcome the strategy that the enemy has planned to stop your Champion. Dungeon Battles arent won with strength but with strategy. - Excerpt from A journey to the top, a guide to help players reach the top ranking in DMA.
Ch 4 - The Mad Rat’s Lab I already finished working on the stitched, but I still have to look at my own skills. The game says Champions start with three skill points. And I must allocate the first three skill points to one skill of each type: active, triggered and passive. Im still not sure about what triggered skills exactly are. I look at their list and read a few of them to understand them. To resume: triggered skills are skills that are generally very powerful, but need a condition to be fulfilled before they are activated. So they arent active skills because you cant use them when you want, and arent passive skills because they arent working most of the time. And, all triggered skills without exception, do nothing unless the condition is fulfilled. There are some triggered very powerful attacks too. The one I like the most from the ones Ive read is the Death Burst. It basically makes creatures explode after being reduced to 0 HP, dealing large amounts of damage in a big area to every unit. There are even multiple Death Burst skills, with different explosion effects and damage types. The doubt is now settled. What skills am I going to pick? I remember that I need a way to obtain bodies of other races. How should I do it? What are the conditions to capture other factions units? I look at the dungeon menu to find the answer. There is a help button.
Unit Capture
To capture an enemy unit, you need to fulfill two conditions. Once fulfilled, simply use the Capture ability exclusive to the Flesh Monstrosities. All units of the faction can use this ability. Bosses and Champions cannot be captured.
Condition 1: The unit must have less than 5% HP or less than 10 HP.
Condition 2: The unit must be stunned, asleep, charmed, or have some other status that prevents them from resisting.
So, I need a skill to stun, put units to sleep, or something similar. I search for skills that can produce one of those effects. Most of them are active skills. Heh, what a surprise! I re~ally didnt expect it. I say with sarcasm. But what surprises me are the triggered skills that can cause stun, sleep, etc. Maybe they are more powerful because they need a condition to be fulfilled. And this one is calling to me. I hear you, dont worry!
Shared Voltage (Triggered skill)
If a skill would deal enough lightning damage to kill another unit, you leave it at 1 HP instead and the target is stunned for 5 seconds. The prevented damage is then dealt to the closest enemy within 5 meters, if there is one. This damage can also trigger this skill.
This skill is almost custom-tailored for capturing units. The only downside is that I wont be able to kill anything even if I try. Since I will only have one active skill, and it must deal electric damage for the stun to activate. But this is the best skill I can think of, so I''m going to pick it! Now I need a way to inflict lightning damage or the triggered skill is useless. I quickly search the active skills and find two that I have enough MP to cast.
Lightning Bolt (Active skill)
Cost: 60 MP
Deal (5 + SPI) lightning damage to a single enemy.
Chain Lightning (Active skill)
Cost: 200 MP
Deal (10 + SPI) lightning damage to an enemy. Then, the lightning jumps to the closest enemy within 5 meters and deals 10% less damage. The lightning continues to jump up to a total of 10 times. This skill cant damage a unit more than once.
In DMA, most players consider the elemental damage types as an extra role play feature. Its because almost no units have innate resistances or weakness to damage types, and because any unit can use any skill. Giving units fire resistance is useless because the enemy can simply use ice skills and ignore it. But, in fact, elemental damage types are very important when planning combos and synergies. An example is this Shared Voltage skill. But there is another more common example: giving melee units resistance to the same type of damage that the area damage dealers are going to use. Reducing the damage your units take while the enemy takes the full brunt of the attack. Elemental damage and resistance arent in the game to add counters to certain creature types but to add more customization for the players. I think I prefer Chain Lightning. Sure, I will only be able to cast it once before having to wait for the MP to recover. But I dont need the single target damage from the Lightning Bolt. I wont be able to kill them anyway And I swear that it has nothing to do with how epic it would be to electrocute ten enemies with a single spell casting! Not at all related. I say while looking away. Then its settled. Only the passive skill remains. I browse through the passive skills. Im looking for something related to spellcasting and I find a very good one.
Maniac (Passive skill)
Skills that need MP to be casted deal 30% more damage and the chance to inflict status effects is doubled. When using those skills, 10% of the MP amount used is also reduced from the current HP. This skill can kill you.
This skill fits perfectly with my Champions style! And its funny that theres another skill that does exactly the same but with EP instead of MP. Its called Lunatic. Its a shame Im not going to be using too much EP since Im a spellcaster. Because, RP-wise, having the two would be amazing. I have enough HP that Maniac shouldn''t be too much of a problem. Also, it synergizes very well with Mana Attuneds MP reduction. I look at how my skills look right now.
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Shared Voltage Mana Attuned (Innate) Maniac
I have one active, one triggered and two passive skills right now. Rat Transformation, you say? Whats that? Is it tasty? I dont know what you are talking about... Since I have one non-innate skill of each type, when I level up I can start upgrading skills or freely choose a new one from any type. Finally finished with all the mobs and Champion stuff! Now for the actual dungeon stuff! I open the dungeon building list.
Building List
Corpse warehouse Stasis capsule
Operation table Reanimation machine
Farm Mine
Experimentation set Horrific generator
Mutation vat
As expected, I can create more of the buildings I already have. But the other five are new. I dont need more buildings of the same kind. Lets look at the others. The Mine is needed to passively generate metal, one of this games resources. Im sure there will come a time when I will need metal, so I should build one Mine as soon as possible. The same goes for the Farm, but with the food resource. The Experimentation set is needed to get access to the technology research. So it is needed to be able to research new unit types, buildings, etc. The other two buildings are more interesting.
Horrific generator
Cost: 500 cp, 50 metal
Must be connected to a Corpse warehouse. It generates electricity equal to the current amount of corpses in the Corpse warehouse.
Electricity is another game resource. The amount you have is the maximum capacity that you can use to power devices. It is used for powering buildings and traps. This is a resource that most factions dont have, they instead use some other resource in a similar fashion. I say after looking for what electricity is using the game''s help.
Mutation vat
Cost: 3,000 cp, 200 metal, 200 food
Use cost: 100 food, 30 electricity
You can put a humanoid or smaller unit inside for 24h and activate the device. Once it finishes, there is a 90% chance that the unit is destroyed and a 10% chance that the unit gains a random Innate skill. If successful, the units cp value will be increased by 50 cp.
Wow! Just wow! They are so expensive! The Horrific generator must be very important for the dungeon advancement. But the one that catches my attention is the Mutation vat! Im sure my eyes are sparkling right now. Also, Ive already found a way to spend the food and the metal. Dear game system, can you hear me? I''ve been your most devoted follower since half a second ago. Can you give me another extra 3,500 cp, 250 metal, 300 food and 20 corpses? It is only a little help for your most devoted follower! If you do, I promise to follow you until the day I die! Nothing happens for a while. *Tsk!* Nothing wasted for trying! So, the Farm costs 100 cp, the Mine costs 150 cp and the Research Table costs 50 cp. They sum a total of 300 cp. This will leave me with only 80 cp for the dungeon rooms and decorations. But I took a peek before, and they are quite cheap. I pay for the three buildings and put them in the dungeon in random places. Doesnt matter because Ill now reorganize everything. Its time to get dirty! I say while rolling up my sleeves Not that I can, though. But I do try. This is a game and the models cant be freely altered. And the sleeves arent coded to allow this action. The current dungeon consists of a single room immediately next to the entrance portal. In this room theres a mix of everything: buildings, decorations, rocks, the stitched, more rocks, myself A truly chaotic mess. The room has about 25 meters from beginning to end. I start by making the room larger, until it reaches around 50 meters in length and 30 in width. I make the height irregular, between 3 and 5 meters. At the end of the room, I create a tunnel entrance. From there, I create a mess of interconnected tunnels. They are no more than 50 meters but feel a lot longer. At the end of two of those tunnels I put the mine and the farm. One in each. I create a last room at the end of the furthest tunnel from the entrance. It is a 20 meter square room. I put all the stuff inside and leave the original room empty. Then I return to the first room. I add slopes, rock columns, stalactites and stalagmites everything I can think of to make the room look like a natural cave. I do the same with the tunnels, but with softer terrain and I add some mud here and there. I wanted to create some underground water flowing through them, but dont have enough cp. I finish furnishing the last room with laboratory equipment. I distribute everything as chaotically as possible while making it walkable. Also, the walls, ceiling and floor look clearly manmade, a clear contrast with the rest of the dungeon. Last but not least, I put the dungeon core in the middle of this room. Only the distribution of the stitched remains. Im going to use the Rooms feature for it.
Rooms
You can create rooms to help manage your dungeon. You only need to select the zones you want to add to the room and give it a name.
Its possible to assign units or templates to a room. The units wont wander outside of the room unless you change the units behavior to do so.
Invading players will see the name of the room they are currently in.
So I create three rooms: Cave, Tunnels and Laboratory. Yes, I know. Very original. I finish the dungeon creation by assigning three groups of stitched to the Cave and the other two to the Tunnels. The Laboratory is going to be empty for now. *Fiu!* Its done! Dungeon finished! And I only needed I look at the clock. Whaaat!? A full day!? I needed a full day to create the dungeon! And its already time to go to bed! I missed dinner time I say. The game asks for the dungeon name, and I write it without wasting time. I already thought of the dungeons name while creating the rooms. Then I leave the game while saying: Cold dinner, wait for me!
Dungeon name: The Mad Rats Lab
About two months later, a soon-to-be famous guide for DMA players appeared in the forums. It had most of the needed info and tips to dive into a certain dungeon. It was called How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab. Unluckily, it was already too late for the authors own sanity.
Ch 5 - Not so smart now, aren’t we? Its the next days morning, Sunday morning. Its a nice day, sunny and without clouds. It''s a perfect day to spend locked in my room playing DMA! I log into the game one more time. Today Im doing the first dungeon delving! I say after finding myself in front of the games main menu. Here, I can choose what I want to do. But I first need to get ready for it. I select my one and only dungeon from My dungeons list, The Mad Rats Lab, and enter it again. It is possible to create extra dungeons after the first one and cp is shared between dungeons. But the game gives you no more free cp. This means you must first save some cp to be able to create more dungeons. Im not going to create any new dungeons, though. Im going to stay with a single one. Forever. Until death do us part! There are two modes to play Dungeon Masters Arena. The first one is called Dungeon Invasions, the PvE version of the game. It is called dungeon delving by us players. It is also the basic mode and what most people like to play. In this game mode, the players build their dungeons, and other players can Invade them. By delving others dungeons, you obtain resources and cp, which you can use to upgrade your dungeon. The dungeons can be any size, and have as many units as you want. The same goes for the other side, the Champions can be as strong as the player has spent resources to upgrade them. Dungeons are instanced and every player enters an identical separated dungeon instance. This is what Im going to do today! The second mode is called Dungeon Battles. This is the PvP mode, and as such, has special rules to make the matches as balanced as possible. The match starts by both players invading the others dungeon at the same time and the first who destroys the others core wins the match. In this mode, every unit has a cp value, the total cp cost of creating and upgrading the unit, and players strategically use a cp budget to deploy their Champion and units in the best way to simultaneously defend and invade the dungeons. Both modes have single and multiplayer modes, but Im too low level and dont have the option to play multiplayer yet. Oh, I forgot! There is a player level! The player level is common for all the dungeons of that player, and leveled by playing any of the two game modes. A small amount of xp is also earned when other players invade your dungeon in PvE. My player level is 1. When I start a Dungeon Invasion, I can bring up to a total of 100 cp value of units with me. These units are for supplementing the Champions lacking parts. For example, I currently lack a way to kill units with spells, so without this, I couldnt do the invasion. Im already inside my dungeon and open the templates screen. I add a new stitched subtemplate, called Brainded Follower. Because, they will follow me all the time. But I dont want to repeat the same as yesterday and end up squished in the middle of a mass of flesh and limbs. So Im first going to make them a little smarter. I go to the skill selection and look for a passive skill that increases Intelligence. After finding the skill, I immediately add it to the Follower.
Intelligent (Passive skill)
Increases the units Intelligence stat by 1.
In the AI screen, I clean the AI state and add the follow x unit and the stay away from x unit, add the proper values and reconnect the AI nodes. Now they will stay within 2 meters of me. I can bring up to five stitched with me, so I change one Leader and four Mob into the Follower subtemplate. This leaves the cave zone with only two squads, and one of the tunnel squads is missing one unit. Sorry guy, you are now down one unit to fill your squad. But life doesn''t always go the way we want! Now that I have the invasion force ready, Its time to take a look at the dungeon list and decide on which one I want to invade! Im itching already. Its du~ngeon time! Since this is my first dungeon invasion, I filter the dungeons by player level and set it to 1. I also set the faction to be human (Iron Shield).. Because I want the most vanilla experience. And I want some normal-looking bodies to um experiment with? This one will do. I select a dungeon called The outskirts of Grasmere. It asks for what units Im bringing with me, I select the five Braindead Followers and start the invasion.
Dungeon Invasion
In a dungeon invasion, you invade another players dungeon. Each player enters a different instance of the dungeon, so you will not find any other players.
During an invasion, your Champion receives a special buff that increases all stats except speed by 100%. This is the true power of a Champion!
Keep in mind that it is possible for the dungeons owner to enter your dungeon instance with a Champion and try to defeat you.
The game already said that the Champions were powerful but a 100% bonus? Isnt it too much? Well.. maybe not, if you consider you are, quite literally, alone vs all the monsters inside of the dungeon.
Mad Rat (Lv 1)
HP 440/440 STA 30/30 SOU 34/34
EP 360/360 MP 440/440
STR 34 CON 34 AGI 38
SPI 44 WIL 38 DEX 40
SPD 7
I look at my stats and Holly shit! I am powerful! I feel the power course through my veins as if it were electricity! I make a few poses while saying this. Nah, I feel the same as before. But compared to the stats of the stitched, I have about eight times their stats? Hahaha, pathetic worms! I look around. All I can see in the dungeon is a wide grassland. It has a few slopes here and there, and also some trees. In the distance, I can see a few buildings, not sure what they are. From here I cant see them properly. There is a path that starts at the dungeon entrance and flows through the grassland and towards the buildings. I decide to follow the path. Nice, nice! You are behaving properly, children! But cant you move a li~ttle bit faster? The stitched follow behind me as I walk. They move slowly. Very slowly. Ideally, I wanted to have them move in front of me as a meatshield, but You cant have everything. Im happy as long as they follow and dont start bumping into me. I can see something brown near the path. What is it? I say while walking. As I get close, it runs away. A rabbit! It was a rabbit! But theres no way Im going to catch it with the speed of the slowpokes behind me. So I continue walking. There are farm fields around the path. I can also see some farm buildings and even a barn with animals. But I stay in the path. Following the path is a good idea when you have bad orientation and the game doesnt have a minimap. This is a feature they intentionally didnt add. This way the game is more realistic and the immersion is heightened. Also, players cant easily discover secret paths and rooms, not without actually looking for them. Which makes everything more realistic and rewarding. Then, I find a Farmer in the middle of the path. It is pointing a pitchfork towards us, but does nothing other than staring. I take this chance to inspect it. Usually, you cant properly inspect in the middle of combat, but the farmer is only staring, so The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Farmer (Lv 1)
HP 50/50 STA 5/5 SOU 5/5
EP 50/50 MP 50/50
STR 5 CON 5 AGI 5
SPI 5 WIL 5 DEX 5
SPD 5 INT 5 COM 0
I was expecting a five in each stat! But it has a 0 in COM... You got me there, game! I exclaim. It must be because the farmers arent trained for organized warfare, so they cant properly follow orders nor give them. Still they are five times more intelligent than the Stitched! Sooo Are you going to attack or run away? I stare at the farmer. The farmer stares back. I wave at the farmer. The farmer continues to stare. Ok, so doing nothing? Fine by me. For the stitched to attack, I need to get closer to the farmer. They have an engagement range and the farmer is outside of this range. The ideal should be me shouting: Attack, and the stitched going for the kill. But they are too stupid for this. So I move forward trying to get them into engagement range. The farmer moves backwards, staying out of range. It keeps staring at us. I advance some more, and the farmer moves away the same amount. Am I missing something? What the hell is happening? I decide to sprint towards the farmer. The farmer tries to run away, but I am faster and hit it with the staff. A simple melee attack. It cost 10 EP. Plus 20 for the sprint. I say while looking at my stats. While Im distracted, the farmer keeps moving backwards, away from me. The farmer has taken about 1/3 of his health as damage from my hit. Sorry not sorry, Im too strong! The farmer is waiting again, staring at me in the distance. Why arent you attacking, you damned Braindead!? Do I have to do everything!? I look behind me and see that the stitched still havent reached my position. They move so slow, that the short sprint left them waaay behind. This is getting ridiculous. Theres no way for the stitched to reach the farmer if it keeps running away, because they are too slow. Wait! Is the farmer bugged? Do you have something wrong with your head!? I say while looking at the farmer. It looks at me. Im going to assume you do, ok? Take no offense! The AI must be bugged. Do I have to keep running and hit it with basic attacks until I kill it? Because with spells I cant kill anything. No way I''m going to waste my time like this for a farmer, Im just going to keep moving and ignore it. I say as I start to move again. Following the path, of course. Only a minute later I feel a little, how to say it a little intimidated. Currently, there are a dozen farmers staring at us while moving backwards as I walk towards them. Too many eyes! Stop looking at me! Every single farmer I have encountered has done the same as the first. Is this some kind of psychological warfare? I ponder. I dont really understand the point of it. Maybe they are waiting for some kind of signal to jump at us? I decide to ignore the farmers for now. A few meters away I can see a wooden palisade and buildings on the other side of it. Its a small town. At least the dungeon exploration is progressing properly. In front of the gate theres two farmers. They behave like guards protecting the entrance, except that they have pitchforks instead of actual weapons and wear no armor. Hello! Can you let me in? As soon as I get too close, the two farmers come attacking. I stop, and when the farmers get into range, the stitched also switch to combat mode. I wait in the back and look for a few seconds. The stitched and the farmers have the same Strength, but the stitched have slightly higher HP and Constitution, so the farmers are losing. It is also 2vs5. Chain Lightning! I say. Theres no need to say the name of the skill, only think about it and the skill is activated. But I do it anyway. The lightning reaches the first farmer and then jumps to the second and dissipates. Both farmers are left stunned at the ground with 1 HP. The stitched that are surrounding them quickly finish the two farmers. That was an overkill, a one hit kill! Well, I have 100% increased stats, plus two passive skills that increase the damage by 10% and 30%. Im too OP. The epic battle vs two farmers has finished, but there are still a lot of them watching us from afar. Ok, now Im sure about it. Theres something wrong going on with the farmers AI. The player that controls this dungeon must have tried to modify the AI and failed. An epic fail at it. *Pft* Haha, noob! I did it at the first try! And the Farmers should be five times smarter than the Stitched! We arent so smart now, arent we!? Then I will stop thinking about it. Lets finish this dungeon without wasting more time! I proceed to move inside the town. There are rustic buildings with a mix of wood and stone everywhere I look. There are a lot of farmers inside. And I mean A LOT. Over 50 of them. Make way for me! Make way for your king, you puny and stupid humans! If you dare cross my path, Ill have your head on a stake and feed your body to the pigs! After my warning, the farmers start moving backwards while staring in my direction. It is still weird, but it feels better if I make myself believe it''s because of my incredible persona, and not because of an AI problem. A large space opens in front of me, and we freely walk towards the towns center. There, we find a fountain with the dungeon core on top. There is one Soldier and two Farmers guarding the crystal. This time I start the combat by casting Chain Lightning. The lightning hits the soldier, then jumps to one farmer and finishes by electrocuting the second farmer. The soldier survives with very low health, but the two farmers are instantly reduced to ashes I mean, left with 1 HP and stunned. The stitched quickly join the fray and finish the soldier and the stunned farmers. The Stitched might be slow, and stupid, but sure know how to punch and slam their limbs into whatever is in front. I don''t want to test it on my own body. Not for how much damage Id take, but for how disgusting it would be. After the fight, I grab the dungeon core and crush it. This wasnt what I was expecting. If I hadnt seen a lot of videos before playing, I would be considering quitting this game A first good experience is very important after all!
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
CP XP Resources
Dungeon completion (100 cp) Enemies killed (18 cp) Dungeon core destroyed (10 xp) No deaths in team (10 xp) 20 food 3 corpses
Current cp: 118 cp XP to next player level: 20/100
So I won very little cp for killing enemies, because most of them simply ran away Well, there is nothing I can do! In exchange, I obtained more XP for all my stitched being alive at the end of the dungeon so it isnt that bad. I would love to do another Dungeon Invasion but I dont have the time. Its a shame because this dungeon was bo~ring! I also obtained 20 food, nice! If the dungeon has a building that produces a resource, players that invade obtain a small amount of that resource, proportional to the number of buildings. It is a way to attract invaders into the dungeon. Some players create massive amounts of those buildings to make other players more interested in invading. Now the game asks if I want to rate the dungeon. I wont, because there is a problem with the units AI, and it wont be fair to give it a bad grade only for this. I am going to write a message to the player to explain the problem so they can fix it. See how good I am, mommy? I behave the best I can, but the other kids dont want to play with me because Im a Flesh Monstrosity! I start planning the next dungeon dive. Tomorrow is Monday so I have classes. I will only have time to play during the afternoon Lets try to make another Dungeon Invasion then! Hopefully next time the dungeon is going to be normal! I say while closing DMA. Hmm I think Im forgetting something What is it? I take out the VR helmet from my head as I say so. Hmm It was something important, but what was it? Shit! Fuck! I forgot the most important thing! I pull my hair while shouting. I forgot to try capturing at least one enemy unit!
Leave the AI of the units as it comes by default. That is, if you dont know how to modify it properly. Otherwise, you will end with very stupid units that dont do what you expected them to do, nor are capable of doing the things they could do before. - First point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 6 - Returning to daily life Uuhhh Im sleepy! I groan. Im currently seated in class, waiting for the teacher to come and start. I shouldnt have watched those last ten videos before going to sleep! Hahaha, you should do as I do and live a healthy life, Andreu! Says a familiar voice as it sits on my left side. I look there and see Ricard, my college friend. He looks way worse than me. By the way, my names Andreu. Haha, as if you are one to talk! You look almost like an undead! I retort back. Did you spend all night playing DMA again? Do you really need to ask? I look at him again. He looks as if he hasnt slept properly in the last month. I suppose I dont. I answer. Im sure he did. Ricard is a liiiiittle bit obsessed with videogames. In the future he wants to work as a game programmer. This is why he chose the Computer Science degree. You ask about me? Im still not sure what I would like to do, but for now I am taking the same degree. So, what faction did you choose? Did you take the farmers league? Ricard asks. I can see his eyes are sparkling right now. This is dangerous. When he is in this state, he can keep talking about a game for hours. Please tell me that you took the farmers league! No, I didnt. And what the hell is the farmers league? There was no faction with that name! Aha! This demonstrates you are a noob! Let this sage instruct you on the most basic knowledge that all players should know! The humans faction, the Iron Shield, at the start only has a large number of Farmers and almost no other unit. So they are called the Farmers League by the players! So that was all the oh so high and noble sage had to instruct me with? I retort. I perfectly remember yesterdays dungeon and the absurd amount of farmers. Youre wrong, my friend! You still need to learn why this happens! The high number of farmers is because they only need food and Farms to create them. But since they need lots of cp and resources for training them into better units, most players build a lot of farms and get a lot of farmers before Ok, ok! I understand! I interrupt Ricard. This was close, if I let him continue, he wouldnt stop until the teacher came. Fine Ill stop here... So, what faction did you take? It is a shame you didnt take the humans because you could have turned into a nice soul farm for my undead legion.... Ricard is playing as the undead, the Eternals, and their special resource is souls. They are obtained by defeating units, one for each unit that isnt a construct or undead. So they prefer diving into dungeons with lots of weak mobs because it doesnt matter how strong the enemies are, only one soul per enemy killed is obtained. Im sure Ricard was expecting me to pick the humans and turn my dungeon into his particular soul farm. How do I know all this, you ask? Ricard has made sure to drill it into my head these past few days. At least a hundred times. I picked the Flesh Monstrosities. I knew you would pick some weird faction, but didnt expect this one. Do you know it is the most difficult one, especially at the start? If you had asked me, I would have recommended a better faction to start with. I remember the troubles with the Stitched, the fact that I still dont have a single body, the special resource of my faction, the rat transformation skill, and that the prospects to have something other than stitched any time soon arent very high. Yeah, you dont have to tell me. I already know If you wanted something weird I would have recommended you the Abyss faction. You know, the cthulhu-style monsters! They are easier to start with, and they have very strong units later on, they are one of the few factions that compete with the top spot in pure stats. And their special resource isnt as bad to obtain as your bodies Shh! Ricard, the teacher is here! I whisper to Ricard while interrupting his rambling. This was close, he was starting his knowledge drilling again. If it were in the game, it would be a unique skill special to his Champion, capable of obliterating enemies by simply opening his mouth and talking. By the way, no, unique skills dont exist in DMA. Unique skills dont make any sense in a game unless you want to severely discriminate against players. Ok, I will tell you later! He whispers back. The Advanced Programming class starts. I hate this teacher. She talks to us as if we were stupid or small children. For gods sake! There isnt a single student here that is less than 20 years old. Do you really need to talk to us as if you were teaching nursery school children?
The class has ended. We survived another one. So, as I was saying, the Abyss Hey there! How are you today? Luckily for me, Ricard is interrupted again. Hi there, Laura. I say. Laura is one of the very few girls in our class. You know, about 80% or 90% of the people in the computer science degree are boys. Laura usually hangs out with Ricard and me, but today she came late to class. Hi, Laura! Ricard looks like it''s holding something inside. Like a bomb that is about to explode. Im sure he still wants to expose his immense knowledge of the Abyss faction. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it So, did you start playing the game? She asks. She, too, is interested in the same kind of games as both me and Ricard. Yep, I did! I started on Saturday and spent a day and a half playing. You are now both ahead of me, huh! She says while pouting. You will surely catch up to us when you have enough money to buy the game. I will make sure you know everything needed, so that you dont waste time, and know the best way to progress! Says Ricard. A mental alarm sounds in my head after Ricard says this. The alarm keeps repeating Warning! Imminent attack! Better have some excuse prepared to leave Laura and Ricard alone when the knowledge drilling starts. Yes, its a shame you dont have enough money to start playing. When do you think you will have enough spare money to buy the game? I ask. Im not sure, maybe in two months? Oooh, shit. Two months is a very long time. By the time you start, my dungeon will be quite advanced. And Ricard started even earlier, so Yeah, I know. She says with a sullen expression. I dont really think you will, Andreu. You picked the worst faction to start with Maybe in two months time you will have a decent dungeon for a noob, hahaha! Ricard takes his chance to insert some more unnecessary knowledge. You jerk. Anyway! Like I was saying, dont worry too much, Laura! We will help you once you start, isnt it right, Andreu? Yeah, sure... I look away. I do want to help, and will help Laura. But Ricard, spare me from the training sessions, pleeeease. Laura starts talking again. So, what faction did you pick? Im sure it is one of the weirdest. Maybe the slimes? Nope, you are wrong! He picked the Flesh Monstrosities! You know, the ones that use parts from other game units. Ricard couldnt hold himself from answering. This is why I was saying you will be able to catch up to him easily! Oho!? Laura looks at me with a grin. Can you stop already, Ricard? Saying things once is enough! I picked the worst for new players, ok? Its fine! I liked the description and the mechanics. I don''t regret the decision! Ok, ok! Ill stop! But tell me, how many bodies, the special resource of your faction, did you get already? Aaah! Dont look at me with that smile plastered on your face! It hurts! None I say with a very low voice and look away. Whaaat did you say? I didnt hear you!? He repeats, his smile wider than before. I said none! Ok!? But only because I was unlucky and got distracted! You will see in a single month, my dungeon will surpass yours in the rankings! I defend myself. Sure, if you say so. Yes, I do! I try to finish the argument. So this means that I will be able to catch up easily? Nice! Then we can be at the same level soon! Says Laura. Not you too, please I have enough with Ricard teasing me alone! You traitor! I raise my arms in defeat and try to change the topic. Aaah, whatever you say! Lets move now, or we will be late to the next class! I say at the same time as I stand from the chair. Hey, Andreu. Do you mind if I sit next to you in this class? Asks Laura. Sure, why not. While walking towards the classroom, Ricard bumps his elbow into my side. Several times. I turn to look at him to complain, but hes making a weird face. Whats wrong with you, Ricard? Why are you looking at me with this face? You look stupid with that grin on your face!
Im back! I say after closing the entrance door. My mom works from home, so she should be inside. She is a writer. Welcome back! How did classes go, Andreu? They were fine, mom. I answer. Do you need me for something today? Otherwise, Im going to spend the afternoon playing with the VR set. She knows I wont be able to stop easily in the middle of playing a VR game. No, its fine. Have fun! But dont forget to come at dinner time today, ok? Sure, mom! I dont want to eat a cold dinner either. One time this weekend was enough. My room is upstairs. On my way to it, a figure suddenly appears and jumps at me! Its a critical hit! Hello, brother! I answer while trying to recover the equilibrium. I almost fell to the ground. Hello, Clara. Even if you are shorter than me, you arent a kid anymore. You know jumping at me like this is dangerous. Especially so close to the stairs! I admonish her, but she ignores me. You didnt play with me this weekend! She says while pouting and with puffy cheeks. Is the game you were playing so fun? You said it was DMA, right? I want to play too! Im sorry about it, but you cant play with my game account. The game needs your body data to make the character adapt to your body shape and proportions. So even if I wanted to, you couldnt play the game without feeling extremely sick. I know what Im talking about, after all. I DID turn into a rat, which has a different body structure than a human, and it was horrendous I want to puke by only remembering the experience. But I want to play too! She is on the verge of tears. I know she is faking it, but right now she looks so cute! Its not fair if I cant play with you! Ok, ok. Calm down! I say while petting her head. Your birthday is in three weeks, right? I will talk with mom and dad and try to convince them to buy you the game. But only if you study hard and get good grades in your next exams. Otherwise Ill stop playing with you. Understood? Yes! Thanks brother! She quickly scurries away into her room. This is my little sister, Clara. She is 18 this year, but she is still very attached to me and behaves like you have just seen. I think it is because she is very shy with strangers and has few friends. But I warn you! Dont believe her cute behavior! She behaves like this only in front of me. In front of other people she can be quite nasty, sometimes. I want to believe she doesnt do it on purpose, but instead that she doesnt know how to properly interact with people. Well, anyway Lets prepare to play the game! I enter my room, put the VR helmet on my head, and start the game. New and hopefully normal dungeon that Im going to invade, here I come! Game Start! Hehe. By saying this I feel like a protagonist from a novel. Though Im not sure why.
... The Abyss faction uses a special resource called Despair. It is a resource obtained when a unit is killed when it reaches 0 SOU, signifying that its mind and soul have been shattered. Some units have a few innate skills to help achieve it, and they also use lots of skills that can drain or exhaust the enemys MP and SOU faster. When fighting against the Abyss faction, you should worry more about your MP and SOU than your HP. They are the perfect faction against brutes and - The continuation of Ricards knowledge drilling after classes finished. The bomb exploded, and nobody was ready for the consequences.
Ch 7 - A pleasant surprise Oohh! Im back! Did you miss me, my little babies!? I say while looking at the Braindead Followers in front of me. They dont react whatsoever. Today Im going to do another Dungeon Invasion, but theres a few things that I must check before. Basically, spending yesterdays rewards and preparing for todays invasion. First of all, the most important thing! Ive been thinking about it all day, and finally found a solution for this epic problem! Yes, Im talking about the fact that I need a way to capture enemy units. I wont forgive myself if the same happens another time. And the perfect way for me to not forget again about capturing enemy units is to leave the capturing to another! No, seriously! I can make a new stitched template, and modify the AI so that it captures every unit within range. Its the perfect plan! What could possibly go wrong by relying on my (for now) most intelligent units! I create a new stitched subtemplate called Braindead Kidnapper. It is also going to have the Intelligent passive trait because I need to give it two new instructions. Then, I open the AI screen and add the follow x unit and capture close units actions. But I dont want it to bump into me all the time, I will never make this mistake, so I make it follow the closest allied unit instead of me. Oh, and I also make the stitched unable to enter combat by not connecting any other node to the enter combat node. This way, it will survive for more time and capture more units. Or at least I hope it will help keep it alive. Its a shame I cant add a third action box to the AI to make it follow me in the same way as the others The stitched only has 2 INT even with the skill that increases the stat. With the new subtemplate created, I move one stitched from the Follower to the Kidnapper template. Now I have finished the changes needed for the units that will follow me, and I now have a sure-fire way to capture units! Youll see, Ricard! Ill soon make you eat your own words! Hahaha! I say while laughing. Now to spend yesterdays rewards! First, I must upgrade the Champion, because I really need another spell that can actually kill enemies. I open my Champions screen and look for the Level up button. Since my player level is 1, I can only upgrade units up to level 2. The level cap includes Champions. Player level is shared by all my dungeons, and the XP to raise it can only be obtained through Dungeon Invasions, Dungeon Battles, or by having players invade your dungeon. And you cant control the last one. To upgrade a unit to level 2, you need 10 cp. Then the cost increases by 10 cp each level, and 5 cp extra for each previous upgrade. This means 25 cp for level 3, 45 cp for level 4, 70 cp for level 5, etc. And for each level, a unit gains 10% increase to the base stats and 1 skill point. Well, lets start! I spend 10 cp and upgrade my Champion, Mad Rat, to level 2. Now I have a skill point to spend! What I''m looking for is a single-target cheap spell, something that I can use to damage and kill enemies. And it would be better if it has a side effect that can help my stitched in one way or another, because they are too weak and slow right now. I immediately start looking through the active skills. I find a few that are promising but dont fit what I want, like Fireball. Finally, I find one that fits exactly what Im looking for.
Cold Blast (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) ice damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance that the enemy is encased by ice, making it unable to move for 3 seconds.
Yep! Thats it! I say. With this spell I can finally kill something! And it also has a chance to immobilize the enemy, which can help the stitched reach the enemy when the enemy stays at range. And the chance to immobilize is increased to 20% thanks to my Maniac passive! Arent you happy now, my ugly babies? You will now have a slight chance to reach the enemies before you die! or before I do... Because the chase with those farmers would have lasted for all eternity... I say while grabbing a stitcheds head and looking at its face. Uuugh Gross! Gotta wash my hands now! These are my stats and skills after the level up. Without the Champions buff, of course. It displays the base stats in parenthesis. It must be because there are passives and other stuff that can increase the units basic stats, the 10% per level must be applied on those too, and this way the player can better see and calculate the differences.
Mad Rat (Lv 2)
HP 242 (220) STA 16 (15) SOU 18 (17)
EP 198 (180) MP 242 (220)
STR 18 (17) CON 18 (17) AGI 20 (19)
SPI 24 (22) WIL 20 (19) DEX 22 (20)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Cold Blast Shared Voltage Mana Attuned (Innate) Maniac
I still have 108 cp left. I am going to create more stitched with the remaining points. This will leave me with 8 cp. Its fun that I can create exactly the same amount as the ones I took for the dungeon invasion, so now the dungeon will again have 20 Stitched! I quickly put them into the Reanimation machine''s creation queue. Which forces me to wait for a while as stitched start popping from the machine. I never thought I would say this in my entire life, but I am running out of corpses! I must get some more! Only 8 corpses left! Luckily, Im going to get more in a while. The newly created stitched are bumping into things in the laboratory, so I assign them to the corresponding templates. There are five squads of four stitched each again! Nice! Mommy is gonna leave for a while, ok? Defend the dungeon with your lives, ok, you stupid and ugly monstrous babies? I open the invasion menu and look for another easy dungeon, setting the players level to 1. What faction am I going to pick today? I dont want to repeat humans, so maybe elves? It will give me a chance to get some half-brother materials. Hahaha! I laugh at my own stupid joke. Yes, lets go with elves this time! I quickly set the faction to the Sylvan, the name of the elvish faction. I can see a lot of dungeons with how to call it original names? We are the best, ElvesRule2, Adgperetpr, ComeAndDye... The last one doesnt even know how to write properly! And the one before? Isnt it just some random letters? I am astounded at how stupid humans can be Who would ever want to enter those dungeons? I avoided all those dungeons with strange and stupid names and picked one that had a normal name. Here I come, Willowcreek forest! I soon find myself surrounded by trees. They are huuge! Ive never seen trees this big before! Well, not in person. Ive seen secuoyas and similar stuff in photos. Some of these trees are more than 20 meters wide! And I cant even see where their trunks end when looking up. Elves, living in a forest with huge trees. Add to it some bows and hate towards dwarfs, and they check all the typical fantasy tropes. Just after saying this, *Swish!* an arrow flies towards me and I take some damage. Here they are, the bows! I jump while exclaiming, full of joy. Will there also be dwarfs later on? *Swish! Swish!* Two more arrows fly towards us. One hits me again and the other hits one of the stitched. From the angle, one of the two shooters must be in one of the trees. The other is at ground level. I decide to go for the easier one and quickly run towards the direction where the arrow came from. The stitched follow me from behind. There you are! I can see you now! I say. Meanwhile, four more arrows have hit us. One of the stitched has taken more than half HP as damage. As I get closer, the elf tries to run away. No, you wont! I say at the same time as I cast my new spell: Cold Blast. The spell hits, and the elf is momentarily stopped. A small ice sheet can be seen surrounding the elfs joints. The immobilization triggered on the first try, nice! Thanks to the immobilization, the stitched reach the elf before it can start running again. And they beat the elf to a pulp in a short time. During this time, Im trying to find the location of the other archer. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. *Swish!* Another arrow hits me. Ive got you now! Thanks to this arrow, Ive seen where the elf is hiding. He is on top of a tree branch, so the stitched wont be able to reach it. I cast another Cold Blast and it hits the elf, at the same time the elf shoots at me. But the difference in stats makes the exchange extremely unbalanced. His health was reduced by almost half while I took an insignificant amount of damage. After two more of those exchanges, the elf falls to the floor, dead. Fiuu! I exhale, relieved. The combat is finished. If this proves one thing, it is that tactics and placement trump pure stats. Those are the basic elvish units: elvish Scouts. And in a 2vs6, including me as a Champion, they almost got one stitched and I lost 1/4 of my health. Yes, most of the damage came from myself thanks to the Maniac passive, but still Well, lets continue this dungeon invasion! I encounter two more of such elf pairs. But this time the damage to me and my stitched is less, because I learned my lesson and started using the trees as cover. As I continue to move forward, I finally encounter a real ambush. Multiple arrows are launched at the same time towards us. Ambush! I shout. Though It doesnt change how the stitched behave in the slightest. The arrows come from all directions and I cant effectively use the trees as cover. After the first arrow shower, five elves with daggers rush in our direction. They were hiding behind the trees. I try to move behind the closest tree to assess the situation, but one of the five elves intercepts us and I have no other option than to attack with the staff until it dies. By the time I hide behind the tree, one of the stitched has already been killed by the arrows. Shit! I cant get the xp bonus now! Luckily, it isnt the Kidnapper one. I cant hold back anymore. Unless I want to risk getting killed by some weak mobs. I pop my head from behind the tree and see that the four remaining elves with daggers are standing in the middle of the ambush scene. If I can make the stitched engage them, they will keep them busy, and I can go look for the archers meanwhile. Ok, lets go! I start moving towards the group of four dagger-wielding elves, until the stitched initiate combat, and then I stop. I receive most of the arrows since Im in front. I then search for the closest archer. Its only a few meters away, so I immediately cast a Cold Blast and the elf takes a considerable amount of damage. It turns towards me, Im now his target. Then we exchange two arrows and spells, and the elf is dead. One less! I say. I run in the direction of the second archer. I cast another Cold Blast. This time Im lucky, and after taking the damage the elf is partially encased in ice. It cant properly hold into the branch he is standing on, and falls to the ground. I need to save MP for the rest of the elves. I say to myself. Then, I run to the immobilized elf and attack it twice with the staff. It is now dead. Another one! Meanwhile, the stitched are fighting the four elves with daggers and being shot by arrows at the same time. I see that two of them are dead and only two stitched remain. Shit! I didnt think about this properly! I wanted to avoid casting Chain Lightning if possible, but I have no other choice now. You will regret killing my gross babies! I shout while casting Chain Lightning. They are the basic elf units, and I have very high stats, so all four elves are left with 1 hp and stunned. I see that the Kidnapper, still alive, starts to capture one of them. I immediately hide behind a tree because now, the three remaining archers are targeting me. I got their aggro when dealing so much damage with a single skill. The problem is that the stitched have no way to climb trees nor ranged attacks, and I used almost all my MP. I only have enough to cast three more Cold Blasts. Also, after casting so many spells and receiving so many arrows, I only have 128 HP remaining. Its about 1/4 of my maximum HP. And my MP is recharging slower than before, because my SOU isnt full. I know that the game uses the Soul and Stamina stats to make the experience more realistic and avoid players going at full force all the time But it really is hurting me right now! I pop my face from behind the tree and immediately go back into hiding. *Swish! Swish! Swish!* I see three arrows pass through where an instant before was my head. Now! I quickly leave the tree behind and cast a Cold Blast towards one of the archers. I keep running without stopping, and then cast another one towards the same archer. It is encased in ice and falls down, and I take this chance to strike it with the staff and finish it. Two remaining. I turn around and glare at one of the archers. Its your turn next! With my last remaining MP I cast another Cold Blast. This time Im really lucky, and the elf is encased in ice again, falling to the ground, and meeting its end by courtesy of my staff. I wait for my MP to recover while hiding behind a tree again. I do so until I have 54 MP, the amount needed to cast Cold Blast three times: the amount of times needed to make sure the last elf is dead. I don''t forget about the MP reduction thanks to my passive. Going for the last one! I run towards the last elf and start an exchange of spells and arrows. The elf dies at the third strike. I didnt get lucky this time. Wow! This was very close! That ambush wasnt easy. I say while dropping myself to the ground. I take a look at my status.
Mad Rat (Lv 2)
HP 63/484 STA 21/32 SOU 11/36
EP 46/396 MP 3/484
Hah! I laugh. Im pooped. And my status confirms it. Im going to rest for a while. There are currently only two stitched alive. The Kidnapper and one of the Followers. I stand up after two minutes of resting. Ok, Im at full MP now, and I have about 1/4 of the maximum HP remaining. I can continue as long as I dont take too many risks. I take a look again at my status window and notice that the SOU stat has almost reached 0.
Mad Rat (Lv 2)
HP 130/484 STA 15/32 SOU 3/36
EP 396/396 MP 484/484
Hahaha! This was really close! Im close to dying because of MP overuse! SOU and STA are consumed to regenerate EP and MP respectively, and you die if one reaches 0, even if you have HP remaining. Thats why experienced players dont waste EP or MP when theres no need. Im not an experienced player yet, but I know this from watching the videos! And because of Ricard drilling the info into my head Thats why I didnt want to use Chain Lightning against single opponents. After the short monologue, I start moving while being vigilant of my surroundings. I reach a small clearing. There, in the distance, I can see three elves. They wear mage clothes, so I assume they are High Elves, the same unit as I am. And protected by the three mages, I can see the dungeon core. So now its casters, huh? The only way I can win this is by attacking at melee range. In a spellcasting contest Im going to lose, because my MP is regenerating very slowly and my HP is very low. I move as close as possible towards the closest mage. I move through the forest so that they dont see us, until the mage enters the attack range of the stitched, and they start moving for the kill. Then I follow from a short distance behind. The three mages start casting at the same time. Then *Fwoosh!* three large balls of fire are launched at the same time towards the stitched. *Booom!* A fire explosion later, and the stitched are reduced to ashes. This was a triple Fireball spell. Rest in pieces, my poor babies! I was expecting something like this, so I let the stitched move in front as a meat shield. I pick up my pace and sprint towards the first mage. Then, I attack the elf with my staff until it is dead. The other two mages are casting smaller spells towards me. It seems they dont have enough mana for another big spell. Going towards the second mage, I cast Cold Blast on the way. It doesn''t get encased in ice, but when I reach it, it meets the same fate as its comrade. When Im about to reach the last mage, I remember something. I must capture at least one of them! High Elves have a very good innate passive! To make sure I stun it when I cast the spell, I first hit the mage twice with the staff and only then cast Chain Lightning. The elf is stunned now, so I start the capturing process. Few! I exhale as I swipe my nonexistent sweat from my furry forehead. I managed to capture one! Yes! Finally a good body that I can use for the creation of a Hybrid! I celebrate while jumping around, my arms raised towards the sky. By the way, I ended up with only 34 HP. After a few minutes, I decide its enough, and stop fooling around. I reach for the dungeon core and break it.
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
CP XP Resources
Dungeon completion (100 cp) Enemies killed (62 cp) Dungeon core destroyed (10 xp) More than 90% enemies killed (20 xp) 3 food 4 metal 15 corpses 3 Scout (capt.) 1 High Elf (capt.) 1 Butterfly (capt.) 1 Chameleon (capt.) 2 Giant Ant (capt.)
Current cp: 170 cp XP to next player level: 50/100
Warning!
You have obtained more than the 5 bodies you are allowed to bring back. Select which ones are the ones you want to keep before exiting the dungeon.
What the heck!? I exclaim. Where did the butterfly, chameleon and giant ants come from!? I didnt even see them! was the Kidnapper working overtime?
There are three types of units you can create: Mobs, the normal units; Bosses, special and stronger that pose a challenge to invaders; and Critters, non-combat units for decorating or adding dynamism to the dungeon. If you dont know why your dungeon feels so empty, its probably because you dont have enough Critters in it, and not because you need more Mobs, or even worse, more Bosses. Believe me, Critters are very cheap, spending a few points to buy them is worth it. And they liven up your dungeon. - Seventh point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ex Ch 1 - It’s alive! It’s alive! An underground room. It isnt very big, but cant be considered small either. There is little light, most of it coming from cylindrical glass containers full of mysterious bubbling liquids. The liquids glow in different intensities and colors. Most of them only contain liquid, but a few of them have humanoid figures inside. They must be elves, because they have long and pointed ears. Lots of cables and laboratory equipment are distributed randomly through the room. Every so often, lightning courses through some of the cables, temporarily illuminating its path. *Flash!* A slightly hunched figure can be seen in the middle of the room for a short instant, illuminated by the lightning streaks. *Flash! Flash!* The figure is manipulating something on top of a small operating table. With the lack of light, it is difficult to see anything. *Flash! Flash!* The lightning coursing through the cables becomes more frequent. But the figures back is hiding the operating tables contents. *Flash! Flash! Flash!* The figure has a humanoid shape, but its head isnt normal. It has two something on top of its head. They look like mouse ears, one of them partially destroyed. Fufufu! Hahaha! Im almost there! Only a little more, and it will be complete! A male voice can be heard in the room. It most likely comes from the slightly hunched figure. Now, start! The figure extends its hand towards a lever and pulls it. Then, a huge amount of lightning pours through the cables. All the lightning is coursing towards the operating table. During this time, the hunched figure can be clearly seen. It is an abomination. Something that shouldnt exist. It has a humans body, but with too wide arms that shouldnt belong to it. But the worst is the head. A rats head. And it is grotesquely stitched on top of its body. Furthermore, the rats head looks horrible. As if something terrible happened to it before being used as the head of this flesh monstrosity. Hahahahaha! FuFuFu! Hahahahaha! The monstrosity maniacally laughs while raising its disproportionated arms. It''s alive! Its ALIVE! It shouts. The lightning subsides a little while the camera turns and shows what is on top of the small operating table. On top, there is a butterfly. Its size is about five centimeters. The wings are a vibrant red, with a black contour. A very nice looking butterfly, especially compared to the monstrosity that just created it. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Now, lets go, my creation! Lets wreak havoc! Legions will succumb to your mighty power! Hahaha! The figure keeps laughing and moving its arms in an uncoordinated way. *Flash!* The butterfly starts flapping the wings. It slowly rises from the operating table. *Flash!* Then, it starts flying towards its creator. W-what are you doing!? S-s-stop right there! The butterfly keeps approaching the rat-man abomination. I-I order you to stop! Exclaims the figure while backing away. A mix of fear and dread can be seen in its face. *Flash!* The butterfly keeps moving forward. *Flash! Flash!* From the tips of the wings, the butterfly starts to disappear. It isnt turning invisible, it camouflages its color in a similar way as chameleons and octopuses do. *Flash!* The figure of the butterfly cannot be seen anymore. Only a small distortion caused by its flapping wings shows its current position. The rat-man frantically looks around. Aha! And runs towards the side of the room. There, another figure can be seen. *Flash! Flash!* Even more grotesque than the rat-man, this figure has limbs attached from several different humanoid races. Y-you! B-b-block its path! Delay it! I must make a strategic retreat! The rat-man grabs the new figure and puts it in front of the butterfly. Then, it leaves the room while running. *Flash!* The butterfly soon reaches the new humanoid figure. For some unknown reason, this new humanoid monstrosity stays completely still. When the butterfly reaches it, it sticks to its body and camouflages again. It is now impossible to distinguish. *Flash!* There is almost no lightning coursing through the cables now. A short time passes and the humanoid trembles. Then, it drops to the ground. Its eyes, devoid of life. *Flash!* A small movement can be seen on top of the humanoids dead flesh. From there, the butterfly rises and camouflages itself again. The small distortion can be seen exiting the room, following the rat-mans trail. The camera changes to display the rat-man, running through rocky tunnels. Youll never catch me! Says the running figure of the butterflys creator. Fufufu! Hahaha! Not only that! Ill force you to your inexistent knees with my next creation! Just wait and see! It says while running. Crazy laughing can be heard while the screen fades to black.
The Its alive! Its alive! video series would later turn into one of the most viewed series in Dungeon Masters Arena history. At the start, most watchers were players who wanted to prepare to invade The Mad Rats Lab. But later on, people were watching them for laughs.
Ch 8 - Bigger, trickier, deadlier Today''s afternoon Im going to upgrade the dungeon. But there are a few things I did yesterday, before leaving the game, that you dont know. The first is about the dungeon invasion rewards. I decided to take with me the body of the butterfly and the chameleon. I had a nice idea for a new monster, so I picked them. The other three bodies I picked were the High Elfs body, of course, and two of the elvish Scouts. Then I took a look at the Technology screen. In the technology screen, there are three technology trees: Units, Buildings and Decorations. As you can expect from the names, the Unit tree unlocks new unit types, the Buildings tree unlocks new buildings and infrastructure elements, and the Decorations tree unlocks new elements to add into the dungeon. They are called decorations but traps, hazardous terrain and such things are also included in this tree. In each tree, you can only see the details of the tech you can currently research. The only thing you know about the other techs is if there will be another tech unlocked after researching it or not. Obviously, the first tree I looked at is the Units tree. It had only two options to research: Creepy and Siamese.
Creepy
Research cost: 30 cp, 20 food. Research time: 30 min
A critter unit. This unit needs two critter bodies to be created. It inherits the aspect, innate skills and stats of one of the bodies, plus the innate skills of all of them. The cp cost and cp value of this unit is the same as the sum of all the units used to create it.
Siamese
Research cost: 300 cp, 100 food, 200 metal. Research time: 2h
This unit needs two humanoid bodies to be created, which are fusioned together into a single body. Each of the two bodies will count as a different unit, and keep the original stats and innate skills. Passive skills are shared by both of the halves. Only one AI will control the Siamese, but each half can act and attack on its own. When leveling the Siamese, both halves are leveled at the same time for the normal cost. The cp cost and cp value of this unit is the same as the sum of the two units used to create it.
I already knew about the Creepy one, but the Siamese was new for me. In fact, the reason I took the butterfly and chameleon bodies was for creating a Creepy. So I immediately started researching the Creepy while looking at the rest of the tech trees. The Siamese can be a very powerful unit, but I think its a waste to use good units to create them. Because the most powerful aspect of the siamese is the double skills per level up and the shared passives. Imagine giving one the Strength increase passive, and the other the Spirit passive you get two units that are good at both magic and physical attacks, and with extremely low cp cost. You can literally make an army of them that costs almost the same as the stitched but are more than twice as powerful! On the other side, the added stats for the Hybrids make them a very good elite unit. Twice the stats make the units more than twice as powerful, because of the increase on damage and reduced damage taken when the stats are higher than the opponent. In the Buildings tree, there were a lot more technologies than in the Units tree. But the most important ones right now for the dungeon were the Corpse cart and the Collectionist techs. Oh, and the Small operation table! I almost forgot about this one.
Corpse cart
Research cost: 50 cp, 10 food, 10 metal. Research time: none
Increase the amount of corpses you can bring from Dungeon Invasions. From the current maximum of 20 to a maximum of 40 corpses. This tech can be repeatedly researched and the cost will increase each time.
Collectionist
Research cost: 50 cp, 10 food, 10 metal. Research time: none
Increase the amount of bodies you can bring from Dungeon Invasions. From the current maximum of 5 to a maximum of 10 bodies. This tech can be repeatedly researched and the cost will increase each time.
Small operation table
Research cost: 20 cp, 20 metal. Research time: 5 min
Unlocks a smaller version of the normal Operation table. In the Small operation table, you can create units that are smaller than humanoids.
I REALLY wanted to get the Collectionist one, but my purpose this time was to get the Small operation table. Without it, I wouldnt be able to create the Creepy. So I researched the small operation table too. Two days of passive income from the Mine and Farm were enough to pay for both the Creepy and Small operation table. Then I spent 20 cp to build the Small operation table. It is very cheap because its mostly for the creation of non-combat units like the Creepy. With everything added, 70 cp went away. I also took a look at the Decorations tree, not expecting to get any tech from there, but found a nice one that only cost me 20 food to research. It was called Mushrooms. This unlocked the possibility to use basic and small mushrooms during the dungeon creation. It also unlocked three new technologies called: Glowing mushrooms, Giant mushrooms and Poisonous mushrooms. And I already have plans for the three of those new mushroom types in the future. The last thing I did yesterday was the creation of the first Creepy! Since the critters are very cheap in this game, the sum of the cp cost from the butterfly and chameleon was only 2 cp. But I didnt simply create a Creepy... I also upgraded it to level 2 and added a very special skill to it. I took the idea from some of the videos Ive seen, where players add passive or triggered skills to critters. The funniest one was a sheep with a sleeping aura when the enemy Champion fell asleep, the surrounding mobs attacked and killed it. Hahaha! Critters arent supposed to be used in combat. They have very low stats, start with no skill points, and the basic AI doesnt include any Combat state. You can still level them, but the stat increase is negligible But! If you give them skills that dont need the critter to enter combat You can obtain very nasty combinations! So what I did was use the butterfly as the base for the Creepy, and then add the chameleons innate skill. The butterflys basic AI makes it fly towards a random surface, stay there for some time, and move towards the next surface. It basically tries to imitate what real butterflies do. Then I added the node called move towards X to the AI and reconnect the nodes. I set the X, of course, to the closest enemy. Then I saved the butterflys template name as Death Butterfly. And these are the two skills that the butterfly has.
Optic Camouflage (Innate passive skill)
Change the surface color to imitate the surroundings, making you very difficult to spot.
Decaying Touch (Triggered skill)
After touching an enemy unit for more than 2 seconds, reduce its current HP by 2 each second.
You can more or less imagine the rest, right? The butterfly flies towards the enemy, lands on top of them, and deals a stupid amout of damage simply by staying still. Everyone wins! Hahaha! Well, except the victim! Hahaha! I start laughing. I cant stop myself, after imagining the other players trying to find why their HP is getting lower all the time only to find after death that a camouflaged butterfly killed them! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Oh, and I also filmed a small video of myself acting crazy and faking to create the butterfly, then running away from it. I had to enable friendly fire to be able to do the filming. Im going to edit it later, and share it for everyone to see. The videos title is going to be Its alive! Its alive! And this finishes yesterdays explanation! Returning to the present Today, I talked with Ricard about the unexpected critter bodies I got as rewards, and we both agreed that the Kidnapper must have been capturing critters that were unlucky to get close enough for my Chain Lightning to hit them. So I decided Im going to keep using the Kidnapper for a veeeery long time. It brings me a lot of happiness to finally see a Stitched doing better than what I expected! Instead of worse, as everything until now I say, remembering the mass of flesh and limbs. I shudder. There''s been two players that invaded my dungeon since yesterday. My first two customers! I say while making a fist pose. They stomped my dungeon, not a single of their support units died. Its a shame, because you get better rewards the more invaders you kill. But I got 20 cp and 1 xp for each invasion, so its something good! One of the invaders even left a comment: The dungeon style isnt bad, but the dungeon is too easy. Yes, I already know! This is why today is a dungeon improvement day! Right now, I have 128 cp. The first thing Im going to do is improve the dungeon mobs. Aka: the Stitched. But simply adding more of them isnt really going to make too much of a difference, so I instead decide to upgrade a few of them. I have five squads, so what Im going to do is upgrade the Braindead Leaders into level 2. With five level 2 units, the dungeon is going to be a lot harder. I also add the active skill Toxic Spit with the skill point they got for reaching level 2.
Toxic Spit (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * STR) poison damage to a single enemy.
With this skill, the Leaders will have a ranged attack. I hope that by including a ranged attack they will turn a lot more dangerous. At least, the enemies will take some damage even if they stay at range. Unlike what happens now. They are so slow that they can be kited indefinitely.
Braindead Leader (Lv 2)
HP 66 (60) STA 5 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 55 (50) MP 33 (30)
STR 5 (5) CON 7 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 1 COM 1
Skills
Active: Toxic Spit Passive: Commander
These are the Braindead Leaders current stats, huh? As I was expecting, neither the Intelligence nor the Command/Communicate increase with level ups. I already knew about the Speed not increasing, because I leveled up my Champion and the Speed didnt increase either. The upgrades cost a total of 50 cp, leaving me with 78 cp. Now to the next element to improve my dungeon: Traps! Currently, I have only one trap available. I can research more through the technology trees, but I dont have the luxury to spend resources to unlock them yet. The trap I can use is Falling corpse.
Falling corpse (Trap)
Cost: 10 cp, 1 corpse
When an enemy passes under the trap, a corpse falls and deals 30 damage. This damage cannot be reduced. Only triggered once for each dungeon invasion.
Sooo yes. A falling corpse. Literally. Im not sure if the enemies are going to die from the damage, but at least their sanity is going to take a hit for sure. An interesting fact is that the damage from traps cannot be reduced or prevented with skills. If the trap hits you, you take damage. Thats it. This way the players cant simply ignore them by putting a tank unit in front or something similar. Instead, almost all traps can be spotted, avoided or deactivated, rewarding players that properly pay attention to the dungeon. I dont want to spend too much on the traps, so Im going to buy only three, for 30 cp and 3 corpses. This is going to leave 48 cp for upgrading the dungeon rooms and decorations, which is more than enough for now. Now the dungeon layout changes. I start the dungeon renovation by adding a small rocky passage between the Cave room and the dungeon entrance portal. I make it straight while keeping it as natural-looking as possible. Now, from the entrance the players can see the cave at the end of the tunnel. I also put one of the Falling corpse traps here, just before the cave opening. The first enemy, when about to reach the cave, will have a corpse fall on top. Hahaha! A very nice way to start a dungeon invasion! At least for me, hehehe! Then, I add several more tunnel entrances to the cave. Instead of being like before, where there was a single entrance to the tunnels zone, now there are four of them distributed through the cave. I also add a fifth tunnel, but this one leads to a small rock cavern with only one entrance. This cavern is a resting place where none of my units will appear. And I add the second trap here. I set the trigger of the trap to only when an enemy exits the room. Aha! You dared to take a rest in MY dungeon!? Have a corpse fall on top of you as you exit the resting room! Returning to the tunnels, I now have enough cp to add the underground river that I wanted before. I make some of the tunnels partially inundated, and it is possible for the units to fall into the river. If they fall inside the river, the river current will move them in the direction of the big cave, where the river ends in a lake. Ive turned a part of the big cavern into an underground lake for this reason. I also added lots of mushrooms in the areas closest to the water. I keep the laboratory in the same way as before except for the last trap, which I put just in front of the dungeon core. You wanted to destroy my dungeon core? Take a corpse to your face! I dont think this trap will accomplish anything except making people angry. But I want the invaders to not underestimate my dungeon. For the mob distribution, I only need to set the butterfly into one of the rooms, so I put it into the Cave room. This way, the butterfly has a higher chance to find a victim, because all invaders must walk through the big cave. I create a solitary and inaccessible room, where I put the Followers and the Kidnapper. They dont have skills for defending the dungeon, the AI needs me close for working properly, and I prefer that they dont wander around. Otherwise, players can rate the dungeon worse because a few of the stitched are doing weird things. The only requirement in a dungeon is that theres a path between the entrance and the dungeon core. If you like doing so, you can create as many inaccessible areas as you want. I end spending all of the cp that I had into improving the dungeon. But I dont regret it. I dont add or remove any Rooms, only expand the Tunnels room to encompass all the new tunnels and the underground river. I have three plans for the future: add more Death Butterflies, upgrade the Braindead Mob to level 2, and add a few more Falling corpse traps. Well, and finally create my first Hybrid So lets make it four! I have four plans for the future! Oh, oh! And research the Collectionist tech! So this makes it five plans And then also I keep adding more and more plans for a while, before leaving the game. The list is currently veeeery long.
You MUST take a close look at your HP all the time. Seriously! It is VERY important because of the f*****g butterflies! If your HP starts to decrease and you cant see enemies that are attacking you, you probably have a Death Butterfly attached! Immediately activate some damaging aura, or blast yourself with an AoE skill. Im not joking here! The little bugs are deadly, and one of the worst nightmares in this DAMNED dungeon! You dont want to believe me? Then youll find yourself dead. And its going to be soon. - Extract from the Chapter Important things to look out for from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Glossary 1 - First Dungeon The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 2 (Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast. Triggered: Shared Voltage. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Maniac. Dungeon Areas Cave - Right next to the entrance. Looks like a natural cave. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader, Death Butterfly. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Cave and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader. Traps: Falling Corpse. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core. Monsters: none. Traps: Falling Corpse. Monsters Braindead Mob - Lv 1(Stitched) Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. DeathButterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Traps Falling corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Support Mobs (not in the dungeon) Braindead Follower - Lv 1 (Stitched) Passive: Intelligent. Braindead Kidnapper - Lv 1 (Stitched) Passive: Intelligent. Ch 9 - An unlucky explorer This chapter has a different POV. Today Im going to dive into another dungeon. And I am going to dive into this dungeon called The Mad Rats Lab. I dont really care for the name, but its the first time I see a Flesh Monstrosity dungeon, so I want to see what style this faction has. Both in dungeon building and in the kind of units and traps they use. This dungeon is from a level one player, and I am now level two, so a lower level dungeon cant pose any problem to me. Im going to stomp this dungeon! Im bringing one orc Hunter equipped with a battleaxe and two Goblins equipped with bows. The Hunter is level three and the goblins are level two. And me? Im using an orc Warrior as Champion, level three. With more than 600 HP and over 60 Strength thanks to the Champions buff, nothing can stop me! Bwahaha! The first thing I see after entering the dungeon is a rocky tunnel that leads to a huge cave. So an underground dungeon, huh? Not so different from dwarves Though dwarves use clearly excavated tunnels and this one looks natural. Well, lets move! I start walking, and just before reaching the cave, *Plof!* something falls on top of me and I take some damage. Whats this?! Isnt it a corpse? Uhh gross! Im not worried about the damage, because we orcs have an amazing innate skill called Bloodlust. Having low HP is a boost for us.
Bloodlust (Innate triggered skill)
If you have less than 50% HP, increase your attack speed by 20% and the basic attack damage by 30%.
Now in the big cave, I see a few figures walking around. They move in small groups of four. We are going to have some action, guys. Lets go! I start running towards the closest group. In the way, one of them spits something towards me. I look at the battle log and see that Ive taken poison damage. So you guys can spit poison. Nothing to worry about. Two more seconds and we clash at melee range. I attack first and I missed my attack!? Whats happening? Its like something is making it harder for me to look in the enemys direction!! The enemy is very disgusting. A humanoid with parts of other humanoids stitched together. But it cant be its looks that makes me miss my attacks Something else must be happening. But I dont know what. With my next attack, I reduce the enemy to less than half HP. With the second hit, it dies. Hah, they are so weak! I say. Then I proceed to smash the rest of the enemies with the assistance of the orc Hunter. When I turn around, I see that the two goblins are engaged with another of those monstrous squads. Theyre outnumbered, so they are not doing very well. So this is why I didnt see arrows fly our way. The goblins werent shooting because they were engaged in melee combat. I return to the goblins and start smashing the enemies, the other orc following close behind. In a split second, the new enemies are dead too. They managed to reduce the HP of the goblins to less than half, huh Was it a coordinated attack, or was it just bad luck and they roamed close enough to engage the goblins in combat? Well, I dont know. Lets continue. We swiftly kill the third and last remaining enemy squad in the cave. Now I can see that there are several tunnel entrances in the cave. One of them must lead to the dungeon core. I dont know anything about this dungeon, so I can only choose one randomly. There are lots of junctions with other tunnels And after a while I dont know where Im going anymore. I continue moving forward, until I reach a big cave. Fuck! Its the same cave as before! I returned to the exact same spot! I can see the gross corpses of the enemies we killed before. Well, lets try better luck with another tunnel. I enter another tunnel. This one is straight, and leads to a small cave. The cave doesnt have any exit other than the tunnel we used to get here. I dont know, I feel like something bad is going to happen if I stay here. It looks too suspicious. Too devoid of everything. Lets go back. When going back *Plof!* another corpse falls, this time on top of a goblin, and kills it. Shit! We didnt enter the room, so the goblins that were moving behind me all the time, were moving in front of me now! Something is wrong. Am I really that unlucky? It isnt possible, isnt it? Then, is the player who designed this dungeon an evil mastermind? Otherwise, how could it possibly predict that this second trap would hit the weak units that usually go behind the strong ones? And the pincer attack from before. I tried to make it in my dungeon and its really difficult to set the AI to do it. I couldnt manage to make it work. How did the owner of this dungeon manage to make it work with units that only have 1 INT and 0-1 COM? I inspected them after being killed and they are way too stupid for coordinated attacks Or they should be Oh, thanks to inspecting them I now understand what happened with the attacks that I missed. Its because of a skill called Too gross to look at. It is a dreadful skill against melee attackers like me. But they are so weak that the skill is mostly useless. I decide to start moving slower, and pay attention to the surroundings, trying to spot any trap we might encounter. After returning to the cave, I choose another one of the tunnels to continue the exploration. Again, there are multiple junctions with other tunnels. But this time Im moving slower and memorizing the path to not get lost again. Some of the tunnels are partially inundated. I decide to avoid those for now, just in case something is lurking under the water. Am I paranoid? I dont think so. Better safe than sorry after what Ive already seen from this dungeon. Im sure this is the first time I pass through this tunnel. So Im actually making some progress. It has a narrow elevated passage next to an underground river. The water current looks strong, better to not fall there. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Just now we are in the middle of the elevated passage. From the front, another group of those stitched monstrosities comes toward us. This is clearly designed in the worst possible way. This is the only tunnel Ive found that has this small amount of space to fight. And we didnt encounter a single enemy until now. Too suspicious! It could also be because of bad luck but, come on! How unlucky can one get? This is clearly designed to happen this way! I start fighting with the enemies. The passage is too narrow to fight side by side with the other orc, so only I am in melee range. The goblin, again, doesn''t shoot arrows this way. So I look back and see that the enemies are doing another pincer attack! No way! Why did it have to be now!? I cant allow the last goblin to die, or I wont have anything to attack at range. So I try to move to block the enemies coming from the back. Theres no problem with the orc, because its idle right now. So I swap positions with it and he starts fighting with the enemies that came from the front. Then I try to pass next to the goblin, but one of the enemies spits at me just at that moment. The spit distracts me for just an instant, but in that instant I don''t look where my feet are going and step outside the narrow passage. Fuck! Aaaah! I cry as I fall towards the river. Then *Splash!* I fall into the river. I try to swim against the current, but it is too strong. When I reach the shore, Im in the big cave again. Fuck! Im sure that the orc and remaining goblin are going to die, alone versus so many enemies! Dont tell me that the pincer attack was a strategy to force me to fall into the river and then take advantage of my forces being away from me to kill them What a nasty strategy! The only thing I can do is return to that tunnel and try to save them if they are still alive. I start running through the tunnels. I more or less remember the turns I took to reach that place. When I finally reach the tunnel with the elevated and narrow passage, its already too late. Theres only corpses. I can see the corpse of both the goblin and orc. Shit! I was too late! There are also five corpses from the disgusting enemies. The orc must have been the one to kill them. Who was the one saying this dungeon was going to be easy? That we were going to pass through it without troubles!? Oh, yeah. It was me. I am getting a little crazy right now. How can a stupid dungeon from a stupid level one player be this tricky? I exhale, trying to calm myself. Aaahh, nothing I can do anymore about what has already happened. I alone should suffice to finish the dungeon without any trouble. Before continuing the invasion, I take a look at my status. Hmmm? Why is my HP so low? And why does it keep getting lower!? Im not poisoned, I dont see the poisoned status. What the hell is going on!? Why is my HP continuously getting lower!? Is it something in this room? Or was the water from the river? Can someone explain to me why this is happening!? In the battle log the only thing that says is that Your HP has been reduced by 2, and more those messages keep popping every second. I cant waste more time! At this rate Im going to die soon! I start running through the tunnels, trying to reach the dungeon end before Im dead. I encounter the remains of one of the two squads that attacked us at the narrow passage. But I cant stop here, my remaining time is limited. What a shame that I must run from those weak enemies. Running from enemies that I can kill with one or two basic attacks! I never thought I would have to suffer such a shame My orc pride! Where is my orc pride now!? I can finally see a change in the tunnels. Now there are parts that are clearly excavated and the rock is even. Am I reaching the dungeon end? But I dont have time to think about it, Im almost out of time. I enter a zone that looks like a laboratory. There are strange machines everywhere. But the most important thing is that at the center of the laboratory I can see the dungeon core. Finally, some luck! I can reach and destroy it before the remaining 20 HP I have disappears! I almost start jumping in joy, but stop myself before its too late. I dont want to die here. So I move towards the dungeon core. There are no enemies in the room How strange. The usual is to have the dungeon core protected by the most powerful units in the dungeon. Well, better for me. It seems all the bad luck until now is finally turning into equally good luck. I walk towards the dungeon core in high tension, looking for hidden enemies. Then I reach the place where it is and extend my hand to crush it. Just then, *Plof!* something falls on top of me.
You have died!
Dungeon Invasion Failed!
Rewards Obtained
...
Wait! Whaaaaaaat!? What the hell was that!? I''m a phantasmal version of myself right now. I can see my corpse under my feet. Next to my corpse theres another corpse? Did a fucking trap kill me!? Because its the same trap as before, right? What the hell is going oooon? Was everything a highly convoluted trap!? How good the dungeons owner must be to predict my actions from the beginning? Otherwise, how could the player predict that I would reach this room with so little health and on a time limit! And its evident that the room devoid of enemies is like this so that the invader relaxes and lowers its attention! Because otherwise nobody would fall for this trap, you only need to step to the side to avoid it! I couldnt do anything! ANYTHING! From the start everything was planned to make me die in this stupid falling corpse trap! I shudder at how dangerous this dungeon is going to get when it is further improved I must warn other players about this dungeon! Otherwise, their pride, and more importantly, their sanity, is going to take a huge hit! The Mad Rats Lab... what a dreadful dungeon this is
This is the story of the first victim of The Mad Rats Lab. Later, some more victims appeared and complained together in the forums. They concluded that the player who designed the dungeon must be a real evil mastermind, trying to drive the other players mad. Their reasoning? Because the dungeon was too difficult and with too many unexpected things. It slowly turned into a situation where the players were delving into The Mad Rats Lab and competing for who would clear the dungeon, or simply to see who fell into less traps and evil machinations. Those who conquered the dungeon and posted the replays were hailed as heroes and revered by the rest of players. This was the beginning of the legend about the Mad Rat and The Mad Rats Lab, and the impossible difficulty of the dungeon. But this is a story for the future.
Ch 10 - Should have paid attention Hello everyone! Did you miss me? I raise my arms and shout inside the dungeon. But I dont get any response whatsoever. Today is Thursday, so its been two days since I last played DMA. I was worried if the stitched were crying because they missed me, but it seems everything is alright. First of all, lets check the dungeons current status. I open the notifications and see that there have been two more invasions. Oh! I managed to defeat one of the invaders! In total I received 140 cp and 11 xp! The player who died in the dungeon also left a public review: This dungeon is crazy dangerous! Be ready to feel like you are useless if you dare invade it! Hmm What? Dangerous? Do you know you are the only one who has ever died in the dungeon so far? Not even other players mobs have died yet In fact, the rest of the players stomped the dungeon and the stitched couldnt even scare them. What the hell is that player talking about? Maybe he was incredibly unlucky and thinks that everything that happened was planned? Nah, its impossible to be so unlucky. I consider the review as a noob players crazy ramblings and forget about it. I got four extra corpses from that players invasion. It seems I can get corpses when I get invaded, and bodies too, if I manage to capture them. But since the Champions cant be captured, only the support mobs can be captured, Im going to forget about it for now. With the four corpses from the failed invasion, the Corpse warehouse is almost filled, with 24/30. Just in case, Im going to build another Corpse warehouse. As the (made-up) saying goes: you never know when you are going to need a lot of corpses. So I spend 100 cp to build another Corpse warehouse. Now the capacity is at 24/60. I dont think Im going to fill the new one any time soon. Today Im going to try my luck with another dungeon invasion. But this time I have a plan. Im going to invade a level 2 players dungeon, specifically one from the Stone Lords faction: the dwarves. My objective is to obtain bodies from their race. Dwarves are very tough, they compete for the highest HP, CON and WIL stats from all humanoid races. But the thing that makes them stupidly sturdy is the innate passive they have: Stoneskin.
Stoneskin (Innate passive skill)
Reduce all damage received by 15%.
Its almost the only damage reduction skill in the game that doesn''t need the attack to be from a certain type. It reduces ALL damage from ALL skills and basic attacks. Only skills that dont deal damage and instead reduce the HP directly arent affected. Like the Death Butterflys Decaying Touch. If I can get a few of their bodies, I am finally going to be able to create the first Hybrids. And they will have this damage reduction passive. Dont you think its a good plan? Well, I do, and I dont care about anybody elses opinion. And the reason Im choosing a level 2 player dungeon is because I want to get a Runesmiths body if possible. Runesmith is a dwarf unit with very high Dexterity that costs 230 cp. I want to get at least one to use in the creation of a Hybrid, which is going to be the laboratory helper, and will operate the machines for me so that I dont need to stand still all the time when creating monsters. A level 1 dungeon is unlikely to get a 230 cp mob, so I have no other option than to try with a level 2. I already found one such dungeon: Kah-Damun Fortress. Everything is ready, so lets go! I say while starting the dungeon invasion. As expected, Im bringing the four Followers and one Kidnapper with me. The first thing I see is an underground tunnel. Oh, it feels like Im back home! But this one is clearly excavated. The floor is flat and the walls are straight. It is only wide enough for two humanoid units to fight side by side. Lets see how I fare in a higher player level dungeon. I dont think Ill be able to conquer it, but I can simply go back when I feel like doing so. When doing a dungeon invasion, the highest rewards you can get are when you conquer it. But there is also the option to return to the exit and abandon the invasion. If you do so, you still get rewards you deserve depending on how far you got. It is way better than getting killed, which gives you a very little amount of rewards. I start walking through the tunnel. Soon, I can hear the *Clink! Clink!* noise of picks striking rock. The sound must come from Miners, the dwarf basic unit. The sound comes from the end of the tunnel. And sure, when I exit the tunnel, I find myself in a wider cavern where five miners are striking the rock with picks. The dwarves notice us, and one of them shouts something. Must be the leader of the group. Then, the dwarf who shouted leaves the cavern through one of the tunnels. Or maybe not. Did it go to warn other units about the invasion? How smart! The four remaining miners approach us with their picks, ready for combat. They are slower than most units, but still faster than the stitched. Damn stitched! Do you have a single good point? If so, tell me! Because I cant find it! I complain as combat starts. I look for a while, trying to assess the difference in combat prowess between the stitched and miners. They are both basic units, so their combat ability should be similar, right? So why are you losing by this wide of a difference!? I complain. The stitched are taking a lot more damage than the miners do. At this rate, they are going to be defeated. So I join the fray and launch a Chain Lightning. After my intervention, the miners are quickly defeated while the Kidnapper manages to capture one of them. I came here to capture a few, so Im not worried about the need to save mana. Now, from the tunnel where that dwarf escaped, I can hear the clinging sound of metal armor and weapons. Hah! It did go and bring reinforcements! From the tunnel, the miner who ran away appears again, followed by five more dwarves. Two of them wield shields and spears. They look like real guards. but what worries me are the other three. The hell is that? Isnt it a cannon!? It looks like it was improvised and shouldnt be too powerful but still, its a fucking cannon!! Two dwarves are dragging a small cannon on top of a wheeled platform. And the last dwarf is operating the cannon. A Runesmith! The dwarf operating the cannon is a Runesmith! Im incredibly happy that I found a Runesmith. I must capture it right now! But all happiness fades away when I hear a loud and thunderous explosion followed by an impact that makes me fly until I reach the caverns wall. Ouch! I say at the same time as I raise from the ground. That single hit took 1/4 of my HP away! You fucker! The runesmith is already preparing to fire the cannon again. No you wont! The stitched are currently engaged in melee combat with the two dwarf guards and the miner. They are losing, but will be able to hold for a while. So I go for the ones near the cannon. When I get close enough, the dwarves leave the cannon and prepare to engage in melee combat. The three wield maces. I start by casting a Chain Lightning, and the two dwarves that were dragging the cannon are immediately reduced to 1 HP and stunned. But the same doesnt happen with the runesmith. It still has more than half HP remaining. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. You are really sturdy, huh? We start hitting each other with our weapons. Before he strikes me with the second attack, lightning courses through the runesmiths weapon. When it hits me with the mace, the lightning is transferred to me and a notification pops in front of me. You are stunned it says. Shit! I cant move! Im stunned! How ironic that I got stunned by an electric skill, the same thing Im doing all the time, and how I planned to capture the runesmith. The runesmith hits me a few more times for the three seconds Im stunned. In one of the attacks, it imbues the mace with fire and inflicts me with the burn status, which reduces my HP every second for 10 seconds. Ah! I can finally move! I immediately strike the runesmith with my staff a few times in revenge. After its HP falls below a quarter, I cast another Chain Lightning and it is left stunned on the ground. I immediately start the capturing process. But before I can finish, a mace strikes me on the back and interrupts the capturing process. What is it now? I turn around and see one of the cannon helpers attacking me. Wasnt it stunned? Oh, right! I was stunned for three seconds, so the dwarfs stun time must have run out! But now the runesmith awakens too from the stun and both attack me at the same time. Shit! I must use Chain Lightning again! And Ill be left with no MP after casting it! I complain while I cast the spell again. Both are stunned now, leaving me enough time to capture the runesmith. Yes! I got it! I say after the process is completed. I look around. The Kidnapper is capturing the cannon helper that I just stunned. I dont see the other cannon helper corpse, so it must have been captured too. Good job there! But the situation with the rest of the stitched isnt good. They have managed to kill one of the two dwarves with a shield and spear. But two stitched are dead, and the other two have less than a quarter HP remaining. I assist them from behind, with some staff attacks, and manage to save them on time. All dwarves are dead. Now the only remaining thing related to the dwarves in this cavern is the cannon. But I cant really use it for anything, nor can I bring it back to my dungeon. So theres nothing more I can do here. I decide to continue moving through the same tunnel where the dwarves came from. I dont know about the other tunnels, but there should be something in this one, because its where the reinforcements came from. Im very happy because I have already obtained what I came here for! I keep jumping and singing while walking. *Rumble* The ground starts to vibrate. Then, the ground erupts, exactly under the Kidnapper, which is walking next to me. A cloud of dust and stone fragments is generated and something appears from within. I can barely see what is happening because of the dust cloud, but this something starts rampaging and the Kidnapper takes damage. When the dust clears, I can see the corpse of the Kidnapper and a giant worm-like creature. Its about two meters long and 30 cm wide. Its covered by armor that looks like rock plates, and its huge mouth is still biting on the unlucky stitcheds corpse. Wow! This is a Tunneler, isnt it? Nice! I didnt expect to see one today, but I must capture it if possible! Tunnelers have a special innate skill that allows them to move through solid terrain and ambush enemies from unexpected places. A perfect addition to my dungeon if I manage to capture it! Though they arent especially strong compared to other non-basic units, their innate skill is invaluable! Even if I still cant create any kind of unit with the Tunneler, Im going to keep it in reserve for when I can. I strike it with the staff to see how much damage it takes. About 1/4 HP. I need to make sure to capture it, so I don''t want to accidentally kill it, nor want to waste too much MP with multiple Chain Lightning strikes. The tunneler strikes back and bites me. Im now restrained and cant get away plus Im taking damage every second while it keeps biting into me. You dare! I say while striking again with the staff one time, and then another one. I finish it with a Chain Lightning and immediately start capturing it. Oh, and I said it was giant, but its actually about the same size as a human. Its giant, but giant compared to real life worms. This means I can actually capture it because it can fit inside the Stasis chamber. Yeeees! Everything is going nice! I already got what I came here for and then an extra bonus with the Tunneler! The only bad thing is that the Kidnapper wasnt very lucky there and got killed. After walking some more through the tunnel, I hear more metallic noises. Here they come again! I can see four more dwarfs coming our way. They all wield shields and spears. We engage in combat and then I notice my mistake. Shit, in the tunnels they hold the advantage! The tunnels are only wide enough for two units side by side, but since they wield spears, they can use the extra range to attack from behind! Its as if my only two remaining stitched are fighting 2vs4! And I cant reach the enemies with the staff! So I do the only thing that I can do in this situation: cast spells from the back to turn this situation around. I start by casting Chain Lightning. But I only manage to reduce the health of them by about a third. Well, not even a third for the ones at the back because the spell deals reduced damage after each jump. This isnt good I need to remove at least two of them from the fight and turn it into a 2vs2 Otherwise the stitched are going to die soon. So I cast two Cold Blasts on one of the front dwarves and three Cold Blasts on the other one. Im not very lucky with the status effects and only one spell immobilizes one of the dwarves for a short time. Still, it buys the stitched some extra time before they get killed, so its a good thing. Now its the time! Its now or never! If it doesnt work, Im going to run away and escape this dungeon. Spending most of my remaining MP, I cast another Chain Lightning towards the dwarf with the lowest health. The lightning strikes the first dwarf, reducing it to 1 HP and leaving it stunned. Then, it jumps towards the other dwarf in the front line, taking more HP away than with the first strike of the spell, and leaving it stunned on the floor too. The damage on the last two dwarfs isnt as high but it still takes away a good HP chunk. How did the lightning deal more damage to the second target? Hmm Oh, yeah! The Shared Voltage skill! I completely forgot about it until now, because all enemies either were instantly reduced to 1 HP or had too much HP, but when a unit is reduced to 1 HP, the excess damage jumps to the closest enemy. This means that with the Chain Lightning skill, both the normal lightning jump damage and the Shared Voltage damage are added on the next victim! It is actually possible that each successive enemy hit takes more damage than the previous, instead of less! Though it would need an absurd amount of luck and planning for it to work like this Meanwhile, the stitched have already killed the stunned dwarves and are moving towards the last two dwarves. Lucky! Now Im sure I can finish them all with Cold Blasts and get some extra rewards before running away! I spend the remaining MP casting more Cold Blasts. I have enough to cast four of them, so I start casting again. But, when I cast the third Cold Blast, a message appears in front of me.
You have died!
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
CP XP Resources
Dungeon failed (30 cp) Enemies killed (1/4 penalty) (21 cp) More than 50% enemies killed (10 xp) 6 metal 8 corpses 1 Runesmith (capt.) 1 Tunneler (capt.) 3 Miner (capt.)
Current cp: 91 cp XP to next player level: 73/100
!?? I look around me in a phantasmal version of myself. But I dont see anything unusual. No sneaky assassin units, no unexpected trap, no dwarf squad with a cannon, not even ranged units behind the dwarves wielding shields and spears. So what the hell has happened? Why did I die? I take a look at the combat log to understand what happened And what I see makes me want to cry. It seems like I killed myself. with the Maniac passive I lower my head in shame. Well, at least I got what I came here to obtain: a few dwarves'' bodies and, especially, a Runesmith! Plus a Tunneler! But I got very little cp and xp for being killed It didnt end with the best result, but it didnt go so bad either. Still, Im imagining Ricard laughing at me and calling me noob for weeks if he ever finds out. Yep, this is going to be my best kept secret from now on.
Why arent there more players that play the Flesh Monstrosities? Isnt the answer evident? They are the ones with the worst starting conditions. You need so much extra work to get the dungeon working properly that no other faction can even compare. And whats worse, you must continue to invest large amounts of time to upgrade the dungeon, way more than any of the other factions. Nobody wants to spend so much time on a faction when they can simply use another faction and be done with all the problems. Theres a reason why there are no top ranked dungeons from the Flesh Monstrosities! - Interview with a player who started with the Flesh Monstrosities and switched to another faction.
Ch 11 - Trying the Dungeon Battles Todays the day! The day when Ill play my first Dungeon Battle! After yesterdays half-failed invasion, I decided to try my luck with Dungeon Battles. They say that the cp and xp rewards are quite good, and that you get decent rewards even if you die. Although thats the only thing you gain, because you cant get resources of any type in Dungeon Battles, not even the special resources from the faction. I look through the menu until I find the Dungeon Battle option. What I need right now is a cp boost, so at the same time as I try the Dungeon Battles, I should be able to get enough cp to achieve what I want. And what do I want right now? Enough cp to create the first Hybrid, and some more to improve the dungeon!
Dungeon Battle
In the dungeon battle, you fight with another player to see who destroys the other dungeon core first. Dying during a dungeon battle is counted as losing, even if the other player hasnt destroyed the dungeon core.
In dungeon battles you can only bring a limited amount of units, traps, etc. that is determined by the rules of the match, decided by the players before starting the match. It is called Cp budget.
There are three ways to play dungeon battles: Quick Match, Planned Match, and Challenge.
Theres a more detailed explanation. In the Quick Match, you choose the rules before the game matches you with another player. Basically, you pre-select everything needed for the Dungeon Battle and cant modify anything later, because the match starts immediately. Its the fastest battle type. In the Planned Match, you choose the rules before the matchmaking. After the matchmaking, you have some time to select everything needed for the Dungeon Battle. This means you can optimize your strategy depending on the enemy you have. And the Challenge is a match between you and another player. So no random matchmaking. It has the same rules as the Planned Match, but you are the one that sets who you are going to fight. After reading through the detailed explanation, I decide Im going to do the Quick Match. A part of the decision is that I dont want to waste time, but the biggest reason is this: I dont have enough unit variety to adapt to the enemy, so it wouldnt make any sense to choose the Planned Match mode. It would only put me at a disadvantage. Quick Match it is. Now I suppose Ill need to select the rules, and after that, the units Im using. As I say so, another screen appears in front of me, asking for what rules Im going to use. The lowest cp budget is 500 cp, and the next one is 1.000 cp. I dont think I have enough units and traps to fill the 1.000 cp, so Im going with the lowest budget. Then the screen changes and it starts asking for everything Im going to use. The first is the Champion. I only have one, so it got selected automatically. The budget has been reduced by 230 cp. Which is the cost of creating the Champion plus the cost to level up. Next to the Champion it now says Mad Rat. Next is the traps. Im going to use the three that I have. I say as I select the three of them. 240 cp budget remaining now. For the units, I select the only Death Butterfly, which costs 12 cp, leaving me with a 228 cp budget. Now only the stitched remain. Since the Leaders of each squad are upgraded, they cost 30 cp, and the rest cost 20 cp. A total of 90 cp per squad. I select two squads, leaving 48 cp. I spend the remaining cp adding an extra Braindead Mob to each squad, leaving only 8 cp unspent. The last step is selecting what dungeon parts Im going to use. It cant be too big due to the rules, so I only select the big Cave, and put the dungeon core at the end of the cave. Of course, all the stitched and the butterfly are inside the cave. I dont set any stitched to come with me.
Dungeon Battle Start!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Sylvans
The Mad Rats Lab Sylnoried
Disguised Koala Synndream
Its starting! I say after this message pops up. Then, my view turns white for a moment and the scenery changes to a forest. This forest has normal sized trees. Was expecting the forest since Im against the elves, hahaha! And yes, Disguised Koala is my players nickname. Oh, I forgot about it! Im weak now! In Dungeon Battles, theres no Champions buff. Well, weak compared to when I have the Champions buff. Right now I have the normal stats. Theres an option to watch the other players progress through a screen if I want. I make it appear and see that it has already started moving towards the end of the cave. I cant be left behind! Its strange, theres no enemies attacking me I say as I advance through the forest. Shouldnt a few have already appeared by now? Just as Im wondering what might be happening, something starts glowing under my feet. I immediately look down and see a shining magic circle. Fuck! A trap!? I jump away as soon as I can. I expected the trap to blow up or something like this, but instead a very loud sound is emitted. An alarm trap!! Oooh, shit! I try to run away, but the damage is already done. If the player modified the AI properly, Im sure that now every enemy unit is moving close to this spot to kill me. In a wider map it could have gone differently, but in a small map like this There are already two elves shooting at me with bows right now. If I continue running and dont find the dungeon core, their numbers are only going to increase. I need to make a decision right now. Am I going to fight here and hope I can defeat them all, or run and try to find the dungeon core before I am killed? I dont have any idea where the core might be, so its too risky. I''ll go with the first option. I start fighting with them, exchanging arrows with spells. When possible, I run into melee range and save some MP by attacking with the staff. The problem is that I didnt take two things into account. First: that my stats arent as high as I am used to. So the enemies deal more damage and I deal less. And the most important: they stay away from one another, so the Chain Lightning cant work properly. If only I had thought better about the options! Five minutes later, I fall to the ground. Im dead. Ive managed to kill more than six elves, not sure how many because of the intense fighting, but I couldnt overcome them all The game shows me the screen with the winner and the rewards obtained.
Dungeon Battle Lost!
Winner: Sylvans - Sylnoried - Synndream
Rewards Obtained
CP XP
Dungeon Battle completed (100 cp) Dungeon Battle completed (5 xp)
Current cp: 191 cp XP to next player level: 78/100
Aaaah if it wasnt for the trap I could have won this match What bad luck stepping on it! I complain to myself. I read the rewards and see that they are quite decent for having lost the match. If not because I cant obtain any resources, the Dungeon Battles are way better on the rewards. At least for now, on lower levels. Maybe when you increase the level you can obtain more rewards in the dungeon invasions? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Im not satisfied with the result, and still have a lot of time to play Lets start another Dungeon Battle! Without wasting time, I immediately start another battle. I keep the units and everything the same as the previous battle.
Dungeon Battle Start!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Savage Horde
The Mad Rats Lab Grigs Warband
Disguised Koala Ayseaaitch
This time is against the orcs, huh? I say after the window announcing the opponent appears. I dont think they are going to use a lot of bows so maybe itll be easier? When the battle starts I find myself in a wasteland. The only relevant thing within view are some tents with fences surrounding them. From here I can already see the figures of a few goblins. Is this a goblin camp? It looks like it is. Theres no need to repeat the previous mistake and get all enemies attacking me at the same time, so its time to start the death from the shadows operation. I start by slowly moving towards the closest tent. I try to be as difficult to spot as possible, so Im crawling. I stand up again after reaching the tent. I then pop my head to see the rest of the camp and where the enemies are situated. And what I see is a goblin staring in my direction, just in front of me! Shit! Discovered already!? The goblin shouts something and tries to run away. I cast Cold Blast trying to stop it. My luck doesn''t betray me this time, and the goblin is encased in ice and immobilized for a short while. Lucky! Must be the universe balancing everything after I stepped on that trap. I say while killing the goblin with the staff. Two more goblins appear just at that moment, attracted by the first goblins shout. I cant allow any mistakes, so one Chain Lightning later both goblins are stunned with 1 HP. I finish them with basic attacks. There are still a lot of goblins remaining. I can see at least fifteen from here. They are weaker than other units, but also cheaper at 15 cp this is what allowed the other player to use so many of them. This is going to take a while. I continue to use hit and run tactics until I mess up and one goblin escapes to warn the rest. But by then Ive already killed six goblins. I should be able to face the rest of the goblins by now. When the goblins start attacking all at the same time, I cast a Chain Lightning. It only leaves the first five goblins stunned, but it is enough for now. I close into melee range and kill the stunned goblins. Next is a very intense melee with the remaining six goblins. Most of them have already taken some damage. Im getting close! I should be able to survive until I have the MP to cast another Chain Lightning, and then Ill win! Just as Im excited for being near the end of the battle, and from winning the Dungeon Battle, the message announcing the end of the Dungeon Battle pops up in front of me. The enemy player has destroyed my dungeon core.
Dungeon Battle Lost!
Winner: Savage Horde - Grigs Warband - Ayseaaitch
Rewards Obtained
CP XP
Dungeon Battle completed (100 cp) Dungeon Battle completed (5 xp)
Current cp: 291 cp XP to next player level: 83/100
So I lost again! But this time it was waaaay better. I was this close to winning the battle! I exclaim while putting my index and thumb fingers almost touching. I look at the current cp. Almost there! Only a few more cp and I reach the cp needed to create the Hybrid that I want! So I decide to start a third and last Dungeon Battle. Again, I keep everything the same as the first battle, so the matchmaking starts immediately after pressing the button to start a new Dungeon Battle.
Dungeon Battle Start!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Eternals
The Mad Rats Lab Zombie Apocalypse
Disguised Koala BadBannana
I think that Im going to face a few zombies now. I say while stroking my rat chin. I dont know what you think, but my rats senses are tingling and telling me to expect a lot of zombies. And it doesnt have anything to do with the name of the opponents dungeon: Zombie Apocalypse. Nothing at all! I promise! The battle starts and I find myself in a cemetery. *Tsk!* How clich. Zombies in a cemetery! Now what, the zombies start rising from the graves, surround me, and start attacking? I havent finished talking when a hand rises from one of the closest graves. Told you! As the zombies head appears, it cries in my direction. I can see that a few more hands have appeared from other graves. Not wanting to waste time like in the previous dungeon, I start attacking the zombie with my staff. Its incredibly easy, because the zombie is still half buried, so it cant counterattack nor even try to avoid. The zombie dies to my staff, with an horrifying *Crunch!*. It is still half buried. Haha! You couldn''t even touch me! I make fun of it while I move towards the closest zombie. It is still half buried too, so I repeat the same thing I did with the first zombie. Its like playing Whac-A-Mole, except its zombies! I cant stop myself from laughing. Whac-A-Zombie, the new family game! I play Whac-A-Zombie for a while, but the difficulty is getting higher. This is because the remaining zombies are close to unbury themselves. Oww what a shame! I pout. I wanted to keep playing some more time! I distance myself from the remaining zombies. I do it so that the zombies clump together and I can hit them all with a single Chain Lightning. Meanwhile, I take a look at the enemy players progress. It is currently trying to run as fast as possible in the direction of my dungeon core. But it isnt going very well, because their Champion is a Zombie, and zombies are as slow as the stitched. Does it have the butterfly attached? Because otherwise it makes no sense for it to start running, does it? Especially when the remaining stitched are following close behind Lets see if I can still win this! I look away from the screen and prepare to face the zombies. I cast a Chain Lightning, and the front ones get stunned. Exactly at this moment, the screen signaling the end of the Dungeon Battle pops in front of me.
Dungeon Battle Won!
Winner: Flesh Monstrosities - The Mad Rats Lab - Disguised Koala
Rewards Obtained
CP XP
Dungeon Battle completed (100 cp) 500 cp mode won (100 cp) Dungeon Battle completed (5 xp) 500 cp mode won (10 xp)
Current cp: 491 cp XP to next player level: 98/100
Ahahahaha! The enemy player got killed! And by the butterfly! I start laughing. Too bad he picked a zombie Champion! Too slow to run, and the butterfly had a loooot of time to kill it! Hahaha! Well, thats it! Im going to leave the game now. Tomorrow its mad scientist day! The day when Ill finally create my first Hybrid! Im ready to leave the game, but not without first saving the replay of this battle. Im going to upload a video called Whac-A-Zombie after editing it.
Similar to the Its alive! Its alive! series, the Mad Rats Eccentricities series also got a lot of popularity in the future. The first video, Whac-A-Zombie, went viral and was imitated by thousands of players. The player who owned the Zombie Apocalypse dungeon didnt understand why, suddenly, he got so many players entering the dungeon. The dungeon got into the top 10 most popular dungeons after a single day. Most of the players didnt even care if they died or beated the dungeon because they tried to get the best zombie whacking streak, everything else didnt matter. The dungeon owner thought some conspiracy was going on, until he saw a Whac-A-Zombie video and understood everything.
Ch 12 - The first hybrid Heeeeeello everyooone! Welcome to The Mad Rats Show! Today, I am going to show you how to create a Flesh Monstrosity! As soon as I enter the game, I start spouting nonsense. But its true that todays the day! The day where I am going to create the first Hybrid! This is going to be a very expensive creation, I am going to blow most of my accumulated cp in a single unit. But it''s going to be worth it! Or at least I hope so! As when I was creating the Stitched, the first thing the game asks is if I want to use a template. Of course, Im going to use templates! But theres a difference when it comes to the hybrid templates. For the stitched, the template was used during the creation, to set how I wanted the stitched to look like, and then is also used for the stitcheds skills, AI, placement in the dungeon, etc. For the hybrids, I can use them in the exact same way too. But theres an option where you can also unify the skills, AI, etc. of various templates into a single one. What this means is I can create a template that uses High Elf plus Runesmith bodies to create the Hybrid, and another one that uses Mine and Scout bodies. And then put both the hybrid types in another template that controls the AI and skills, so that they both do the same and have the same skills. In this way I can easily create units with any of the two original unit combinations, but they are automatically assigned to the skills, AI, etc that I set for the common template. But for now Im not going to complicate things that much. Im only going to create one template called Lab Assistant that uses the High Elf and Runesmith bodies. The second step, after setting the bodies, is deciding on how the hybrid is going to look like. I want them to be impossible to confuse with either a dwarf or an elf, so I come up with a great idea. Im going to use the head and body of the elf, and the arms and legs of the dwarf. And for the union type, Im going to set them all to mechanical. After modifying everything to my taste, I take a look at the result. The Lab Assistant looks like a normal elf, except that it has very short arms and legs. It is quite hilarious, because it looks like an adult with childs extremities. Except that when you get close you can see they are actually from a grown-up man, with muscles, scars and calluses. And in the joints between the different parts, theres a metallic union that resembles a little what appears in sci-fi films when a human wears a prosthetic arm or leg. The union isnt gross as with my previous creations, it simply looks weird. And of course, the Lab Assistant is wearing a lab coat. What else could it be wearing!? Its working in a laboratory! It looks good! Im sure Ill need to spend time with it close by, so I didnt want it to look gross These mechanical unions are very clean, its a refreshing view! You say that the Champion Im playing as is disgusting? I dont see my own character unless I use a mirror, and there are none in the dungeon, so who cares? My Champion can be as gross as I want and wont bother me in any way. Now that I have the basic setup, I start the Hybrids creation. It takes 10 minutes, so Im going to mess with the template while I wait. First thing, upgrade it to level 2. I already spent 330 cp to create it (230 cp from the Runesmith + 100 cp from the High Elf), so the cost of 10 cp to upgrade is irrelevant. I mutter as I press the level up button. After the level up, the hybrids stats look like this.
Lab Assistant (Lv 2)
HP 374 (340) STA 25 (23) SOU 27 (25)
EP 264 (240) MP 308 (280)
STR 28 (26) CON 35 (32) AGI 20 (19)
SPI 35 (32) WIL 37 (34) DEX 41 (38)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate)
Fufufu, it has better stats than me! Well, it wasnt unexpected since the cost to create it is higher than my Champions cost It is already settled that the Lab Assistant is going to stay in the Laboratory room, assisting me in standing still and doing nothing while making progress with whatever machine or research I want. As a bonus, it is going to work as the last defense of this dungeon, since the dungeon core is inside the laboratory. What comes now is modifying the AI. Haha I want to cry This looks SO much better than the Stitched AI! The default AI has a lot more complexity than the one from the Stitched. But the most relevant difference is that this AI has advanced options that come by default, like the Guard mode, which automatically follows the selected unit within a range and engages in combat if an enemy gets close. If only I had this option with the stitched I wonder if a brain transplant would make them more intelligent and unlock the Guard mode... I start to modify the AI. For starters, no movement allowed outside of combat. I want you to stand still all the time. Like a living statue. I remove all movement related nodes from the Idle state. I still want it to properly defend the dungeon when invaders come, so I leave the rest untouched. After the changes, the Lab Assistant is going to stand still wherever I put it, and only move where I tell it to go in case I need to change where its standing. Aaaah, how nice it feels to have a unit actually do what you want! The only remaining thing now is spending the two skill points that the Lab Assistant has. Since it already has two innate passive skills, Im looking for an active and a triggered skill to balance things. The current stats and skills make it a tanky caster. So a spell for an active and then a passive that triggers when receiving damage? Hmm Why not? I start looking through the skill list, but dont see any active skill that catches my attention. I end up using a classic spell: Fireball. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Fireball (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP
Deal (5 + SPI) fire damage in a 5 meter radius area.
Only the triggered skill remains now. After browsing through a lot of them I finally settle on one called Frosty Retribution. Mostly because of its effects, but I cant deny a part of it is because I like the image of the lab assistant wielding both ice and fire elements.
Frosty Retribution (Triggered skill)
When your HP is reduced to 50% or lower, you release an ice nova that travels for 10 meters. It deals (5 + 0,25 * lost HP + 0,5 * SPI) cold damage to every enemy and immobilizes them for 5 seconds. This skill can only be triggered once every 5 minutes.
Ohoho! A nice idea just came to me! I modify the AI again, and change a very little thing. What I do is make the Assistant save the last 100 MP for when the trigger activates. So that it launches the last Fireball just after the Frosty Retribution. This way, the enemies that are immobilized wont be able to evade the fireball! Huhuhu! I laugh evilly at my plan. Theres only a small detail that I want to change, and its the weapon that the Lab Assistant is going to wield. In this game, weapons dont impact much on the gameplay. The damage is determined by the Strength stat, so a fist weapon deals the same damage as a sword, a warhammer, or a bow. And the attack speed is determined by Agility. Different weapons are mainly for cosmetic and customization purposes and not for actual influence in combat. The only time where the weapon type is important is in some skills that require the weapon to be from a specific type. Well.. there is one thing that changes from weapon to weapon, and that is the range. But it also comes with drawbacks. For example, a whip has a decent range but is difficult to wield. An experienced player might use it properly, but a newer one Good luck. And a bow has a long range but its attacks are slower and not suited for melee combat. And its also possible for weapons to collide with the terrain. So big, long, and hard to wield weapons are avoided because a lot of dungeons have narrow corridors and lots of obstacles that can hinder your attacks. Im going to give the assistant a pencil and a notebook. I mean, what else could I give it? Its a fucking lab assistant! Why would a lab assistant have any weapon with it while working? I look through the special accessories and select a pencil for its right hand, and a notebook for its left. Its going to wield the pencil as a sword, and the notebook as a shield. Behold! The mighty combo of pencil weapon and notebook shield! I wonder how many players are going to die from a stab to the heart with a pencil. Hahaha! It isnt long until the Lab Assistant pops from the Operating table. The 10 minutes have already finished while I was modifying the template. Oho! Its exactly like I envisioned it! Pfft. And is actually holding the pencil as if hes going to stab someone with it! Hahaha! I finally have my first Hybrid! And also a stand-in for when I need to use the machines or research! Hahaha, what a lame joke. Because its going to literally be standing still all the time And the best part is that it only cost me 340 cp! Literally, the most expensive thing in the dungeon! A true bargain if you ask me! Now that I finished the hybrid, I want to spend the rest of the cp upgrading the dungeon. Im sure that Im going to need more stasis capsules in the future, but 100 cp for each is very expensive Luckily, I found some technology research that will help me with it.
Small stasis capsule
Research cost: 20 cp, 10 food, 10 metal. Research time: 10 min
Unlocks a smaller version of the normal Stasis capsule. In the Small stasis capsule, you can store bodies of units smaller than humanoid size.
Yes! With the small stasis capsule, at least when I capture small critters, they wont occupy a normal stasis capsule. So I can actually use the normal capsules for humanoids and similar sized units and the small capsules for some critter units. I immediately start the research, and make my newest creation, the Lab Assistant, stand still close to the experimentation set so that the research progresses. Oh, how good it is to be able to move around instead of standing at the same place all time! After the research finishes, Im going to build two small stasis capsules. They cost only 20 cp to build, they are cheap because they are mainly for storing non-combat units. The total cost of the research and two small capsules is going to be 60 cp. I reserve the cp and continue looking through the technology trees. In the near future, Im going to research the Siamese and use the Scout and Miner bodies I currently have to create some of them. But I dont have the cp needed yet Should I save it, or spend it on other things right now? Hmmm The other option would be to research some traps Also I remember that I previously unlocked the tech called Poisonous mushrooms, they should be useful, no? Fufufu! Hahaha! After reading the tech description, there are two things that are incredible. First of all is that the tech unlocks, as its name says, poisonous mushrooms that I can add into the dungeon. But they arent the kind where you must eat to get poisoned. No, no. There are different kinds, but all of them only need the enemies to be close enough to the mushroom to work. And best of things, most of them only work when enemies get close and do not activate when my units do so. And the second thing is that this tech unlocks a lot of techs with mushrooms that can inflict different status effects: Paralysis mushrooms, ''Confusion mushrooms, Fear mushrooms, etc. This tech is considered as a hazardous terrain tech, so it is more expensive than the normal mushrooms. And it also costs more cp to place the mushrooms in the dungeon. But they are worth the cost. I decide to research the Poisonous mushrooms by spending 30 food and 30 cp. Now, where should I put them? I start wandering the dungeon while thinking of the best places to put them in. Should they be avoidable? Predictable? Or hidden and impossible to avoid? After thinking for a while, I reach a conclusion. Yes, I believe this is the best option. If I put them here, the players have no other option than taking damage or wasting a lot of time. The place where Ive decided to put the mushrooms is in the tunnels, in specific, the places where its easy for the players to get lost in. Also, Ive chosen the mushroom type that emits a small poison cloud when an enemy gets close enough. The tunnels are narrow, so its impossible to completely avoid the mushrooms. Furthermore, if they get lost in the tunnels, they will need to pass through the same mushroom fields again and again. The actual effect isnt that strong, but damage can quickly add up if unattended. It applies a poison debuff that deals 1 HP damage every second for 10 seconds to every creature that is inside the poison cloud. It is possible that the stitched get caught in the poison too, but since the mushrooms only release the poison cloud when enemies are close, they can only be poisoned if combat happens near the mushrooms. And its a bad decision for the enemy players, because the poison stacks for every second they stay in the poison cloud. Yep, this is nice! Something that I hope will make some players cry! And if unlucky, maybe even cause some players death! Hahaha! After the Hybrid creation and the new mushrooms, Im only left with 35 cp. I didnt add too many mushrooms to save as much cp as possible, but Im back to being poor. Well, nothing I can do about it! Everything was absolutely needed. Especially my stand-in.
When The Mad Rats Lab got famous, players started sharing maps that depicted the dungeons zones. In those maps, there were always zones painted red with skull marks, with labels that said Warning! Here be mushrooms!. They warned players to try to avoid those zones if possible, or at least to avoid fighting there. Not because the mushrooms were too deadly, but because you could never know what mushroom types you would find when going inside. Most players who ignored the warnings never managed to leave those areas alive.
Ch 13 - Creating a persona Lately, Ive been feeling like Im missing something, but I was unable to locate what it was until today. Today, Sunday, I was looking at the comments that people wrote in the two videos I uploaded: Its Alive! Its Alive! and Whac-A-Zombie. It came to me in a flash, as if lightning had struck me, and now I cant stop thinking about it. What is it? In those two moments, I was fooling around and having more fun than any other moment. And you know why? Because I was role playing properly the craziness and unpredictability that the Mad Rat represents. So Ive decided that today Im going to spend most of the time trying to define a persona. And from now onwards, Im going to try to interpret the persona as best as I can. Why? Because its more fun, of course. At least for when other players are present, because its when my persona is going to be most relevant. Hmm the thing now is deciding on which kind of persona. Its settled that must be a crazy character, but how much craziness? I dont want to create a persona that cant properly talk or one that is so traumatized that can barely do anything. But a low craziness, affected for example by a common obsession wont be enough. So a middle ground? Crazy up to the point that you can talk with the Mad Rat but you cant properly communicate, because it will do whatever it wants all the time. No compromises allowed. I imagine a possible conversation of me talking to some dungeon invaders. To get a better feeling, I interpret both mine and the invaders lines. So you came to my laboratory and are now trying to destroy it? Hmm Sir? We are lost and trying to find our way out. Can you help us? Oho! You now want to fool me and try to escape? So that you can return later with reinforcements!? No, sir! We just want to get out of this cave! Do you think I will believe your lies? Monsters! Get them all killed! B-but sir! Stop spouting nonsense and face the consequences of your actions! Ok, its not bad, but this only displays craziness and selfishness. Theres very little personality there. I should try adding something more, maybe like this? You! Foolish mortals that dared invade my most precious and sacred place! You shall face my wrath and that of my most prided creations! Naaaaah, this sounds too much like a phrase a stereotypical demon king would say. Too clich, and it also doesn''t fit the theme of the dungeon. Maybe something more childish? Treating the monsters as toys, and invaders as future toys? Noooo! You destroyed and killed my toys! Bwaaah! No, no, no! You are gonna pay! Im gonna make you pay! And then I will turn you into my new toys, and well play together forever! Hehehe! New toys! New toys! Lalala! I shudder. Too cringy. Ill never say something like this again. This can be interpreted in very weird ways and dont want to be seen as a deviant. And something like this? Fufufu! Hahaha! You invaders (heheh) are now (hehehe!) going to die! (fufufu!) My creations (huhu) come (haha) and kill them all! Hehehe! Hahaha! Too much laughing. I am looking for some maniacal laughter but this is clearly too much. Maybe if I limit it to only at the start or end of the conversation? Or for when Im not talking at all I imagine a new situation. I start laughing while coming close to the enemy, hidden in the shadows of the dungeon. Hahahaha! Fufufu! After I show myself, I say. You! You came at the perfect time! Hahaha! I say while raising my arms. Now come to me, my newest creation! Show me your power! I then point at the enemy. And you! Struggle as much as you can and amuse me until the end! Hahaha! Yes! Yes! I like this! This mix of mad scientist vibes and laughter feels good! I think Im going to settle with it. Now that I have the concept settled, its time for me to start loading the game and test it a little. How am I going to test it? Im going to wait until a player dives into my dungeon and try to move and behave like the persona I just decided upon would: the real Mad Rat. Once inside the game, a message pops in front of me.
Reached player level 2!
- New champion creation unlocked - Dungeon Battle Challenges unlocked - Received 2 x Stasis chamber - Received 500 cp
Oho! So my player level has risen by one. And I got extra cp, nice! It looks like my dungeon has gained popularity recently and received a few invasions since last time. And now I have 13/250 xp to player level 3. Wow! I now have 835 cp, with the rewards from the level up and the other players invasions! Im rich again! But Im not going to look into the other rewards now, Im here for the persona. The only thing I do is create two more Mines and Farms, because Im going to need a lot of food and metal soon. And the sooner I build them, the sooner they start producing resources. This reduces my cp by a whooping 500. The whole level up bonus is already gone. There are currently two invasions into The Mad Rats Lair. Most players dont bother defending from other players invasions, mostly because there can be multiple invaders at the same time, each with its own dungeon instance. So it is impossible to properly defend the dungeon when the number of instances increases. But Im going to defend them now, since I want to develop the persona by interacting with other players. I enter the first dungeon instance. In this one, I can see a human champion walking through the tunnel area. Theres an option to open a screen to watch the invaders, similar to the one in the Dungeon Battles. But I dont receive the Champions buff. I assume its to balance things, since the defending player has all the units in the dungeon on its side. Lets see how good I can roleplay! I say as I go close to the place where the invader currently is. I look for the nearest group of stitched and predict where theyre going to meet and fight. The enemy has the Champions buff and is accompanied by four support units, so trying to fight alone would be a suicide. Fufufu! Hahaha! Do you know where you are!? You are in my laboratory! The enemy player keeps moving closer, sword on hand. He makes a horizontal slash from a certain distance. I dont know what hes doing at first, but then I see a half-transparent blade slash thats coming in our direction. W-wait! What are you doing!? Let me finish at least! I manage to evade the flying slash on time, but the stitched arent as lucky and are killed with a single hit. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Shit! Now I dont have meat shields anymore. Hey! Cant you see I was trying to speak with you? You jerk! I start running away while I cast a Chain Lightning. It bounces between him and the support mobs, severely reducing the health of the support units. But the champion takes little damage. Hahaha! Ill make you regret acting like a jerk! I shout while running through the tunnels. Im moving through as many mushroom zones as I can. The enemy is chasing after me, so he is going to eat as much poison as I can make it possible. But we have the same speed, so I cant effectively run away. Even worse, I have little EP and Stamina compared to him because of the champions buff, so he is going to reach me when I run out of them, sooner or later. He launches a few more flying slashes in my direction, but I manage to evade most of them. Still, he manages to reduce my HP by half with those that do hit. But the mushroom strategy worked and I managed to kill all the support mobs and reduce his HP by an extra quarter too. We are now reaching one of the tunnels with the underground river. One that has a narrow passage and a cliff next to it. Im going to try something here. If you come any closer, both of us are going to die! Hehehe! Go back! Ive warned yoooou! I say. The first part in a crazy tone, and the second part in a motherly tone. Its very hard to role play when you dont have much experience and the opponent is making everything he can to break the immersion. And as the jerk he is, he continues running in my direction. Well, Im going for mutual destruction then. I cast as many Cold Blasts as I can while resuming the running, but this time I let him get closer to me. My Stamina is getting low, so I cant continue with the same speed, but theres also a hidden reason as to why I slow down. Im incredibly unlucky with my casts, but finally, about the eighth time, the enemy is immobilized and stops moving. Immediately, I turn around and grab him. Then, I jump with him into the river. Hes immobilized so he cant resist. Hahaha! You see this? You forced me to do it! You are going down with me! Hahaha! I say while falling towards the river. The river current starts dragging both of us towards the underground lake inside the big cave. During this time, we continue fighting, this time in extremely close range. By the time we reach the underground lake, Im already a corpse. He still has almost half of his HP remaining, but after the chase his EP, MP and also Stamina and Soul are very low. His battle capability is severely reduced. He is making an incredibly angry face right now. Serves you right! You stupid player! Haha! Since Im dead, he cant hear me anymore. But I still continue to mock him. Its for my own satisfaction. Now he can only do one of two things: abandon the dungeon invasion and receive reduced rewards, or risk it in a do-or-die bet. He doesnt hesitate too much and chooses to continue the invasion. I continue to watch the invasion out of spite. I want to see him die! And I dont get disappointed, because he does. The shortened version goes like this. He roams through the tunnels and continues to take some poison damage. Once he reaches the place where I threw both of us into the river, he spits and insults me. Oh, so you can actually talk! What a surprise! Then he reaches the laboratory and starts a fight with the Lab Assistant. The fight looks even at the start. But the enemy invader has very low EP and MP, so he cant display all his might. The turning point is when the Assistants HP is reduced under half and the triggered skill activates. The huge amount of damage from the trigger plus the immobilization, followed by an unavoidable Fireball settle the match. Hahahaha! Serves you right! I cant stop laughing after seeing his face just before the Fireball hit him. He was like Oh, no, fuck this damned player (me)! I even received extra cp and xp for defeating him. Thanks for the extra bonus, you jerk! Hahaha! After rolling on the floor laughing for some time, I decide its time to continue with the original objective. I look at the current invasions. There are two again. The first one, which was already ongoing when I entered the game, is almost finished. I spent too much time with the jerk. But in the second one, the player is just reaching the tunnel zone. This times an orc! I hope he knows how to properly behave and isnt a stupid player like the last one. I say as I enter the dungeon instance. This time Im not going to make the same mistake as before. Im going to appear from a place where the enemy cannot reach, plus Im going to bring the Lab Assistant with me. It goes where I tell him to go, so the plan should work properly. Fufufu, Hahaha! I slowly move towards the orc while releasing a high-pitched laugh. Then I appear from a higher place, very difficult to reach unless the enemy can fly. Welcome! Welcome to my lair! The orc looks in my direction and says. Bufu! Your lair? This is little more than a few rocks and mushrooms! Oho? It actually answered! But is he insulting my dungeon? This offense shall not be pardoned! (in a serious and haughty tone) But Im going to take this chance to practice. Yes, my lair! And you came at the perfect moment. Hahaha! I was waiting for a guinea pig to appear! Youll have the honor to test my newest creation! Fufufu! Huhuhu! Guinea pig? Newest creation? Bwahaha! So you are the mastermind behind this diabolical dungeon!? Bring it on! Im always itching for a real challenge! He says while opening its arms wide. Diabolical dungeon? Mastermind? What the hell is he talking about? Im just a normal player with a somewhat unpredictable dungeon. Thats all, I swear! Police, please dont take me away! Also, what are you? A musclebrain? Hahaha! Youll regret your decision! But its nice to have the guinea pig collaborate with the testing! Fufufu! I answer. At the same time, the Lab Assistant appears from the nearest tunnel and it immediately casts a Fireball towards the enemy. The fire explosion kills two of the enemy champions support units: two goblins. How cowardly! A sneak attack! Heh, what was I expecting from someone who stays far away and only looks while we fight Says the orc. Cowardly? I took the trouble to warn you! So dont complain. Hahaha! I stay where I am, watching the fight thats happening below. Theres one fun thing, though, and it is that the enemy orc didnt properly look around. Its currently standing very close to some poison mushrooms. So if the combat actually takes place in this tunnel, hes going to receive large amounts of damage from the poison. The fight earnestly starts when the enemy Champion and the remaining mob, another orc, engage in melee combat with the Lab Assistant. And sure, they do start fighting surrounded by the poisonous mushrooms, which make them all, lab assistant included, start taking poison damage. And the poison stacks start to accumulate. You can only accumulate up to 10 stacks, since they last 10 seconds and only one per second can be obtained. But still, 10 HP per second is a lot. The second Fireball that the Lab Assistant throws only hits the support orc. And its innate skill activates. Wow, even with the dwarfs high defenses and the innate skill that reduces damage taken, the assistant is taking quite a lot of damage from simple basic attacks. Orcs are true brutes! When the assistants HP goes below half, the Frosty Retribution activates and immobilizes both of the orcs. The enemy champion still has a decent amount of HP left, but the support orc gets killed with the following Fireball. Now only the enemy champion remains but its attacks are even stronger than before, since the innate passive has activated. When he manages to kill the lab assistant, he has very little HP remaining. Only a few more seconds inside the poison cloud released by the mushrooms and he is going to die. *Clap! Clap!* Fufufu! To think you could beat my greatest creation I underestimated your strength! I say, mockingly. I dont forget to clap for the champion. Haha, you understand the joke, right!? Bwahaha! You call this a fight? This was only a warmup! The orc responds, making a flexing pose. His muscular arm makes me envious. My arms are sticks in comparison. Well If you say so Fufufu! But I recommend that you look at your current status! See you again! Hahaha! I say. Then, I wave him goodbye while laughing maniacally and walking away. I didnt even need to personally fight this time. Why do I go back, you ask? I made him waste enough time with this short talk. Wait! Dont run away you coward! Shouts the orc. Then, I suppose he actually looks at his status screen, because the next thing I hear is him shouting out of despair. Noooo! Not this again! Am I really going to die only because of the fucking poison!? Fuck! My HP is going to reach 0 before the poison runs out! Then he starts spouting nonsense. Hahaha! So this was all again planned, huh? I couldnt do anything again Ill return another day, and beat all your evil machinations! Just wait and see! And he dies. What was he talking about? I dont understand what he was talking about at the end Evil machinations? Everything planned? It was you who didnt look around and started the fight inside a poison cloud. I just appeared here to try and roleplay my persona. Well, whatever. It did go quite well this time. At least I think so. Thanks to the orc, I could start acting my role in an actual conversation, unlike with the human jerk. It still feels weird to interpret the Mad Rats persona, but I hope Ill get better and more used to it in the future. Pffft! Hahaha! But how could he be so blind to not see the poison cloud? If only he moved a few meters away he could have survived!
If you ever hear a high-pitched maniacal laughter, run away, and dont look back. NEVER! Better yet, if you can leave the dungeon, DO SO! It is probably the Mad Rat coming towards you to test its newest creation. And believe me: YOU. DONT. WANT. THAT! - First thing written in How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab, even before the guides index.
Ch 14 - So many views! Now that Ive finished what I wanted to do, trying and testing the Mad Rats persona, its time to look at the player level up rewards. The 500 cp is self-explanatory. In fact, Ive already spent them to create the Mines and Farms. And the same with the two Stasis chambers. I just need to put them in the laboratory and everything is done. The other two rewards, though The first is unlocking the creation of new champions. This means that I can now create a new champion that has the characteristics that I want. But I still need everything that a normal unit would need. This means it costs the same cp, and also consumes the bodies of the units needed for the creation. But at least for now Im going to stick with the Mad Rat, so theres no reason at all to create another champion. More importantly, I remember the game telling me about the possibility of upgrading the champions in the future And the second one is unlocking the Dungeon Battle Challenges. This means that from now on I can send challenges to other players, and in the same way, I can start receiving the challenges from other players. To send a challenge, you need to know the players name of the target, or at least the dungeons name. In the challenge you can also specify the battle rules you want the match to have, or leave as much as you want blank and then the other player can set them before accepting the match. Of course, you can decline challenges from other players. Maybe it is blocked until you reach level 2 so that noobs dont get dragged into trolls schemes. Anyway, Im not in any hurry to start sending challenges. Apart from sending a challenge to Ricard, I dont even know to whom I could send them After reviewing the rewards, the only remaining thing is to put the two new stasis chambers in the laboratory, together with all the others. Ok, enough gaming for today. I still have to do some work for tomorrows classes. I say as I exit the game. When I take out the VR helmet, I receive a message. It is a warning I have set for when somebody comments into one of the videos Ive uploaded. You know, the Its alive! Its alive! and the Whac-A-Zombie videos. It is a lot of coincidence that the alarm sounded just at the same time that I disconnected from the game. So I open the comments screen and see that there isnt one comment, but a continuous stream of them. Wow! Isnt it a bit crazy? The Whac video has more than 100k views! I only uploaded the video the day before yesterday and Im not famous nor have thousands of followers how can this be? I start reading through some of the comments. Hahaha, gotta whack ''em all! Its a nice way to farm some cp! Who cares about cp? The whacking streak is the important part! Nice streak there, but Im going to get a better one! Poor zombies, couldnt get out of the ground For those interested, the dungeon is called Zombie Apocalypse. Follow me and you will see a better whacking streak! Me too! Im going to beat you all! Noob! Youre only lv 1 haha you say you gonna beat us? From here on, it basically turns into a chaotic mess of messages, where players say they are going to get the best whacking streak, compete for who got the longest streak, and call noob (and way worse things) to one another. There are also a lot of people sharing links to their best whacking streaks. Hmm so players are competing for who gets the longest whacking streak Basically, they consider the streak finished when the first zombie manages to get out of the ground. By the way, it looks like I got one of the longest whacking streaks. Because I did it during a Dungeon Battle, the zombies were closer to one another than in the actual Zombie Apocalypse dungeon. You can say I was playing in easy mode. Out of curiosity I watch some of the videos. Its quite funny to see everybody compete at smashing the zombies. I even find a best whacking streaks ranking in the Dungeon Masters Arena forums thats being updated in real time. I watch the video of the player in first position. In the video, the player is smashing zombies with an actual wooden mallet. And the video is edited so that every time it whacks a zombie, it makes the same funny noise. The player is using a troll champion and the image of a troll smashing zombies is quite spectacular. Enough fooling around! Its time for homework! I say. I must stop myself before I start watching even more videos.
*Uaaaaah* I yawn. Its early Monday morning. Its time to wake up and get ready to go to college. But I dont really want to go to the class where were treated as nursery school children. It doesnt help in getting the motivation to wake up early. I slowly get up and dress. Then I prepare everything I need to bring with me and go to eat breakfast. Good morning! I say as I sit at the table. It looks like were having toasts for todays breakfast. I already have two toasts in front of me. Good morning. Answers Marta from my right. She is my older sister, one year older. We have been very close since we were kids, but nowadays its more like 50% love and 50% hate. I didnt get insulted first thing in the morning, so it seems that right now is the 50% love part. Its funny that we both have always played together, arguing over who was better in games, because we liked the same types of games. In fact, she is, too, playing DMA. But she started playing in the beta version of the game, and is now one of the top ranked players in the Dungeon Battle rankings. You know what? I uploaded a video three days ago of me playing DMA, and already got 200k views! Im going to be famous soon at this rate! Hah! As if a single video will make you famous... She replies. Well, maybe a single one no, but if this continues with my next videos You know how hard it is to get noticed in a game with so many players? Unless you reach a place like mine in the rankings you arent going to get many followers! Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Its true that she has a lot of followers, because she is one of the best players in DMA. But this doesn''t mean that she is the only one that can be famous. Uhh Dont be like this! Maybe even you have seen my video! Its the one called Whac-A-Zombie! The one with the man-rat smashing zombies before they can get out of the ground. That video? Ive seen it That was you? Dont you have any shame behaving like a little kid? And so what if you got some viewers and some crazy players are imitating you! As soon as they get tired of imitating your video, they will forget that you ever existed. You only say this because you are jealous that he got noticed so early when it took you months before people started paying attention to you! Clara, my little sister, sitting right in front of me, verbally attacks our older sister. And also you hate that players are imitating him instead of you! You want to belittle him as much as possible so that he is never more famous than you. You know, smash it before it grows! Ack! You had to go and finish it with a powerful jab! Oh, no! I can see Martas brow has started to twitch. It seems we are going to see the 50% hate part right now The weird part is that it wasnt me who said those things, but its going to be me who receives the wrath of the dragon. Aargh! Clara, why do you always have to defend Andreu? He cant do most things properly and still likes to behave as if he were a little kid! Arent you annoyed at his antics? How can you still cling so much to him? This stupid, annoying and childish brother of us, who cant do most things without help And you always support him! Even if he is stupid, annoying and childish, I still prefer him over you, who are always thinking you are the best! Yep, its me who gets hurt. We have a saying that goes like this: two were fighting and the third was hurt. A perfect example of it. Stop arguing and prepare to leave or youll be late! Interrupts our mother, being fed up with our discussion. Also, she is right about being late. I finish my toasts, get my things, and leave home before either the dragon or the little sister strike again.
Hey, Ricard! Good morning! I met Ricard at the college gate, so we are walking to class together. Have you seen the video I filmed the other day? It already has more than 200k views! Good morning! Huh the Whac-A-Zombie one? Yes, I did. In fact I am one of the players who has made a whacking zombies video too, you know? The last time I looked at the rankings I was in the top 10. 8th position to be exact. Ahahaha! So you are one of the imitators! Imitators? Well, you call us like that but if I had a better whacking streak than you, can you really call me an imitator? Of course! You did it after I did, so you will always be the imitator! Not that I care though, I just uploaded the video because I thought it was fun. Aha And, how is your dungeon going? He smiles at me. His eyes start to shine with dangerous light. Do you need my help and advice to help you get outside of the noob level range? I dont think I need it. Its going fine for now. Im already level 2, and have already created my first Hybrid! Not only this, when I have the required resources Im going to start with the creation of the second unit type: the Siamese. Hoh, it does sound quite amazing for somebody that has been playing as the Flesh Monstrosities for only a week Before you start creating a lot of units, consult with me on good combinations! I know all the skills and units in the game, so you only need to ask and I will guide you towards the best combinations! Im sure you will, Ricard. I reply. But I dont say the continuation of the sentence, which goes like this: but Im too scared to ask because you will spend an hour talking without stopping, or even more time than a single hour. Ricard looks at me and says. So, how close to level 3 are you? Because once you reach level 3 you unlock the multiplayer modes. And then we can play together and invade longer and more dangerous dungeons for better rewards! Also, both my undead and your faction need to dive into dungeons where the units are alive (no constructs or undead) to obtain our special resources so it''s a win-win!. And well go to the most populated dungeons so I can get lots of souls for my undead legion while you get bodies for your dungeon! Yes, something like a human city would be nice Wait wait wait! I interrupt him. Im fine with playing with you and diving into the same dungeon, but we wont be going into a human dungeon! B-but! Why not!? Its the best place to farm souls! And you can also capture them! Maybe for you its the best option, but I use the units I capture to create my units, ok? And human units have no innate skills, so Im not going to use them unless they are the only option I have. I dont mind going to any other faction, but humans are a no-go! This isnt negotiable! Fine Says Ricard. He is sullen right now. Also, I dont know why you want to go against the humans so much. Cant you farm souls on most other vanilla factions like the elves, dwarves and orcs? Because its a problem of efficiency! EFFICIENCY! Dont you understand? Ughh the truth is that I dont. Well, I understand the concept, but why does he care so much? Dont you play games to have fun? Why should I care for efficiency? ...efficiency? Yes! Efficiency! When you dive into a human dungeon you obtain about 10% more souls than in any other dungeon! So this means you progress 10% faster and you can do a lot more things in the long run! This is the proper way to play games! To obtain the maximum results with the minimum cost! A little bit fanatical, arent you? But dont you play games to have fun? If you can only invade human dungeons because of efficiency, won''t it get boring over time? Boring? How can you get bored when you can upgrade everything 10% faster and sooner? He answers. It seems we cant reach a compromise with this I say. We arent getting anywhere with this. Then you can take the times we play together as a holiday from your normal schedule and have a taste of other factions. Because Im sure all dungeons you ever invaded are from the human faction. Nuh-huh. You are wrong. Only 97% are from the human faction. Do you think Im that crazy!? Of course Ive invaded every faction at least once! A true game completionist cant stop himself from trying everything the game has to offer. But efficiency is still the most important thing! Huh Ok. Im getting a headache just imagining his train of thought. So, when I reach level 3 Ill tell you and we go and try some multiplayer invasions. Also, do you have any strong status effects like stun, charm or the like? To help me with the unit capturing. Of course I do, who do you take me for? He says. So, once you reach level 3 we will start playing the game together! I will teach you as your senior! And then we can go to some dungeons that I have already selected for one such occasion like the And NO humans! Ugh." He puts his right hand on his chest, feigning that he is hurting due to a heart attack. *Tsk!* How can he be so childish and immature? Im astounded at how immature some college students can be. Me? Of course Im not. Im a perfectly mature and professional adult.
... And did you know how the attack and defense works in the game? After the damage of each skill is calculated, the game looks at the STR/CON or SPI/WIL of the attacker and defender and calculates the extra damage or damage reduction. They make it work in a very realistic way, in my opinion. For example, in an armwrestling tournament, all of the participants have similar strength. And the difference between winning and losing is done by a very small difference in strength. Even with only 1 point extra, you win and the other loses. On the other hand, even if I participate and try to win in the tournament, it doesnt matter if the armwrestling pro has 10 or 20 times my strength, I will be crushed anyway. In a similar idea, the game increases the damage by 5% if the STR or SPI is higher by 1 point. The extra damage increases to about 22% in a 5 points difference, 40% at 10 points, 60% at 18 points, 80% at 32 points difference. It more or less stops growing around the 80 points difference, and never reaches but gets infinitely closer to the 100% extra damage (double damage). As you can see, the higher the difference, the lower the effect it has on the extra damage dealt. In case the CON or WIL are higher, then the damage is reduced instead of multiplied. The value starts at 3.75% damage reduction for the first point. And 17%, 30%, 45%, 60% and never reaching 75% at the same difference in points as the ones I said for the extra damage. - Some after-class knowledge drilling done by Ricard.
Ch 15 - Getting to the next level Heeeello everyoooone! Its your favorite crazy rats comeback! How are you? Ready for more action!? I say while raising my arms. Nothing happens, and nobody shouts in response. I cant hear you!! Ill ask again! Ready for more action!? Still no response. Better. I nod, satisfied with the audiences clamor. Why am I doing this? Because a week has passed since the last time we talked, and I was worried you were starting to miss me and my monologues. Ive done a lot of things this last week, but they are of little interest by themselves, so a resume is going to be enough. Otherwise it would have been booooooring! So, lets start from the end because its the most logical way to explain things. Ive managed to reach level 3! *Furious clapping sounds* Thank you! Thank you, everyone! I am glad to see you so enthusiastic! I say while continuing the furious clapping. This is the window that popped yesterday in front of me after reaching the new level.
Reached player level 3!
- Multiplayer unlocked - Champion upgrade research unlocked - Received 2 x Stasis chamber - Received 1.000 cp
It seems like the game makes sure you dont get too far behind the other players by giving you some free Stasis chambers each level up. Which makes sense, because its difficult enough to obtain the bodies, and then find after the dungeon invasion that you cant bring them back because you dont have enough storage for them Now lets go back in time (no, not literally) and start with a flashback! Because everyone loves flashbacks! No, I dont! I complain. You dont? Well, me neither but Ill still make a flashback here After the talk with Ricard about playing together, this past week Ive been focussed in upgrading the dungeon and playing as much as possible. Homework? Who cares about that thing? Now Im going to explain the changes in no particular order! Im going to start with the dungeon layout and new dungeon zones. At least for now, Ive kept the parts that I already created more or less the same. The only thing that I added was a mix of glowing mushrooms and giant mushrooms into the big cave area, as well as some into the tunnels. Oh, and I also unlocked a new type of hazardous mushrooms, the Sleeping mushrooms. Guess where I put them? Yep, you are right! I put them near the already placed poison mushrooms. Well, to be exact I put two types of them in two different places. I put a kind that only activates once but the sleep is 100% guaranteed in a very small area around itself in the tunnels. This sleep isnt dispelled by taking damage and only lasts for 2 seconds, but with them, when the enemies fall asleep, they are going to do so inside the cloud of poison. Hahaha, isn''t it good? I call it bad sleep. And then I put another type that creates a similar effect to the cloud of poison but with sleep inside the resting room. These mushrooms only have a 10% chance to inflict sleep each second and the sleep can be dispelled by taking damage. But if the enemies dare to stop inside the resting room, they might fall into an infinite cycle of falling asleep. And since there are no dangers inside the room, they would never wake up. Ive baptized it with the name the eternal resting room. Don''t worry about their mental health... Even if the Champion is asleep, the player is still awake, only that it cant move the Champion, and can still surrender and abandon the dungeon. Only that they will be considered as killed, and lose a lot of the reward, increasing my own reward. *Slurp!* I start drooling thinking about it. I can already taste the huge amount of cp and xp this area is going to give me. And more importantly, since sleep is one of the status effects that allows for capturing the units, I can make it into an easy way to get free bodies. Not from the Champions themselves, which cannot be captured, but from the support mobs. Regarding the new zones, I extended a tunnel from the current Laboratory. Then I created a series of small rooms connected between themselves with several corridors. Both the rooms and corridors are irregular, with parts that look like natural caves and tunnels, and parts that are clearly man-made. The rock, dirt and stone blend with the paved and metal plated surfaces in a random and disturbing way. Then I added to this zone a Field effect. What are field effects? They are special rules that affect a Room, and every unit inside the field suffers from its effects regardless of ally or enemy. The field effect is called Freezing Cold.
Freezing Cold (Field effect)
Reduces movement speed of all units by 10%. Also increases ice damage by 20% and reduces fire damage by 20%. If a unit stays still for more than 10 seconds, they take 1% of their maximum HP as ice damage per second, until they move again.
And then I put both Corpse warehouses in the area and called this room The Freezer. Yes, freezer as in the place where corpses are kept in good conditions. I also put some lab equipment in the area and, most importantly, the machine to create the Stitched: the Reanimation machine. And the last change that I made to the dungeon layout is the creation of another laboratory zone, connected to The Freezer room. If you look at the map, its actually right next to the original laboratory room, but they arent connected. But this isnt enough. I wanted to mess with the players minds, so I added a little trick. On the side where both laboratories are closer, I created a door in both laboratories, as if there was a passage connecting the two laboratories. But there isnt any passage, only the two doors facing each other. The doors look like those high-security doors from biological laboratories, and they even have a small keyboard to input a password. Of course, they dont work and its completely impossible for a player to go from one laboratory to the other except through The Freezer. The last thing I did was move most of the laboratory stuff and the dungeon core to the new laboratory zone. Then I renamed the old laboratory room as Laboratory Annex 1 and named the new laboratory room as Central Laboratory. Now moving onto the next topic: traps! I researched a total of two new traps. One weird thing that the Flesh Monstrosities have is that they can decorate the dungeons with corpses. And the first trap I unlocked is this one.
Exploding corpse (Trap)
Cost: 30 cp, 1 corpse
When an enemy gets within 2 meters of this trap, the corpse explodes and it deals 20 damage to every unit within 10 meters. This damage cannot be reduced. Only triggered once for each dungeon invasion.
What I did was put several corpse decorations mixed with the Exploding corpse traps, so that its almost impossible to know which ones are traps that are going to explode and which ones are simply decorations. I put a total of five Exploding corpse traps mixed with more than 30 normal corpses in the Freezer room. There are no corpses in any other room in the dungeon, only in this room. And I also moved all the stitched groups into the Freezer. Now the room is full of dead bodies, with body parts and limbs spread everywhere. And we cant forget the abominations of flesh made from several humanoid races that are called stitched. A truly gross and horrifying spectacle. Whats even worse, the field effect makes all units move slower. This also affects the Stitched, but since they are already so slow, a 10% less speed is almost nothing, while it can be a significant drawback for the enemies. So again, everyone wins except for the enemies!. For the second trap to work, I actually needed to create a Horrific generator to supply the traps with electricity. I put the generator in one of the Corpse warehouses and Im going to make sure that its permanently filled with 30 corpses to maximize the amount of electricity provided. This is the second trap that I created.
Lightning Rod (Trap)
Cost: 100 cp, 50 metal. Activation cost: 5 electricity
Strikes a random enemy within 10 meters with electricity every 2 seconds, dealing 10 damage. This damage cannot be reduced. The trap can be destroyed by hitting it 10 times, or dealing more than 100 damage with a single strike.
This is a very funny and simple trap. If the enemy gets close, it is going to be continuously blasted by electricity until the trap is destroyed. The activation cost indicates how much electricity is used by this trap when activated. This means that with a single Horrific generator I can have at most six of these traps. But for now Ive only built two of them and put one on each of the laboratories. Of course, the Lightning rod is more effective in large numbers close together. But I dont want to create a dungeon that focuses on killing everybody. What I want is an unpredictable dungeon full of unexpected turns and stupid gimmicks, so that the invading players plans are foiled before they can even make them. Hahaha! Suffer the madness contained in this genius mind! I imagine myself saying to the poor players that dared to enter my dungeon. Oh, and regarding new technologies, I researched the Collectionist tech to be able to bring 10 bodies with me during invasions. And also built a few more Stasis capsules and Small stasis capsules to compensate, making it a total of 20 normal sized and 10 smaller ones. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Now for the last thing that I researched during this week, and also the most important one! The Siamese! You know, the units that were literally half and half units, two units in one, sharing passives. Incredible price! Its 2x1 in units! 2x1! Pick two units, and I will turn them into only one! Its the best discount ever, pay for 2 and get only 1! I shout. Ok, lets stop fooling and continue with the flashback. So as I was saying, I researched the Siamese, and also created a bunch of them. In fact, I created a total of 8 Siamese, all of them using the same two units: the elvish Scout and the dwarvish Miner. The Scouts have a very interesting innate skill called Nature Attuned.
Nature Attuned (Innate passive skill)
Ignores the negative effects of hazardous terrain if it comes from natural elements like plants or mushrooms.
They have the perfect skill for me, because if I put them in the areas where there are mushrooms They will be immune! And since they are immune, they can punish the enemies without being affected by the mushrooms! I also upgraded them to level 3 and used the skill points to add one skill of each type to every half of the siamese. The name of the template is Demonic Swarmer. Why this name you ask? Take a look at the stats and skills of each half.
Demonic Swarmer - Scout Half (Lv 3)
HP 54 (45) STA 7 (6) SOU 4 (4)
EP 72 (60) MP 60 (50)
STR 12 (10) CON 4 (4) AGI 7 (6)
SPI 6 (5) WIL 6 (5) DEX 6 (5)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Dash Triggered: Demonic Revenge Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander
Demonic Swarmer - Miner Half (Lv 3)
HP 78 (65) STA 6 (5) SOU 4 (4)
EP 60 (50) MP 48 (40)
STR 13 (11) CON 7 (6) AGI 3 (3)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 7 (6) DEX 6 (5)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Bash Triggered: Demonic Revenge Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander
The speed is automatically set to the highest of the two, for obvious reasons. Can you imagine half of the unit moving faster than the other? And the 3D model stretching because the halves move away? Hahaha! Also, the Strong skill increases the STR basic value by 5, and the rest of the skills are as follows.
Dash (Active skill)
Cost: 10 EP per second
Increases the SPD value of this unit by 3 while the skill is activated.
Bash (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Deal (2 + 0,8 * STR) physical damage to a single enemy. Theres a 20% chance that the enemy is stunned for 2 seconds.
Demonic Revenge (Triggered skill)
When an ally dies within 1 meter from you, increase all stats for 100% for 5 seconds. When this skill ends, you die.
The last thing I did with the Demonic Swarmers is to modify the AI so that, upon entering combat, they release a cry. And if another Demonic Swarmer is close enough to hear the cry, itll move towards the direction of that cry at full speed, by using Dash, and then join the combat. For this to work I needed them to have at least a 1 in COM, so I had to add the Commander skill. You dont really understand how good and easy it is to have units with decent basic AI, until you have to go back to modify something on the level of the Stitched The Demonic Revenge is the tip of the cake. If you kill one of the halfs, the other gets empowered by a crazy amount until it dies. Im sure that this, paired with the cry for help and the incredible speed they can reach thanks to the Dash, is going to get more than one player killed. Furthermore, if the Bash stun activates Nice try, player! Better luck next time! I liberated three Demonic Swarmers into the Cave room, and the other five into the Tunnels. But this time they can leave the assigned room in case they are close enough to hear a cry for help coming from the other room. The Demonic Swarmers are very hilarious. Because they are half elf and half dwarf (excluding the heads, each half has its own head), one half is significantly shorter than the other half. Guess how they walk and stand? They do so by inclining themselves into a close to a 70o angle towards the dwarf side. Lets say that they cant walk straight even if they want to. And when they run, there are moments that the dwarf half is flying and not touching the ground, while the elf half is jumping on one foot. I think the invading players are going to laugh at them at the start because after entering combat, they might want to cry instead. For the other mob changes While getting the bodies to create so many Demonic Swarmers, I managed to get another High Elf and Runesmith bodies, and created a second Lab Assistant. Which is currently stationed in the new laboratory, so one assistant in each lab. I also managed to obtain the bodies to create two more Death Butterflies. Currently there is one of them assigned to the Cave, one to the Tunnels and one to the Freezer. Why put them all together when I can make the players more paranoid if they are spread out? And now that we are talking about the Creepy, I also created a new Creepy type. I used a Fly and a Fire Spark to create it. The Fire Spark is a critter from the Primordials faction, a faction that basically uses elementals. Elementals are considered living units, so I can actually use them to create my own units. As with the Death Butterfly, I leveled the Creepy, this time to level 3, and added special skills to annoy the players. I called the new unit Fiery Fly and managed to get enough bodies to create four of them. These are the skills that the Fiery Fly has. The Fire Elemental comes from the Fire Sparks innate skill.
Death Burst - Fire (Triggered skill)
After dying, explode and deal (10 + 10 * level + SPI) fire damage to all units within 3 meters. This damage isnt increased or reduced by having higher or lower stats.
Fire Elemental (Innate passive skill)
Negates fire damage that deals less than (10 * level) damage. Fire damage higher than this amount is reduced by 50%.
In Flames (Passive skill)
Deal (10 + SPI) fire damage each second to yourself and to every unit within 5 meters. This skill is deactivated until theres an enemy in the same room and within 30 meters.
Its funny how almost all the damage the flies are going to do is from the basic values of the skills. Because they have the lowest possible SPI value, a 1. And the In Flames will deal no damage to themselves, because of the Fire Elemental passive. This time I didnt modify the AI, because I simply wanted to annoy the players with them. And you know that flies are already pretty annoying by themselves, so theyre going to do a peeeeerfect job without me having to touch anything from the AI. I put all the Fiery Flies into the Cave. Im sure they are going to be the first thing that the invading players get annoyed with. The funniest part is that if the fireflies get close enough to each other, they can create a devastating chain of Death Burst explosions as one explosion makes the other flies explode. And these are more or less all the changes in the dungeon in this past week. Returning to the present. Oh! And I almost forgot! One of the level 3 rewards is the possibility to upgrade the Champion! Though I first need to research it, so Ill need to wait to be able to do it. The current technology will allow me to add a third body to the original mix with the same conditions as before: keep innate skill and sum all stats. What am I going to give to my Champion next? Should I look for only stats? Or for a good innate skill? Oh, Oh! Wouldnt it be good to shoot lasers from the eyes? What about invisibility? ....Its a shame that I can only use humanoid bodies, because it would be awesome to add a spider into the mix You know, all that shooting spiderwebs and climbing walls thing Though Im not sure if itd work in the game.
BEWARE the eternal sleep zones. Ive already said before, but NO zone is safe in this damned dungeon! If you see a place where theres literally nothing other than mushrooms and plants, meaning: no traps, no mobs, no critters, no boss, no lab equipment NOTHING! Dont enter. Simply DO NOT ENTER! Unless you want to stare at your champion while it sleeps for all eternity, that is. If you want to do so, feel free to ignore my warning. - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected Dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 16 - Lots of level ups So, now that everything I did this past week has been explained, theres still something that I need to do. And its upgrading the units that were already created, my Champion included. The player level 3 allows for units to be upgraded up to level 4. Its always up to one level higher. But I dont have enough cp for upgrading every unit, so Im going to focus first on the Champion, and then on the rest of the units until Im out of cp. The Mad Rat is currently level 2, so to reach level 4 I need to upgrade it twice. 25 cp for level 3, and 45 cp for level 4. A total of 70 cp. It isnt a very high amount, but it quickly adds up when upgrading a lot of units. After the upgrade, I now have two skill points. And since I already have one non-innate skill of each type, I can either choose to add new skills or to upgrade the ones I already have Im very interested in the upgrades for the Maniac skill please, keep the secret between us but this last week I died twice more because of this skill. Yep, the 10% cost as HP seems nothing the few first casts, but when you are taking damage from enemy attacks at the same time its not that easy to prevent the suicide from happening. So I look at the upgrades for the Maniac skill. Theres only three, and all look good. But no way Im going to take the Extreme upgrade. It would go in the exact opposite direction to what I want to achieve.
Maniac (Passive skill)
Skills that need MP to be casted deal 30% more damage and the chance to inflict status effects is doubled. When using those skills, 10% of the MP amount used is also reduced from the current HP. This skill can kill you.
Available Upgrades
Expert: Reduces the HP loss by 5% of the MP cost.
Extreme: Increase damage by another 15% and the HP loss by another 5% of the MP cost.
Unpredictable: The chance to inflict status effects increases by 3 times instead of having a double chance.
With the Expert upgrade, I will reduce the amount of HP lost by half, which is exactly what I want. So its a no-brainer to pick this upgrade. Maybe, if it was a mob from the dungeon, the Extreme upgrade would be more interesting But I NEED to survive or whatever Im doing is lost, so no thanks The Unpredictable upgrade is nice too, a simple upgrade, but its not what Im looking for... and having the Expert upgrade as an option, I would never pick the Unpredictable upgrade. So one skill point is gone with the upgrade. I say after upgrading the Maniac skill with the Expert upgrade. Now for the last skill point. Should I upgrade another skill? Or obtain a new one? In the last dungeons, I only found a problem with the Maniac skill. Too much HP damage coming from it. But regarding the rest of the skills Im pretty much satisfied. They deal enough damage, and the stun is working perfectly as long as I plan it ahead of time, that is. Otherwise it can be useless. So yes, lets look for a new skill! I dont want to be stuck with only a few options if possible, even if they are very powerful. In fact, lets look for another triggered skill to balance the amount of each skill! Why do I want to balance things? Because yes. No particular reason. Ive found a perfect triggered skill to prevent suiciding myself with the Maniac passive. At least for the first time in each invasion or dungeon battle. Its called Indomitable Will. But it isnt the only interesting skill I found.
Indomitable Will (Triggered skill)
When you are reduced to less than 10% HP, recover 20% of your maximum HP. You cant be killed until this skill is triggered, if you would be killed, this skill is triggered instead. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Lightning Shield (Triggered skill)
Cost: 10 MP per activation
When you receive a melee attack, the attacker takes (5 + 0,5 * SPI) lightning damage and theres a 20% chance that the enemy is pushed 5 meters away from you and is stunned for 1 second. This skill can only trigger once every 5 seconds against each enemy.
Eternal Prison (Triggered skill)
If an enemy unit is immobilized, stunned, asleep, charmed or frightened by your skills for more than 10 consecutive seconds, extend the duration of the status effect by another 10 seconds. The time counter is independent for each type of status effect. This skill can only trigger once each minute for each enemy unit.
Hahahaha! I laugh. If I get this Indomitable will skill, I can forget about killing myself again! At least, Ill have a second chance! Its a perfect way to not commit suicide anymore. But man, I like the other two skills way more. I mean, who cares about not dying when you can stun or immobilize enemies for so long that they are going to cry? Because Im sure that both Cold Blast and Shared Voltage have upgrades that increase the immobilization and stun times, respectively. And the Lightning Shield My drool starts dropping. Metaphorically, because this is a game, and I cant actually produce drool. Except for the drool thats continuously dropping from my character, but this and that are different things. ... free extra damage, deterrent to attack in melee range against me, its affected by the extra damage and double status chance from Maniac, and can also trigger Shared Voltage I can already visualize mobs coming to attack me, triggering the shield, and then getting stunned by the Shared Voltage skill. Its a free body capture machine! A fun thing is that this type of shield can be picked for every elemental type. Fire, ice, lightning, etc. But of course I only look at the lightning one because its the one that complements the skills I already have. Yep, who cares about not dying when you can get an all-in-one skill that covers most of the things I would like to have right now! Without thinking about it any more, I pick the Lightning Shield skill. My status now looks like this.
Mad Rat (Lv 4)
HP 286 (220) STA 19 (15) SOU 22 (17)
EP 234 (180) MP 286 (220)
STR 22 (17) CON 22 (17) AGI 24 (19)
SPI 28 (22) WIL 24 (19) DEX 26 (20)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Cold Blast Shared Voltage Lightning Shield Mana Attuned (Innate) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert)
Now that I finished upgrading the Champion, its time to go for the dungeon mobs. And the most important mobs are going to be the first ones I upgrade: the Lab Assistants. They are the cornerstone and last line of defense in this dungeon, so of course they are the most important mobs. The assistants are currently level 2, so I upgrade them to level 4 and they get two extra skill points. I must spend the first of them in a passive skill, so that it has a skill of each type that isnt innate, and then I can do whatever I want with the other skill point. The assistants already have good stats, so Im not going to give it a stat rising passive. Those are discarded. Some kind of aura maybe? They are decently fast and the laboratories arent very big, so enemies are going to take damage from it for sure Also, paired with the immobilization from the Frosty Retribution trigger, it could make a good combo. Fufufu! A very nasty idea just came to me. What if I put an aura skill AND spend the other skill point into an active skill that allows the assistants to move through the lab? This way the enemies wont be able to avoid taking damage from the aura, and if unlucky, the trigger will activate right next to them! Hahaha! And a movement skill would also solve the problem of not having any way to spend EP, because the current assistants have a lot of EP but no way to spend it other than basic attacks and running around. So an aura passive. Then it must be the Fire Aura skill. Both to keep the fire and ice thematic, and because the triggered skill already deals ice damage. I dont want to use the In Flames passive, the one I gave to the Fiery Flies, or something similar because I dont want the Lab Assistants to kill themselves.
Fire Aura (Passive skill)
Cost: 1 MP per second (cannot be deactivated during combat)
Deal (2 + 0,1 * SPI) fire damage to all units other than yourself that are within 5 meters.
The cost of the Fire Aura is something that you need to balance with the unit stats, because if it doesn''t have enough MP regen, its going to be a constant drain that wont allow the unit to use any other skill. And you may say, then isnt it an active skill? No, because its something that you cant deactivate even if you want. So its a passive effect that consumes MP continuously. But the Lab Assistants have enough SOU and MP stats so that the aura cost isnt going to be a problem. I select the Fire Aura and move to look at the active skills that have movement incorporated. I find one that I like, called Jumping Smash.
Jumping Smash (Active skill)
Cost: 50 EP
Jump towards a place within 5 meters and deal (5 + 1,2 * STR) damage to all other units within 2 meters of the landing place.
With this skill, the Lab Assistants can freely move through the laboratory even when taking into account all the equipment blocking the path. No one can run or hide behind the lab equipment now! Hahaha! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. This is how the Lab Assistants look right now. Im envious of their high stats
Lab Assistant (Lv 4)
HP 442 (340) STA 29 (23) SOU 32 (25)
EP 312 (240) MP 364 (280)
STR 33 (26) CON 41 (32) AGI 24 (19)
SPI 41 (32) WIL 44 (34) DEX 49 (38)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash Triggered: Frosty Retribution Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura
Regarding the rest of the mobs, the Demonic Swarmers are already level 3, so Ill leave them like this for now. But the Stitched are level 1 except for the leaders, who are level 2 right now. I think I can upgrade them all to level 2. Maybe the ones that will come with me to the dungeon invasions can be level 3? I can now bring up to 300 cp value units with me when I start a dungeon invasion. Also, I dont have enough cp to upgrade them all to level 3 For now, I upgrade all the Braindead Mobs to level 2 and add the same skill I gave to the Braindead Leaders: Toxic Spit. In this way they will blend together and its going to be more difficult to differentiate them.
Braindead Mob (Lv 2)
HP 66 (60) STA 5 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 55 (50) MP 33 (30)
STR 5 (5) CON 7 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 1 COM 0
Skills
Active: Toxic Spit Passive: Too Gross To Look At
Now all stitched inside the dungeon are going to have a way to defend themselves from ranged assaults. The stitched that come with me into invasions are the only ones remaining. Its true the Death Butterflies are also on the list, but I dont want to upgrade them. They are useful as they are, so why should I spend cp into them? Lets start with the Kidnapper! For the Kidnapper, I still dont want it to enter combat, so Im going to look for skills that increase its survivability only. And I think I already know which triggered skill I can give it. I found it when looking for my Champion skills.
Gods Intervention (Triggered skill)
When you would be killed, you are reduced to 1 HP instead and ignore all damage and status effects for the next 5 seconds. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
See? Very similar to the Indomitable Will, right? But at the same time theres enough difference so that they are used in very different circumstances. This one is almost useless when paired with Maniac. But if I want the Kidnapper to survive combat, its actually way more useful. Without doubting anymore, I select the God''s Intervention skill. With the last skill point I must pick an active skill. Ideally a defensive skill that can be used both outside of combat and during combat.
Fortify (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Reduce the damage from the next attack or skill by (5 + 2 * CON) points.
Simple, but effective. It only works for one attack, so its a little flimsy. But it can be used outside of combat and lasts until it receives damage, so its a nice skill to add to the Kidnapper since I want it to survive as much as possible. This is a nice skill for units that arent supposed to receive a lot of attacks. In intense combat, activating this skill would cost you more EP than the damage reduction is worth. And you also need some time to activate the skill, so its even more useless in melee.
Braindead Kidnapper (Lv 3)
HP 72 (60) STA 6 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 60 (50) MP 36 (30)
STR 6 (5) CON 8 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 2 COM 0
Skills
Active: Fortify Triggered: God''s Intervention Passive: Intelligent
Now the only thing remaining is to level up the Followers. I calculated the cp value of the stitched after reaching level 3 and its 55 cp. So, including the cost of the Kidnapper, I can bring exactly 5 other level 3 stitched with me in invasions. Which is one more than the amount I was already bringing. Nice! I can create one more stitched, and can level them all to level 3 and still bring them with me! This time, again, I dont bother looking for another active skill and select the Toxic Spit. Why change what I already know its working? Only the triggered skill is missing. I mostly use them as a meat shield, so I select one that will help them to do their work better.
Survival Instinct (Triggered skill)
When you have less than 30% HP, regenerate 1% HP per second.
Again, simple but effective. Now I wont need to be so preoccupied about them dying to weak mobs. This skill is incredibly good against weak opponents, but utterly useless against strong enemies that can deal more with a single attack. This makes the skill very good for invading dungeons, which are usually filled with weak mobs; but utterly useless for defending dungeons and dungeon battles, because of the powerful Champions. Well Not exactly. Because theres an exception. A strong character with lots of HP and this skill can be quite annoying, and the skill isnt useless anymore even versus Champions. What I was saying applies only to weak mobs.
Braindead Follower (Lv 3)
HP 72 (60) STA 6 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 60 (50) MP 36 (30)
STR 6 (5) CON 8 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 2 COM 0
Skills
Active: Toxic Spit Triggered: Survival Instinct Passive: Intelligent
Well, I finally finished upgrading the dungeon! And Im poor again! I say after looking at the cp value. Currently I cant even create a new stitched. Maybe you would be asking yourselves how could I get so many cp to build new dungeon parts, create new units, and even upgrade so many units Its easy to understand. Really easy. My dungeon is being invaded by other players all the time, so even if they manage to beat the dungeon, theres a constant influx of cp and xp from so many invasions. Though I dont really understand why this is happening From what I could read in guides and other players comments, my dungeon should be too new to have so many players diving into it. Its not about being good or bad, its that not enough players should know about its existence yet. Suspicious Well, its good for me, so who cares! Hahaha!
If you see an innocent rabbit, suspect it might be waiting for you to look away to attack you. If you see an unassuming rock, inspect it to make sure it is not a camouflaged creature or trap waiting for you to step on it and blow you up. If you see an entrance to a simple dark corridor, make sure its not the inside of a creature waiting to swallow you whole once you step into it. And if you see a very creepy tree with eyes thats clearly following you that means it is probably a critter. Critters arent dangerous, you say? In this dungeon EVERYTHING is dangerous!! Step on it, cut it, and then burn it until not even ashes remain! - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Glossary 2 - Upgrading the Dungeon The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 4 (Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast. Triggered: Shared Voltage, Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Dungeon Areas Cave - Right next to the entrance. Looks like a natural cave. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Death Butterfly, Fiery Fly. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Cave and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Death Butterfly. Traps: Falling Corpse, Mushrooms. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core. It is divided into two rooms that arent directly connected, and you must pass through The Freezer to reach the second. Monsters: Lab Assistant, Death Butterfly. Traps: Falling Corpse, Lightning Rod. The Freezer - Interconnected rooms, partly natural and partly excavated in the rock. Its filled with corpses and ice. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader. Traps: Exploding Corpse. Field Effect: Freezing Cold. Monsters Lab Assistant - Lv 4 (Hybrid - High Elf + Runesmith) Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura. Demonic Swarmer - Lv 3 (Siamese - Scout + Miner) Scout Half - Active: Dash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Miner Half - Active: Bash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Braindead Mob - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. Death Butterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Fiery Fly - Lv 3 (Creepy - Fly + Fire Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Fire. Passive: Fire Elemental (Innate), In Flames. Traps Falling Corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Exploding Corpse - Explodes when an enemy gets close. Lightning Rod - Strikes repeatedly with lightning. It can be destroyed. Poisonous Mushroom - Inflicts poison that stacks and deals damage. Sleeping Mushroom - Inflicts sleep on enemies. Support Mobs (not in the dungeon) Braindead Kidnapper - Lv 3 (Stitched) Active: Fortify. Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Intelligent. Braindead Follower - Lv 3 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Intelligent. Ex Ch 2 - Evil mastermind dungeon Dungeon Masters Arena forums. Thread: Evil mastermind dungeon () [ImAnOrc] I tried completing the dungeon yet again. No luck here. [Storm Colossus] Ahaha! You noob! No dungeon can be so hard! [Shopapik] I died too! That lab assistant mob is no joke! (i_i) [sweetdiabete] This message has been removed by an administrator. [CovidSteak] Reported! [Wait for sushi] Yep, reported! [ImAnOrc] Me too. Has anyone reached the end? [Geek] Nope. [Wait for sushi] No way. Still looking for what killed me by draining all HP [ImAnOrc] You too? It happened to me too. [Shopapik] Ahahaha! Noobs! [CovidSteak] So you reached it? Share video! [Shopapik] Nope, I didnt. Got caught in the door and didnt finish it.>n< [ImAnOrc] What door? I didnt see any. [Shopapik] (?_?)? Theres a door now in the old laboratory. Protected by password. [Geek] And whats behind? [Shopapik] I dont know, still trying to open it! ?( ? )? Tried more than a thousand combinations to open it already and nothing! [ImAnOrc] Must be something important, right? Otherwise why would there be a door? [Wait for sushi] Gonna try me too! Lets see who opens it first. [ICrazy] Did you know? Theres another crazy guy with a lab coat later on. [ImAnOrc] You mean another lab assistant? [ICrazy] Maybe? Dont care about its name I beat the first and passed through the freezer, but the second one killed me. [Shopapik] Lab assistant those guys that attack you with a fucking pencil! (_) How I hate their triggered skill! [FireBurger] Hi all! Whats all this about an evil mastermind dungeon? [ImAnOrc] Just search for a dungeon called The Mad Rats Lab and invade it. Come here again after the invasion! This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. [FireBurger] Ok! [Geek] Hahaha! Poor noob! [ICrazy] Youre an evil person #ImAnOrc. [CovidSteak] Evil? Why? He just wants to share the suffering! [ImAnOrc] Hey, shut up! [FireBurger] Hey everyone! Im back! [Wait for sushi] And so? How did it go? [FireBurger] Ive beaten it! Heres the video! https://this.isafakevideolink.com [ImAnOrc] No way [Pepito Flying] How lucky can you be!? You didnt encounter a single life-draining trap! Nor exploding corpses! [Shopapik] Waitwaitwait! How is this possible!? (??) [Shopapik] (ѣ) [Shopapik] (b b) [Geek] Stooop with the faces! [Shopapik] (0) [Shopapik] (??) Ok, this was the last one. I promise! [Pepito Flying] No way! The mushrooms didnt work!? Tell me how you did it, senpai! #FireBurger [Shopapik] (਌) Uuups i lied! [Geek] Go **** yourself! #Shopapik [sweetdiabete] This message has been removed by an administrator. [ICrazy] This guy doesnt get tired, does he? [Geek] Enjoy your ban! [ImAnOrc] #Pepito Flying Of course they didnt work! He is an elf with the nature attuned skill! The mushrooms dont work on them! [Pepito Flying] Aaah, ok! [CovidSteak] You are too noob to try this dungeon if you dont even know that! [Wait for sushi] Stop! Theres something more important that we are forgetting! The door! In the video, we can see another door in the other laboratory. So they must be connected right? [ImAnOrc] Well, not necessarily. There could be a secret room between them. [Shopapik] Oooh! A secret passage! ( ??? ) [FireBurger] I dont know what you are talking about? The dungeon was quite easy in my opinion. There were little traps, no really dangerous mobs, and I didn''t find anything unexpected. [Geek] Aaah! My heart is hurting! I need an ambulance! You dont know how lucky you were and dare to say it was easy!? EASY!?? [ICrazy] Call the inquisition! We have an unbeliever here! [CovidSteak] Let the lynching begin! [Shopapik] (`_ # ) (`_ # ) (`_ # ) [Pepito Flying] Shouldnt we be asking him to teach us how to invade the dungeon instead of attacking him? [Geek] Hes a traitor! Lynch #Pepito Flying too! [CovidSteak] Yes, both of them! [Shopapik] (`_ # ) (`_ # ) (`_ # ) (`_ # ) (`_ # ) (`_ # ) [ImAnOrc] Guys calm down! Lets return to the topic! The doors and the secret passage! [Shopapik] So no more (`_ # ) ? ()
Only two weeks after being created, The Mad Rats Lab'' was already getting a lot of attention. At least a lot more than a dungeon only two weeks old should have. The players discussed in the forums about what they found, and how to overcome the dangerous mobs and evil traps. But there was one thing that, no matter how many players tried to solve the mystery around it, still resisted everyone. It was a mystery about some doors. Doors that supposedly connected the laboratory rooms, and the secret room that could exist between them. Even when DMA closed the servers after a lot of years, some players were still asking themselves: How can I open this door? They were sure that the first to uncover the truth would get famous, and never surrendered.
Ch 17 - Playing together Today, after the class, I start talking with Ricard. You see Ive already reached player level 3! Is that so? That was fast! Didn''t expect you to reach level 3 in, like a week later. Maybe even more since youre playing the Flesh Monstrosities Fu, fu, fu! Surprised? I told you that Im going to surpass you! And at this speed, its going to be soon! Alright you got me there with your leveling speed But how did you manage to get to the next level so fast? Did you use a game cheat? Did you hack the game? Or maybe pay some other player to keep diving into your dungeon and then dying? Nuh-huh! I didnt do anything shady! Its just that for some reason, theres a decent amount of players invading my dungeon. I shrug my shoulders. Though I dont really understand why. Ricard puts his hand on the chin and says. Maybe it has to do with the Whac-A-Zombie video? It wouldnt be so weird for players to dive into your dungeon after watching your video But it doesnt make sense that after a week they continue to dive the video heat is gone by now I, too, put my hand on my chin. Then I nod sagely while saying. Yeah, I think so too Well, anyway. Are you free today to play together? I ask. Today? Today I had an invasion planned for a new dungeon I discovered But I can play with you if you want. Dont you think Im very generous? Im willing to cancel a great plan to play with a noob like you Ricard starts spouting bullshit. Yeah, yeah Im sure you were planning to dive into a human dungeon He puts on a surprised expression and asks. How did you know? As if it wasnt obvious. Do you really need to ask how I know? Ricard: the player with only a 97% human invasion statistics. And he still asks how I guessed it *Sigh!* Its because of luck. Pure and sheer luck. Im the luckiest person on this planet! I say, sarcastically, while rolling my eyes. Now, pleeeease, lets forget about it and focus on todays invasion. Ok! Then lets make plans for today! Preparation is the key to success! Hes really excited about playing together, even if he wants to try to hide it by calling me a noob and talking about previous plans. So, I already know that your Champion is a spellcaster. Do you want me to use a melee and tanky one to compensate and balance things? This way Ill be in the frontline and you can be safe in the backline, you don''t need to worry about dying. The perfect way to carry you through the dungeon! Carry me? I dont need you to carry me! I retort. Though I would appreciate it if you can take the frontline and the brunt of the enemies attacks. Because I have the Maniac skill, and this way I wont need to worry too much about getting low HP and killing myself... Not that Ive ever killed myself before with this skill hahaha! I look away. I almost exposed my best kept secret here! Ricard looks at me with suspicious eyes. Did I manage to fool him? Hmm so you picked that skill Quite a dangerous one, but it does fit the roleplay you told me that you are doing. Any other important things that I should know? Only that I have the Shared Voltage skill for stunning the enemies and that I mostly use Chain Lightning as the way to trigger the stun and later capture them. Oh, yes you need to be able to capture the enemies Youre incredibly lucky that my Revenant already has a way to facilitate you to capture units. As a tanky unit, Ive set it so that the enemies take constant damage from the Ice Aura skill and I also have this skill called Eternal Chill that increases the damage they take. As a side effect, they cant die from ice damage. This wont enable you to capture units, but at least the enemy units wont be killed by the Ice Aura, but will still have their health reduced by staying close to me.
Eternal Chill (Passive skill)
Increase all ice damage that you deal by 20% and your ice attacks and skills slow enemies by 10%. Your ice damage cant kill other units.
Ah, I almost forgot! Because of this Ice Aura and Eternal Chill combo, you and your mobs should stay away from my Champion unless you want to take lots of damage! I recommend that you dont take weak melee mobs, stick to ranged mobs. Or if you cant, at least make them stay near you. Now that you say it I dont have any ranged mobs yet. Ahaha! I scratch my head, ashamed of not thinking about it until now. Note to myself: Create some ranged mobs in the future. Lets see how much time passes before I forget about ranged mobs again. I try to justify myself. Well, I dont have any true ranged mob. I have a few that can use some ranged attacks, though it isnt the same... But I can make them stay close to me, so its no problem! No ranged mobs You truly demonstrate your lack of knowledge and experience with these things Even I, with the undead faction, one of the most melee focused factions, have lots of ranged units The only thing that we still need to talk about is the dungeon we are going to invade. Ricard is the one that takes the initiative. So about the dungeon How about this one called Adapo Fort. The reviews are quite nice, and they say there are a lot of weak mobs, ideal for my soul farming! My instincts sound an alarm at what Ricard is saying. Hmm is it an Iron Shield (humans) dungeon? I say while staring at Ricard. It isnt, right? He looks away and stammers. No, ummm you see Discarded! I interrupt. I dont mind going into any other factions dungeon, but no humans. Didnt we already talk about this!? But No buts! I dont allow him to continue talking. If you want some faction with lots of weak units we can go to a Savage Horde (orcs) dungeon! There are usually lots of goblins in their dungeons! Even goblin bodies are more useful to me than humans, because of the innate skill they have! Goblins have an innate skill called Slippery, which is quite good for weak units. And I can even get a better skill if I manage to capture some orcs with the Bloodlust skill.
Slippery (Innate passive skill)
You have a 20% chance to avoid attacks that deal enough damage to kill you. Only works if the attack deals more damage than 30% of your maximum HP.
Ricard finally surrenders. Ok! We will go to a Savage Horde dungeon! But I am the one to choose which dungeon! I wont concede this! Sure! I dont mind, feel free to choose the dungeon you like. He knows a lot more dungeons than me and is very active in the forums. So as long as he doesn''t pick a human dungeon, he is going to pick a better one than any dungeon I could think of. Then, lets see you again later in the game! And dont forget to send me a friend request! I wont forget. And youll see! Im going to pick a dungeon so amazing that you wont be able to close your mouth from the shock! A dungeon so epic that youll be compelled to call me master and become my disciple! Hahaha! He spouts some more nonsense. See you later! Become your disciple? I shudder. Please, spare me from this nightmare.
You have received a friend request from: TheGreatBaldSage
I know what you are thinking Yes, TheGreatBaldSage. This is Ricards nickname. Lame. Extremely laaaame! Im ashamed to call him a friend at times like this. Couldnt he pick a normal nickname like mine? I accept the friend request. Now we only need to create a party and start the dungeon invasion. Since I shouldn''t bring with me melee mobs to prevent them from dying to Ricards Ice Aura, I need to change a few things about the mobs Im going to bring with me. I can bring units of up to 300 cp value, since Im level 3. And I must take the Kidnapper, for obvious reasons, which leaves me with 245 cp for other units. I start calculating in my head the costs and values of the rest of the units. A lab assistant is too expensive, so discarded. Then all the stitched have the same problem: too dumb to avoid jumping into melee combat and get shredded by the Ice Aura. The only thing I can do is bring with me three Demonic Swarmers and change the AI so that they dont jump into melee range I create a new subtemplate for the Demonic Swarmers, call it Demonic Follower and only modify the AI so that they stay in the Protect mode and set the target to me. In the Protect mode, they stay close to the target and only engage in melee combat if the enemy gets close and attacks me. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Hehehe! Im so good at programming the AI that I dont even need to touch the Kidnapper AI, because it already is following the closest ally unit! I dont need to worry about it bumping into me, nor jumping into melee range. I tell Ricard that Im ready to start the dungeon invasion, and only two seconds later I receive a game message asking to join TheGreatBaldSages party. Which I accept. Then he chooses a dungeon and starts the invasion. Its a dungeon called KoluGar Canyon, from the orc faction. At least he didnt try to fool me into a human dungeon again. After the teleport, I see that we are inside a canyon. What an unexpected outcome! But theres no river in this canyon and everything is dry. High rock walls surround us on every side except from the front. The canyon is about 50 meters wide? This layout has a good thing, and its that it is very difficult to miss any important stuff because you can see quite far away, and everything on the floor level is very flat. But it also allows for hidden ambushes on all sides and I dont even want to start talking about aerial attacks. Hi there, Andreu! Says Ricard. Please, we are in the game. Call me by the champions name: Mad Rat! Huh Ok, I dont really mind. I will try to remember, but no promises here! He says. Then you should call me by my players name. I prefer it to the Champions name. He wants to be called by that lame nickname? Well, fine by me. But its a little long Do you mind if I call you Bald Sage? Oh? If you shorten it like this, it actually sounds like the nickname of one of those hidden hermits that teach the protagonist hidden techniques in anime, don''t you think? I like it! Hes fine with the name. So good for me. But I do think it is even worse than the full nickname How can he like it? As you can see, I bring with me two Skeleton archers as ranged units and two Specters that will join me in melee. Dont worry about the specters, because they wont take damage from my Ice Aura with the skills I gave them. Oh, and I already told you, but my Champion is a Revenant. You should take a look at the Return from Death innate skill.
Return from Death - Lv 2 (Innate triggered skill)
After 30 seconds of dying, return to life with 100% HP. From that moment, your maximum HP is reduced by 1% every 5 seconds. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Upgrades
Resilient: Reduce the amount of maximum HP lost every 5 seconds to 0,5%.
Thats why I told you Im bringing a tanky unit. Even if I die, I return to battle fully recharged. And with the upgrade it takes more than 15 minutes for the HP reduction to put me on 0 maximum HP. Of course this isnt the only tank skill I have. Isnt this innate skill a little too op? I ask. Hahaha! Its a 450 cp unit, and the stats the Revenant has are very low for a unit on that cp range. So one thing compensates the other. Still, returning from death with 100% HP I have 572 HP right now, so with this skill it would give me an almost 600 HP boost AFTER being killed. So its both a return from death skill plus a massive hp recovery in one. What a shame it comes from an undead unit, because otherwise just imagine what kind of units I would be able to create! My delusions are getting out of control. If I ever got a dragon A dragon boss that returns from death with 100% HP after being killed The despair caused to the invading players Huhuhu! Hahaha! I cant avoid the creepy laughter from escaping my mouth. Fufufu! Ricard looks in my direction with a worried expression. Hmm... Are you ok? Because you suddenly stopped talking and now are laughing Huh!? Ah? Oooh, yes, Im ok. I was thinking about important stuff. Very important stuff. Important stuff? He stares at me with a weird expression. He didnt read my mind, did he? Because I would die of shame if he knew. Well, anyway! Lets start the dungeon invasion already! Oh, and my mobs will stay close to me so they dont get exposed to your aura. Just try to not kill this stitched here if it comes close, because its the one in charge of capturing units during combat. Ill do my best! I must demonstrate my skills to the new player, so dont worry! Ill keep it safe the best I can! We finally start advancing. Far away, about 100 meters, we can see the first enemy group. Its composed of ten goblins and three orcs. By the way, what is the level of the player who owns this dungeon? I ask. The level? Its level 11. Whaaaaaat!? Level 11! Are you crazy!? Im only level 3! And as far as I know, you are level 5! Theyre gonna destroy us! Naaah, dont worry! This dungeon is a farming dungeon. It has lots of mobs but they are placed in a way that isnt too deadly. And almost no traps or ambushes. Oh, and Im level 6. Just leveled up today! If you say so Im just interested in their bodies, so as long as I can get some But I still need to see if its true that we can beat this dungeon. The enemies have spotted us and are rushing in our direction. We both prepare to start the combat. Ricard is in front with the two specters. Please, allow me to capture as many orcs as possible. I want a lot of their bodies for my future, uh experiments. Do we get the same reward if they are captured instead of killed? Yes, the same cp for each. Then its fine. He says. But he suddenly remembers something and complains. But then I wont get the souls because they arent killed! Its unavoidable so stop complaining and focus on the battle! The battle starts and the front line is immediately surrounded by the horde of goblins and orcs. I manage to inspect a few of the goblins and orcs during the chaos. The goblins are level 6, and the orcs are level 7. Wow, wasnt this supposed to be a farming dungeon? I imagine myself being surrounded by the horde and being torn to shreds. I shudder. Even with the champions buff, I dont think I would last very long if I were in the Bald Sages position. Its still very weird to say this name aloud. What surprises me is that, even without me or my mobs intervening so far, hes managing the fight quite well. The revenant, with the champions buff, takes very little damage from the enemies. But what is impressive are the two specters. I inspected them before, and they manage to shut the whole horde down with only two skills: Draining Touch and Etherealness.
Draining Touch - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Reduce the targets HP by (2 + 0,5 * SPI) and heal by 50% of the HP reduced.
Upgrades
Perfect Drain: Increase the heal to 100% of the HP reduced.
Etherealness - Lv 2 (Innate passive skill)
Receive 50% less damage from non-elemental attacks.
Upgrades
Ice Soul: Negate all ice damage you receive, but increase damage from all other elements by 20%.
Even if the goblins and orcs dont stop attacking, the specters barely take any damage. And when the damage starts to accumulate, they use Draining Touch and Bam! full HP again! And meanwhile, the skeletons keep shooting arrows from far away, eliminating the enemies that get low HP from the Ice Aura. Ricard is incredibly prepared for this dungeon. Unlike me. Shame on me! But I wont fall behind any more than what I have already fallen! The battle has developed to the point where most goblins are at 1 HP, and the orcs innate skill has already triggered. One orc and three goblins are already dead, their corpses being stepped on by their comrades. The remaining pesky goblins are still alive because Ricards Eternal Chill makes it so that the enemies cant die from the Ice Aura. Im coming! Please dont kill the two remaining orcs! I say as I run towards the melee taking place in front of me. I cast Chain Lightning. As usual, the lightning strikes the first goblin and immediately jumps to the closest one. Then it continues to jump until it has already hit all the enemies, which are all clumped together. But things start to turn crazy due to the Shared Voltage skill. Because they are very low on health, every time that the Chain Lightning strikes an enemy, it triggers the Shared Voltage skill and creates another lightning streak, effectively multiplying the amount of lighting chains. By the time the original Chain Lightning disappears, for each enemy, there is an extra lighting streak that keeps jumping between the enemies, stunning them again, triggering Shared Voltage again, and again, and AGAIN. They are locked in a never-ending stunning lightning chain. Now, the whole battlefield looks like a lightning field, the electricity jumping from one enemy to another without stopping. I must save this replay and upload a new video called Everlasting Lightning Chain. This is too good and crazy to not save the replay, because with a single cast of the Chain Lightning skill, I managed to permanently stun eight enemies. And Im sure that if another enemy came close enough to the lightning chain, it would join the ranks. Wow! I cant see the amount of damage accumulated in the Shared Voltage triggers but Im sure that if I could add all of it into a single attack, it would deal more than 1.000 damage! Hahaha! I say, exhilarated. Leave four of the goblins alive, too. Im going to capture them. You can kill the rest if you want! I say. Ok. Then Ill kill them right away! Ricard says in response. After managing to capture two orcs and four goblins in only the first battle, we proceed to move forward. Hahaha! Already have half of my objective in only the first battle! Im looking forward to seeing what else I can capture! I merrily say. Aha Good for you. Ricards talks in an indifferent tone. But then suddenly his expression and tone change and he says. See what I was telling you? Its thanks to me that you got so many bodies! Now, praise me! Praise me and call me your master! You need to respect your teacher and superior! Please spare me from talking about this again
When playing against the Savage Horde, dont forget to bring Area of Effect skills. As the factions name suggests, they tend to flood the enemy with a constant barrage of melee enemies. Because they sacrifice magic and ranged options in favor of numbers and strength, they tend to clump together and the AoE skills are king versus them. But if you dont have any AoE skills, youre going to face an unending horde of enemies that will slowly but surely whittle you down. And if they manage to surround you in melee range, youll feel in your own skin what the word savage means, as you get pummeled to a pulp. - Basic DMA knowledge every player should know.
Ch 18 - A battle of endurance Haaa. With this last one, how many goblin and orc groups did we defeat? Isnt it the tenth? I dont know, I didnt count But I think it was more than ten? Answers Ricard. After the first battle, we continued the dungeon invasion and found more groups of goblins and orcs. The further we go, the more orcs and goblins we find in each group. But even with the numbers increasing, Ricard and I are still in good shape. This really seems to be a farming dungeon. We have been repeating the same procedure for quite some time already. Ricard takes the front and I cast spells from behind. I managed to capture a few more orcs, now I should have five orc bodies. Maybe some goblins too if the Kidnapper captured them during combat, Im not sure. Oh, here they come again! Its twenty goblins and six orcs this time! Says Ricard from the front. Its four goblins and two orcs more than the last pack. Ricards champion rushes to meet the enemy head-on, followed by the two specters. And another battle starts again. From the repeated battles, weve found that the best timing for me to cast Chain Lightning is when the majority of goblins have around half HP remaining. In this way, the damage dealt to both goblins and orcs is maximized with the Shared Voltage triggers. It leaves most goblins stunned, and the damage from the excess damage is accumulated into the orcs, which leaves them at less than 1/4 HP. Low enough for Ricard, the specters, and the skeletons to finish them easily. So I wait until most goblins are at half HP and cast Chain Lightning. When the lightning shots from my hand, Ricard turns around to look at me and shouts. Noooo! Shit! It was too early! There are too many enemies in this pack! And sure enough, when the Chain Lighting and the extra lighting jumps from Shared Voltage disappear, theres still a few goblins doing fine, and whats worse, not a single of the six orcs is stunned. Since I generated so much aggro by dealing that amount of damage with a single skill, the orcs and goblins set me as the target. Ignoring the frontline, they start running in my direction. Ahhh! Somebody save me! I shout, imitating a feminine voice the best I can. Its not like Im afraid, but I always wanted to find a situation where I could shout it. Grrr Kill me! Ill never surrender to you! I say towards the running orcs. Again, with feminine voice. Ill rather die than suffer this humiliation! I always wanted to say this too. Ricard and the specters try to stop as many orcs and goblins as possible, but even with this, three orcs and two goblins are coming my way. Time to earn your keep! I say to the Demonic Followers. As soon as the first orc gets close, the three of them pounce on the orc. At the same time, I join the fray with my staff and by casting Cold Blasts. The first attack I receive is from a goblin. It triggers the Lightning Shield and a blast of electricity shots towards it, leaving it stunned. I have mercy and kill it with the staff, so that it doesn''t suffer. Soon, the rest of goblins and orcs reach us, and a chaotic melee unfolds. The melee is going pretty well, because we overpower them one on one. But theres a problem: one of the Demonic Followers is being attacked by two orcs, and both have the Bloodlust skill activated because they have less than half HP. I try to open a path by furiously striking with my staff. As soon as I have enough MP, I cast more Cold Blasts. But by the time I reach the siamese that was alone, the elf half has already died. Which causes the Demonic Revenge skill from the dwarf half to trigger. A dark aura slowly spreads through the dwarf half, until it completely hides its original appearance. Its stats rise to double its original amount. It currently has more Strength than me without the champions buff. The siamese starts attacking furiously. With the buff and the damage reduction passive, it deals more damage to the orc than the damage it takes in return, even taking into account the orcs Bloodlust skill. Wow, first time I see the skill working, and its stupidly powerful! Its a unit that costs 20 cp but it is dealing the same damage as a 200 cp unit right now! Once the siamese kills the first orc, it immediately switches target and starts attacking the next one. The Demonic Revenge only lasts for five seconds, and you may say that its a very short time But in the middle of combat, five seconds are a lot. By the time the five seconds have passed, the siamese has managed to kill the two orcs. Hahaha! A lv 3 40 cp unit (technically two, one unit each half) has managed to kill two lv 7 100 cp units! And they are one of the strongest 100 cp units in melee! Even if they were at half HP when the battle started, it''s still a ridiculous feat. The most ridiculous part is that the Demonic Swarmer isnt a unit designed for dungeon invasions, because both its AI and skills are for defending the dungeon, especially in the mushroom areas. The battle finishes. By the time I manage to kill the remaining orcs and goblins, Ricard has also killed the rest. Fiuu I need a short rest. Out of MP, and both me and my mobs need some time to recover HP. How are you doing? Well, I could still go. But if we take a break Ill top-off my HP, EP and MP. So lets rest. Says Ricard. I also need to take care of my junior! Is he ever going to stop treating me like a noob? Because Im not a noob anymore! And its getting tiresome After enough resting, we resume the dungeon invasion. We are now reaching the end of the straight canyon, and we can see a turn in front. Get ready, because from here on, the serious part starts. Says Ricard. Serious part? Didnt you say this was a farming dungeon? And it is, but after this turn the dungeons difficulty increases. You can say that the previous part was just the tutorial. Well, if you say so Im not very convinced. But I dont want to go back, so the only option remaining is moving forward. After the turn, well encounter a wooden palisade with watchtowers. I need you to take care of the archers stationed there with your spells. Do it as soon as possible, because the goblin archers use elemental arrows and my specters arent very suited against them. If left alone, both specters are going to die pretty quickly. Huh Ok! He is the dungeon expert, so Ill follow his orders for now. And I havent admitted him as my superior, ok!? I need to make sure, so you dont get confused! Immediately after turning, I can see the wooden palisade with the watchtowers. And sure enough, there are goblins on top of them. Lets go! Says Ricard as he starts running towards the palisade. Theres a gate in the middle, protected by several more goblins and orcs. I follow him from behind. As he gets close, the goblins and orcs rush forward in an unorganized mess. Meanwhile, the goblins from the watchtowers shoot arrows from the top. Until now, the specters were mostly ignoring the physical damage from all the attacks, and the little damage they took was restored with the Draining Touch skill. But now that the arrows have elemental damage, every time one strikes a specter, it takes a significant amount of damage. Every time, I can see a chunk of their HP bar going away. *Bwoooooo!* An enemy is blowing a horn somewhere. I cant see it from where I stand. As Ricard, or should I say the BaldSage?, keeps the ground units busy, I follow his orders and attack the ranged goblins. I cast one Cold Blast after another. Chain Lightning isnt suitable here because the goblins are far from one another, at most two of them in the same watchtower. Unlike what happens with the elfs, which usually fall from the trees once immobilized, the goblins stand on flat ground, so they dont fall. It takes between two and three Cold Blasts to kill each goblin. *Bwoooo!* The horn sounds again. *Bwooo!* After the third time, the wooden door opens and a lot more goblins and orcs pour through it, immediately joining the fray. Hahaha! Come! Come to me, you weaklings! Ill exterminate you all, and your souls will feed my legions! I hear Ricard shouting while surrounded by all sides in the huge melee. Theres so many enemies that some of them slip through the frontline and come in my direction. But there are two Demonic Followers to protect me, and the enemies come alone, so its not an issue. When a new enemy reaches us, the previous one is already dead. When one gets close enough to us, we jump on it like voracious hyenas and swiftly eat it. By the time I finish killing all the goblin archers, theres already a mountain of corpses near the gate. Still alive, Ricards champion keeps killing everything in its swords path. With almost every strike, a new corpse is created. And with the help of the Soul Feast skill, he and his undead are recovering from the wounds suffered during the battle.
Soul Feast (Passive skill)
When another living unit dies within 20 meters, you and all undead in a 20 meter area recover 2% of the maximum HP, EP and MP. Multiple instances of this skill dont stack.
Wow! He really is specialized in battling a huge number of weak enemies How many corpses are there? Maybe more than fifty? Its difficult to count since they are on top of one another This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Even with the elemental arrows, the specters are still alive. I suppose its because I took the aggro of most of the goblin archers by attacking them. Hahaha! Im the lord of death! Shouts Ricard, on top of the corpse mountain. After Ricard calmed himself, he approached me while saying. Lets move forward. The dungeon is waiting for us to continue! We cross the wooden gate. Inside, there are tents and simple wood buildings. The path leads us to a wide square, partially surrounded by fences. It kind of resembles an arena. Get ready for some more action! Warns Ricard. And this time, stay close to me while outside the auras range. We have to survive for five minutes under the assault of a constant stream of goblins and orcs. And this time there are going to be advanced orcs, like the orc Warrior. Even more enemies!? Isnt this like we are fighting against a whole army? Yes, it is! Dont you think it is awesome? 2vs200! He excitedly says. Im going to focus on dealing with the high rank orcs, you need to protect yourself from the rest! See all those places without fences? Theyre going to come from there! Wait, what!? Protect myself from 200 orcs!? I try to retort. *Bwooooo!* But another horn sounds at that moment and the countdown starts. We dont need to wait, as immediately after the horn sounds, goblins and orcs can be seen from all the entrances. I prepare myself. Even if Im going to die, Im gonna take all of you with me! Hahaha! I shout. They say morale is the most important in battles, right? Come to me and face my creations! If I like your performance, I might even add you to my ranks! Fufufu! Hahahah! I shout again, this time while raising my hands, electricity running through them. Im preparing to cast Chain Lightning. The first goblin runs in my direction, but as soon as he reaches our range, both my staff and the Demonic Followers'' attacks meet him and he dies. Poor goblin, couldnt manage to get a single hit! Hahaha! Ricard is moving around all the time. He only needs the enemies to enter his aura, and after taking damage they will target him automatically. Its a nice way to aggro most of the enemies so that they dont come my way. But he is starting to get overwhelmed. Unlike Goblins and orc Hunters, the orc Warriors have better stats and deal more damage, so his HP is steadily getting lower. At this rate, we wont survive for five minutes. I release the Chain Lightning in his direction, and it deals a decent amount of damage to the warriors. Whats more, since it also strikes some goblins, the damage accumulates and I manage to stun one of the warriors. Thank you! Says Ricard, relieved. Nice timing! Of course! Im the spellcaster here! If you need damage, call me and Ill nuke them! I must demonstrate my usefulness! Though in reality I cant nuke them because I cant kill them with lightning damage Ricard keeps moving through the arena and I run towards the stunned orc warrior. Hahaha! Youll make a nice hybrid after I capture you! As it gets close, the Kidnapper starts the capturing process. Now, protect the Kidnapper with your lives! You must prevent the enemies from interrupting him! I shout to the two siameses. Of course, they dont react in any way. Im worried if Ill manage to capture it or not. I dont want to waste this precious opportunity. A few enemies jump at us, but with my incredible skill and perseverance, we manage to kill them and the Kidnapper properly finishes his job. (Non-embellished version: only three goblins reach us and are insta-killed.) Nice! A new body for my future experiments! I say, rubbing my hands together. Hey, Mad Rat! A little bit more help would be appreciated! Ok! Ive already finished here! I reply. Im coming to your rescue, BaldSage! Who said I need you to save me? I just need you to do your job! Hahaha! Dont be ashamed to ask for help! After saying this, I cast another Chain Lightning and stun most of the enemies currently chasing Ricard. Huh huh I know this is a VR game but I got tired after so much running anyway! Complains Ricard. What are you saying? Im perfectly fine! ... because you havent been running for the last five minutes!!! He shouts, enraged. You havent either! Ive seen you stop a couple of times here, and there too. I taunt him. I just want to pay him back for not stopping the jokes about him teaching me and about him being better. What!? How dare you Ricard starts to shout. *Bwoooooooooooooo!* But he gets interrupted by another horn. This horn sounds a lot louder and lasts for a lot more time. After the horn sound stops, the ground starts to shake in a rhythmic way . *Pooom! Poooom! Pooom! Poom!* Something huge appears from behind one of the wooden buildings. Oooh, shit! I forgot about this! You forgot about this!? How can you forget about something this big!? I shout at him. He stammers, it seems he doesnt know what to say. I-its it''s my bad, ok? I-i didnt remember about it because its not important for me, thats it! *Pooom! Poooom!* Its a humanoid figure bulging with muscles. About three meters tall and wields a huge club. Well, more than a club, it looks like a tree trunk. Not important!? You fucking with me! THAT thing is enormous! We-well Its a troll a troll Boss at that and its going to be very hard for us because we have very little single target damage Werent you the oh so great sage who knew everything!? The oh so mighty pro player that was calling me noob all the time!? How can you forget about this dungeons Boss! Ugh Im sorry, ok! He meekly replies. The meat hulk is coming towards us and I take this chance to inspect it. The fucking troll has a buff that increases all stats by 100%. It works exactly the same as with the champions, and it makes sense because its the only way that the defending player can have a strong enough unit to defend the dungeon. Bosses have the same buff as Champions. I almost have a heart attack after looking at the trolls stats and skills. It has more than a thousand HP, and the Regeneration trait the two together, it recovers more than 50 HP each second!
Regeneration (Innate passive skill)
Cost: 3 EP per second (cannot be deactivated)
Recover 5% maximum HP per second. Automatically deactivated when it reaches 100% HP.
Hahaha! I cant stop myself from laughing. I laugh to avoid crying. If we manage to beat it, we are going to be legends! I dont think we are going to be legends. But were going to have a hard time. I can dream, ok? I can dream about being a legend for killing a troll, ok? *Pooom! Poooom!* The troll has already entered the arena, and it immediately switches to attack mode. Dont come near me! I shout. You can have him as a snack! This undead has a lot more meat than me! Hey, dont use me as bait! After Ricards says the word bait, I have a crazy idea. Ooooh, wait! I have an idea! If we use the Kidnapper as bait, he will be able to hold the troll for five seconds! If we time it right, we can use this time to pummel the troll into oblivion! Ricard nods at my bait tactic. Nice idea! Lets try it! I get close to the troll, but just before Im inside its attack range, I run away. Now the troll is following me, but since the Kidnapper is a damned stitched and it moves abysmally slow, he soon is left behind. Its the first time Im glad that the Stitched are so slow. When the troll has the Kidnapper in melee range, it swings its huge club?, trunk?. Anyway, it swings his weapon and smashes the poor Kidnapper. A one hit kill! I shout. Or it would have been if not for the Gods Intervention skill. A white film covers the stitcheds body. Everyone takes this chance to attack at the same time. Me and the two remaining Demonic Followers, and also Ricard and his four undead. The fucking troll regenerates thrice more HP per second than the damage I can deal with the staff. But with the combined effort from everyone, its HP is slowly being reduced. This wont be enough! At this rate, were only going to reduce it to half HP before the Kidnapper dies! I warn Ricard after making an assumption about how much damage it will take. Then, let me do the tanking after it dies. You know I have a second life! It wont work! If you die, after the 30 seconds it takes for you to revive, not a single one of us will be left standing! Hmm thats true. But still, its better if I get the aggro. I should be able to tank at least a few of its attacks. Says Ricard. Its true that I might be crushed by only two or three of its attacks. Maybe one if the troll uses an attack skill. And as predicted, when the trolls HP was below half, the white barrier from the Kidnapper disappears. With the next attack, the troll smashes the stitched. The tree trunk has so much force that, if this werent a game, not even the corpse would remain. The troll finds its next target and immediately swings again. This time, it strikes one of the specters. Even with the 50% damage reduction they have, the specter takes more than half its maximum HP as damage. Attack me, you dumbass! Shouts Ricard. It must have activated a taunting skill, because the trolls next attack goes towards him. I slowly walk away while continuously casting Cold Blast. It seems like Bosses have resistance to status effects, because after casting more than ten times, the immobilization hasnt activated a single time. Every time the troll swings his club, a chunk of Ricards HP bar vanishes. By the time that he is almost killed, the Cold Blast finally applies the immobilization and the troll stops attacking. Yes! It finally worked! During the immobilization, we focus everything on the troll again. But it lasts less than expected and the troll soon moves again. Maybe another resistance towards status effects? Almost there! I shout. The troll currently has less than fifty HP, one big hit and its going to die. I cast Chain Lightning to finish the troll. But at the same time as the lightning leaves my hand, the troll strikes Ricard once again, killing him. Then the lightning reaches the troll, and it is left stunned with 1 HP. Even as the regeneration keeps going, the mobs take this chance to kill it. Finally, the troll Boss is dead. That was close! A little later and we would all be dead! I say. Yep, really close! Answers Ricard in its phantom form. He now needs to wait for 30 seconds until he is resurrected by his skill. No more surprises after the troll, right? Because if there are, Im gonna kill you again, this time in real life! No, the troll was the last enemy Hope so. Answers Ricard. Ok, then lets wait until you resurrect and leave the dungeon. And Ill NEVER call you master or anything of the like. Especially after you forgot the most important part of the dungeon! Ricards feigns to be crying while saying. Noooooo. My title and reputation have disappeared because of a single mistake! Title? Reputation? You never had any of those! W-what! You demon! I had to leave things clear. And what moment could be better than after he made such a big mistake? You must capitalize on others mistakes.
Create bosses that fit the theme of your dungeon. Sure, if you put that unit you like so much, because it has X skill, you can make a challenging boss. But players wont remember your boss because it was challenging. Compare a dragon inside a volcano, surrounded by lava waterfalls while breathing fire into the enemy invaders, and the same dragon inside the sewers, infested by rats and slimes. Its the same boss, but its evident which one is better. Now put a gigantic slime that fills the whole sewage tunnel, from which the players must run away unless they want to be swallowed and digested. Better, right? You should find a balance between challenge and aesthetics for your bosses. - Tenth point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 19 - Receiving a challenge Hello everyone! Im back! Today Im going to spend yesterdays reward. After the dungeon invasion with Ricard, I obtained a lot of cp, resources, and bodies. And Im going to spend them in new dungeon stuff. I check the dungeon status and the cp and resources available. It looks like the amount of players diving into the dungeon is slowly but steadily increasing, so I have some passive income even if I do nothing. First of all, I must unlock some new technology. I mutter as I open the dungeon technology menu. When reaching level 3, I unlocked the tech to upgrade the champion. But I still need to research it. I start by looking at the Units technology tree, where I can find the Champion Upgrade technologies. Im only interested in the upgrades to the Hybrid champions, as I dont have any intention of creating new Champions. Also, after researching the Siamese, I got some options for new unit types.
Champion Upgrade - Hybrid
Research cost: 1.000 cp, 300 food, 300 metal. Research time: 4h
You can modify an existing Champion Hybrid by adding body parts of one extra unit, up to a maximum of 3 units total. The modified Champion will have the new units stats and innate skills added to the current ones. The cp cost for the upgrade is the same as the new unit used, and the Champions cp value increases by the same amount. You will use the champion design menu to modify the champions aspect so that it shows the new unit body parts. This tech can be researched more than once and the cost will increase each time.
This upgrade will basically allow me to upgrade the Mad Rat by adding a new units parts, stats and innate skills. Of course, I am the one that needs to provide the body, so I first need to get it from a dungeon invasion. Only in the first champion creation I could use any body I wanted. I start the research for the Champion Upgrade - Hybrid technology. Im not going to upgrade the champion yet, but it will be soon. And at that time, I dont want to have to wait for four hours for the research to finish. Also, I need to think about it in more detail. Because by upgrading the champion, it will also increase the cp value of it, limiting what options I can take during Dungeon Battles. If I spend too much cp for the upgrade, it will reduce how many traps and other units I can bring with me in the dungeon battles. But if I get too short, the champion wont be very powerful and die anyway After starting the champion upgrade research, I take a look at the rest of the available units. Because the Flesh Monstrosities work by using units from other factions, and can have more variety depending on what units they use, they have a smaller pool of available unit types compared to the other factions. So they obtain more flexibility, but have less unit types. Still, there are two new units I can currently research, both unlocked after the Siamese were researched: the Fleshling and the Basic Chimera.
Fleshling
Research cost: 500 cp, 200 food, 150 metal. Research time: 2h
A fast unit formed by the flesh and blood of multiple enemies. You need to provide bodies worth at least 200 cp for its creation. Fleshlings will inherit a maximum of two innate skills from the original units used to create them.
This Fleshling is on a similar level of disgusting as the Stitched. Its a quadruped mass of wriggling flesh, with no head... It looks like a single creature instead of parts of several different creatures stitched together but its still on the top ten of most disgusting things Ive ever seen. This seems to be a decent unit regarding its utility and stats. Until now, the Stitched were the only unit where I didnt have to look for specific bodies to be able to create them. Now, if I unlock the Fleshlings, I can create them without worrying too much about getting specific bodies. Its because theres an option to create them in bulk. If I do so, I can select any innate skill from any unit used, so I only need one good body with the innate skill I want, and all the Fleshlings will have that skill Its the perfect unit to dump all the bodies that I got but dont want to use. And believe me when I say that Ive started to get a few of those undesired bodies. Also, the Fleshlings have the same stats regardless of what units are used in their creation. I can already imagine the enemy invaders being swarmed by a pack of fleshlings, and then being bludgeoned to death? Because they dont have a head, so no biting or tearing. But the real interesting stuff comes with the other unit, the Basic Chimera. Since its called basic, I assume theres going to be better versions unlocked later on
Basic Chimera
Research cost: 1.000 cp, 300 food, 200 metal. Research time: 5h
Abominations of flesh composed of parts of two non-humanoid units. Chimeras are naturally resilient to pain, because of the eternal torment they suffer for simply existing. Every chimera inherits the innate skills of its original units, and their stats are the sum of the original units. Also, all Chimeras start with the Eternal Pain innate skill. The cp cost and cp value of this unit is the same as the sum of the two units used to create it plus 20 cp.
Eternal Pain (Innate passive skill)
For every second, this unit cant take more than 10% of its maximum HP as damage from attacks. Any excess damage is accumulated in a pain pool and dealt over the next 10 seconds.
Its fun that this Eternal Pain skill actually makes them stupidly tanky in short fights. To actually kill one chimera, you need to stay at least 10 seconds in combat, even if you should be able to kill them with a single attack. If I unlock the Basic Chimeras, I will finally be able to use the Tunneler body that I got some time ago. But I dont have a second non-humanoid unit to pair it with so Im not going to unlock it yet. Chimeras have more customization than most other units. They can have multiple heads and tails, and even extra limbs and weird body compositions, like having one head in front and one head at the back. A few crazy ideas come to mind But those are going to be plans for the future This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. In the end, I only start the research for the champion upgrade, and forget about the Fleshlings and Chimeras. I will research them in the future. The next thing is the Buildings technology tree. I want to look for a technology that will allow me to capture big units bodies in case I find some in the future. In this last invasion, it was impossible to capture the troll because it was a Boss, and the game doesnt allow the capture of bosses. But if I find another troll in the future, I wont be able to capture it because I dont have any building to put the body in. I dont know about other units, but if I ever find a troll, I MUST capture it. It would be a shame to waste the chance to get one of the best passives I can think of So I need to unlock the building to store them now! Fufufu! Hahaha! I imagine a giant monster with both defensive skills and regeneration, and the players facing it getting annihilated. It wont be a simple troll, it would be an already extremely dangerous monster, that has both regeneration and any other crazy innate skill I can think of! Luckily, it takes no time to find such a building. In fact, its right next to the Small stasis capsule that I already researched. Theres also another tech for storing even bigger bodies.
Giant stasis capsule
Research cost: 600 cp, 100 food, 100 metal. Research time: 1 h
Unlocks a bigger version of the normal Stasis capsule. In the Giant stasis capsule, you can store bodies of units bigger than humanoid size. Units bigger than 5 meters wont fit inside.
Colossal stasis capsule
Research cost: 15.000 cp, 5.000 food, 5.000 metal. Research time: 10 h
Unlocks a bigger version of the normal Stasis capsule. In the Colossal stasis capsule, you can store the body of any unit.
Hahaha! The colossal stasis capsule is absurdly big! It takes the same space as a normal sized house would in real life! And can literally hold all units in the game. Obviously, dragons, leviathans, and the like are included! But I wont need the Colossal stasis capsule any time soon. If I find one such gigantic enemy, Im sure to die anyway so I dont need to plan for capturing them any time soon. Generally, the bigger the unit, the higher the stats it has. So a unit thats as big as a house must have at least ten times my stats which translates into a one-hit-kill. Maybe two hits if Im lucky. In any case, I dont have the resources nor cp to research the Colossal one, so lets forget about it for now. But the Giant stasis capsule is the one I was looking for, so lets start the research! Once researched, it costs 250 cp for every capsule, so for now it has to be a single one. I dont plan to capture a lot of giant units yet, so with only one for the just in case is enough. Still, researching the technology and building a single one is going to get close to a thousand cp. Expensive! The Giant stasis capsule is a five meters tall and three meters diameter glass cylinder. Yeah, its definitely giant compared to the humanoid sized one. Ok, now I want to look through the Decorations technology tree! I want some new traps or maybe dungeon elements to improve the dungeon! Just as I open the Decorations technology tree, I hear a games notification sound. *Piring!* I have received a message from someone? I stop what Im doing and take a look at the message. [A Lil Demoness]
Hi there! Ive read about an especially dangerous dungeon thats currently the talk of a lot of low-leveled players which happens to be your dungeon. And I decided to take a look at it. I must say it''s decent for a new player, but it definitely doesnt deserve the attention it receives. So I challenge you to a Dungeon Battle to demonstrate Im better than you! That is, if you dont go hide away like the rat you are!
Fufufu! How dare you say Im a coward! Of course Ill accept your challenge, huh what was your name? Oh, yes Of course I accept your challenge, A Lil Demoness! Hahaha How dare she (because with that nickname I suppose its a she) send me such a message!? Hide like a rat!? I might have a rats head, but thats the only rat-like thing I have! And I myself dont really understand the reason why my dungeon is getting popular, but this doesnt give you a reason to mock my dungeon! You dont understand how much blood and tears (virtual) I had to spill to get to this point! What are you!? A demon!? Ahhh.. oh, well from the nickname I should assume she really is a demon Anyway! Fuck you! Youll see, Ill make you eat your own words and demonstrate that you are the one that has its ego inflated! And then I will dive into your dungeon and use your own units to create new flesh monstrosities! Hahahaha! In the message, it doesnt say anything about the time for the match or even the battle rules. So its up to me to choose? What should I do? Send her a challenge with the dungeon battle rules set by me? Or be a gentleman and let her choose the rules? I still dont have too many options for customizing the dungeon mobs and traps, but I do have enough units to cover at least the 1.000 cp mode with ease Yes, lets send the challenge with the 1.000 cp budget and let her choose the rest of the rules. But first, I send a message in response. [Disguised Koala]
Run away you say? Who would run away from a challenge like this, more so if the challenger is so desperate for attention? Ill show you that it isnt that I was lucky the reason why my dungeon is popular! When do you want the challenge? Is right now ok? Because I dont even need to prepare to beat someone like you! That is, unless you chicken out! Hahaha!
Maybe I got a little too incensed because of the challenge but I dont regret sending the message. Its only a few seconds later that I receive the reply from the other player. [A Lil Demoness]
Nows fine by me! Im the one who challenges you, so feel free to send the Dungeon Battle Challenge when youre ready! And Ill send you to your eternal sleep! But dont worry, you wont feel any pain other than your pride being shattered, that is!!
Ohoho! Now she sounds as incensed as me. Well, Its fine if we are both as motivated for the battle or it wont be as fun. I dont waste any more time and send her the challenge. As I already decided, I send the challenge with only one battle rule set: the cp budget of 1.000 cp. She will be able to choose the rest of the rules. Arent I gentlemanly? I even let her choose most of the battle rules! Hahaha! This time, it takes a little more time for her to set the rest of the dungeon battle rules. Things like the dungeon size, the maximum number of traps, the maximum cp cost for a single unit, the maximum level for the units, etc. Most of the time, the players leave them by default, which is the no limit option. But it seems like shes changing at least some of them. Soon I receive the message saying that she accepted the challenge.
Dungeon Battle Challenge accepted!
Battle will start after dungeon preparation.
Now, its time to prepare the units, traps and everything Im bringing to the battle. First, lets see what dungeon rules she changed...
When you challenge another player to a Dungeon Battle, its proper etiquette to send a message first and then let the other player initiate the Challenge. In this way, the receiver of the challenge can set what rules it wants for the Dungeon Battle first, showing your respect towards the other player. And if you win, you can say that you won even with the other players rules, which is even more of a shame for the challenged player. - Basic DMA etiquette.
Ch 20 - The Lil’ Demoness This chapter is from two POV and alternates between them. The first is Andreus POV and the second is the Lil Demoness progress in third person. **Andreu**
Dungeon Battle Challenge!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Wicked Legion
The Mad Rats Lab Hellish Dreamland
Disguised Koala A Lil Demoness
Ok, so what did she change I look at the rules that she changed. She changed only three of them. Fuuuuuuck! It had to be this rules!? She clearly knows about my dungeon and units, and set it in the worst possible way for me! It was supposed to be a fair challenge and she dares to do something like this!? How nasty! Wicked! The first rule is the maximum cp cost of units, which is set to 300 cp. This means I cant use the strongest unit in my dungeon: the Lab Assistant. Because the cost is already over the limit, and the level ups make it cost even more... The second rule is regarding the environment hazards, which are disabled. So no mushrooms in the Dungeon Battle. And the last and third rule is that Critters are prohibited. So I cant even make use of the most situational and unexpected unit that my dungeon has: the Death Butterfly. Oooh, come on! Wasnt this supposed to be a match to show you are better than me!? How can you dare to say this is a fair match when the rules are clearly set so that you can have an easy win!!!! Doesnt she have any shame? I understand the demons philosophy of lying and deceiving, but did she have to go so far into the roleplay? She clearly incensed me with the messages so that she could humiliate me later with the rules And I fell for her trap. Aaaaah! I pull my heads fur. I dont have hair, so I cant pull my hair as a normal person would. But I can pull my fur. Now, what am I going to do? Can I still win this match? I dont know its clear she knows how my dungeon works, so I cant use surprise elements the tunnels or the freezer zones wont be able to stop her if she remembers the dungeons path, and instead will only obstruct my mobs from finding her Theres no other way. I can only use the cave part of the dungeon for this match, and fill it with the Demonic Swarmers. I hope they can crush her in numbers. Its true that I still have the laboratory zones, but they are a single room and are too small to be eligible for the Dungeon Battles. So they arent an option here. So the Mad Rats cp value is 300, which leaves 700 cp for the rest of the dungeon units. The 8 Demonic Swarmers cost a total of 440 cp, leaving me with 260 cp for traps or more mobs. I cant use the Lightning Rods because they arent effective in such a big open space and the same for the falling and exploding corpses. The only thing I can do with those 260 cp is adding some stitched up to 8 or them. So I choose 8 stitched and divide them in two squads of four. This is the best I can prepare with the rules she chose, designed to cripple me I dont know how its going to go, but I hope she gets pummeled to death by a swarm of Demonic Swarmers. Yeah, lets hope it goes well I press the confirmation button and the Dungeon Battle starts immediately. It seems she already prepared everything before I did. ...Which doesn''t surprise me, given that she already knew what I can and cant use after crippling me After the battle starts, I find myself in a luxurious and extremely presumptuous banquet?? There are lots of appetizing meals on top of a central table. The walls are adorned with paintings and statues, the floor is covered by an expensive carpet, and a huge chandelier hangs on top of everything. Wow My mouth is hanging open. Is this really a dungeon battle? It looks more like a dream you would have First of all, I take a look around for enemies. But I dont find anything in the room, except a few doors here and there. Then, one of the doors opens and a waiter holding a tray with more food comes inside. ...A waiter!?
**A Lil Demoness** Meanwhile, inside The Mad Rats Lab, A Lil Demoness is steadily moving forward. It looks like she already knows where to go. Heh, this is going to be easy! What a fool to let me choose all the dungeon battle rules after knowing I already went to his dungeon to investigate. Im sure he was crying after seeing the limits I put to prevent him from using his best units! Hahaha! A feminine and glamorous laughter echoes through the giant cave. Following her lead, two more voices can be heard laughing. They come from the two Imps that are following the player: nasty and treacherous creatures specialized in magic combat. Even if they are weak, they can get pretty annoying with their high numbers and hit and run tactics. They are the core unit of the Wicked Legion faction, also called the demons. Oho! Here comes the first enemy! A weird humanoid with two heads, which looks as if somebody put together half an elf and half a dwarf comes attacking. *AaAaAAa!* The creature releases a disgusting loud cry before running towards the invader. It does so at a very fast speed. Hahaha! Its funny the way they walk and run, because they seem like they are going to fall to the ground all the time! But thats the only fun thing about them... I must take care to not be surrounded by too many of them. Just in case. Talking to herself, she prepares for combat. She is wielding a whip. Covered by small bladed metal plates, the whip is clearly designed to annihilate whoever it touches. The whip is released towards the enemy at a frightening speed, and forces the charging enemy to momentarily stop. Its clearly not the effect of the whip strike, something else must be at work. Fufufu! Whats up, little guy? Are you afraid of coming closer? Dont worry, Ill keep you company with my whip. Are you enjoying my whipping? She says while continuing to strike the deformed creature again and again. A nasty smile adorns her face. It doesnt take too much time until one of the halves is killed. Then, the other half gets covered in a dark fog and its stats increase a lot. The whip is no longer enough to keep the enemy at bay, and it gets closer to the invader. At this moment, her eyes start glowing pink, and the enemy stops again. Yes, thats it! Happy dreams! Fufufu! She says. This is the effect of the Charming Eyes skill, an innate skill exclusive to a very specific kind of demonic creature.
Charming Eyes (Innate active skill)
Cost: 10 EP and 10 MP per second, cost increased by 10 every second its active
Charm a single enemy for as long as you keep this skill activated. This skill can only charm enemy Champions and Bosses for a maximum of 5 seconds. The timer resets one minute after the charm ends.
After a few seconds of being charmed by the intruder, the weird enemy falls to the ground, dead. The dark aura not only increased its stats, but also consumed his life. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Now its two of them, huh While the fight was going on, some time has passed, and two more of those half-and-half enemies have appeared. They are running towards the place where they were fighting until now. *AaAaAAa!* *AaAaAaAa!* Each creature releases its own cry when it gets close enough, and then they rush towards the invader at maximum speed. Needless to say, the same scene as before repeats again. Only that this time, the two Imps also join the fry.
**Andreu** ...a waiter!? No, somethings amiss. It has the same proportions as a normal human, but its skin is charred and instead of normal veins its covered in a web of red strings that resemble magma. The waiter? doesnt waste any time and comes to attack me, still holding the tray full of food. Thiss no waiter! Its a Hellspawn! I shout in surprise. I didnt expect to see a waiter in a dungeon, even less a hellspawn dressed as one. Hellspawns are units that take a similar role in the demon faction as the one the Demonic Swarmers: units that are better than the basic unit (in the demons faction, the Imps) but can still be considered somewhat weak. Its weird for a single Hellspawn to come attacking alone Im sure there are more of them nearby. Where are you hiding!? Come and show yourselves! I need to assess your potential usefulness before deciding if I want to capture you! Not that I can, since this is a Dungeon Battle. I dont have to wait too much. After just two seconds, another door opens and a new waiter-hellspawn shows up. Aha! I knew it! The combat starts, and since only one hellspawn has reached me, I decide to kill it with my staff. Meanwhile, the other hellspawn is getting close. I have just killed the first one when I hear something falling from behind me. But the second hellspawn is now in melee range, so I dont waste time looking at what it is. One Cold Blast and two staff attacks are enough to kill the newcomer. Just as I want to celebrate my victory. At exactly that time, as if it was all planned to ruin my mood, something strikes me from behind. I wasnt expecting an attack, so I am surprised and turn around. What I see is one of the portraits has fallen to the ground. Where it was previously hanging is now a hole in the wall and an Imp is casting spells from there in my direction. You sneaky shit! How dare you attack me from behind! I quickly start casting Cold Blasts to kill the Imp. But as soon as I turn around to face it, I hear the sound of more objects falling to the ground. ...dont tell me And sure, I look around the room and several more portraits have fallen to the ground. And more imps hiding in holes start casting spells in my direction. Whats even worse, the remaining doors are also open and more waiter-hellspawns come into the room. So you decided to come all at the same time, huh!? Fine by me! You made a mistake there, Lil Demoness! If you investigated me so much, you should already know that Im actually stronger against multiple weak enemies than if they come in waves! I start trying to kill as many imps as possible until the hellspawns get close to one another. Luckily, the huge banquet table is obstructing them from coming at me from all sides at the same time. Hah, hah I am out of breath after the battle. After seeing that I neutralized the hellspawns, the nasty imps were playing a hide and seek game with me, waiting for me to expose myself to start casting again, and hiding from my spells when I was facing them Im gonna take a short break. Luckily, there are luxurious chairs around the table, so I can be comfortable! I sit on the closest chair. But suddenly, from the chair Ive just sat on, I hear a *Click!* sound. Shit! A trap!? Immediately after the trap is triggered, sleeping gas comes from the chair and Im put to sleep for some time. It says for 20 seconds. I wasnt expecting gimmicks or traps since the environmental hazards are prohibited but its true that the traps were allowed I am stupid! Stupid, stupid, STUPID! I say while pulling on my fur again. Mentally, because I cant actually move my Champion while asleep. Well, the damage is done, so I have no other option than to wait for the sleep to end Lets take a look at the progress from the other player meanwhile! I open the screen to show the other players progress. Holly cow! Her name is A Lil Demoness but I dont find anything thats small! Definitely not her chest! My enemy is playing as a Succubus. She is decently tall, has huge horns on her head, nicely grabbable buttocks and Oh my god! Those breasts that jiggle with every movement she makes! I am mesmerized by those jiggly masses for a short while until I manage to snap myself awake from those hypnotic movements. Dont lie to the people!! Dont call you little when you have nothing little! It seems she has already killed most of the Demonic Swarmers Of course, why should it be different from what Ive seen until now! Even her champion is designed to counter my dungeon! With the Charming Eyes she can neutralize the Demonic Revenge skill She only needs to time it right and they will self-destruct after the skills buff expires! Shiiiiiit! As soon as the sleeping effect disappears, I continue with the dungeon exploration. I must reach the end before she does or Im going to cry This match isnt fair
**A Lil Demoness** A Lil Demoness continues her dungeon invasion while Andreu is sleeping (and hypnotized with some jiggling movements). What a fool to fall for the sleeping trap. He went and actually sat on a clearly suspiciously placed chair What is he, a little kid!? Hehehe! She, too, has been taking peeks at the other players progress during her dungeon invasion. But Im surprised we didnt find any traps Oh, of course! How silly of me! All the traps that he currently has arent suitable for big areas like this one! So he must have spent everything on mobs. And talking about mobs, here come some more. Ugh disgusting. Do you really like these gross mobs? Because if it were me, I wouldnt use them even if I had no other option! A group of stitched is approaching the invader, trying to defend the dungeon. I dont ever want to get close to something like that Hellfire! She uses a skill exclusive to the Wicked Legion faction called Hellfire. Its similar to the Fireball spell, but it attacks in a wider area, and can be kept active for as long as you want to deal continuous damage after the initial burst damage. Shortly after, the area where the stitched are is engulfed in dark flames that consume everything, and the stitched are immediately killed without being able to enter combat mode. I must be close to the dungeon core already. Maybe one or two more minutes maximum. Oh, there it is! She has reached the end of the cave, and sees the dungeon core at the furthest point from the entrance to the dungeon. How easy it was! I didnt expect it to be so easy even with the crippling rules I set for him! Hehehe! A piece of cake! Hehehe! While laughing, her chest goes up and down a lot. If Andrew were watching this scene, he would surely be hypnotized again. She then grabs the dungeon core and immediately shatters it on her hand.
**Andreu**
Dungeon Battle Lost!
Winner: Wicked Legion - Hellish Dreamland - A Lil Demoness
Rewards Obtained
...
Fuuuuuck! She won! I am ashamed of this loss Even if she crippled me, it was too easy! Am I really that bad at Dungeon Battles? Though it''s true that Im skilled towards normal Dungeon Invasions instead of Dungeon Battles with those no-killing skills Shit! This cant end like this! I must have another match, this time a fair one! And Im going to show her Im actually better than her! [Disguised Koala]
You may have won this match, but it was clearly to your advantage! How can you claim to have won a fair match against me? Are you proud of winning a match where you clearly put the rules to your advantage!? I demand another match, this time with all rules set with default values so that no one has a clear advantage! That is, unless you are a shameless succubus that only fights when the win is already decided!
[A Lil Demoness]
And what if Im a shameless succubus? Would you like to come play with me tonight? Fufufu! You should have taken into account your own limits and not be playing the gentleman if you cant face the consequences! But I cant leave my client unsatisfied, so if you want a rematch, a rematch youll have! How about tomorrow at the same time?
I send a message saying that ok, that we will have the rematch tomorrow at the same time. At least this time, its going to be a fair match I hope so. Or maybe not how about I ast Ricard, and maybe even Laura about tips and ideas to make her have the nastiest experience ever? Fufufu! Hahaha! Yes, lets do it! Hahaha! Evil laughter escapes from my mouth. Its a shame that it went so bad Though not absolutely everything is bad. At least I can save the battle replay and keep those hypnotic pattern movements for later private use Yeah, for private use. You know what I mean, right?
Theres one status effect that clearly beats all other status effects in terms of usefulness: the charm status. Its easy to understand why: it makes the enemy absolutely unable to do anything. But it also isnt broken by taking damage like the sleep status, doesn''t make the enemy run away like the fear status, is easier to apply than the stunned status, and in some cases, you can even make the enemy attack its own allies while charmed. The only problem is that there are only a few skills that can apply the charm status. This is what makes incubus and succubus two of the most dangerous units to look out for when playing against the Wicked Legion. They innately can apply the charm status with their Charming Eyes skill. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 21 - Preparing the second assault So you are asking me for tips and ideas on how to create a zone for Dungeon Battles? Do I understand it right!? Because if its what you want, Im ready to instruct you on the ways of the world as a proper adult, but in exchange you must respect me as your instructor and superior! Today after classes, when I ask Ricard for how to improve the dungeon so that it is ready for todays rematch with A Lil Demoness, this is what he says. I already told you Ill never call you instructor, master, or anything of the like! Not after the epic fail with the troll! He puts his hand on his chest and makes a pained face. Haaaah! How can you be so cruel! Everyone can make a mistake or two in their whole life, right!? *Sigh!* As if it was the only mistake you ever made Well, if you dont want to, I can always ask somebody else like my older sister I say while turning away from him. No no no! Wait! Ill teach you! I must redeem myself and show you my capabilities! Please, I beg you! Allow me to teach you! Fufufu! A grin appears on my face, but he cant see because Im looking away. I knew he would react like this if I were to go to another person for help about the game. I dont know I think I prefer somebody who isnt so haughty and doesnt ask for me to treat him or her like a master I say while slowly walking away from him. This is what I say, but if I actually asked my older sister for help, she would demand even worse treatment. I start to count mentally while walking away. One, two, three Before reaching five, Ricard makes a jump and grabs me so I cant get away. Please! Allow me to teach you! Ill teach you as a friend! You wont need to call me anything! I promise I wont bug you with respect and honorifics! An even bigger grin appears on my face. Haaaaah, ok Ill let you to help me in improving my dungeon But only because you asked so nicely! Hahaha! Seee? This is how you manipulate someone! So easy! Too easy! *Khum, Khum!* Ricard raises his glasses with his index finger while faking a cough. Oh!? Isnt this the famous anime glasses effect? Where the glasses shine so much you cant actually see the eyes!? Oh, no! Its actually his eyes that are shining so much! Ooooh, boy. Fuck! Im so going to regret this! I forgot I should never ask Ricard for tips about a game he likes! So, start by telling me, with as much detail as you can, how did your previous dungeon battle go and what do you currently have in your dungeon. And well start making progress from there. I explain to him everything that happened yesterday during the dungeon battle. And I also tell him all the units and traps that I have in the dungeon. He cant stop himself from interrupting and asking for more and more details, or interrupting by giving his very experienced opinion (as he himself calls it) on everything. And I mean literally EVERYTHING! Im lucky that on Thursdays we only have one class very early in the morning, because I can spend the whole morning with him. Otherwise my rematch would have had to be postponed to another day. Oh? Youre still here? I thought you were leaving soon after class? In the middle of Ricards eternal speech (he really fits the undead faction, doesnt he?) I hear a womans voice from behind. I turn around and I see its Laura, our classmate. Yes, I was planning on it, but I say while signaling at Ricard, next to me. Hes still talking non-stop about the game. I take this chance to ask for help. Please, save me! I say with signs and hand movements. Laura answers. Save you? From what? She asks, with hand signs too. From Ricard!! Hes going on and on with his explanations, and I cant cut him because it was me who actually asked for help! Haaah, ok But youll owe me one, ok? Sure! Anything if this means this torture is going to end! Yes! Finally! My savior! Ill build an altar to you (in my mind, no way Im actually building one) so that your actions are never forgotten! Hey, Ricard! Im trying to say something, stop talking for a moment! Ricard finally stops talking, and Laura takes this chance to ask again. What are you two still doing here? I thought you were going to leave soon after class? Also Andreu, I have something to tell you that I forgot about before, about DMA Laura is making a weird expression as she looks at me, but before she can continue, Ricard interrupts her. Huh Oh! Laura! Sorry I didnt notice you! I was having a very exciting conversation with Andreu and lost sight of everything else! Dont lie! You were talking alone and I was only listening! Well, feigning to listen. What exciting conversation!? Maybe an exciting monologue, but definitely not a conversation! Andreu asked me for some tips on how to build a better dungeon and here I am! Teaching him the ways of the game! She doesnt seem too interested in the topic, since she doesn''t have Dungeon Masters Arena yet. But as the savior she is, she doesnt leave and instead asks. Ooh, and what help do you need? I need help with how to prepare for a Challenge Dungeon Battle I have today. I answer. For a moment, I see her face twitch. Is she getting interested? Maybe she is curious about what help do I need, for later use in her future dungeon battles? I dont know but if she stays she can give me more ideas. And more importantly, with her help we might be able to stop Ricard from starting yet another one of his knowledge drilling sessions. Oh, is that so? And why would you ask for help in a dungeon battle? Shouldnt you make the plans by yourself? It''s evident that shes interested in the topic. But why? She doesnt have DMA yet, doesn''t she? Anyway, I start to explain the situation. Yesterday I received a challenge from a player called A Lil Demoness, and she baited me into a match where the rules were clearly designed to cripple me and I lost. Then I asked for a rematch, this time with fair rules. And here we are, discussing how I can improve the dungeon battle so I can crush her this time! So you want to play dirty, huh? And I was willing to tell you beforehand I hear Laura muttering something. But she does it in a very low voice and I cant understand what she is saying. What did you say? She answers my question by looking away and with an awkward laugh at the end. Oh, no! It was nothing! Hahaha! Hmmm Suspicious. Leaving her awkward behavior aside, we then proceed to plan and design the dungeon rooms for this dungeon battle. With Lauras help, it actually takes less than an hour. Which is an extremely short amount of time compared to how much time I spent with only Ricard A huge complaint here! During all that time when I was alone with Ricard, he actually didnt help me with the dungeon planning. At some point, he started to ramble on and on about why the undead faction is the best. I didnt even listen to half of it, because my brain shut down halfway.
Hey, here I come again! I say once I enter the game. Im talking to myself, because Im alone. Its time to implement the changes for the dungeon battle rematch! Curious about the changes Im going to do? Youll see as I go. First, Im going to tell you what Ricard and Laura said after I told them Im using a part of the normal dungeon for the dungeon battles This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. What are you doing? Do you really dont know even this!? How can it be? Its one of the most basic things in DMA: to create a separate zone for the dungeon battles! Dungeon Invasions and Dungeon Battles work very differently from one another, and what can be good for one can be useless in the other! (Ricard) Even I, a non-player, would have created a specific zone for dungeon battles! Did you really expect to win when the other players can dive into your dungeon at any time so that they already know the dungeon layout and mobs before the battle? Isnt it being too naive? (Laura) So yes, Im going to start by creating a special zone, not connected to the normal dungeon path, designed specifically for dungeon battles. Oh, and theres another very important thing that Ricard told me, for when you want to win in dungeon battles: The most important thing in dungeon battles is that the enemy cant avoid what is coming. You need to focus on those elements that, even if the enemy knows where they are, he can do nothing to prevent them. So dont use easily avoidable traps, avoid random elements that you dont know if they will work, and avoid using mobs that are easy to kill without retaliation. Thats why so many players use ranged mobs in dungeon battles: you cant defeat them without taking some damage, and if you space them out, not even AoE are very effective. Basically, what he means is that I need to focus on things that have around a 100% chance to damage the enemy, even if its only a single strike Which leaves me with very little options, because the stitched are too slow, and even if they have ranged attacks, they can be easily kited to death; the Death Butterflies are random, they might never get close to the player; and the falling and exploding corpse traps can be avoided, they rely on the enemy passing under or getting close After discussing, we decided that the best would be to create a total of three rooms or zones for the dungeon battle, each one connected to the next. The first one is going to be a tunnel. So I start creating the tunnel. Its not a simple straight tunnel, no... It is extremely narrow, it twists around in random ways, and it even has parts where its partially collapsed and with only a small hole to pass through. Basically, its designed to stall the enemy for time. The more time the enemy spends in the tunnel, the better. And the best is that its designed in a way thats easy to put traps into it. Thanks to its narrowness and all the blind spots that the twists and turns create, even if the traps could be avoided, its almost impossible to do here. The same for the mushrooms. Whats even better, the tunnel is going to have the four Fiery Flies! So that they distract the invader from the traps (and hopefully make them fall into more traps), deal some extra damage while alive, and even more damage if they get killed! Since they are so small and can fly, theyre extremely difficult to avoid in the narrow tunnel. The second room is a medium-sized room with a closed door that leads to the third room. It looks empty, but it isnt. One thing we found is that I dont have a way to get decent ranged units for this match. Or any other good unit, really I would need to get a lot more bodies for either the creation of Hybrids or Siameses that specialize in ranged combat. Bodies which I dont currently have. So we came up with a solution to this and its a very nice idea! Im sure Im going to apply the same concept in the normal dungeon in the future. The plan is to use the Hidden Enemy trap to hide stitched on the ceiling, which are going to drop once the enemy gets close enough. In this way, theyre going to fall right next to the enemy, so the lack of speed isnt going to be that much of a problem.
Hidden Enemy - Medium (Trap)
Cost: 10 cp, 10 metal
It looks like a normal wall, ceiling, floor or decoration, but hides a humanoid or smaller unit inside. You can set a condition for the unit inside the trap to be released.
Also, the door is going to be closed until all the stitched are killed. Its a mechanism that players can use in the game so that they can implement puzzles or special zones. I didnt know at the time when I was playing with Ricard, but the orcs arena was one of these zones. Oh, and the imps hidden behind the portraits was also this trap Fucking imps! So the second room is basically a kill all enemies in the room type of challenge, except that the room is empty and all enemies are hidden, waiting to ambush you when you get close. Pretty nice, dont you think? Hahaha! This room forces the enemies to risk getting attacked by multiple enemies from different places at the same time, if they trigger the traps fast; or take a lot of time by slowly walking through the room to avoid awakening more than one at the same time. Im going to create a total of ten new stitched to take the role of hidden enemies. Im calling them Braindead Assassin. Because they fall on top of the enemy to kill them. I modify the AI so that they dont move from the place they are. In this way they never clump together. Even in a room like this and falling literally on top of the enemy, they are so slow that they could only manage to get one melee hit if the enemy ran away from them, so making them immobile is a better option. This also prevents the enemy from using AoE to kill them effectively. And to capitalize on the immobile stitched, I level them to level two and use the two skill points on this two skills: Toxic Spit and Blood Power. Its fun that the already very used Toxic Spit fits this new stitched better than the rest I mean, they are assassins, and as assassins they throw toxic spit to the enemies. Though normal assassins would use envenomed daggers instead
Braindead Assassin (Lv 2)
HP 66 (60) STA 5 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 55 (50) MP 33 (30)
STR 5 (5) CON 7 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 1 COM 0
Skills
Active: Toxic Spit Passive: Blood Power
Blood Power (Passive skill)
When you dont have enough EP or MP to use a skill, you use your HP instead. This skill can kill you.
With the Blood Power passive, the stitched will keep using the Toxic Spit until they die. Literally. Because they will kill themselves by using it. In short, this room is designed to deal as much damage to the enemy as possible, while at the same time making them waste as much time as possible. If the first room is a wasting time kind of room and the second one is a weak mobs room, then the third room cant be anything else than an elite mob room don''t you think? So yes, you guessed it! The third room is going to have a Lab Assistant. But it also needs some extra oomph, so There are going to be two Lightning Rods. In this way, the enemies must either focus first on the Lightning Rods and take free damage from the Lab Assistant or ignore them and keep taking lightning damage during the combat. If it were me, I would definitely focus first on the Lightning Rods, because the assistant is tanky enough to make the fight last for long A bad choice when you are getting struck by lightning all the time! Hahaha! With this I have a perfectly planned dungeon that I hope is going to destroy A Lil Demoness and show her I am better than her! Oh, I almost forgot to talk about the design! The two first rooms look like a mix of natural cave and man-made structures, while the last one looks like a laboratory, as usual. Hahahaha! Come and challenge me again! You fool! Youre going to cry and despair so much youre never going to recover! This is what you get for angering the Mad Rat! Hahahaha! I say this while raising my hands up in the air in a dramatic pose. For better effect, I cast Chain Lightning which for a split second looks like lightning is striking me and Im manipulating it. Dont you think this effect is awesome?
...Im not going to explain in detail because you should already know but the basic attacks that any unit can use, this means attacks without using any skill, only the weapon, cost 10 EP and deal 0,5 * Strength damage. This means that a melee unit must have both high STR and EP, and the other two important stats are CON to reduce enemy physical attacks and HP to not die. Thats why the orcs are considered one of the best melee units, they excel at those four stats. On the other hand, a spellcaster should focus on MP and SPI in the first place, and then should have high SOU to regenerate the used MP, and also either high EP or high SPD. Why those two? Its easy to understand. A spellcaster needs either high EP, to keep running for a long time, or high SPD, to run away faster. Thats for when enemies get close and the spellcaster is going to die in melee. Which will happen for sure during battle. And also, the spellcasters shouldnt stand still all battle, because that makes them easy targets. As for the tanks - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard during the morning. If Andreu listened to it or not, nobody knows. Not even Andreu.
Ch 22 - How can this be possible? This chapter focuses on Andreu watching A Lil Demoness progress during the Dungeon Battle.
Dungeon Battle Challenge!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Wicked Legion
The Mad Rats Lab Hellish Dreamland
Disguised Koala A Lil Demoness
Hahaha! Here it comes, my chance to get revenge! Im going to watch you as you suffer, despair and finally die Fufufu! Hahaha! After the usual flash of light, I find myself in her dungeon. This time I want to keep a close look at her expressions and how she loses the battle, so Im going to keep watching her progress all the time. It looks like her dungeon didnt change that much from the last battle, since I find myself inside a banquet hall, the same from the last battle. When she enters my dungeon, the first thing she does is look around the initial tunnel. She is using the same champion as last time, the succubus. Three imps follow behind her. I didnt say before, but you can bring any amount of units with you during dungeon battles. Though they still use the same cp budget, so the more you bring into attack, the less you can use to defend the dungeon. Until now, I focussed everything on defense all the time, as most of the players I played against did. But on higher levels, its common to bring some mobs with you. After looking around, she immediately starts to move forward, at a relatively fast speed. The imps follow her from a certain distance. Around maybe five meters? Does she think this is going to be easy? It doesnt look like she is looking for traps or ambushes Hehehe Its getting close! Only a little bit more and She walks under the first Falling corpse trap, just behind the second turn of the tunnel. The trap is activated and the corpse falls on top of her but she disappears. ...wait, what!? She appears a meter in front of her previous position, and the corpse falls to the ground. It hurt nobody. ...huh Is this even possible? That was the Blink skill, right? Even if she can move away on time, she shouldn''t know there was a trap, right? Whats more, activating the skill in such a short time after triggering the trap She continues walking, as if nothing happened. Soon, the imps walk over the fallen corpse, not having to worry because the trap has already been activated. I call this a stroke of luck! Its the only way she could have avoided that trap! She must have noticed something weird and activated Blink on instinct! Yeah, Im sure its like this By the way, no, Im not sure. Just trying to convince myself here. Ok, the next one is a sleeping plus poison mushroom trap. She cant avoid this one too, can she? The mushrooms are hidden behind a part of the tunnel that protrudes from the side she is coming from, so they cant be seen. And when she reaches the spot from where she can see the mushrooms, it would be too late: they would have already triggered. And sure enough, at the moment her foot comes forward, the mushrooms release the poison and sleeping clouds. And she disappears again. Again!? How can she know when to activate the Blink skill? Does she have some kind of trap detection skill? Hmmm no, as far as I know, they dont exist. Then is she hacking the game!? Because its the only way I can think of! Isnt she ashamed of playing dirty, yet again!? She continues to move forward and blink at every trap when triggered. Blink is one of those skills that are incredibly useful as an escape mechanism to telegraphed attacks. And for other special combos like getting close and grabbing the enemy, but otherwise Its usually a dead skill because of the cooldown. Its one of those skills that looks incredibly useful, but you need to upgrade it before it actually is. Meaning its usually taken only by high level players So why did she take the blink skill?
Blink (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Teleport in the direction you are looking, up to 2 meters away maximum. Can only teleport to a place you can see. This skill has a 5 second cooldown.
Ok I give up With the blink skill you can literally ignore all the traps in this area, if you know when they activate I say in a defeated voice. She somehow predicted that the Blink skill would be very useful. Not sure why, because usually nobody takes it because of the cooldown I can only rely on the Fiery Flies now. She is close to the place where the Fiery Flies are waiting. I expect that theyll be able to do something. At least do something! You have my hopes placed on you! The fly doesnt disappoint. It does deal some damage, but not as I had intended The fight goes like this (dialogue made up in my imagination). Found you dirty demon! You''re gonna die by my flames! The fly gets close to the succubus, and she gets some damage from the In Flames skill. Then, she swings the whip and strikes the fly, crushing it into small bits. You killed me, but Im taking you with me! Hahaha! And as it dies, *Booom!* a huge fire explosion occurs. But when the explosion reaches her, a semi-transparent red barrier appears in front of her and she takes no damage. ... I have no words, so I cant say anything. ...Again!? Whats even worse than her not taking damage, a second fly was caught by the firsts explosion and died too. Making it two flies that were killed by the meager amount of damage she received Is it 30 HP damage? In total. The skill she used is the Fire Protection skill, another skill one would normally not take. Unless you already knew you were going to use it for sure
Fire Protection (Active skill)
Cost: ? MP
The next time you take fire damage, negate it. Your MP is reduced by the amount of fire damage negated this way.
This is getting more and more suspicious as it goes! How could she know that she needed the Fire Protection skill!? This is an even more niche skill than Blink because it requires the enemy to use strong fire damaging skills for it to be worth the skill point Wait a moment! The Lab assistant also uses fire skills to deal damage! Isnt it going to be useless too!? The Fireball skill! Shiiiiit! Lets hope she gets crushed in the second room, and doesnt reach the Lab Assistant! I start to pray to a god, any god, who might hear me and ask for her death. Please, whatever god you might be, let my minions kill her in this dungeon battle. And prevent me from being humiliated again. At least both Blink and Fire Protection are going to be useless in the next room. Then I continue praying. Please, let her die Please, let her die Please, let her die She walks inside the second room and sees its empty, and that theres a closed door at the end. I cant believe what she does at that moment. She starts running through all the room and triggering all the hidden enemy traps at the same time. Heh! Not so smart now, huh? You are begging for a swift death by doing so! It looks like my prayers have been heard. But what happens next, makes my mouth hang so low, I could swear it touches the ground. ...w-wha-wha. wh-whhaaaaaaat w-w-wha-wha-whaaaaaat!? Andreu.exe has broken. One of the imps goes to the center of the room and uses a skill Ive never seen before: Im The Bait. I might have missed it when looking at the skill list, there are so many of them
Im The Bait - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 30 EP, 30 MP
You turn yourself into The Bait. For the next 10 seconds, all non-Champion and non-Boss enemies are going to target you if possible. Only one The Bait can be active at a time. This skill has a 5 minute cooldown.
Upgrades
The Last Bait: You are unkillable for this skills duration and extend its duration for 5 seconds. When the skill ends, you die.
I think you can understand what I feel right now, right? I feel so useless, so empty, so devoid of life What has my life been for? Why is everything I do useless? If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Let me explain what happens in detail, just in case you didnt figure it out yet The imp activates the skill, and all stitched start spitting poison towards it. ALL of them. Not a single attack goes towards the succubus or the other two imps. And this lasts for a while, until all the stitched kill themselves with the Blood Power skill. And then the imp also dies by the skills effect. For making even more fun of me, A Lil Succubus actually takes this time to relax, sitting on the ground. With an expression on her face that says This has nothing to do with me, so quickly die so I can move to the next room! She actually didnt do anything in this room other than running through it to awaken all the hidden enemies. The door of the room opens and she stands up. MP fully recovered, and ready for the final fight. ...just what did I see? I want to cry As she enters the third and last room, I look around myself. Im not making any progress here Maybe its because I watched the enemy player too much, but Im stuck. Everything looks the same! I dont even know where I went and where I didnt! Im currently in a maze-like repetition of rooms. The dungeon battle started the same as the last battle: the waiter-hellspawns and the imps hiding behind the portraits. But then, I crossed one of the rooms doors and soon found myself in a series of interconnected tunnels. And those tunnels lead to rooms identical to the first one, up to the smallest and insignificant details. And since everything looks the same, I quickly lost my way. To make matters worse, there are still some imps appearing from behind portraits I dont even know where I am anymore! I dont think I can find the exit any time soon Lets hope she dies first! I continue with my prayers. Please, let her die Please, let her die Please, let her die A Lil Demoness enters the third and last room, and what she does immediately after entering is throwing the two remaining imps at the two lightning rods. Isnt this the Throw an Ally skill? Its the first time I''ve seen it in battle!
Throw an Ally (Active skill)
Cost: 100 EP
Throw one ally unit into a space within 15 meters. All units within 2 meters of the impact zone, including the thrown unit, take (20 + 1,5 * STR + 0,2 * Max HP of the thrown unit) physical damage. Whether you can throw or not another unit depends on that units size and your Strength stat.
This is one of those skills that are rarely used on mobs, because they dont really know when or where to throw their allies. But in the hands of a Champion, controlled by a player instead of an AI you can achieve some interesting things. Ok, so you threw the imps, but now they are going to die because of the impact, and you wont manage to destroy the lightning traps Uh, ok, nevermind It looks like the imps have the skill God''s Intervention, which prevents them from dying the first time they would, and makes them invulnerable for a few seconds. Then, the Lab Assistant throws a fireball and, as I already imagined, is negated by the Fire Protection skill. Oh, and of course the imps take no damage because they are currently invulnerable. Yeah, why not? I dont even care anymore I say in a sullen voice. With so many tricks and prepared skills, its clear you are playing dirty. The question is how? Because I could understand if you hack the game to know the location of traps and mushrooms, and maybe you prepared the Fire Protection skill in foresight, for both the Fiery Flies and the Lab Assistants fireball But this doesnt explain in any way how she knew about the second room and how to easily clear it! She casts Hellfire, targeting one of the lighting rods and the lab assistant at the same time. This time, she maintains the Hellfire activated for a while, until the lightning rod is destroyed. Hellfire has an initial burst damage and a Damage over Time effect that can be kept active for as long as the user wants. So the ten hits of life of the Lightning Rod are quickly depleted. Meanwhile, the lab assistant has decided that killing an invulnerable imp is a better option than attacking the vulnerable champion, so hes doing nothing helpful. Well, true, she is taking some damage from the Fire Aura, but its a negligible amount compared to the damage the assistant is taking from her. It would have been better for the assistant to just stand still than attacking an invulnerable enemy. For its own dignity. Then, it means that she got the whole info of the dungeon before the dungeon battle even started Does this mean she hacked the game even earlier? The battle continues, and she casts another Hellfire, this time targeting the other lightning rod and the lab assistant. She doesn''t forget to attack the lab assistant with the whip between casts. Nah, this wouldnt make sense Because the only thing she could know was the dungeon layout. The traps, mushrooms and units are selected during the battle preparation phase, so its not possible Finally, the invulnerability of the two imps disappears and they immediately die to the Fire Aura. But by this time, the lab assistant is almost at half HP, and the succubus has almost full HP. At that time, she casts another Hellfire, which triggers the lab assistants Frosty Retribution skill. They are quite far apart, but the ice nova still reaches where she is. And as the ice wave comes towards her, she disappears again with Blink and completely avoids the skill. And the following Fireball is negated by the Fire Protection skill, yet again. Yeah, why not! What else can go wrong?! I think the only thing that could happen to worsen the situation is that I die before she destroys the dungeon core... From then on, the battle develops into a melee battle, since both have no MP remaining to cast spells. But the whips attacks have more range, and also sometimes make the lab assistant stop moving for a second. This, added to the fact that she has more HP, makes this a matter of time before she wins. Haaaaah. Please, somebody explain to me what''s happening! I dont understand anything anymore! I shout while pulling my heads fur. Because I dont have hair, you already know. How can this be? She knew everything! EVERYTHING! Some time later, she manages to kill the Lab Assistant. Then she goes towards the dungeon core, and destroys it.
Dungeon Battle Lost!
Winner: Wicked Legion - Hellish Dreamland - A Lil Demoness
Rewards Obtained
...
Ok, Ive lost. Again. But this isnt important. The important thing is How did she know about everything I was going to use! Ive discarded the possibility of hacking, so this only leaves the option that she somehow knew everything from the start. Even from before the dungeon battle started. Im sure it must have been Ricard. He is clearly the most suspicious person. But he has another player nickname, so he cant be the one Im fighting against Then maybe he told everything to another person? While being paranoid about how this situation could come to be, I receive a message from her. [A Lil Demoness]
Fufufu! This time it was even easier than the last! You know, the next time you want to face somebody in a dungeon battle, you should make sure that your opponent doesnt know about your plans beforehand. Im your shadow, I feed on your dreams. Did you really think I wouldnt know that you asked for help to plan this dungeon battle? You shouldnt have, because thanks to this, I could know everything! Fufufu!
.... I have no words. How far do you go into roleplay to send this kind of message? I know succubus are supposed to attack you while dreaming, so the shadow and dreams part makes sense in a way But of course, the part I cant ignore is the last one. She knew everything because I asked for help? ... Doesnt this mean shes a spy? And shes always following me? Maybe a stalker? Since when? No, wait. Dont be stupid, Andreu! There was another person other than Ricard when you were planning the dungeon. And shes a woman! As if to confirm my suspicions, I get another message from A Lil Demoness. [A Lil Demoness]
By now I suppose you already suspect it. Yes! It was me all along! Im Laura! I was just playing a little with you. Did you like my dungeon? I did like yours. It was easy! Hehehe! Im sorry I didnt tell you earlier, but when I tried to tell you today, you asked me for help to design your dungeon and couldnt hold myself back from thinking you were being unfair. So I chose to be unfair too. Hehe!
Y-y-you You DEMON! How could you do this to me? You knew I was looking for help and instead of helping me, you used this chance to utterly destroy me!! Aaaaaagh! Fuck! Shit! Why didnt I suspect it before! Now that Ive heard her confession, it was clear that she was behaving weirdly today! How could I be so blind! [Disguised Koala]
You traitor! I thought you were my friend! Why did you do this!? Do you know how bad I felt when everything was set against me!? The injustice! The feeling of everything I planned going wrong! I demand a rematch! And this time its going to be a fair match! No extra info and no banning and crippling the other. Ill show you that you won only because you cheated! This time, its going to be you who feels worthless!
What Im most angry about is the fact that she was the one who proposed most of the ideas for this second battle. So, obviously, everything she told me was so that she could better crush me later. [A Lil Demoness]
Ok, ok. Dont be like that! It was a prank. Im sorry that you took it so bad. If you want a rematch, its fine by me. But you must know that the reason why I resorted to such tricks was because Im lower leveled than you. So it would have been almost impossible to beat you in a straight fight Anyway, lets talk about it tomorrow, ok? See you!
This conversation happens before the dungeon battle, at a moment when Andreu is not present. So when are you going to tell him that its you whos playing as A Lil Succubus? I know its fun to taunt Andreu, but if you continue for too long he might get really angry. Awww Just this one time. I dont want to make him too angry, I just want to have a laugh before he realizes the truth. Also he was planning to take advantage by asking us for help, so Im going to punish him for playing dirty! Im going to tell him after the match. Then Ill wait until you finish the second match. If you dont tell him by then, Ill be the one to tell him...
After the initial anger faded away, I was tormented by shame. Shame from losing the battles against a lower level player, and even more shame for being deceived like a fool. But it quickly faded away when I started to plan the revenge match. Fufufu! Hahaha! Youre going to regret making the Mad Rat mad! Well, madder! Ill make you despair! Ill make you suffer the same as I did, or even worse! Just you wait! Hahahaha! These were my internal thoughts while planning the nastiest experience I could imagine.
Ex Ch 3 - Making wicked plans Aha! So this is his dungeon I already know what to expect, because he has explained about it more than one time. But still, its going to be very difficult to avoid everything thats dangerous in this dungeon My first impression after entering The Mad Rats Lab is that it looks like any other underground dungeon. Ok, maybe a little more wild than a dwarven dungeon, because of the natural rocks and passages, but not that different. First of all, the trap at the caves entrance. Ok, here it is. Trigger it, move away and wait for the corpse to fall. Done! Lets continue! I enter the huge cave. Its quite dark, but bright enough to see the silhouettes of the dungeon mobs. Could be worse. Here comes the first enemy! It looks like half an elf and half a dwarf monstrosity. He? She? It? They? Well, whatever. The thing is coming towards me at full speed, faster than I can go. It releases a terrifying howl when starting combat. Is it calling for help? I didnt know that the dungeon had this kind of enemy It must be quite new The fight starts. It looks like the thing counts as two units, because it has two HP bars. I kill one first to see what happens, and the moment the first is killed, the second half gets crazily empowered. Luckily, it dies by itself after five seconds. Hmmm I need to find a way to counter them. The after-death skill is too strong. Hmmm Oh, I know! Next time Ill use Charm after the first half is killed, buying me some time to get away. Maybe two or three seconds of being charmed are enough? Its nice timing to test the idea, because a second of those things comes towards me. Supposedly attracted by the firsts howl. The combat starts and I charm it after the first half dies. The plan works perfectly. Yep, better this time! Charming them for just two or three seconds while moving away is enough. The time they take to react after the charm, plus the interruption caused by the status effect, makes them waste the full 5 seconds and die by themselves, without harming me. I need to note this for the future. Oh, here comes something else. Is it a fly? A flaming fly? This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I attack it with the whip. It dies, but then *Booom!* it explodes in a burst of fire and I take some fire damage. Quite a high amount of damage from that little stupid fly. Are there more of them? If so, better kill them from afar. I continue moving, but I stop when I notice that my HP is steadily getting lower. Oooh, shit. One of those butterflies is attached to me. Luckily, I already know what to do. I blast myself with the Hellfire skill, and the butterfly immediately dies. I also take some fire damage, but better taking some now, than dying later. Both those annoying pests are critter units Ok, its decided! If possible, Ill put a ban on using critter units when I challenge him to a dungeon battle!
Ughh how annoying these tunnels are I spend more time resting to recover the HP lost to those poison mushrooms than actually moving. But I must make a map of the full zone just in case he uses the tunnels area for the dungeon battle In this area there are more of those half-half monstrosities. But since I already know how to deal with them, they are easy. Unless there are mushrooms close by Because those things must have some skill that makes them ignore the effects of the mushrooms. They dont get poisoned, nor do they fall asleep. Its decided! No mushrooms either for the dungeon battle. I must ban their use to prevent this combo from happening!
Ive finally managed to reach the laboratory. This should be the last dungeon room, as far as I know. Theres a single enemy in the room, but I dont see the dungeon core. So he must have extended the dungeonThis means more work for me. Nothing I can do about it, I still need to map everything. When the fight ends, I see that most of my HP, and even EP and MP, are depleted. This was one hard fight. I won only because I had the Champions buff. In a dungeon battle, where I dont have this buff, Ill need to be at full HP, EP and MP to face this enemy. Otherwise Ill die I think Ill need some preparation in advance. Maybe I can prepare some mobs to help me in this battle, but I have a better idea. Im sure I can ask him how much cp this Lab Assistant mob costs, so that I can put the limit of cp per unit lower than their cost. This way he wont be able to use them, and Ill have an easier time. I see that theres another passage continuing from the laboratory, so I enter it and move forward. I must map and prepare everything before the dungeon battle! Hahahaha! I laugh evilly. Im going to make you cry! Hahaha!
While Andreu was wasting time and fighting against hordes and more hordes of goblins and orcs, A Lil Demoness was planning how to beat him in a dungeon battle. She called this operation: How do the rats cry?.
Ch 23 - Revenge plans I slowly open my houses door and look around. Still a little angry about yesterdays situation, I momentarily stop to breathe in the fresh air and calm myself. Then, somebody pushes me out of the way and I almost fall to the ground. Move out of the way, Andreu! Dont stand in the doorway! You arent the only person in the world, you know!? This is Marta, my older sister. As usual, she likes to complain about everything I do. We leave at the same time on Fridays because we have college classes at the same time. Though we study different things, and in different universities. Yes, yes! Excuse me, madam! I say while making a fake reverence. *Hmph!* She makes angry noises as she walks away. It seems like Im safe for now. From Martas rage, I mean. Marta and I take different paths, so she leaves for the bus station. I can reach my college by walking. See you later, Andreu! And stop making those creepy laughing sounds. You look like a madman right now! See you later I dont feel the need to reply to her taunting. It looks like my internal thoughts have shown outside. Well, who can blame me for making creepy laughs while thinking about how to torment my next victim? While thinking about my next dungeon battle, I continue walking. Although a bit slower than usual. And when I finally reach my college and look at the time, I see its later than usual. So I have to run to my class because I dont want to be late. *Sigh!* Cant one properly make evil plans? Without the need to run?
Good morning! Ricard greets me as soon as I enter the classroom. Hey there, Andreu! Says, Laura. Good morning to you too I say to Ricard and Laura. I send a glare to Laura. She knows the reason why, so she isnt surprised. But then I make a grin, imagining how Im going to beat her in the next battle, and she then shudders. Maybe shes imagining too what nasty plans I have for the dungeon battle? So, how did the Dungeon Battle go? Did my amazing tips help you in your dungeon battle? Though by the way you look, it doesnt seem like so Ricard finishes talking while awkwardly looking at Laura. Amazing tips? Fuck you! They were useless because the enemy I was supposed to beat was next to me! And by how you reacted just now, you must have known all along! I stare at Ricard and, in an icy tone, I say. So you knew too, huh? Since when!? At my question, he looks apologetic as he explains the situation. Well she came to me saying she had the game and asking for tips and help. And to not tell you because she wanted to surprise you You know me, Im incapable of denying things like that. So I kept the secret. But I told her to tell you already or I would be the one to This totally sounds like a thing Ricard would do. Given the chance to be the oh so mighty and knowledgeable instructor in a game he likes he couldn''t deny her. Yeah, I completely understand the situation now. So you are also a traitor, huh!? Shame on you! Now Ill absolutely NEVER call you master, instructor, or anything similar in any situation! This is what you get for being a traitor! Not that I was ever going to call him something like that. But now I have the perfect excuse to not do it. NOOOOOOOO! My future chances to shine!!! See? I knew this would be his reaction. Hahaha! This is what you get for betraying me! By the way, Ricards cry attracts the whole classrooms attention. But when they see its us who are shouting, they return to whatever they were doing before. They must be used to our eccentricities by now and decided to ignore us. Im not proud of it, but it can be helpful sometimes. Like this time. As Ricard shouts and feigns to cry, in a very loud voice, Laura opens her mouth and tries to defend herself in an apologetic tone. You know, Andreu. I was just trying to make a prank. It just turned out to be more than I wanted because you tried to play dirty in the second battle. So please forgive me! Oh, Im not angry anymore. It was just all a plot so now I have an excuse to stop Ricard from spouting bullshit. Well, to limit the amount of bullshit he spouts. Then I look directly at her face and ask. But Youre not going to avoid the rematch, right? Because it would be a shame if you cant feel the same level of despair I felt ...Ok. But dont say creepy things like that! If you want to have a rematch to show you are better than me, or to relieve your anger, its fine by me! Just please dont use too many gross things! I hate those Stitched! Oh? Ok. Noted. Note to myself: use the most disgusting ideas I have. Fufufu! Hahaha! Ok Nooooo! I now lost my identity, my identity as the one with the most experience In the background of our conversation, Ricard is still spouting nonsense. Shut up already, wont you!? Anyway, the class is starting Lets set the time for the match for later. I say to Laura. Shoo! Shoo! A little bit of space, please! I need to make more plans and I dont want any of you two to get a glimpse of my notes. Just in case.
Fufufufu! Hahahaha! Yeeees, its finished! My newest creations! Behold, the mighty RABBITS! True to my words, there are two rabbits in front of me. They look the same, but one isnt a normal rabbit, as you would expect. In fact, its a Wererabbit hybrid in its rabbit form. You could say that the other one is a normal rabbit but in fact, it isnt either. Its a Creepy created from a Rabbit and a Curse Bug. Everyone knows what a rabbit is, so Im not gonna comment on it. A Curse Bug on the other hand Is a little critter that has a nasty innate skill called Death Curse. Players who put them in their dungeons use them to prevent invaders from using AoE attacks indiscriminately.
Death Curse (Innate triggered skill)
When you die, you curse the unit that killed you with the Death Curse for 5 minutes. While cursed, the unit deals 10% less damage and takes 10% more damage. This curse can stack, and every time its stacks increase the duration refreshes.
So yes, with this innate skill, when another unit kills a Cursed Bug, it deals less damage and receives more at the same time. Oh, and Curse Bugs are very small, about 2 centimeters. And completely black. So its easy to miss them and kill them by accident. But I didnt have any problems when invading the dungeon where I got them, hehehe! Thats because my AoE skill, Chain Lightning, never kills. So I was never actually cursed when obtaining their bodies! Hahaha! The no-killing cant always be bad! There was sure to be at least one place where it was good! I say to myself. ...but I must admit that I didnt expect it to be better than killing in any situation until I found the bugs. Outside of allowing me to capture units, of course. I called the new Creepy template, both Rabbit and Curse Bug, Curse Rabbit. And left it at level one. I dont need to upgrade them because I only want them for the Death Curse skill. In fact, its the only skill they have. So they only cost 2 cp. And I didnt modify the AI. I only managed to get the bodies of five Curse Bugs This means I can only make five Curse Rabbits, but I believe its going to be enough. Whats best is that its impossible to differentiate both units when both are in their rabbit forms. If you inspect the wererabbit while in its rabbit form, it identifies it as a normal rabbit, stats included. So you either risk getting cursed by attacking them, in case you attack a Curse Rabbit, or ignore them and risk getting ambushed by the wererabbits! Fufufu! I laugh evilly. Despair! Despair and run away, because its the only safe option! Hahaha! By the way, attacking a werebeast in its beast form usually makes them return to its original form and attack you. I dont know what happens with Champions because I havent found any enemy werebeast champion. Me? Rat Transformation? Its sealed, remember!? Of course, I havent tried it! Aaaaah! I almost forgot! I didnt explain the wererabbit! The wererabbit is a hybrid unit. And the other half is Drums please! the other half is Im not going to tell! Hahaha! Nah, I was joking. The other half is an orc. In specific, the orc Hunter: the one that costs 100 cp. Since the Wererabbit is 150 cp, the hybrid costs 250 cp. Which is expensive, Im not going to lie. But I only need a few to mix them in a bunch of Curse Rabbits, so its fine if they are expensive. I have only created two of them, mostly because I could only get two Wererabbit bodies. They are very hard to find in a dungeon when they are mixed with normal rabbits I have some more orc bodies, from the invasion I did with Ricard. As soon as I get more Wererabbit bodies You already know, right? Hahaha! They are going to be great for defending the dungeon! I can already imagine a field full of rabbits, some dangerous if attacked and some dangerous if left alone. I imagine the invaders thinking: What to do? Should I attack or not? I called the new template Not A Rabbit. Because they are not a rabbit, of course. And modified the AI so that they mostly ignore invaders, but start combat under three conditions: if they get attacked, if the enemy turns away and shows their back, and in case the enemy tries to run away. I also leveled them to level three. So basically enemy invaders cant ignore the Not A Rabbits. The safest way to approach them would be to run away, literally. And then see if it transforms and follows in combat mode or not. If it transforms when TRYING to run away, its a Not A Rabbit. Otherwise, its a Curse Rabbit. Did you notice I remarked the Trying word? Its because the Not A Rabbits are absurdly fast. All the speed comes from the Wererabbit. I already saw they had an absurd speed when I was creating my champion, thats why I decided to use them.
Not A Rabbit (Lv 3)
HP 360 (300) STA 19 (16) SOU 8 (7)
EP 336 (280) MP 108 (90)
STR 31 (26) CON 28 (24) AGI 32 (27)
SPI 12 (10) WIL 25 (21) DEX 21 (18)
SPD 9 INT 5 COM 1
Skills Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Active: Rabbit Transformation (Innate), Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate), Unexpected Strike. Passive: Berserker
As you can see, they are incredibly fast. A speed of 9 is the same as the Demonic Swarmer after activating the Dash skill. And this is WITHOUT any speed boost! It also has a lot of Agility, 20 of those base points coming from the Wererabbit. And from the orc Hunters body, it inherits the high HP, Strength, Stamina, and EP. Altogether, this is a fucking melee killing machine: lots of damage, fast attacks, resilient, and whats worse: you cant run away from it! But it makes the Not A Rabbit suck at magic. I mean, they have lower stats for magic than some other units that cost less than half cp For example, the High Elf. And regarding the rest of the skills, here they are. Though you should be able to imagine what they do with only the names.
Bleeding Strike (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Your next attack makes the target bleed. Bleed inflicts an extra 20% of the damage dealt with the attack as HP loss during 5 seconds.
Unexpected Strike (Triggered skill)
If you attack an enemy thats looking away and combat hasnt started yet, your first attack deals 10 times the normal damage.
Berserker (Passive skill)
Increase your attack damage and attack speed by 0,3% for every 1% of HP lost.
As you can see, the Bleeding Strike and Berserker skills further upgrade the melee damage of the Not A Rabbit. The Berserker also synergizes very well with the Bloodlust skill, both increasing the melee damage when on low HP. And the Unexpected Strike is well, the punishment for those that dare turn their backs on the Not A Rabbits. I mean, Im sure that 10 times the damage from an already powerful basic attack can kill most enemies. Normal attacks should deal around 15 damage, so it turns into a 150 damage attack. Plus the 20% bleeding, so 180 damage. Ouch! 180 from a basic attack! That hurts! Hahaha! Im sure more than one player is going to get KOd in a single strike! Hahaha! And the least important but also most relevant thing of the Not A Rabbit, that Im leaving for the end on purpose, is their appearance! Its a hybrid of a Wererabbit and an orc Hunter. And thanks to the Champion Upgrade - Hybrid I researched the other day, I can now change body parts other than the four extremities, head, and trunk. So I could do whatever I wanted with their appearance, within certain limits. What I did is use the orc as the base and add the wererabbits ears, tail, and claws. I also set all the union types as blend. So they blend into one another as if it was a natural creature. Almost. Here it is! The cute-not-so-cute orc with rabbit ears and tail! And lets not forget those fluffy but clawed hands and feet! With the orcs burly body, tusks, and ugly face, the image is quite spectacular. Im not sure if anyone is going to like how they look, but I don''t care. By the way, I dont like how they look either. Well, I do like how they look for a dungeon monstrosity mob, but if you ask if I would want a plushie with their appearance? Definitely not! But the Not A Rabbits arent the only new countermeasure I have prepared. I have another surprise for A Lil Demoness. I unlocked the Basic Chimera unit and managed to get the body of a Mimic. So I used the Tunneler and Mimic to create this beauty.
Tunnel Mimic (Lv 2)
HP 205 (187) STA 15 (14) SOU 8 (8)
EP 308 (280) MP 99 (90)
STR 17 (16) CON 24 (22) AGI 5 (5)
SPI 9 (9) WIL 19 (18) DEX 9 (9)
SPD 4 INT 7 COM 0
Skills
Active: Mimicry (Innate), Engulf. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Tunneling (Innate), Enlarge
Can you guess what the Tunnel Mimic is going to do? Im gonna leave you some time to think. ... Ok, did you manage to figure it out? I say as I put my hand next to my ear. A little bit more help, you say? Sure. Here are the skill descriptions.
Mimicry (Innate active skill)
Cost: 150 EP
You change your shape and looks so that you imitate some inanimate object or terrain in close proximity. You cant change your size. While Mimicry is active, its impossible to differentiate you from what you are imitating and you cant be identified by players. You still take damage as normal.
Engulf (Active skill)
Cost: 50 EP, plus 10 EP per second
You engulf one unit in melee range. While engulfed, the unit takes (10 + 0,5 * CON) acid damage each second. This damage isnt increased or reduced by having higher or lower stats. The engulfed unit must be significantly smaller than you, and you can only Engulf one unit at a time. When you end the Engulf or die, the unit is released in the closest possible space.
Tunneling (Innate passive skill)
You can move through impassable terrain at half the speed. When moving this way, you cause noticeable tremors around you.
Enlarge (Passive skill)
Increases this units size by a considerable amount. The only change to stats is an increase of 10% in the base HP.
You still dont get it? How can you be so dumb? *Aaaaagh!* I exhale in exasperation. Obviously, this is a monologue and nobody is answering me. Let me enlighten you. The Tunnel Mimic is going to dig through the dungeons impassable terrain, then come towards open space and use Mimicry to look like a natural rocky tunnel. Since it has the Enlarge skill, it is big enough for enemy units to go inside his mouth. And when an unsuspecting enemy comes inside its mouth *Omnomnyom!* The enemy is going to be engulfed and eaten to death! Hahahaha! Even more funny is the fact that after engulfing, its going to burrow back into the impassable terrain, so its going to be invulnerable from enemy attacks (other than the engulfed unit) until it kills the engulfed enemy, and comes out again to mimic a tunnel in another place. Fufufufu! Hahahaha! And lets not forget the Chimeras innate skill: Eternal Pain! It delays the speed at which the Tunnel Mimic can be killed! So its impossible to kill the Tunnel Mimic before it burrows into the impassable terrain! By the way, it looks like a normal Tunneler, except that it also has some black gooey substance that covers parts of it. It comes from the Mimic. And its also a lot larger than a normal tunneler because of the Enlarge skill. Its funny that the Mimics actually have a higher Intelligence stat than most humanoid units. And also lucky for me, because otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to make the Tunnel Mimic behave as it does. But it also makes sense, because the Mimics need a more complex AI for them to actually behave like well, like mimics. Oh, and the total cost for the Tunnel Mimic isnt that high. 50 cp for the Tunneler, 110 cp for the Mimic, plus 20 cp for the Basic Chimera. Both units are quite weak by themselves since they both rely on ambush tactics. But together into a Hybrid Its a whole different story. I also changed the dungeon battle layout. Youll see how it ended up looking later. Nows time to start the match!
After I finish with the preparations, I send a message to A Lil Demoness. [Disguised Koala]
Hey there, you cheating and foul-playing demon! Are you up for the match? This time you arent going to have any advantage over me, so I assure you: you are going to lose! Hahaha! If you arent scared of showing your unsightly side and are ready to be crushed, send me the Dungeon Battle challenge any time. But Ill only accept it if you leave everything as it comes as default, so you wont be able to cheat again!
We already talked about the match after classes, so Im sure shes going to accept. But a little bit of roleplay and making the opponent angry is always better in this kind of situation. Dont you think? She replies after a while. [A Lil Demoness]
Yes! Ill challenge you again. But be warned, I was playing with you until now! Ill take this match seriously too. If you still want the match, keep in mind Im coming for you! Ill suck you dry! You wont be able to sleep with anybody else after this! Fufufu!
Soon after her message, I receive the challenge to a Dungeon Battle. I make sure to check that all settings are ok. Yes, she didnt try to fool me this time. So lets go! Match start! I say while pressing the accept challenge button.
Dungeon Battle Challenge!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Wicked Legion
The Mad Rats Lab Hellish Dreamland
Disguised Koala A Lil Demoness
Who was the loser in the Dungeon Battles between Andreu and A Lil Demoness? Andreu lost a bit of his pride but also won a lot of experience. The same goes for his succubus opponent. The actual losers of those battles were, obviously, the ones who were going to invade The Mad Rats Lab in the future. The addition of the tunneler-mimic and the wererabbit-orc would turn into a nightmare for those players who didnt know about them in advance. The victims from only those two unit types would soon rise to the three digits, and would never stop rising.
Ch 24 - I can’t win, I surrender This chapter is from two POV and alternates between them. The first is Andreus POV and the second is A Lil Demoness progress in third person. **Andreu** The Dungeon Battle starts and I need to set what rooms, traps, hazardous terrain and units Im going to use. As the last dungeon battle, we have a 1500 cp budget instead of the 1000 cp we had on our first challenge. It was me who asked to increase the limit, otherwise I couldnt have put the Lab Assistant on the second challenge, because it was too expensive. And we are keeping the same cp budget for this third challenge. Even if it didnt work the last time, I do believe that the tunnel filled with traps was a good idea as the first room. So Im repeating the same idea. Only that this time the tunnel has a different shape and the traps and mushrooms are placed in other spots. I also made sure not everything can be skipped with the Blink skill. There is more than one place where the tunnel is filled with mushrooms, and its longer than the distance you can travel with Blink. The trapped tunnel leads to a partially collapsed cavern. From the collapsed ceiling, sunlight pours in and grass and vegetation grow on the caverns floor. It looks like those secret sanctuaries from fantasy worlds. Here and there, you can see little and innocent rabbits grazing on the vegetation. I put all five Curse Rabbits and the two Not A Rabbit here. Since the cavern is partially collapsed, lots of rock rubble obstruct the vision everywhere. Its easy for the rabbits to surprise the enemy from behind. And the rubble also makes this zone difficult to traverse and makes it somewhat labyrinthine. If Im frank, this zone looks amazing. Regardless of how the challenge ends, Im going to replicate it into the normal dungeon. Im sure invaders are going to love (hate) it! Here, several more tunnels can be seen. Further in, they interconnect chaotically, leading you to the rabbit area again. I admit I copied the idea from A Lil Demoness. But instead of multiple similar rooms, heres only one room and all tunnels return to this room. Except for one that leads to the final room with the dungeon core. But the tunnel is hidden quite well, very hard to see. I dont put any mushroom or trap here, because they could work as landmarks if the enemy has good memory. So this is only a bunch of rocky dark tunnels, with no remarkable features. Well thats a lie. Theres something else in these tunnels apart from rocks. Theres the Tunnel Mimic too. And in this chaotic mess of interconnected tunnels, its going to be incredibly difficult to know which one is the fake tunnel. Or even impossible. And just in case the enemy reaches the last room, four Demonic Swarmers are there to kill the (hopefully weakened) invader. I didnt have enough cp remaining to put the Lab Assistant in this last room, after putting the two Not A Rabbits. Because its incredibly expensive. So I had to put the next best units from my remaining pool of units. I also added some mushrooms in the room. Because why not. And the Demonic Swarmers are immune to them, so its doubly effective. In case you want to know, my current units, ordered by how dangerous they are, go like this: Lab Assistant > Not A Rabbit > Tunnel Mimic > Demonic Swarmer > all the Creepy > normal Stitched > Kidnapper. Yeah the Stitched are weaker than all the Creepy that I have. Not in stats nor direct combat, but in how useful they can be at dealing damage or crippling the enemy. Stitched are definitely the basic unit of this faction. How useless can you be!? Dont you have any shame? By the way, I havent removed the rooms from the previous dungeon battle with A Lil Demoness yet. I want to test them against other opponents to see if the ideas are good or not for Dungeon Battles In normal dungeon battles, I mean. One where the opponent doesn''t know everything before it starts. So, now that everything is ready, its time to confirm the settings and start the actual Dungeon Battle!
**A Lil Demoness** As the Dungeon Battle starts, the succubus looks around. She is in a dark and narrow underground tunnel. Im not sure if I can win this Dungeon Battle Until now, I managed to get the advantage either by removing those elements that were dangerous for me, or by knowing everything beforehand. But now Im on equal terms with him. She looks forward while squinting, trying to see if theres anything hidden. Something like a trap. Or a mushroom, or maybe a hidden enemy. Literally, anything. Its also very possible that he brings something new and unexpected to this dungeon battle. I must focus and try to find the traps and dangers! She starts walking forward. Three little imps follow closely behind her. She looks behind and says to herself. To think I had to give them poison resistance, just in case there are mushrooms, so that they dont die from the poison damage What a shame. A wasted skill point! But they are my meat shields, so I cant let them die before their turn comes As she walks, she encounters the first trap. A falling corpse trap. But since shes looking for traps, she manages to react on time and uses Blink to teleport away. Haha! As long as I can see the trap, I can avoid it Interrupting her, *Plof!*, something falls on top of her. Aaaah! Whats this? She looks around, panicked. And sees two corpses on the ground, near her position. She also notices that her HP has been reduced. Shit! You put a trap just after another one!? Furthermore, at the same distance as Blinks range!? Fuck you! And you were complaining before about using previous knowledge!? Whats this if not previous knowledge!? While complaining and spouting profanities, she continues to move forward. I cant let this demoralize me, and cant waste time either. So lets continue! I finally reached the end of the tunnel That took longer than I wanted. As she comes out of the tunnel, she relaxes a little. Shes in a partially collapsed cavern, and light is shining through the gaps. Grass is growing from the ground. At least now I dont have to worry about traps. In this open field, traps are mostly useless. But what a letdown! To think that I lost one imp to the traps, even before combat started! She shouts, making an angry face. Surely enough, only two imps are following her now. She calms down a little and properly looks around. Wooow! This is one beautiful scene! There are even little rabbits munching on the grass! Its the first decent mob Ive seen in this dungeon! The rest are all gross She shudders, remembering how awful the Stitched are. Uugh! She suddenly stops a short time later. Waitwaitwaitwait Somethings wrong Its impossible that he has used those harmless creatures in a Dungeon Battle. So somethings definitely wrong with those rabbits! She slowly approaches the closest rabbit. Wary of surprise attacks. Hmmm it looks like a normal rabbit. She says, closely inspecting the rabbit. She even pats it on the head. The inspection screen also says so She continues to pat the little rabbit while thinking. Im sure something is definitely wrong! Though I dont know what Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. With one hand still on her chin, in a thinking pose, she stands up. Then she walks towards the closest tunnel entrance. Nothing I can do about it if I dont know whats up with the rabbits. As long as nothing unexpected happens Aaaagh! Interrupted again, A Lil Demoness turns around and sees an enemy that wasnt there previously. Also, the game shows her a warning alerting her she has low HP. The hells going on!? Why did I take so much damage? And where did this guy come from? Without wasting time, she quickly activates her Charming Eyes and charms the enemy. At the same time, the two imps start attacking it. Its an orc with bunny ears? Oh, it also has furred paws and a short and fluffy tail! She comments while continuously using the whip to attack the enemy. Maintaining the Charming Eyes skill activated only prevents the user from using other skills, and does not impede attacking with normal attacks. After she recovers her composure, she deactivates the Charming Eyes and, together with the two imps, quickly finishes the enemy. Hah! Dead at last! You fucker! She spits at the orcs corpse. Or she tries to, because this is a game and you cant actually spit. She then inspects the corpse. So its a wererabbit and orc hybrid, huh? And it looked and acted like a rabbit until I looked away. Then it launched an incredibly powerful attack Fuck! I already knew something was wrong with the rabbits, but I didnt expect this! At that moment, another rabbit starts to get closer. No you wont surprise me again, you little shit! Im gonna send you to hell before you finish your transformation! GO TO HELL! She shouts. At the same time, the whip goes flying in the rabbits direction. Then the rabbit takes the whips damage. And dies. ... What? Why didnt it transform? She comes closer to the rabbits corpse and inspects it. So it was a normal rabbit? Waaaaait a moment It cursed me!? What the hells going on!?
**Andreu** As the two previous times, when the dungeon battle starts I find myself in a luxurious banquet hall. Numerous portraits and statues adorn the walls, and the floor is covered in an expensive carpet. And as expected, it soon turns into a battle with waiter-hellspawns and imps popping from behind the portraits. As I already knew, theres little trouble here for me. The trouble comes later, with the sets of identical rooms and interconnected passages. But this time Im prepared for it! Hahaha! You, Braindead Marker Number 1, go stand in that corner! I order. Then, one of the six stitched that are coming with me, moves to the corner and stands there. Not a single pixel of its 3D body is moving. Hahahaha! I outsmarted you this time! With the stitched working as markings, I can know where I am even if I get lost! I only need to find one stitched to know where I am! Hahaha! The six stitched have the same name except for the number. Going from 1 to 6. And they also have the same AI: stand where I tell them to, and no combat. Im going to use them as breadcrumbs, to know the path I already took. Except they are living beings. Living-non-living beings? Hmm. they are just Stitched. So yes, Im going to use them as breadcrumbs, but they are Stitched beings. Whatever you got the point, right? Even if they are killed, its no problem, because the corpse will remain where they are, and the name can be seen even when dead. They are the perfect markers for this labyrinth of identical rooms! Its the first time I feel so proud of you since the Kidnapper! Who are nice boys? You! You are nice little boys! I say in the same tone of voice people use to talk to babies. By the way, just in case you wondered, stitched have no gender. They dont have anything there. Like a doll. Well, worse than a doll, because they dont have anything either at the chest area, nor a muscular body. Not even a beard, or earring holes. Hell, they dont even have hair! ...then arent you only empty husks!? Ive already used the six stitched-crumbs to mark the path, and I think I finally know where the door to exit this ridiculous maze is. If Im not wrong, after I cross this door, I should reach the next area. Since this series of rooms was so big, maybe the next area is the last one I ponder with a hand on my chin. If so Boss room, here I come! I open the door and see a short passage. Unlike all the previous passages that connected the identical-looking rooms, this one is decorated with the same luxury as the banquet halls. Theres a door at the end of this passage. Yeeeees! Finally! Out of this damned labyrinth! Hahahaha! I start jumping in joy. The stitched-crumbs strategy worked! Im so happy that they were useful! Hahaha! I hurry towards the door, open it, and cross to the other side. Im now in another luxurious room. This time it looks like a bedroom? Theres a huge bed in the middle, with someone on top of it. Wait! Isnt that a succ I cant talk anymore. Shit! Its a succubus! And she already charmed me! I cant do anything until the charm status goes away Luckily, it can only last up to five seconds against Champions. Then, I hear the door I just crossed slamming shut. The Champion cant turn away, but I, in my phantasmal form until the charm ends, can. So I turn around and see another succubus! Both take out whips and start to hit me with them. Aaaah! Aaaah! Please stop! I shout. Not like my champion can talk, so Im the only one who hears the shouts. Aaaah! Dont hit me anymore! Aaaah! Aaaah! Its too strong! I don''t forget the Aaaaah! shouts every time one of the succubus strikes me with the whip. By the way, they arent the Im taking damage type of shouts, but the Please hit me more kind of shouts. You know what I mean. Every time a whip strikes me, I take some damage. Luckily, I was almost at full HP before entering this room. I hope Im not going to die before the charm wears off Aaaah! Aaah! Aaaaah! ...huh? Oh! The charm time has finished! What a shame! I was so~ close to I stop myself from thinking about weird and lewd things, and focus on combat. I cant die here! I must overcome this trial! Like a real man should! Behind the bed, I take a glimpse of something shining with purple light. The dungeon core! Yees! So close! Lets finish this and win this Dungeon Battle!
**A Lil Demoness** After dealing with the first two rabbits, A Lil Demoness decided what to do with the rest of them. Heres the plan. Since I cant kill them unless I dont care if I get cursed (and I do care), and I also cant ignore them because they could attack me from behind When a rabbit gets close, I will run away while keeping an eye on it. If it transforms into the orc hybrid, Ill kill it. Otherwise, Ill ignore the rabbit and keep moving forward! Fufufu! I saw through your tricks already! Ill only fall for them the first time! She finally reaches one of the tunnels and quickly enters it. For some unknown reason, she feels safer in this tunnel than in the open field with the rabbits. As she walks, she finds more tunnels connected to this one. But she doesn''t find any traps. Not even mushrooms. How weird no traps or tricks? Really? Maybe its a trick so that I lower my guard and fall into a very dangerous trap? Then you failed! Because Im not going to lower my guard until the Dungeon Battle is finished! Hahaha! She continues to advance, sometimes changing to another one of the tunnels. She tries to remember the path so that she can go back. This continues until she reaches the partially collapsed cave with the rabbits. So Im back to the start, huh? Because this IS the same room, right? She looks around, just to make sure. Yes, I can see the orcs corpse there So the tunnels connect to this room in multiple places What to do now? One rabbit comes closer to her while she is thinking. Oooh, shit! Didnt see you getting close! Then I should back away and wait for it to transform An idea suddenly comes to her mind. Aha! What if I make the imps kill the rabbits? Thats a good idea! Only the killer gets cursed. This way I wont have to worry about ambushes from behind, and I don''t care if the imps get cursed. Without wasting time, she proceeds to order the imps to attack the remaining rabbits. Rabbit after rabbit fall to the imps claws. Until one of them transforms into an orc-rabbit and quickly kills one of the two imps. Found you! Now: GO TO HELL! She shouts while continuously attacking the orc. This time its only 2vs1, and she didnt use the Charming Eyes, to save EP and MP for future fights, so she takes some damage from the orc hybrid. I took some damage here, but there are no more rabbits to worry about now! Hahaha! She enters the tunnels again, this time not worried anymore. And as the previous time, she continues to walk, and walk. Returning to the partially collapsed cave one, two, three times This is getting annoying! Now I can understand the feeling of those who I play against in Dungeon Battles, because I use the same idea. Well, sooner or later Ill find the exit to this place! She enters the tunnels yet again, and chooses one of the tunnels at random, one she hasnt entered yet. But as she enters the tunnel the tunnels entrance closes behind her and the tunnel starts to turn into something different. W-whats this!? Did I step into another fucking trap!? She shouts and tries to find an exit, but she cant. Soon, she notices that she is taking continuous damage. A-am I A-a-am I inside a beast? I cant see, but its warm, and smells weird. And its also a little soft to the touch Uuuugh. Aaaaaghh Its gross! Soooo gross! Fuck! I dont want this! She starts attacking at random, taking damage when using the Hellfire skill. Her HP is starting to get dangerously low. Shit! I dont want this! This is gross! I surrender, ok? Just let me leave this place! I dont like gross things Uuugh I want to puke! She decides that she is going to die anyway, and lose the dungeon battle, so its better to surrender now than staying inside the monsters stomach until she dies.. I cant win this I surrender! She says as she presses the surrender button.
Soon after, Andreu uploaded another video of the Mad Rats Eccentricities series. It was a video of him getting whipped by a pair of succubus, while making Aaaah shouts, in a sensual voice, every time he was struck. Inspired by this video, some players (with certain kinks) imitated the setting and created a dungeon specific for this kind of play. A dungeon full of succubus and incubus. And soon after, the number of DMA players spiked. Mysteriously, all of the new players shared a certain passion and liked to invade the aforementioned dungeon. But we arent here to talk about this kind of adventures, arent we
Ch 25 - A party to celebrate I am about to crush the dungeon core when a window pops in front of me.
Dungeon Battle Won!
Winner: Flesh Monstrosities - The Mad Rats Lab - Disguised Koala
Rewards Obtained
...
... Yeeees! I finally won one match against her! I look at the other players progress screen and see her still inside the Tunnel Mimic. So she died? I was so close to settling the match anyway... Im holding the dungeon core in my hand. I crush it. Why? To satisfy my own ego. I won this game, and you lost it. Both at the same time! Hahaha! Ooooh, sweet, sweet victory! How good it feels to win a match after losing two consecutive times! And not simply losing, but losing to unfair matches! Hahaha! See? You only won the first two matches because they were rigged! In a fair dungeon battle, Im better than you! Hahaha! Relieved after displaying my real might, I decide to leave the game. After taunting Laura about her defeat, of course. Only a little. Well you got me. A LOT! Hahaha!
Its Saturday morning. Today we are having a barbeque party for lunch. Whos gonna come? Im not sure, but everyone from the Computer Science degree is invited. I only know that Ricard and Laura are coming too. Hey, Andreu! Good morning, scar! Hes scar, the houses owner. Well, his family is. We are having the BBQ at his house. You came very early today! Yeah I couldnt stay still this morning, so I came earlier than usual. Its nothing to worry about. Its just that after yesterdays victory Im extremely happy. I finally managed to set things right: I didnt lose because I was worse, but because the opponent had a wide advantage over me. Now, I feel like I can fly. As if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So want to give a helping hand? I would appreciate it if you could take care of starting the fire and preparing the embers. So that I can focus on the drinks and greeting the others! It looks like scar noticed my extra energy, and asked me for help. Not to brag, but usually I am sleepy during mornings, because I go to sleep late, wasting time with internet videos or playing games. Yeah, sure. I dont have anything to do until everybody comes, so why not. Thanks! Youre a lifesaver! Ahahaha! Dont exaggerate Next to the grill, theres the coal sack. I prepare everything and start the fire. It isnt that hard when you have done it a bunch of times already. Soon, scar comes with several trays full of meat. Chicken, lamb, botifarra (catalan sausage), hamburgers Mmmm They look delicious. Well, not yet. But they will once they are cooked. Here you go. As soon as the embers are ready, you can start grilling the meat. Ill now bring the rest. Says scar, putting the trays next to the grill. When he returns, he has two more trays: one with vegetables cut into slices, and another with cheese. And to accompany the meat, or for those who dont like it, we have veggies and cheese. What do you think, Andreu? Will this be enough? Im sure they will. I answer. With this mountain of meat and the two smaller ones with veggies and cheese, I believe we could feed twice the number of people than those who are coming today Maybe more? Some people believe that barbeques are only about meat. Those people dont understand anything. The appeal of grilled veggies, in special sliced courgette or eggplant, or even onion, cant be underestimated. And dont make me start on the cheese. Half-melted grilled cheese. Just by remembering it, my drool starts to accumulate and finally drops. On top of the grill. Uuups! Nobody saw, right? I look around, but the only one present, scar, looks busy with the drinks. Wow! That was close! Luckily, nobody saw, so I wipe the drool as best as I can. Before the others see what I did. Andreu, want a beer? Says scar, extending one beer bottle to me. Yes, thanks! I say. *Ding Dong!* Ooh, seems somebody else has come! Ill go open the door. And he leaves me alone. Alone with the food. Nobody will notice if I take a bite now, right? I mean, it is already starting to smell delicious, and I can barely hold myself The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Everyone has arrived, and is eating and drinking. Im currently with Ricard and Laura, as usual. Say aaaaah! Aaaaaah! There is one guy from our class that brought his girlfriend. And they are sticking together while acting like a stupid couple of lovebirds. Why dont you go to some other place? Did you need to come this close? Do you want to get us angry? Look at Ricard, he looks like hes going to explode! If you continue, youre going to face the wrath of an angry geek! Hahaha! Say aaaah! Again!? I try to send them a killing gaze, but when I turn my head to look in their direction, I bump into something. Its a fork with some chicken. Hhmmmm Laura, what are you doing? I ask. Just say aaaah, come on! She answers. Uhh ok. Aaaahhh! I say, without any motivation. And she quickly shoves the chicken into my mouth. But she does it with so much force that almost makes me choke. *Cough Cough!* Hey! Are you trying to kill me!? She makes an innocent pose while looking away. What the hell are you doing? Well, Im going to forgive her because Im feeling generous today. It looks like you are really happy today. You even got here early and helped with the cooking. Its been a long time since I last saw you like this. Does this mean you won yesterdays match? Asks Ricard. Hahaha! You guessed it right! I showed her whos the best DMA player! Right, Laura!? You mean the best between you two. Because you are still leagues below one such as myself! Proclaims Ricard. I look at him with serious eyes, then at his plate. Remember when my drool fell on the grill? It fell on top of a hamburger. The one he is going to eat right now. I was having regrets about giving him the hamburger on which my drool fell but not anymore. I look at him again while thinking Enjoy your meal with extra love. I cant stop myself from grinning. So, how did the match go? Asks Ricard. I start explaining the Dungeon Battle, and my incredibly well-thought strategy for defeating A Lil Demoness. He asked for a lot of details about the two new units: the Not A Rabbit and the Tunnel Mimic. Wow, thats nasty I dont think I could have come up with the idea to create a mimic that imitates tunnels and then swallows those that come inside Says Ricard. Yeah, me either Please, if we ever have another match Dont use it, ok? Says Laura as she shudders. I can understand that girls dont like the idea of being swallowed by a giant worm. Maybe she got a trauma after being swallowed by the tunneler-mimic? If so Hahaha! Serves her right! This is what you get by messing with me! At this moment, Ricard stands up and says. Hey, Im going to pick something more to eat. Do you want anything? Ill bring it for you. I look at his plate again. Its empty. So you DID enjoy the hamburger with extra love, huh? There arent any more like this one, it was an exclusive one, you know? Yes, another botifarra and a grilled cheese, please! And thank you! I answer. Mmmm grilled cheese Oh, no! The drool again! Ok. And you, Laura? Im fine like this, thanks! She finally answers. Is it me, or is she kind of absent today? She didnt answer until Ricard asked her directly Well, I can kind of understand after yesterdays crushing defeat. It happens after Ricard leaves. She comes closer to me, a worried look on her face, as she asks. So are you still angry? Hmmm no, not anymore. Because I could crush you in revenge! Hahaha! Then its good. I was worried you would never forgive me when you got so angry. Hahaha Maybe I overreacted at that moment. But you need to understand that I was feeling utterly useless and defeated because of something I couldnt understand Then its fine. Ricard is taking his time. What the hells he doing? How can he spend so much time just to go and pick some more food? Hey, Andreu. ...yes? Do you mind if I put my head on your shoulder and sleep a little bit? Surprised, I look at her and see that shes trying to not look at me and her cheeks are a little flushed. Hmmm.. you know I-I couldnt sleep properly today after being inside that huge worm-like monster. T-this is why Im sleepy right now Its your fault! S-so take responsibility! Haaaah!? My fault? It was your fault for walking inside the monster! But ok, you can use my shoulder Ah thank you! After a while, Ricard finally comes back. With a nasty grin on his face as he sits down, he says. If I had known, I would have taken some more time to come Dont you dare! I already waited enough time for you to come! Do you want me to starve to death here? Just hand over the plate already! Anyway, thanks for bringing the food. But you took too long! What the hell were you doing!? I extend my hand to grab my plate as I demand an explanation. Well stuff happens. I had to go to the washroom and thats why I took so long. Hahaha! I look at him suspiciously, with half-closed eyes. Then at the food. You didnt forget to wash your hands, did you? Before touching the food. Hey! Who do you take me for? This time I did, ok? This time!? So this means most times you dont? I think Im not going to give you a handshake any time soon. After our short discussion, I immediately proceed to eat. I had to wait so much time that I almost died because of hunger. Ok I exaggerated a little here. But Im very hungry, ok!? I pick the fork and knife. But its hard to move like this. Hmmm.. hey, Laura. I cant eat properly like this. Umm do you mind changing your position a little? In a very low and sleepy voice, she says. Mmm noo just a little bit more But wouldnt you be more comfortable sleeping on the sofa? Nooo. Im fine here *Sigh* Resigned, I decide to leave her be. It was my monster who gave her nightmares and the reason why she couldnt sleep today. So I kind of owe her. Hey Ricard, can you help me a little here? But instead of answering, Ricard is grinning annoyingly while making a stupid face. He also kicks me under the table a few times. Owww! That hurts, you know!? What the hell are you doing!? So I return the kicks, and it quickly devolves into a kicking competition. It turned so violent that we awoke Laura and she almost killed us both in a burst of anger. Of course, we stopped at that point. By the time we left the party, we both could barely walk because of how much our legs hurt But it was worth it. If you kick me, you get a kick in return! Hahaha!
After this series of battles, I thought I could finally relax. But I was wrong. Because it was my turn to have nightmares next.
Ch 26 - Cute or scary? *Knock, knock* Ugh I wake up to the sound of somebody knocking on my door. Who is it? Who is disturbing me so early in the morning? *KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK* Whoever it is, knocks again. This time stronger than the last. Its Sunday morning! Please! Cant you let me sleep as much as I want!? Just a little bit more. I murmur while putting the pillow on my head to muffle the knocking noises. The knocking stops. Finally! I can continue sleeping unti But something interrupts my sleepy thoughts. Andreeeeu! Somebody shouts my name. From inside my room. And then *Gofu!* Something big falls on top of me, on top of the bed. Startled and forcefully awakened, I immediately look around and see my little sister Clara. She is on top of me. So I assume she just jumped on me, while I was sleeping How cruel can you be? Hey, Andreu! Good morning! Did you forget what days today? Good morning? You call this a GOOD MORNING!? After being awakened as rudely as you did? Really, this girl Isnt today Sunday? Thats why let me go to sleep again. I say as I cover myself with the blanket and close my eyes. She starts to hit me with weak punches. I say weak, but it still hurts quite a lot. You jerk! Todays my birthday! My BIRTHDAY! So wake up already! You promised we would spend my birthday together! Covered by the blanket, I try to recall what she says. My brains still half asleep. Your birthday? Yeah, I vaguely remember something like this to exist. But was it today? Happy birthday, Clara! I say in a sleepy voice. And then cover myself with the blanket once more and proceed to sleep again. Finally, she loses her patience and starts shouting. Aaaaagh! Wake up you stupid lazy brother! At the same time, she grabs my blanket and pulls it away. I immediately start to shiver. Its cold! Return the blanket right now! She then glares at me. Oh my god, if glares could kill I decide its better to surrender, just in case. Im waking up, ok? So return it unless you want brother ice cream for your birthday! And leave me alone so I can get dressed! Uuuu As she returns the blanket, she pouts for being reprimanded. Ok but if you take longer than ten minutes to get ready, Ill come back. And this time with a cold water bucket! Is that a death sentence? Please spare me from this torture! Clara leaves, and I quickly get out of the bed and get dressed. Sunday? Sleep until late? No way Im going to even consider it when a cold water bucket is on the line. If Im sure of one thing right now, is that she WILL bring the water bucket if I dont leave the room in less than five minutes. She said ten minutes, so why five? Theres no way shes gonna wait for the whole ten minutes. So better be faster to avoid ending as an ice statue. What am I going to do with you, Clara? Today you are 18 years old, but you still behave like this Cant you see you are making your big brother cry for treating him so badly? I think, while feigning to cry. My sleeping time! Wheres my sleeping time!?
Today, we had a party with all the family in the morning, followed by a family lunch. Its a special occasion since its Claras 18th birthday: the day she becomes an adult. Officially, I mean. Because shes still behaving like a kid, at least in front of me She got lots of presents, and was congratulated by the whole family. Clara got good marks in the last exams before her birthday. So, as promised, I convinced my parents to buy her Dungeon Masters Arena for her to play. I was kind of expecting her to spend the afternoon and night with her friends, but She says she doesnt have any and wants to start playing DMA instead. I dont know if this is true or if she had a party yesterday while I was at the barbeque. And I dont care. Its her life, so she can do as she pleases. But Right now, inside my own room, Clara is pestering me to show her how to play the game. I already expected it to happen, taking into account how she usually behaves. Hey, hey, Andreu! Lets play already! Teach me everything I need to know for playing the game! Come on, start! Dont make me wait! Ok, calm down a little. So, what do you want to know before you start playing? EVERYTHING! Are you serious? You want to know everything, but also want me to be fast? Are you kidding me? Hahaha no way I can explain everything right now. How about this, I explain only the most basic things and then you select the faction you want to play and create the first dungeon And after this we talk again? Owww. Ok She agrees. Nice! But then, wont I make some mistakes that I could have avoided by listening first to your advice? Dont worry, unless you want to optimize everything you do in this game, like someone I know very well (lets call this hypothetical person Ricard, for no particular reason), you cant really make any huge mistakes. You can fix everything later on. I mean, I started with the worst faction for first time players, and Im still having lots of fun with it. I try to convince her. Please, leave me alone for some time already! Fine So, what should I do first? Well, when starting the game for the first time, you can only create a new dungeon. And the first step is selecting the faction you want to play as. Aha! And what faction do you think is the best? Which one should I pick? Which one did YOU pick? Hey, not so fast! Calm down! I picked the Flesh Monstrosities. One that allows me to create units, or dungeon mobs if you prefer, by using the units from other factions. But I dont recommend it to you because its very hard at the start. In any case, feel free to pick it if you really like it. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Yeah, I would prefer if she picked some other faction. I dont want to see my sister creating gross looking units like the ones in my dungeon. I believe you should pick the faction you like the most, regardless of what their strengths or weaknesses are. Read how they work and pay special attention to their special resource. Or you can simply choose the faction that you like the most based on how the units look. For example, you can pick the Primordials if you want to have lots of elementals, or the Iron Shield if you like the humans. I hate myself for recommending the human faction. I mean, they do have higher average stats than other units from similar cp cost, but not having innate skills sucks. But this is for my little sister, and for my little sister Im ready to do anything, even if it means hating myself for it. Uhh humans? Why should I pick them? They are shit in all games. Hahaha! Totally agree! Then dont pick them, just pick the faction you like other than the humans! I like that she hates humans too. Who likes humans? Nobody should. Not even humans should like humans. In my opinion, at least. And after selecting the faction comes the champion creation. Follow the games recommendation and pick a unit between 100 and 200 cp for your champion. The champion is going to be the unit you are going to play as, so better pick one that you like otherwise you are going to regret it until you can create extra champions She puts her finger on her mouth and tilts her head. Awww, cute! Ok, then I pick a cute one, right? Uhh why not? Just pick whatever you like! You are the cute one, Clara! Nothing you could pick could compare. Unless you pick a fairy, maybe? And finally, the last part is the creation of the dungeon. I recommend you to use only a little of the cp on the dungeon layout and use most of the remaining cp on monsters. Oh, and dont save any cp for later, because itll be lost! You have been talking about the CP. Whats it? Some kind of money from the game? Ooooh, yes, sorry for not saying that before! My bad It stands for Creation Points. And its the in-game money you are going to use to buy everything. Ok, so in summary, choose the cutest faction, a cute champion and then fill the dungeon with cute mobs, right? If she says it like this, the image that comes to mind is her playing as some kind of Fairy Queen and ordering little fairies to do her mischievous deeds. Is it just my imagination? Aha! You got it right. What do you want me to say? I dont want to talk her out of this. Now Im going to create the dungeon then! Dont peek ok, Andreu? Ok! I answer. As if I could peek at her even if I wanted. You are alone during the dungeon creation phases. Ahahaha! Finally! Some time alone! I know its your birthday, but Im not your plaything, ok? I also have other things to do! Like doing homework or preparing for the college exams. And I didnt have time for them this weekend! So I open my colleges notes and start to study. Its going to take a lot of time for her to finish everything. I hope so. At least I did take a lot of time.
Booooo! Somebody shouts right next to my ear. Shit! I almost dropped what I was doing to the floor! Hahahaha! What a jump you made! You were so funny! Hahahah! Clara starts laughing at my reaction. But what the hell are you doing, Clara? Shouldnt you be creating your dungeon? Ha, ha, ha. How funny. I say in a sarcastic voice. What are you doing? Werent you busy creating the dungeon? Im trying to study for my exams while you create it, you know so dont disturb me and return to it! But, I already finished! I selected the faction, created the champion and even filled the dungeon! She says, while striking a praise me pose. Wow, that was fast. Maybe I wasted way more time than I thought studying? Time sure flies when you are focussed on something! So I look at the clock. Only a little less than an hour passed. Hahaha, dont lie to me, Clara. Its impossible that you finished in less than an hour! Please return to the game and leave me so I can study She pouts and makes an angry face. You know, if you pout, even if you make an angry face, it only looks cute to everyone. But it''s true! I already finished everything! Ok, ok! I believe you! So, what faction did you pick? Did you pick a cute one as you said? In my mind, the clear winner in the cute race is the fairy faction. Followed by the elves faction, and then the elementals. For some reason I dont understand, some people find the dryads from the elvish faction very cute. And the same with the low-level elementals, because they are short and chubby. I picked the Abyss faction! Clara says. I must have misheard. Its not possible that I heard the Abyss faction here. Definitely not attached to the word cute. Sorry, I didnt hear it properly. Can you repeat? I ask her. I said that I picked the Abyss faction! The Abyss faction, you say But werent you going to pick a cute faction? But I did pick a cute faction!! Arent they all very cute? With all those little tentacles? They are like small and wiggly fingers! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!? Something with lots of wriggling tentacles, and excessive mouths and eyes (and all other kinds of appendices) is cute!? CUTE!? Somebody! Somebody please bring me a dictionary! I dont remember the definition of the word cute and need to look at it again! I dont understand my sister anymore How twisted one must be to think that cthulhu style creatures can be cute!? Their appearances arent called mind-shattering for nothing! They are supposed to be so horrendous that your sanity collapses by simply looking at them! How can you call something like this cute!? Wait a moment, Clara, please. Your brother is having some trouble understanding the meaning of life right now Ahahaha! How stupid can you be sometimes! And do you guess what Champion I picked? Can you guess it? This one is a difficult question. The Abyss faction has a very little amount of humanoid creatures to choose as Champions. And I suppose that the few they have its only because they needed humanoid units for the players to play as champions. For dizziness and player comfort, and to avoid problems like the one I had when I transformed into a rat. So with so little amount of humanoid units I should be able to guess easily. But I dont know the faction that much. If I remember properly, there was only one humanoid unit between 100 and 200 cp It was something with lots of tentacles I start muttering. The tentacles part is just a guess, but being a unit from the Abyss faction is almost sure its going to have tentacles. You are getting close! But you didnt know the name, so its a failure! Hahaha! Its called Hullesh. And its so cute with so many tentacles! Oooh, yeah. Now I remember. That thing. I shudder. That thing can turn into one of your worst nightmares if you see it in real life. Who am I trying to fool? It can turn into a nightmare even if you see it inside the game. Its a vaguely humanoid mass of wriggling tentacles, and can extend them as a means to attack the enemies. Whats even worse: most players give them skills to drain HP and MP. So you are drained to death, literally. The basic structure is like a human made of tentacles. The tentacles twist around themselves and create the humans arms, legs and head. I think they dont have eyes? How are you going to see, Clara? So what do I need to do now? Can you help me again? Im still trying to recover from the shock. I didnt expect her to consider the Abyss faction as cute. Now You just need to play the game Yes, play the game. And if players dive into your dungeon, you can get extra cp and experience. Before we can play together, you need to level up to level 3. Then, this means you are now going to dive into my dungeon, right? She makes puppy eyes while looking at me. But I dont pay attention. My brain is still trying to recover from the unexpected blow. Yeah, sure. Whatever you want, Clara. Yaaay! Thank you! I love you, Andreu! She says, at the same time as she leaves my room. A weird and dangerous feeling wakes me from the shock. Hmmmm wait a moment. I just agreed to something, right? What was it? I think I just agreed to dive into my sisters dungeon? Wait, my sisters dungeon!? No no no no, why did I agree to this!? Oooohhh, shit Im going to have nightmares today Goodbye to the relaxing weekend and hello lack of sleep for the next week! Hahaha! Hahahahahahaha! I start laughing. Without any reason. Somebody, please kill me (in the game) already! So that I have an excuse to not dive into my sisters dungeon
There are lots of players who dont like diving into dungeons from some factions. The most common reason is because they cant obtain the specific resources for their factions. As an example, this is the reason why most undead players dont dive into other undead dungeons. But there are certain factions that players avoid for other reasons. The most avoided faction of all is the Abyss faction. For obvious reasons. This doesn''t mean they dont get players diving into their dungeons, though. Some players get obsessed with diving into them because of the thrill of the scary parts.
Ch 27 - What should not be seen Hello, everyone This is Andreu. And Im now going to die I mean, dive into my little sisters dungeon. Haaaaa. I hate myself right now. Why did I have to agree to her request? Why did my mind shut down at the most critical moment? And since I have already agreed I have to keep my word. If it was somebody else, I could maybe talk myself out of it, but with my little sister Its scary just to think what she may do in retaliation. So yes, I must keep my word now. Theres a reason why I dont know the Abyss faction that much. Its because this game is very realistic and when playing you feel like you are in a real fantasy world. Just imagining being surrounded by the Abyss factions creatures makes me shudder Andreu, please, focus on the task and stop making complaints to yourself. Maybe its not as scary as Im imagining it? Maybe its like any other dungeon, and I can even enjoy myself while testing Claras dungeon? Haaaa theres nothing else I can do than to go and see. Lets first add my sister as a friend so that I can enter her dungeon After my internal monologue, I open the friends list and send a friend request to my little sister. She said her nickname is LemonPie, right? Found her! Now I send the friend request and wait for the reply But I dont have to wait. Almost at the same time as I send the friend request, my sister accepts it. She must have been waiting while watching the friend list all the time Theres no going back now. I have to enter her dungeon. Yes, I have to go Im sure its going to be ok! I try to convince myself, to no avail. Well, whatever happens, happens The dungeon is called Dargunthu Legacy. It sounds like something important that disappeared into the Abyss, maybe a whole civilization? Anyway, the name does fit the theme in my opinion. So I start the Dungeon Invasion. And after the initial white flash I see nothing. Nothing!? Well, not exactly But almost nothing. The dungeon entrance portal leads to some kind of ruined stone road, but everything else is void. The void. Literally, theres nothing else. Maybe if I could fly, I could test if there are invisible walls or not. But since I cant So am I in outer space? No It looks different from the photos I''ve seen. And also, this weird dark fog that is constantly trying to eat at my vision isnt normal. Its like dark tendrils are slowly disintegrating everything they touch I can see the stone here and there slowly crumbling away. I am currently standing on top of a stone road. Well, I call it a stone road but its more like several flat stones put together in a chaotic mess. I can walk, but there are spaces missing here and there. And only the void awaits those who fall into them. I definitely dont want to test what happens if I fall in one of those holes And from here I can see the stone road continuing. It sometimes goes down, sometimes up, it even bifurcates at some points. But I cant see too far because of the weird dark fog. Oh, and there are crumbling buildings here and there. Just in case, Im not going to step into them. I dont want to be squashed to death by a falling building yet I don''t need that experience at all. By the way, I think I didnt mention it before, but dungeons in Dungeon Masters Arena are in 3D. What I mean is that they can have different elevation between zones, and have parts that are literally on top of the others. A lot of people do this to create the typical RPG dungeons with several floors, as well as castles and mansions. I also used it for the tunnel zones, where some tunnels pass over the others. And in the Freezer, where some rooms are on top of the others. And also, theres a dungeon menu that shows a small version of the dungeon in 3D, similar to those sci-fi holograms in films. Except that this one is in color and has all the details. It even displays the units moving in real time! Andreu, it was nice trying to run away from reality and talk about the game instead of moving forward. But you know you cant delay it forever, so start moving! Yes, sir! Im moving forward right now, sir! This is oppressive. As I move forward, I feel the dark tendrils tickling my skin. And its driving me crazy! Well, maybe its just my imagination but I swear I can FEEL them! Its already been two minutes, and nothing has happened so far. Except for the time my foot slipped and almost fell into the void. Where are you, monsters? I call them. But even after calling them, theres still no sign of them. Not like I want to see you, but I dont want surprises later on, so I would appreciate it if you could appear from afar so that I have time to mentally prepare... Or to run away. A few more steps. The dark tendrils keep putting me on edge. Shit! Please, appear already! Or Ill turn crazy! Crazier, I mean! Just as I shout. At that exact moment, something appears from under the stone road. At first I think its just another one of those dark tendrils that keep annoying me. But then the tentacle grabs me, and Im sure its not the fog this time. Noooo! Please go away! It was all a lie! False bravado!I never wanted you to come! Leave me alone! The thing comes into view as more and more tentacles grab my leg. Its a creature about half a meter in size. If I had to compare it to something, it would be a mix between a squid and a leech. But it has more tentacles, and each tentacle ends in a small mouth like one of those from a leech. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The horrendous thing strongly grabs my leg with the tentacles. Several of them are already sucking me. Aaaaah! Die! Die! Die! I shout as I strike it repeatedly with my staff. I dont know how many times Ive hit it because of the panic, but it finally dies. Its dead, right? Its still spasming on the ground But the HP bar is depleted. This thing has managed to reduce my HP by about 1/8. And, even if I didnt use any skill, the MP has also been reduced. Taking into account the difference in stats and the champions buff, its a lot. It must be because of the panic Otherwise it wouldn''t be possible, right? I inspect the monster, and see that it has both a HP drain and a MP reducing skills. The HP drain is the same skill as the specters that Ricard had: Draining Touch. And the MP reducing skill is this one.
What Should Not Be Seen (Innate passive skill)
Other units that can see this unit lose 5 MP per second. If the unit has no MP, the SOU is reduced by 1 every five seconds instead. Multiple instances of this skill increase the MP loss by 1. This skill doesn''t work on allied units.
Yeah definitely this thing should never be seen. And here comes the Abyss trait: killing the enemies by MP and SOU depletion! Also called sanity loss! Of course, its not like the Abyss units cant kill other units by reducing the HP to zero. But their special resource can only be obtained by having units die because of the Soul stat reaching zero. This makes this faction especially dangerous against units that dont have high MP and Soul stats, usually melee characters. But is also dangerous for the spellcasters, because they accelerate the MP depletion by casting spells. What they do is this: If you dont use skills, you die because of HP loss. And if you use skills so that you dont die, you are going to use MP, accelerating your own death. You cant escape from the Abyss grasp! What happens if you dont use MP at all, because your skills only use EP, you ask? Then you still might die anyway because the MP gets drained as long as you have one of their units in sight. Because not all, but most units from the Abyss faction have this skill. After examining my aggressors corpse, I continue moving forward. And now that I know what to look out for, the next encounters arent so surprising nor hard. Its easy to get lost in this dungeon if you dont pay attention to the road. Simply because of the lack of well, lack of everything. Luckily, the road isnt too complex and the enemies dont come all at once. Now I can understand why she finished creating her dungeon so fast. Theres almost nothing in it, so of course its going to be fast to create! Clara, you did a great job with your first dungeon. I like how you distributed the monsters and the setting of this dungeon. Well, I dont like it, but I still know whats good and what isnt. Though I would never understand how you can say these creatures are cute I talk to myself while looking at the last defeated creature. Is it the tenth? Im not sure how many Ive killed already. Finally, something changes in the dungeon. Maybe Im reaching the end? I dont know. But the stone road is now getting wider. And I can see a plaza some meters away. And theres something in this plaza. Yeah Something. I cant properly see what it is from afar. But its clearly another monster. And its floating in mid-air. I dont want to go, but I must go and fight that thing But I dont want to go Did I say that I dont want to go? I slowly walk towards the monster. The closer I get, the better I can see it. I can see one eye, and a mouth and then another eye, and another one Oh, and another mouth too! And whats that? It looks like yet another eye! What the hell? The eye sprouted teeth and turned into a mouth? And that eye just buried inside the body and vanished W-what''s going on? Is it morphing and changing all the time? Now, from less than five meters, the dark fog doesn''t obscure the monster anymore and I can properly see how it looks. The monster is a mass of floating dark flesh with eyes and mouths. From the flesh, mouths and eyes sprout, grow, morph into one another, and then bury again inside it. Eeeewww I was complaining about the Stitched and how gross they are, but this thing beats everything! And by far! Its stuff from nightmares. I must congratulate the DMA content creators for creating a monster that can give most people insomnia for a few days. Myself included. Im not going to sleep today! Shit! As Im entranced with the appearing and disappearing eyes and mouths, the monster is getting closer. Aaaaaah! Dont come close! Dont touch me! Aaaaaah When I see the monster get closer, I start to back away. Slowly. Because I dont want to turn around so I can see if it does something weird. But I also cant run, because I dont want to fall into one of the ground holes by accident. Luckily, the monster is taking its time and doesnt rush in my direction. Or unluckily, maybe its doing it on purpose to make me panic more? I said stop! Dont come any closer than this! I say, waving my staff as a warning. Oh, I know, I can cast attacks at distance! Ahahaha! Eat this, aberration! I use Cold Blast and attack it from a distance. And then, when getting hit, the monster stops for a moment. See? How did you like it? Attacking from afar? Hahahaha! The monster answers to my provocations by releasing a small fire projectile in my way. Its the Fire Arrow skill, one of the most basic elemental skills. Oho!? You want to have a spellcasting contest? You got the wrong opponent! This is going to be an easy win! Hahaha! So it decided to fire back. At least it has stopped getting closer, so its a good thing. Now I can stop backing away while doing rounds to the plaza. We exchange a few more spells. But then, suddenly, the monster dashes at me. It must have been moving slowly on purpose until now. And as it gets into melee range, one of its mouths bites at me. Shit! Get away! Again in panic, I start to bash it with the staff. Its the repetition of the first fight with the squid-leech monster. Im so fucked now Im not going to be able to sleep properly in the next few days! The image of the monster rushing at me with multiple open mouths has been seared into my brain. Theres no way I can forget it The monster finally dies after a few more staff attacks. I dont want to look at it for a single more second so without wasting time, I continue to move forward. At the other end of the plaza, theres a dilapidated altar containing the dungeon core. At least, the dungeon ends here and there arent any more monsters I quickly break the core so that the game brings me out of this nightmarish place. When the game asks me for the rating, I give the dungeon 5 stars. Because, objectively, the dungeon is quite nice for being created just today. And I swear! Me giving it 5 stars doesnt have anything to do with the fact that if the dungeon is rated highly, more people will enter the dungeon and, as a consequence, join me in the sleepless nights filled with nightmares. I swear! Dont look at me with those accusing eyes! Damn you, Clara You didnt allow me to sleep during the morning, and now I wont be able to sleep today because of the nightmares And Im sure Ill have to play with Clara in the future, so Im going to see more of those aberrations Peaceful sleeping times, goodbye! Im not going to see you again for some time! Shit. I hate my bad luck. Why did my little sister have to consider those awful monsters as CUTE!?
Some time later, because of DMA, Clara met with Ricard and Laura for the first time. In fact, it was Andreu who said they all could play together. But he didnt know that this decision would bring him a lot more nightmares than the ones he was going to have because of the invasion into his sisters dungeon. His nightmares had just begun.
Ch 28 - Champion upgrade Ugh Im sleepy! I could barely sleep today After yesterdays dungeon invasion into my sisters Abyss dungeon, I had nightmares. The worst of them was about an eye that stared at me, slowly getting closer. And when I could almost touch it, it transformed into a huge gaping mouth that devoured me whole. How many times did I wake up shouting and with my heart almost bursting? Well, lets leave the nightmares aside for a moment When I think about what Im going to do now, my mood quickly improves. Im still sleepy, but who cares. What Im going to do today is upgrade my Champion. The Mad Rat is going to receive an improvement after so long thinking about it! Yes, at last! Im finally going to upgrade my champion! Hahaha! Now the question that comes to mind is: what unit Im going to use to improve it? I spent some time with Ricard talking about what unit to pick. Well, it was actually A LOT of time, because he cant stop speaking once he starts to talk about a game. Anyway, the unit Im going to use is called Shadow, a demon from the Wicked Legion. But it isnt a very common unit, and I didnt know of a dungeon where I could find it Except for high-level dungeons, which I cant dive into yet (without dying). So the only option I had left was to ask Laura to create one Shadow and put it into her dungeon so that I could invade and capture it. Just in case you forgot, Laura is A Lil Demoness and plays with the demon faction, the Wicked Legion. She quickly agreed under one condition: I had to forgive her for lying to me and making me mad with the dungeon challenges. She dared to use it to force me into forgiving her! How dare she! I got so angry at her proposal! Nah, thats a lie. When Laura knew I wanted to find and capture a Shadow, she herself offered to create it for me as an apology for driving me crazy before. I can feel it! This power! The shadows flow through my veins and give me power! I shout. It seems like my childish side is awakening. Well, not yet, because I still have to upgrade my Champion. So the power of the shadows has to wait for a while more You might be asking yourself whats so good about this demon? Its the fact that it has one of the best MP recovering passives from the whole game. Its called Mana Core.
Mana Core (Innate passive skill)
Cost: 3 EP per second (cannot be deactivated)
Recover 5% maximum MP per second. Automatically deactivated when it reaches 100% MP.
As you can see, the skill Mana Core is exactly the same as the Regeneration skill, except that it regenerates MP instead of HP. You could say its the counterpart to the melee skill Regeneration, so its basically for mages. A common thing between lots of demon units is that they share this Mana Core skill. Of course, they arent the only faction that has it, but they are the faction with the most units that have the skill. In short, the demons are suited for casting spells. You could say that if the Savage Horde is the most brutal and aggressive faction in melee, the Wicked Legion is the most devastating with spells and trickery. Even their basic unit, the Imp, is suited for casting spells, unlike most basic units. And the Shadow unit, in particular, has three things that are incredibly useful for me. Three reasons why I chose it from a large number of demon units. The first one is being humanoid, of course. Otherwise, I couldnt use it because my champion is a Hybrid and its limited to humanoid units. And also champions can only use humanoid models for health reasons. However, its the less relevant reason because almost all demons have humanoid shapes. They are the corrupted versions of humans and angels, after all. The second is a lot more important, and its that the Shadows stats heavily favor spellcasting, even compared with the other demon units. It is quite weak at melee combat but it has incredibly high MP and SPI stats. A weird thing is that it also has high physical resistance because of being, huh, a shadow.
Shadow
HP 150 STA 11 SOU 15
EP 120 MP 190
STR 8 CON 18 AGI 16
SPI 20 WIL 12 DEX 12
SPD 7
As you can see, the Shadows basic stats really shine in regards to spellcasting. Now, if you look for melee attacks with eighth strength, they are almost as weak as the Stitched. And the third and even more important reason is that Shadows are the cheapest demon unit that has the Mana Core skill. At only 160 cp cost, they dont cost as much as you could expect for a unit with a skill as good as this one. And this is the most important because it means that my champion is going to get a nice skill but its cp value isnt going to rise a lot. So Ill still be able to use it in Dungeon Battles. After this upgrade, the Mad Rats total cost is going to be 380 cp, plus the 80 cp from the levels. Now, lets start the upgrade! Fusiooooon Start! I press the upgrade button and a small animation appears in front of me, displayed by the game. Its a hologram of my champion and the Shadow overlapping on top of one another, and finally merging into the new champions aspect. The same happens in real life with my avatar and the Shadows body. Aaaaaah! Shit! It hurts! I feel like my whole bodys burning! Aaaaaagh! By the way, this is a game and of course, Im not hurting in any way. But Im faking it for the video Im going to upload in a while about my transformation. So of course I must shout and fake my pain! Aaaaaagh! Kill me already! Aaaaaagh! As the merging progresses, I keep shouting. I try to make it as realistic as possible so that the watchers can feel the pain too. Ill consider it a success if the watchers cant keep their eyes on the screen during the transformation. Aaaagh! Ooooh, finally the pains going away! Aaaagh! After a final cry, I drop to the floor, as if exhausted. Then I slowly rise from the floor and start to examine myself. The first thing I notice is that my hands are different. They now look like claws. Black claws. Shadowy smoke and tendrils can be seen coming out of my new hands. I feign surprise at the sight of my new hands. Should I say arms? Whatever Oooooh! They look amazing! Im sure I can now penetrate my enemies with a single strike! Hahaha! I say the best lie I can imagine. Of course, with the Shadows abysmal Strength stat, the last thing you can expect is for them to actually kill enemies with the claws. It has almost the same Strength as the weak basic units Then, I open a game menu so that it displays my own Champion in front of me. The general characteristics are the same, but two things have changed. The first I already mentioned. The claws from the Shadow now work as my hands. They merge into the original arms as if they got corrupted. I wanted a different feeling compared to the rest of my body parts, where every part is stitched to the others. And I believe I managed to achieve it. And the shadows emanating from them make me look like a real badass. Hey, look how cool I am! Hahaha! And the second different trait is the eyes. They now glow red, another trait from the Shadow unit. And the pupil is also slightly elongated. Not as much as a cats but its noticeable at a single glance. Maybe, if I focus my eyesight, can I release lasers from my eyes? And burn my enemies with them? It certainly looks like it they are glowing red, after all. But reality is hard, guys, because I cant. And believe me when I said I tried. Well maybe theres a skill for it? I must search the skill list, just in case it actually has one of those skills. Im really proud of this upgrade. The Mad Rat, my Champion, looks incredibly good after this merge. And whats even better: my stats have increased! Im finally the strongest in the dungeon again! Fufufu, fuck you Lab Assistants! You thought you could rule this dungeon because you were the strongest? You arent anymore! Hahaha!
Mad Rat (Lv 4)
HP 481 (370) STA 33 (26) SOU 41 (32)
EP 390 (300) MP 533 (410)
STR 32 (25) CON 45 (35) AGI 45 (35)
SPI 54 (42) WIL 40 (31) DEX 41 (32)
SPD 7
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Cold Blast Shared Voltage Lightning Shield Mana Attuned (Innate) Mana Core (Innate) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert)
Finally, my champion can compete with advanced champions. And by advanced I mean champions that cost more than 300 cp The ones with lower costs are called starter champions. Or noob champions. Or weak. Or even useless. Or well, you get the gist of it, right? Now I look like a corrupted demonic monstrous skinny rat-headed humanoid. In short: I look cool. Fufufufu! Hahahaha! Finally finished with the champion upgrade, I proceed with the other changes I wanted to make today. Which is a thing Ive been postponing for too long. WAY too long. Now Im going to create the first actual ranged units of this dungeon. Yeeees, the first unit that is actually good at ranged combat, you heard it right! What do I have right now? About ten different units and not a single one can properly fight at distance The one that has better range is the Lab Assistant and its a fucking spellcasting tank! And only has one ranged spell Now that I think about it in detail, its extremely lame. I have the faction with the most versatility and have been playing it the same as if I was using the Savage Horde, completely focussed on melee and almost ignoring all other options. Shame! Shame on me! But Im going to solve it now. And the best part is that I got the key element, the bodies I needed for this new unit, at the same time as the Shadows body. You know it by now, too, right? Of course, Im talking about the Imps. Those small and annoying creatures that kept pestering me during my duels with Laura. Those little shits that kept popping from everywhere when I was least expecting them. And Im going to mix them with another pesky, small and annoying unit of which I already got some bodies when I was playing with Ricard. Yeah, Im talking about the Goblins. So Im going to use two small and annoying units to create the ultimate mega-annoying creature that I can think of. And its going to be small too because the size doesnt change at all. Its going to be double the annoyance in the same package! Like the sales from the supermarket! If they were true because they tend to lie to you Anyway! Lets start with the creation of this Imp and Goblin unit! First of all, the unit type: Siamese. Im going to use them to create a Siamese, because of the double level-up and shared passives. Both the Imps and the Goblins have an innate passive skill, after all. And they are also both the basic units of their respective factions, which means they are weak. So the added stats from the Hybrid wont make a huge difference I definitely prefer the shared skills in this case. This way its also a double trouble unit. Making it even more annoying than if it were fused into a single one. Regarding the AI, I leave it mostly as it comes. The only thing I do is prioritize the Imps basic AI over the Goblins. Because the Goblins tend to rush into melee combat, which I dont want; while on the other hand, the Imps like to play hide-and-seek with the enemies, which is perfect for an annoying ranged unit. And its obviously going to be called Goblimp. What else could it be called? I say to myself, sure that its the best name ever. Well, lets add Pest to the end of the name, so its clearly identifiable as what it actually is. Goblimp Pest, it is. Then I give it a bow, for ranged attacks. This part is funny because they are two units that share a single body. So for the normal attacks, if done with a two-handed weapon, the EP cost is split between the two units. On the other side, the Strength used is from the unit that makes the attack. Its as if they share the EP pool when using the bow. And also when running I also level them to level two. Because I want them to be cheap, but I also want to give them an active skill and another passive to each one. And the cheapest combination where I have both things is level two. Here is how they look after all the modifications.
Goblimp Pest - Goblin Half (Lv 2)
HP 66 (60) STA 6 (6) SOU 4 (4)
EP 77 (70) MP 44 (40)
STR 13 (12) CON 5 (5) AGI 6 (6)
SPI 8 (8) WIL 3 (3) DEX 6 (6)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 0
Skills
Active: Corrosive Arrow. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual
Goblimp Pest - Imp Half (Lv 2)
HP 44 (40) STA 4 (4) SOU 6 (6)
EP 44 (40) MP 88 (80)
STR 7 (7) CON 4 (4) AGI 4 (4)
SPI 14 (13) WIL 6 (6) DEX 5 (5)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 0
Skills
Active: Shadow Blast. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual
As you can see, the goblin is a little more specialized in physical combat, while the imp is better for casting spells. So I respectively gave them a physical and magical skills. And the one thats going to shoot the bow is the goblin. The Strong and Spiritual skills raise the STR and SPI stats by 5, respectively. And finally, these are the new skills they have. As you could already expect, I gave them one combo by utilizing the Imps innate skill, the Opportunist.
Opportunist (Innate passive skill)
If you attack an enemy that cant see you, the damage you deal cant be reduced if the target has higher stats than you.
Slippery (Innate passive skill)
You have a 20% chance to avoid attacks that deal enough damage to kill you. Only works if the attack deals more damage than 30% of your maximum HP.
Corrosive Arrow (Active skill)
Cost: 15 MP
Your next attack with a bow deals an extra (2 + 0,2 * STR) damage as acid damage plus an extra (2 + 0,5 * SPI) acid damage over the next five seconds. This skill can only be used if you wield a bow.
Shadow Blast (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) dark damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance that the enemy is blinded for the next 3 seconds.
Basically, the Opportunist makes the weak units ignore the targets defense if its looking away. And if the enemy gets blinded, Opportunist activates. Tada! A combo! They can also simply surround you for the Opportunist skill to activate. You cant imagine what a nightmare it is when targeted from multiple sides at the same time. You cant keep them all in sight range, so they deal a lot more damage than they should. I do know what it feels like because its what happened in my dungeon battles with A Lil Demoness And the greatest of all is that both innate skills are suited for fighting stronger units. Oh, you got such high defenses, but since you were looking away, you still took significant damage! And you, who can deal so much damage! But the Goblimp just avoids your attacks, what a shame! Dont you think its great for a pest? They are going to be worse than cockroaches. The last thing is how they look. They are about the size of a child, but this child is half red and half green, and has two heads. Its fun that they match so well together. If not for the double head and different skin colors, you could say its actually a normal unit. Unlike what happens with the Demonic Swarmers, which look so deformed For now, I can only create four of them because its the number of goblin bodies I got from the day I played with Ricard. But I plan to create a lot more of them in the future, and Ill put them in every place where there are no mushrooms except for The Freezer and the laboratories. Theyre going to be THE PEST of this dungeon. A unit so stupidly annoying that you cant properly focus on what you are doing. You turn the corner, Goblimp in front of you. You are fighting some creature? Goblimp strikes from your back. You attack them? They run away, waiting for you to forget about them and come back after a while! Hahahaha! And what happens if you actually manage to kill one Goblimp? Dont worry, there are a lot more waiting for you! Fufufu! Im sure more than one player is going to get crazily mad because of them Hahahaha!
Andreus Mad Rats Fusion video had an unexpected consequence. Because of his shouts of agony when the champion was fusing with the new unit, a lot of players that were interested in the Flesh Monstrosities, all of them followers of Andreus videos, decided to pick another faction because they were scared of the pain the transformation would bring. But not only were there players who were dissuaded from playing as the Flesh Monstrosities. Some people with certain tendencies immediately started playing as them But were displeased when they actually found that the pain was all a lie. Poor them, their dreams got crushed so easily
Ch 29 - Pests and ambushes This chapter has a different POV. Ive finally reached player level four and upgraded my Champion to level five! Not only this, Im also using the new Chief champion I created a few days ago Look at this body! These muscles! Huhuhu! Now, finally! Finally! Im going to beat this damned dungeon and recover my orc pride! Huhuhu! My growl-like laugh resonates through the tunnels walls. Right now, Im in front of the dungeons entrance, and can already see the huge cave at the end of the tunnel. Since the first time I invaded this dungeon when I miserably died because of a bad stroke of luck, Ive been trying to conquer it again, and again, and AGAIN Ive lost count of how many times Ive died so far. Is evident that the problem isnt me. I can stomp and crush all dungeons with a similar level as this one. Most mobs fall to one or two slashes of my trusty battleaxe. But this dungeon is in another league Everythings designed to test your sanity in one way or another! You miss a small detail, and get killed because of it when you least expect it! Theres a post in the DMA forums where we talk about this dungeon. And everyone agrees that it is insanely unpredictable. You can have an easy win if youre lucky but most invaders meet a miserable death. Like myself. I trigger and then avoid the first Falling corpse trap. Once you know where they are, its easy to avoid them. The problem is when you dont know where they are. Huhu, you wont get me anymore with these puny traps! Im already about a quarter inside the big cavern when I hear the usual cry. *AaAaAaAa!* And a two-headed enemy that comes running. You never get used to that disgusting cry. If this were reality, my ears would be bleeding right now! Me and my trusty minions, this time three orcs and four goblins, ready our weapons and prepare for combat. Ive already faced your kind before! As long as I kill you fast, you are nothing to worry about! This enemy is actually two units fused together. And once you kill the first half, the other gets crazily empowered. But we orcs excel at melee combat and I have even higher stats than them when empowered, so they are easy to kill. The trickiest part about them is that they call for others of their kind when starting combat. So if you dont kill them fast enough, you might be swarmed. *AaAaAaAa!* It seems another one of them is coming. How kind of you to make that cry to warn us of your presence! Huhuhu! Its just another weak one! Lets crush the first one and follow with the newcomer! Huhuhu! A total of three of those monstrosities have come running at us. After the fight ends, I look around. One, two, three Six. Six orcs and goblins are around me. Wait! Six? Wheres the last goblin? There should be four goblins instead of three! I frantically look around and see a goblins corpse not so far away. As if making fun of me, I hear a laughing voice at that exact moment. *Shishishi!* And then, following the first, another laughing voice resounds through the big cavern. They both sound high-pitched. *Hihihi!* What now? Pleeease, dont tell me its something new! A new type of enemy? Noooooooo! Somebody spare me from being the first player to find them!! Im already tired of dying because of those new creatures! The first time, it was because of the butterfly. I didnt find the cause at that time, but later, in the forum, somebody explained in detail how the butterflies work. The second time was when the dungeons owner actually came to me to test its newest creation. And I died from a combination of that newest creation plus the recently added poisonous mushrooms. And the third time was with those nasty fire bugs Who could have guessed that they would explode? A few of them came to us at the same time, and to avoid taking damage from their aura, I killed one And it exploded. Then, in a chain reaction, the others also died and exploded. And every minion I had was killed in the explosion. Well, its true that the third time didnt kill me directly, but killing all my minions brought me to the point where I couldnt face the next challenges. Anyway, returning to the current situation. *Shishishi!* *Hihihi!* I cant see whoever is laughing, but it comes from behind that rock. Slowly and ready to start combat at any moment (or run away, depending on the situation), I approach the rock. Behind it, I find a small creature with two heads. One half is green and the other is red. And its pointing a bow in my direction. As I come closer, it attacks me once and then runs away into one of the side tunnels. A tunnel I know very well. This is the tunnel that leads to that resting area... Ive already been there two times. The first time, a trap killed one of my goblins. And the second, I fell asleep and couldnt wake up. I had to surrender and accept my death to leave the dungeon. Huhuhu! Do you think Im stupid? Theres no way Im going to follow you there! Its fine if you want to run away, just dont come back! I shout towards the tunnels entrance. From there, I can see two pairs of eyes staring in my direction as if saying are you scared of coming here?. Yes, I am. Only a fool would go where hes sure to die. So I turn around and start walking away. Only a few seconds later, something hits me from behind. Thanks to the games feedback, I know something hit my back. Though it doesnt hurt even if I take damage, of course. I turn around and see the little bugger hiding behind another rock, looking in my direction. You dare! So you want to play hide and seek? Two can play that game, you know!? I look away again, but this time Im ready to use one of my skills as soon as the little bugger dares come attacking again. Its a shame I must use this skill, Phantasmal Weapon, the only ranged skill I have, to deal with that annoying pest. I need MP to use this skill, and orcs dont have that much MP to start with. I would usually reserve it for more critical situations, but I cant allow this pest to keep following and attacking me every time I look away, can I?
Phantasmal Weapon (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP and 20 MP
You throw a phantasmal copy of your current weapon that travels in a straight line while spinning. It deals (3 + 0,8 * STR + 0,2 * SPI) physical damage to every creature in its path.
Only a few seconds later, the little bugger comes out of the rock it was hiding behind and tries to attack me again. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Huhuhu! I was waiting for this! I say as I throw the Phantasmal Weapon at it. This is what happens when little shits like you dare cross my path! Huhuhu! It tries to avoid the skills path, but it''s too late. The phantasmal weapon reaches the enemy and passes through it. And then, it dies. Both halves die. Both of them died at the same time! Weak! You defy me while being this weak!? Huhuhu! Look at these muscles! My arm is as wide as your whole body, and you still fight me!? Huhuhu! After walking for some more time, I find another enemy I havent seen before. This time, its a rabbit. I remember reading in the forum that they are extremely dangerous mobs But I dont see anything dangerous at all. Well, lets kill it anyway. I swing my axe, and it dies. Weak! ...Thats all? Wasnt it supposed to be dangerous? What a letdown All the expectation for nothing. Just in case, I kill two more of them, but they too die with a single strike. Uhmm there are still a few more rabbits, but if they are this weak, theres no reason to fight the rest. As we are moving out of this place, I can see one of the rabbits transforming into an orc with rabbit ears, tail, and paws, and attacking one of my orcs from behind. Instants later, the orc falls to the ground, dead. Shit! It got done in with a single strike! So it was true they were absurdly dangerous! I quickly run towards the orc-rabbit and engage it in melee combat. I also give an order to the orcs and goblins. Attack! Massacre those nasty rabbits to avenge the death of our comrade! I then shout a battle cry to create the proper atmosphere. Waaaaaaagh! Immediately, the orcs and goblins start attacking the rabbits. I can see that, while most rabbits get slaughtered, one of them transforms into an orc-rabbit hybrid when attacked. Hahahaha! Yes! This is it! The feeling of battling a worthy opponent! Huhuhu! Exhilarated because the orc-rabbit is a decent melee fighter that can keep me entertained for a while, I dont notice the fire bugs coming our way. When my fight is almost settled (of course, I am winning, nobody can match me in melee) I hear a loud explosion sound. *Booooom!* I look toward the explosions direction and see the annoying exploding fire bugs. Chaos is spreading everywhere because the fire bugs deal damage to allies too. I can see orcs and goblins chasing the rabbits and fighting the other orc-rabbit. And the fire bugs are flying everywhere, damaging my units and the dungeons ones. *Booooom!* Another explosion kills one of my goblins and also hits the other orc-rabbit. Huhuhu! This is it! It feels like a real battlefield! After this fight, I could die happily! Huhuhu! Wait no! Dont even think about it in this dungeon, or Ill truly get killed! Im sure this all was already planned from the beginning as usual so I let my guard down! Waaaaaah! I make another battle cry to forget the thoughts about dying and refocus on the battle. When the battle finishes, there are corpses strewn everywhere. At some point, more enemies joined the battle. I can see corpses of those screaming half-elf half-dwarf creatures. There is also one corpse of the goblin-imp monstrosities. I inspected the first one to know what to expect in the future, so I know they are half goblin and half imp now. It must have sneaked during the battle only to get itself killed. Huhuhu! Yes! This was fun! Huhuhu! I check my remaining units. There is only a single goblin alive. Its a miracle that it survived this chaotic and dangerous battle. Two orcs also survived, though one of them has so little remaining HP that a single hit more and he would have died. I decide to take a rest to recover from the battle so I sit down. And while Im sitting on the ground, something hits me from the back. Whats it now!? I look behind me and see two pairs of eyes looking at me. Hiding behind a tunnels entrance, a goblin-imp monstrosity is making laughing noises. *Shishishi!* *Hihihi!* Another one of the Goblimp Pests? I think I never agreed so much with a units name until I found this one. They are truly a pest. Worse than cockroaches. Fuck you! Come here and fight, you sneaky bastard! Without wasting time, I rush at it. But when Im about to reach it, it starts running away. And at the same time, something strikes me from the back. So I turn around and see another Goblimp making noises and dancing as it mocks me. Youre dead! I shout while launching a Phantasmal Weapon in its direction. But this time, the skill is avoided as it quickly hides behind the closest stalagmite. The first one takes this chance to attack me from behind yet again. Aaaaaagh! Go and kill that little shit! I order the remaining orcs and one goblin while pointing in the direction of one of the Goblimps. And you are oh so dead! I shout while rushing at the other. As I chase it, the Goblimp tries to attack me a few more times. And I answer with more Phantasmal Weapon throws, but I miss every time because the Goblimp is wary of it. There was also one time when the Phantasmal Weapon should have hit it, but it simply received no damage because of its innate skill. Finally, the Goblimp gets stuck at a dead end and I quickly slaughter it. Hah! After this long chase, it ended in just two strikes one for each half. I mutter to myself. Then I look around for my minions. It looks like they also managed to kill the other Goblimp. It seems the goblins arrows were the key to bringing it down. The corpse looks like a porcupine. I would like to rest a little now, but I dont want to repeat the same as just now, and give time for more Goblimps to assemble here So lets proceed without resting. Its a shame that I cant have a proper rest in this damned dungeon! Well, I could if I went to the resting area, but then I will rest for all eternity So no thanks. Were now in the tunnels zone. This is the hardest part for me because it reminds me of my first invasion when I fell into the river and was later killed. Also, even if I came a few times already, its easy for me to get lost in the tunnels. Its not like I cant memorize the path properly, ok? Its just that I dont care. The mushrooms are making our dungeon invasion a lot harder than it should be. What devilish mind thought about putting sleeping and poison mushrooms one next to the other? You fall asleep, and then get awakened a few seconds later, but you are already poisoned. And this poison damage isnt a trivial thing Well, the dungeons owner isnt called the Evil Mastermind between players only because we like the name, after all Whats worse about these tunnels is that they are changing over time. New surprises await us every few days, like new mushroom zones, new paths, new enemies So Im scared of what surprise Im going to find every time I come here But it seems Im lucky because the tunnels look the same as the last time I came. Its just at this moment when I relax thinking that there arent going to be any surprises, that something happens. As I enter the tunnel, the entrance quickly closes and I find myself in the dark. Also, I feel some disgusting liquid flooding the place. I quickly look at my status screen and battle log. Is it acid? Because Im taking acid damage over time! Was this a monster and Im now inside of it, slowly getting digested? Wait a moment! What the hell is this thing about a Death Curse? When have I been cursed? And it reduces the damage I deal? By 30%!? The curse can be stacked and I currently have three stacks. Each stack reduces the damage I deal by 10% and increases the damage I receive by 10%... Focus, focus! I first need to get out of here! Lets try to find the curses origin later! I first try to calm myself, and then I start to attack the creature from the inside. An HP bar appears after the first attack, and it decreases after every swing. Shit! Im taking more damage than I deal! At this rate, Ill die before I can kill this giant creature! All because of the fucking curse! Am I really going to die again, like this? How many times has it been? Will I ever be able to beat this damn dungeon and recover my orcs pride!? Waaaaagh! I shout, in a last attempt to motivate myself and kill this creature before it finishes digesting me. But I obviously fail and finally get killed. Aaaaaaaaagh! Shit! I swear to my lost orcs pride! One day! One day Ill conquer you! The Mad Rats Lab, youll fall one day! Even if its the last thing I do in this game! I manage to say, just as the game displays the You have died message in front of me. Am I cursed? Maybe Fuck you, Evil Mastermind!
You must ALWAYS keep in your mind this: THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE GOBLIMPS WAITING TO AMBUSH YOU! Like cockroaches, theyre disgusting, annoying, and hard to kill. If you keep this in mind, you are going to have a chance to conquer this dungeon. Yeah! A CHANCE! Because this wont prevent you from falling into any other of this dungeons multiple and deadly tricks, traps, and enemies. - Extract from the Chapter Relearning Exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 30 - How to feel Despair Andreeeeeu! Someone is shouting my name in a high-pitched tone. Andreeeeeu! Again, my name. This time, the voice is closer. Andreeeeeu! And a third time. Every time its louder than the last. Because its getting closer and closer. Andreeeeeu! Shit, dont come! Ignore me! I didnt do anything to you, so leave me alone! *Knock, knock!* Andreu, open the door! Aaaaah! Im not here! Lalala! I pretend I didnt hear anything while hiding behind the wardrobe. Andreu! Stop pretending you arent home, Ive seen you come inside! Shit! She saw me! *Patam!* With a loud noise, the door is smashed open and her figure appears in the doorway. Its like in a horror film because I closed the lights to pretend Im not here so I can only see her silhouette. *Flash!* Lightning strikes at this moment, making it even more terrifying as it momentarily illuminates her expression. Well, this isnt true. Theres no storm. But it would truly fit the current image. As she turns on the lights, I can properly see her face. Oh, shit! Im soooo doomed. The mix of anger and expectancy on her face means this is going to end badly for me. Mom, dad, thank you for giving birth to this stupid child. As Im thinking this, she stares at me with a murderous gaze and says. Soooo What are you doing with the lights turned off? Why didnt you answer my calls? Ok, think, Andreu, think! You must choose carefully what to answer! This might be your most important decision ever. Oh, hi, Clara! I didnt hear you. What do you want? I say, as naturally as I possibly can. Oh, shit! Nicely done, you dumbass! I didnt hear you? And whats the reason I have the lights turned off? Couldnt I think of anything more plausible? Her expression darkens for a moment. Oooooh, no! But then it suddenly brightens and a grin appears on her face. Im going to die! Somebody save me! Her grin means something even worse than if she were angry is going to happen to me! Im unconsciously trembling. After a while of staring at me, she finally opens her mouth. Sooo I can see you are free right now... Oh, no! I can imagine what she is going to say and I would prefer being dead than doing it! I DONT WANT to dive into her dungeon again! ... and since you are free, can you give me a hand with leveling my player level? She then looks at me with puppy eyes and asks. Please, can you dive into my dungeon again and point out what I can improve? And then die, so that I obtain the extra xp from killing the invader? Pretty please!? It came! Nonononono! Spare me from having to help you with your dungeon! Its already been three days since you got the game and I couldnt sleep properly since then! Also, the puppy eyes only work if the other person isnt scared shitless because of you. Theres no way Im going to fall for them right now! Hahaha! Im immune! Think fast, Andreu! Your next answer is even more important than the last one! You CANT fail this one! I-Im sorry, Clara. B-b-but I have an important exam this week and m-must spend this afternoon studying for it. What is this? Blood tears? Oh, Im spilling blood tears because of my own words This is a disaster. The end of the world! I expressly reserved todays afternoon to play for as long as I wanted but now This might be the hardest decision Ive ever taken. To sacrifice todays gaming session. But I cant spend more nights without sleeping She left me with no other options. And I dont want to disappoint my little sister by telling her Im scared of her dungeon mobs. And the exam? Oh, that one is a lie. We do have a few, but it is next week. So I still have time to study some other day. Or to not study because Im playing games, which is what happens sometimes. Nooo, please Andreu! Cant you do it for your little sister? She asks again. The mix of puppy eyes and pouting is adorable. But I already said it, it doesnt work when the target is terrified. And I surely am right now. N-no. Th-theres no other way. I must spend today studying for the exam. The worst part of all this is that now, Ill actually have to spend the time studying or shes going to find out I lied. And god spare me from this happening! Aww What a shame! Now that we finally can play together and you dont have time because of the exams Ahaha I make a weird laugh. I mean, it was a lie, after all. But dont you lie too, Clara! Weve always been playing together! Other games, of course. Its just that since you knew you must be level 3 to play with other people, you have been pestering me to dive into your dungeon and die all the time! So that you can level up faster! Well, maybe I can help you with something else that doesnt require me to dive into your dungeon I say, trying to appease her. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Its mostly me feeling guilty. But I am ready to help her with anything as long as it doesnt require me to dive into her dungeon, of course. Nice! Then What can I do to progress faster? Im already level two, and at the speed Im leveling, Im going to reach level 3 soon too, but Im struggling with the factions special resource: the Despair. How can I obtain it easily? First of all wait! Youre already level two!? How did you reach it in just three days!? I know she finished the dungeon really fast too, but this and that are completely different things. You need to actually play the game to raise the level. Or to have a lot of people diving and dying into it Its really easy! After I started to play the game, I told a few guys from my class that I had DMA, and a few of them offered to help me level up. Im skeptical of the word offered, but Im not going to comment on it. I dont want to die yet Or to be forced to dive into her dungeon because of a slip of tongue Without knowing what Im thinking, she continues to talk. And its thanks to them that Im already level two! If it werent for the death timers, I might be level 3 already She says this last part with a face full of regrets. Im sorry, Clara, but I lost you here The death timers? What do you mean that the death timers are whats making you get less xp? The death timer is something that the game has implemented to abuse dungeon farming and xp boosting other accounts. After you die in a dungeon, you get a death timer that prevents you from invading other dungeons for some time. They arent too long, starting at five minutes. But if you get multiple death timers in a short span of time, they get longer after each successive death. Yes! The death timers! They dive into my dungeon and die all the time, so their death timers get longer every time and they cant provide me with more xp! If only they didnt exist! Yep, thats exactly why they exist. To prevent this kind of abuse. ...ahaha! I dont know what to say. Are they masochists? They must be, right? Theres no way a sane person would repeatedly invade a dungeon only to die every time Lets forget about the levels for now Yeah, I dont want to have anything to do with people this weird. You asked how to get more Despair, right? Yes, thats what I need the most! Because I cant actually buy or create most stuff without it! Of course, this is what special resources do. They are the most important resource for the faction. Just look at me! I cant create units (other than the Stitched) without having Bodies! Hmmm. Let me think a little I say. If Im not wrong, your factions special resource is Despair, and its obtained from killing enemies by reducing their SOU stat to zero, right? I barely remember Ricard talking about it in one of his drilling sessions. The key word here is barely because he cant stop talking, so it ends up going in one ear and out of the other. Yes! But its too hard! Because most enemies die because the HP reaches zero before I can reduce their SOU stat! Well, its true that it can be difficult to kill enemies in other ways than dealing damage. Dont cry, Clara! Its still easier to obtain your special resource than mine! Yeah, its me who wants to cry here. Its even harder to obtain the bodies of other units, so dont complain. You dont have the right to cry if I dont cry first, ok!? So, how can I easily obtain it? I dont think its ever going to be easy, so stop complaining or change faction I start saying, but she interrupts me. Change faction!? What are you saying!? They are the cutest ones! Theres no other faction that can even compare, so Im sticking with them! I just need some help to obtain the Despair, thats all! Here go my plans to make her change factions! Destroyed before I could properly make them! I would be able to sleep if you change factions, Clara Why, god!? Why couldnt you make it work? Ok, ok Calm down. If you arent considering a faction change, we can only think about how to improve your dungeon and skills. First of all, I think that Despair is easier to obtain from invaders. Because in a Dungeon Invasion, as you fight against lots of enemies, your HP, EP, and MP slowly get depleted. If you add your units'' passive MP draining, they are going to die because of SOU reaching zero sooner or later. But they could also die from HP reaching zero She complains. Thats true, but if you add other MP-draining skills to your units, its going to be even easier. MP draining skills! I didnt know they existed so Im not using them! Hahaha! Clara, this should be the first thing you looked for I mean, its your faction who needs it, not me! *Sigh* Clara, you really Anyway! The easiest way for you to obtain Despair is going to be while defending the dungeon, but you also need a way to obtain it by playing yourself! After all, you cant rely on other players invading your dungeon to obtain your most important resource What if nobody comes? Oh, but I have this solved! I have some slaves that continuously come into my dungeon only to die Did I hear it wrong? You used the word slaves there, Clara What am I going to do with you? Ill feign I didnt notice you talking about slaves. Because I dont want to have anything to do with it. This isnt going to be enough. And you also need a way to obtain the Despair yourself! Otherwise, you might have to wait a lot of time for you to have enough Despair to create whatever you want to! Ehehe! Thats true! She says while striking her tongue out. So, I recommend that you bring a lot of units with you during Dungeon Invasions, so that you can quickly drain the MP from the enemies. And its also important the kind of dungeon you are diving into. In your case, I would avoid the dungeons from the elves and demons because of their high MP pools. Go to the orcs dungeons. They have very low MP and should be easy to kill by SOU depletion. Ok! Thank you Andreu! She thanks me. Then, her expression changes, and complains. But they are so ugly I dont really want to go there For once, our aesthetic sense matches. At last! After the problem with the cute Abyss creatures Hahaha! Theres no other way that I know of. Maybe, you can find a dungeon specialized for Abyss farming But its up to you to find it because I have no idea. And Im not interested in knowing about it either. Abyss stuff? No thanks. So good luck. Thank you anyway, Andreu! See you later, after you stop studying and can help me level up! Yeah No thanks. Ill pass on entering your dungeon again. ....ahaha! See you later! Before finally leaving my room, she looks at me one last time and says. Im going to obtain some Despair, then! If you need anything, Ill be in my room! Have fun! And good luck! Yeah, poor souls. Might you find peace after death. I can feel you, Im in a similar situation here. Because I must study when I should be playing the game right now. I can also feel THE despair. I hate my bad luck Clara, I know you arent doing this on purpose against me, but your brother is suffering here! I say while opening the college notes.
After getting tired of studying, I decided to risk playing the game anyway. The result? Clara came to my room, found me playing, and got angry at me for lying. Her favorability almost reached negative levels. But after I apologized for lying and telling her that I really dislike the Abyss creatures and that I had nightmares She said it was ok, and that she would forgive me as long as I kept helping her with the other stuff not related to invading her dungeon. Lucky me! Hahaha! Im finally free of the nightmares! And can continue to help my little sister without diving into her dungeon! All according to the plan (made after the plans resolution). Also, because I studied earlier than I usually would, I got better marks in the next exams. Alls well that ends well.
Ch 31 - Dungeon rework Im currently in the middle of something important. After the fight with A Lil Demoness, I randomly put the new units in the current dungeon. But I said I would create a special zone for the rabbits, and this is what Im going to do right now. And since Im already changing the dungeon layout, Ive decided to actualize the whole dungeon instead of just adding the rabbit zone. Im sure you already know, but the current dungeon layout is very linear. It has a tunnel right after the dungeon entrance, then a huge cave, the tunnels, the first lab, the Freezer, and, in the end, the second lab. As an extra, theres the resting room that only has one entrance and doesnt connect to any other place. What I want to do is create extra connections between zones, a plan Im going to continue in the future. Right now, Im only going to move the resting area to the tunnels, and add two more rooms with the same mushroom types. Of course, instead of a single entrance, theyll now have two or more. The other big change is the rabbits room. Its going to connect to the tunnels in one single place, and also to the first laboratory room. To break the linearity of the dungeon, this room is going to be an optional side room, but also has benefits for the invaders that clear it. The rabbit room will allow the players to skip most of the tunnel area if the invading players cross it. A door that can only be unlocked from the rabbit room will directly lead to the first laboratory. Now for the actual dungeon update! I exclaim while opening the dungeon edition menu. The first thing I do is the changes I just mentioned. Move the eternal resting areas to the tunnels, and then add two more resting areas Then, connect them to the tunnels in several places Huhuhu! I can already feel the despair of the invaders when they get lost, and accidentally step inside one of the resting rooms! Have a good sleep! Only that its going to be for all eternity! Hahahaha! As with the original Eternal resting area, I dont put anything inside that could damage the players. There are no traps, no poison mushrooms, and I dont allow the dungeon mobs to come in. If they dare come inside and fall asleep, they are going to keep sleeping until they surrender. And next is the rabbits'' zone. For now, Ill just create the room and decorate it later, when I also improve the rest of the dungeon. After finishing these changes, I continue with the dungeon appearance. Of course, the first is the dungeon entrance. Until now, the enemies that invaded the dungeon always started underground already, but I want them to get the feeling that they are entering an extremely dangerous place And if they appear directly inside the dungeon, its impossible to achieve this effect. So Ive got to change the entrance. I start by removing the dungeon portal from its current place and creating the cave entrance. Then, I put the dungeon portal some distance away from the cave entrance. I then start to decorate the entrance, and when I finish Yeah! I like this feeling! It actually looks like you are going inside the lair of some very dangerous creature! Fufufu! You enter the dungeon and find yourself in a very dense forest. Light barely reaches the ground, the foliage obscuring most of the area. Steep mountains surround you in every direction, creating a single path. As you move forward, you see that the vegetation starts taking a weird reddish hue. You have the impression that the reddish hue is because they are continuously soaked in blood. And as if to confirm your theory, you can see a few cracked bones scattered through the path. Spooked because of the ominous silence, you finally reach the end of the path. And what you see makes your hair stand on end. There, you can see a big dark cave. It looks like a huge gaping mouth waiting to devour you whole. The bloodstains and bone fragments that litter the floor warn you that you definitely shouldnt come inside. Faint laments can be heard, coming from the cave. You arent sure if it''s the wind or the sound of some creature, but you are sure of one thing: nothing good will come if you enter that place. Hahahaha! With just this change, the feeling you get when entering the dungeon is completely different from the one you got before! Amazing! I shout, impressed at the result. Then, lets continue with the rest of the dungeon! Lets try to keep this feeling through the whole dungeon! The objective is to make the invaders feel dread, put them on edge, and also display the craziness of the Mad Rat! Hahaha! Without wasting time, I continue modifying the dungeon. From the entrance, thats already finished, I continue to move forward while changing things. *Fiuuu!* This took a lot more time than I expected! But the end result is amazing, so its worth the time spent! I try to convince myself that I didnt waste more than six hours by updating the dungeon right now. Hey! Who says its a waste of time!? This was clearly an important thing to do! Well, anyway. Following the entrance zone, I have updated the whole dungeon. I have changed very few things regarding the actual dungeon, but have improved a lot regarding how it looks. So how does it look now? Starting from the cave entrance, it now looks like this. Immediately after crossing the caves entrance, you can see small quantities of glowing mushrooms illuminating the cave. In cases like this, you would usually get the feeling that this is some magical scenery, mystic and peaceful. This would be what you would be feeling if not for the weird colors and shapes of the glowing mushrooms. Deformed, smashed, with sickening colors. Whats worse of all, some mushrooms look like they are screaming, with protuberances that resemble faces in eternal silent wails. As you advance, the screams you were hearing before entering the cave increase in volume. Do they come from the screaming mushrooms? But when you approach the mushrooms, you cant hear anything The path slowly descends, as if you were going to the underworld. As more mushrooms cover the tunnel, you can finally properly see your surroundings. Giant claw marks appear here and there, and whats worse: the dragging marks of something big. If you had to guess, this must be the result of dragging a huge and highly dangerous creature inside the tunnel against its will. Alive. Who, or what, is capable of doing something like this? Until this point, therell be no traps or dungeon mobs, this is only to settle the mood. Finally, the tunnel opens into a gigantic cave. A strange purple light illuminates everything that isnt already illuminated by the glowing mushrooms. Now, you can also hear the sound of water. At the end of the cave, you can see an underground lake. You can use something called ambient lights in the game. I left it as default until now, but I now changed the lights to this mysterious purple color. Of course, it only affects those places where there is no other light. The places illuminated by the glowing mushrooms have the color of the mushrooms. Huge mushrooms are growing in several places. They hinder visibility and provide a perfect location for ambushes. And the screams you could hear until now, reverberate through the cave. You can see a few figures moving in the distance. From the way they move, maybe it would be better to call it shambling than walking. Are they the ones that release the screams? Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Of course, I changed the way the Demonic Swarmers behave, and make them release constant screams when they arent in battle, and then different screams to alert the others when starting combat. The cave isnt easy to traverse with so many obstacles. Cliffs, ramps, rocks, giant mushrooms you feel as if everything is obstructing your path. As if trying to say you arent welcome here. Oh, and this area is now a perfect area for the Goblimps to torment the invaders. Between the rocks, stalagmites and stalactites, cliffs, and the giant mushrooms trunks and the platforms they create with their equally giant caps the cave is now an amazing place for ambushes! Fufufu! Advancing through the cave, you see a few tunnels. The closest to the underground lake is damp and has lots of mushrooms. The others are drier but, somehow, also scarier. And theres even one from which you can see sunlight. This last tunnel is the one that connects to the rabbits'' area. You could say that the tunnels are split into three kinds; and those that are closer to the underground lake and river are humid, partially inundated, and also contain the underground river. Then, there are the drier tunnels. In those, there are little mushrooms but are full of traps. And I plan to fill them with Goblimps in the future. Basically, these are going to be the most dangerous tunnels, but also the safer ones if you dont have a way to avoid the damage from the mushrooms. And finally the rest of the tunnels, the ones closest to the rabbit zone. These tunnels have spots from where the sunlight enters. A lot of them also have no exit, as if an avalanche destroyed them. Only one of the tunnels actually connects to the rabbit room. They are designed in a way to make players waste time and consider going to one of the other two zones instead. And then die! Hahaha! Of course, they arent completely empty. They also contain a few traps and mushrooms, and since they are connected to the other tunnels, invaders can be attacked by Demonic Swarmers and Goblimps at any time. Or eaten by the Tunnel Mimic, which can literally appear anywhere inside the tunnels. After a lot of time spent traveling through collapsed tunnels, you finally see a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Literally, I mean. You are blinded for a moment. When your vision returns, you can see lush vegetation growing on piles of rock rubble. Little rabbits are munching on the grass. This is a very beautiful scenery, which belies everything youve seen until now. How can a place like this exist in a cave full of horrors? Are you dreaming now? You know, true chaos needs order inside of it. Otherwise, its just a jumbled mix of things. To display true craziness, you also need to show how normal things look. And this also makes the invaders lower their guard, which in turn gets them killed. Especially if they lower the guard in this room. At the end of this little paradise, you find a weird biohazard laboratory door, as well as a lever. As you pull the lever, the door opens and a laboratory appears in front of you. So yes, this is how the players can skip the tunnels and enter the first laboratory directly. I plan on adding some more dungeon gimmicks in the future and this room will be one of them, but for now, it breaks the dungeons linearity and thats enough. I left the two laboratory rooms almost the same as they were, I only added a few decorations like an open corpse on top of an operating table, or organs and parts of creatures inside special containers. To add to the creepiness of the dungeon, mostly. Finally, the last dungeon area: the Freezer. This place is now extremely gross. Crossing the door of the laboratory, you find yourself shivering. A white mist envelops you and your speed decreases as you feel the cold envelop you. The perfectly excavated walls and floor from the laboratory start to blend into natural rocks, and the weird mix of natural and artificial makes you uneasy. The ground gets darker as you advance. Something sticky makes it hard to advance. If you take a closer look, you find its actually the color of dried blood. How much blood would you need to cover the whole floor? As you reach the end of the corridor, you feel like you want to puke. Corpses and body parts are strewn everywhere. Horrific monstrosities with parts of several other creatures roam through the gross and dangerous corridors and rooms. The cold affects your surroundings too. The walls and floor now have a whitish color, partially covered by frost. Even some corpses, maybe the older ones, are fully encased in ice. I basically turned the Freezer into a horror film. With the mix of cadavers, body parts, exploding cadavers, blood, and the worst of them all, the Stitched; the Freezer turned into a nightmare for those who cant withstand the gore. So? How do you see the changes? You dont like them? Well, I like them, so who cares about your opinion? Certainly not me! Hahaha! Until you confirm the changes, the dungeon remains the same as before. Current and new invaders will enter the previous dungeon until you save it. Then, the game checks that theres a valid path between the entrance and the dungeon core. If you dont have a valid path, the game denies the new dungeon and you must make the appropriate changes. As I confirm the changes to the dungeon and the game saves them, I look again at the clock. Maybe I DID spend too much time on this dungeon rework, I missed dinner time Ill try to be faster next time! I promise!
After dinner, I enter the game again. I got scolded for missing dinner. Well, I was busy with VERY important stuff, so Anyway, there are still a few more things that I want to do in the dungeon. Ok, now that the dungeon looks decent, its time to improve the mobs. Here, Im not talking about increasing the mobs levels. No. Im talking about the fact that this giant labyrinth of tunnels, caverns, and laboratories is defended by only a few mobs. If I sum all of them, its only 49. Its close to half the number of farmers I found in the very first dungeon I dived into. The six stitched I bring with me into dungeon invasions arent included. The same with the Braindead Assassins because they aren''t added to the dungeon yet. Ok You cant compare the power of the Lab Assistant to the farmers. Maybe a single Lab Assistant could win against fifty farmers? Its the best unit for the example because its my strongest unit but it also applies to the rest. But even if they are strong, less than fifty units for a dungeon this size It kind of feels empty. And I do want some zones to feel empty so that the enemy lowers the guard. But not the WHOLE dungeon! The proper way would be to add both some more mobs and then fill the dungeon with critters, but This fucking annoying faction cant do this! The only critter I have is the Creepy. At least for now. And for it, I need to capture bodies of critters from other factions. Literally, the only unit this faction can create without needing the bodies of other factions units is the Stitched. The damn Stitched! And you still need corpses to create them! Aaaaagh! At times like this, I really think about swapping to another faction! But then I remember I like to roleplay as a mad scientist, and the unit customization, and quickly calm myself down But Fuck! Shit! It looks like I have no other way than to forget about creating more critters for now and focus on normal mobs. The Creepy are going to be a thing for the future. If I dont want to rise the difficulty too much, I shouldnt add too many of the strong units. So this basically leaves the options to three units: Goblimps, Demonic Swarmers, and of course the Stitched. Hmmm what to do? In fact, the answer is really easy. I cant create more than one Demonic Swarmer and two Goblimps because I only have so many bodies. The rest must be Stitched. Theres no other way. I immediately start the creation of the three Siameses. After they are created, there will be nine Demonic Swarmers and six Goblimps. Well, it could be worse It could have been only Stitched, so its something. Now for the Stitched. First of all, Im going to add the ten Braindead Assassins with their respective Hidden Enemy traps to the Freezer zone. With an extra Braindead squad (three Mobs + one Leader) its now full of stitched. Its impossible for the enemies to cross the Freezer without encountering at least some stitched. And to make things more fun (for me, not for the invaders) I also add fifteen more Exploding corpse traps to the Freezer. After the new looks and these extra mobs and traps, now the Freezer is a true horror zone in two very different aspects: for how it looks, and for how dangerous it is. Now that the Freezer is completed, I need to add more units to the cave and tunnels. I decide that four more Stitched squads that can freely roam between the cave and the tunnels are going to be enough. With four extra squads, theres going to be a lot more activity in the dungeon, but they are Stitched, so the difficulty wont rise too much, which I dont want, so its fine Also, this effectively doubles the amount of stitched the dungeon has. From twenty to forty. Oh, and the ten assassins too, so its actually fifty, more than double! So whos going to be the first to enter the brand new dungeon? Hahahaha!
What Andreu did that day turned out to be the factor that catapulted him to the top rankings. Not immediately, mind you. But the first impression players got from the dungeons entrance made them want to recommend the dungeon to their friends. Slowly but surely, the dungeons renown kept rising. And at the same time, the number of people who got obsessed with it. Unknown to Andreu, his dungeon made the invaders think Ill manage to beat it next time, which made them dive again, and again. The cause? The randomness and unpredictability made it actually possible for anybody to beat the dungeon (well, anybody strong enough to beat a Lab Assistant), so the videos of weaker players beating The Mad Rats Lab made higher-leveled players want to demonstrate they could beat the dungeon too. Some of them did, but most still failed and entered the Ill manage to beat it next time infinite cycle.
Glossary 3 - Dungeon Rework The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 5 (Upgraded Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat + Shadow) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast. Triggered: Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery), Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Mana Core (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Dungeon Areas Entrance - Forest that gradually turns red as if it absorbed the blood of uncountable victims as it approaches the entrance to the cave. It works to set the mood and it has no dangers. Cave - Giant cave that contains giant and glowing mushrooms, creating places perfect for ambushes. Constant screams can be heard from here. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Goblimp Pest, Death Butterfly, Fiery Fly. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Cave to the Rabbit Area and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Tunnel Mimic, Goblimp Pest, Death Butterfly. Traps: Falling Corpse, Mushrooms. Special: Eternal Resting Areas. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core. It is divided into two rooms that arent directly connected, and you must pass through The Freezer to reach the second. Monsters: Lab Assistant, Death Butterfly. Traps: Falling Corpse, Lightning Rod. The Freezer - Interconnected rooms, partly natural and partly excavated in the rock. Its filled with corpses, blood, and body pieces. A superficial ice sheet covers most of its contents. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader, Braindead Assassin (Hidden Enemy trap). Traps: Exploding Corpse. Field Effect: Freezing Cold. Rabbit Area - Mountain Valley filled with grass and innocent bunnies. Connects the Tunnels with the Laboratory, working as a shortcut. Monsters: Curse Rabbit, Not A Rabbit. Monsters Lab Assistant - Lv 4 (Hybrid - High Elf + Runesmith) Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura. Demonic Swarmer - Lv 3 (Siamese - Scout + Miner) If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Scout Half - Active: Dash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Miner Half - Active: Bash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Not A Rabbit - Lv 3 (Hybrid - Wererabbit + Hunter) Active: Rabbit Transformation (Innate), Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate), Unexpected Strike. Passive: Berserker. Tunnel Mimic - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Tunneler + Mimic) Active: Mimicry (Innate), Engulf. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Enlarge. Goblimp Pest - Lv 2 (Siamese - Goblin + Imp) Goblin Half - Active: Corrosive Arrow. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate). Passive: Strong, Spiritual. Imp Half - Active: Shadow Blast. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate). Passive: Strong, Spiritual. Braindead Mob - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. Braindead Assassin- Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Blood Power. Death Butterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Fiery Fly - Lv 3 (Creepy - Fly + Fire Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Fire. Passive: Fire Elemental (Innate), In Flames. Curse Rabbit - Lv 1 (Creepy - Rabbit + Curse Bug) Triggered: Death Curse (Innate). Traps Falling Corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Exploding Corpse - Explodes when an enemy gets close. Lightning Rod - Strikes repeatedly with lightning. It can be destroyed. Poisonous Mushroom - Inflicts poison that stacks and deals damage. Sleeping Mushroom - Inflicts sleep on enemies. Hidden Enemy - Hides the monster inside until the trap is triggered, releasing it. Support Mobs (not in the dungeon) Braindead Kidnapper - Lv 3 (Stitched) Active: Fortify. Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Intelligent. Braindead Follower - Lv 3 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Intelligent. Ch 32 - The League of Evil So, when do you want to play all three together? Asks Laura after class. Both Ricard and Laura are sitting next to me right now. Its fine for me, but how do you want to do it? Do we prepare a perfect team? Or simply bring our champions? I warn you Im not going to change the Mad Rat in any way! Hahaha She makes a weird laugh as if saying I already knew. I also would like to use my succubus. I like it! Yeah, me too. Then I could watch those huge bouncy and jiggly masses up close. Thank you for helping with my private time, Laura! Hehehe! (pervert laughing). Then if you take those two champions, I think I should pick a tanky champion to compensate. Andreu can play the spellcaster role, and Laura can play the support role with the succubus. Having a charm CC on demand can be very powerful! Of course, this last one is Ricard. His eyes are starting to gleam, so we need to stop him from running amok before its too late. Are you going to bring the Revenant as the last time? I ask. Hmmm Im not sure. Because the ice aura is dangerous in a party. Last time, I didnt have time to create another champion, but if we properly plan this one, I can bring a better one Ok! I also find that it could be better to use some other unit than the Revenant for your champion. Sure, the resurrect skill is broken, but with thirty seconds to wait, its too long. Its a good skill for dungeon mobs, but for a Champion is too much time. You do remember that last time your skill was useless, right? Well, you are right in that front. Then maybe a Death Knight? Its tanky enough, and its innate passive Essence Siphon is very good for sustaining oneself.
Essence Siphon (Innate passive skill)
Heal for 20% of all the damage you deal against other units. This skill doesnt stack with other healing skills.
Yes, I think this is a way better skill than the other one. As we talk, Laura looks from the side as if she doesnt properly understand what we are talking about. She wasnt there last time, so its normal. Then, we will have a spellcaster, a tank, and a support. Laura, you should take at least one healing skill to help us survive. And the rest can be whatever you want as long as it brings utility to the party. As Ricard keeps talking, his expression suddenly brightens and a smile appears on his face. You know? In fact, we could prepare everything for the next DMA event! Basically, its going to be a dungeon battle royale. In teams, players will dive into other players dungeons and compete for who beats the others dungeon first! And the winners pass to the next round, as in any tournament. As he realizes something, his expression changes to a gloomy one. Oh, but its a shame We need a team of four players for this competition We need to be four players but we are only three If only one of us knew of somebody who played DMA too and could play together Oh, wait! I do! I know two, in fact! Both my sisters play DMA now! But if I ask Marta, shes going to say no for sure. Maybe Clara will want to? No way, right? Who am I kidding As soon as I open my mouth to say to play together, shes going to agree. Regardless of the situation and with whom, if I ask her, shell agree. I hope so. And I hoped I could play in this tournament I couldnt last time because I didnt have DMA and wont play in this one because I dont have a team Meanwhile, Ricard is making a face as if wanting to cry. And Laura is simply staring at him as if looking at a kid. Well, he does behave like one, sometimes. Like right now. Or like most of the time, actually. Hey, what are you crying for, Ricard? Im not crying, ok? Its just that I wanted to participate and I cant! You know you could always ask random players to play with you, right? What are you saying!? If I play, it must be with a carefully crafted team, with previous experience, and with the chance to actually win! Who would participate in it otherwise!? *Sigh* See? This is why you dont get a girlfriend. You look at everything as if it were a competition! I dont have a girlfriend either, but it''s just because I dont feel like it, ok...? Dont look at me with those judging eyes! I swear its true! If you are ok with it, I can ask my little sister if she wants to play together and participate in the tournament too. But I cant make promises. Though Im sure she will accept. Your little sister, you say!? Immediately, Ricards expression switches from grief to joy. Yeah, my little sister. Her birthday was this past Sunday and got DMA as a birthday present. So shes now playing the game too. If you dont care about her being low level Who cares about the level, or about winning or losing the tournament, if we can play together with your little sister! So, when are you introducing us? Guy, calm down! I didnt ask her yet! And why did you switch your stance so fast!? You still dont know her! And werent you complaining just a second ago that if you participate in the tournament you must aim to win it!? How can you be so cheap!? Its a little sister! Im sure shes cute and small! And huggable! Shes eighteen, ok? His expression changes yet again to my words. To grief. What are you, a pervert!? Someone, call the police! And dont be a pervert, shes going to kick your thing if you ever mention something like this in front of her. Ah, well, anyway So youre asking her, right? And what faction is she playing as? As the Abyss faction. For some reason or another, she thinks the Abyss units are cute. At these words, he shudders and looks away. Y-you know, after all, we can also p-participate next time and look for another player Y-yes, lets do it! Oho? It seems like Im not the only one scared of the Abyss units. Now I MUST ask Clara and MAKE SURE she plays with us. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. You know, suffering must be shared between friends, right? I cant be the only one to suffer, right!? You know? I already told you I would ask her, so now I must keep my word. Depending on how you look at them, I also think that some of the Abyss units can be considered cute, you know? Not you too, Laura! I have had enough with my little sister! W-what!? Exclaims Ricard. Ahahaha, well, those with little mouths and tentacles, they are somewhat cute I quickly interrupt Laura before she turns into Clara 2.0. Im almost sure shes going to agree, so we can start planning the party. She just started so she can only use the first champion. A humanoid one, formed by lots of tentacles. I dont know the name. Oh, yeah, I know it! Then the decision its the same as before! Only that this time your sister is going to complement our party. We are still lacking single target damage, so as long as she takes skills that help with it, we are going to have a decent party. B-but are you sure you want your sister? W-we can still look for another player, you know? Hahaha! Dont worry! Im sure she will like the idea! And Im going to drag you into the abyss with me! Hahaha! Im not going to suffer alone anymore! Wait a moment! Please reconsider it! Shouts Ricard. I and Laura look at him with condescending eyes. Can you stop being a kid already? Says Laura. T-then at least let me be the one to name the team! I wont concede on this! I dont care, so feel free. But stop behaving like this and grow up already! Yeah, stop being a kid. I say while struggling to hide a grin. My new despairing mate, why are you trying to run away? Come here and join me! Lets despair together! Ignoring our words, Ricard is muttering to himself. ...we are an undead, a demon, a flesh monstrosity or mad scientist, and a creature from the abyss yeah, theres only one name I can properly think of! Hahahah! This is a great name! People are going to tremble upon hearing it! Hahaha! After a while of leaving Ricard to his own delusions, I finally ask him. So, whats the oh-so-great name that you thought of? Hear this epic and great name! You see, taking into account our factions, theres only one possible name that I can think of, and its also the best name ever! You have to thank me for this epic name Can you tell us the fucking name already? Interrupts Laura. ...Yes The name we are going to use is this one! Attention please so that you dont miss it! The name is: The League of Evil! Hahahahaha! How do you like it? Awesome, right!? ... ... WHY!? Just WHY!?
*Knock, knock* I lightly knock on Claras room. Theres no answer. How weird. I could swear I heard her coming inside just a while ago As Im thinking I might be confused and heard it wrong, something touches my shoulder. And as I turn my head to see what it is Aaagh! I shout as I fall to the ground. Slowly, I try to crawl away in fear. Its a nightmare! That monster with lots of mouths and eyes is coming to eat me! Aaaaagh! I thought I wasnt having those nightmares anymore! Dont come! Dont eat me, please! Ive had enough of this already! Pfffft! Hahahaha! I hear some laughter. But in my nightmares theres only the monster. There''s definitely nobody laughing in them Whats going on? Hahahaha! Andreu! You had to see your reaction! It was so funny! Is that Claras voice? Why are you inside my nightmare? Are you inside my dreams to torment me even more than you already have? Hahahaha! Please! Pfffft! Dont eat me! Says Clara, trying to imitate my own voice. Now that Ive turned around, I can see Clara standing in the hallway, looking in my direction and laughing uncontrollably. Shes holding onto a plushie? A plushie of that monstrosity from the Abyss faction!? D-dont scare me like that! Its not funny, ok!? I almost died because of a heart attack! I say while trying to stand from the ground. But my legs are still trembling and I cant. Hahahah! A heart attack! You are so funny sometimes, Andreu! And where did you get that plushie? Did you just get it so that you could torment me? Because if you are going to use it to torment me, Im going to burn it at the stake! The fear is fading away and is being replaced by anger. Hahahaha! Calm down, Andreu! I just got it now, and since it was such a good opportunity to scare you, I couldnt hold myself back! Hahaha! Please forgive me! I wont do it again! Then, with a lower voice, she mutters something. I think she just said with this plushie, I mean. Dont you dare come with another one either! I warn her in advance. They say prevention is better than healing, right? Hmmm anyway, I came to ask you something, so put that plushie away first! Yeeees! She then enters her room, leaves the plushie on top of her bed, and comes out again. See? You can be a good little sister when you want. Though only when you want. Now, what did you want to ask? I came to ask you if you would like to play together Yes! Ill play with you! She interrupts me before I can finish the sentence. Like I was saying, would you like to play together with me and Yes! I will! What are we playing? Aaaaaagh! Please stop interrupting already! Im happy that you agree, but let me finish first! Let me finish already! Dont interrupt until I finish! Ok! Says Clara with an Im sorry face. Im almost sure she only apologizes to avoid the situation where I change my mind and decide to not play with her because I got angry. *Sigh!* As I already tried to say twice Would you like to play with me and my college friends in DMA? We are creating a party to participate in the next DMAs battle royale event, and we need a party of four players. We''ll play together a few times before the tournament, and then well participate in it. I look at her and she looks at me. I wait for an answer, but she doesn''t say anything. How weird Usually, she would be jumping in excitement right now I have just promised her to play several times together in the next weeks, after all. Sooo you dont like it? Why are you staying silent? Huh? You said I shouldnt interrupt until you finished, right? But you didnt say you finished, so I was waiting Hehe. Youre doing this on purpose, arent you? And dont hehe me! *Sigh* I already finished, so what are you saying? Yes! Ill join you and your friends! But this means Ill need to reach level 3 as fast as possible! Youll help me, right!? Ooooh, yeah. Ill help you. Ill even ask my friends to enter your dungeon so that you can level up faster. Hahahaha! You had it coming, Ricard! Laura did ask for me to forgive her and even helped me to get the Shadow body. But I still remember you are also a traitor, so Ill make you dive into my sisters dungeon! Hahaha! This is the much-awaited revenge! Thank you! I love you, Andreu! As she says this, she opens the door again and enters her bedroom. But before closing the door, she asks in a cute voice and pose. So Can I choose the name for the party? Pretty please!? She asks while making puppy eyes. The names already settled, so you cant. Im sorry, Clara. I say while patting her head. Im very sorry, Clara, but Ricard insisted on that name. As much as I would like to change it, I cant anymore So we must have to use it during the tournament. The names The League of Evil. She then makes a disgusted face, as if wanting to say are you kidding me?. Im sorry, but Im not kidding. I also had the same face as you earlier today.
Even if the only one who liked the name was Ricard, the name actually brought the attention of the tournament watchers. Because of how lame it was. Regardless of their individual opinions, thanks to this name their supporters increased fast, and by the end of the tournament, all four of them were quite famous. They do say theres no negative fame, after all
Ex Ch 4 - The little sister Aaaaagh! This cant be! Its too slow! A high-pitched voice can be heard in the morning. On her way to school, Clara is talking to herself. What can I do? I need more xp so that I can play with Andreu as soon as possible! With a worried and anxious look on her face, she tries to think of a way to reach level 3 as soon as possible. The fault is in those geeks from my class. Why are they so slow? Come and die inside my dungeon already! Death timers? Just ignore them! And those excuses that nobody believes like I have to study and I have to do the homework. Or my favorite, the my mother has prohibited me from playing until next week. Who would believe them? Then she makes an evil face and mutters. Maybe Ill have to discipline them Fufufu! Some time passes as she laughs alone, imagining what shes going to do. When she finishes, Clara starts talking to herself again. But cant they see they are useless? They spend their whole life playing games, so when they have the chance to actually do something USEFUL, they should be on their knees asking to help! You should be ASKING me if I would ALLOW you to help me. Not the other way around! You should feel honored to help me level up so that I can play with my brother! Clara finds an empty can near the road and starts stomping on it. *Crunch, crunch, crunch!* *Crunch, crunch!* The can is completely flat, but she keeps stomping on it. After a while, she notices what shes doing and stops. Haaaah I shouldnt be doing these things. I shouldnt get so angry because of those geeks. Haaah. Finally, she calms down and resumes walking.
Good morning, Marc. G-good morning, Clara. H-how are y-you today? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Im fine, thanks for worrying. Then, she looks upwards towards Marc, whos a head taller than her. So I didnt see you in the game yesterday. You told me that you would help me level up, but I dont see you keeping your word, and it makes me very sad Clara looks in Marcs direction with a pout. Her eyes look as if shes going to cry at any moment. Marc anxiously looks at Clara, and starts talking in a low voice. L-like I told you, m-m-my mother has prohibited me from playing the game until next week! S-so I cant play I-Im sorry! Oww What a shame. She stands on her tiptoes and gets close to his ear before whispering. And I thought that we could have a nice fun time playing together after I reached level 3 Fufufu! What a shame that now itll take a lot more time Beet red from having Clara so close to him, Marc is incapable of thinking and keeps repeating the same. I-Im sorry! Im sorry sorry Clara! You should stop playing with him already! Cant you see hes already broken? You shouldnt take advantage of him and his friends! Did you think I wouldnt notice what you were doing!? Making an annoyed face, Clara faces the person who interrupted their conversation. Or whatever you would call what they were doing. Taking this chance, Marc runs away, still beet red. Well, as far as a normal-sized classroom allows. Eva What are you doing? Didnt you see we were talking? You interrupted our conversation. I dont believe you can call THAT a conversation, you know? So what? What we do is up to us two. You dont have anything to say. Oh? But I do? I heard everything started because you two play DMA Huh, we do. And? And I play too. So Im going to help you with whatever you need. Just stop playing tricks on Marc and his friends, ok? So youre going to help me? If you ask so nicely, who am I to deny you? Fine! Ill stop pressuring them... Then, in a very low voice that only she can hear, Clara adds ...for now. Nice! Then go to your seat already, that class is about to start! Ok. Well talk again later. While walking to her seat, Clara keeps muttering to herself. In a low voice so that nobody hears her. Fufufu, it seems I found myself a new slave! Lucky! Now I should reach level 3 sooner than expected. Fufufu!
This was the first of multiple clashes between Eva and Clara. Their contrasting opinions and personalities made them argue with each other almost every time they talked. Still, both of them kept their word. Eva helped Clara, and Clara stopped pressuring the geeks (well, she didnt pressure them as much as before). But What would the future bring to those two? Would they turn into enemies? Rivals? Best friends? Or would it evolve into a bloodbath? Keep tuned to see what''s going to happen. To be continued. Or not.
Ch 33 - Player level four Hey there! How are you doing? Me? Im fine, thanks! My voice resounds in the laboratory. Im inside the game talking alone. As usual. Its been some time since we last talked! Hmm. was it a week? Yes, its been around a week. Well, theres been very few things happening this week but let me explain the small bits that ARE important! Fine, go ahead. Ill listen. I reply in a bored tone. I mean, I already know what happened. So why would I be interested in myself explaining it again to me? Boring, right? In fact, theres only one very important thing that happened this week. And its that I leveled up to player level 4! *Clap, Clap, Clap!* And the only other important things that happened in this past week are that I leveled up my champion and also my strongest mobs: the Lab Assistants. How is it that you only did this in a whole week? you might be asking. The answer is easy: I had exams! And as much as I would have preferred to play, Im not that stupid to prioritize my game sessions over my future! Though I do know of somebody that spent most of the time playing instead of studying and then was complaining that the exams didnt go so well. Yeah, at this point all of us already know Im talking about Ricard. If you really want to be a game programmer in the future, why do you slack off by playing games instead of working hard!? You wont be able to develop games if you dont actually learn to program them, even if you have played all the games in the world! *Cough, cough!* ...Anyway, returning to what I was saying This is the message I received when I leveled up.
Reached player level 4!
- Boss monsters unlocked - Maximum boss monsters increased to 1 - Maximum invaders in a party raised to 2 - Received 3 x Stasis chamber - Received 2.000 cp
As you can see, the most important new stuff at player level 4 are the Boss monsters! Fucking awesome and player-shredding Boss monsters! But as usual, I need to get the bodies for the units that Im going to use to create the Boss monster And I didnt have too much time to play So I dont have a Boss monster. Yet! Because I swear Im going to create it next week! I dont have any more exams, so I can spend all the time playing and looking for the best first boss ever! Oh, and Boss monsters have the same rules as Champions: they get a buff that increases all stats by 100% when used to defend the dungeon. So they can actually be on the same level as the Champions and have a chance to defeat them in a straight fight. Regarding Boss monsters, theres also a special rule. DMA only allows you to substitute a boss monster by completely removing the previous one. This is to prevent easy boss-swapping with the objective to surprise or kill dungeon invaders. Basically this is translated into: you can only have one boss monster for each allowed slot. If you want to create a new one, you must permanently delete the old boss monster. To make it even harder, you cant use an already-created unit as a boss. It must be a new unit. Of course, nobody would put a weak unit as a boss (unless they are stupid). This makes changing bosses a very big cost in both cp and special resources, and most players only substitute them when they get access to even stronger units. Or leave them as they come, to make a feeling of progression through the dungeon. The prime example being those players obsessed with creating dungeon floors, as in an RPG. As they progress, they create new floors and put the new and stronger monsters there. So each floor is harder than the last. Once they create a Boss, its strength remains forever the same. As I already explained, I didnt have time to go look for the bodies to create my first Boss. But Im sure of one thing. My first boss is going to be either a Hybrid or a Basic Chimera. And I also have some ideas of what units I would like to use. Like a troll. Or maybe a troll. I would also like to use a troll. did I mention the troll? Maybe its because we had a very hard time against that troll boss, but every time I think about what units I can use, the troll keeps appearing. All the time! Yeah I still need to think a little bit about it. Although a troll is stupidly resilient and strong, it wouldnt fit the theme of the dungeon that much. Because all units are tricky in one way or another, and the troll definitely isnt. And the last perk of the level-up is that now other players can enter my dungeon with parties of up to two players. Yeah this isnt really a good thing. But I suppose its needed for balancing. I mean, I could have a stupid amount of strong units plus a boss. And the Boss can be as strong as a Champion, or even stronger. Theres no way to beat something like this as a single invader unless you are a higher-leveled player. Returning to what I did last week Lets go for the Champion level-up first! The first idea was to balance the skills by getting another triggered skill. But then I thought: wouldnt it make more sense to level up a skill? So I picked my two most important skills and looked at their upgrades. Im talking about Chain Lightning and Shared Voltage, of course.
Chain Lightning (Active skill)
Cost: 200 MP
Deal (10 + SPI) lightning damage to an enemy. Then, the lightning jumps to the closest enemy within 5 meters and deals 10% less damage. The lightning continues to jump up to a total of 10 times. This skill cant damage a unit more than once.
Available Upgrades
Extra Jumps: Increase the maximum jumps by 5.
Far Jumps: Increase the maximum jump distance to 10 meters.
Conductivity: The damage isnt reduced after each jump anymore.
High Voltage: Increase the lightning damage to (20 + 1,5 * SPI).
Shared Voltage (Triggered skill)
If a skill would deal enough lightning damage to kill another unit, you leave it at 1 HP instead and the target is stunned for 5 seconds. The prevented damage is then dealt to the closest enemy within 5 meters, if there is one. This damage can also trigger this skill.
Available Upgrades
Deadly: You can now kill units affected by this skill. The rest works the same.
Battery: The damage of this skill is increased by 20%. The lightning cant jump again to the enemies that were already affected by this skill.
Extra Sharing: The lightning can jump to a second target, but when doing so, each jump deals only 50% damage.
Believe me when I say I had a LOT of trouble deciding on what upgrade to pick. They all looked so good! Except for the Deadly upgrade for the Shared Voltage, which would kill enemies, and remove the whole reason why I picked the skill in the first place. Because I wont be able to capture them if theyre dead. It also made me think that specialization into a single skill wouldnt be that bad. I mean, just look at the Chain Lightning upgrades and imagine picking all of them at the same time. As long as you arent against a single opponent, you can electrocute so many enemies and deal so much damage with a single skill, that its absurd. Clearly, this is where the balance between specialization and diversification comes in. If you specialize so much in a single skill, you would be more powerful but wont be able to adapt to situations that go against your build. There was also one extra thing I had to consider here: the Shared Voltage upgrades would also affect any other lightning skill I pick in the future. After discarding most upgrades, I ended with the two that actually increase the damage I deal. But then I came into a dilemma. Should I pick the High Voltage upgrade so that I can deal more damage directly, or should I pick the Battery upgrade so that the damage builds after each jump when multiple enemies get stunned at the same time? In case you dont understand what Im talking about, the Battery skill increases the damage by 20% after EACH jump. So in a situation where I would deal lightning damage to an enemy and it gets stunned by the Shared Voltage skill, the remaining damage would increase by 20% before jumping to another enemy. And if that enemy gets stunned too, its an extra 20% damage AGAIN. It can quickly build up to an absurd amount. Though with it I cant create eternal lightning zones anymore Because now the lightning cant jump to an enemy it has already struck. So no infinitely multiplying damage here. Its the perfect upgrade against multiple weak enemies because each time one gets stunned, the next one takes more damage, so the chain can continue until all of them have been stunned. This increased damage after each jump, paired with the fact that I had just upgraded my champion and it now has a lot more SPI, which means more damage with any spell, made me choose the Battery skill in the end. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. So this is what my current status looks like. Strong, right? Hahahaha!
Mad Rat (Lv 5)
HP 518 (370) STA 36 (26) SOU 44 (32)
EP 420 (300) MP 574 (410)
STR 35 (25) CON 49 (35) AGI 49 (35)
SPI 58 (42) WIL 43 (31) DEX 44 (32)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Cold Blast Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery) Lightning Shield Mana Attuned (Innate) Mana Core (Innate) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert)
Now for the last thing that I did this week. When upgrading the Lab Assistants, I thought that the best approach would be to upgrade one of their skills too. In fights they always end very low on mana because of the Fire Aura and the Fireball skills, so adding even more damage skills would be a bad idea. Also, they are already tanky enough. And I dont want to give them MP draining skills because it doesn''t fit the image of a fire and ice battlemage. So a skill upgrade to increase the damage they deal, or how tricky they are, would be the best. As you can expect, I chose the upgrade that was the trickiest and also increased the damage the Lab Assistants do.
Frosty Retribution - Lv 2 (Triggered skill)
When your HP is reduced to 50% or lower, you release an ice nova that travels for 10 meters. It deals (5 + 0,25 * lost HP + 0,5 * SPI) cold damage to every enemy and immobilizes them for 5 seconds. This skill can only be triggered once every 5 minutes.
Upgrades
Double Snap: Release two ice novas instead of one. One at 66% HP and one at 33%. Each ice nova can only be triggered once every 5 minutes.
The upgrade makes the Lab Assistants generate two different ice novas as their HP decreases. The first ice nova is going to deal less damage than the second because of the different HP amounts. I also changed the AI so that they save the last 100 MP to launch a Fireball after the second skill trigger. Now they are a lot tricker because the invaders can get immobilized two times instead of one, and the damage from the two novas is also about twice as the damage the skill could deal before. Best of all, the mana cost stayed the same! Completely free! Hahaha! This is how the Lab Assistants look right now.
Lab Assistant (Lv 5)
HP 476 (340) STA 32 (23) SOU 35 (25)
EP 336 (240) MP 392 (280)
STR 36 (26) CON 44 (32) AGI 26 (19)
SPI 44 (32) WIL 47 (34) DEX 53 (38)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution - Lv 2 (Double Snap). Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura.
You might be asking why I only leveled up my Champion and the Lab Assistants. The reason is simple: Ive already said this multiple times, but I dont want to make this dungeon stupidly difficult. I only want it to have a lot of unexpected stuff and surprises. If I level up all the units to level 5, the difficulty would spike because everything would be harder to beat and deal more damage. But the current feel of the dungeon would be destroyed. Thats all, folks! This is the only relevant stuff that happened this past week! But since todays Friday and I dont have anything to do today, Ill start looking for some bodies to capture! Hahaha! Just as Im saying this, everything starts to shake. I even feel myself shaking with the dungeon. An earthquake!? Theres no way! Im inside the game! This shouldnt be possible! Then, a message from the game appears in front of me.
You are going to be forcefully disconnected from the game in 10 seconds.
The shaking stops, but I still dont understand anything. What the hell''s going on!? Is it a bug? Why is the game disconnecting me!? The ten seconds pass, and Im forced out of the game. After a white flash, everything turns dark. Im fully disconnected. As I take my VR helmet out, I see my sister, Clara, inside my room, staring down at me. What are you doing here!? W-whats happening? Why was I disconnected from the game!? I look around, trying to find a cause. Maybe the power cable was removed? No, it is in its proper place The only unusual thing in my bedroom is my sisters presence. Dont tell me Clara What are you doing here? Dont you know its rude to enter others rooms without permission? As I stare at her, she returns a happy smile. Hello? Shouldnt you be feeling remorse, at least!? Andreu, Andreu! You know what!? No, I dont know. Shes clearly trying to change the topic. But I wont allow her to. My playing time is sacred and nobody, not even my cute little sister, is allowed to interrupt it! And dont change the topic. What are you doing here!? I just wanted to tell you something important, but you were inside the game Ok, since Im already out of the game, you can tell me. I interrupt her. Just leave me a moment to find the cause of the disconnection Its the first time its happened. Something must be broken. Oh, it was me! I pressed the emergency disconnection button to bring you out of the game! I wanted to tell you that Im already level 3, so we can start playing together! The emergency button? Oh, now I remember Theres a button in the helmet to forcefully disconnect the user. Its a safety mechanism for when the person using the helmet must be quickly or forcefully disconnected. For example, in case of a seizure. Or if the house is on fire And its also used by parents that dont want their children to play for too long. And why did you press it!? Wasnt it better to send me a message inside the game? We can send messages to each other easily because we are friends, after all! Making a pout, she answers. But I wanted to tell you in person! And also to say I did well and pat my head! Huh ok. Just come here. Congratulations on reaching level 3, Clara. Just dont ever disconnect me unless theres a good reason, ok!? I say while patting her and hugging her at the same time. Yes! Hehehe! Then, what was the earthquake? Dont tell me it was Clara shaking me, trying to make me leave the game? Well it makes sense. Luckily, I wasnt doing important stuff so I didnt lose anything. I imagine losing the progress I did the other day while renovating the dungeon. I would have lost six hours if she forcefully ejected me then! Because of her whims! While patting her, Clara looks up at me and asks. So, are we playing together now? I want to play with you already! I dont know. With my friends we decided to play together as soon as you reached level 3 because we want to have some experience before the tournament. And it starts very soon. We dont have too much time remaining. Lets see what they say. Wait a little bit. Ok! Then I take my phone and send a message to both Ricard and Laura asking what they want to do. After some messages, we decided that the best would be to meet in person today and finish planning the team. We can play tomorrow. I agree with them and ask Clara, whos sitting next to me on top of my bed. See this? We are meeting in thirty minutes. Do you want to come and introduce yourself? We will talk about the game and the team we are going to create. As long as its with you, Ill go to any place! Lets go! Im going to change clothes, so dont peek! She says as she runs to her room. Hahaha theres no way I would peek at my little sister Im not THAT perverted!
When Andreu reached level 4, the forums about his dungeon turned very active. It was because the players who were trying to conquer the dungeon thought it would be easier if two players dived into the dungeon together. The results were a little unexpected. Although they did have an easier time during battles, nothing prevented them from getting lost, poisoned, ambushed, or tricked. So the number of players who beat the dungeon didnt rise by a lot. Also, it was at this time that the players discovered the real despair caused by the Tunnel Mimic. It dived into the impassable terrain after swallowing a player, so it couldnt be attacked by the remaining player. And even if the player inside the monster managed to defeat it, they would appear in the closest available space, usually very far from the other invader, with no way to contact one another. Which spelled certain death for those unlucky players.
Ch 34 - First time meeting Im walking through the street. Next to me, Clara is anxiously looking around. She must be nervous because of meeting new people. Were almost there, Clara. And calm down a little, they arent going to do or say anything against you. If anything, Im more worried about what YOU are going to say and do. Do I look nervous? Im not nervous, ok? Who would get nervous when meeting new people? A child maybe, but definitely not me, ok!? Im NOT nervous. Ok, ok Im sorry, I was wrong. You AREN''T nervous. I say. But inside Im thinking Denying it so much only makes me sure of it, you know Oh, weve arrived! I say. This is a small cafe near our university. It isnt the first time we come to this cafe after classes. And since our university is close enough to our house, theres no trouble for me to come even if Im at home. Because there are not many tables in this cafe, and it is close to the university, the cafe is always full during the day. Luckily, I can see Ricard and Laura seated at a table with two empty seats. After entering the cafe, the smell of freshly baked bread and pastries fills my nose. Hmmm! What a nice smell! I already know what Im going to eat! Huhuhu! Can I have something too? Will you pay for me? Says Clara with puppy eyes. You can have whatever you want, but pay for it yourself! Clara looks away and makes angry noises. Wuu But still follows me as I move toward the counter. A coffee and a croissant, please. Only a coffee for me. Why are you making the I must save money and hold myself back face, Clara? Did you spend all your money already? That was fast, considering your birthday was only two weeks ago Please, dont tell me you spent all your money on Abyss plushies. If so, Im not going to enter your room ever again Food in hand, we walk towards the table and sit at the empty spaces. To be more specific, Laura pats the chair next to her, telling me to sit there. So I sit next to Laura and Clara next to Ricard. And, as it couldnt be any other way, Clara gets angry and makes a pout. Of course, the reason is that she cant sit next to me. You know what, Clara? If you want to choose where to sit, be faster next time and be the first to reach the cafe. Its because of you that were late! You took 30 minutes to change your clothes! Good afternoon! I greet my classmates. Hey there! Says Ricard. Hello, Andreu! So she must be your little sister, right? Laura extends her hand toward Clara. But Clara only glares at her without saying anything or moving. After a few seconds, Laura makes a weird laugh and returns her hand to its original position. Trying to break this awkward situation, I introduce them. Guys, this is Clara, my little sister. And Clara, these are Ricard and Laura, my college friends. Nice to meet you, Clara! I hope we can be friends and play a lot together! Of course, the last one is Ricard. He is monothematic and even in introductions, he can only talk about games. Finally, after a few seconds, Clara opens her mouth for the first time. ...me too. nice to meet you. Hahahaha! Why are you so shy now? A while ago you said you werent anxious, hahaha! Also werent you glaring at Laura just a moment ago? So how about we start talking about what we are going to do? My idea is to play together as a team tomorrow so that we can start familiarizing ourselves with each others playstyle and improve our teamwork. And if you are fine with it, I suggest going to a dungeon from a faction we arent very used to. Unexpected situations are the best to improve. What do you say? Ricard is always fast to change topics when it comes to talking about games It sometimes even surprises me. But thanks to him, the mood has improved. This is what I think until I see Clara and Laura intensely glaring at one another. I dont know why, but I have a bad feeling about this
Hello my monstrous creations! Your daddys back! Hahahaha! Im inside the game another time, shouting and laughing alone. One must roleplay even when alone, isnt it? We already planned tomorrows dungeon invasion and team-building session. Now I should be preparing for tomorrow, but Im not because I dont feel like doing it right now. After todays meeting, I need to relieve some stress. Thats why I entered the game another time even if it was late. Also Ive had a crazy idea that I MUST implement. And it has to be as soon as possible because its soooo good I cant wait to see it working! Fufufu! An idea so crazy that makes me shudder! I can already imagine the despair and shouts from the invading players! Hahaha! This idea is so stupid that nobodys going to expect it! But also so random, that most players, if lucky, will never know it exists! Hahaha! Its perfect! The craziest idea since the start! By now, most of you will be wanting to know what this idea is. But Im not going to tell. Ahahaha! The suspense! The whole idea is based on some dungeon invasion stories Ive read in the past. The despairing faces of everybody present at that moment! Ooooooh! Im getting excited just by imagining it happening inside my dungeon! I cant wait anymore! Lets start already! The first step is to create the core of the idea. In this case, the whole idea is going to rely on a single element. And this element is a single dungeon mob. And its going to be a fucking Stitched. Hahaha! If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Yeah, you heard it right! The whole new crazy idea is going to have the most useless, stupid, weak, slow, and gross unit I can create as the core. Wow! There isn''t a single good adjective on that list! Fufufu! Hahaha! And also theres a reason why it MUST be a Stitched and not any other unit. And its precisely because the stitched are the stupidest, weakest, and slowest unit. And also they are gross and useless, so its a bonus! Fufufu! Being the slowest and weakest has advantages sometimes! Like this one time. Now that I think about it Its also the first time that I find being weak and slow an advantage. In fact, Im always complaining about it Anyway! Lets start already! The first step is to create the Stitched thats going to be the core of the whole crazy idea. For this, I create a new template. Even if the new stitched is going to look the same as the previous ones, I dont want it to have anything related to them. I need a blank slate to work on. The AI first! Its the most important part! To implement the AI that I want, I first must give it the Intelligent skill. So I spend one skill point to get it. Now I can start! Hahaha! Basically, what I do is that it avoids obstacles. Yes, you heard it right! I spent a whole skill point just so that I could change the AI so that the damned Stitched doesn''t bump into things! And I insist on this, its ONLY to avoid obstacles. Its still going to bump into other units! Also, I lied. This only needed one AI change. I actually spent the second AI modification, obtained by the Intelligent skill, in making the Stitched perpetually move forward and choose a random direction every time it reaches an intersection. Now I have the perfect slow and stupid unit! A unit thats going to move through the whole dungeon without ever stopping! Perpetually walking! Hahaha! You might be asking yourself how this is a crazy idea (other than being ridiculous) and how it is going to make the invading players cry and despair. But I already said it, didnt I? This stitched is the CORE! The core of what Im going to do starting NOW! So I save the template and start the creation of this stitched. By the way, the templates name is called Driver. Now for the fun part! Fufufu! I open the dungeon traps menu and select the Hidden Enemy trap. And start the creation of 50 of them. Hahaha! A whole fifty hidden enemy traps! Now, I put one here One there Oh, this one looks like a nice spot! Fufufu! Hahaha! I keep placing the newly created Hidden Traps into random places throughout the whole dungeon. I only avoid the dungeon entrance. Now the trigger for the traps. Hahaha! Of course, the traps trigger is when the Driver comes close enough. So unless the Driver comes close to the Hidden enemy traps, they will never activate and release the unit thats inside! And the last element to complete this crazy idea! Fufufu! There are fifty empty hidden enemy traps, so of course its the mobs to fill them! Hahaha! For now, Im going to create 50 stitched for this role. In the future, as I have extra spare bodies and more time, Im going to add more Hidden enemy traps and put other kinds of mobs into them. Sooo A new template! And this ones going to be called Passenger! Hahaha! The Passengers are all going to have the same AI. This is a little tricky because, in the future, the template is going to encompass multiple different unit types. So I just add a single instruction so that even the Stitched, with Intelligence 1, work properly. And this instruction is follow the Driver. Yes, only this instruction! Haha! And this simple instruction completes the crazy idea! Well, I still need to add the skills, but it would work already if I didnt! Hahaha! Its funny how I dont need to give the Driver the Commander skill for this crazy idea to work. Its because it actually doesnt care about the mobs following it, or how many there are. It also doesnt need to communicate with them, so having COM 0 isnt relevant. Not wanting to waste time, I quickly open the skill list again to add the skills Oh, I almost forgot to level them up! I level both templates to level two. Now both Driver and Passenger can have up to two skills. I quickly add the Unstoppable Mob to the Passenger template.
Unstoppable Mob (Passive skill)
Your stats are reduced by 50%. For each creature within 20 meters that has this same skill, increase your stats by 5%.
Then add the Follow My Lead skill to the Driver. This skill is generally useless but can be very powerful in very specific and niche situations. Exactly like the one crazy idea Im creating right now! Hahaha!
Follow My Lead (Triggered skill)
If you have at least 10 other units following you, you get a 1 bonus to speed. The bonus increases by 1 for every 10 additional units that follow you. The units that follow you get the same bonus to speed as you. The total speed after receiving the bonus from this skill cant exceed 8.
And with the last remaining skill point, I set it so that every Passenger is going to have a random skill from the triggered resistance skills. They basically all do the same, just take a look at the Fire Safeguard skill.
Fire Safeguard (Triggered skill)
When you take fire damage, negate it. For the next 10 seconds, negate all fire damage. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
The Safeguard skills are also very rare. Because they only work once per invasion. Now, if you have some high-damage area damage from that element, they can be a very powerful combo. But I only use them as a prevention measure. So that the enemies cant blast all the Passengers by using a single area skill! At least those who have the safeguard for that damage type will survive! Hahaha! By now, I think you already can guess what the crazy idea is about. Am I right? Yes! Its about a Monster Train. Yes! A fucking monster train! Hahaha! The despair in those novels, where they had to fight an unending horde of monsters because somebody else provoked them while running away! I can already imagine the same situation happening in my dungeon! Fufufu! Hahaha! The explanation of how it works is like this. At the start of the dungeon invasion, the Driver is alone. Then, it starts moving randomly through the whole dungeon, and every time it gets close to a Passenger, the Hidden trap activates, releases the Passenger, and it starts following the Driver. Slowly, the Monster Train is built. As more Passengers join the train, they get stronger and stronger! And to make everything even funnier, the train starts moving faster as more Passengers join it, making it even faster to get more Passengers! Fufufu! Hahahaha! Im sure most invading players arent going to find the Monster Train. Unless they enter the dungeon multiple times But once they do! Hahaha! The faces of dread and despair are going to be awesome! Oh, just as a curiosity. To create that many stitched I needed so many corpses Now, of the four Corpse warehouses I have, only one is full. The one that is attached to the Horrific Generator. And see? I told you it was imprescindible that the Driver, the core of the whole Monster Train, was the slowest unit! Because otherwise, the others wont be able to keep up with it! Hahaha! And why did it have to be weak? Because if the invaders somehow manage to spot the Driver and do something to it (like stunning it from a distance or with a trap skill), its easier for it to die if its weak. And once it dies, all the Passengers will start running amok in the dungeon, so theres no way to escape even if the Driver is dead! Hahaha! I keep laughing maniacally in the laboratory. Nearby, the Driver has already spawned and is starting to move. This is the birth of the unstoppable and eternally moving Monster Train. Fufufu! Go! Go and crush everything in your path! Hahahah!
Theres only one thing, ONE THING, that you CANT do anything about. If youre lucky, you might never find it. But If you DO find it, accept death! Yeah, ACCEPT. DEATH. Or surrender! Theres no way to outrun it, kill it, or even hide and survive. What am I talking about, you ask? The MONSTER TRAIN. No explanations needed. - Extract from the Chapter When everything is lost from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 35 - An unwanted name Todays Saturday. Its also the day were going to have our first four-player Dungeon Invasion. Its been a week already since we talked about the idea of creating a four-person team and participating in DMAs tournament. And we had a chance to play together as a three-man team before this time, but Ricard vehemently refused, saying that we would get used to playing in the wrong way and that later it would be worse for the team because we would need to relearn everything. And believe me when I say there was no way to convince him of the opposite. Because both me and Laura tried. But he was so stubborn He kept repeating time after time that itll be better for us to start playing directly with my sister on the team. That would increase our chances to get better at playing together and at winning the tournament. Well get used to things we shouldnt, and then its going to be more difficult to fix those problems. Its better to start as a blank slate! This is what Ricard kept repeating. We then joked about playing only Laura and me, but he got angry at us for it. For the same reason. Why do you care so much!? Its only a game! Well, anyway. The thing is that today were playing together and Im the one in charge of creating the party because Im the only one who has everyone added as friends in the game. So Here I go. First my little sister Clara, LemonPie. Then Laura, A Lil Demoness. And finally Ricard, TheGreatBaldSage I still think that his name is too lame. Is he unable to think of non-lame names? Because both his nickname and The League of Evil are so lame I open the dungeon invasion menu after receiving the games messages saying that the other players joined the team. Now for the dungeon If I remember properly, the name was Everchanging Labyrinth, a dungeon from the Magic Engineers faction. Hmm. Yes, here it is! This too was a dungeon recommended by Ricard. I dont know if he already knows what monsters, traps, etc. the dungeon has or not but if you can rely on him for something, that something is about game stuff. Thats unless he forgets about the most important things. Like forgetting about the dungeons boss, the troll I dont forget to select the units that will come with me. As usual, the Kidnapper is the first to be selected. Since I created the Kidnapper, its been the most important mob during dungeon invasions. But now its a bit ridiculous that I''m still using it to invade dungeons. Because its a Stitched and it''s dumb and quite useless. In fact, the same can be said about the Followers. After this dungeon invasion, Ill need to think about upgrading my minions into something more decent. If only I didnt spend yesterday doing crazy things instead of preparing for today! But I dont regret it a single bit, because the Monster Train was something absolutely indispensable. Something without which I couldnt live anymore! Lets focus, Andreu! Where was I? Oh, yes! Selecting the support mobs. So I pick six Braindead Followers to bring with me, as well as the Kidnapper. The limit has risen to 400 cp now that Im player level four. This is also a reason why I would like to change the mobs. Now I can afford more expensive units. But here I am, still using this garbage! No offense. I say towards the nearest Stitched. It doesn''t seem to be offended, the expression is the same as always, so everythings ok. I dont expect Ill find any units to capture in the dungeon were going to, but Im bringing the Kidnapper anyway. Who knows, I might find something unexpected. Or maybe a critter or two. After confirming the mobs, my vision turns white as usual and I soon find myself in the Everchanging Labyrinth dungeon. Nearby, I can see my two friends and my sister''s Champions. Hello everyone! Long time no see! I joke. Hey there. Good morning. Hello! They answer. I think an introduction is due before we start. Dont you think so? I say while pointing at the stitched behind me. Then, starting with the Kidnapper, I start to give them random names. This here is John and these are Pon, Don, Bon, Ron, Con, and Ton. They are saying: nice to meet you! After my monologue, all of them are looking in my direction with weird expressions on their faces. So how about we start by explaining our champions and what skills each of us has? Completely ignoring me, Ricard starts to talk about our party and champions. Ok. Fine by me. Ugh guys? Hey! What about the introductions? You still need to introduce your minions! Dont be impolite! I took the time to name them all, at least remember their names! Because I already forgot them, you have to remember their names in my place! Ricard continues talking. Oh, I almost forgot. If we dont want to expose our real names later, during the tournament, we better start to get used to calling each other by our nicknames. It seems like the introductions finished before starting. Poor stitched! It must be because youre going to retire soon, so nobody cares about you anymore. Hahaha! My full nicknames TheGreatBaldSage but its too long. The last time I was playing with Andreu he was calling me Oh, then youre Baldy from now on! My sister rudely interrupts Ricard as he talks about his nickname. ... Bald Sage. Wait, what!? BALDY!? Yep, Baldy! B-but youre leaving the most important part out! Youre leaving Sage out! Hmmm? Wasnt the most important part of your nickname Bald? At least thats what I thought We leave it at Baldy! Ok? Its short and funny so I like it. And you can call me Lemon! Theres no need to add the Pie at the end. Hmmm. And for me How about you call me Lily? Oh, using the Lil part of the nickname and turning it into a name. I like it! Mad Rat for me. I dont think theres a need to shorten or change it in any way. I know its not my nickname but my champion name but Im not going to change champions any time soon, so I prefer it. As we decide on the rest of our nicknames, Ricard falls to the floor and starts to talk alone. My awesome nickname has been reduced to Baldy How could this be Hah! Thats godly retribution for giving us the lame name of The League of Evil. You had it coming, hahaha! Ill start! Says Laura enthusiastically. As you know, Ill take the support role in the party. First of all, as a succubus, I have the Charming Eyes skill. Then, I can heal you with the Revitalize skill. Also, you dont need to worry too much about me because I can easily move through the battlefield or avoid traps by using Blink. Then I can bring some extra damage by attacking with the whip or by casting Hellfire. With the Guilty Pleasure and Oppression skills, I can help the team, recover my MP and EP, and deal damage at the same time! I have a little of everything so that I can help wherever the team needs it! Hahaha!
Revitalize - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
Choose another unit within 5 meters and heal it for (5 + 0,5 * SPI) HP.
Upgrades
Persisting Heal: Also heal the unit for (1 + 0,1 * SPI) HP each second for 5 seconds.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Hellfire(Active skill)
Cost: 180 MP, 30 MP per second
Ignite a 10-meter radius area with hellfire. Units inside the area take an initial (10 + SPI) fire damage and an extra (2 + 0,2 * SPI) fire damage each second.
Guilty Pleasure (Passive skill)
When you deal damage with a whip, reduce the damage dealt by 20% but recover 50% of the damage dealt as EP and MP. This skill can only be used if you wield a whip.
Oppression (Triggered skill)
When you attack another unit with a weapon, theres a 10% chance that the unit will be immobilized for 1 second. The chance increases to 20% if your STR stat is higher than the other units CON.
Ill go next. You already know, but Im the spellcaster. I can bring explosive area damage with Chain Lightning and also can stun enemies. Its hard for me to actually kill enemies because of Shared Voltage, but in a team of four, this shouldnt be a problem. I can also bring single-target damage and immobilization with Cold Blast, though it isnt very potent. And if an enemy manages to get into melee range, I can survive a few hits and maybe even manage to stun it or kill it with the Lightning Shield. I can also regenerate MP very fast thanks to the Mana Core skill. Finally, the Maniac and Mana Attuned skills give me an extra 40% damage with spells. The Maniac skill increases all damage and chance to inflict status effects, but also makes me take damage as I cast spells, so I would appreciate it if you keep me alive, Laura. Yeah, nobody wants me killing myself yet another time. Then its my turn now! Im the one in charge of dealing lots of damage to a single target and also continuous damage! My champion, a Hullesh, can extend the tentacles through the Abyss Grasp innate skill, and then use skills that require touch with them. I can self-sustain with the Draining Touch skill, and deal some free damage with the Decaying Touch. Untouchable allows me to deal extra damage with any skill that needs touch, and then with Poisonous touch, I can increase even more the damage that I deal! Finally, with the Mental Corruption skill Im able to deal damage at distance! Or simply more damage! Hahaha! When we finish this dungeon Ill be able to level up my champion to level 4 and give it yet another skill or upgrade one I already have! Im still thinking about which one will be good
Abyss Grasp (Active innate skill)
Cost: 30 EP, 1 EP per second
You extend your tentacles up to 5 meters to grab another unit. You can use skills that require touch through your tentacles. Once a unit is grabbed, you can cancel the skill to detach your tentacle from your body, and the tentacle will stay attached to the unit for the next 10 seconds. Only one unit can be grabbed at a time.
Mental Corruption (Active skill)
Cost: 5 MP per second
Deal (2 + 0,2 * SPI) psychic damage each second to a single enemy. You can use other skills and attack normally while this skill is activated.
Untouchable (Passive skill)
Increase the damage from skills that require touch by (1 + 0,1 * SPI).
Poisonous Touch (Active skill)
Cost: 1 EP and 1 MP per second
Deal (2 + 0,1 * SPI) poison damage each second to an enemy you are touching. You can use other skills and attack normally while this skill is activated.
Hoh sounds like youre going to deal lots of damage just by touching your opponents. And if you stack all of the skills into a single opponent, the damage you deal can be absurdly high! Nice combo there, Clara! Umm sorry Nice combo there, Lemon! I say. Ehehe Thank you! Shall we go then? We dont have all day! With a somewhat annoyed face, Laura asks us if we should start to move. Maybe shes like this because I didnt say anything about her build? Shes jealous? Well, who knows. Yes, lets go! Yes! Having finished talking about our skills, Laura, Clara and I start to walk forward. Hey! Dont leave me alone! And you also need to know about my skills before starting! Oh, Ricard, you were still here? We forgot about you because you were muttering alone in the corner We ignore him and proceed to move forward anyway. I look around as we move. We are in an underground space. I say space because its too regular to be called a tunnel. The walls are smooth and very high, maybe around 10 meters? Also, the passage is wide enough for more than four people walking side by side. Of course, I know this because we are four players and we are walking side by side right now. The floor and even the ceiling are weirdly smooth too. If I had to guess, I would say a magical cube excavated this passage because its too perfect. Theres not a single imperfection anywhere. Umm I dont know about you guys, but dont you think this looks like the typical fantasy labyrinth? If you tell me we are going to fight a minotaur, Ill believe it, you know? Ricard immediately jumps at the opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge. Hahaha, Mad Rat! Dont worry because theres no minotaur here. No, Im not worried about it In fact, Id welcome it because I could capture it and then use the minotaur in my dungeon. Fufufu! A minotaur! Imagine what I could do with one! Hahaha! As I said, no minotaurs here! The closest thing you might find here is a golem with a metal bulls head, hahaha! But its true that this looks like one of those labyrinths. I just hope it doesnt have any weird gimmick like moving walls Baldy, watch out!! W-what!? Whats wrong? Huh, nothing. I just wanted to say it once. And also to stop you from jinxing it by saying unnecessary things. Then dont scare me like this. And dont call me Baldy! Im Bald Sage! I DEMAND that you all call me like this! Ok, Ill call you whatever you want, Baldy. If you say, Bald Sage, Bald Sage Ill call you, Baldy. Huhuhu. Hahaha. While were arguing, I can hear Clara and Laura laughing. They are trying to hold it inside to not anger Ricard more than he already is, but without success. While spouting nonsense like this, I notice that the ground starts to vibrate. Then, a part of the ground starts to rise. Hey Baldy! Watch out! I shout again. This time, it''s a real crisis. Lalala! Im not going to do it unless you tell me by my real name! Lalala! I said stop! STOP already! I shout again. Baldy stop! Thats dangerous!! Finally, after Claras shout, Ricard stops. Then, a few centimeters from his feet, a wall rises from the ground. Its a wall as smooth as those that are surrounding us in every direction. Because you ignored me, you almost ended up on the other side of the wall! What would you do all alone? Hahaha Dont laugh! This was close to ruining our dungeon invasion! And this only happened because you were calling me Baldy! Dont make lame excuses! And Ill keep calling you like this because its easier to say than Bald Sage! I think we already agreed on it. Yep, Baldy is Baldy! Immediately, Clara agrees with me. Im sorry, Ricard. But hes right. Its easier and shorter to say, so its better for when we are in combat. Hahaha! Even Laura agrees. Ricard, you lost this battle. Accept your new nickname already! Also, why the hell did you need to talk about moving walls? I knew you would jinx it! Thats why I tried to stop you, but I was too late. Why did you have to talk about moving walls? Dont you know you were raising a flag there!? Umm Well, if you look at it objectively, the walls were already there. Even if I didnt talk about the moving walls, they would have appeared anyway. Ok just dont jinx anything anymore. Ugh sure. Yeah, Baldy, stop complaining already! And dont jinx anything more. Baldy, try not to jinx things. You almost ended up alone. We were lucky this time, but who knows what might happen next time. Even you, Laura!? Why does nobody take my side!? With his hands raised, Ricard shouts. And tired of his childlike actions, Laura admonishes him. Hey, are you coming or not? Yees, wait for me! Dont leave me alone!
A common trait in most Magic Engineers dungeons is that the dungeon itself is part of the danger. Some have moving walls that confuse your movement, others have falling rocks or big pitfalls. There are even some with moving platforms acting as the ground. One thing is clear, you must assume that what you see isnt what it really is. When in a good Magic Engineers dungeon, the players can feel like the protagonist of certain films, those films where the main character always wears a hat and uses a whip. - Basic DMA knowledge every player should know.
Ch 36 - Suspicious tiny holes Still with a sullen face, Ricard is now walking a few steps behind. There have been a few more wall changes since the first one happened, so Im a little worried about him. Though Im not exactly worried about him. What Im worried about is him ending up on the other side of a wall that could appear between us at any moment. Also youre the tank! Walk in front! How are you going to protect us from behind? So I must play the martyr here and ask a question that should never be asked I havent opened my mouth and Im already regretting my decision *Sigh* Hey there, Baldy. How are you doing? As I look in his direction, I can see him with lowered shoulders. His walking is unsteady, and hes looking at the ground. Maybe he hasnt heard me? Or is he just ignoring me? He doesnt react in any way. Hey! You still there? Still, no answer. Hey, Ricard! Are you ok? ...Yes, I am. After a short delay, he finally answers. Its incredible that he is like this only because of a name. And Im sure that hes going to completely change his attitude after I ask him the question. *Sigh!* Im sooooo going to regret it So you know. You still havent told us about your champion... Can you tell us about your champions build? As if it were a magical spell, when Ricard hears the words champions build, he immediately stops and raises his head. His eyes already gleaming. Oh my god! Please, somebody, save me! A little side note here, Laura also twitches at the magical words champions build, but because of a whole different reason. And that reason is Because she knows whats coming upon us Though she doesn''t try to stop me (or Ricard), so Im sure she takes Ricards feelings into consideration. An instant later, I can feel Ricards champion putting his hand on top of my shoulders. Wait a moment How the hell did you get here so fast!? Did you teleport!? I didnt see you moving at all, and the only one whos supposed to have a teleportation skill is Laura! I shudder. Ricard can be really scary when it comes to this kind of situation. And without further ado, he starts to talk about his champion. Its nice that you asked, my friend! Is it just me or his tone is incredibly annoying right now? And hes right next to my face! I suddenly feel this urge to punch his face As you already know, my champion is the tank of this team. And as such, I have several survival options! Hahaha! Also, Im the one with the highest leveled champion here! First of all, my champion is a Death Knight. With his innate skill, Essense Siphon, I heal every time I deal damage. Now for the other skills! The first one is Weakening Aura, which reduces the damage close enemies deal. Dont worry because it only works on enemies. Hahaha! To save you in case of need, or simply to prevent enemies from attacking you, I have the most classical tank skill: Taunt! Then its the Whirlwind skill to deal lots of area damage in close range, and the Dark Grab skill to deal single target damage and also force an enemy to move right next to me. And for both defense and damage, I have the Frost Shield skill. It works the same as your Lightning shield but can immobilize enemies and it deals ice damage. The only difference is that Ive leveled it to level two so mines better! And finally, I also have the Soul Feast skill, to help with self-sustaining. In this dungeon there are almost no units that count as being alive, so it isnt going to do a lot, but I still keep it because I want everybody to get used to our current builds. Changing skills now and then would defeat the whole purpose. And also to prepare for the tournament, because we wont be able to change skills after registering, so
Taunt - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP, 20 MP
For the next 10 seconds, target non-Champion, non-Boss enemy is going to target you if possible. Can only taunt one enemy at a time and every enemy can only be affected by this skill once every minute.
Upgrades
Dont Ignore Me: Can taunt an enemy again immediately after the skills duration finishes.
Weakening Aura - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Cost: 1 MP per second (cannot be deactivated during combat)
All units within 5 meters of you deal 5% less damage. This skill doesn''t work on allied units.
Upgrades
Increased Weakness: Increase the damage reduction of this skill to 10% and the MP cost by 1.
Whirlwind (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP per second
Deal (5 + 0,5 * STR) physical damage to every unit within 3 meters each second. This skill can only be used if you wield a melee weapon.
Dark Grab (Active skill)
Cost: 100 EP, 100 MP
Deal ( (10 + 0,8 * SPI + 0,8 * SPI) dark damage to an enemy and forcefully move it next to you. Whether you can move or not the target unit depends on that units size and your Strength and Spirit stats.
Frost Shield - Lv 2 (Triggered skill)
Cost: 10 MP per activation
When you receive a melee attack, the attacker takes (5 + 0,5 * SPI) ice damage and theres a 20% chance that the enemy is immobilized for 2 seconds. This skill can only trigger once every 5 seconds against each enemy.
Upgrades
Extreme Cold: Increase the chances to immobilize the attacker to 50%.
After explaining his build, he then starts to talk about every skill in detail. And I mean IN DETAIL. Examples of how to use them in every possible situation, when they can be combined, where they shouldnt be used And after finishing with HIS skills, he starts to talk about OUR skills and how to properly use them! Yeah. I already knew I would regret asking this Somebody, kill me, please! My champion, I mean. Oh, during our dungeon exploration, as Ricard keeps talking alone, we encounter lots of the same kinds of enemies. Theyre called Prototype 1. And by this I mean the name the dungeon owner has given them, like when I called them Braindead Mob. They are weak, slow, and short, just a little over a meter. They kind of remind me of the Stitched, because they too are slow and weak. But the appearance of both units is very different. The enemies look like a lot of junk metal parts put together. Yeah, as if you went to the garbage dump, picked a few random objects, and then glued them together in a vaguely humanoid shape. They arent disgusting, because all of the parts are metallic, but they do look dirty. They arent very strong, if I had to say, they would be as strong as a 100 cp unit. But like most weak enemies, a group of them can be dangerous. What they do have is lots of HP. Enough to survive the damage from a Chain Lightning cast. Finally, after an undetermined amount of time, we find something different from the rest of the dungeon. Until now, the annoying moving walls kept interrupting our path, and we had to retrace our steps several times... Im sure we passed through that one spot where the first wall appeared and almost isolated Ricard more than ten times. How annoying! This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. This is a very long corridor... As Laura just pointed out, this is a very long corridor. About 100 meters? Maybe more? Until now, weve been wandering around, randomly turning when we encountered a split. But its the first time we see a corridor like this one. What do you say? Should we try it? Until now we havent made much progress This might take us out of this labyrinth with moving walls. Or at least lead us to another part of it. Decent reasoning, if I do say myself. Though its from Ricard, the game expert, so it should be expected. But didnt he already know what we would encounter? I decide to ask him to be sure. Hmm Its fine by me. But tell me, Baldy. Didnt you look at the dungeon before coming? Take a look? Oh, you mean read about how the dungeon works? No, I didnt. The best way to improve is to face challenges, so I thought it was better that none of us knew about the dungeons gimmicks beforehand. But I did make sure that the dungeon was rated very highly! Noooooo! My dreams! My dreams of having an easy dungeon dive have gone down the drain! I shout after putting my hands on my head. Dont worry, brother! Ill protect you from any danger! Ahaha Im glad that you want to help me, Clara, but you arent the tank, you know? And I have higher stats than you, so it should be the other way around Dont worry, Andreu I mean, Mad Rat. She cant protect you, but if you are in need, Ill make sure to heal you so you dont die! You cant, Lily! Im the one who will protect my brother! But you arent the tank! Let me heal and protect him in your stead! Nooooo! Ill be the one protecting him Guys, can you stop for a moment, please? Ill protect myself, ok!? Also, the one that should be protecting not only me but everyone is Ricard, so leave him the tanking role and stop fighting! I feel weird. How come its me, the one who usually causes the trouble, the one that must stop the trouble now!? That shouldnt be possible! Hey! Can you stop fooling around!? Annoyed for being ignored and because nobody offered to protect or even heal him, Ricard returns the topic to the original one. So, do we take this corridor or not? As I said, its fine by me. I say. Yeah, I dont care, so lets go! The one that says this can only be my sister. I mean, why are you so carefree? This could be a trap, you know? I dont know It clearly looks like a trap. But also we havent found any other path I think we should risk crossing this corridor even if theres a trap. Otherwise, we might be stuck in this labyrinth forever! The only one taking this decision seriously other than Ricard is Laura. It looks like her experience as GM in TRPGs is showing here. Then, lets go! Says Ricard as he takes the lead. Hes the tank of this party, so if somebody has to get hurt, it should be him. Fufufu! Get hit by all the traps for me so that I dont have to take a single point of damage! Hahaha! It happens when we are around the middle of this long corridor. From Ricards position, we can hear a *Click!* sound. He then turns around with an Im sorry face. Hahaha! It seems the passage was trapped, after all He says. I knew it Angry because of his mistake, Clara bashes him on the head with one of her hand eeeeh tentacles? Well, she bashes him with whatever you call that thing. Baldy! What have you done!? If we die its going to be your fault! Dont blame me! Look, the whole floor is the trigger! It doesnt matter where we stepped, we would have triggered the trap! Oh, wow! Its true. Its almost as nasty as some of my dungeons ideas! But mine are indisputably nastier! And I wont tolerate anybody who says otherwise! At the same time as we blame Ricard, theres a change on the walls on both sides. Small holes have appeared there, and without further delay, something passes near our position. *Swish!* Is that an arrow? No, its too small. It kind of looks like a dart. *Swish!* Another one strikes Laura this time. Huh, the darts have poison, guys. Though the damage is very low so it can be ignored if its only one. But if too many hit one of us It seems like she looked at her status window to see what the darts effects were. The darts are being shot randomly from the holes. Im not sure yet, but it feels like the shooting cadence is increasing over time. Lets run towards the end of this corridor so that we take as few hits as possible! We follow Ricards lead and start running. Hahahaha! Poisoned darts coming from the walls. Who could have guessed it!? I say in a sarcastic tone. As if it wasnt the most cliche trap ever! Hahaha! As if in response to my taunting, the passages floor starts to change too. Soon, the floor is full of small holes, suspiciously similar to the holes in the walls. Dont tell me As I try to complain, *Swish!* a dart strikes me from below. Aaaaah! Why did I have to jinx it!? Fuuuuck! Nows my fault! Why couldn''t I shut up instead of saying unnecessary things!? Luckily, the holes are small enough that they dont disturb our running speed. So even if we are now assaulted from both sides and below, our speed doesnt decrease. The only thing that changed is that now we are taking more hits. Hahaha! Dont worry, brother! At least they arent coming from the ceiling too! Ahaha! NOOOOOOO! Why did you have to say that!? Do you want to jinx it too!? Hmmm Wait a moment I cant see any darts coming from the ceiling So maybe its ok? When Im relieved that Clara didnt jinx it yet again, something strikes my head. I raise my hand to touch it and find something long and pointed. Is this a dart? I could swear there were no darts in my head before Not usually, at least. Aaaaah! They are coming from the ceiling too! Why did you have to say it, Lemon!? Ehehe She only laughs as she sticks her tongue out. A tongue? Did your champion have a tongue? With your horrendous appearance, I would have never guessed. So many tentacles TOO MANY! Maybe that thing is a pink tentacle shaped like a tongue? Then she should be able to stretch it as far as she wants Imagine all the possibilities this gives you! Focus, focus, Andreu! Now isnt the time to think about stupid things! You can think about stupid things later, but you must survive this situation first! Side by side with Ricard as we run, he laughs as I complain to my sister. Hahaha! You know, Mad Rat It could be worse. At least Hmmmf, nnnnmmgh! Luckily, this time Im close enough to forcefully close his mouth shut before he can finish the sentence. What are you doing!? Do you really want to see us all killed!? You already jinxed it once. Do you need to do it again? Ricard is still trying to talk even as Im forcefully closing his mouth. He has an evil expression on his face, Im sure hes trying to take revenge for the nickname and our previous indifference. Hmmm, nmm mmmmfff! Hahaha! Brother, you look anxious. Want me to jinx it again? Hahaha! Nooooooo! Dont do it! Run, you fools! From some distance ahead, Laura admonishes us. She has the Blink skill, so every few seconds she can teleport some distance away. Shes the one whos leading right now. And by a wide margin. If you have spare energy to say stupid things, focus on running instead! Aye, aye, sir! I mean, Madam! I say before I shut up. A short while later, Laura adds something else. Also what about my turn? When do I get the chance to jinx it? NEVER! Dont even joke about it! I shout. Haaaa Haaah This was a little bit too much I say as I look around. What a disaster. About half of our support units have been killed by the poison darts. And the damage we ourselves took isnt negligible either. The one who had it the worst was me because the stitched are so damn slow! From the six Followers and one Kidnapper, only two survived. Of course, one of them is the Kidnapper because it has the Gods Intervention skill. But the true godly intervention was for the other stitched almost not a single poisoned dart hit him. When we reached the end of the corridor, the fucking slowpoke still had a long way to go. I almost couldnt believe my eyes when I saw that close to none of the darts hit the stitched. It looked as if it was twisting space around itself to avoid getting hit. I believe Clara is in a similar situation to me, but I dont even want to look at her mobs if possible, so Im not that sure. And Laura had a few losses, but I think her Imps still have some kind of poison resistance skill from the time she dived into my dungeon because it''s weird so many of them are still alive. Yeah Its thanks to your poisonous mushrooms that they survived. I forgot to swap the skill for another one before coming here. But it turned out to be something good! Hahaha! When she notices Im looking at her minions as I think about something, she confirms what I already suspected. And the one who suffered the least, as expected, is Ricard. I mean, his skeletons are resistant to poison damage and his specters resist any non-elemental damage. So he only lost one skeleton. And the two specters following him its almost as if nothing happened to them at all. By the way, the specters are different from the ones he used last time and have another set of skills. Haaaah! This could have gone better! But we still have a lot of support minions alive, and our HP wasnt reduced that much, so we can still continue! Yeah... Ricards always positive when it comes to games. Here I am, thinking about throwing the towel when he thinks this is only a little setback. We decide to settle down for a while and recover from the trap for one or two minutes. Im sitting on the ground, meditating about very important things. Things like how my little sister sees when her champion has no eyes when a noise catches my attention. *Bip!* Bip? *Bip, bip, bip, bip* What the hells that noise!? Who left the alarm clock activated? I shout as I look toward where the sound is coming from. Its coming from a tiny construct near my foot. The construct is round and has four tiny legs. Its height might be about 20 cm? And its currently shaking uncontrollably as it makes those annoying sounds. Oh, no! Shit! But its already too late. *Booooom!* an explosion hits me and throws me toward the labyrinths wall. Ugh Im not sure why, but I have this deja vu feeling right now Did something like this happen to me before?
A good trap is going to be a lot more memorable than yet another monster fight. Just think about what would fit your dungeon theme, and try to surprise the invading players with ingeniously placed traps. Though you must keep in mind to not put too many traps in your dungeon, especially the very dangerous ones, or the players are going to complain a lot about the dungeon being unfair. - Fifth point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 37 - Spinning destruction What was that explosion? Asks Laura. Clara comes where I am with a worried face. Are you ok, brother? Are you still alive? It was kind of fun, seeing you flying like that! I thought you would make a hole in the wall like in the cartoons! Hehehe! Ughhh. As I rise from the ground, I explain to the others what had just happened. It looks like Im the only one affected Im ok, guys, I just lost a chunk of HP, thats all. The explosion was caused by a small construct that blew itself up. Though I dont know where it came from I think I know what that construct is. Says Ricard. It must be a self-destructing golem. If you say its tiny, it means it isnt very dangerous, but their self-destruct skill still deals a decent amount of damage You can prevent the explosion if you kill it during the activation sequence. But where did it come from? We should have seen it coming I dont know I just heard some annoying bip, bip sounds and when I turned my head, it exploded. Hmm you were sitting there, right? Laura moves to where I was before the explosion and inspects the zone. Yes I think this is why we didnt see it coming. Take a look, guys. Theres a very small tunnel here, in the corner. If you say that construct was about this size it could move through the tunnel and appear right next to you. Huh, I see I understand it now I say. Oh, no Dont tell me It looks like Ricard had a very bad feeling because he starts inspecting the whole area, trying to find something. Are you looking for more of those small tunnels, perhaps? Ummm guys. I have good news and bad news. Which ones would you like first? The good ones first! My sister answers his question without hesitation. The good news is that we definitely are in another part of the dungeon now. Ok. It looks like we had to cross that trapped passage, after all. With a hand on her chin, Laura says what we all are thinking right now. That passage was the connection between the two labyrinth areas. Afraid of what he''s going to say, I resolve to ask. And the bad news? The bad news There are a lot more of those passages throughout this whole area. And I expect it to be the same for a while. So Im more or less sure that were going to find a lot more of those self-destructing golems. Oh, so it was this. It isnt that bad, isnt it? You said we just need to kill them before they explode, were going to be ok. I can imagine what youre thinking right now, Mad Rat. And no, it isnt going to be ok. What are you talking about now? They are sure to be weak, so we can easily kill them Were only going to be ok if only a few of them appear. What if more than 20 come at the same time? And also, there could be stronger enemies in this area. What do you think is going to happen at that time? I dont know... If stronger enemies appear, we wont have the leisure to focus on killing the exploding golems before they self-destruct. Well, now that you explain it it makes kind of sense. Well have to see what happens. Says Laura. But just in case, we shouldnt stay here for a long time. The more time we stay here, the more bomb golems will come. So lets move. *Bip, bip* I kill a golem with a Cold Blast. *Bip* Ricard swings his sword and strikes the closest one. *Bip, bip* He then slashes again and kills another golem that was very close to exploding. *Bip* Laura swings her whip and prevents another explosion. *Bip, bip, bip, bip* *Boooom!* Uuu. I feel useless Because most of my skills are DoTs, I spend too much time killing them and they still explode I dont deal enough damage with basic attacks either... Sullen because she cant kill the self-destructing golems before they explode, my sister is feeling down. Dont worry, Lemon. Ill kill all of those enemies that you cant kill with my spells. Cheer up! Your super-brother will protect you! Hahaha! I pat my little sister while saying these words. Its kind of disgusting. I can feel a slimy substance on my hand. And also Im sure my movements feel awkward for her because I have a hard time looking in her champions direction, so most of the time Im looking elsewhere. Note to myself: cut, burn and purify my hand after this. Ehehe! Ok! Ill count on you! And when a strong enemy comes, itll be my turn to protect you! Hehehe! It looks like my words were effective and she cheered up. Hahaha! These kinds of situations make me feel both proud and happy. When I turn my head, I can see Ricard staring at us well, at me, as if he were trying to curse me. What!? What did I do now!? Why are you looking at me like this? Continuously assaulted by more self-destructing golems, we continue to move forward. We didnt expect this, but this part of the dungeon also has moving walls. And its even more annoying than before because we are distracted by the exploding golems There were two times when one of us almost got isolated because of a suddenly rising wall. There are so many bomb golems that some of them manage to explode before we can kill them. Theres already been two support unit deaths: one skeleton and one imp. And that isnt everything. Because there are also more of those Prototype 1 golems. They are the same as before: weak and slow. But because of their very high HP, we cant kill them fast enough so we are taking some damage. Thats because we prioritize the exploding golems, of course. Its better to take one or two hits from an enemy that deals around 10 damage than taking the damage from an explosion that deals around 100. Slowly but surely, we are getting exhausted. Though similar, this part of the dungeon is a lot more dangerous than the first one. We are still doing fine, but As Ricard already predicted, the real problem comes when we find the first really strong golem in this dungeon. Prototype 2. It must be a lot stronger than the others. With her mouth hanging open, Clara comments on the new enemy. It must be her first time seeing an enemy this big. Usually, you dive into dungeons with the same player level as yours, and enemies that big are rarely seen in dungeons below player level 5 or 6. Hmmm I dont know about you, guys. But if Prototype 1 is that little golem and Prototype 2 is this one, I CERTAINLY dont want to encounter Prototype 3. Yeah as Laura just said, this Prototype 2 is about three meters tall. It kind of reminds me of that troll. Except that its made of metal and stone instead of flesh. If Prototype 3 is this big compared to Prototype 2 as Prototype 2 is compared to Prototype 1 Its going to be a building-sized golem. With arms bigger than our entire bodies! I also dont want to encounter it Leave this one to me! Finally, a chance for my super tank skills to shine! Hahaha! Take care of the little bombs during this time! Yeeees! Im finally going to be useful! Brother, look at me! Im going to reduce that big golem to a deformed mass of steel! Its my time to show how good I can be! Pat me again after I crush it, ok? Yeah, sure. Go ahead and keep it busy. Well keep the suicide squad at bay, right Lily? Yes! But dont relax yet Mad Rat. We still dont know what the giant golem is capable of. Maybe theyre going to need our help. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The Prototype 2 is staying completely immobile. Maybe waiting for us to get closer? My doubts are confirmed when Ricard, the first to rush at him, reaches the 10 meter range and the golem starts to move. First, a red light appears in the golems eyes, and then the light courses through its whole body, as if it was blood coursing through its veins. With a *Creeek!* sound, its joints slowly move. It feels as if its been a long time since the golem last moved. Ricard takes the time it takes for the golem to fully awake as an opportunity, getting close to it and hitting it a few times with melee attacks. But this actually turns out to be a bad idea because of what the golem does immediately after fully awakening. With a *Clack!* noise, part of the golems waist changes shape, and the golems upper torso starts to rotate. With its gigantic arms spread open, it starts to move forward as the rotating speed increases. Be careful! I try to warn Ricard, but its already too late by the time he notices the golems actions. He was too engrossed in attacking with his sword. Shit! Dont focus only on your attacks, you dumbass! As the arms rotate, one of them perfectly strikes Ricard and throws him far away. Even from this distance, I can see a huge chunk of his HP disappearing because of the damage he took from that single hit. If this was all, it could have been ok. But the real problem is what happens later. The place where Ricard lands is close to a group of exploding golems. And they immediately start the explosion countdown. *Bip, bip* *Bip* *Bip* *Bip, bip* Without thinking, I immediately cast a Chain Lightning towards the enemies surrounding him, quickly leaving them with 1 HP and stunned. But I didnt think about one thing. A very important and crucial thing. The damn self-exploding skill doesn''t deactivate unless they die. So now they are stunned, but the countdown keeps ticking. Only those that got stunned before activating the skill arent going to explode because they cant activate it while stunned. I know this because we tried what happened before though I didnt remember about it at the most critical moment. *Bip, bip* *Bip* Shit! Lily, help me! We must save Baldy! Laura turns around at my words and starts attacking the bomb golems at the same time as I cast a few Cold Blasts. Shes biting her lower lip, agonizing about something. Im sure its about whether she should use Hellfire to kill them or not. Because if she uses Hellfire here, Ricard is going to take the damage too. In the end, she decides to not use it, hoping that Ricard will recover his senses before its too late. Though we arent fast enough to kill all of them, a few still explode before we can kill them. *Bip, bip, Booooom!* *Bip, Booooom!* One after another, the remaining little golems explode. Oh, no! We were too late! He got done in by the explosions! He was a good guy sometimes. Why is it always the (only sometimes) good guys who are the first to leave us!? I say to nobody in particular, while I feign to cry. Hahahaha! Dont worry! I wont be done in like this! Hahaha! Im so sad that I can still hear him. Hahahaha! See? I hear his laughing voice even after his death Maybe I can hear the voice of the dead now? From the smoke, I can see a silhouette appearing. Whoever it is, it has deathly pale skin and shining blue eyes Aaaaah! He returned from death as an undead! You didnt tell us about that skill, didnt you!? No, wait! What are you saying, Andreu! He was an undead from the beginning! Surrounding Ricard, there are a lot of the bomb golems'' corpses. Some of them blew themselves up, but most of them are split in half. He must have killed them with the Whirlwind skill before they exploded. Im sorry for worrying you, but I was stunned for a while after receiving the golems attack. I couldnt talk or use Whirlwind to kill them *Bip, bip, Booooom!* You are supposed to be the one to protect us, not the other way around! So stop making mistakes during combat and actually look at what the enemies are doing! *Bip, bip* *Booooom!* *Bip* *Booooom!* While we were saving Ricard, the battle situation was getting worse. Bomb golems keep exploding here and there, and our units are suffering because theres no champion protecting or helping them. Brother, watch out! What!? I turn to look toward my sister, but I only see a wall getting close. Hmmm why is a wall moving? Gofu.! As Im flying through the air, I get a perfect view of the giant golem, Prototype 2, running toward where me, Laura, and Ricard were just a second before. I can also perfectly see the destruction the giant golem causes as he moves forward. With his arms still spinning, he hits and sends flying everything in its path. Since the first one was me, I can see the golem sending Laura flying. Hehe, now we are in the same situation. And also Ricard a second later. Its already your second time, Ricard. You must be enjoying this because you wanted to repeat the experience... A lot of the bomb golems are also sent flying. And they arent as lucky as us, because a single hit is enough to kill them. After Prototype 2s wake, theres a rain of wreckage and debris falling to the ground. Oooh, shit. This is going to cost us very much. Maybe well have to stop the invasion here I think while flying. The last remaining Braindead Follower and a few other support units were also caught in the golems destructive path. Yeah, I have a lot of time because it''s a veeeery long flight. I finally land and see that Im not stunned, unlike Ricard the first time. Am I lucky? Or is he unlucky? Finally, after so much destruction and devastation, Prototype 2 stops spinning and starts attacking normally. He smashes an imp, followed by a skeleton. Clara is damaging the golem, but it still ignores her and continues to kill our support units. Stop killing my cute babies, you brute! She shouts. Taunt! Finally, Ricard decides to do something useful and actually work as the tank hes supposed to be. Immediately after he uses Taunt, the golem turns around and rushes at him. Now lets return to our original strategy! Baldy and Lemon attack the giant golem while Mad Rat and I kill the bomb golems before they can explode! And dont mess it up again, Baldy, or its me whos gonna kill you, UNDERSTOOD!? Ooooh, how scary. An angry Laura appeared! But how are you going to kill him? Hes already an undead. So are you going to resurrect him first, so that you can kill him later? Or does resurrection already count as killing an undead? So you can leave him alive and it would count as having killed him? You know? These kinds of questions give me many sleepless nights. After the epic failure at the start, the rest of the combat goes well enough. The golem keeps attacking Ricard in melee, but as the tank of the team, he can hold his own. And when things turn complicated, he just needs to use Taunt to prevent another catastrophe. Most of the damage is dealt by Clara with her DoT skills. I mean, just look at the golems HP! Its continuously decreasing! The golem activates the spinning destruction two more times during the fight. But since we already knew about it, its easy to prevent the destruction the golem caused the first time. And by easy, I mean that Ricard only needs to use Taunt and then start running like crazy so that the golem doesn''t get close to him. Run! Run, you little corpse! Dont get squashed by the big golem! Hahaha! Meanwhile, Laura and I keep the small exploding golems away. By the end of the fight, I think that Prototype 2 actually killed more bomb golems than the two of us together. Mostly because of his uncontrollable spinning tornado of death, which hits everyone in the path indiscriminately. Hahaha! Thank you for helping us! Thanks to your spinning attacks, we had an easier time than we should! Though even with Prototype 2s assistance, its very difficult to kill them all on time So a few of them manage to explode during the combat. As Prototype 2s HP reaches 0, it starts crumbling away. First, its right arm detaches, then it falls to the ground because the left side now weighs more. When it touches the ground, cracks spread from the impact point until its whole body falls apart. Only a pile of metal rubble remains in that spot. We decide to take a rest after the fight. It looks like there was a need to kill Prototype 2 to stop the self-exploding golems because since we defeated it, no more small golems have appeared. A good thing at last! Im sure this was a key monster and killing it was the condition to stop the labyrinth from creating more bomb golems. It was too strong to be a normal monster. Maybe well find a few bomb golems later, but Im sure its going to be a lot less than until now. Says Ricard. Lets take this chance to rest for a while. I dont know you, but Im tired as hell from running so much. Key monsters are monsters that change something in the dungeon when defeated, like opening a dungeon door, deactivating a trap, etc. If what Ricard says is true, Prototype 2 was a key monster, and defeating it stopped the dungeon from creating more self-exploding golems. Hahaha, you always get tired by running around like a headless chicken! I taunt him. Hey! Dont be stupid! Next time you can be the one getting targeted and running all the time if you find it so funny! No, no! Im sorry! Please spare me from that! Ill never laugh at you again for running so much, I promise! I say with a smile on my face. But then I add in a lower tone so that he doesn''t hear. Thats until next time, of course. Its too funny to see you running away from a giant enemy to avoid being crushed! Hahaha!
The thing I hate the most in dungeons? Thats an easy question. What I hate the most is encountering a dungeon that has key monsters that only make you waste time. The worst of them all, and by far, was that time when we had to find a small and invisible monster and kill it to open the door to continue the dungeon exploration. Why the hell do you think this is enjoyable!? The only thing you get for putting key monsters like that is a low rating! Key monsters should never be used like this! They can be used to give the invaders a bonus if they find and kill the key monster or to block a door until you find and defeat the three strong monsters, for example. And not just to make people angry because they are wasting time searching for a stupid monster that is only hiding! - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 38 - The silver wave After a short rest, we have recovered all, or at least most, of our EP and MP. And also a little bit of HP. Ricard stands up and stretches. What do you say? Should we start moving? I dont know you, but I would like to finish this dungeon today, if possible. Fine by me. I already recovered all my MP a long time ago. I answer. With the Mana Core skill, I can quickly recover all my MP. The problem is that my EP suffers a lot more because of it. But after the rest, Im about 3/4 of my maximum EP, so Im fine to go. Ok, lets go. Just do me a favor and do your job properly if we find another Prototype 2. Or any other strong monster that needs tanking. If you make a stupid mistake like in the previous fight, Im not going to fight with you in the tournament, ok, Baldy? As a punishment. Yeah Do you know how hard it was to try and stop the Prototype 2 alone when you were launched away? Ahaha Please, Lily, dont leave the team! I promise Ill do it properly from now on! After all, Im the senior here, so I must show you how good I am. Its just that I made a little mistake in the last fight Little mistake!? While Laura and Clara are complaining to Ricard about what happened last fight, I look around. Two skeletons, two specters, three imps, two I dont want to look there, but there are two of those cute aberrations, and the Kidnapper. The rest of our support units have been killed by the poison darts or the explosions. The two specters are still doing incredibly well because all the traps and attacks have been physical until now. But Im sure they are going to have trouble if we find any trap that deals magical damage. ... so if you lick my tentacles while calling me Master, Ill forgive you. Yeah I think its time to intervene in their conversation. Before things turn even weirder than what I just heard. Lemon! I admonish her. Stop spouting nonsense and leave Baldy alone. Im sure he has already reflected on his mistake Am I right? I look directly at Ricards eyes with an angry face. He looks back with an apologetic look mixed with gratitude. Yeah, I just saved you there, so you should be grateful. Y-yes! I-i-i have reflected on it! Im going to do my job properly starting now. Everyones ready, so after that slightly perturbing conversation, we continue our Dungeon Invasion. Hey, this room kind of reminds me of that trapped passage, dont you think? I ask. It sure does And Im almost sure its also trapped. The question is what kind of trap its going to have Says Laura. With a hand on his chin, Ricard opens his mouth. I cant say about the trap, but it looks like every area in this dungeon is connected by one of these trapped rooms. Im sure its the only way forward, so we must enter it even if we know its going to have a trap. Hehehe! What will it be? Is it going to have a trap or not? And what kind of trap? I cant wait to see it! Hmm why are you so excited about a trap, Lemon? Shouldnt you be anxious or scared instead? Or indifferent. Who gets excited about a trap? Definitely not a normal person. Because it could be my time to shine! Ive done very little so far and I want to be more useful to you, brother! Huh. Ok. Good luck. I shouldnt have asked. Also, you did well enough with the Prototype 2, without you the fight would have lasted a lot more Then pat me as a reward! Hehehe! .....ugh. Ok Yeah, I definitely should have shut my mouth. Slimy and disgusting tentacles, here goes my hand Uuugh, gross! Ricard looks at us as if looking at the weirdest thing ever, and when I touch her head (made of tentacles) both I and he shudder at the same time. Hey, do you want to touch it too? Its a very special feeling. You should try once! N-no thanks! I-im fine like this! Owww, too scared? Hahaha! I can see you shivering. Not that Im enjoying this, but real friends are for sharing bad times, right? Then Ill do it! I am curious about how it feels. Says Laura. Nooooo! You cant! Only my brother can pat my head! Come on! Its only a touch! Come here for a moment! Aaaaah! Brother! Protect me from her evil clutches! Says Clara as she hides behind me. Muahahaha! Come here you little abomination! After I finish with you, youll never want to leave my side! Hahaha! Laura starts wiggling her fingers in a very perturbing way, extending them towards Clara. Then, she starts chasing Clara, both of them doing rounds around me. Aaaaaaaagh! Brother, save me! Just a little touch! I promise! Laura finally catches Clara and starts to rub her tentacles everywhere. Shes only tentacles, so there are a lot of places to touch. Noooooooo! Dont touch me! Ricard stares at me as if saying do something already. *Sigh* Ok, Ill stop them Can you stop fooling around already!? I shout. And I mean both of you! Hahaha! Im sorry, her reactions were too funny and I couldnt stop myself With one hand scratching her head, Laura tries to apologize. Well, it doesn''t sound like an apology to me You, you YOU! Ill remember this! Lemon, I said stop already! I admonish her again. Its weird because Im sure shes now pouting, but I cant see her expression because she has no face, only tentacles. Uaaaah! Brother, it was so disgusting! She comes to me, feigning to cry. She then hugs me and puts my hand on her head, yet again. What do you mean by disgusting!? Its you who feels disgusting, so dont cling to me! Hey, hey, its ok now She wont do it again, right? I glare at Laura, and she nods. See? She wont do it again. Well, Im going forward. If you want to follow, stop whatever youre doing and follow me. Tired of everything, Ricard enters the clearly suspicious room without waiting for us. Yes! Were coming! I say. its a little hard to walk with my sister still clinging to me and glaring at Laura all the time. The suspicious room isnt that big, maybe around 20 meters on each side. The weird thing is that it has only one door, the entrance. How are we going to continue if it only has one door? This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Theres also a clearly suspicious lever at the end of the room. This can either be to open a secret door or to activate the trap. Or both things. As we look around, trying to find any other clue, Clara takes this chance to get near the lever and immediately pulls it down. Done! I pulled it! What have you done!? We first had to look around for any clues As Ricard tries to admonish my little sister, something happens to the room. First, the whole room trembles for a second. And then we find ourselves floating in the air, followed by a falling sensation. When we reach the ground, I look upwards to see how far we fell. I can see the door we used to enter the room very far away it looks like the fall was quite high. The ground broke down! Hahaha! This is funny, lets try it again! Says my sister. Shit! Now we cant go back! Thats why I told you we first had to look around for clues! Its Laura the one who answers Ricards angry shouts. Hey, calm down, we had to activate it anyway because it was the only clue we had to continue this dungeon. The question is what we do now. Guys, it looks like this wasnt the end of this trap. I warn them after noticing something very important. Around the same height as the door, several big pipes are starting to release water inside the room. And another door has now opened, at floor level, right next to our position. Now it''s getting flooded. If we want to go back, we only need to wait for the water level to reach the first door. Or we could also try this new door. As I finish talking, something the size of a big dog falls from one of the pipes. It looks like a fish with a metallic sheen. Theres a name on top of it that says Protofish. Does the owner of this dungeon have some kind of obsession with the word Prototype? Because the basic golems were called Prototype 1, the big one Prototype 2, and now the fucking metallic fishes are called Protofish. Even the small self-exploding golems were called Protobomb! Is it a kink? Or is the owner really THAT bad at naming the monsters he or she creates!? Attack it! We immediately jump towards the fish and attack with everything we have. Its kind of fun because the water level hasnt risen a lot yet, so the fish can only flop around without doing anything. After the fight, Ricard analyzes the situation. This was easy, but they are a lot stronger than the Prototype 1 we have been fighting until now. If more of them appear when the room is filled with water, were going to have a lot of trouble. I suggest we continue through the new door. I agree. Also, if we wait for the room to fill with water to go back through the same door, were only going to be stuck again. What Laura says makes kind of sense too. I dont mind! Ill do whatever you choose, brother! Then lets enter this new tunnel. An idea comes to me at this moment. Also, Ill take the back because Im the best at stopping large numbers of enemies. If we assume more Protofishes are going to drop as the dungeon floods, then they are all going to go after us. So we better have a countermeasure prepared. This part of the dungeon is again similar to the previous ones, where the walls changed over time. Only this time there are no Prototype 1 golems and instead, only Protofishes appear, most of them coming from behind. Slowly, the water level rises and the labyrinth is flooded. After two minutes, the water reaches our knees, and after another five, we are forced to swim. In DMA, the only difference between being inside water or not is the speed at which you move. You can walk and run normally on the ground but at a lower speed, or spend a lot of extra EP to swim, also at a lower speed. There are no problems with oxygen because the game owners didnt want to punish players too much. I believe this was implemented like this because they wanted to allow players to create any type of dungeon, and at the same time allow enemy invaders from all factions to come inside without too much of a drawback. Also, if the unit is specialized for swimming, then it can move at normal speed and doesnt waste extra EP for swimming. In exchange, it then has trouble moving when theres no water. Thats why the fish was only flopping when the water level was too low. They are so specialized in swimming that they cant do anything at all when outside the water! They are like a fish out of water, hahaha! But in exchange, they can freely move when in water and are one of the fastest units in it. Of course, there are amphibious units too, but then they receive half the penalties from both sides, so they are only really suited for dungeons that have both water and ground one next to each other. Hey, I know I said I would keep the back safe, but I think I would appreciate a little bit of help with killing them! I shout, to make sure all of them hear me. Right now I look behind me. Yeah, it looks terrible. Let me explain what happens and how the situation turned out like this. In the beginning, only one or two Protofishes were following us, so I defeated them with Cold Blasts or some staff attacks if they got too close. But after the tunnels got full of water, more and more Protofishes came and I couldnt stop them without using Chain Lightning. The problem is that Chain Lightning doesnt actually kill them because of the Shared Voltage skill. So slowly but surely, the number of Protofishes following us increased because they accumulated. And right now it has reached a point where its absurdly ridiculous. The whole tunnel is full-packed with Protofishes. And I mean THE WHOLE TUNNEL. They are one next to each other and theres not a single water spot that my eyes can see. Only fishes. Fishes everywhere! And because they are metallic, they look as if instead of water it was a mercury sea. Because the water hasnt yet reached our head level, I can see the situation from above the water, and I cant see the end of the fish mass anymore. They reach all the way to the next labyrinth turn. The fun thing is that I can actually keep them at bay easier like this, because every time I cast Chain Lightning all of them get stunned at the same time, and then block the newcomers because the whole passage is packed with the stunned ones. Or I can just let one of them attack me so that Lightning Shield activates and the stun chain created by Shared Voltage starts again. They dont deal that much damage with one attack, so its ok. And also, I dont want to spend too much MP, because I could kill myself with the Maniac skill, so Im letting them hit me with basic attacks more and more so that the Lightning Shield triggers, and I save MP. And also HP, because I take less damage from a basic attack than the HP I lose when casting Chain Lightning. The lightning never stops jumping until all Protofishes are stunned thanks to the increase in damage that the Battery upgrade provides on every jump. From my perspective, it looks like a lightning wave that moves forward while stunning everything in its path. But the situation is too ridiculous. Just look at the fish wall! We definitely cant go back anymore theres an artificial wall behind us. Also, we arent getting any cp from killing them because well, obviously, they dont die. I can see their HP bars and, except the newcomers, all of them must have 1 HP only, so only one area spell and they all are going to die. Hahahaha! What did you do, brother!? Its so fun to see so many of them stunned at the same time! Just look at their mouths, which keep opening and closing! And their eyes! They angrily look in our direction but cant actually reach us! Hahaha! While talking, Clara tries to put her finger ugh tentacle? inside the mouth of one of the fishes. Please, Clara, stop behaving like a kid already! Uaah! It bites! Thats what you get for fooling around. Its quite an impressive view. Says Laura. So, do you want to kill all of them? Nah, in fact, its easy to keep them at bay if theres enough of them. Just kill the front ones every now and then, and it will be better. We get extra cp and still be safe from them. Goood! Gooood! The cp reward from this dungeon is going to be incredibly high! Hahaha! Ricard starts to talk alone as he rubs his hands together. It looks like seeing so many enemies getting killed has activated his roleplaying mode. Theyre going to be a good boost to my undead legions! Though its a shame that they are constructs and I cant obtain any souls from them! Hahahaha! Just die and become my cp! I turn towards Laura and Clara. Lets leave him alone and continue the dungeon exploration, ok? Ok. Just let me cast Hellfire once more. Hahaha! Bye, bye, Baldy! Hahaha! Wait for me! I think this might be the end of this fish area. Laura is pointing at a metallic ladder in front of us. And if things go like the past two times, after we climb the ladder were going to find another trap room and behind it the next labyrinth area. I think so too. I say. So the time has come, huh? The time to abandon this perfect place to farm cp What a shame! If only we could stay here some more time Maybe around two full days? What do you say? We wont, ok,? Also, what are you complaining about, Baldy!? It was me and Lily who did all the work. Youre only sponging off our kills! Hahaha! Dont be like this! What are friends for if not for sharing the benefits? You dare! You only talk about friendship when its beneficial for you! Stop spouting bullshit already and focus! Laura hits Ricards head. We need all our focus for the next room, assuming its going to be trapped too. Hey, Lily! You didnt need to hit me! I was going to stop on my own! As we climb the ladder, I and Laura finish all the remaining Protofishes for the extra cp. Seen from above, the whole area looks like a metallic sea. Theres not a single spot in the whole area where normal water can be seen. Its a little ridiculous, dont you think? We had it easy thanks to my build, but what do normal invaders do against so many fishes? Or its just that it looks more dangerous than it is because they are all clumped together? Who knows I certainly dont. Now, what will the next trap area be?
You should create a balanced party when invading dungeons with other players. A lot of players only think about skills that help them defeat the boss monsters and dont consider any other aspect. Whats the good part of being able to kill a boss in under a minute, if you die when being swarmed by multiple weak enemies before you can reach it? - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 39 - You did it on purpose! After we climb the metallic ladder, we find ourselves at the entrance of another big room. The ceiling isnt too high, but the room is both wide and long. Maybe 50 meters on each side. And the whole floor is covered in black and white tiles. But what catches my attention are the columns that fill the whole room. Yeah, the columns. They arent too wide, but theres a whole lot of them and all of them have holes the size of a fist in several places. That isnt suspicious at all! Im sure those holes dont have anything to do with this rooms traps! Hahaha! I say in a sarcastic tone. Huh? What do you mean, brother? What happens with those holes? Clara are you saying this because you really dont understand or are you just trying to make a fool of me? Hmm suspicious. As suspicious as the columns and their holes They are suspicious. Too suspicious. Adds Laura. Im sure the trap in this room is related to those holes The question is what are they going to do. Well, theres only one way to find out, so let me test if something happens. Wait a moment, you fool! Before Ricard makes his first step, Laura catches him and forces him to stay put. Do you want to repeat your previous mistakes? We have support mobs for a reason! We can just send one of them and see what happens! Ahaha I almost did something stupid, didnt I? Yeah, you did! So stop fooling around already! Werent you the one who was supposed to take this seriously because you want to try to win the tournament!? I wont believe what you say anymore! In the flooded labyrinth we didnt lose any support unit thanks to my epic stunning lightning chains. I think we can afford to lose one here to prevent one of us from taking damage. Or be killed. Or whatever this trap is going to do. Good idea! But I only have the Kidnapper left, and I would like to keep it alive if possible, just in case theres something to capture later on, so please use one of yours. Hahaha! It looks like my time to shine has come! I can use one of my skeletons for this job. We all agree to send one of Ricards skeletons into the room. After it receives the order from Ricard, the skeleton starts to move forward. The skeleton takes one step, two For now, nothing happens. But when it makes the fourth one, we hear a *click* sound. Immediately after, from one hole, a burst of fire is released and it burns the skeleton. The fire covers a decent area around the skeleton, but it doesnt last too long, spewing fire for about two seconds only. Aha! I knew it! I knew the holes were suspicious! See? I was right! Yeah, you were right. Laura mocks me for my reaction. As if you were the only one who knew they were obviously part of the trap! So Baldy, how much damage did the skeleton take? Oh! Uh It looks like its only 10 damage, but Fuck! Its fire damage! If it hits the specters, they are going to die easily! Of course, its fire damage! Didnt you see the fucking flamethrower? What did you think it was? Confetti painted orange and red!? Oh, yes. Im calling them flamethrowers because they work and look like one. I did see it, ok!? Also, they arent flamethrowers, theyre called Fire Launchers. Its a trap common for a lot of factions. Who cares about their official name? They throw fire, so they are flamethrowers. Y-you! Why are you always like this!? If the game developers gave them that name, you HAVE TO call them by that name So the holes release fire and the triggers are some of the floors tiles This is going to be difficult. Maybe we can only hope to get lucky and try to remember which tiles activate the traps. Laura completely ignores us and starts thinking about a plan. Hey, if its just memorizing, I can try it! Ive always been good at things like this! Brother! Its finally my time to shine! Ill bring you out of here without any trouble! Hahaha! Huh? I stop arguing with Ricard. I heard Clara calling me. What were they talking about? something about remembering the tiles that activate the flamethrowers, right? Well, why not. Youve always been good at remembering things like this. Im sure were going to have less trouble that way. Yeees! Ill show you! Hehehe! After deciding on the plan, we proceed to implement it. One of us walks a few steps in front of everybody else, and the rest follow from behind. We keep alternating between ourselves and our support mobs to take the lead because we dont want any of us to be severely damaged, or worse: killed. Slowly but surely, we cross the room. That is until Ricard, taking the lead, stops moving after we hear an impact noise. Huh guys. It looks like theres a glass wall here. I cant continue moving forward. We try to break it by attacking and casting spells, but it doesnt budge. After a few tests, Ricard informs us. It looks like its part of the terrain. This means it wont break with anything we do You can consider it as indestructible, the same that happens with the dungeon walls and floors. Shit! Then, what are we going to do? The wall is so perfect that it cant be seen unless you are very close! Im sure there are a lot more of these walls inside the room! Aaaagh! Why couldnt it be more stupid fishes instead of this invisible maze!? Clara comes close to me and pats me on my back. Hey, dont worry, brother! I remember every trap until here (I think) so it isnt a big problem! We just have to find another way around the wall! If you say it like this, it sure sounds easy. Though I didnt like the I think part After all, there MUST always be a path from the entrance to the dungeon core, so Im sure we will find another way around the room. What Im not confident about is not dying before finding the path Well, lets try it! Following the new plan, we try to find the rooms exit. We find several more glass walls, but with my sisters assistance we avoid those tiles we already knew had traps, so we dont have a very hard experience. Well, I lied. We avoid MOST of the traps we already activated once. Hey! You told me that tile was safe! Im sorry! I got it wrong But I remembered a lot more than you, so dont complain! Laura complains to Clara because she told her the wrong tile to step on. Are you sure? Because its kind of suspicious that its mostly me who steps on the wrong tiles. W-what are you saying? Are you implying Im a liar? If youre not, then how come Mad Rat hasnt stepped into a single wrong tile yet?? Are you making me step on them on purpose? Thats because I put more effort into it because I dont want my brother to take damage because of me. But, when it comes to you I dont care that much. Hehehe! Y-you With an angry face, Laura glares at Clara. Im not sure what face my sister is making right now because well, she doesnt have a face. Only a bunch of tentacles there. Ricard and I exchange a look, followed by a nod, and silently agree on not interfering with their argument unless it gets out of control. Theres no need to put ourselves in danger here. So Lily, do you remember if this next tile is a trap or not? After so many times changing direction, I cant remember all of them properly anymore Oh, that one? That one is safe, Im sure of it. Thank you! My sister then steps on the tile, we hear a *click* sound and she gets burned. Fufufu Aaaaagh! I know you did it on purpose! The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. What are you saying!? I promise you I was mistaken and havent lied to you! As if I would believe your words when you cant look at my eyes when saying it! Silently, I and Ricard keep following them from behind. This, that, and the next one are safe. Huh are you telling the truth? With hesitation, Laura steps on the first one. Nothing happens, so she believes in Claras words and steps on the second. But at the third one, another *click* can be heard and a burst of fire reaches her. AAAAAAAAAAH! Why do you keep making me step on them!? You touched me everywhere before, so Im just making sure justice is applied. You call this justice!? I was only joking! But you are actually trying to kill me here! Well, trying to kill my champion, but its almost the same! Owww, dont complain that much! You have Blink, so you can use it to avoid the fire when you want. It isnt that big of a deal. Thats true. But it still costs MP, so I cant use it every time. And also, its YOUR job to remember what tiles are dangerous, so do your job properly and stop lying! Ok Ill stop lying about the traps Im sorry Step on that one, its a safe one. Hmmm Why couldnt you behave properly from the beginning? *click* Aaaagh! Im going to kill you! Ahahaha! You fell for it! Hahaha! How na?ve! Arent you supposed to be the older one? Hahaha! From behind the arguing pair, Ricard and I are watching while they fool around. Ricard opens his mouth. Hey, do you think we should stop them before it gets too serious? do you really want to intervene in THAT? Laura and Clara are now starting to get physical. Clara is grabbing and pulling on Lauras succubus boobs with her tentacles, and Laura is pulling Claras hair huh, I mean tentacles. Though they do kind of look like hair for some stupid reason I dont understand (and dont want to). ...I think itll be better if we dont. Wise words, my friend. Wise words. Hahaha! Yes! Praise me more! You can also call me Sage from now on! Shit! I praised him without thinking and now Im going to regret it! Exhausted, we finally reach the end of this damned fucking trap room. I hate it so much right now! My heads going to explode from hearing my sister and Laura argue the whole time. This, and Ricards ramblings after he got excited when I praised him. Future me, I have a very important job for you. Its also very simple, but I promise you that if you dont do it, Im going to kill you. You must NEVER praise Ricard again! And absolutely never call him wise another time! We didnt get too many losses. In fact, only one of Ricards specters died. They have high physical resistances but have low HP in exchange, and because they fly, they got struck by more flamethrowers than they should if they were at ground level. Hahaha! Flying isnt always an advantage! Also, there were no mobs they could drain, so they couldnt recover the HP lost to the traps. All of us also took some damage, but the worst ones are, obviously, Laura and Clara. Because this is a game, their champions dont look affected at all, they dont have burns or charred clothes. But after taking the damage from so many traps, they have low HP right now. Ill NEVER believe in you again! Hmpf! As if it was my fault! Youre the one who started it all!! Heeeeey! Both of you stop already! Its time to focus on the dungeon exploration again! I try to pacify them, to no avail. But at least I do manage to stop them from arguing anymore. We continue moving after a short break. This part of the labyrinth also has moving walls and Prototype 1 mobs. But theres a distinct difference between this part and the previous ones. Its a quality difference. Not long after reaching the new zone, we encounter a Prototype 2. We already know how to fight against it, so this fight is a lot easier than the first one. But then we encounter another one not too long after the first It looks like they are considered normal mobs in this area. Dont you think the difficulty increased too much? After I ask the question, Ricard takes this chance to show his wide game knowledge. Maybe you can say it has. But if you look properly, these golems arent as strong as the first one, we know how to fight against them, and also we dont have bomb golems obstructing us, so its actually a lot easier. Now that you say it, it does feel easier. We havent taken that much damage even after fighting against several Prototype 2 golems. Everything is going smoothly until Clara, who for some unknown reason is going first, looks around a corner and immediately starts running in our direction. Aaaah! Somebody kill that thing! Huh? What are you talking about? But I dont have time to think because following her, a 2-meter golem shows itself, chasing her. On its head, it says Giant Protobomb, and it looks exactly the same as the small bomb golems except that it''s ten times their size. *Bip, bip!* With a sound a lot louder than the smaller versions, the giant bomb golem rushes in our direction. Shit! Why is it so big!? I complain while running away. Do you think we can kill it before it explodes? I dont think so Answers Ricard. But maybe we can distract it with one of our mobs. Ill try with the remaining specter, with its high resistance to damage it should be able to survive Ricard sends his only remaining specter to fight against the Giant Protobomb. It must have worked, because we can hear the *Bip* sounds getting away from us as we run away. *Bip, bip, Booooooom!* The golem self-destructs with a huge explosion. We are quite far away, but it almost manages to reach us. The Kidnapper, our slowest unit, was only a few centimeters away from the affected area. When we go back, we only find steel wreckage everywhere. Theres no sign of the specter. Shit! It killed the specter with a single explosion! Taking into account how much HP it had before the explosion and the damage resistance It means the explosion must deal at least 300 damage! Yeah, as I said, this area has an increased quality compared to the previous ones Every time we encounter a Giant Protobomb, we have no other option than to sacrifice a support unit. Thats unless we spot it from afar and I manage to immobilize it with Cold Blast, or Laura charms it with her Charming Eyes, before it activates the self-destruction skill. So we reached the trap area Well, it doesnt look like the previous ones, this one looks like a factory Is it here where all those golems are created? Also, isnt that a person? Laura is saying something, but I interrupt her. Finally! A unit I can capture! Quickly, lets go and defeat them so that I can capture them Before I can finish, Ricard shouts so loudly that Im forced to shut up. SOOOOULS! Yeees! Finally, something to feed my undead legions! Kill them all fast! Hahahaha! And he starts running towards the closest enemy. Aaaaagh! My eardrums hurt! Well, they dont because this is a game, but they would be bleeding otherwise. What did we see, that I and Ricard reacted like this? Its humans. Or at least they look like ones. They must be some kind of engineers or factory workers. Lets follow the two fools so that they dont get killed With a hand on her face and an exasperated look, Laura turns her head towards Clara. Hm! Im going to help my brother, but only because I want, and definitely not because you told me to! Brother, wait! Ill help you! Clara sticks her tongue out before following me. Laura shakes her head. *Sigh* It looks like I have to help the crazy undead Come! Come at me! Ill kill you all and feed on your souls! Hahaha! Im sure this area was supposed to be the hardest one yet. Mostly because its filled with contraptions and traps that the humanoids operate. So they arent randomly activated or need a trigger but instead are manually aimed at us. Lasers, explosions, poison clouds everything you can imagine is used to try and kill us. Did you notice that I put extra emphasis on the supposed word? Thats because both me and Ricard are so enthusiastic about killing and capturing them, that in under 5 minutes, we have completely wiped out the whole area. The only problem is that we are now very low on EP and MP, but who cares!? I finally got to capture something in this dungeon filled with stupid golems! Hahaha! Hahaha! Im sure they have lots of DEX! Theyre going to be a lot of help for my dungeon in the future! You need high Dexterity to operate traps and contraptions, so its evident they are going to have high Dexterity. Finally, some more helpers for the lab! The Lab Assistants have been too busy lately. YEEEEEEEEES! Look at this! This pile of corpses! I was missing this sooo much! Nothing can compare to slaughtering a bunch of humans! Hahahaha! We ignore Ricard. Im sure that sooner or later, hes going to return to normal. Maybe? Well, it might be too late already. This must be the door to the dungeons boss. We are close to ending this dungeon at last! As Laura pointed out, this gigantic double door must lead to the final boss of this dungeon. I mean, it DOES look like a final boss door. Ill open it! My sister doesnt want to wait anymore, so she immediately pushes the door, but when she sees whats inside, she starts to laugh uncontrollably. Hahahaha! Pffft It looks like you jinxed it after all! Hahahaha! Now every one of us has jinxed it at least once! Hahahahaha! What the hell are you talking about, Clara? Jinxed? Didnt we stop talking about it a long time ago? But, when I can see whats inside the room, my brain stops working. ...well, I did say I didnt want to meet the Prototype 3 so I think I jinxed it Says Laura from my side. Inside the huge room, the biggest room so far, theres a single enemy. About 10 meters in height, its colossal size makes the room look small. On top of its head, with letters proportional to its size, we can read Prototype 3. When the doors finish opening, the golems eyes shine red and it turns its head, as big as my whole body, in our direction. Oooooooh, shit!
... Did you know that the Magic Engineers can customize the golems? Instead of having a default appearance and innate skills, they can change the units parts so that its status, innate skills, and looks fit what you want. One of the innate skills weve already seen is the one the Protobombs have: self-destruction. But there are a bunch more you can customize your units with. And as you level up and research technologies, you can unlock more of them! And the same happens with the units appearance. You can assemble them as you see fit, with certain limitations. They can also change the size of the same golem to alter its stats. You must keep in mind that in a Magic Engineers dungeon, the general rule is: the bigger a unit is, the higher stats it has. The default size is the same as humans. This is very important for golems that look similar. There are also tiers that change how the golems look and kind of break the previous rule. But then the next rule applies: the more fancy and streamlined a golem is, the stronger it is. - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard during the Dungeon Invasion.
Ch 40 - What we can achieve together Hehehehe! Hey, brother! I know I told you I would protect you, but I dont think I can protect you from THAT thing, so good luck, ok? Hehehe! Clara keeps laughing uncontrollably. It seems she finds it very funny that the one who jinxed it the worst was Laura. Also, Im sure shes winking right now but, because she doesnt have a face, we cant see it. What we can see is her pink tentacle, the one that resembles a tongue, sticking out. I should have shut my mouth I joked about getting a turn to jinx the situation, but I didnt expect it to come back to me like this ...hahaha I dont know if I should laugh or cry. Hahaha! Look at this! Finally, finally, I got some souls! Ricard is still talking and laughing alone, on top of a pile of corpses from the factory workers, or whatever they are. I call him so that he reacts and helps us with the Boss. Hey! You stupid useless monk! Stop behaving like a fool and come here! ...Souls! My precious souls W-what did you say!? Did I hear it wrong? You just called me monk, right!? How dare you call me with such a shitty name! I demand that you apologize and call me a sage! Its the worst offense you could have committed! ...uh, ok. You stupid useless sage! Stop behaving like a fool and come here! Im coming! I dont know if I should be more worried about his antics, or about him taking more offense for being called a monk instead of caring about the stupid, useless, and fool parts. Well, even with the insults, hes coming here so who cares. Alls well that ends well. Wow, thats one big golem! And its called Prototype 3. Ricards turns his head and looks at Laura. Hmmm it was you the one who talked about not wanting to fight a Prototype 3 before, right? Y-yes. It was me But its not my fault, ok? I was just joking around! Also, you three also jinxed it, so you cant complain! Hahaha! We cant complain! Hahaha! You were so haughty calling me a liar, but now you want us to forgive you! Stop it already, Lemon! Its time to focus on the Boss battle, or well be killed! I admonish my sister. ...oooww, ok She stops laughing but continues to stare in Lauras direction with a grin on her face. At least this is what it feels like because her champion doesnt have eyes or a mouth So I cant tell her to stop even if I know shes doing it. *Sigh* What am I going to do with you? Why dont we do it this way? We can Ricard starts to explain the plan for fighting the boss. Of course, the plan is full of holes because we still dont know what skills the boss has. ...and if it has the same spinning attack as the Prototype 2, just warn the others when you see it activate and run immediately away. The first thing Prototype 3 does when it fully awakens is look in our direction. Its red eyes start to shine a lot more than before. Avoid it! Shouts Ricard. We all immediately jump away, just in time to avoid the lasers that the golem shot through its eyes. Behind us, an unlucky skeleton gets struck by the lasers and is killed. Poor unlucky soul! Its already its second time dying! Hahaha! But more important! Its the skill to shoot lasers through the eyes! The skill Ive been looking for for so long! Its a shame its a skill unique to the Magic Engineers, because otherwise To think it would have this skill It has a chance to instantly kill you, albeit very low. So avoid it at all costs if you see its eyes shining! Also, wait for a while until I get his aggro. Once it starts to focus on me, you can attack it from behind! Leaving these instructions, Ricard rushes towards the Prototype 3, his sword in one hand and a shield in the other. I dont think that shield is going to help a lot, because the golems fists are bigger than his whole body But its his problem, so who cares? We need to be careful about the boss aggro because Taunt doesnt work against Bosses. So we must control who it targets by controlling how much damage we deal. Now! Attack it now! Following his command, all of us, support units included, rush inside the room and join the ongoing combat. Yeah, there are still a few support units alive. Though there are very few. Only one skeleton, two imps, one of my sisters things, and my Kidnapper remain. Remember when I was complaining about the troll having more than a thousand HP? Then let me say that it was a breeze compared to this Boss Golems tend to have a lot more HP than other units. And by a lot, I do mean A LOT. Prototype 1, the equivalent of a beginning unit, had more than 100 HP when most beginning units dont have more than 60. Prototype 2 had about the same HP as me after receiving the Champions buff, so a little bit over a thousand. The problem with fighting it was getting close enough to attack while it was spinning. Now, this fucking colossal Prototype 3 has a whole whopping 4.000 HP. Yeah, its stupidly sturdy. It also has very high CON and WIL, so it takes less damage than it should! Luckily, it doesnt have the Regeneration skill, because otherwise theres no way we could defeat it! During the fight, Ricard tries to avoid as many punches as he can. Though it''s difficult because the golem is so damn huge. As if its size and laser beams werent enough, it can also release telegraphed missiles that must be destroyed before they reach the target (luckily they arent too fast), and can also release lightning blasts that have a high chance to stun the affected units. But the worst of all the golems skills is that if you attack it with ranged spells, theres a small chance that the spell is reflected back. How scary is the thought of it returning a Chain Lightning and making me kill or stun my own team I shudder just imagining it. I was lucky the first spell the golem reflected was Cold Blast. I stopped using Chain Lightning from that moment on. But even with the stupidly high HP the golem has, thanks to all of us attacking it together, and in particular the continuous damage my sister deals when all her DoTs are stacked, we steadily reduce the golems HP. When Im thinking everything is going smoothly, Ricard is stunned by the lighting blast. Prototype 3 always shoots the lightning blasts randomly at one of us. As a result, Laura and I got stunned once, my sister twice, and it also killed one imp. But we arent targeted by the golem, so its ok as long as at least one of us can destroy the missiles before they explode. But While stunned, Ricard cant avoid the golems punches, so its almost sure hes going to die now that hes been stunned. Luckily, Laura reacts on time and uses her Charming Eyes to buy him enough time to recover. Nice save there! I say. With your support, we can be at ease! Hahaha! But now I cant charm it again until a minute passes, so dont expect me to save you anytime soon. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ...I forgot about that limitation. Shit! The fight continues after the close party wipe that Laura avoided. And everything looks fine until Prototype 3s HP drops under half. *Clack!* *Clack!* Similar to what Prototype 2 does, a part of Prototype 3s waist changes shape and its upper torso starts to rotate. Ooooooh, its coming!! Ruuun! Its going to make a spinning attack! We quickly stop attacking and move away as we scatter, like cockroaches. Clara uses the Abyss Grasp skill to detach her tentacle so that it clings to Prototype 3 and continues to deal damage for a while. After its wind-up, the colossal golem starts chasing Ricard while rotating. Hes running away from the golem at full speed. The same scene of him running away from a giant enemy repeats yet again, only that this time the enemy is ten meters tall, and I cant hold myself from chucking at what I see. Because its very slow, the Kidnapper cant run fast enough, its caught in the golems path, and is sent flying. I can see it getting away, until its veeeery far and looks veeeeery small. Then, it hits the rooms wall and leaves a bloody silhouette behind. Well, it doesnt because its a game. But it has died in a single attack. Until now it didnt take damage because it doesnt fight at all, but when you find yourself in the path of the golems spinning destruction, it doesnt matter if youre a pacifist or not, youre going to know what hitting a wall at high speed feels like. You can say its the wall (golems fists) that hits you, though it doesnt matter which one is the one thats moving because the result is the same. Goodbye, you loyal soldier! I hope you have more luck in your next life! Luckily, I dont expect to find any other unit to capture. Were already fighting the last boss after all. So its job has already finished after capturing the factory workers. It got killed just after his retirement, what n unlucky fellow. Remember what I said about having to manage the golems aggro? Because we can barely attack the golem now that its spinning, and even more difficult for Ricard, who uses everything it has to run away, the only one whos dealing damage to Prototype 3 right now is Clara, my sister. With her detached tentacle. So after a few seconds after it starts to rotate, the golem stops chasing Ricard and switches targets to my little sister. Its going to be very bad if we dont solve this situation somehow Something like this didnt happen with the troll, because it was so stupid that it only attacked whatever was in front of it. Thats why the Kidnapper bait tactic worked that time. But the golems in this dungeon are more intelligent Or should I say less stupid? Whatever. The important fact is that they change targets depending on who deals damage. Be careful, Lemon! You got its aggro and is now coming after you! Ricard is the first one to notice and warns us about the situation. Aaaaahhh! Brother, save me! Dont run this way you fool! Youre only going to drag me too into the attack if you come this way! Aaaaaaaahhh! She continues to run in my direction. So Im forced to run too. I run in another direction, but when my sister sees Im running away from her, she changes her path and starts to follow me. I told you to stop coming this way already!!! Brother, come here! I need you to protect me! Dont you feel bad for your cute little sister!? I dont! Especially not when it means Im going to be hit by an arm as big as my whole room! Also, youre not cute when playing with an Abyss champion! Though Im not going to tell her. This way Im immune to her charms, and Im going to take as much advantage of this fact as I can, until she notices. Come on, brother! Im going to chase you until you protect me! Aaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaah! Dont come! Stay away, you monster! Monster in double meaning: because she looks like one, and because shes behaving like one. Dont worry, Lemon! Ill save you! Im the best sage ever in DMAs history. The time has come to display my true power! Hahahaha! Regret your actions, Prototype 3! Im going to crush you now! Eat this, Dark Grab! While running, we can hear Ricards rambling from behind. When he uses his skill, a completely dark hand extends from his right hand until it reaches the colossal golem. Then, the dark hand, which looks minuscule in comparison to the golems body, tries to pull it in Ricards direction. But the golem doesnt budge, not even a millimeter, so it keeps chasing after Clara, and Clara after me. What would have you done if it actually worked!? It pulls the enemy until it gets next to you, so you would be hit by the spinning arms immediately after, you fool! Aaaaahh! What was that!? Did you really expect to move a golem as big as that one!? Come here, brother! I can only rely on you! I already told you to stop chasing after me! At this rate, we both are going to be smashed by the golem! After his epic failure, Ricards drops to the ground in shame. What have I done After getting so pumped up, I didnt achieve anything I just lost my gentlemanly pride We continue to run, completely ignoring him. Not that we can afford to cheer him up in our current situation, mind you. But even if we werent chased, we would still ignore him. Its Laura who saves us from the approaching golem. Charming Eyes! Finally, it came out of cooldown! Its annoying that its so hard to use against Bosses Thank you, Lily! Dont expect to give my thanks to you! Also, why did it take you so long!? Im sure you waited until Mad Rat was dragged into it to help me! Youre welcome. What are you saying, Lemon? Of course, I didnt do it on purpose! Hahaha! She looks away in a clearly suspicious way. Anyway, stand up already, Baldy! Its time for us to counterattack now that the golem has stopped! She says as she kicks Ricard, still despairing with his two hands and knees on the ground. ...my gentlemanly pride She kicks him a few more times. I said stand up! Ouch! Ok, ok! Just stop hitting me! Ricard takes the aggro again, and we proceed with our fight. The only thing Prototype 3 changes from his previous behavior is that now it sometimes activates the spinning attack in between the lasers, lightning bursts, and missiles. And every time it does, the spinning attack lasts less than the previous time. I take a close look at its status and see that his EP is drained very fast when using it, so that must be why now it lasts less than the first time. The most relevant difference is that now my sister has learned that it''s best to release the golem instead of detaching her tentacle during those attacks, so we havent had any more aggro troubles. And finally, FINALLY! After a very long fight, Prototype 3s HP reaches 0 and it crumbles. This time it starts with its head falling to the ground, followed by a massive crack that appears on the golems torso before it falls apart. Im sure that my sister dealt the most damage during the fight. Even if shes the one with the lower level and lowest stats. Hah, hah See? We can do it when we all work together! Hahaha! I dont know if were going to win the tournament, but at least were going to have an opportunity if we fight like this! I watched the previous tournament and most teams sucked compared to ours! Hahahaha! Its all thanks to my party-building skills! Hahaha! Im sure that his party building skills are about choosing the appropriate skills for a good party. But even if he tries to put himself on top of everything, he only chose his own champion and skills. I didnt change a single thing, Laura only picked a healing skill at his demand, and Clara only left MP draining skills out because I asked her to pick skills that deal HP damage. Mostly because we all deal damage, so a single party member that does something else wont fit as well as one that complements the party. Hehehe! Brother, praise me, praise me! Without me and my damage, you would have been killed! Hehehe! Its clearly me who made this possible! Without my charm, this battle would have ended in a party wipe! Whaaaat!? Its thanks to me! I was the one who dealt the most damage! Dont try to put yourself on top because you only used your charm a few times! You were useless the rest of the time! Haaaaaah!? Every time I used my Charming Eyes I saved at least one of you! I also saved you twice, so you should thank me! Hey, hey! Youre forgetting about me! Its thanks to my party building that we could do this! Hahaha! Shut up! Fuck off, Baldy! This is between us two! Wow, ok, ok! I just wanted a little bit of recognition for my efforts Also, I was the most active one, evading and running away all the time Well, I dont have too much to say, because it definitely wasnt because of me that we beat the Boss this time. I excel against multiple enemies, not against a strong one. And also, I couldnt cast Chain Lightning for fear of it being returned back So my damage wasnt that high. Also, its true that the most active one in this fight was Ricard. But theres no way Im going to interrupt the two girls, I dont want to be lynched. So I shut up and ignore them. Lets end this dungeon invasion, dont you think? Talking alone, I leave them arguing and quickly move towards the dungeon core and break it. It was behind a door that opened when the Boss was defeated.
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
...
I didnt expect too much of this party, mainly because Laura and Clara were arguing all the time since the flamethrower trap. If everything continued that way, there was no way we could properly compete in the tournament. And much less win it.
Ex Ch 5 - Mutual interests You asked me to come here today to have a talk. What do you want to talk about? I hope you dont make me waste my time with you. Frowning and squinting her eyes, Clara sits in front of Laura. Yeah, I also dont want to see you unless its needed But I think its important we talk about this as soon as possible. With her arms crossed, Laura opens her mouth again. I think you should drop from the team. With you on it, well never be able to play properly. W-what are you saying!? Im Andreus sister! Of course, Im going to be on his team! Thats what I mean, you are his sister, not his friend. You should leave Andreu alone so that he can play with his friends. Aaaah? I can say the same about you! Ive always played with him since we were children! So why should you have a preference over me? You have only known each other for a year Its you who should leave! Then, tell me why you want me to leave. Not that Ill hear you, but Im curious. Only if you tell me first! Haaah ok.
Fufufufu Chuckles Laura. Hehehehe! Laughs Clara. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Soo we reached an agreement, right? Hehe. Yes! We did! Then, Im glad you are on the same team! I was thinking you were a useless brat that was too attached to her older brother, but I dont think so anymore. And I also thought you were a cheap bitch that was only interested in charming my brother and abusing his kindness, but Im sorry I was wrong. Dont worry, everyone can be mistaken sometimes. I forgive you. Fufufu! Likewise. Hehehe! Im glad we could understand each other. After a momentary pause, both of them start to laugh at the same time, imagining whats to come in the future. Fufufu! Im glad I asked you to talk like this! Why dont we shake our hands to seal the deal? Hehehe! I too am glad you did. Yeah, lets shake hands and leave all disagreements behind! The two shake hands, wide smiles on their faces. From now on, each one will help the other achieve their goals. Is that right? Fufufu! Hehehe! Yes! Of course, it is! You help me, and in return, I help you! What are teammates for if they dont help each other, right? Youre right! Fufufu! So, when is our next party training? I dont know yet, but Im going to pressure the guys so that its as soon as possible. Nice! Thank you! Youre welcome! After another short pause, both of them chuckle evilly again.
This marked the beginning of a pact between two players of the evilest factions. The one that crushes the body and inflicts pain, the demons; and the one that crushes the mind and inflicts despair, the abyss. Unknown to Andreu, certain plans were starting to move in the background. What were these plans about? Its a secret meeting and they talked about secret plans, so of course Im not allowed to talk about it here.
Ch 41 - Jonny and Pony This chapter has a different POV. After a flash of light, two figures appear in front of the dungeon portal. The two are about the same height, the main difference between them is that one has pointed ears and is more handsome, objectively speaking. Soon after, preceded by more light flashes, several extra figures appear near the first two ones. Similar to one of the two, half of them have pointed ears and handsome faces. They look around, assessing the situation. You must be Black Plague Pony, right? Nice to meet you. Uh, oh! Sorry, I was distracted looking around. Its the first time I see this dungeon entrance. Yes, Im Black Plague Pony. And you must be DaddyJonny. Nice to meet you in person! The one with the pointed ears extends his hand for a handshake. In response, the first one extends his hand too. Yeah. Lets hope we can clear this dungeon with the two of us. Ive tried quite a lot of times but couldnt clear it until now But you said you already cleared it once, right? Then its going to be easy! Hahaha! Yes, I cleared it once. The one with pointed ears, Black Plague Pony, explains. But I didnt find it that difficult. It surprised me when you asked me to come together But I was interested in knowing why people were so desperate to clear it, so I agreed to come. Oh, by the way, please call me Pony. The whole nickname is too long hahaha Pony? Ok, you can call me Jonny then. The daddy part is a joke with some of my friends, think of it like part of a lost bet. I prefer when others forget about it Hahaha! I can understand! With his pointed ears swaying as he laughs, Pony continues to talk. Then, Jonny. Why is it that so many people are obsessed with this dungeon? Also, the last time I came, the entrance was different. Whats up with those changes? Aaaahh Believe me or not, this dungeon is extremely dangerous. And it changes as time goes on. You said you had an easy time, but it must be because you were lucky. The obsession comes from not wanting to feel inferior to those who managed to reach the end of the dungeon. Also Arent you a Druid? If you are one, I can understand why you managed to clear this dungeon without too much trouble... Oh! You guessed it right! Im a level 5 druid! But Im not that strong of a champion. Sure, I have high stats for casting spells, but the innate skill Nature Attuned isnt very useful. I dont understand how it helps with clearing this dungeon Yeah thats exactly what happens with this dungeon. The forums are full of oblivious people like you that dont fully understand the troubles the rest of us have *Haaah* With his hand on his face, Jonny heavily exhales, exasperated because his teammate doesnt understand how this dungeon works. After a pause, he opens his mouth again. Well, anyway. Ill rely on your help for this dungeon. So please take care of me and carry me to the end! Hahaha! Ill do what I can. I wont promise anything, but leave it to me! Ah! I almost forgot to introduce my champion Im a level 5 Knight. Ill be the frontline and you the spellcaster at the back. Are you fine with it? Not that we can do it the other way around, but still Sure! Lets do it! Having finished their introductions, both players proceed to start the dungeon invasion. Hey, Jonny. When did the entrance change? When I came, it was a straight tunnel that led to a big cave. Im not so sure about it, but its been some time already since it changed. Dont worry, until we reach the big cave, the area is safe. No, Im not worried about traps. But are you sure its the same dungeon? Because I dont know how to say it, but it feels completely different. I dont know why, but I have this uneasiness as if something was telling me that I shouldnt come inside this big cave Are you chickening out before the start? Hahaha! Dont call me chicken! Im just saying the entrance feels a lot different than before! It does feel different, but thats all there is to it. Also, the only part that changed so much, as far as I know, is the entrance. Once we go inside, youll start to see parts you recognize. Is that so? Then Ill believe you. They cross the cave entrance and soon find the first glowing mushrooms. Disgusted with their appearances, Pony tries to avoid looking at them. But because hes not looking where he steps, he trips and falls into a crevice. Ugh Why is there a hole here? Oh? Hahaha! Thats not a hole, come out and youll see what it actually is. With a smile on his face, Jonny is waiting to see what reaction Pony is going to have when he sees what is the crevice he just fell into. After getting out, what Pony sees is a giant claw mark. Three carved strikes, about two meters long and fifty centimeters deep. W-wha? What the hell is this!? Isnt it a huge claw mark? Does this mean we will have to fight a monster that can leave these marks on the cave walls!? There was no monster like this when I cleared the dungeon! Nah! Hahaha! Theres no monster as big as this one. At least not yet. This is only a decoration. So dont worry about it But your reaction was funny, hahaha! Ok Please dont make fun of me Still not so sure about the claw marks, Pony follows after Jonny. As they advance, more and more glowing mushrooms fill the cave walls and floor. Up to the point that Pony doesnt know where to look so that he doesnt see their disgusting screaming faces. He also doesnt want to fall into another claw mark, so simply walking turns out to be a difficult endeavor for him. Not very long after, they reach the big cavern. Ooooh! It looks kind of amazing with so many glowing and giant mushrooms! It does, right? But from here on, only the dungeon looks have changed. The mobs, layout, and zones remain mostly the same. So its your turn to show your dungeon-delving skills, or luck, whichever allowed you to beat the dungeon last time! Uhh dont put so much pressure on me, please What if I make us fail? Are you going to blame me then? Hahaha! You know after so many dungeon dives, and the same amount of deaths, I know perfectly how this dungeon works. Unless you make a stupid mistake and its clearly your fault, Im not going to complain. Just guide me with your luck so that I can brag about clearing this damned dungeon to my friends! Yeah, so no pressure at all Complains Pony, sarcastically. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Since Im the tank, I go in front. Just tell me where we should go. Also, be careful because this big cave is perfect for ambushes. Then, I think I went that way last time. Nice, lets go!
Close to the tunnel''s zone, Jonny and Pony take a short break and talk about the dungeon exploration so far. Haaaaah I dont remember it being this difficult Says Pony. Is that so? I didnt find it particularly worse than most other times. In fact, it went a little better, with fewer ambushes and troubles. I knew I had to rely on your luck! Hahaha! ...hahaha So, what are we doing now? Do you want to take the tunnel route or try our luck through the rabbit area? The rabbit area? What are you talking about? O my god. Dont tell me you dont know about it I didnt find a single rabbit when I beat the dungeon, so I dont. Haaaa You really *Ahem!* Jonny makes false coughing noises to catch Ponys attention. Theres this kind of a shortcut that allows you to skip the tunnel area. We call it skip because it allows you to avoid most of the most dangerous tunnels, but the shortcut is also mostly made of tunnels now that I think about it, it sounds kind of stupid Anyway! The shortcut is mostly safe, but the problem is the rabbit area. How come you talk as if the rabbits are dangerous? Arent they critters? Maybe they can have a random skill that deals damage or something, but how can critters be dangerous? W-what are you saying!? How can it be that you reached the dungeons end with this kind of attitude!? How lucky are you? The hell, give me a little bit of your luck! Only a tiny little bit, come on! A little! Hahaha!! H-hey! What are you doing? Jonny tries to grab something imaginary around Pony. Jonny grabs the luck surrounding Pony and then sticks it onto his persona. His desperate moves give the impression as if somethings wrong with his head. A bit scared because of Jonnys reaction, Pony moves a few steps away, a mix of confusion and surprise on his face. When he sees Ponys reaction, Jonny returns to his senses. *Ahem! Ahem* Sorry for that. But you must understand you were so extremely lucky! I just wanted a little bit of your luck for myself hahaha Im sorry. Uh ok. I can understand. This is what he says, but Ponys face doesnt return to normal yet. So what is it? The rabbit area or the tunnels? If we take into consideration your luck, I would choose the tunnels, but you are the lucky one, so choose yourself. Last time there wasnt any rabbit area, so I think I prefer the tunnels. Nice! Then lets go! Hahaha! Hey, Jonny. Its kind of weird, but my HP is steadily decreasing. And Im not poisoned or anything like it. Do you know why? Wait, what!? It must be Check your status and battle log and tell me what it says! Wait a moment The status screen doesnt display anything. Oh, the battle log does have something! Its the same message repeated all the time. It says: Your HP has been reduced by 2. Ah! Then its one of the fucking butterflies. Hmm lets see Do you have any AoE? I do. Hit yourself with it. W-why!? Why should I hit myself with an AoE? Are you stupid or what!? Also what about my HP decreasing? Dont say weird things and focus on the problem! Haaah how could it be why is it always the stupid ones that get lucky how can you not know about the oldest mob other than the basic ones! Jonny complains to himself in a low voice, so that Pony doesnt hear. Then, it opens his mouth again so that Pony hears it. He uses a similar tone to what a lot of people use to talk to kids. You see This and that are related. If you dont hit yourself with an AoE, you are going to die. So please, can you do it? Even if its only to make your party member happy? ...Ok. But I dont see how the two things are related. Finally, under Jonnys urging, Pony uses the Wind Wall spell on top of himself. Immediately after, the corpse of a previously invisible butterfly drops to the floor. ...! Whats that!? Why was it attached to me!? ...Haaaaah. I told you, right? Look at the battle log again. Youll see there are no more messages saying you took damage after you hit yourself with the wind wall. Still confused, Pony opens the battle log again and finds no more messages saying his HP was reduced. I-its true! Thank you! You saved me! Hahaha! Then, Ponys expression changes from relief to paranoia. Wait a moment W-w-what does this mean!? How could you know? And why didnt I notice the butterfly? Are there more of those butterflies? Is that a common thing in this dungeon, or was I unlucky? Wait a moment Was I really that lucky last time? I didnt find anything like this, so maybe I was? Ooooh! I think somebodys starting to understand what this dungeon makes normal people feel. With normal people, I mean those who arent extremely lucky, hahaha! Chuckling to himself, Jonny continues to move forward. Followed by Pony, who, contrary to the relaxed atmosphere that surrounded him before, is now anxiously looking everywhere. Please, dont leave me behind! Dont worry, I wont. Just choose the path, you lucky one! Hahaha!
I think we already passed through this tunnel. Says Pony. You think so too? I was only following you, so Im not sure. But it could be. Almost everyone gets lost in these tunnels. But arent you worried? Arent you going to complain to me? Worried? Complain? Hahaha! You still dont understand at all! Usually, by this time, Id have already died! Its thanks to your luck that we are still doing fine. So why should I complain? But it doesnt make sense! What doesnt make sense? It doesnt make sense that youre so relaxed! We are lost! You were worried before, but now it feels extremely weird for me to be the only one who cares! Sure, we are lost. But we are still doing fine, so sooner or later were going to find the exit. In this damned dungeon, as long as we dont die, we are doing fine. And we didnt die, not yet at least, so this means we are doing fine Also, Im relaxed because its true youre really lucky! We didnt find any real danger so far. So Im having the easiest exploration yet. Hahaha! What do you mean by we didnt find any danger!? I got that butterfly attached two times! Plus we were ambushed four times, surrounded by enemies one time and one of our support mobs got eaten by a giant worm! What about it is doing fine!? Pony starts shouting. He must have had a lot of pent-up stress and hes releasing it now. But we are still alive, right!? Sure, we are. But everything else is bad! Naaah, its fine! Calm down. Also, these are only minor setbacks. The real problem would be if we got separated, and it didnt happen. ...if you say so Pony finally calms down. But whats up with this dungeon? Why does it have so many unexpected things? Nobody knows. Also, there is a chance that somebody, without knowing anything about the dungeon, clears it. Does it ring a bell? Jonny looks at Pony with his eyes half closed. A tint of anger mixed with madness in his stare. ...hahaha, it does Ashamed, Pony scratches his head. Then What are the real dangers? The real dangers? Hmm. Jonny starts thinking, trying to remember all of them. First, if one of us falls into the river. Getting separated from all your support units is very bad. The same happens if the giant worm eats you. It makes sense. We were lucky that only a support unit was caught inside it. Then theres the exploding flies that can kill all your support units if unlucky. The butterfly, if you dont notice it on time, and the sleeping and poison mushroom combinations. And also getting ambushed by several mob parties at the same time. That last one sounds extremely nasty. Hahaha! It does. But these are the milder ones. Remember that empty room I told you to avoid earlier? Yes. That one is really dangerous. If you enter it and fall asleep, you wont wake up anymore. Whaaaaat!? The backstabbing rabbits are also extremely dangerous. You can get one-shotted if unlucky. And Im sure I forgot a few other dangers. But the worst of all, that only the extremely unlucky ones have ever suffered is when the dungeons owner comes to test one of his newest creations. Do you mean the dungeon owner comes and fights against the invaders? No, he doesnt fight. He only makes his newest monster fight against the invaders. Not a single one of those unlucky souls has ever managed to survive the encounter. H-how scary! D-do you think i-its going to happen to us? Pony shudders just imagining the situation. Hahaha! Dont worry! With your luck, Im sure well be fine! Ive come here more than ten times and not a single time did it happen to me. With confidence in his steps, Jonny strides forward. And Pony follows closely behind, afraid of whats to come.
The contrast between the experienced and lucky players got wider as The Mad Rats Lab continued to evolve. Generally, those who reached the end through sheer luck didnt know anything about the true dangers inside the dungeon. So the more traps, tricky mobs, and difficult situations the dungeon had, the more clueless they were when compared to those experienced players. Funnily enough, because luck was so important when clearing the dungeon, players who cleared the dungeon through sheer luck were in high demand as party members, even when they were completely clueless about the dungeon.
Ch 42 - Nooo! Don’t leave me alone! This chapter has a different POV. Jonny and Pony proceed with the dungeon exploration while talking between themselves. Hey, Jonny. Im sure there wasnt a hole there when we crossed this tunnel before. What hole? Jonny looks at the place Pony is pointing at. Oh! Its true. There wasnt a hole there before. Isnt it weird? Is the dungeon changing in real-time? I dont think so, never heard of it before. But theres a rumor circulating through the forums about these kinds of things happening before W-what kind of rumor? Is it scary? I wouldnt say its scary, but They say that theres something hidden in the dungeons walls. Something dangerous, extremely dangerous. And its related to these holes. Jonny then partially hides his face and starts to talk in the tone people use to tell ghost stories. They say, once you enter the dungeon, a secret mechanism activates, and holes start to appear everywhere in the dungeon walls and floors. Then, sometimes, you can hear a rumbling sound through the tunnels. The more holes that appear, the stronger the sound. Theres no one who has confirmed it yet, but they say that, if you are really unlucky, you are going to face whatever makes that sound and you are going to die. That theres no way to escape. See? If you stay silent for enough time, you can sometimes hear the sound coming from a random tunnel. Like right now! ...p-please, stop! Dont scare me! Ill believe anything regarding this dungeon after so many surprises, so dont tell me things like that! Pony is trembling in fear, scared of whatever happens in the dungeon. But the reaction Jonny has is the exact opposite. Hahahaha! Laughing so much he drops on the floor, Jonny tries to calm Pony. At the same time he makes fun of him. Dont worry that much, you scaredy cat! Hahaha! With your luck, Im sure were never going to encounter it. Also, Im sure its a fake rumor. There must be a weird mechanism that creates the holes. Its just that nobody has found the origin yet! Hahaha! I-it isnt f-funny, ok!? I-i was scared shitless! Hahahahaha! Just at that moment, from one of the nearby tunnels, they start to hear a rumbling sound. It sounds like a multitude of objects striking a hard surface at high speeds. And it''s getting closer. Aaaaah! Shouting aloud, Pony immediately starts to run in the opposite direction. Jonny, who an instant ago was rolling on the floor, laughing, stands up as fast as he can and chases after Pony. His previous smile, replaced by fear. H-hey! W-wait for me! Dont leave me alone!
Haaah, hah Jonny W-what was that? ...hah, hah I I dont know. Haaah and I dont want to know Exhausted, Jonny and Pony stop running only when they reach the first laboratory zone. Lucky them, they didnt encounter any danger after hearing the rumbling sound. Theres a golden rule for exploring this dungeon: you should never investigate those things you dont understand. Thats, of course, unless you dont care about dying. If you are ok with it, then you can freely investigate. And youll be treated as a hero by the other players if you explain what you discovered. I dont care about fame or being a hero. I just dont want to find whatever was making the rumbling noise. Me neither, I just want to reach the end of this dungeon and clear it. So that I can brag about it. Hey, why do you care so much about clearing this dungeon? I already cleared it once and I dont find the need to brag about it at all You are still too noob to understand. You must have failed at least twice before you can understand the meaning behind it! Jonny rubs his nose after talking as if he was proud of his previous failures. If you say so I say it because its true. Jonny stands up and leans against the wall. He then spies whats inside the next room. Anyway! Its time for the first big fight. Lets defeat this guy with the lab coat and move on. With the two of us, its going to be a breeze! Hahaha! Ok Please protect me. Yeah, sure! Several machines and laboratory equipment fill the room. Cables, pots, containers filled with suspicious-looking liquids... There are also several capsules of multiple sizes, all of them glowing and providing enough light to illuminate the whole room. Inside, standing completely still next to an ominous operating table, on top of which blood stains still remain, stands the enemy they must face. It would look like a normal human if not for the long and pointy ears, and the short and muscular limbs. Hyahaha! Dieeee! Jonny shouts and runs inside the laboratory wielding his greatsword. Noticing the intruder, the monster, called Lab Assistant, makes a jump over several tables and laboratory equipment to land right next to Jonny. With a loud impact sound, a shockwave occurs and Jonny takes some damage. Hahaha! Is that all!? Im going to crush you to death! Hey Pony, take care of the lightning rod first! Ill keep him busy! Lightning strikes Jonny from a metal rod inside the room. It isnt very big and the damage it deals is low, but it cant be ignored. A few seconds later, lightning is released from the metal rod again, this time against one of the support units. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Sure, leave it to me! Pony casts a spell. Several energy balls, called Magic Missiles, appear near the tip of his staff. Not long after, they accelerate and strike the metal rod. Pony repeats the process another time and the metal rod is destroyed. Done! Ill support you now! At that moment, an ice nova is released from the Lab Assistant, encasing Jonny and most support units in ice. Shit! Why did it trigger so fast!? It should have triggered when it was at half HP and not now! I have no idea! If you dont know, how am I supposed to know? I dont remember the condition for it to trigger because the last time was a long time ago I also only saw it one time for each Lab Assistant. The Lab Assistant takes this chance to hit and kill a few of the support units. They cant defend themselves, so its a foregone conclusion. Whats weird is that the Lab Assistant is killing the invaders with a pencil, stabbing them repeatedly until they die. Finally released from the ice, Jonny quickly resumes fighting against the Lab Assistant. Pony, be careful and ready for more tricks! I dont know what has changed, so we should be ready to face whatever comes at us. I know! As Jonny continues to exchange blows with the Lab Assistant, Pony supports him from behind, continuing to cast spells. The Lab Assistant casts a Fireball and throws it where the rearguard is standing. Pony was paying attention and manages to avoid it, but a few support units arent as lucky and the fire consumes them, with two dying from the fire damage. Engaged in melee combat, Jonny is getting angry. Fuck! Its starting to kill too many mobs! We must quickly finish it! Then I wont hold anything back! You ready!? I always am! Hahaha! Give it death! Pony casts his strongest spell. Light condenses on the tip of his staff until it gets so bright its impossible to look at. Then, the light is released in a continuous stream toward the Lab Assistant. My MP is going to be depleted! This spell deals very high damage but the MP consumption is no joke! Dont worry! Its more important to kill it as soon as possible! Keep going! The Lab Assistants HP bar is decreasing at an astonishing rate. Only a second after Pony casts his spell, its HP is reduced to under a third of its maximum. A second ice wave is released from the Lab Assistant at that exact moment, immobilizing every close invader and killing a few. The Lab Assistant then tries to cast another Fireball spell against the immobilized invaders, but before it can, Ponys spell kills it and the Lab Assistant drops to the floor, dead. Fuck! I knew it still had some trick! I didnt expect to release a second ice wave Well, at least we killed it before it was too late. Im sorry, I caused it to release the second ice wave... Naaah! It would have activated anyway. You did a good job killing it so fast. If it managed to cast that last Fireball, only you and I would have survived. Thats also true But now I dont have MP, so Im useless. Yeah But I prefer it this way. Also, for the next area, we mostly need good luck. And with your luck, Im sure its going to be ok! Hahaha! ...again, no pressure at all After a short rest, Pony and Jonny enter the Freezer area. Filled with Stitched, corpses, and partially frozen body parts, this area is the worst for Pony so far. Ugh I dont feel so good, I want to puke I dont remember this part being so disgusting. I think last time there were fewer corpses and gore. And I dont like it! When are we going to enter the next area? Depends on the paths we take. If you choose correctly, its going to be soon. So which path? The right or the left? I dont know lets pick the right. Ok, lets go! Jonny strides forward, but when he steps on the ground, a nearby corpse explodes with a disgusting squelch. The whole area is now covered with an extra layer of blood and gore. Buaagh! I cant stand it anymore! Bleeeegh! Im now covered in it! Thats why I hate this area so much! It isnt only dangerous, but also extremely gross. ...dont need to convince me Ugh I want to leave it as soon as possible. Not long after, Jonny and Pony find themselves in another room covered in blood and body parts. In front of them, a group of Stitched is shambling through the room. Lets kill them fast and leave the area, ok? Yeah They quickly engage with the Stitched squad. But Pony is out of MP, and most of their support units have died, so they cant kill them as fast as they wanted. During the fight, two more Stitched squads enter the room and join the fray, surrounding them. Also, more steps and moans can be heard from the adjacent tunnels. It looks like your luck has run out, my friend! Hahaha! Even in this situation, Jonny laughs. Something in his brain must have been damaged due to the repeated failures. ...Im sorry. I couldnt carry us out of here. Regret stricken on his face, Pony apologizes to Jonny. Hey, dont be like this. Dont need to apologize! You can still leave this place if I open a path for you and block them with my everything. So go, leave me here! Im already used to dying like this, hahaha! No! I wont abandon you! Do as you see fit, but dont complain if we both die together, ok!? So this is our last stand, huh? ...dont be so ominous, please. Hahahaha! Surrounded by Stitched, Jonny, Pony, and their support units try to keep the enemies at bay. They choose a corner so that they arent attacked from all sides at the same time. The disgusting monsters hit them with their all, attacking with their deformed fists and limbs. And when they cant reach the invaders, the Stitched instead throw poisonous spit from their mouths. Pony and Jonny fight with their all, but the Stitched are relentless and dont mind getting killed if they manage to kill the invaders, sacrificing themselves for defending the dungeon. Jonny ends up taking too much damage and is on the verge of dying, and though most Stitched had been dealt with, some of them still remain. Heee It looks like Im going to die here My HP is close to zero. Hey, wont you have a healing spell? ...Im sorry. I do, but I dont have enough MP Well you did your best. It was the best invasion into this damned dungeon I had. Hahaha The last two remaining Stitched attack Jonny at the same time. Good luck, Pony. I hope you can finish the dungeon for both of us. Im sorry we couldnt reach the end together Ughh These are Jonnys last words before dying. Nooo! Jonny! Dont die on me! And dont leave me alone! Im scared! Crying over his teammates dead body, Pony doesnt notice that theres now a phantasmal version of Jonny staring at him. In his phantasmal form, Jonny looks at Pony with a weird face. Hey, you know I can follow you during the rest of the dungeon, right? Im a phantom now and cant help with anything else, but I can follow you. ...I didnt know. Sorry, I got too immersed in the roleplaying.
Pony was close to dying in the last fight, but he managed to kill the Lab Assistant, so it turned to be a happy ending. Even for Jonny, who died along the way. Thats because completing the dungeon or not is a team effort, so this dungeon invasion counted as his first time clearing it. After bragging to his friends and through the forums until he was satisfied, Jonny decided to try to conquer The Mad Rats Lab again. This time, without dying. And Pony went with him.
Ch 43 - A flood of weird monsters Hello everyone! And welcome the Mad Rats worldwide famous time skip show! Hahaha! *Clap, clap, clap* As I already told you, this past week I was busy thinking about the first dungeon boss and looking for the bodies to create it. Well, and also training with my sister and friends for the tournament, but thats not relevant. Fufufu! I sagely nod at my own words. Then I open my arms wide and exclaim. I also used this time to look for a lot of critters to capture and finally, FINALLY, complete the dungeon rework I started long ago. Look behind me! Contemplate my glorious work! I then turn around and move my hand sideways, displaying the magnificence of my latest creations. Amazing, am I right!? Hahahaha! And they are all Creepy, what I was missing to give life to the dungeon after the rework! Hahaha! Now, my dungeon can be finally considered a non-noob one! Fufufu! Baldy, Ill make you eat your own words the next time you try to call me a noob because Im not one anymore! Hahaha! Thats a secret between you and me, but for me to actually be able to create so many Creepy in a single week, I first had to upgrade the Collectionist technology so that I could bring more bodies with me after each dungeon exploration. Anyway, I think its time to reveal them, dont you think!? Yeeees! We want you to tell us already! I answer my own question, simulating as if there was somebody actually listening to my monologue. Ok, ok! Dont be so impatient! And now, without further delay I make a short pause to increase the suspense. Here we go! Hahaha! The new monsters are neatly arranged into a row behind me. For this to work, I had to modify their AI to stay still all the time. Ill return their AI to normal later, dont worry. I walk to the first Creepy in the row and introduce it to the nonexistent public. Here we have the first Creepy! Hey, say hello to our viewers! The Creepy stays completely still, ignoring me. Well, I did change their AI to not move, so what did you expect? This one is the pet of the future! Its so cute that will melt your heart! I call it, the Octocat! *Clap, clap, clap* I want one! Nice name! I want two! Only two? I want at least a thousand! Thank you for your enthusiasm, viewers! The Creepy Im talking about is, as its name suggests, a mix of Cat and Octopus units. It has the head and body of a cat and the legs of an octopus. But the tentacles are covered in fur, the same fur that covers the cats body. I found that there is a technology upgrade that allows me to modify how the Creepy units look instead of using the visuals of a single of the two units. It works in a similar manner to how the Hybrid or Basic Chimera work so I researched it, of course. The new tech only allows me to modify how they look, the stats and skills work the same as before. Look at those eyes! And those tiny tentacles! They look like a bunch of tiny furred paws, only that they dont have bones or joints! Hahaha! Like I said before, the pet of the future! You might be asking how is this wonderful creature going to help with the dungeon defenses, right!? Well, Im sorry to disappoint you, but it doesnt. Not at all! The only thing it does is stare at you with puppy eyes and make you feel bad if you kill it! Hahaha! The Octocat is a level 1 Creepy, after all. It doesnt have any skill except for the Optic Camouflage innate skill that comes from the Octopus. But it only helps with hiding against enemies, so its a non-combat Creepy. I created a total of 11 of them. But the best of all is its ability to change its fur colors, like an octopus! You want a black pet today? No problem! You like it white with brown spots? Sure, why not. If you ever get tired of your pets fur, just change it! You can even make it have green, blue, or purple fur! Hahaha! Adorable, dont you think? Well, lets move to my next creation! I make one step to the side and put myself right next to the next Creepy. This one is smaller, so it might be difficult to see from afar. Please get closer, dont be shy. When I edit this video, Im going to make a zoom-in effect at this point to properly show this Creepy. This one can be slightly disgusting, but it can also be cute depending on your preferences. What do you think? Do you like it, or hate it? Whats it? I dont understand Hey, is that liquid thats dropping from it? Well, it seems this one needs a little bit more explanation than the first one! Hahaha! This one is a mix of a Gecko and Blue Gel! Everybody knows what geckos are, so Im not going to explain that part, but a Blue Gel is a slime-type monster that looks like blue jelly. I call this Creepy: Blue Gecko! About 15 cm in size, the Blue Gecko in front of me looks exactly like a gecko, except its translucent, blue, and continuously releases mucus. A similar kind of mucus to the one snails release, except this one is blue, denser, and the quantity released is a lot higher. If I had to give an objective and simple description of the Blue Gecko, it looks like a gecko-shaped gummy bear covered in sticky goo of the same color. But look at this! We also have them in red, green, black, white, yellow, orange, purple Basically, they come in every color you can think of! Of course, this only applies as long as the game devs have created a Gel unit of that color. Which means most colors, but certainly not all. We have the whole series! If you call us right now, well give you an exclusive pack including them all! Hahaha! Eww they look gross! I dont want one even if they are for free. I want a red one! I want a yellow and blue combo! The black one looks cool. Are they edible? I want all of them, so Ill get ten packs! Yes, yes! Thank you for your enthusiasm! Hahaha! As a side note, those from other colors are called Red Gecko, Green Gecko, Black Gecko, and so on. Also, its now the most common unit in my dungeon (yeah, there are more than Stitched). Geckos are so stupidly easy to find that they appear in most underground dungeons. And gels are the critter units from the Amorphous faction, so almost all their dungeons are filled with them. In short, its very easy for me to create more Colored Geckos if I want to, I just need to dive into two different dungeons and capture a bunch of geckos and gels. Thats why Im using them as the most common mob inside the dungeon. Right now, I have 127 Colored Geckos in the dungeon, and I plan to fill it with even more of them as time goes on. Its the first easy-to-get combination Ive found that I like, so Im going to create loooooots of them! Hahaha! And like with the Octocat, Blue Geckos and all their variants are completely inoffensive! Hahaha! See? They only are a little sticky, but you can safely squish them as much as you want! What do you say, you want a bunch of them? Hahaha! Colored Geckos are also level 1, and only have a single non-combat innate skill: Sticky Trail. Oh, and they can walk through any surface because both geckos and gels can climb walls and even stick to the ceiling.
Sticky Trail (Innate passive skill)
You leave a sticky trail for 20 seconds when moving. Other units that touch it are slowed by 10% while in contact. This skill doesnt work on allied units.
I stop squeezing the Blue Gecko and leave it in its previous position. Now, lets move forward to the next one! This one is, by far, the most disgusting youll see today, hahaha! Heres the Stareshrub! With a hand gesture, I present the next Creepy in the row. This one is a close competitor with the stitched for the most disgusting unit. The winner depends on your preferences. As you can see, the Stareshrub is a disgusting shrub with lots of eyeballs. The base is a shriveled shrub, from which slender branches grow and end in eyeballs. They kind of remind me of snails eyes, but the eye globes are a lot bigger! If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Eeeewww! Hahaha, so disgusting Ugh, I want to puke. Somebody, please crush my eyes so I dont have to see that thing anymore! Fufufu! Yes, thats what Im talking about! This Creepy is the first one that actually has some defensive capabilities. If you stare at their eyes for too long, you are going to have some trouble, hahaha! This is because one of the units used to create the Stareshrub has the Eyes Everywhere innate skill.
Eyes Everywhere (Innate triggered skill)
If you and another unit look at each others eyes for more than 5 seconds, the other unit is paralyzed for 5 seconds. This skill doesnt work on allied units and can only trigger once every minute for every unit.
Maybe you dont know yet, but DMA released a new faction a few days ago. A faction based on dreams: the Dream Vestiges! They have lots of unrealistic units based on peoples unconscious, and also have units based on nightmares. This Creepy is a mix of an Awakened Shrub, from the Sylvans faction, and the Mass of Eyes from Dream Vestiges! Hahaha! As you can already guess, the Mass of Eyes is a critter of this new faction that follows the nightmare design. Everybody has had a nightmare where lots of eyes are looking in your direction while you are paralyzed, right? Oh, and a lot of Dream Vestiges units look very powerful, but in reality, most of their innate skills are based on status effects. They are a mental or imaginary faction and thus they manipulate other units minds, rendering them useless while they kill the enemies unimpeded. But precisely because its a faction so new, I couldnt find a lot of Mass of Eyes to capture. So I only have seven Stareshrub for now. Whats the best is that, other than being extremely disgusting, they follow the invaders and try to trigger their innate skill, Eyes Everywhere. I pity those who activate the skill because five seconds of being paralyzed inside a dungeon can mean certain death and with so many eyeballs, its very hard to avoid them all. What do you think? Nasty, right!? Hahaha! While laughing, I quickly get away from the Stareshrub. Its so gross I want to stay away from it if possible. To avoid touching it by accident. Lets move to the next one! Fufufu! This one, fufufu! This one is my favorite! This is a mix of Canary and Goat. As you can see, its mostly a tiny yellow bird, with short tiny horns on its head. And lets not forget about the goat beard made of feathers! Dont you think its adorable!? Aww So cute! It reminds me of that famous yellow cartoon character... It stabbed my heart with its tiny horns and now Im in love with it! I know, I know. Its astonishingly cute! But I still need to explain to you why I like them so much. First of all, Ill tell you its name. Ready? I call it Annoyer. Yeah, Annoyer, you heard it right. I put a hand on my chin as I continue to talk, nodding to myself. You may not know, but goats are animals that can make one of the most disgusting sounds. They can even sound like screaming humans. Now, imagine a bunch of flying little birds, hiding everywhere in the dungeon, while making disturbing and annoying sounds from time to timeCall me crazy if you want, but I find it fascinating and absurdly funny! Hahahaha! Ive already told you a few times that DMA developers try to make the game feel as close to reality as they can, so the goats inside the game can make those disturbing sounds. And of course, the Annoyer can do them too because its half goat. Hahaha! Just imagine how annoying is going to be! Hahaha! Or funny, depending on who finds them. But to compensate for how annoying they are, the Annoyers also dont have any combat skills, or any skill at all, so dont expect anything more than making the players confused and distracting them from what they should be paying attention to. Both canaries and goats are relatively easy to obtain if you invade human dungeons, but I didnt want to make the invaders too crazy, so I only created five of them. I think five is going to be enough to make some players go crazy, but not too angry. Also with only five is easier to surprise the invaders, because everyones reactions are more impressive when finding something not expected. If there were Annoyers everywhere, the players would think another one, huh?. But if I only put a few, they are going to think whats that? when they hear the goats cry. Moving on, moving on! We still have two Creepy to show and time is running short! Fufufu! I make one step and stop next to the fifth Creepy. Im sure most of you have suffered from a discharge caused by static electricity at least one time in your lives. You know, like when you touch somebody wearing a wool jumper. Have you ever wondered if its possible to get real damage from one of those discharges? Well, this Creepy here brings that idea to the extreme! Hahaha! I introduce you to the Static Lamb! Ooooh, it looks dangerous! Hey, do you think it''s safe to touch it? I want to try petting it! How cool, a lightning sheep! The sheep next to me looks like a normal sheep, except it slightly glows, and is constantly releasing sparks. Im sure you all remember the Fiery Flies. The Static Lamb is exactly the same, except that its been created by using the body of a Sheep and an Electric Spark. It also deals constant electricity damage around itself and explodes when killed, so you better stay away! Hahaha! I dont think theres a need to talk a lot about this one, you should be already familiarized with it thanks to the Fiery Flies. The Static Lamb is level 3, I didnt change its AI, and these are the skills it has. The only important part is that Ive created six Static Lambs.
Death Burst - Lightning (Triggered skill)
After dying, explode and deal (10 + 10 * level + SPI) lightning damage to all units within 3 meters. This damage isnt increased or reduced by having higher or lower stats.
Lightning Elemental (Innate passive skill)
Negates lightning damage that deals less than (10 * level) damage. Lightning damage higher than this amount is reduced by 50%.
Static Discharge (Passive skill)
Deal (10 + SPI) lightning damage each second to yourself and to every unit within 5 meters. This skill is deactivated until theres an enemy in the same room and within 30 meters.
If you want my honest opinion, this one is definitely the most dangerous Creepy we are displaying today. Though the next one is quite dangerous too! Hahaha! I quickly move to the next and last Creepy. This one is also relatively small, though its bigger than the Colored Geckos. I intentionally left this last Creepy for the end. Mostly for how absurdly crazy it is, hahaha! This one comes with a short story behind it, thats how I came up with the idea to create it. I would like to tell you the whole story, but we are short on time and the clock is ticking, so I cant, Im sorry. I stick my tongue after saying this. Hey, we came for the show, so tell us! I hate you when you put on airs like this! You liar! Huhuhu. Im sorry, but life is cruel sometimes. Lets say that it all comes from this question: what happens when you find a water elemental inside the water? Well, you might already know, but a water elemental inside water can move completely unimpeded and is also almost impossible to spot. Im explaining this because the last Creepy is half water elemental! Say hi to the Water Ant! Hahaha! Hey, I cant see it properly, are you sure theres anything there? Are you blind? Its there, but its hard to see because its made of water! Do you think its cool to the touch? The last Creepy looks like a giant ant. Except that its completely transparent as if made of water, only its contour can be seen properly due to light refraction. I must say that it looks quite badass, objectively speaking. Now, you might be asking what the Water Ant can do and why did I create it. If you put them inside the water, they can swim better than fishes and are close to impossible to see. Now tell me, what do you do with a swarm of almost invisible giant ants? Of course, you release them so that they bite anyone they find in their path! Hahaha! The Giant Ant is one of the extremely few critters that can actually attack. They only deal 1 damage with their bite, and because they arent aggressive, you must change the AI so that they actually start combat. Which I did. Imagine a swarm of Water Ants inside a river. You cant see anything, but you can feel multiple bites as you try to escape the river alive! They are way worse than piranhas! Hahaha!
Water Elemental (Innate passive skill)
You are almost invisible while inside water. While inside the water, you can also move around units and alter your shape to pass through tiny holes, and your speed becomes 7 unless its already higher.
I created 64 Water ants for now, and put them in all the places with water: the river, underground lake, inundated areas I also interconnected all water zones with tiny underground canals so that the Water Ants can freely move through them. Water Ants use Giant Ants and Water Spark units. I was incredibly lucky for this one and found a Primordials dungeon where the dungeon owner added only water elementals, so I only had to farm that dungeon a few times. Otherwise, I wouldnt have been able to create as many Water Ants. They arent that strong, with 1 HP and dealing 1 damage, but if they bite the invaders enough times And whats more important, now the water areas arent safe anymore! Hahaha! Weve now seen and explained all the new Creepy. Do you like them? I hope you do! Hahaha! But now we must continue with the program and move on to the Boss introduction. We also have a surprise at the end of the program, so dont leave until then! But first, the pause for the ads. Fufufu! Hahahaha!
Not long after, Andreu uploaded a video called The Big Reveal that showed all the new units he created, as well as the effects of their skills, to the world. It was a video from the Its Alive! Its Alive! series. The video quickly became incredibly popular for the non-player populace, especially among the young girls, because the Creepy are so cute.
Ch 44 - A Boss and new area Hello everyone! We are back from the publicity and ready to talk about the first Boss! Let me introduce Mandingo whos going to be commenting with me this second part of the program! Hey there. Its nice to be here with you today. So tell us, Mad Rat, what do you have prepared for today? Of course, Mandingo is me, but with a deeper voice. Like I already said before, Im now going to introduce the first boss in The Mad Rats Lab! Hahaha! Ooooh, it sure sounds exciting. Then, without further ado, heres The Mad Rats Lab first boss! Come forth, my newest creation! A figure can be seen slowly coming closer to my current position from the shadows. Its not that big, only a little taller than a child at around 1,3 meters. But if you look at its aspect regardless of its size, it looks imposing and majestic. Say hi to the Boss whos going to terrorize the invaders from now on. I called it: the Minitaur Queen! Hahaha! Wow! If you ignore its small size, it sure looks dangerous. It does, right? Well, what can I say Im really proud of how it turned out, hahaha! The Minitaur Queen looks similar to a human, except it has a bulls head and hooves, most of its body is covered by fur, the whole body so muscular that it puts bodybuilders to shame, and two pairs of purple translucent wings protrude from its back. And lets not forget about the crown it wears on top of its head. So what units did you use for its creation? I can guess it, but I want you to explain it in detail to us if possible. I think you can already see by its looks and name, but the two units used for this monster are the Minotaur and the Fairy Queen. Both of them are decently strong units you could expect as bosses in other dungeons, but I went a step further and made Hybrid out of them! Hahaha! What youre saying is that its a crazy strong monster, right? Because if both are strong enough by themselves, a Hybrid that uses them both must be stupidly strong, am I right? Yes, yes. You are right, Mandingo. Its stats are crazily strong Only that the two units are very specialized in different fields, so the Hybrid isnt as strong as you might think. I dont understand, Mad Rat. What do you mean by different fields? What I mean is that the Minotaur is specialized for brutal melee combat, but in contrast, the Fairy Queen is specialized for magic combat and staying away from danger. So the Minitaur Queen is very good at both, but also isnt as good as any other unit (within the same cp range) in either melee or magic combat. Hmmm then I dont understand why did you create such a flawed Boss, Mad Rat! Why did you create a monster that isnt good at anything? Very good question, Mandingo. The answer is simple, in fact. If you dont excel at anything, it also means you dont have a weakness that others can exploit. You can think of the Minitaur Queen as a monster with no flaws you can take advantage of during combat. Or even worse, a monster that will counter you in your own weak point, regardless of what your weak point is! Hahaha! When you put it like this it sure sounds nasty I can assure you, it IS quite nasty. Most people like to complain about units that are Jack of All Trades, usually by adding and Master of None at the end. But in real life, not having a weak point means you can turn your tables around any enemy as long as you exploit their weakness. That is unless its another Jack of All Trades with higher stats than you. For example, the Minitaur Queen can fly around and keep shooting magic against melee opponents, or choose to engage and quickly kill archers and mages in melee. Its true itll never be able to win in melee against strong fighters, or win a ranged fight against archers and magesbut what does it matter when it can win any fight by just swapping the attack method? So, can you tell me and the viewers what skills the Minitaur Queen has? Im sure we all are thinking the same. Hahaha! Im sorry, but Im not going to spoil the fun for all of you. If you want to discover what is the Minitaur Queen capable of, you must dive into my dungeon! Hahaha! But I can tell you a few things if you want. Oh, what a shame And yes, please tell me all the info you can, Mad Rat! Im sure the viewers are going to appreciate it! Fufufu Ok! Here comes the first info. You should already know, but the Minitaur Queen has the innate skills of both the Minotaur and the Fairy Queen. Which skills are they, you ask? They are Fierce Charge and Trickster, respectively. Oooh, I think I remember what both do. Does this mean the Minitaur Queen is a hit-and-run monster? Because the Fierce Charge is incredibly good at initiating fights, and the Trickster is good for disengaging. I only put a smile on my face at Mandingos (my own) words. I keep silent on purpose because Im not going to reveal it to the public. By the way, here are the innate skill descriptions for both the Minotaur and the Fairy Queen.
Fierce Charge (Innate triggered skill)
If you move at least 6 meters in a straight line before attacking, your attack deals twice the damage, stuns the target for 2 seconds, and pushes it 3 meters away from you. If the target hits an obstacle or another unit when pushed away, the stun time increases to 5 seconds. This skill only works if your STR is higher than the targets STR.
Trickster (Innate active skill)
Cost: 100 MP
You create an illusionary copy of yourself in your current position and you turn invisible. Both effects last up to 10 seconds. If you attack or use a skill during this time, the effect of this skill ends. The skill also ends if you take damage after 2 seconds of turning invisible. This skill has a 1 minute cooldown.
Hey, does your smile mean Im right? Why dont you say anything? Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. No, I will not confirm or deny your statement because I dont want to give too much information away. Ow, youre evil to keep us trying to guess If youre not going to talk about the skills, at least tell us something else! Sure. I was going to show you anyway. Just follow me. What are you going to show us now, Mad Rat? The intrigue is killing me We are currently inside the second laboratory zone, the dungeon core room. Well, the previous dungeon core room, because Ive changed it a little now that I have a boss monster. There are now a few stairs that you must climb to reach the new area I specifically created for the boss. The new boss room is directly on top of the second laboratory. When I edit the video, Im just going to make a cut and directly show the part when we arrive here. We have arrived. Oooooooh! What is this place? It looks amazing with the gigantic capsules and laboratory equipment. And that water canals that cover the whole room give it a romantic feeling! What can I say, I enjoy building and expanding the laboratory zone because I have so many options Hahaha! This room has a similar vibe to the two laboratories, but it has a few very distinctive points. First of all, instead of being a mess of laboratory equipment everywhere, this one has everything organized. And most importantly, the layout is labyrinthic, making it very easy to get lost inside it. The whole room is full of water canals. Its easy to fall into them because they are three meters wide, and they not only prevent invaders from crossing from one side to the other but the water current is strong enough to drag away those who fall inside. The canals are safe in that they dont have Water Ants inside; but they all connect to the underground river, so its a good way to split the party and make people despair. And I made sure its a one-way trip only: its impossible to enter this area through the water canals. The room is a lot bigger than the two laboratories, at around 100 x 40 meters. If you think about it, its certainly big. So tell me, is this room what you wanted to show us? Yes, its this room. But I didnt show it to you only because its new. This is where the players will fight against the Minitaur Queen. In fact, this rooms exit is always open: if you manage to survive, or avoid, the Boss, you can reach the next area without trouble. Dont you think Im very generous? Id have to try it first before commenting on the difficulty. But it at least allows for the invading players to have a chance at beating the dungeon if they arent strong enough to beat the Minitaur Queen in combat. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Yeah, that was the intention. Except that I added other special mechanisms to make the invaders journey through the room a lot harder than what Im explaining to the viewers. Like adding hidden Lightning Rods throughout the room, or that the crossing points for the water canals change over time. Or that the Minitaur Queen has the Detect Presence skill so that its incredibly difficult to avoid. Its a skill Champions cant have for obvious reasons (humans dont have the capability to track presences and would make the player sick). And the Fast Recovery and Survival Instinct skills to help with the hit-and-run tactics.
Fast Recovery (Triggered skill)
If you are outside of combat, double your HP, EP, and MP regeneration without increasing the STA and SOU spent. You are considered outside of combat after 2 minutes of not attacking or taking damage.
Survival Instinct (Triggered skill)
When you have less than 30% HP, regenerate 1% HP per second.
Presence Detection (Passive skill)
You can know the general location of enemies within 20 meters of you.
You said that the invaders only need to reach the end of this room. Does this mean that the Minitaur Queen will pester them with hit-and-run ambushes during the whole trip and only those able to survive will reach the end? As I said before, Im not going to explain the strategy for this encounter. If you are curious, just come invade and see for yourself. Hahaha! But I am going to tell you a few other things regarding this boss encounter and the strategy... In private. The first thing is that the Minitaur Queen, as I said before, has very balanced stats. It only lacks in the DEX department because none of the two units is good at manipulating stuff. These are its stats.
Minitaur Queen (Lv 3)
HP 1116 (930) STA 78 (65) SOU 73 (61)
EP 780 (650) MP 900 (750)
STR 69 (58) CON 73 (61) AGI 81 (68)
SPI 72 (60) WIL 78 (65) DEX 57 (48)
SPD 7 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Trickster (Innate), Acid Bubble, Light Arrow. Triggered: Fierce Charge (Innate), Fast Recovery, Survival Instinct. Passive: Presence Detection.
Yeah, its strong. VERY strong. You just have to know that the cost to create this unit is 740 cp. And on top of this, you have to add the 100% stat buff for being a Boss Ah, if you are curious about it having so many skills, let me remind you that Bosses work similarly to Champions and start with three skill points too. If you compare it to any other dungeon mob, the Minitaur Queen is stupidly strong. Thats why I messed up with the AI and made it so that it doesnt engage in prolonged fights: it shows itself with a dramatic entrance, and then disappears for some time. The players are going to have to hurry through this area and hope they reach the exit before the Minitaur Queen kills them all. I also changed the AI so that it uses parts of the minotaur or the fairy queen AIs depending on the situation: the minotaur AI when starting combat and if most attacks it receives are ranged, and the fairy AI when disengaging and if most enemies are melee. I also didnt want to level it up too much, only to level three. This way it isnt as strong as it could be so that invaders dont die too fast. But more importantly, this way I have time to see how it works against invaders before I level it up and give it more skills. You know, for all that recreate the boss from zero if I mess it up. I definitely dont want to go search for another Fairy Queen any time soon: they are nasty, like to hide, and can fly; a very bad combination when you want to capture one. And the best of all and my favorite: the Minitaur Queen can push enemies into the water canals thanks to the minotaurs innate skill. Meaning invaders are going to be dragged by the water until they reach the underground cave. Its almost a death sentence, hahaha! I truly expect this area, the first boss area, to be a nightmare for the players. Not in the its impossible to beat way, but in the theres danger and we dont know when it will strike way. Something like in terror films: you know theres the big monster somewhere close, but dont know exactly where it is, or when its going to strike, and you cant really do anything else than run away and hope it targets someone else first. Hahaha! I also gave it two different elemental attacks. The only purpose behind it is that I dont want the enemies to bring one element resistance skill and ignore the Minitaur Queens attacks. They can still do it, but with two damage types, it turns into a huge waste of skill points.
Acid Bubble (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) acid damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance that the acid sticks to the enemy, dealing an extra (0,1 * SPI) acid damage each second for 3 seconds.
Light Arrow (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) light damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance that the enemy is stunned for 1 second.
In short, this whole boss area is a mix of running and strategy planning inside a labyrinth: depending on what choices you make and your luck, it can be relatively easy or absolute hell. Plus theres an extremely dangerous enemy called Minitaur Queen that harasses you all the time, strong enough that most players with similar levels to mine will never think about killing it. I thought about it and Im going to give you a tip on how to fight the Minitaur Queen, after all. Ooooh! Nice! And whats this tip? I hope that with this tip we are going to have an easier time fighting against the Boss Im not so sure about helping fight the boss, but it will help you survive. Now Im even more curious. Can you say it already? I dont like when you put so much suspense into things like this! Ahhh, what an impatient guy The tip is this one: dont waste time and run, you fools! Hahaha! How the hell is this going to help us? Im sure we all wanted a tip to fight against it! Well, theres no hope for you in a fight, so the best you can do is run away! ... I hate you, you know!? I dont care if you hate me. Fufufu! Hahaha! After laughing for a while, I continue with the program. So theres only one thing remaining and thats the big surprise reserved for the end of the program. Oh, yes! The big surprise you have been talking about. In fact, the surprise is that there are TWO surprises instead of one. I was kind of expecting something like this So, what are they? More Creepy you reserved for the end? Maybe something else about the Boss fight? Hahaha! Are you curious about them? Well, the surprise is this: telling you there are two extra mobs in the dungeon now! With a dramatic gesture, I point towards a dark area and the light turns on, showing two different monsters. The first one has an imposing and terrific form that invites dread to whoever sees it. Completely pitch black as if absorbing the light, with a dangerous-looking yellow eye in its stomach area. Its wolf inheritance cant be denied, and although it can stand on two legs, its proportions are too deformed to be considered humanoid. At two meters tall, with two gigantic arms, and a terrifying head devoid of eyes or eyeholes, it certainly looks like one of those monsters one would find in nightmares. The second one is about half a meter tall and looks like a mushroom. It looks very similar to the mushrooms that populate the dungeon, except it has eight spider legs and a bunch of black eyes. Oooh! They look nice! And tell us, what are they? What skills do they have? Im sorry but Im not going to explain anything about them at all! If you want to know, just come and invade The Mad Rats Lab. Hahaha! Thats why its a surprise: because you wont know anything about them until you fight them; and not because they were hidden from you until the end of the show. What did you expect? Hahaha! Oh, come on! Stop spouting bullshit and tell us already, Mad Rat! Thank you for viewing the program today. And thank you, Mandingo, for coming and commenting about the new monsters and dungeon area! Lets see you next time on The Mad Rats Show! Hahaha! Hey, are you really going to end the show like this? You suck at this I interrupt Mandingo (myself) before he (I) can finish the sentence. See you next time! Bye bye! Fufufu! Hahaha! Let me finish talking at least! Hey, dont ignore At this point, Im going to add a fade-to-black effect when I edit the video.
The second part of The Big Reveal was the one most watched by DMA players. Especially for those who wanted to dive into The Mad Rats Lab, and those who already tried but failed. It started a lot of discussions about what was the best strategy to fight against the Minitaur Queen; and also about the mysterious surprises, the looks of which was the only thing revealed.
Ex Ch 6 - Monsters everywhere Where the hell did so many monsters come from!? I-i dont know! I just looked behind me and saw the whole passage filled with them! Running through a rocky tunnel, two players, followed by their support units, are trying to escape from an absurdly large number of monsters. The problem is that the monsters are faster than them. To make matters even worse, they make a wrong turn and find a dead end that prevents them from running away. Shit! We have no escape! This is a fucking dead end! Dont need to tell, Im not blind! I can see it in front of us! The monster horde keeps running in their direction and will soon reach them. So what now? Do you think we can survive? I dont know If I had enough MP I could cast a few areas and we might be able to survive. But I only have enough for two areas and there are too many monsters Its better than nothing! Lets try it at least! We are going to die anyway! Ok. The two players divide themselves into a frontline and a backline formation using the support units. The ones at the front are going to give their all to prevent the enemies from reaching the archers and mages, while the backline focuses on killing the enemies. Its a decent tactic because of the situation: they are at a dead end, so the enemies can only come from the front. Not long after, the monsters reach the players formation, and combat starts. Releasing arrows and spells from the back, the first monsters get quickly slaughtered. But the monsters are relentless and dont care if they are killed. They only have one thing in mind: to kill the invaders in front of them. They push through the bodies of the dead and finally reach the frontline. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. The intensity of the battle increases as the monsters and frontline start fighting. Not long after, the first casualties on the players side appear. They arent the only ones to suffer casualties because more than fifteen monsters have been killed. But theres still no end in sight: the whole passage is full of them. Why did nobody else say anything about this happening before!? Maybe nobody was attacked by so many monsters? How can this be possible? Dont joke around! Its ridiculous to think thats possible! How can you miss a group of so many monsters!? Shit! If only I had AoE skills!! The frontline is going to crumble soon under so much pressure. More than half the support units that formed it are already dead. Dread and despair taint the two players faces. They never expected to find something like this inside a dungeon. Doesnt this look like a monster train? How the hell do you create a thing like this inside the game? A monster train is created when pulling the aggro of monsters as you run away, but theres no other player who could have created it! The dungeons are instanced! Hahaha dont ask me Theres a reason why its called the Evil Mastermind Im not surprised by anything anymore The frontline finally crumbles. At that moment, the player, the only one remaining in the frontline, tries to stop the mobs from reaching the back with taunting skills but is quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies and dies a horrible and gruesome death. Shit! Were done for! The monster wave quickly reaches the backline and decimates them in less than a minute. Aaaaaagh! Why did it have to be us who found the monster train!? I hate it when were the only ones to suffer! Hey, do you think we should report the monster train to the rest of the players? Hmmm I dont see why we should Dont you think its going to be better to share the suffering with our fellow players? Fufufu. Yeah lets keep quiet and enjoy the others suffering the same fate as us Hahaha! Hahaha!
This is what happened to one of the first invaders to find the Monster Train inside The Mad Rats Lab. And the fate that a lot more players would meet, because they werent warned.
Ch 45 - About the surprises Having finished the Mad Rats Show, Im now going to tell you all the secrets you need to know about the surprises. What are you saying!? Of course not! I never wanted to reveal everything to the future dungeon invaders! What fun would the dungeon have otherwise? Ive gone to a few places in the DMA forums where players talk bullshit about my dungeon and as much as I still dont understand their enthusiasm and almost fanatic obsession for my dungeon, I DO enjoy the despair and craziness my dungeon is creating. Hahaha! All those posts complaining about being killed by Creepy are the best! Especially those that complain about the Death Butterfly! Though I find it weird that nobody has complained about the Monster Train yet Could it be that nobody has met it yet? Are they really that lucky? I dont think so because most players complain about being unlucky Then why are there no messages about the Monster Train at all!? I know it was designed in a way that relies on luck to actually find the invading players because of its random movement But it doesnt make sense at all that nobody has found it yet! And another thing I still dont understand is the Evil Mastermind nickname theyve given me, saying that all the times they died because of random things were because I planned them from the start, in an absurdly convoluted and evil plan. What the hell are they saying!? Thats utter bullshit! I only put random things inside the dungeon and its YOU who are unlucky: one error leads to the other until finally, you get yourself killed! I havent planned anything of that at all! At least it isnt all bad because those discussions help make my dungeon famous and more and more players enter it every day. There are also random players who beat the dungeon out of sheer luck and when the others see it, they turn even crazier and start to dive into my dungeon to show they are better and can beat it too Anyway, returning to the surprises. Lets start explaining the third surprise! Hahaha! You might be thinking WTF!? The third!? Werent there only two!? right now. And you are right Except I purposely didnt show the third to the viewers because its only relevant to me. If your brain is fast enough, you might already expect what this third surprise is about. I already showed everything that I had planned to improve the dungeon except for one single thing. Yeah, Im talking about the Kidnapper upgrade. Without further delay, lets show you all the new and upgraded Kidnapper! I called the template: Stone Eye Kidnapper! The biggest drawback I found with the original Kidnapper was that it was completely incapable to capture units on its own. I (or another teammate) had to incapacitate the enemies so that the Kidnapper could capture them. And it works decently well, but I had to remember to cast Chain Lightning every time I wanted to capture a unit lets just say that my brain isnt the best at remembering things sometimes. Another non-ideal thing is that because I have to cast Chain Lightning, I have to spend a lot more MP than I should. And the Stone Eye Kidnapper solves all those problems at the same time! Its capable of capturing units on its own because of its innate skills! And whats best, it can also passively turn enemies to stone and remove them from combat! Though the chance is very low, so I wont rely on it at all... But its very handy for capturing critters because they are usually everywhere, so just by being alive the Stone Eye Kidnapper can turn critters to stone and capture them without spending a single EP or MP point! Hahaha! Another great thing is that it isnt very expensive at only 80 cp plus the 20 from Basic Chimera, so I can easily bring with me other support mobs during invasions. I kept it at level two to leave the cost as low as possible: other than the innate skills inherited from the Spider and the Cockatrice used to create it, the new Kidnapper only really needed defensive skills. Its AI even comes with the Follow and No-combat options by default! As all AI with 3+ INT does. I only had to change it so that it uses the Web Throw skill when I tell it to do so, and never starts or participates in combat, the same as with the original Kidnapper. Its so better than the Stitched! Hahaha! I only need to tell the Stone Eye Kidnapper to capture one unit and it will wait until its HP is low enough to effectively use Web Throw and then capture it!
Stone Eye Kidnapper (Lv 2)
HP 154 (140) STA 13 (12) SOU 12 (11)
EP 143 (130) MP 110 (100)
STR 14 (13) CON 13 (12) AGI 16 (15)
SPI 12 (11) WIL 15 (14) DEX 7 (7)
SPD 5 INT 3 COM 0
Skills
Active: Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Too Gross To Look At.
Web Throw (Innate active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
You throw sticky threads and immobilize another unit for up to 5 seconds. The immobilization time is reduced the higher % of HP the target currently has. This skill has a 20 second cooldown.
Petrifying Eyes (Innate passive skill)
Every second, you have a 1% chance to petrify a unit you can see. The petrification lasts until the unit leaves your field of vision. The chance is increased or reduced if your average stats are higher or lower than the targets stats, respectively. The chances to petrify Champions and Bosses are halved and you can only petrify them up to 5 seconds every minute. This skill doesnt work on allied units.
What I find funny about the Stone Eye Kidnapper is how it looks. Imagine a spider with a roosters crest, wings, and a very long reptile tail. Oh, and its two front legs are replaced by chicken legs. You might think that it can fly because it has wings, but Cockatrices cant fly, only glide. So the same goes for the new Kidnapper. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Of course, I reconverted the original Braindead Kidnapper to a Braindead Leader and created three more Braindead Mobs for it to lead. Soldier, youve served me properly for these past weeks, so you deserve a promotion! The last thing I did was delete the original Kidnapper template. Im not going to need it anymore. Now that the third and extra surprise has been explained, lets move to the other two. The second one is quite similar to the Stone Eye Kidnapper. You could even say they are distant cousins Im talking about the one that looks like a mushroom with spider legs and eyes: the Silent Kidnapper. This one is a mix of a Spider and a Small Myconid. For those of you who dont know, myconids are monsters that look exactly like mushrooms. When they stand still, theres no way to differentiate one from the other except by inspecting or attacking it. The Silent Kidnappers are going to hunt invaders for me. They arent very strong but they have the perfect skills for capturing units. And Im going to put them spread through the whole dungeon this way I can easily get a bunch of free units without having to play the game at all! Hahaha! Both the innate skill from the Spider, the Web Throw skill, and the skill from the Small Myconid, the Paralyzing Spores, can inflict status effects that allow capturing the affected unit.
Paralyzing Spores (Innate active skill)
Cost: 50 MP
Cover a 3 meter radius area with a spore cloud around yourself that lasts 5 seconds. Each second while inside the cloud, other units have a 5% chance to be paralyzed for 5 seconds. This skill has a 1 minute cooldown and doesnt work on units that have this same skill.
In fact, the Paralyzing Spores is an innate skill common to all myconid units. The skill is also implemented in a way so that it doesnt work against other myconids though it still works against other allied units, so you must be careful when using it. I also modified the AI of the Silent Kidnapper. What I did was change how it behaves during combat. First, it doesnt actively attack: it feigns to be a normal mushroom by staying completely still between a bunch of other real mushrooms. This was easy because the myconids AI does it by default. Then, it waits for an opportunity to strike with the Paralyzing Spores if the enemies get close. It releases the paralyzing cloud and then waits until one enemy gets paralyzed and then tries to capture it. Im sure more than one player is going to think that the Silent Kidnappers are just a new type of mushroom I added to the dungeon. A paralyzing mushroom. Oh, boy how wrong will they be! Hahaha! And in the case where the Paralyzing Spores strategy doesnt work, the Silent Kidnapper waits for a chance to cast Web Throw against an enemy that has low HP, and then tries to capture it. Of course, the Silent Kidnapper only tries to capture isolated targets. I also made it so that the Silent Kidnapper doesnt attack or target Champions at all. They cant be captured, so why should they waste their small chances to capture anything against an enemy that cant be captured? They are kidnappers, after all! What I want from them is to capture the invaders support units without the players noticing at all. The best is going to be if they say something like where the hells (X unit) gone to!?, or I was sure there were (Y + 1) units before!! Thats why it has Silent in its name! Hahaha! Oh, I also leveled the template to level two and gave them two utility skills that will help them with their job: Unidentifiable to make them even more difficult to find when they stay still, and Capture Expert to facilitate the capture. As you would expect, the latter is a skill exclusive to the Flesh Monstrosities faction, the only faction that needs to capture other factions units. I didnt know this skill existed maybe it came with the latest game update? Anyway, heres the status screen for the Silent Kidnapper.
Silent Kidnapper (Lv 2)
HP 110 (100) STA 12 (11) SOU 9 (9)
EP 121 (110) MP 110 (100)
STR 12 (11) CON 12 (11) AGI 9 (9)
SPI 11 (10) WIL 11 (10) DEX 6 (6)
SPD 5 INT 3 COM 0
Skills
Active: Web Throw (Innate), Paralyzing Spores (Innate). Triggered: Capture Expert. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Unidentifiable.
Capture Expert (Triggered skill)
When you are capturing a unit and the status effect that allows the capture ends, you instead extend it for as long as the capturing process lasts. You can still cancel the capturing process and be interrupted as normal.
Unidentifiable (Passive skill)
You cant be identified for as long as you are alive.
Since both Spiders and Small Myconids are basic units, the total cost for the Silent Kidnappers is only 60 cp. They are a very cheap way to obtain free bodies, if you ask me. Objectively speaking, I dont think that the Silent Kidnappers are going to be too annoying to the invading players. If Im lucky, I expect them to capture at most one unit per dungeon invasion, which is quite a lot for me if you think about it but losing a single support unit, a weakened one at that, usually doesnt make any difference to the invaders. I also didnt put too many of them, only 12 for now: 6 in the big cave and 6 in the tunnels. So yes, they are going to be just a little nuisance for the invaders but for me, they are going to be incredibly useful! Now I just need to create a bunch more Stasis chambers to put all those extra bodies into them, and unlock the Fleshlings to use those extra bodies I dont really want *Sigh* The to-do list never gets shorter It only gets longer as time passes, and I never stop crossing things out of it! Before I move to the last surprise, I want to tell you something I almost forgot Taking this whole capturing and creating new monsters, I also took the chance to increase the number of previous units, though not by much. I added a second Tunnel Mimic. Now the chances to find one are doubled because there are two of them! And I also added two more Death Butterflies for a total of five, and three more Fiery Flies for a total of seven. Their numbers were ok before I upgraded the dungeon and expanded the areas, but now they were too spread and their usefulness was reduced. Thats why I increased their amounts by a little.
After a few days, I had to reduce the number of Silent Kidnappers in the dungeon until the dungeon grew bigger, and I could build more Stasis chambers and unlock the Fleshlings. This was because they were continuously capturing useless units like Farmers, and I couldnt bring useful units I had captured in Dungeon Invasions because there was no space I almost cried in frustration when I was lucky to capture another Runesmith but had to leave it because all stasis chambers were full.
Ch 46 - A true nightmare Ladies and gentlemen, lets move to the last surprise! This one is an actual fighter for the dungeon and not a unit to help me get more bodies. Im sure youre going to enjoy listening to this one a lot more! Hahaha! Until now, Ive watched quite a lot of times the progress of other players invading my dungeon, to see how my tricks, mobs, and traps work; and also went to test my newest creations personally I really like how the Freezer turned out, I love the entrance, and the big cave is ok But I still felt like something was missing in the Tunnels area, though I couldnt say what was missing Until I had this crazy idea. Yeah, Im talking about the first surprise! Hahaha! Or should it be the third surprise well, who cares about small details like this? I believe that with this new unit, the tunnels will be finished! With it, Ill make sure that all players believe that something dangerous can happen at any time when they are inside the tunnels! Hahaha! The thing that was missing in the tunnels was unpredictability. Ok, its true that the Tunnel Mimic and patrolling mobs are unpredictable, but they are only a small part of the tunnel area. The problem was the mushroom zones, traps, resting areas Im talking about those elements that are always going to stay in the same place after I put them there. The problem was that after the first few times they dive into my dungeon, all invaders know which tunnels are dangerous, and which ones lead to the next area. If they are good enough, they can even remember the shortest and less dangerous path and ignore the rest. This is something any good player does: optimize the strategy to have an easier dungeon invasion. The problem is that I dont want them to be able to actually optimize the dungeon invasion. They can remember the shortest path and danger zones, and even make maps to help other players They can even know which one is a Tunnel Mimic if they are familiar enough with the layout! After all, the Tunnel Mimics are the only tunnels that change from time to time. After every change I made to the area, the only ones to suffer were the first ones to dive into the dungeon, and I cant keep changing the dungeon all the time! I called this new unit The Tunnels Nightmare because its main purpose is to prevent this from happening, keeping all invaders on guard against it because if they find The Tunnels Nightmare, it wont matter if they know every part of the tunnels, they are going to suffer anyway. It can turn the predictable and static elements into truly dangerous elements by itself! Hahaha! By now you might be curious about how this works Dont worry, Im going to explain it right now. First of all, The Tunnels Nightmare is a Basic Chimera. And the two bodies I used to create it are a Terror Slime and a Maguiloyf. The Terror Slime is easy to explain: its just a pitch-black slime, so dark that it seems as if the light is sucked into it. It isnt very big at around a meter high, but it looks imposing because of its looks. And as its name suggests, its innate skill is related to the fear status effect: Terrifying Presence.
Terrifying Presence (Innate passive skill)
Every second, you have a 5% chance to apply fear to other units that look in your direction for 3 seconds. This skill doesnt stack and doesnt work on allied units. This skill can only apply fear to the same unit once every 5 minutes. The timer resets after the fear ends.
Terror Slimes are support units from the Amorphous faction. By themselves, they arent too dangerous, but they are resilient because of their high HP. They arent fast to kill, so its easy for one or two units to be affected by fear before the Terror Slime is killed. The fear status makes you run away from the unit which inflicted it, in a random direction. This is really bad, so Terror Slimes are usually the first to be targeted, and their low WIL and speed make them easy targets for spellcasters. And the second unit I used is the Maguyiloyf. Remember when I was talking about the Dream Vestiges faction, the one with units based on dreams? Well, the Maguyiloyf is another one of their units based on nightmares and nightmares are based on fear, so the synergy between the two units is perfect. Maguyiloyfs aspect is already terrifying with its deformed wolf-like appearance, creepy eye in its stomach area, huge maws, and gigantic arms. Its a unit based on the fear of being persecuted by a very dangerous predator so, of course, its looks are terrifying. Oh, and since its based on a dream, its figure sometimes turns partially transparent. Because its imaginary and you can say it actually isnt there at all, as if it were a manifestation of your psyche. But the most terrifying thing about the Maguiloyf is its innate skill: Your Worst Nightmare. It works as a support skill to help inflict the fear status effect against enemies. Especially if you combine it with other units, or in my case, with the Terror Slimes innate skill.
Your Worst Nightmare (Innate triggered skill)
Units that look in this creatures direction cant look away for the next 5 seconds. The duration of any Fear status effect inflicted during this duration is accumulated into a single Fear effect thats applied at the end of this skills duration. This skill can only trigger once every 5 minutes against each unit and doesnt work on allied units. Champions and Bosses cant be feared by more than 10 seconds with this skill.
The idea behind the skill is that the Maguiloyf is so terrifying that you cant keep your eyes away for a while after seeing it for the first time; until you finally are able to look away but are so scared that you immediately try to run away in fear. You already saw it before, but just in case you forgot, Ill tell you again how The Tunnels Nightmare looks. Its body is black and, similar to the slime, it seems as if the light was sucked in. Its shape is based on a wolf, except its forelegs are too long and muscular, and its gigantic mouth is full of sharp teeth. But the most striking part is the eye located in the stomach area. More than thirty centimeters long, it keeps looking in the preys direction all the time: you cant turn your head away because of fear. Furthermore, it can keep you in sight even when standing on four legs thanks to its disproportionately longer forelegs. Black veins penetrate the eye from all directions as if they were blood vessels, and in contrast with the rest of its body, the eye looks as if it glows in a dangerous yellow tint. If you know how the two units look, you might have a better idea of how The Tunnels Nightmare looks if I tell you you can take the Maguiloyf looks and add the pitch-black surface of the Terror Slime plus the black veins in the eye zone and you have The Tunnels Nightmare. Oh, I also did a special trick with it! Slimes dont have a fixed shape, and can extend their pseudopods to attack I used the slimes body for the main joints when creating The Tunnels Nightmare, so it can rotate all limbs freely as well as extend its arms to attack. Nasty, right? Hahaha! It can also stand on two legs and use the forelegs to attack with wide swiping attacks that have more range than they should because it can extend them! A true nightmare. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. As for the AI, I used the Magiloyf default one as the base and tweaked a few things. It basically roams the tunnels area randomly until it finds an invader and then tries to apply fear to them. If all enemies start running away, it will resume its previous behavior; but as long as theres one invader that isnt affected by fear, it will continue to fight against it until only one of the two sides survives. This is the rest of the info for The Tunnels Nightmare.
The Tunnels Nightmare (Lv 5)
HP 714 (510) STA 37 (27) SOU 44 (32)
EP 350 (250) MP 448 (320)
STR 37 (27) CON 51 (37) AGI 23 (17)
SPI 46 (33) WIL 28 (20) DEX 14 (10)
SPD 6 INT 4 COM 1
Skills
Active: Alphas Howl, Corrosive Goo. Triggered: Your Worst Nightmare (Innate), Mind Break, Paranoia. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Terrifying Presence (Innate), Too Gross to Look At.
As you can see, it is only a little stronger than the Lab Assistants. Of course, their purpose is completely different, so its only natural that a unit that has to inflict fear is also powerful enough to actually inflict fear. Who would fear a weakling? Nobody, right!? Im sure you already know whats the purpose of The Tunnels Nightmare now, right? Yeah, youre right! Its to make players and their support mobs run randomly through the tunnels because of fear! And since they cant control their movement directions, they are going to activate traps, walk into mushroom areas, or even get lost! I dont expect invaders to have to actually fight against The Tunnels Nightmare at all, just run away from it. Its only purpose is to cause chaos inside the tunnels, after all. You can say its going to be successful if it manages to force experienced players to use tunnels and areas they would never want to step into. The idea behind its skills is just to make invaders have a bad time after encountering The Tunnels Nightmare. Alphas Howl is another way to inflict fear other than the slimes innate skill, and Paranoia is a skill that further increases the effectiveness of the fear status effect by dealing damage when an enemy is under the effects of fear. And lets not forget that the Mind Break can also help with other status effects other than fear: if The Tunnels Nightmare manages to activate the Mind Break skill by applying both Terrifying presence and Alphas Howl, those enemies affected by the sleeping mushrooms will sleep for an extra second each time the sleep effect is applied, for example! The Too Gross to Look At is an amazing defensive skill given its innate skill that forces enemies to look at it. They both synergize with Terrifying Presence amazingly well. Now for the Corrosive Goo skill You can think of it as a way for The Tunnels Nightmare to deal extra damage against enemies that are going to run away because of fear. It deals continuous damage even while they are running away! Hahaha!
Alphas Howl (Active skill)
Cost: 100 EP, 100 MP
Release a howl that terrifies your enemies. All enemies that can hear your howl in a 20-meter radius have a 20% chance to be inflicted by Fear for 5 seconds. Always applies Fear to enemies with lower average stats than you. This skill can only apply fear to the same enemy once every 5 minutes. The timer resets after the fear ends.
Corrosive Goo (Active skill)
Cost: 60 MP
Throw a blob of corrosive goo in a straight line that sticks to the first unit it touches. The affected unit takes (3 + 0,1 * SPI) acid damage each second for the next 10 seconds. The effect of this skill doesnt stack if the same unit is hit multiple times, but the duration is refreshed.
Mind Break (Triggered skill)
If this unit applies stun, charm, fear, or sleep to another unit for more than 10 consecutive seconds, its mind is crippled. For the next 5 minutes, every time that unit is afflicted by stun, charm, fear, or sleep, the duration of that status effect is increased by 1 second. The effect of this skill doesnt stack, and multiple instances of this skill cant stack.
Paranoia (Triggered skill)
When this unit applies the fear status effect to another unit, the fear effect lasts for an extra 1 second and that unit takes (2 + 0,1 * SPI) psychic damage each second.
Fufufu! Yes, thats what I was talking about! Thanks to The Tunnels Nightmare now the tunnels arent going to be safe anymore! Do you know the whole path, traps, and dangerous areas? Good for you, but a single unlucky fear can make you move through a tunnel that you never intended to cross! Hahaha! And whats best! I dont need to keep modifying the tunnels anymore just to prevent easy dungeon invasions! I can keep them as they are, only changing them when introducing something new or when making the dungeon bigger. Im sure you noticed: Im very proud of this new unit! I think it fits the tunnels area soooooo well! Well, this was all about the new dungeon changes! Now I just have to wait and see if they actually work as I intended to! Hahaha!
One of the best examples Ive ever found of the phrase status effects are king, is in The Mad Rats Lab. Have you ever fought The Tunnels Nightmare? Its a monster that basically makes you run in fear. Thats almost everything it does. It can also do decent damage depending on the situation, but the problem is with the Fear status. Im sure you already know how difficult the dungeon is. Now imagine running randomly through it because you have the Fear status and cant control your champion I see you shuddering, so it looks like you understand what Im trying to say, right? The Tunnels Nightmare is just a normal mob, stat-wise, but is considered a mini-boss for most players because of the Fear it inflicts and the situations the fear status can put you in. I still shudder every time I remember that time when I ran inside a Tunnel Mimic because of the fear effect - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 47 - A real warrior fights alone This chapter has a different POV. Its the time! The time to invade The Mad Rats Lab again! Huh huh huh! Laughing alone, Im about to start my weekly routine of invading the aforementioned dungeon. I dont know how many times it has been already, but Im sure that this one time is going to be the time when I finally beat it! I can feel it in my muscles! Its today! The day when I recover my orcs pride has finally come! Huh, huh, huh! My guttural laughter spreads through the wasteland thats my dungeon. Wooden fortifications and buildings populate it, spreading as far as the eye can see. Everywhere you can put your eyes into is full of green-skinned humanoids: goblins, orcs even some trolls here and there. These are my prided companions. We fight together, and squash everyone who dares to stand in our path! Oh, how fun it is to fight to the death with all my glorious mobs! The only one who has managed to curb our efforts so far is that damned Evil Mastermind guy! But todays different! Today Im sure Im going to beat it once and for all! Just you see, Im going to beat the dungeon alone and show everywhere how to beat the dungeon even when you are unlucky! I shout while raising my fist. Nowadays, the forums about The Mad Rats Lab are full of people who dont understand anything. They advocate for joining other players to invade the dungeon to have an easier time. What the heck are they saying!? A true warrior can beat the dungeon alone! Im going to show all of them how wrong they are when I beat it! Also, this damned dungeon is designed by the Evil Mastermind! It doesnt matter how many players enter it, because if you are destined to die, you will die, thats all! Lets prepare carefully the units Im going to bring today. After some deliberation, I decide to bring with me two Goblin archers, one Goblin mage, and two orc Warriors. Taking into account what I found in previous dungeon invasions, I think this gives me the best options for clearing the dungeon: a mix of weak ranged units and strong melee units. Not like Ive tried other combinations to see if they work better, mind you. But if it works in all other dungeons, why shouldnt it work here? Ok, lets go! Im already anticipating the moment I can finally crush the dungeon core! I KNOW that todays the day! Huh, huh, huh!
Ugh Why is the dungeon teleportation so annoying? I dont really like the dungeon teleportation. This white flash of light makes me think Im going to go blind every time, and I hate it! I turn around. Behind me, I see that the orcs and goblins have already appeared and everythings ready for me to start the dungeon invasion. Lets crush them all, guys! My muscles are excited today, wiggling in anticipation of our victory! Its time to finally have our revenge on this damned dungeon! Lets open a path with the blood of our enemies! Not wasting time, I move toward the dungeon entrance. I know there are players who dislike the entrance because of the dread it can make you feel, but I personally like it a lot. Now that it has this dungeon entrance, the dungeon feels complete. Before, the first time you entered it, you wouldnt know anything about the dungeon but now with the new entrance, you must be a fool if you dont understand how dangerous it is by the first things you see. Just the bloody plants and the dark and ominous cave entrance should be enough to warn any player about its dangers. Unless they are too dumb, but thats their own problem and has nothing to do with the dungeon. I like very much the giant claw marks along the cave entrance. Im looking forward to the time I can fight such a dangerous enemy! Huh, huh, huh! Imagine the size of a monster capable of doing such giant claw marks! It must be pretty strong by itself, but because of the factions nature, it will be mixed with another strong monster and turn out to be even stronger! I shudder in excitement just thinking about it! There are also a lot of weird glowing mushrooms everywhere, but I dont care about them at all. They are decoration elements only as long as they dont surprise me by releasing poison clouds or the like, I wont take a second look at them. They are only mushrooms. After a short walk, we reach the big cavern at the end of the path. I can already see (and hear) the horrendous monsters that populate it. Now, be ready guys! The action starts now! It isnt very long after that the first enemy comes rushing at us. *AaAaAaAaAa!* Aaaagh, my ears! You dont know how much I hate their screams. Im going to send you to hell just to shut you up! I angrily return a shout to the screaming monster. Aaaaagh! *AaAaAaAaAa!* We are now competing for who can shout the loudest. Of course, Im the winner. The fight plays as usual: the monster screams for reinforcements, we all jump to kill it, then the reinforcements come but we have already killed the first one, then the fight continues when the enemies reach our position This is then repeated until no more screaming monstrosities are nearby. It isnt a surprise anymore after the first time because you just need to take care of not being surrounded by enemies. Though it can turn out to be a lot more troublesome if this happens in the middle of another fight
We are crossing the big cavern when an arrow strikes me from above. Not again! Aaaaagh, I hate them so much! I look up and see a fucking Goblimp Pest standing on the cap of the closest giant mushroom. The thing is that the giant mushrooms are too big, and also its very difficult to climb there during combat so we can only ignore it or try to kill it at range. As if having little ranged options and power wasnt bad enough, the Goblimps are fucking annoying because they follow you if you try to run away! So we can only kill it here before it meets its teammates and ambushes us later on. Go, kill them fast! They are two units in one, thats why I use the plural. We cant waste too much time here! The two goblin archers and goblin mage start attacking the Goblimp under my orders. Meanwhile, the fucking pest keeps hurling attacks and spells at me while dancing and trying to avoid as many attacks as possible. I HATE them so MUCH! Come here and meet my battleaxe, you fucking pest! I promise youll have a nicer time than dancing around! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The only good thing is that they are weak, absurdly weak. With a few more arrow shots and spell casts, both halves die and we can proceed with our dungeon invasion. We took very little damage, you could almost say its negligible the amount of damage we took. But they are SO ANNOYING! If I could, I would ban them from appearing! If only the game had a feature to remove a specific kind of mob from the enemy dungeon Not long after, we reach the entrance to the mess of convoluted tunnels. By now, Ive already been here quite a lot of times, so I kind of remember the path through the tunnels area. Yeah, kind of. The only problem is that to avoid as many mushrooms as possible I must make a large detour or choose the rabbit area instead. But the rabbit area is too dangerous for me with the weak goblins: they can be killed with a single strike if Im unlucky, and I want to keep as many of them alive as possible for the fight against the guys with the lab coats. So Im left with no other option than to take the long and convoluted path that avoids most mushroom areas. They were hard to find in the big cavern because of how huge the place is, but here, its very easy to see the new creepies that resemble a gummy gecko. I must admit they also match well with the glowing mushrooms. You dont have to ask. Its evident that EVERYONE that wants to dive into The Mad Rats Lab has seen the video about the reveal of the new monsters and Boss. Who would be the FOOL to come inside knowing you can have an easier time just watching a short video that explains most of the info about the new monsters!? Though there are people like that They like to call themselves purists. If you ask me, they are just a bunch of fools, and they dont achieve anything because information is power, and its the most important thing in this damned dungeon! I only hope we dont find a Stareshrub in the middle of an important combat because the five seconds of being paralyzed can effectively destroy us. Especially for a faction like ours that lacks ranged power to kill it before its too late. With me at the front, we enter the tunnel. Im resilient, so I can take some damage from traps without having to worry though the same cant be said for the goblins. Thats why I put them in the middle, this way they are also protected from ambushes from the back. We continue moving until, ahead, I can see a different kind of lightning to the one generated by the glowing mushrooms. How weird this kind of light is what you see in the tunnels with holes from where the sunlight enters, but all of them should be close to the rabbit area, and Im sure this tunnel doesnt lead to that area. Afraid of whats to come (I generally like surprises, but I ABHOR them when it comes to this dungeon), I come close to the tunnels turn, stick out my head, and peek at whats ahead. What I see is a glowing sheep thats constantly releasing lightning. Oh! Its one of those lightning sheep! If Im not wrong, they are weak but can deal lots of damage when killed I decide to use Phantasmal Weapon here. I throw a translucent copy of my battleaxe, and it flies to where the sheep is standing, hits it, and the sheep dies. *Baaah! Bzzzzt!* With the sheeps death cry, an electric burst is released, wide enough to cover the whole tunnel. Weak but dangerous! Luckily it only took one strike to kill it, so we didnt take a single point of damage here! Huh, huh, huh! My guttural laughter echoes through the tunnels as I continue the dungeon invasion.
Haaaa I live for this! The battles against these guys are always very good! Huh, huh, huh! I cant keep my excitement after fighting against the guy with the lab coat, the first real challenge we faced so far. I always find it funny that it wields a pencil instead of a weapon, but this guy is no joke! If you get too absorbed in the combat, the ice waves will surprise and immobilize you. Also, weak melee units are quickly killed with the fire aura Thats why I gave all weak units ranged attacks. I take this chance to look around and find the two orcs staring at me with impassive faces. Some place a little far away, two goblin archers are slowly treading towards our current position. Wait a moment Before the fight started I also had a goblin mage with me! Did it get killed during the fight? In this damned dungeon, it isnt wise to ignore the things you dont understand because they are sure to come back to bite your ass later on. To avoid it, I try to find its corpse and understand how it died but find nothing. What the heck!? Theres no corpse? What happened to the goblin, did it just disappear? After a few minutes of trying to locate the goblin, or at least its corpse, I get tired of searching. I even backtracked quite a lot of distance to no avail. This makes no sense! Until now, there wasnt a single time when a support unit vanished without a trace! It could be killed, ambushed, poisoned or put to sleep, or even fall into the river and be dragged away But you could always find the corpse somewhere! Tired of wasting time, I decide this is a lost cause and continue with the dungeon exploration. This part, called Freezer, is dangerous because of the vast amount of enemies and exploding corpses. Everyone knows that the best strategy here is to walk some space ahead of the group to trigger the traps, so that they only damage one person, and to change who goes in front to spread out the damage. I might not be the smartest one, but its common sense to follow what others have proven to be the best, so Im going to do the same and switch with my orc Warriors. The goblins are too weak for this job. By following the strategy I manage to reach the end of this area without any trouble. Well, not more trouble than usual, I mean because getting surrounded by those grotesque monsters is a thing thats going to happen at least once in this area, with so many of them. But with my and my orcs strength and resilience, we manage to kill all enemies before it gets dangerous! So its nothing to worry about! Also, I know that todays the day when Ill finally beat this damned dungeon and recover my orcs pride! Im not afraid of anything! Just bring it on! Huh, huh, huh! Y-you know, actually just forget about what I just said and be nice to me, ok, Evil Mastermind?
Pumped up for whats to come, I find myself looking expectantly at whats inside the room in front of me. Huh, huh, huh! The time has come! Ill be one of the first invaders to face the new boss! And Im sure Ill manage to reach the end of this dungeon once and for all! I can feel it in my bones that todays the day I beat it! And then Ill brag to everyone in the forums! Huh, huh, huh! Right in front of me, theres the new boss area. The water canals occupy most of the room, creating a labyrinthic area full of unknown dangers. Did you really expect us to believe there was only the boss here, Evil Mastermind!? Im sure you added a lot of tricks to this room and you didnt explain about them on purpose to get us killed! But Im smarter than you thought and Im not going to fall for your evil machinations! Just watch as I cross this room and destroy your dungeon core once and for all! Huhuhu! Ive been resting for quite a while just to recover all HP, EP, and MP for the fight thats going to come right now. Yeah, who would want to run from a strong enemy!? Of course, this is going to be the biggest fight yet for me, so theres no way Im going to run away here! And most importantly, Im confident I can kill the Minitaur Queen and beat the dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! I continue to laugh while imagining the glory thats to come for me. Follow me, guys! This is the biggest challenge we have faced until now! I confidently walk inside the room, followed by the orcs and goblins. I randomly chose a path, and continue moving forward. Theres no need to wait a lot for the boss to appear. Here it comes! Prepare for battle! I shout. The orcs and goblins immediately put themselves into position, following my orders. The goblins take the rear with their bows and the orcs prepare to engage in melee while protecting the goblins the best they can. Of course, Im in front, ready to receive the boss charge. Without hesitation, the Minintaur Queen charges at me. It isnt very tall at only a little over a meter, but its aura sure is imposing. It must be stronger than me, but Im confident in my melee prowess, Im not scared at all. Come! Lets enjoy this fight! Im going to beat you! We both exchange the first strike, but, after receiving the Minitaur Queens attack, I feel myself being pushed away. Right after, I cant feel anything under my feet, and soon find myself falling into a water canal. Oh, shit, I forgot about the push Also, I have this kind of deja vu feeling, I wonder why Fuck you, Evil Mastermind! You had it planned all along!! You knew I would lower my guard if I had an easier time than the previous invasions, didnt you!? I shout while being dragged away by the water. Meanwhile, in the distance, I can see my goblins and orcs trying to fend off the Minitaur Queen on their own. At this rate, they are going to get crushed
RUN, YOU FOOLS! Thats the only thing you can do against the Minitaur Queen! TRY to fight it and youll only make yourself KILLED! Or worse, DROPPED into the water canals and ISOLATED from your support mobs And when you come back, the boss will have completely recovered, and your mobs will be dead! Like I said: RUN, YOU FOOLS! This ain''t a boss you should be fighting! - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 48 - Yeah! Im the best! This chapter has a different POV. As the water drags me away, I have free time to chastise myself for my own stupidity. What was I thinking!? I forgot the Minitaur Queen can push you away I didnt position myself properly, I had a water canal just behind me! Aaaaagh! Things like this are a common occurrence in this dungeon if you ever lower your guard And lets be honest, I DID lower my guard there quite a bit. But I was sure today was the day I could finally reach the end! My muscles are still filled with excitement and extra energy, telling me that Ill beat it today! But Im clearly doomed right now! Whats wrong with me!? Could it be that this is too a plan made by the Evil Mastermind? Can he really plan everything up to this level? No, no, no stop thinking weird things, this is clearly impossible! But if I cant beat it even when my intuition tells me, when will I recover my orc pride!? Haaaaaaah, I want to cry right now! While Im blaming myself and complaining about the Evil Masterminds plans and strategies, I feel something biting my leg. Whats it now!? I lower my head but I only see water everywhere. Not very long ago, the water canal ended and dropped me into the underground river, so its pretty dark right now. But I still can see enough, and theres nothing in the river Agh! Im in high tension looking for the culprit, so when I feel another bite, I cant avoid being surprised. Wait a moment invisible and in the water Its the fucking WATER ANTS! Leave me alone! Im trying to reflect on my mistakes here, you stupid weaklings! At the same time as I finish speaking, I feel the bite from another ant. You dare! Im going to exterminate you! In a crazy fit of anger, I randomly attack everything in close proximity. I continue until the river drags me to the underground lake inside the big cavern. By then Ive calmed myself down thanks to releasing all the accumulated anger caused by my failure and my overconfidence against the Minitaur Queen. Now that Ive calmed down, I start to talk to myself. Now what? Im alone here, I dont think I can reach the end of the dungeon easily without any support unit, and even less beat the Minitaur Queen Is this another failure? But I was sure today was the day I was going to beat it Not knowing what to do, I slump down to the ground. Haaaah I suspire. What should I do if I cant believe in my intuition anymore? Should I leave the dungeon and accept defeat? For now, I decide to list what happened today and try to find out why it went wrong. The list isnt very long, because I only did a single mistake; but the problem is with what led me to lower my guard and make that mistake. First of all is my intuition telling me that I would beat the dungeon today Its clear I shouldnt have believed something like my intuition when it came to The Mad Rats Lab! How stupid can I be!? Then, its the easy encounters and lack of trouble. Usually, we would have been ambushed several times, or suffered pincer attacks Plus we didnt find any dangerous traps The only thing out of common that we encountered was the mysterious disappearance of the goblin mage. Now that I think about it I was pretty lucky today, wasnt I? The only conclusion available to everything is: that it was all a plan from the Evil Mastermind for me to lower my guard and crush all my hopes at the same time! Its always his stupidly convoluted and evil plans that make me suffer! Aaaaaagh! How much I hate him! At this moment, I notice that theres something floating in the lake, slowly moving in my direction. With my pride and expectations shattered, I can only think of it as part of the Evil Masterminds plan to finish me off once and for all. Whats up now!? Dont tell me its another new enemy! I dont want any more surprises, Im already tired of them! Wary of whats to come, I prepare myself for combat. Slowly but without stopping, whatevers floating in the water approaches, until I can finally see what it is. ...Oh! Surprise and excitement fill my face at that moment. YEEEEEES! Not everythings lost! Huh, huh, huh. My shout and laughter fill the whole cavern, but Im not worried about attracting enemies because we cleared them all the first time we crossed it. Whats floating in the underground lake, slowly drifting toward my position, is a tall and very muscular green humanoid: one of my orc Warriors. And the best of all is that I can see the HP bar on top of it, so it means its still alive! We were fighting near one of the water canals, so its easy to imagine that the orc was pushed into it, the same that happened to me! My brother, you survived the fight against that nasty monster and came back to me! Im so happy to see you again! Im so happy that if this wasnt a game, I would be crying right now. When the orc drifts close enough, its AI resumes working properly, and the orc starts swimming in my direction. I wait for him, but right before he can reach me, I see something else floating in the lake. This! No way This cant be possible! Not in this damned dungeon! Am I dreaming right now!? How could something as good as this happen in this dungeon? Its the first time something this good happened in all my dungeon invasions! And this is including all the other dungeons Ive ever invaded! The second object thats slowly drifting to where I am is the body of the second orc Warrior! And like the first one, its still alive! I must thank my luck for this reunion against all odds! Who could have expected something like this to happen!? Huh, huh, huh! My loud guttural laughter echoes throughout the cavern. I knew it! This is a divine signal from the orc god! Its the signal that I was right, and that today is the day when Ill reach the end of the dungeon and recover my orc pride! Huh, huh, huh! Overwhelmed by emotion, I spend a short time crying (well, not exactly because my champion cant actually cry). Who could have thought, after so many failed dungeon invasions, that Ill have so much luck in this damned dungeon! When I finally recover, I cant stop myself from hugging my two surviving orcs. Completely sure of my incoming victory, I swear to myself and my sworn enemy. Ill show you now, Evil Mastermind I promise on my (lost) orc pride that Im going to dismantle all your plans and destroy your dungeon core today! And nothings going to stop me, not even my (bad) luck!
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Im currently in front of the door that leads to the Minitaur Queen area again. It must be true that Im blessed by the orc god today because we didnt find any trouble on our way back to this point. Now, focus! I cant allow myself to lower my guard or fail again! I anxiously look around, but I cant see any sign of the boss. Im sure its moving randomly through the room, waiting for us to come inside. Contrary to the previous time, I advance slowly, taking special note of my position and where the water canals are located. Im not going to fall for the same thing again! I wont get close to them until Im sure the boss wont push me into the water another time! Now that Im moving slowly, I have a lot more time to look around. The most striking feature in this room is the water canals, obviously. They randomly cover the whole room, making it impossible to easily traverse the room unless you can fly. And the Minitaur Queen can fly, thats why its almost impossible to avoid. The room isnt flat, having elevated platforms and passages everywhere, further complicating the layout and making it more difficult to traverse. Im sure there is a need to use the different floors and passages to reach the end. Metal sheets cover most of the floor, especially near the water canals. The rest of the floor and walls are made out of cut stone, giving the room a mix of rustic and modern at the same time. The room is also full of laboratory equipment. Everywhere I can put my eyes on, there are cables, mysterious capsules filled with colored liquids, large and clunky machines, big storage containers, and boxes dripping suspicious substances Ive also seen a few containers with beating organs inside. Ugggh! Gross! Unlike the previous laboratory rooms, this one is organized and the laboratory is properly stacked. You might think this is something good, and it usually would be a good thing, if not because of the fact that it is now impossible to move between them: the laboratory equipment, boxes, stasis capsules, etc., are tightly packed. This makes the room more difficult to move through because all laboratory equipment acts as walls that impede both my movement and sight. And the distribution of the laboratory equipment and the layout makes me feel as if everything is unique but at the same time it all kind of looks the same, making it impossible for me to find clues about where I currently am, or where I should go. About a minute after entering the boss room and randomly choosing paths to take, I can see a shadow getting close to our position at a fast speed. You decided to show yourself again, huh!? Just in case, and to not repeat my previous mistake, I immediately look around my current position. There are no water canals nearby, only laboratory equipment, so we are safe. Come here! Its time for our rematch! Huh, huh, huh! The Minitaur Queen and I clash again, and like the first time, Im launched a few meters back. The only (but very important) difference is that this time I fall on the ground instead of into a water canal. Hah! Your trick will only work the first time against me! I shout. At the same time, I rise my battleaxe overhead and swing it against the boss monster. Both orcs join the melee and it quickly escalates into a lethal weapon dance. Its a 3vs1. Even if the Minitaur Queen has higher stats than me, and the orc Warriors are weaker, we deal quite a lot of damage. After exchanging a few attacks, the boss decides to disengage and fly around our position while launching spells. At this point, theres almost nothing I can do other than launch a few Phantasmal Weapons, so I decide to continue moving forward while avoiding the spells the best I can. You little shit! Come here and fight like a man! I shout. I dont know if its because of my words, but the boss turns around and starts flying away. Yeees! Run away like the chicken you are! And only come back if you are ready to have a straight fight! Huh, huh, huh! I mock the boss with my words, but in fact, Im more scared about losing sight of it than having to face its constant spell barrage. Thats because I wont be able to predict where it will charge from when it comes back making it easier for the boss to surprise me and drop me into a water canal. Again. Im sure its going to take a break to recover MP now, lets move as fast as we can before it comes back! I switch gears and start running through the room. I dont have any idea where Im right now, or in what direction I should go. Im just following my instincts here! Its impossible to completely avoid the water canals, so I dont have any other option than to pray for the Minitaur Queen to not appear when I move close to them. And it seems it works because it came to attack two more times after the first, but every time we were far from the canals and there was no real problem! Slowly but surely, the Minitaur Queen is exhausting us, after every clash, our HP is lower than the last time But the worst is that every time the boss runs away, it seems like it recovers all HP, EP, and MP! What the heck did you do, Evil Mastermind! Is it even possible to kill this boss!? I would need to inspect the boss to know what skills it has, but its impossible to do unless it stays still for a few seconds, a very unlikely thing to happen during combat. The other option is to inspect the corpse, but this is even more difficult because it runs away every time we deal enough damage! This boss and boss area makes me feel as if Im hunted and played by a strong predator. I never know where the boss is, and I cant hope to defeat it, so I can only defend myself. And the worst is that I cant focus on the labyrinthic layout because most of my attention is on spotting the Minitaur Queen when it comes, to avoid being pushed into the water! Our clashes continue. Im at 30% HP right now, one of the orcs died a while ago, and the other is close to joining the rows of the dead. We arent going to last very long. I then turn around the corner and find myself on a straight path. Its cut in the middle by a water canal, but it has a platform that allows me to cross it. And on the other side I can see a door that leads outside of this room. I can even see the dungeon core at the end of this path! Is my current good luck compensation for all the previous bad luck I had in this damned dungeon!? If so, why couldnt it be the other way around, so that I could beat it the first time!? I would have kept my orcs pride and my sanity if it were the other way around!! YEEEEEES! I shout. I start to celebrate my victory when I hear a metallic gear noise and the platform starts to move. NOOOO! Nononononono! I shout again. Slowly, the platform starts to recede. Soon there wont be any way for me to cross the water canal, and Ill need to find another way around! With my champion, its impossible to jump over the water canal because its too wide. But if Im fast enough, I might be able to use the platform to cover part of the distance before it completely disappears! I start to run. I believe Ive never run as fast as right now. When I reach the water canal, half the platform is still outside, so I dont slow down and make the last step before jumping. Yeees! Im going to make it! I think at this moment. But, just when Im sure Ill beat the dungeon, and as if to crush all my hope and dreams, I see a flying shadow approaching me in the middle of the jump. Alarmed, I turn my eyes and see the Minitaur Queen! If nothing changes, its going to clash with me and Ill be launched directly inside the water. And I can kiss goodbye to the dungeon invasion if this happens. Is this the end of my good luck? Well, it was nice to feel lucky for one time With all my hopes already crushed, I almost miss another shadow that appears right next to me before the clash happens. Its its the remaining orc Warrior! The orc jumped to intercept the Minitaur Queens charge! Thanks to his honorable action, the boss hits the orc with the attack instead of me, and I can reach the other side of the water canal! When I turn around, I see the Minitaur Queen entangled with the orc in mid-flight. Then, the boss drops the orc into the water and turns to look at me. Brother! Ill NEVER forget your honorable sacrifice! I promise at the same time I turn around and run toward the dungeon core. The Minitaur Queen follows me, but it stops once I cross the door to the next room. Finally! Ive finally reached the end of The Mad Rats Lab! Im going to celebrate it for at least one week! My guttural laughter is louder than ever. Maybe it can be heard from the whole dungeon right now! Ill never forget the sacrifice and loyalty of my orcs and goblins! Ill need to prepare something special for them! Its the first time that I feel this good when I reach a dungeon core. With quick steps, I move to crush it. I dont want to find more traps or monsters because I wasted time, and throw this rare opportunity away. When I finally extend my hand to crush the dungeon core, I hear a *Plof!* sound at the same time I feel something heavy hitting me. Whats it now!? I look around and see a corpse near my current position. No way I look up and see a Falling corpse trap. It didnt kill me, but it did remind me of my first dungeon invasion failure ever. Are you mocking me!? Do you imply I only reached the end because you wanted to!? Aaaaagh! I HATE you, Evil Mastermind! I shout. I then grab the dungeon core. But instead of destroying it normally, I throw it to the ground and stomp on it several times. Finally, the oh-so-much-awaited victory screen pops in front of me. FINALLY!
It wasnt too long after this adventure that the soon-to-be famous guide called How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab came to life. Was it a coincidence?
Ch 49 - Who do you like? Its Monday morning, and a new week has just started. Im currently peacefully eating breakfast and quietly humming to myself when somebody opens the door. ...Uaaaah! With her eyes half closed because of sleepiness and wearing pajamas, Clara yawns. good morning, Andreu. Good morning, Clara. She then looks around, and when she notices Im the only one in the room, she opens her mouth again to ask. Umm wheres Marta? Shouldnt she be eating with you? Marta? She said she didnt have class today so shes going to sleep until late. Is that so? Usually, Clara, Marta, and I eat breakfast at the same time. The three of us have similar schedules: I and Marta in our college and Clara in high school; so its easier and faster for us to eat together. Our parents get up even earlier, so we rarely eat breakfast with them. Clara slowly walks to the table and seats in front of me. Still with half-closed eyes, she stares at me for a while. Worried, I decide to ask her. Hey, something wrong? ...no. Im just sleepy She talks slowly, her tongue not moving properly yet. ...why do Mondays exist? Cant we skip them? Hahaha! You wish! Mmuuuu She pouts at my words and proceeds to prepare her breakfast. Its nothing complicated, just a bowl with milk and cereals. We stay silent for a while. I continue to eat while she starts eating her own breakfast and finishes waking up. During this time, she alternates looking at me and the cereal bowl. Hey, Andreu. Yes? When are we playing together again? I think about it for some time before answering. ...I dont know. But Ill talk with Ricard and Laura later about it. When are you free? Im always free! Just decide between yourselves and tell me! Ok, then Ill tell them you are free anytime. It looks like all her sleepiness has vanished when thinking about playing together. I dont know how other people view her, because she behaves differently when shes in front of me, but when shes near me shes almost always cheerful and enthusiastic about everything. It really helps me to try to achieve my best. I have no idea how much free time Ricard and Laura will have during the week, but we should be able to play together at least one time before the tournament starts. Maybe twice if our schedules align. And talking about the tournament If Im not wrong, the tournament starts this weekend. With this, I mean that both the registration and first preliminary matches are on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In this first round, each player team will randomly enter a series of other participants dungeons. And the teams who beat the most dungeons in the shortest time, or suffer fewer deaths, will be the ones who pass to the second phase. And the second phase is going to be a traditional team vs team match, in a cup format, until only the winning team remains. In this phase, all four members of each team will create a single dungeon, and each team will dive into the other teams dungeon. The one who destroys the enemys dungeon core first wins the match. Of course, its also possible to win if the enemy team is exterminated. This leads to two strategies: to stall for time or focus on trying to kill the enemy team. The most interesting option in the matches is that its possible to defend your dungeon instead of only attacking. Both dungeons will have three entrance portals, and they will be connected during the match in pairs. There also must be a valid path from each portal to the dungeon core, and they must be independent of each other for most of the distance. Connecting the entrances means that both players and dungeon mobs can freely cross them to reinforce the dungeon at any time in defense, or go into the enemy dungeon in an all-out attack. You can say that the tournament mixes both PvE and PvP at the same time. And having multiple entrances means its impossible for players to focus on protecting a single one to block the enemies. The tournament is going to have levels to separate players depending on their player level. Well participate in the player level 5 tournament, which means we can only use champions, mobs, and dungeon features unlocked at player level 5 or lower. So the maximum level for units and champions is level 6. This isnt a problem for me, Laura, or Clara, because we are at a lower level right now, though both I and Laura are about to reach player level 5. But it is troublesome for Ricard, whos higher leveled at player level 6 and with a level 7 champion. In the beginning, we didnt know about this rule, so we didnt take it into account but when we read the rules in detail, Ricard decided to lower his champion one level and drop the Soul Feast skill. This way well be able to play against players of the same level as ours instead of players up to level 10, which is the next tier. Not having the Soul Feast skill also didnt change too many things, because it was conditional and didnt work against constructs, for example. Having finished breakfast, I stand up and pick up my stuff. But when Im about to leave the room, my sister opens her mouth again. ...hey, Andreu Shes making a serious face right now. What could be so important for you to make that face? Whats up, Clara? ...do you have a girlfriend? Or somebody you like? I freeze on the spot, trying to make sense of what she just asked. Its as if somebody punched my face out of nowhere with that question, and it hurts! The worst is that I didnt expect to receive this sudden blow! Aaaagh, my poor heart! I sit back down and look at her. She knows I dont! If I had a girlfriend, theres no way she wouldnt know! So why the heck does she have to ask about something she already knows the answer to? Whats more, its something that hurts me! Dont you feel bad too, when somebody asks if you have a girlfriend and the answer you must give is no? Im about to rebuke her, sure that she asked the question just to make fun of me. But when I see her looking downcast and fidgeting, I change my mind and decide to answer honestly. Though why is she behaving like this? It kind of feels like shes forcing herself to ask this question Why are you asking this? Im sure you already know I dont have one. Aaaagh, my heart! It hurts having to say it out loud! She continues her fidgeting for a short while before asking again. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ...and is there somebody you like? Somebody I like theres none right now. Are you sure? Im sure. ...then what about Laura? What about Laura? Well, we have similar tastes in games and hobbies. But we have only known each other for less than a year, and have been friends for even less, maybe about two months? Regarding her looks, shes tall for a woman, a little over 1,7 meters. Her long, dark brown hair and slightly elongated eyes give her an exotic appearance. Shes slender, and her perky butt and small bust make her seem younger than she actually is. Defying the initial impression, when you talk with her, shes pretty smart and mature. I know she has been making insinuations for some time already, which Ive been actively ignoring, but I dont know. I dont feel like accepting her advances yet. Call me a virgin, stupid, or whatever you like, but I believe our relationship should be deeper before I can accept her feelings. Laura, huh theres nothing between us. You shouldnt worry about it for now. Is that so? She quietly rises her head to look at me. I can see her eyes slightly trembling as if she were to start crying anytime. Then, she opens her mouth again. ...Youll never stop playing with me, right? You wont leave me alone just because you found a girlfriend, right!? So the reason why she asked if I had a girlfriend was because of this Dont worry, I wont stop spending time with you. If a girlfriend or boyfriend demands all your time, it means its a toxic relationship and you should cut it as soon as possible. But Clara, if I had a girlfriend, you must understand I wont be able to spend as much time with you as now. ...yes! I understand! As long as you dont leave me alone! It makes me very sad to hear Clara say something like this because it reminds me of when we were in elementary school She has always been attached to me, but it is worse now compared to how it was when we were kids. She was bullied during elementary school, and I protected her. Since then, she has always wanted to stay close to me all the time. Clara changed schools when entering middle school, so shes doing fine now, but she hasnt been able to open her heart to one of her classmates again, or to anyone outside the family, to be more accurate. Its also why she behaves differently in front of me and everyone else. After remembering about the past for some time, Clara snaps me out of it with her next words. ...Im sure Lauras interested in you. I saw it when we played together. The thing now is that after being directly asked about it by my sister, Im sure Im now going to be more conscious about the lack of a girlfriend. And even more about Lauras actions *Sigh* Emotionally exhausted, I stand up again and leave the room. What I dont see is that, just when I turn around, Clara clenches her fist, and all her tears have disappeared, being replaced by a smiling face.
Having finished the first class of the week, Ricard, Laura, and I start to talk about DMA. As expected, the one to start the topic is Ricard. The tournament starts this weekend! I hope you havent forgotten about it! Of course, we remember. Right, Laura? She quietly nods at my question. How could we forget about it when you remind us EVERY SINGLE TIME we meet!? Do you really need to ask that question!? Im itching for the tournament to start! I want to show everyone the efforts of my team-building sessions and team planning! Hahaha! Laura and I exchange a weird look and agree to not break his delusions. He still thinks everything is thanks to him, but he didnt have anything to do with most of our skills and builds. Though he DID help with how everyone should play in the team so that we could achieve the best results possible: pointing out errors and suggesting things to improve. Thats the only reason why we tolerate his ramblings right now. Since our first dungeon invasion together, we have played two more times. We were focussing on improving our coordination and also learning what each one was capable of doing. Thats why I didnt explain anything to you: it wasnt interesting. Though there was one thing that clearly surprised me. Remember all that fighting between Clara and Laura? It started as soon as they met, but it reached its peak after the fire trap in the Magic Engineers dungeon. Well, in the second dungeon invasion, all their arguing disappeared as if nothing happened between them. You might be asking yourselves whats the reason for the change right now. I dont know and I dont want to know. They arent a problem for the team anymore, so theres absolutely no reason for me to stick my head into something dangerous. Just imagining them returning to the previous state, but this time with me in the middle, makes me shudder. As the saying goes: alls well that ends well! Hahaha! ...and thats why! We should plan for at least another dungeon invasion the four of us together! We still have lots of things to polish for the incoming tournament, but I believe we should be able to reach a significant position as long as we practice playing together another time! Having finished talking alone, Ricard turns around and waits for us to say something. His eyes are glowing right now, meaning if we make a mistake here, hes going to start another knowledge drilling session. I carefully choose what I say. Its ok for me. I can anytime, and the same goes for my sister, Clara. So you can choose freely. Nice! Ricard pumps his fist up in excitement. Im sorry, but Im only free on Wednesday. Oww I was hoping to play every day so we could reach the best coordination possible Well, Wednesday will have to do. Ah! Before I forget! Im sure you remember we will be playing in the player level 5 mode, so try to rise your level to that level, if possible. And before the tournament starts! This way we will have a better chance at winning! Yes. Of course. Both Laura and I agree with him. It will increase our chances to win if both of us are level 5 and can rise our Champion one level. Slightly higher stats and one extra skill or skill upgrade can be the difference between winning or losing. Oh, I propose an idea for this last time we will play all together! How do you feel about doing a random dungeon? We will only check that the player rating is high enough, but we wont know anything about the faction, the monsters we will face, the dungeon type Nothing! This way, it will be the same as if we were in the tournament! Oooh, nice idea! We will face a similar situation to the one we will encounter there, so we arent as surprised when we face unknown enemies and dangers! Its fine by me. At Ricards words, Laura immediately agrees. I dont really care, Im only participating in the tournament because Ricard wants to, and also to play with my friends and little sister. So whatever they decide is fine. As we walk to the next classroom, Laura, walking right next to me, looks at me. With an awkward expression, as if forcing herself to say it, she finally opens her mouth. Hey, Andreu. Im sure youll reach level 5 this week, youre very close already And if I make an effort, I might be able to reach it too But it would be best if you could help Clara reach player level 5 too. If possible, can you help her during the week and see if she can reach it? Surprised at her words, I can only agree to her petition. Huh? Ok? I really dont understand what happened between Clara and Laura They were arguing so much before, but now Laura is asking me to help Clara!? Nice! Fufufu! She then winks at me, a smile on her face. Aaaagh! After the question Clara asked me this morning, Im extremely conscious of Lauras actions! Fuck! Brain, I order you to stop thinking about weird things!
... There are several skills that allow you to recover HP, EP, and MP, or even STA and SOU, faster than usual, but most players dont pick them until they are around level 10. They at most pick only one that fits their build. Theres a reason for that, and it all comes down to efficiency. When you are in a dungeon, its usually better to have skills that raise the damage or the chances to survive, because it increases the chances you reach the end in a Dungeon Invasion, or beat your opponent in a Dungeon Battle. Even a skill that only gives you some utility is preferred over a recovery skill because you only need to rest for a while and most of your EP and MP will recover automatically. But this all changes when you have higher stats. When both you and the dungeon mobs have higher stats, you need to use more skills, or use stronger ones, to keep up with the enemies. This means both EP and MP get depleted as fast as when you are low level, but they take a lot more time to fill up. This is when recovery skills are needed. - As much as Andreu and Laura tried to stop him, Ricards enthusiasm for the incoming tournament made him start another knowledge drilling session.
Ch 50 - The last dungeon training Today were going to play all four members of The League of Evil together. I still cant get used to that name As always, its up to me to add everyone to the party and start the Dungeon Invasion. The only difference with what I already did a few times is that today we are going to enter a random dungeon today, one from which we dont know anything at all. We are going to pick a dungeon with at least 4 stars over 5 so that we are sure the dungeon is good. This is because we dont want to find any stupid or quirky dungeonwe are working on our coordination for the tournament, so we need a decent dungeon. The first one I send the party invitation to is Clara. We played together yesterday, trying to help her reach player level 5 before the tournament. She now needs less than half the xp needed to reach level 5, but Im not sure if she will reach it on time The one who did reach level 5 was me, though. And this is the message I received.
Reached player level 5!
- Puzzle rooms unlocked - Received 4 x Stasis chamber - Received 3.500 cp
Puzzle rooms are pretty much self-explanatory, the name says almost everything you need to know about them. The only extra thing you need to know is that most players dont like to use them; the most common reason is that they are expensive and dont help with killing the invaders. This, and that its easy to get a bad review because of a puzzle if the invaders cant solve it. Riddles and similar things are included in the puzzle rooms, but they must be first approved by the game staff and its a hassle most players dont want to go through. Even something like pulling levers in the correct order must be approved first, to make sure there are enough clues through the dungeon to not force the invaders into a brute-force approach. Almost the only kind of puzzle youll find in a dungeon not specialized in them is having to fetch objects scattered inside the dungeon to open a door or something similar. Anyway, returning to todays dungeon training I add Ricard and Laura to the party too. They all quickly accept the invitations, and then I look for the dungeon we are going to invade. Given that the only requirement is having more than four stars rating, its incredibly easy to find one. I pick the first dungeon that meets our requirements. Its called Rainbow Gunk, which is a name thats both interesting and worrying at the same time. Well, we decided to pick randomly. If I choose another one, it wont be truly random, so Rainbow Gunk, here we go! After the initial light flashes, we find ourselves in an underground space. It looks like some kind of ruins, with rubble everywhere some spots have collapsed and are full of dirt. But wheres the rainbow!? You promised me a rainbow but everything I can see is either gray or brown! We inspect the dungeon for a short while before talking between ourselves. What are we doing right now? We are trying to find clues about what type of dungeon we are in to make plans and also have an easier time later. We agreed to do this every time during the tournament because, even if it takes some time, its important to know as much as possible about the dungeon to avoid making crucial mistakes. Did you see anything? I didnt see anything of relevance. I ask when we all return to the entrance portal. No, I only saw ruins everywhere. The same goes for me. If I had to guess, I would say this is an undead dungeon. Though there are also other factions that use this kind of underground passages and ruins so its hard to guess only by it. What I can assure you is that we are in one of the evil-aligned factions, or maybe some weird neutral faction, no good-aligned faction would have a dungeon like this. Both Laura and Ricard say the same, except that the latter also gives extra information about the situation. We talked about it, and Ricard is now in charge of providing relevant information during the dungeon invasions. Lets say hes now the official chief of intelligence in our team The most important word here is the relevant one because now we can shut him up if he starts to sputter nonsense. A very good improvement, if you ask anyone other than Ricard himself. Though he doesnt dislike it too much because, as long as its relevant, we cant make him shut up anymore Its like a double-edged sword. I went further that way and saw something different, there were colored puddles scattered through the floor! I touched one a little and it was sticky. It also smelled bad. Pointing toward where Clara went to investigate, she explains what she saw to the rest of us. Well, at least we now know where the Rainbow Gunk name came from I sarcastically say. Also, you shouldnt touch things when youre alone! Didnt we agree we would first share information!? What do you think would happen if it was a trap!? *Sigh* I cover my face with a hand in exasperation. Anything more? Nothing more. Im sorry, brother Laura opens her mouth again at this moment. Hey, Baldy. Do you know anything about those sticky and smelly colored puddles? Hmm Believe me or not, lots of factions can create similar decorations. I cant reduce the list of possible enemy factions with only this. Then we need to investigate them first. What do you say, leader? Asks Laura, looking in my direction. Thanks to her experience as a game master for TTRPGs, Laura knows a lot about traps and strategies to defeat invaders. Thats why shes now our strategist. You could argue that Ricard, with his vast game knowledge (in his own words), would be better suited for the strategist position but theres a huge problem with it: hes incapable of focusing on whats in front of him. He would start to plan how to avoid a trap and end up talking about how to better farm souls for his undead faction. So he only brings info to the table and Laura is the one who makes the plans. And the leader position fell on me. There are several reasons for it, like me being in a good position to control the battle flow because Im in the rear... But the most relevant reason is that Im the one who knows everyone the best, so I can control both Ricard and Clara before its too late and they run amok. And Clara She doesnt have any role in the party other than dealing damage. Well, she is kind of our mood maker? I dont know, she just does and says unexpected stuff most of the time. You might say its a bad thing, but its thanks to her that we spot a lot of traps and dangerous stuff before its too late, so we cant really complain. I say we start moving in the puddles direction and investigate them first. I answer Lauras question. So lets move, guys! You Baldy go in front, followed by Lily, then me, and the last one is Lemon. Yes! Ill protect you from any enemies trying to ambush us from the back! Yeah Im not so sure about this formation anymore I wonder why. We quickly reach the room with the colored puddle under Claras directions. True to her explanation, this room contains four puddles of different colors: red, blue, green, and white. After a short investigation, we decide they are safe: nothing happens if you touch the liquid, and you can even step on it. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. They are safe, theres nothing to worry about. This is the conclusion we reach. *Splash!* *Splash!* Moving forward, Clara continues to jump into the colored puddles, the same thing kids do on rainy days. She doesnt go far away to make the splashes, staying close behind me, but every time one pool is close enough *Splash!* And this continues until the third room with puddles, when we hear a *Splash* sound followed by an Aaaaah! cry from behind. When we turn around, theres no sign of Clara, only a few water ripples in one of the puddles. Wheres Lemon? I start to say when Ricard interrupts me. Shit! I should have expected something like this! That isnt a puddle, its a slime! What do you mean Realization suddenly strikes me, and I give out orders. Quick, attack the one with the ripples! I cast Chain Lightning at the same time as Laura strikes the puddle with her whip and Ricard rushes there, sword in hand. Luckily the enemy isnt very strong and it dies at our barrage. How do we know its dead? Because an HP bar appears on top of the puddle after the first attack. But the best sign is the geyser-like splash of sticky and stinky goo created when the HP bar reaches zero. Soon after, a horrible monster fully covered in purple goo emerges from the puddle. its Clara. Dont you think the purple goo actually complements her Champions looks? It now looks even more terrifying than usual, with the tentacles covered in a disgusting and sticky purple substance. Haaaa Thank you for saving me! I thought I was a goner! Hehehe! ...Its fine. You discovered the trap now that we had spare time to save you, so not everythings bad. Just dont jump in the puddles anymore! Or well have to seriously think about finding somebody else to play with us. I warn her. Yeah, thats the most effective warning I can think of when it comes to my little sister. No, no no! I wont do it again, Ill stop! So dont kick me out! Like I was saying before, Clara tends to do random things that, most of the time, end up helping us in the long run. Just imagine we didnt discover this trap and one of us fell into the Slimehole in the middle of combat. Yeah Its a slime inside a hole, so Im going to call it a Slimehole, obviously. It looks like we will need to avoid the Slimeholes from now on. Theres no need to attack all puddles we find to check if they are a Slimehole or not. If we avoid walking on top of them, they wont do anything to us. Well, we now at least know the faction of this dungeon. We are in an Amorphous dungeon so expect lots of slimes! As if nothing happened at all, Ricard starts to talk about the slime faction. And then proceeds to explain IN DETAIL everything he can remember about them.
We have passed through a few more rooms filled with puddles and fought a few basic slimes when Ricard finally shuts up. There wasnt a single dangerous situation so far, other than when Clara fell inside a Slimehole, so we are having an easy time. Basic slimes are like the ones that appear at the start of most RPG games: they deal almost no damage and are very slow. And I do mean VERY slow because the Stitched actually move faster than them Somewhere not too far away, I can see the Stone Eye Kidnapper capturing a Gel unit. Im not sure of its original color because when they turn to stone they all look the same: gray. But itll make a nice Colored Gecko regardless of the color. Nice! Youre doing your job properly, Cyam! Capture all you want, and help me grow my collection! Fufufu! Hahaha! I decided to call him umm it..? Hmm whatever. I decided to call the Stone Eye Kidnapper, Cyam. Because the template name is too long. Also, Ill never make a second or third one of them, so its easy to remember a single name. I never mentioned it before, but its possible to give a name to the dungeon mobs if you want to. Though its a cosmetic option only, it doesnt change anything about how they behave or how strong they are at all. Most players never name the monsters because its a chore. Most only name those units that are very important, like monster bosses; or unique monsters, like what I did with Cyam. Though I must admit that its quite impressive when you enter a dungeon where every unit has its own name because it feels like youre in the real world. This is especially true if its in a human dungeon. Its a shame we dont have any aura skill in the party It would help us identify which puddles are slimes so that we can kill them and obtain free souls to feed my legion! At least those weak slimes are perfect! Hahaha! I hope the dungeon is full of them! Do you think I can feed them so they multiply and can obtain double the souls!? Lets ignore what I just heard We agreed that everyone is free to roleplay as he or she wants when we are playing together. The only time when its forbidden is when we are making an important decision, so as to not slow down the dungeon invasion. The rest of the time, everyone is free to do or say what he or she wants, as long as it doesnt interfere with the dungeon invasion. As you can expect, the worst of all is Ricard, who continues to go crazy for souls every time he kills an enemy; getting even more excited after a big battle where lots of enemies died. I also do quite a lot of roleplay, interpreting the Mad Rat and its mad scientist impulses. Laura barely roleplays. Only from time to time, she clearly insinuates to me or slightly abuses some enemy in a very special way with her whip. I think shes struggling to find a good balance between not roleplaying at all and being too explicit in a game where 18+ stuff can be banned. I can imagine that roleplaying as a succubus while avoiding sexual stuff can be hard And Clara plays perfectly the creepy little sister role. Though Im not sure if she does it on purpose, or if its just the feeling I get because of how she behaves added to what she looks like. Her Champion is already creepy enough, so if she tries to stick to me and play cute I cant stop shuddering in fear. In multiple ways. We continue to move through the ruined tunnel, when Ricard, whos walking in front, suddenly stops and starts to make weird movements, wielding his sword continuously as if fighting an invisible enemy. It also looks like hes floating in mid-air, his feet not touching the ground at all. What the hells happening? I voice what all of us are thinking at this moment, but Ricard doesnt say anything. Its Laura, the one closest to him, the only one who can find out whats happening. ...Its an enemy monster! It must have swallowed Baldy whole! Quick, lets help him! Lemon, lets attack it! Yes, brother! I cast a few Cold Blasts while Laura attacks with the whip and Clara extends her tentacle from behind. Im going to believe Lauras words here, but I cant see an HP bar anywhere Are you sure its an enemy and not a trap? The immobilization of the third Cold Blast I cast activates, and ice appears encasing something invisible. We can finally see the enemy, and Ricard is inside it! Hmm. Should I say we can finally not see it? Because the only thing we see is the ice covering the monster, and not the monster itself Finally, after a few more attacks and spells, we hear a *Plop!* sound, similar to when you pop a balloon, and Ricard falls to the ground. At the same time, a wave of liquid is released, similar to what happens if you break a dam, and it splashes on us, leaving us dripping with something that looks like water, but its a lot stickier. Blegh! Whats this? Its disgusting! Hehehe! Now we are all covered in those substances! Im not the only one anymore! Baldy, are you ok? The one who asks Ricard if hes ok is Laura. Shes the only one who can reach him, the passage is too narrow for several of us to walk side by side. You must keep in mind that we also bring our support units with us, and they take up quite a lot of space. Trying to catch his breath, Ricard finally opens his mouth. Hah, hah Even if this is a game and you dont need to breathe, its extremely disgusting not being able to do so Aaaagh! How could I fall for something like this!? It was the classical invisible slime filling the whole passage kind of trap! I already know it was an enemy because it died after attacking it, but I still need to ask. But why couldnt we see the HP bar if it was an enemy!? Oh, thats easy. It was filling the whole passage, so the HP bar was very close to the ceiling. From my position, I could barely see it, but from your position, it might have been hidden. Oh, it makes kind of sense At Lauras explanation, I finally understand what happened just now. From now on, who goes in front must check all the time if theres another one of those slimes. We cant allow ourselves to fall for this trap again! I order them. We are about to continue moving forward, but I have a bad feeling Its rare for Clara to not say anything (usually laugh) when something like this happens, so I decide to turn around and make sure shes doing fine. But when I do so, I can see her struggling with random movements. Shes also slightly floating in mid-air. And this time, because Im the closest one, I can see an HP bar floating over her head, almost touching the ceiling. Oooh, no! Not another one! And this time it came from the back! Guys, we must save Lemon! I shout. Im starting to get tired of the trap enemies, and its only the third time
... As you have already seen, the slimes are the perfect units to be used in traps. It isnt about being ready for an ambush when the invaders are facing a trap, which of course they also excel in, but more about being part of the trap itself. Slimes that drop on your face, invisible slimes you cant see until they engulf you, a slime that camouflages as a rock or a water puddle These are just a few of the many examples of traps in which the slimes are part of the trap. But my favorite one, and you must agree its incredibly nasty, is - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard during the Dungeon Invasion. It was relevant information, so nobody could stop him.
Ch 51 - Is that… the Boss? Not long after saving my little sister from the second invisible slime, we reach a weird room. Until now, the dungeon had lots of colored puddles on the floor, some of those being Slimeholes, but this one also has puddles in the walls, and even in the ceiling. How the heck do you make a liquid defy gravity like this!? Also, the room is full of rubble everywhere. It doesnt difficult the movement, but it does provide cover and also stops our line of sight. There is slime sticking to the rubble too. Ok this is clearly suspicious. Says Laura. Maybe they are slimes sticking to the walls and ceiling? It could be, but its too crude. From what weve seen so far, the enemies were cleverly placed. It doesnt matter how you want to put it, but those ones arent hidden at all. You can try and cast a Hellfire and see what happens, but Im almost sure they are only decorations. Ok, here it goes! Hellfire! Under Ricards suggestion, Laura casts Hellfire, trying to hit as many puddles as possible. But nothing happens. No HP bars appear, nothing jumps to attack us, and the liquids stay exactly the same, sticking to the walls and ceiling. I told you. They must be decorations. And as decorations, we cant do anything to them at all. But they are still very suspicious Why are they now on the walls and ceiling too when they were only on the ground before? Hey, hey! They are safe to touch too, and they feel the same as the others! Lemon! What did I tell you!? Stop poking random things in the dungeons! While Laura and Ricard keep discussing between themselves, Clara puts her hand inside the closest one. But look! Nothing happens at all! *Sigh* As much as I like to dote on my little sister, sometimes she is too much for me to handle. We must learn to act upon unexpected things, and we wont have lots of time to think when we are in the tournament matches, so lets move on! Whatever happens, we will solve it later! On my instructions, we return to our previous formation and resume our exploration. We dont move too fast to be able to react on time. So when, from an orange puddle, part of the slime starts to rise, I immediately see it and cast Cold Blast. As the spell hits, we hear a *Pop!* sound, and orange slime drops to the ground. W-what was that!? I dont know yet, but I saw something suspicious and attacked it. Surprised by my sudden attack, Clara exclaims from my back. I answer her while moving to inspect the corpse.... well, the remaining slime. I inspect the slimes remains. The first thing I see is the slimes name: Spitter Slime. Oh, so it was trying to attack us while camouflaged inside the orange puddle. But why didnt it die when Laura hit it with the Hellfire attack? Curious about how it all works, I put my hand inside the puddle and find a hole that connects to a tunnel. So this is how it works it comes from the tunnel, and then spits at us and the Hellfire didnt deal any damage to the slime because it was in another place. ...Agh! Were under attack! Distracted by my discovery, I dont notice other protrusions appearing in nearby puddles until Ricard warns us. Just as I turn around, something hits my face, leaving me covered in yellow goo. I then look around before starting to laugh maniacally. Fufufu! Hahaha! An ambusher that can attack at distance and also stick to the ceilings! Its a perfect opportunity for a new type of unit! Cyam, its your time to shine! Go and capture them all! Chain Lightning! Hahaha! The Chain Lightning strikes the target and then jumps to the closest two slimes. They are weak, so they get stunned. Though its a shame they are spread out, coming from several puddles it would have been nice to stun them all with a single cast. What a shame. Cyam quickly rushes to capture one of the stunned slimes. Meanwhile, Ricard, Laura, and Clara are attacking the other slimes, using the rubble as cover against the slimes that are further away. Guys, we cant dawdle here! Remember we are training for the tournament and we will have a time limit in the first phase, so we need to move without stopping! Also, this area might be one of those where enemies dont stop spawning, its best if we leave as soon as possible. Cant we stay here a little longer to farm souls and cp? Its really easy when they come at you like this! Pretty please? Ricard complains at my urging, asking to farm slimes some more time. Whats more, he is making a puppy face, trying to force me to change my mind. Its hard to see it because the champion faces (those that have one, unlike Claras champion) arent as expressive as in real life, but you can still understand the intention of the player. By the way, the ones that are easier to recognize are smiling and angry faces. You know, Ricard? With your ugly and disgusting undead face, the only thing you achieve is making me want to punch your face. I wont because we are friends, but, I really have to hold myself back... We wont. Now, lets go in that direction. B-but This situation also works as practice for ambushes! Ahaha! Now hes trying to give a lame excuse Are you really that worried about obtaining cp and souls!? Werent you the one who wanted to win the tournament!? ...this and that are different things Come on, Baldy! Stop complaining and start walking! This is why you arent our party leader: you get distracted by irrelevant things! Yeah, my brother is better than you when making decisions for the team, so stop complaining! Owww Thank you Clara. You are so cute Ugh Well thinking about it again Im sorry but no, you arent. While they continue to argue between themselves, our party continues the dungeon exploration. ...Come on! I just like to use every chance I get to level up and obtain more faction resources! But now isnt the time for this, you know!? Me? No, Im fine. Theres no need to join their conversation.
Right now, in front of us, theres something extremely suspicious. What is it, you ask? Well, its a perfectly smooth and shiny dungeon wall section. You might be asking how a dungeon wall can be suspicious, right? Usually, the last thing you suspect in a dungeon is a wall. And it would be the same for this wall section if not for the fact that its a perfect square, with no cracks or brick joints, and it shines because its wet. Oh, and the wall is green. Yeah, this is the most suspicious part, right? Oooh, I know about this one! Quick, Mad Rat, hit it with a spell! Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Excitedly, Ricard asks me to attack the wall. I imagine what hes thinking, so I immediately hit it with a Cold Blast. But nothing happens, nothing at all. How weird I could swear this was a slime posing as part of the wall, but its only a decoration... I was thinking the same. As he talks, Ricard puts his hand inside the green wall. Theres nothing here, only slime. Its about 10 cm deep, so we can cross it. What do you say? We all turn around, looking at Laura. Ill be the one to make the decision, but shes the one that thinks about the dangers. I was sure this was a trap, the same as Baldy. But it doesnt look like one, so I say to continue through here and see what happens. I agree with her, so without thinking any more about it, I decide well cross it. Then lets cross the slime wall. Now everyone will be covered in slime! Hehehe! Yes, Clara. Now you wont be the only one covered in slime from head to toe. Ugh, disgusting. Though not as much as hugging a Stitched. Thats the worst. Dont ask how I know it. About five minutes after crossing the slime wall, I can confidently say that this dungeon is a slime hell. Literally. And also, the dungeons name is incredibly appropriate. First of all, the number of slime puddles covering the ground, walls, and ceiling has increased. And from any of them, spitting slimes can appear at any moment, so we cant lower our guard. There are, too, Slimeholes in the mix, so we must be very careful where we step. You must know that the further we walk into the dungeon, the more part of it is covered in slime of different colors. Up to the point that its impossible to walk while avoiding all the puddles and Slimeholes. We are forced to either attack each puddle in the way or risk falling into a Slimehole. Of course, we followed the first option - and ignored Claras argument that the second option would be funnier. But the worst isnt this. Now, on top of the puddles, Slimeholes, and spitting slimes, we are assaulted by several other types of Slimes. The first new slime hazard is the Slimeball. Its kind of difficult to describe because of how absurd it is, but Ill do my best Imagine a batting cage, where the machine throws balls at you at regular intervals. Now, put the machine inside a slime puddle so you cant see it. Then, make it shot at irregular intervals and random positions. And finally, replace the balls with Slimeballs, which are small slimes that stick to you if they hit you. Even if they dont hit one of us, once they hit a solid surface, they start to roll in our direction until they are in contact with one of us. And its a pain in the ass because they deal acid damage by contact. The worst part is that since it doesnt count as an attack, both my Lightning Shield and Ricards Frost Shield dont work at all. Then there are bigger slimes that camouflage themselves as rubble covered by slime. We call them Hunter Slimes, and theres a reason why we call them like this: if you get close enough, they suddenly jump at you, engulfing you whole, and then start to run away. Well, run as fast as a slime can run. We managed to avoid the worst for now, but a single mishap can make one of us disappear at any moment due to being dragged away and digested by a Hunter Slime. And the last one is the scariest one for our team. Though its also the funniest one in my opinion. I dont care about the lame name the dungeon owner gave it, I gave it my own custom name. Because, in any way you look at it, thats a fucking Matrioshka Slime. Its a gigantic slime at three meters tall, and a huge HP pool. By itself, it isnt very dangerous because its slow. But if you add the Slimepools, Slimeballs, and Hunter Slimes to the mix, it turns into a dangerous one because you cant really ignore any of them. Now for the fun part. When we kill the Matrioshka Slime, it makes a *Pop!* sound as its surface explodes and, from inside it, a smaller Matrioshka Slime appears and continues to attack us. This repeats three times more. And for you to understand why its the scariest enemy for us You just need to know that its impossible to kill it very fast because of its high HP, so we take quite a lot of damage from it. But the worst comes from its Matrioshka nature. While inside the bigger slime, all the smaller slimes are immune to damage. This means both my Chain Lightning and Shared Voltage skills are completely useless! And the same with Lauras Hellfire or Ricards Whirlwind. By the way, the original names for the Matrioshka Slime were Giant Slime, Big Slime, Medium Slime, etc. Laaaaaame, right!? The last thing about the dungeon after the slime wall is that there are colors everywhere. EVERYWHERE! A mix of all the existing colors is covering most of the whole dungeon now, up to the point that its difficult to see any of the original gray and brown ruins. Theres so much color that it hurts my eyes! As I said, the name Rainbow Gunk really fits the dungeon! Both for how its filled with slime (aka. gunk) and for how its filled with random colors that make your eyes bleed (aka. color gunk). Im sure almost everybody who enters the dungeon will call it Rainbow Gunk! Aaaagh! Die, already! Angry because the Matrioshka Slime keeps spawning smaller units, Ricard continues to swing his sword. Stop making pop noises and die! Leave it to me, Baldy! Im the best suited against high HP enemies! Clara extends her tentacles and grabs the Matrioshka Slime. Soon, the slimes HP bar starts to reduce at an accelerating speed. Hey, Baldy, go and save Lily! She has been eaten by another Hunter Slime! A little far away, theres a succubus inside a slime, slowly getting dragged away while struggling the best she can. I suspect Hunter Slimes target her first because shes the one providing healing to the team. Im on my way! He runs to Laura, but Aaaagh! he falls into a Slimehole. Shit! Now there are two who need saving! Lemon, help Baldy while I save Lily! Ignore the Matrioshka Slime for now! Yes, sir! Baldy, Ill save you! Meanwhile, our support units are doing their best to fend off the continuous assault from the multiple slimes. By now, more than half our support units have already died, and only Ricards Specters are still doing fine. Oh, and Cyam is fine too. Since it doesnt attack at all, most slimes target the other support mobs or us four instead of Cyam. Continuously casting Cold Blast (I really need some high-damage single target spell, dont I?), I follow the Hunter Slime when I hear the sound of something flying in my direction. *Fwoosh! Fwoosh!* Shit! Not now! *Fwoosh!* Ignoring the barrage of Slimeballs, I finally kill the Hunter Slime that was dragging Laura away. She was also attacking it from the inside. But by then, my whole body is covered in Slimeballs. My worst enemy. I can only kill them with Cold Blasts or staff attacks, so it takes forever to kill them all, and I take a huge amount of damage meanwhile. And Lightning Shield doesnt work against them because the damage comes from a special effect, not an attack. Not even Chain Lightning can save me from them, because they dont die; they stay at 1 HP, attached to me and continuing to deal damage. Lily, hit me with Hellfire while I kill the trap that shoots them! She looks at me with a surprised and worried face, before saying. WHAT!? But the damage Just heal me after, dont worry! Shes worried about the damage, how considerate. But Im going to take more damage from the Slimeballs acid corrosion than from a single Hellfire. So hit me, just not too hard, hahaha! Black fire engulfs me and my surroundings, completely killing all the Slimeballs attached to me as well as those in my surroundings. And at the same time as she casts Hellfire, I cast Chain Lightning against the trap that spits Slimeballs, destroying it. It doesnt count as an enemy unit, but as a trap, so Shared Voltage doesnt activate and I can destroy them with Chain Lightning. Nice! Now lets reunite with the others and move on. Sure. Just let me heal you first, ok? Revitalize! Green light surrounds my body as my HP starts to rise. Hey! I think this is the exit! Further ahead, Clara shouts in our direction, pointing at another green wall. Running side by side, Laura says. I think it might actually be the exit to this place! Then well cross it! Baldy, Lemon! Wait for us before crossing the slime wall! Laura extends her hand and touches my arm, catching my attention. Thanks for saving me, Mad Rat. Do you want me to reward you tonight? Fufufu! I open my eyes wide at her words. I decide to ignore her, but Do you think now is an appropriate time to roleplay!? Couldnt you wait until we were in a less dangerous situation? What would you do if I lost myself and got killed because of your provocation? Still harassed by several Spitter Slimes, we run until we reach the green wall. And then, we all cross it at the same time. Calm suddenly returns, as if all the chaos created by the slimes in the previous room was a lie. In this room, we cant see any sign of danger. Not yet, at least. We are in a giant room, completely covered in slime of different colors. Its the first time we cant see anything about the original ruins. Until now, there were spots not covered by slime here and there, but not in this room. And in the middle of the room, covering almost a quarter of the whole space, there is what seems to be a lake of a color we havent seen yet: black. Yep, its the first time in the whole dungeon there was something black, so our eyes are naturally drawn to it. It also looks kind of ominous. My eyes can finally relax after so many colors everywhere! Just as Im thinking we can relax from both the slimes and the colors, ripples appear in the black pool. First small, and then growing in intensity until the surface rises, as if something huge is about to come out of it. Is that the Boss? Nobody answers my words. Everyone is absorbed by whats happening in front of us.
Too much of anything can make other players get tired of your dungeon. Too many zombies make your dungeon a slog, too many arrow traps make your dungeon uninteresting, and too many dragons make your dungeon impossible to clear. This also applies to decorations. If the players only see or fight the same all the time, they can get bored easily. - Second point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 52 - The slime king is something else Something emerges from the black slime lake. It takes a while for us to see what it is because the slime is more viscous than water and it takes quite a while to fall back into the lake. What we can see is the shape of the top part. Its rounded and full of lumps about a meter in diameter. When the black slime finally leaves the monsters body, we can see something red. Is the boss a gigantic red slime with weird lumps in its body? Oh, now theres something yellow right next to the red! Does this mean its a red and yellow slime? Did double-color slimes exist in the game? As the slime continues to fall off the monster, something green appears. So a red, yellow, and green slime? Then something purple appears. You know what? Im going to stop imagining things because its getting tiresome; and instead, Ill wait for the monster to fully show itself. Then something green, blue, orange Basically, every lump has a different color from the ones next to it, except for black. The monster is blending with the rooms colors and Im starting to have a headache. My eyes are bleeding right now! Is the Boss also going to be a rainbow nightmare? Ive got enough of random colors already! Why couldnt the Boss monster be a single fucking color!? Still dripping slime, the monster starts to walk in our direction as it releases a very loud *Gyaaaahh!* cry, the force of which clears the remaining black slime sticking to it. Finally, we can see something long and thin in the monsters head, and something white just below. ...What the heck!? A slime with whiskers and teeth!? I exclaim. I think I know what we are facing right now Its a Colossal Rat! Who could have guessed that the Boss of a dungeon filled with only slimes would be a rat!? Ahaha! Baldy, do we need to know anything about this Colossal Rat? Like special skills? Hmm No. Just keep in mind that its fast, and hits like a truck. So what you can expect from a physical boss, huh? Listening to Ricards and Lauras comments, Im left astonished at their lack of tension. Its as if they think this is going to be an easy fight. The only thing its missing is my sisters comments. This is a very weird rat, dont you think, brother? Im going to take a screenshot now that its staying still! Say cheese! Hehehe, a rat saying cheese! Hehehe! Aaaaand, here it comes! Completely unrelated stuff coming from my little sister! Guys, arent you forgetting about the most important part!? What the hell are those lumps of different colors!? I shout. Arent they just decorations? You know, to fit the dungeon theme and that kind of stuff. Do you really think so, Baldy!? In the whole dungeon, how many times was there something that was just a decoration!? Even those that were decorations were, in fact, distractions for the real dangers! ...Hmmm. Now that you say it Ricard strokes his chin in a thinking pose when the Colossal Rat charges at us with another *Gyaaaah!* cry. Ah! Here it comes! It seems well need to find what the color lumps are the good old way: not knowing anything until its too late. By the way, you might be asking how the hell can an Amorphous dungeon have a rat boss, am I right? Thats an easy-to-answer question. The reason is that factions have something called Mercenaries, which are units not exclusive to that faction but that fit the factions theme. Though not all factions have Mercenaries. In this case, the Amorphous faction, which is filled with slimes that tend to live in sewers, also has rat units, which also live in sewers, that count as Mercenaries. Generally, Mercenaries are more expensive than the other units because they arent from that faction. And they are also designed to fill the factions gaps in terms of versatility. For example, the slimes are generally slow, so as Mercenaries they get rats, which are decently fast. The most common types of Mercenaries are dragons. Most dragons can be used by lots of factions alike, maybe with just a change of colors and breath type. Thats because not all factions have strong units that can compete with some of the other factions top monsters. A few exceptions to this are factions like the Eternals, which use undead versions of legendary creatures like the Bone Dragon; or the Wicked Legion with their demon lord units. The Abyss? Just imagine something as big and as strong, or even stronger, than a dragon, except a lot more disgusting, and with lots of tentacles, eyes, or mouths. Yeah, they also dont need Mercenaries. And the Flesh Monstrosities, you ask? Well, we also dont have any Mercenaries. Because we can use almost any unit we want from most factions, so why would we need Mercenaries? This is my personal opinion, but Fuck this decision, DMA developers! Do you know how hard it is to get some units bodies!? And you tell us we cant even rely on Mercenaries to fill in the gaps, that we must look for units to capture all the time!? Do you hate the Flesh Monstrosities that much!? though theres no way Ill stop playing them. Now that I think about it, not a single one of our factions has Mercenaries. Aaagh, sorry for the random ramblings. Returning to the boss fight The rat charges at us and is Ricard, the tank, who receives the hit. After a loud *Clang!* impact sound, I can see two things I previously couldnt. The first one is the Boss size. Ricard is quite tall at close to two meters, but this rat is at least twice its height. So around four meters tall. But rats arent very tall compared to how long they are and this one is longer than ten meters, without counting the tail. Yeah, now that its fully out of the slime pool, we can see its tail, which is as long as its whole body and wider than my torso. The name Colossal Rat is certainly appropriate. The second one is the Boss name. Or template name, theres no way for us to know which is it. But the important part is what it says: Slime Covered Colossal Rat. Still, quite a lame name for this boss, similar to the rest of the dungeon mobs, but this time I must thank the dungeon owner for the lack of imagination when naming things... because I suspect what the name means. Those lumps arent decorations! Theyre slimes sticking to the Boss body! Be ready for a lot more dangerous fight than we expected! I shout. W-what!? They are slimes!? Ugh! Distracted by looking at the colored lumps, Ricard misses his timing and the rat makes him fly some distance away. Then it takes this chance to jump on one of our support mobs and chomp on it, killing the poor whatever it is (its one of Claras abyss monsters with lots of tentacles that look like leeches) in a single strike. Its true! I cant properly latch my tentacles on the boss because the lumps are in the way, and the tentacles stick to them and they take the damage instead! Its at this moment, when the first slime takes damage from Claras attack, that all of them start acting at the same time. Was that the trigger? Until now, they were feigning to be decorations. Lots of pseudopods extend from the lumps on the rats body, attacking anything that gets close enough. And if this wasnt enough, the slimes also spit a barrage of elemental attacks that falls on top of us, severely damaging all the support mobs. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Are you sure we arent inside an Abyss faction dungeon? Because the boss currently looks quite similar to one of those eldrich horrors If you ignore the colors, that is. Quickly attack with your area skills, Baldy and Mad Rat! We need to reduce the number of enemies as quickly as possible. We cant afford to fight against so many enemies at the same time as the boss! Sure thing! Chain Lightning! Following Lauras suggestion, I continuously cast Chain Lightning, dealing as much damage as I can to the Boss and the slimes covering its body. Ricard returns to the fight and uses Whirlwind like a madman, and Laura casts Hellfire and uses the DoT effect to continuously damage the boss and slimes. Meanwhile, Clara is trying to grab the boss with her tentacles, but the slimes keep putting themselves in the middle. Wow! I havent seen so many visual effects yet in the game! Between my lightning, Lauras Hellfire, and the continuous barrage of elemental spells by the slimes, Im sure somebody with epilepsy would have a seizure right now. You also have to add to the mix the absurd amount of HP bars floating near the Slime Covered Colossal Rat. I dont know which one is from which slime, or which is the Boss one. But theres a problem with Lauras plan. And that is Shit! They have too much HP and my lightning jumps are random! Im going to run out of MP before we manage to kill most of them! Im going to use our trump card! Everyone, run away! Good luck! Just remember that their souls are mine, ok!? Brother, you can do it! Kill them all! Ill give you a kiss if you do your job properly. Okay~? While everyone runs away, followed by the support mobs, - except my support mobs, who obviously follow me - I cast Chain Lightning two more times to try and get the monsters aggro. Which works, because the Boss stops chasing the retreating units and charges at me. I then extend my arms up high while talking to the charging boss and slimes. This is the preparation for our trump card. Hahahaha! You did well! I would really like to capture and experiment with you all, but it seems you exceeded my expectations! Now, you only leave me with my last resort. Fufufu! Lets meet again in our next lives! Hahahaha! GRAND FINALE! Blinding light accumulates around me for a short while before being released in a wide and intense explosion. *Boooooooom!* The whole room trembles. Im sure the explosion can be heard throughout the whole dungeon.
Grand Finale (Active skill)
Cost: 100 HP, 100 EP, 100 MP
After two seconds of invulnerability, deal (50 + 3 * SP + 0,5 * Max HP) light damage to every other unit in a 10-meter radius area around yourself. After using this skill, all your stats are reduced to 1/4 of the original value until the end of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. This skill can only be used once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Grand Finale is the skill I got when I reached player level 5 and upgraded the Mad Rat to level 6. At that time, our team was doing fine in dungeon explorations, so I didnt need to pick or upgrade any specific skill to complement the team. But we were lacking a trump card. Something that allowed us to turn the tables against enemies or situations we couldnt hope to beat in the tournament. And I was the best one to pick something like a trump card because of my 40% increased damage to spells. And Grand Finale is the perfect skill for it: with my current stats, I can deal about 800 damage with it. If you add the 40% extra damage for spells, it deals over 1.100 damage. Though not everything is good for this skill. Grand Finale is a skill exclusive to champions because it would be too OP if random mobs, or even bosses, could have it. Thats because to compensate for the stupid amount of damage you can deal with this skill, it reduces your stats, almost crippling you. For a champion, this is a huge drawback. Once you die, you lose. But the same doesnt apply to dungeon mobs and Bosses. Thats the reason only Champions can pick skills like Grand Finale. The only reason the skill doesnt kill you is that unless you play in a team, using it would be an instant game over. Instead, by reducing your stats to 1/4 of the original value, you can still beat the dungeon but are effectively useless. In short, its as if you were dead, but it doesnt cause a game over. Also, because of the stats being reduced to 1/4th and the damage I take from the Maniac skill, its easy for me to kill myself with this skill. But the most important thing about Grand Finale is that whats more mad-scientist-like than blowing yourself up when you lost the battle? Grand Finale fits the roleplay perfectly! Hahaha! After the light from the explosion disappears, only me and the Colossal Rat remain. All the slimes have perished in the explosion. Oh, and the Colossal Rat has less than half HP right now! Limping away, I call for help. Lets see if I can avoid dying to the boss. A single attack will kill me right now. Guys, its done! Now come back and save me! Ill save you, brother! Just wait and see! Running as fast as she can, Clara runs to where I am, tentacles extended to try and grab the boss as soon as possible. Aaaagh! Dont come, you monster! I imagine myself shouting in fear. Luckily, the monsters target isnt me but the rat. But not even Clara, the one with the greatest range, or Laura, the one with the Blink skill, are going to reach me before the boss does. Its right in front of me, after all. The Slime Covered Colossal Rat opens its mouth wide and jumps. Im going to die Goodbye world! I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable to happen. I wait but the boss doesnt hit me? When I open my eyes, I see the boss completely stopped, standing on the floor, still in the jumping position, and with its mouth still open. I can only think of one possibility. Cyam! I love you! You managed to petrify the boss at the most critical moment! Hahaha! Yep, the boss is petrified right now. I put Cyam in the corner of the room, hoping for its petrification to work at some point in time. I must tell the truth here, I didnt expect it to work at all due to the difference in stats, but It worked! And at the best moment! Hahaha! Still limping away, I walk as far as I can from the boss. With all the stats reduced so much, I think I move slower than a Stitched right now. Im going to leave the rest of the fight to the others. With no slimes in the way, Clara quickly latches her tentacles on the boss, and with the help of Ricard and Laura, they safely defeat the boss. By the way, now that it doesnt have any slimes attached to it, we can finally see the Colossal Rat. It has a vicious appearance, its front teeth look a lot more dangerous now than before. The tail moves like a whip, hitting anyone who dares try to attack it from behind, and its red eyes are filled with madness. But the most important part is: the rat is BLACK. Finally, some enemy that doesnt cause my eyes to bleed! I think Ill stare at a white wall for a few hours after we finish this dungeon, to recover from the color shock. I know its boring, but Ill need eye therapy after this. Anyway, after defeating the boss, we find the dungeon core and quickly break it. Im sure Cyan has captured a lot of units during the dungeon invasion, so Im excited to see which bodies I can bring with me.
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
...
Warning!
You dont have enough capacity to bring all the captured units with you. You only have these stasis capsules available: 1x Giant stasis capsule 3x Stasis capsule
NOOOOOOO! I shout. I can only bring 4 bodies with me because the stasis chambers are filled! And Im sure they are filled with stupid units! Aaaaagh! How much I hate this faction sometimes! Ill have to completely remove the Silent Kidnappers from the dungeon for now I thought reducing their numbers would be enough, but they are still filling the stasis capsules with random units, most of them weak, and I cant bring other and more useful units because the stasis chambers are filled! On the verge of tears, I select four of the Spitter Slimes. The spitting skill was an innate one, and they have decent stats for what I plan to use them for. But still I HATE this so much! Why cant DMA developers allow us to discard useless bodies in these kinds of situations!? What difference does it make for them that we can discard useless units to make room for better ones after a Dungeon Invasion!?
Its possible for somebody to be overwhelmed by visual effects while playing DMA. If you are affected negatively by the visual effects, go to the Settings menu and change the visual effects options. Also go there in case of color blindness or visual-related illnesses. - Bits of information from DMAs player manual, which most players dont ever read. Some dont even know it exists.
Ch 53 - Looking for trouble This chapter has a different POV. Huh, huh, huh! Here I am again! I rise my muscular green arms, proclaiming my arrival after the dungeon teleportation. Recently, theres been a lot of people talking about this monster displayed at the very end of The Big Reveal video, the one that looks like a black wolf with a very big eye. Its weird because its the first time that there so much arguing between players with opposite opinions regarding the same monster. One point of discussion is between players who like how the monster looks and those who are scared of it. Opinions like It looks cool and Its scary quickly turn into insults between players, degenerating into things like You must be scared of your own shadow too, You are so stupid you cant even understand the reason your legs tremble is because of fear instead of excitement, If I were the monster I would be scared too because of your ugly face, and way worse things than those. Though I can understand that everybody fears something, - for example, I have nightmares where the Evil Mastermind is plotting evil schemes to make me suffer in my next dungeon invasion - I cant understand those who are afraid of a dungeon monster. What do you mean by it looks scary so I dont want to face it!? When a monster looks scary, it means its strong! And if its strong, it means you should get excited for the chance to fight against it instead of running away! The scarier and stronger it looks, the better the fight is going to be! Huh, huh, huh! But the most intense discussions are about how dangerous this monster, called The Tunnels Nightmare, actually is. Discussing how dangerous the monster is, as you would expect, is nothing too troublesome in itself... But the problem is that those discussions, without a single exception, always turn into a mudslinging fest where everyone swears and insults all other players, blaming others luck, or lack of, calling everybody else a noob, and generally competing for whos the best player while dissing everybody else. Its gotten to the point where several accounts have been banned from the forums, but the discussions dont seem to be ending any time soon. And regarding this The Tunnels Nightmare monster I didnt find it in my last dungeon invasion, so I have no idea about how strong it actually is, or how dangerous it can be for those players trying to invade The Mad Rats Lab. Thats why Im here today! Im going to uncover all your secrets, Evil Mastermind, and also beat this monster you created to a pulp! Huh, huh, huh! My guttural laughter echoes through the first tunnel, the one that leads to the big cavern. Im already excited thinking about the fight Im going to have. Even if the information I could get from the forums is limited, due to all the swearing, I could get a general idea of that monster. Explaining it in a few words, its a monster you dont want to meet if possible and also Its so scary youll surely run away from it. Hah! As if Im going to run away from a monster! Just come at me with your all, or Im going to defeat you before I can enjoy the combat! Talking alone, I continue to walk. Now that Ive finally recovered my lost orc pride, I dont fear death anymore! Im sure Im going to be able to clear this dungeon again any time I want! Behind me, three orcs follow my steps without saying anything at all. They are the support mobs I brought with me this time: three orc Warriors. One of them has a bow instead of an axe. I decided to go with quality over quantity today, so I substituted the goblins with an orc. My objective today isnt to clear the dungeon but to fight the new monster, so I dont need any sacrificial units with me, or weak units that might die to the poisonous mushrooms while trying to find The Tunnels Nightmare.
It must already be the third time I passed through this part, something is clearly wrong with the dungeon today. This is weird. Its unusual to not face any big trouble in this damned dungeon for so long, especially because Im actually looking for trouble right now instead of trying to evade it! Also, I have confirmed that horror story about the holes appearing through the dungeon. Until now, I was always busy with other things and tried to reach the end of the dungeon as soon as possible, but today Ive spent a lot of time doing rounds through the same area so Ive been able to see the holes appearing randomly through the dungeon. Holes that werent there the first time I passed through the area, which can be seen in the walls, floor, and even on the ceiling. Crouched down while inspecting one of the holes, I mutter to myself. It reminds me of something, Im sure Ive seen this kind of thing before But I cant remember where or what it was! How frustrating! At this moment, I hear an agonizing cry. *Aaaaaaagh!* Surprised by the unexpected cry, I make an involuntary jump and almost touch the ceiling. If this wasnt a game I might have gotten a heart attack right now! How could there be another player inside the dungeon!? O-or is it a phantom? Slowly turning my head toward the direction where the cry came from, I see a tiny yellow bird. Its quite far away, but it looks like theres something on top of its head that looks like horns from such a distance. Am I hallucinating right now? How can this bird be the one who made that cry? Also, where did that bird come from? I feel like I should know about it, but maybe its because of the scare, I can focus due to my loudly beating heart right now. I look at the bird, and it opens its beak. Then, as if defying all common sense, the bird suddenly releases a weirdly human-like *Ugaaaaa!* cry. The first cry came from this tiny bird too!? Realization suddenly strikes me, and I say at the same time I facepalm. Ah! Of course! That stupid mix of bird and goat critter! I dont remember what name did it have, but it sure is annoying! *Uuuoooooo!* As if mocking me, the bird continues to make disgusting sounds. I cant reach you there with my weapon, but I can do this, you know? I say at the same time I use Phantasmal Weapon. The attack quickly reaches the bird and kills it. But not before it can release a last *Aagyaaaah!* that sounds the same as a death cry. UghNow I feel as if I just killed a real person. What disgustingly sick and convoluted mind must you have to design something like this monster!? Oh, yeah, I know The Evil Mastermind can do something like this. All the time. Im sure he can do it without blinking. Im sure he can create something like this while sleeping. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Maybe I should try to run away instead, the next time I find one of those birds. For my own mental health, I mean. I decide to quickly forget about this disgusting experience. ...Umm. What was I doing before? Oh, yes! The mysterious holes! I look at the mysterious hole right next to me when a cold sensation, as if I was suddenly drenched in cold water, courses through my whole body. This is this must be I dont know if it''s because of the repeated failures or what, but Ive developed something like a sixth sense when it comes to The Mad Rats Lab. When getting close to a dangerous place or situation, I feel as if all my hair stands on end, warning me. But this time its something even more dangerous or fearsome. All the players were saying words like fear or scary when The Tunnels Nightmare appeared in conversations, so it must be it, no? What else could give me this instinctive fear that almost overwhelms my whole body? Huh, huh, huh! Here it comes! The only thing in this dungeon that should be able to instill so much fear into any player, according to the rest of the players, is The Tunnels Nightmare! I excitedly prepare myself for battle as I give instructions to the three orcs. Get ready for battle, guys! Were going to unveil the mystery behind the newest terror of this damned dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! I then hear the monster coming in our direction. From one side of the tunnel, a faint vibration and step noise can be heard, getting closer at a very fast speed. Not wanting to wait anymore, I rise my battleaxe overhead as I rush in the monsters direction. The step noise is getting louder. Wait, it sounds like more than one enemy is coming! Even better, then, more enemies to kill! Huh, huh, huh! But I momentarily freeze when I turn around the corner and see whats making the noise. W-whats this!? How can this be possible!? Whats in front of me, still running in my direction at an almost impossible speed, is an absurd amount of the weakest monsters in this dungeon: those humanoids with several body parts stitched together. Regardless of how many of them I fight, I can easily kill them all; but for some reason, this time, my senses are telling me to run away at full speed. No, no, no! You cant run away from the enemy! Do you want to lose your orcs pride again after just recovering it!? And to the same damned dungeon!? Also, what are you afraid of? They are the weakest monsters in this dungeon! I convince myself that everythings ok, but something keeps telling me to run away. With a *Waaaagh!* cry, I shut off my worries at the same time as I rush at the monster swarm. The first enemy, the one leading the rest, falls to my axe in a single swing. Hm. Maybe my instincts were wrong and this is going to be easy? This is what I think until I attack the next one, and I only reduce its HP by about a third, and my expression warps in surprise. Strong! Why is it so strong!? Surprised at the unexpected resilience of the enemy, I stop in place for just a second. When I recover, Im already surrounded by those monsters on all sides. Whats worse: Im now isolated from my support orcs, who are fighting against the monster horde a few meters away from me. Shit! I should really go back and save them, but I dont have the leisure to do so. Ill need to use my all to defeat them and try to survive! I pump myself up with my next words. What am I hesitating for? Its an all-you-can-kill buffet! Lets enjoy this rare occasion! Huh, huh, huh! Ill show you what happens when your neck meets my battleaxe! Releasing another battle cry, I use the Rotating Swipe skill, a skill that deals damage to all enemies in an area around me; followed by a Mighty Blow, a skill that deals a very powerful attack against a single enemy. The unlucky fellow who I hit with the Mighty Blow is reduced to a corpse in a single strike.
Rotating Swipe (Active skill)
Cost: 70 EP
Deal (5 + STR) physical damage to every enemy in a 1-meter radius around yourself.
Mighty Blow (Active skill)
Cost: 100 EP
Deal (20 + 2 * STR) physical damage to a single enemy.
With just these two skills and a few more attacks, I manage to defeat most of the enemies surrounding me. But there are a lot more enemies that quickly fill up the gaps, so I find myself receiving attacks from all sides almost as fast as I kill them. Usually, I try to avoid using skills as much as possible because its not my style. But Im not that stupid to let myself get killed because of my pride, so in dangerous situations, I use everything I can, even the game skills. Despite my greatest efforts and amazing display of fighting prowess, theres no end to this monster horde. I can see more than ten of their corpses, but theres at least twice that amount still filling the tunnel, and I cant see where the monster mob ends. Maybe there are even more enemies outside my field of vision. A few kills later I notice two things. The first one is very sad: the three orcs have been defeated. They resisted as best as they could, but it was impossible for them to survive against so many enemies. It makes me sad but I already expected it. And the second thing I notice is Im not sure, but I feel like they are getting weaker over time Or maybe they get weaker as I kill more of them? I feel like Im killing the monsters faster than at the beginning when I notice a faint red light covering my hand. Its the effects of the orcs Bloodlust innate skill, which increases my basic attack damage and attack speed when my HP gets under half its maximum value. This must be why the enemies feel weaker now. Oh, so its because of the skill! Huh, huh, huh! Youve managed to put me in my serious mode. The second assault starts now! I shout in the middle of combat, swinging my battleaxe without stopping. Meanwhile, the enemies are attacking me from all sides, using their grotesquely deformed limbs. Even when surrounded, Im good enough to avoid some of their attacks, but its impossible to completely avoid them because of how many there are. Huh, huh, huh! I cant stop myself from laughing as the combat gets more intense. By now, I can confidently say this is the fight Ive enjoyed the most in this damned dungeon. Maybe you can even say its the only time Ive enjoyed it at all. I think Ive killed at least twenty monsters when a message appears in front of me, and I find myself in a phantasmal version of my Champion.
You have died!
YEEEEES! This is it! I dont mind getting killed after an epic fight like this! Huh, huh, huh! My laughter continues to echo through the tunnels. Im sure it would scare most people due to the phantasmagoric effect given to it right now. Things like this are what I enjoy! Being surrounded by enemies, attacking each other until one side dies a fight to the death! And the best is I got to keep my orcs pride! It isnt a shame dying in a fight against a stronger enemy! Happily laughing, I prepare to leave the dungeon. Theres this inexplicable feeling that Im forgetting about something but I had a great time, so who cares! Im going to come back! And that time, Ill make sure to kill you all, so be prepared! These are my last words before the game teleports me outside The Mad Rats Lab.
The Tunnels Nightmare? The orc completely forgot about it because of how much fun he had fighting against the Monster Train. And a few days later, these were his words after fighting the Monster Train: Nooo! Why cant I beat those seemingly weak monsters!? Is this really all my skill and fighting prowess amount to? Will I ever be able to defeat them in a straight fight!? Aaaaagh, my orcs pride How can I say I still have it after being defeated so many times by the same enemies? Will I be able to recover it in the future? But thats a story for the future.
Ch 54 - Last minute secret training Here I am, preparing the last things I need to do before the tournament starts. The first thing I must do, as I already promised myself, is to temporarily remove all the Silent Kidnappers from the dungeon. Haaah what a shame I must remove them If only it was possible to tell the game to not capture certain units! I suppose its for balance reasons so that we cant get free bodies without doing anything and also make sure all of them are exactly what we want or need But still, its a shame! Yeah, Im sure its an intentional flaw from the DMA developers. The Flesh Monstrosities can already be considered the most broken faction in terms of versatility and individual unit power, but its balanced by how much more effort the players must put into obtaining the units. If instead, they allowed the players to automatically capture all the units they want, it certainly makes the Flesh Monstrosities too powerful. The maximum they allow is to automatically capture random units so that we cant control what units we get. And this can be a bad idea if your stasis chambers get filled with random useless bodies as it happened to me Anyway! What Im going to do now is spend most of my cp in stasis capsules so that I can capture more stuff later on; as well as start the research on Fleshlings! Oh, and talking about research! After completing both the research for upgrading the Hybrids, as well as unlocking the Basic Chimeras, this amazing new unit type appeared in the techs available for research!
Monstrous Hybrid
Research cost: 1.000 cp, 500 food, 500 metal. Research time: 8h
Similar to normal Hybrids, this humanoid unit needs two bodies to be created. But instead of both being humanoid, one of the two bodies can be from a non-humanoid unit. The shape of the Monstrous Hybrid will be humanoid and can thus be used as a Champion. Monstrous Hybrids inherit the innate skills of the original units, and their stats are the sum of the original units. The cp cost and cp value of this unit is the same as the sum of the two units used to create it plus 50 cp.
When I saw the new research, I immediately unlocked it. I didnt know when, but I was absolutely sure I was going to create Monstrous Hybrids in the future. The research description pretty much explains everything, but yes, Monstrous Hybrids are units that can mix a humanoid unit with a non-humanoid one. Until now, all units were either exclusively humanoid or non-humanoid. And there are a few reasons, apart from aesthetics, for this: like skill balancing or movement types. For example, almost no humanoid units can fly or properly fight underwater, but the same doesnt apply to non-humanoids. So with a Monstrous Hybrid, you can easily make a flying Champion if you want to. They can also be amazing options for roleplaying. But Im going to stick with the Mad Rat because I like it better. Though not everythings good. The extra 50 cp cost seems like nothing, especially when talking about powerful units, but in fact, its quite a lot if youre under a tight budget like in a Dungeon Battle. Aaaaand Im going to create the first Monstrous Hybrids right now! Hahaha! This isnt the only reason, but a very important reason is that I really need to use some bodies because, right now, I have very few empty Stasis chambers. Yes, the only free ones are those I bought just a few minutes ago. Though it isnt like Im going to need them in any short amount of time because the tournament goes mostly by the PvP rules; which means that nobody can obtain cp or special resources during it. Im sure you remember that during Dungeon Battles you get an amount of cp that changes if you win or lose the battle, and you cant obtain special resources at all. Im sure its so that players can fully focus on the fights instead of obtaining resources. And were lucky because otherwise Im sure Ricard would chase after anything that moves to obtain even one more soul. Dont look at me like this! Im not like that too, ok!? I only lose my composure sometimes! Aaargh, stop staring at me with those accusing eyes! ok, ok! Its good for me too because, otherwise, I wont be able to concentrate either Happy now? You forced me to say it. Anyway! Returning to the Monstrous Hybrids Im going to create What I want to do is use those slimes I captured the other day, the Spitter Slimes, and mix them with the Apprentice Technomancers I captured in the Magic Engineers dungeon. My plan is to use them as laboratory helpers when the Lab Assistants arent enough. Oh, and Ill put them in the same room as the second Lab Assistant this way, the two fights wont be exactly the same. Monstrous Hybrid, I choose you! I shout at the same time I start the creation of a new Template. Why do I do it? I dont know, but for some reason, I feel good shouting it. Then I select both the Apprentice Technomancer and the Spitter Slime as the ones to use for the creation of the new unit. A fun thing I wanted to point out here: the Apprentice Technomancers are incredibly weak. And with this, I mean basic unit levels of weak, so they have a 5 or 6 in all stats except for the Dexterity one, where they have a whole whopping 30. Of course, this is because they are supposed to be the ones operating the Magic Engineers contraptions and traps, so they only need high Dexterity to do their work. Also, Im sure the 30 DEX isnt a random value at all, because its the value needed to operate most of the basic machines and equipment. Thats why they have 30 Dex: its the minimum value required. They also have 6 Intelligence, higher than the usual 5. Which I suppose is there to help players customize their behavior when manipulating contraptions and traps. In comparison, the Spitter Slime has the most typical stats for a slime: very high HP and CON, low WIL, and abysmal AGI and DEX. You might say its a bad decision to use them as the other unit because of their low Dexterity, and you would be right if I needed it to be higher than 30 DEX. But I dont need anything with so much Dexterity for now, and if I needed, I already have the Lab Assistants. Furthermore, theres another reason I want to use the Spitter Slimes. And it is because of their innate skill: Slime Spit. It isnt the best skill, but its an innate skill exclusive to the Amorphous faction. And whats better: it works very well when paired with the Lab Assistants AoE skills.
Slime Spit (Active innate skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Deal (2 + 0,8 * STR) physical damage to a single enemy and slow it by 20% for 5 seconds. This skills effect doesnt stack.
By the way, Apprentice Technomancers dont have any innate skills. Do you know why? Yeah, you guessed it right. Its because theyre HUMANS! Fucking humans! I hate them so much! And now I have lots of them in my stasis chambers, preventing me from capturing actually useful units, so Im hating them even more than usual! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The next step is unit customization. I make the new unit look like a normal human except it doesnt have any defined features because its made of slime. Do you remember when I was creating the champion? It looks very similar: a humanoid shape made of translucent material and without defined features. Plus it drips goo all the time. And as it couldnt be any other way, I make each of them a different color. There are exactly four of them, so the colors are, obviously: blue, red, green, and yellow. Like in that famous board game for four players. As an unrelated topic, though its kind of related: during the dungeon exploration, Ricard made sure to explain why there are no humanoid units in the Amorphous faction. And thats because almost all slimes can be used as Champions. So they dont need humanoid units at all. Yeah, you heard it right. How does this work? Well, the slimes take a humanoid shape but retain the original slimes innate skills, stats, and color/texture. He told us that they can even be customized to have faces and/or hands and fingers. Anyway! Lets return to the new monster Im creating! For now, Im not going to level them up. After all, I only want them for their innate skills slow, and to manipulate machines. The only skill I give them with the level 1 skill point is this one: Sprinter.
Sprinter (Passive skill)
Increases the units Speed stat by 1.
Theres a reason why I give them the Sprinter skill, and its because of what Im going to do next with the AI modifications. Now for the last but not least thing! The AI! The first change Im going to do is to change how they work outside of combat, to the same as the Lab Assistants: dont move and stay where I tell them. And the second change is how they behave during combat. What I do is make them run all the time as they continue to use the Slime Spit skill. But it isnt normal running, no this would be too lame. What they do is run away from any other unit that gets close to you. Yeah, they run away from the enemies, they run away from the Lab Assistant, and they even run away from the other three. Im sure if there was a mirror somewhere, they would run away too. And they do so at a relatively fast speed thanks to the Sprinter skill, and lets not forget about the Slime Spit slow There was only one name I could give them: Panicky Spitter. Im sure you understand why. The last thing I do is add the four Panicky Spitters to the second laboratory area. But I also make two changes to the dungeon: I increase the second laboratory size a bit, to give the Panicky Spitters more space to run; and I add a simple condition to the door that leads to the next area. The condition is only opens when all Lab Assistants and Panicky Spitters from this room are defeated. Oh, I also allow the Panicky Spitters to leave the laboratory area if they are being chased by an enemy. This way it can be very funny - for me, not for the invaders - to see somebody chase after a Panicky Spitter throughout the whole dungeon. You know because, if they dont kill the Lab Assistant AND all the Panicky Spitters, they wont be able to open the door to the Minitaur area. Hahahaha! Arent I evil!? Hahaha! By the way, these are the stats for the Panicky Spitters.
Panicky Spitter (Lv 1)
HP 200 (200) STA 13 (13) SOU 12 (12)
EP 170 (170) MP 130 (130)
STR 13 (13) CON 16 (16) AGI 8 (8)
SPI 12 (12) WIL 10 (10) DEX 32 (32)
SPD 6 INT 6 COM 0
Skills
Active: Slime Spit (Innate). Passive: Sprinter.
Now, theres just one more thing I wanted to do before the tournament starts. Believe me or not, its something thats been bugging me since the moment I created the Champion. Im sure you have felt too that annoying sensation you have when theres something you know you could do better, but cant find the motivation to improve And the more you delay it, the worst you feel about yourself but when you finally convince yourself you have to do it, you then look for excuses to not do it. Im sure everyone has experienced something like this at least one time. And yes, Im talking about the Rat Transformation skill right now! Since the moment I decided to seal it, Ive been bugged by the knowledge I could be doing better than what Im doing now. But every time I thought about testing it again, I got sick just by remembering the first experience. And no, Im not going to create another Champion. I like the Mad Rat, I like the image of a mad scientist with a rat head, and I dont mind having a skill I cant use as long as it doesnt interfere with the rest. That being said, what Im going to do right now is practice the Rat Transformation skill and see if I can get used to the sickness it produces. Ugh I feel sick already, and I havent used the skill a single time yet Well, here I go Reluctantly, I activate the Rat Transformation skill, and a moment later, Im in rat form. ...I want to puke already It doesnt look like Im going to get used to it anytime soon.
Im going to start with the conclusion: no, I didnt get used to the nausea produced by the new form. But, and its a big BUT, I did manage to achieve something. What did I manage to achieve? Well, thats an easy answer: I managed to activate the Rat Transformation skill and then return back to my humanoid form in less than three seconds. And as long as I dont move at all, its bearable. After all, the transformation only lasts an instant when I use it like this, so I dont have too much time to get sick. You might be asking how the heck is this useful!?, am I right? The important part is the size difference between the two forms, making the rat form a lot harder to hit because its a lot smaller than the humanoid one. If I time it right, I might be able to avoid attacks or skills during the transformation. The keyword here is might. I like to call it Rat Avoidance Transformation Trick, or RATT for short. And no, the name I gave to it isn''t a coincidence. Amazing progress, isnt it? From having the skill sealed, to be able to use it in combat! If you can call the RATT as using in combat, that is. I dont care about such nuances, so Ill do it. Hahaha! Im not sure it will ever be useful. But who knows, maybe it will? In truth, I dont have too many expectations for it.
Dont be distracted by the other stuff! The most important thing you MUST remember in this damned dungeon is to ABSOLUTELY NEVER allow a single Panicky Spitter to run away from the room you find it! Block the exit with support mobs, focus on them first while ignoring the other enemies, and then nuke the whole room with your biggest AoE skill Whatever you do, NEVER allow a single one of them to leave the room! Otherwise, it can turn into an eternal chase through the dungeon, and YOURE NOT GOING TO ENJOY IT! You can say that its the WORST mistake you can make. And its easy enough to prevent it, so DONT FORGET! - Extract from the Chapter Important things to look out for from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 55 - Registering for the Tournament The day has come! Its Saturday, and its time to register for the tournament. Well, I say registration, but the registration process has already finished: applying to the tournament, selecting the level we will participate in, and receiving the reply saying we have a spot reserved. What we need to do now is select the Champions and create a dungeon together, using elements and mobs from all of our four dungeons. The most vital decision is selecting the Champions were going to use. Theyre the units were going to play as, making them the central piece of all our strategies; and they are the only units we can control in tomorrows first phase. But theres another reason why choosing the Champions is the most critical decision: the champions we select now are the only ones we can use in the tournament. Not only changing Champions isnt allowed, but it isnt possible to change their skills either. Dungeon Masters Arena is a game about planning ahead of time, making everything possible to stop the enemies at the same time as you prepare for their countermeasures against you. Especially so in Dungeon Battles (PvP). And the tournament isnt different from the rest of the game. We must decide on the Champions were going to use before it starts, and must stick with them until the end, so every team should make balanced teams that can beat any dungeon they encounter. This way they also prevent players from swapping champions depending on the opponent team. Technically, theres no restriction on what Champion you choose as long as it can be unlocked at or before reaching the selected player level for the tournament, which in our case is player level 5. But in reality you dont want to be too greedy. Why? Because theres a cp limit to create the dungeon, and the Champions cost is also included in it. They give us a limit of 6.000 cp for the dungeon, so if we spend all of it in the Champions, well have to leave our dungeons empty. And believe me when I say thats the worst idea you can have. The second thing were going to do today is to design a dungeon using parts of our four dungeons: mobs, traps, rooms, etc. Its also possible to build an entirely new dungeon instead of using preexisting parts, to make sure it looks decent instead of being a patchwork monstrosity; but all mobs and traps must come from our dungeons. And lets not forget that all elements must be available at player level 5. Hm Im sure Ive already explained something about the first phase of the tournament, but Im going to explain more right now to you! And in more detail! Hahaha! How generous I am! In the first phase, which well do tomorrow, every team will only be able to use their Champions, so no support mobs are allowed. Every team will randomly dive into the dungeons prepared by the other participants and try to achieve the most points and qualify for the next phase: the real tournament, in the cup format. If a team beats a dungeon, it will then enter the dungeon of another team. The whole thing lasts two hours, and you can enter any number of dungeons if you manage to clear them this should give every team time to clear between four and five dungeons. The points are obtained by clearing dungeons, and also by killing invaders inside your own. Its also important to not die because youll lose points for every death you suffer. Yeaha glass-cannon team is definitely not the best option for this phase, even if you could technically make it work for the second phase. According to Ricard, this first phase is mostly to purge those teams who didnt properly plan the team composition. You know, the enter a random dungeon thingy makes it almost impossible to survive the first phase unless your team is capable of adapting to any situation, or at least most of them. Also according to him, its a general consensus between all players to make the dungeons as deadly as possible instead of taking the wasting time approach. Thats because you get bonus points when killing Champions or defeating the whole enemy team, and not for how much time the enemy spends in the dungeon. If you design it to waste time you can make the unlucky invaders unable to win lots of points, maybe even disqualify them for the next phase but youll also lose the points you can earn by killing the other team; turning it into a lose-lose situation that nobody likes or wants, where you make the other team lose but you are also disqualified due to lack of kills. Oh, and another thing you must know this first phase cant be spectated and the recordings can only be shared after the tournament ends. Thats because the DMA staff wants the players to go all-out without compromising the main event; so that the participants dont have to save their finishing moves or secret tactics, and can use everything in their arsenal to qualify for the second phase, also called the Main Tournament. If we reach the second phase, well be able to create a new dungeon for each match. But for now, lets focus on the first one
Everybodys ready, right? There are no redoes after we select our Champions. Oh, I almost forgot! Have you two been able to reach player level 5? I also raised my player level to level 7! Arent I amazing? Hahaha! The four of us (I, Ricard, Laura, and Clara) are currently in the game. We are in some kind of fantasy office room assigned to us for the tournament. The DMA staff assigned one room to every team, so thats easier to meet in person while inside the game, and only that teams members can enter it. You could say its a luxury to have a room for every team when there are over a thousand teams participating only at our player level but this is a digital world, so theres no real cost for them. The first to answer Ricards question is Laura. I was very close to leveling up after the slime dungeon. Luckily, yesterday I had some extra time and after two Dungeon Battles, I managed to reach level 5! Did you win them? I won one and lost the other. Not bad. I ask her, and she answers my question. And after our short exchange, its Claras turn to answer Ricards question. I too managed to reach level 5! With the help of my sla friends and my brother! Thank you again, Andreu! ... Youre welcome. You almost let the word slaves slip there! I involuntarily shudder at Claras answer. Not because of the word slaves, but because I had to enter her dungeon. Again. I already promised myself I wouldnt enter her dungeon a single more time, but if I didnt help her, there was no way she could reach player level 5 by now. She just reached level 5 earlier today, after all. But this time my brain didnt shut off completely due to fear and I managed to bring a little something back with me. Fufufu! Hahaha! Im going to share my suffering with the other players in the future! Those players who decide to invade my dungeon! Hahaha! Oblivious to Claras slip and my shuddering, Ricard continues to talk. Oh, nice! Then well have a full Champion level 6 team for the tournament! Because I suppose you didnt forget to upgrade your Champions? Oh, oh! What skills did you take? Who do you think I am? Of course, I leveled up my succubus! Also, in consideration of the rest of you, I decided to upgrade one of the skills I had instead of picking a new one. Good job, Laura! This way we wont need to take anything extra into account for our teamplay! Well, yes She awkwardly scratches her cheek at Ricards enthusiasm arent you too excited, Ricard!? This is the skill I decided to upgrade.
Hellfire - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 180 MP, 30 MP per second
Ignite a 10-meter radius area with hellfire. Units inside the area take an initial (10 + SPI) fire damage and an extra (2 + 0,2 * SPI) fire damage each second.
Upgrades
Soul Burn: 30% of the damage dealt is calculated as if the affected units had 0 WIL.
Hey, hey! I too decided to upgrade a skill instead of picking a new one! But in my case, its because it really complements the rest of my skills! I didnt take the teamplay into account, but it worked out anyway! Hehehe! This is the skill I upgraded!
Untouchable - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Increase the damage from skills that require touch by (1 + 0,1 * SPI).
Upgrades
Death Touch: Increase the extra damage by an extra (1 + 0,1 * SPI).
When we invaded the slime dungeon, she had already reached player level 4 some time ago. So she also had this other skill called Paralyzing Touch, which I forgot to mention before.
Paralyzing Touch (Triggered skill)
Every second you touch an enemy unit, you have a 5% chance to paralyze it for 3 seconds. The paralyzing chance increases by 1% each second you touch it, and it resets when the enemy is paralyzed. Champions and Bosses cant be paralyzed for more than 5 seconds every minute with this skill.
Thats the reason why she was in charge of dealing with the Matrioshka Slimes: the paralyze status effect really crippled them because only the external one of them was active at the same time. So by paralyzing the external slime, the other slimes couldnt do anything and the Matrioshka Slime was rendered useless. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. And now that I remember I forgot to show you the stats I have after upgrading my champion! Well, here it goes!
Mad Rat (Lv 6)
HP 555 (370) STA 39 (26) SOU 48 (32)
EP 450 (300) MP 615 (410)
STR 37 (25) CON 52 (35) AGI 52 (35)
SPI 63 (42) WIL 46 (31) DEX 48 (32)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Cold Blast Grand Finale Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery) Lightning Shield Mana Attuned (Innate) Mana Core (Innate) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert)
Perfect! Then, lets register our Champions already! Says Ricard. All of us select our current Champion and set them as the one were going to use for the whole tournament. Theres no going back now! All of our Champions together cost a little bit over 2.000 cp this means we have almost 4.000 cp for the dungeon we need to design right now, and the ones we will design for the second phase. This includes traps, environmental effects, mobs Hmmm difficult decisions here Having selected our Champions, Ricard starts to mutter alone. And Laura joins him immediately. Do you think we should focus on a single one of our factions for this phase? Or should we use mobs from all factions? Also, what about the big surprises, like our bosses or especially dangerous monsters? I think a mix is the best option. This allows us to combine our strengths. Also there are no bosses in the tournament. I mean, we can use them, but they wont receive the 100% stat-increasing buff. They will be treated as normal units. Is that so? I was hoping to put my Boss there what a shame! You have to consider the fact that in the second phase, well be able to actively participate in defense too. So having a Boss would be too much. It would also break the cp limit balance. Remember that the same happens when you do a Dungeon Battle: the Boss buff doesnt work. Ah, yes. Now that you mention it Hey! Do you think my The Tunnels Nightmare will make a good option for this dungeon? I decide to interrupt them by asking a question. I look forward to using it in this tournament. Not for the first phase. Ricard immediately turns down my idea. Remember that we should focus on killing the enemy team, not on making them waste time. We want to achieve the most points possible, so we better think of ways to kill them as fast as possible. I would also like to keep those special monsters a secret for the main tournament if possible. ...but didnt you say there wont be any recording during the first phase? Then what does it matter if we show our surprises early on? There wont be any problem in our dungeon invasions, so we can do whatever we want with our Champions. But this doesnt stop other players from explaining what they encountered in the first phase. So I dont want to use those special mobs for the dungeon this time. Ok it makes kind of sense Dejected, I accept Ricards point. Though its a shame I cant use those special mobs. Clara rises her hand at the same time as she says. I have an idea! Why dont we put all our strongest units right next to the entrance and make them kill all invaders!? This time its my turn to shut her idea down. Im his brother, so shes my responsibility. Kind of. Clara dont you know this isnt allowed? In Dungeon Battles, as well as in this tournament, you cant do something like this at all because of something called cp density I then proceed to explain to her the cp density rule, a mechanism exclusive to the Dungeon Battles, the PvP mode of this game. In Dungeon Invasions, you can create the dungeon as you see fit. There are very few restrictions, like having a path that connects the entrance to the dungeon core. But regarding the mobs and traps, you can do anything. If you abuse it and make an impossible-to-clear dungeon, the one who suffers is you, because you get bad reviews and then nobody enters your dungeon anymore. But to ensure the Dungeon Battle is an actual battle of wits instead of a slaughter fest, where everyone puts all monsters next to the entrance, theres a rule we players call cp density. It basically limits how many monsters you can put clumped together, as well as how strong they can be. There are ways to circumvent this limitation, like making them move in a certain pattern, or putting alarm traps that call all nearby units to your position; but all of them can be avoided if the other player is smart or good enough. Oh, and its also completely impossible to put units right next to the entrance in a Dungeon Battle. ...and thats why we cant do as you proposed, Clara. I finish my explanation. We continue with the brainstorming. Laura, do you still have your poison-resistant units? I ask. Huh, yes, I do. Why do you ask? Well, I was thinking of putting my poison mushrooms mixed with Ricards skeletons and your poison-resistant units Oh! Good idea! This way we can force the other team to fight inside the poison clouds without killing our units! Hahaha! Thats what I was thinking. I say.
We have finally settled on the dungeon were going to use for the first phase of the tournament. Hahaha! Fufufu! Hehehe! Hey, guys youre creeping me out with your weird laughs Complains Ricard. But hes the creepiest one when he starts to talk about the game, or when obtaining souls, so we ignore his ramblings. I also like the dungeon, but to like it so much as to laugh like this Why are we laughing like this? Well, its because of all the ideas we put into it. The first zone or area is filled with all my random and dangerous units: Tunnel Mimic, Goblimp Pest, Braindead Assassin, Death Butterfly, Fiery Fly, Stareshrub, and Static Lamb. Plus a few Braindead Leader/Mob squads to increase the difficulty. It is a very volatile combination because they can kill each other with the auras and death bursts, creating potentially lethal combos. It looks like a mix of my cave area and tunnel area and has no traps or any hazardous terrain. At first, I was against revealing so many secret units but Laura and Ricard convinced me by saying they are too situational to be used in the second phase effectively. We might use them later on too, as extras, but its true they are too difficult to control. You can say this first area is just a lot of random units put together. We hope theyll deal as much damage as possible to the invaders and take them by surprise. If lucky, at least one of them will die; but what we are hoping for this is to put the enemy team on edge against what comes next. The second area is the hazardous area. Taking advantage of the poison immunity of the skeletons, and the poison resistance skills Laura gave to some of her units, plus the Demonic Swarmers immunity to mushrooms we prepared this special area, packed with poisonous mushrooms. The idea here is that, after being surprised by my random but dangerous mobs in the first phase, the enemy team now has to fight in an environment packed with poison everywhere, against units unaffected by it. And the third area is the tip of the cake. Exhausted, and hopefully low on HP, SP, and MP, now the enemies have to fight against the most resilient of our units: the zombies, specters, and other undead. And lets not forget there are lots of demon units supporting them from the back with spells. Oh, but Andreu. You said it was a dungeon using units from all four factions, but you didnt mention anything about your sisters monsters! Thats true. I purposely left them for the end because they are the central piece of our strategy. The Abyss units are going to be put throughout the whole dungeon, separated from one another to maximize their MP draining. Their role is to reduce the MP of the enemy team as much as possible so that they cant properly deal with the last area. Especially against the specters, who are very hard to deal with if you have no MP because only elemental damage can hurt them properly. Come! Come and suffer in our dungeon! Im sure youll be happy to see all the love we have packed! Hahaha!
I never expected the surprises I would find in the tournament. Especially not one surprise related to the rising popularity of The Mad Rats Lab.
Glossary 4 - First Boss & Tournament The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 6 (Upgraded Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat + Shadow) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast, Grand Finale. Triggered: Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery), Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Mana Core (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Dungeon Areas Entrance - Forest that gradually turns red as if it absorbed the blood of uncountable victims as it approaches the entrance to the cave. It sets the mood and has no dangers. Cave - Giant cave that contains giant and glowing mushrooms, creating places perfect for ambushes. Constant screams can be heard from here. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Cave to the Rabbit Area and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Tunnel Mimic, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper The Tunnels Nightmare. Traps: Falling Corpse, Mushrooms. Special: Eternal Resting Areas. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core and the storage room protected by the Minitaur Queen. It is divided into two areas that arent directly connected, and you must pass through The Freezer to reach the second. Monsters: Lab Assistant, Panicky Spitter, Minitaur Queen. Traps: Falling Corpse, Lightning Rod. The Freezer - Interconnected rooms, partly natural and partly excavated in the rock. Its filled with corpses, blood, and body pieces. A superficial ice sheet covers most of its contents. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader, Braindead Assassin (Hidden Enemy trap). Traps: Exploding Corpse. Field Effect: Freezing Cold. Rabbit Area - Mountain Valley filled with grass and innocent bunnies. Connects the Tunnels with the Laboratory, working as a shortcut. Monsters: Curse Rabbit, Not A Rabbit. Bosses Minitaur Queen - Lv 5 (Hybrid - Minotaur + Fairy Queen) Active: Trickster (Innate), Acid Bubble, Light Arrow. Triggered: Fierce Charge (Innate), Fast Recovery, Survival Instinct. Passive: Presence Detection. Monsters Lab Assistant - Lv 5 (Hybrid - High Elf + Runesmith) Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution - Lv 2 (Double Snap). Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura. The Tunnels Nightmare - Lv 5 (Basic Chimera - Terror Slime + Maguiloyf) Active: Alphas Howl, Corrosive Goo. Triggered: Your Worst Nightmare (Innate), Mind Break, Paranoia. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Terrifying Presence (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Demonic Swarmer - Lv 3 (Siamese - Scout + Miner) Scout Half - Active: Dash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Miner Half - Active: Bash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Not A Rabbit - Lv 3 (Hybrid - Wererabbit + Hunter) Active: Rabbit Transformation (Innate), Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate), Unexpected Strike. Passive: Berserker. Tunnel Mimic - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Tunneler + Mimic) Active: Mimicry (Innate), Engulf. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Enlarge. Goblimp Pest - Lv 2 (Siamese - Goblin + Imp) Goblin Half - Active: Corrosive Arrow. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Imp Half - Active: Shadow Blast. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Panicky Spitter - Lv 1 (Monstrous Hybrid - Sptter Slime + Apprentice Technomancer) Active: Slime Spit (Innate). Passive: Sprinter. Braindead Mob - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. Braindead Assassin- Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Blood Power. Silent Kidnapper - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Small Myconid + Giant Spider) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Capture Expert. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Unidentifiable. Critters All critters that dont have a specific area assigned to them can be found anywhere, taking into account their characteristics. Death Butterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Fiery Fly - Lv 3 (Creepy - Fly + Fire Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Fire. Passive: Fire Elemental (Innate), In Flames. Static Lamb - Lv 3 (Creepy - Sheep + Electric Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Lightning. Passive: Lightning Elemental (Innate), Static Discharge. Water Ant - Lv 1 (Creepy - Giant Ant + Water Spark) Passive: Water Elemental (Innate). Curse Rabbit - Lv 1 (Creepy - Rabbit + Curse Bug) Triggered: Death Curse (Innate). Octocat - Lv 1 (Creepy - Cat + Octopus) Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Colored Geckos - Lv 1 (Creepy - Gecko + Gel of the same color) Passive: Sticky Trail (Innate). Stareshrub - Lv 1 (Creepy - Awakened Shrub + Mass of Eyes) Passive: Eyes Everywhere (Innate). Annoyer - Lv 1 (Creepy - Canary + Goat) Monster Train The Driver or conductor starts roaming the dungeon as soon as the players enter, slowly activating the hidden monsters all around the dungeon. The stats and speed of all the monsters in the Monster Train increase as more and more monsters start following the Driver. 1 x Driver - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: Follow My Lead. Passive: Intelligent. 50 x Passenger - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: random Safeguard skill. Passive: Unstoppable Mob. 50 x Hidden Enemy traps Traps Falling Corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Exploding Corpse - Explodes when an enemy gets close. Lightning Rod - Strikes repeatedly with lightning. It can be destroyed. Poisonous Mushroom - Inflicts poison that stacks and deals damage. Sleeping Mushroom - Inflicts sleep on enemies. Hidden Enemy - Hides the monster inside until the trap is triggered, releasing it. Support Mobs (not in the dungeon) Stone Eye Kidnapper (Cyam) - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Cockatrice + Giant Spider) Active: Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Braindead Follower - Lv 3 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Intelligent. Ex Ch 7 - Judge and Moderator Inside a white room full of black screens, a man is sitting alone, slowly scrolling through a list full of detailed information about players, with a cup of coffee right next to him. His baggy eyes make him look as if he didnt sleep in the last few days, and the stubble beard confirms the theory. He must have been working non-stop for at least a week. Jordi, youre still here? I thought you would have left by now. You really need to go sleep to prepare for tomorrow! Startled by a feminine voice speaking right next to his ear, the man quickly turns around to see the speaker. Then, with a musky and tired voice, he replies. Hah! Youre talking as if you werent as tired as I am, Alicia. True to his words, the woman, too, looks like she spent the last days without stopping to sleep. Her eyes are red, and it almost looks like two dark holes have appeared right below them. She makes a short laugh at the mans words, at the same time she awkwardly scratches her unkempt hair. Hahaha So, what are you doing instead of leaving? ...You know, after so much work, I was curious about the participants this year. Oh? Doing extra work? Preparing for tomorrows job? You could say so Returning to the list, the man continues to scroll it. Meanwhile, the woman stays there, just spacing out, as if she lost all her energy. A short while later, she picks up the cup of coffee and drinks it, not hesitating about it coming from the man in front of her. He doesnt seem to notice at all. Jordi stands up after finishing reading the list and is surprised by Alicia still standing there, like a zombie. Hey, Alicia, you still awake? Or are you standing asleep with your eyes open? She blinks a few times before answering. ...Uh. I almost fell asleep, yes. So want to go eat something together before going back home? You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Sure, why not. Almost like a pair of walking corpses, the two leave the room filled with black screens. Hey, Jordi. What are we going to do tomorrow? What group have the higher-ups assigned us? This time well be supervising the level 5 tournament. It looks like our extra work during the preparation phase was recognized by the higher-ups and we got assigned the easiest one. Oh, nice! At least the lack of sleeping time didnt go to waste Alicia tries to make a victory pose, but with her current lack of coordination, she almost falls to the ground. Luckily for her, Jordi was right next to her and helped avoid the disaster on time. ...careful there! T-thank you. Slightly blushing in shame because of her lack of coordination, she decides to change the topic. Y-you were reading the participant list, r-right? The man quietly assents to her question. Then d-did you see anything that looks troublesome? Um Not really. But I did see something interesting. Oh? Tell me what it is! There are two players using the Flesh Monstrosities in this tournament. You know, its rare to see a player using them in a tournament like this because of how much more effort you need to put in to reach the same place as other factions Agh Again talking about them? Why do you like them so much!? They are just a weird faction, thats all! Also, what could be interesting about some noob level 5 players? They must still be learning how to play the game! The man looks offended by her words for a moment, but he quickly decides to forgive her. After all, theres no reason to fight over something like this. But after calming himself down, a soft smile appears on his face as he remembers something about the participants. Im sorry I have to correct you, but this time theres a very interesting participant. Interesting participant? At level 5? Are you trying to make a fool of me!? No, no. Im saying the truth! I swear. You might have heard about it recently, its a player with a dungeon called The Mad Rats Lab, and hes participating in this tournament under our supervision. Oho! So its him, huh A grin appears on Alicias face as she realizes what it means for them. It looks like we are double lucky this year! We not only got the easiest group but also got something to look forward to Fufufu!
By the time the tournament started, The Mad Rats Lab had already surpassed the game barrier and infected some of DMAs staff. It was inevitable after so many posts from players talking about it.
Ch 56 - The Big Bang This chapter has a different POV. Come on! Stop looking around and lets move! We have to complete as many dungeons as possible! This is our first dungeon in the DMA tournament. We need to beat as many dungeons as possible to secure a place in the main tournament, but my teammates are wasting time looking around. Hey! Did you hear me!? Yes, we heard you. Now shut up and wait, like a good kid. WHAT DID YOU SAY!? You know what? If you want to be like this, ok. Ill move ahead of you! Wait! Dont go alone! Finally, following my lead, the rest of the team starts to move forward. *Sigh!* Must I do everything for this team? Why are the rest so useless? Not very far from the dungeon portal, we find ourselves inside a medium-sized cave with lots of tunnels everywhere. It reminds me of a cartoon I saw when I was a kid, one where the protagonist had to enter a worm-like monsters lair except that this one isnt as disgusting as the one in the cartoons, and it also has giant mushrooms that hinder our vision. I told you to wait, Dani! Do you want to throw away our chances because of recklessness!? I dont want to hear it from you, who only know how to waste time, looking around! Ignoring Carles words, I enter the cave and look around. The first thing I see is a weird shrub with lots of eyes. What the hells that? Why does a shrub with eyes exist? My brain comes to a halt at the stupid monster in front of me. When I recover from the surprise, I try to see what else is inside this cave, but when I try to turn my head to look somewhere else, I notice I cant move my neck. In fact, I cant move at all, Im paralyzed. What!? This thing paralyzed me! How did it do it? I struggle for a short while, trying to force my Champion to move, to no avail. And when the paralyze status effect disappears, I quickly rush at the weird shrub with lots of eyes and slash it in a swift motion with my sword. Hah! Not so cocky now, huh!? Did you think you could stop someone like me with just that, huh!? See, Dani? Thats why its important not to rush mindlessly ahead. This time you only ended up paralyzed, but what if its something lethal the next time? Thats why you should follow Carles lead like the rest of us! I gnash my teeth at Tonis nagging. Is everyone on this team against me!? Not wanting to hear anything more, I continue looking around. There are lots of weird monsters here. There are bright-red flies, a sheep releasing lightning, and one more of those weird shrubs with eyes theres even a group of disgusting humanoids some distance away. Whats wrong with this dungeons monsters? Hey, do you know what are all those monsters? Its the first time I see them The one to answer my question is Carles, as expected. No, its the first time I see most of them. But I know those disgustingly gross humanoids. They are the Flesh Monstrosities basic units. Maybe the weakest unit in the whole game, if you exclude critters. Haaah!? Arent you always bragging about your knowledge? How come you dont know anything about those units, then? Also they want to stop this great me with weak units like those? Hahaha! Ill show you its a worthless effort! I say, rushing ahead to kill those grotesque humanoids. This and that are two different things... Also, can you stop rushing ahead!? Didnt you hear Toni admonish you just a moment ago!? *Sigh* At least, I hope he doesnt get himself killed I hear someone complaining from behind, but I ignore it. When somebody nags at you all the time, the only thing you can do is ignore them. When I get close enough to the enemies, I use the Flying Slash skill and release a, well, a flying slash. Those disgusting monsters die as soon as they are hit by it. See this!? Theres no reason to fear them so much! I turn to my teammates and brag about what I just did. If all enemies are going to be as weak as this, were going to have an easy time in this dungeon! Hahaha! You really Annoying pest! I swat one of those glowing flies away. Even if they are glowing flies, they are flies after all, so they are annoying and like to stick to your face or move near your ear. I would like to kill them, but the worst part about them being flies is that they are naturally hard to hit with attacks. I could use an area skill, but its a waste of EP or MP. Annoyed at the flies that are swarming me, I set my sight on another target: the pack of lightning sheep I can see from my current position. Hahaha! Youre my next target! Die! Wait! Somethings weird about those flies and sheep! And didnt I tell you to not rush ahead!? Ignoring Carles words again, I come close to the sheeps. But, just as Im about to swing my sword at one of them, something completely unexpected happens. The flies chased me the whole way, but Im faster than them. And the moment one of the flies gets close enough to the sheep, IT happens. What happens? Well, both the fly and the sheep burst into fire and lightning explosions, respectively. And those explosions make the other flies and sheep explode too, in a chain reaction. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. And Im caught in the middle. *Bzzzt! Boooom! Booom! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Boom! Bzzzt!* When the chain reaction finally ends, I find myself in the phantasmal version of my Champion. Until now, due to so many visual effects, I couldnt see the game message in front of me telling me I died.
You have died!
Yeah, I know, thanks. Theres no need to rub salt into the wound. I then open the battle log to see what the hell has happened, but what I see makes me want to cry. I didnt notice before, but the whole time when the flies were flying around me, I was taking constant fire damage. From every one of them at the same time. And when the explosions occurred, I was already low on HP, so I easily died. I raise my arms in anger as I shout. Shiiit! I got done in! What the heck was that!? How can you make flies and sheep explode like this? I didnt even touch them at all! Fuck you, Dani! If we dont reach the second phase because of you dying here, Im never going to talk to you again! I was sure this was some kind of trap, so why didnt you stop when Carles told you to! Then, you should have helped me instead of blaming me now, Toni! Complaining after the fact means you are blaming everything on me and making excuses! Toni is looking at me with his face distorted by anger. Hes holding his axe, ready to strike at me. Heh! What are you trying to do!? Im already dead! Even if you want to hit me out of anger, it isnt possible anymore! Hahaha! Now, now. Stop fighting! Dani made a mistake, but theres no need to complain to him so much. Next time, dont rush ahead like this, ok, Dani? If you learn from this and dont do it again I get angry at his words, so I snap back at him. Yeah, well. I made a mistake, so what!? But why didnt you warn me, Carles? Arent you always showing off your knowledge!? Does this mean you let me die on purpose, huh? He scratches his cheek and furrows his eyebrows when he hears me. Im sorry, but its the first time I see monsters like those They must be special monsters from one crazy Flesh Monstrosity player What!? So your knowledge is useless after all! Hah, I knew it! Useless knowledge from a useless fighter! Dont call me useless! Tired of hearing Carles and Tonis complaints, I turn my head to the only party member who hasnt said anything until now: Sara. It turns out shes been looking at me with cold eyes as if I was less than garbage. With a *Hmph* sound, she turns her head away. Then, she starts to talk with Carles as if I didnt exist. I cross my arms in protest and gnash my teeth... But I dont have any other option than to follow the rest of the team for now. Once we beat this dungeon, Im going to show my teammates how good I am! Yeah, theyre going to be so astonished at my display of skill and battle prowess! Im going to kill everything in our path! Hahaha! I follow my team from behind. Theres a limit to what you can do as a phantom, and exploring ahead is completely banned. You cant be the teams invulnerable scout. But since Im dead, I dont have anything at all to do... For now, Im going to keep track of all my teammates mistakes so that I can defend myself if they want to pick on me again! Hmph! As if I was the only one who can make mistakes!
Hahahahaha! You complained so much about my mistake at the beginning of the dungeon, only to get yourselves killed so easily later on! Hahahaha! Right now Im rolling on the floor laughing. Even if we float instead of walking when we are in our phantasmal form, we can still do things like this. After all, the phantasmal form is mostly an aesthetic thing. We cant cross walls or the floor, only other players and monsters. And yes, all of them got killed pretty quickly after I died. The first one to die was Sara, our healer. Soon after I died, she walked into a random tunnel and got eaten by a gigantic worm-like monster. And she lacks damage, so she died before she could kill the monster from the inside. Ahahaha! Serves her right! That''s what you get for looking at me as if you were superior all the time! The next one to die was, funnily enough, Carles. He who likes to brag about his knowledge so much, and is always so bossy, got killed because he didnt look at the battle log at all! I cracked up when I saw his face after looking at the battle log filled with Your HP has been reduced by 2 messages! Hahaha! And the last one to die was Toni. It isnt his fault, but he was the only one to not die due to a stupid mistake. When he reached a zone filled with poison mushrooms, he couldnt properly fight alone and surrounded by poison, and well, you know the rest. See? This is why I was against entering the tournament with Dani! If he didnt die so easily, he might have been the one to be eaten by the worm, and with his high damage, he would have survived! And then I could have healed you and Toni before you were killed! But the worst is that hes laughing at us all the time! ...yeah, Im sorry, Sara. But I thought that, because hes good in combat, he could complement our team that lacks firepower Looking at me with disgust and anger, Sara talks with Carles. Shit! I hate it so much when people talk about me as if I wasnt present!
Hehehe. That was quite fun. Killing one player with a very big explosion just after entering the dungeon, and then slowly killing the rest of the team. Not only that, but you also managed to destroy all their teamwork, and maybe their friendship, if you can call that friendship, in less than 5 minutes Ill call it The Big Bang. Did you see it, Jordi? Inside a room filled with screens and people watching them, a woman is laughing and pointing at one of the screens. Oh, yes, I did. It was an amazing explosion. See Alicia? Do you understand now why I like the Flesh Monstrosities so much? You never know what the players will prepare for the next encounter! And not only that Shh! Shut up! Another enemy team is entering the dungeon right now! ...ok. But dont forget you have a job you should be doing instead of watching the matches Yes, yes. She says while making a leave me alone gesture with her hand. Shrugging his shoulders, Jordi leaves Alicia. He then rises his cup of coffee to take a sip and looks around. Some people, especially those who are doing their job properly, are directing awkward or angry gazes at Alicia. ...shes going to spend all the time looking at that screen, isnt she? He shrugs his shoulders yet again and suspires.
Andreu and his team didnt know about this until later, but the random weird monsters part of the dungeon was creating many more victims than they expected. Mostly because the invaders didnt know how to fight against them, but also because of the mistakes they made. Even so, the only team to suffer complete defeat in that part of the dungeon was the first one. Lets say that they got four free kills thanks to someones recklessness, and the chain of events it generated.
Ch 57 - We’ll never forget him Were now inside our first randomly assigned dungeon for the tournaments first phase. Ok, guys! Nows the time to give our best! We trained our teamplay and polished our dungeon-delving skills for this day! Lets show the world how good we are! Hahaha! Having finished his short motivational speech, Ricard raises his hands in an arent I amazing? pose. Though I dont know if Laura or Clara are listening to him or not. Im certainly not. ...did you discussed previously? I think... Maybe in a few more weeks And looks like they arent either, though I can only understand fragments of what they say. *Clap, Clap!* I clap my hands two times to get everyones attention. Hey! Lets focus! I then look around. Theres polished stone tunnels everywhere I can see, with torches every few meters. And also no, theres nothing else in my sight. If I had to guess, Id say we are inside a Stone Lords dungeon. But I cant see anything relevant, and you? Its true that it looks similar to a Stone Lords dungeon, but you must keep in mind that in this tournament every team has four players. So even if one was a dwarf, we still dont know what the other three will be. I know, I know I say in response to Ricards words. I ask Laura next. ...Lily? Any idea? Not really. I think the best we can do is start moving and stop wasting time. Just in case, I also ask my little sister, Clara. And you, Lemon? Shes only looking in my direction without saying anything. Well, I think shes looking here its very hard to tell when her champion has no eyes. I wait for an answer but she still doesnt say anything. Thats a little creepy, so I decide to ignore her. Then, lets go. As usual, Baldy goes first as the partys tank. The tunnel opens into a slightly wider area. There isnt anything of relevance here, except for the fact there are three tunnels here. Is this one of those famous traps where you have to choose the correct path or you die? But my thoughts are interrupted when something starts to make loud clanking noises right next to us. *Clank, clank, clank, clank!* Whats making those noises? Shit! Ricard swears and immediately uses Dark Grab. And what appears in his hand when the skills animation ends is a very tiny golem. At least it looks like one because it is metallic. Fuuuck! I didnt see it when I entered the room, it was well hidden! I just hope it isnt too late Interrupting his words, loud clanking noises come from the left tunnel. And not too long after, also from the other two tunnels. Fuck! He swears again. He then turns around and explains the situation to us as he scratches his cheek. ...were screwed. This golem is something similar to an alarm trap, except that it works in conjunction with others of its kind. We should assume that every monster in the dungeon is headed our way to kill us. The good part is that, because of the cp used on the golems, the other mobs will be weaker than in most dungeons, but they will come at us all at once! ...that sounds bad. I say. Hehehe! You messed it up again, Baldy! Youre always making mistakes! Hehehe! Ricard snaps at Claras provocation. I dont want to hear this from you, Lemon! If every monster is headed our way, we shouldnt stay here then. Ignoring Ricards and Claras bickering, Laura looks at me and says. And what do you suggest? We need to choose one of the tunnels and go inside. Were going to get killed if we stay here, but if we choose one, we have one in a third chance to survive, dont you think? Hmm Lauras idea makes sense. What tunnel do you suggest? She looks away and crosses her arms while saying. Its your decision as the leader, not mine. You want me to choose so that the blame doesnt fall upon you, huh!? You scheming succubus Now, what tunnel should I choose? The left one is the one from which the clanking sounds replying to the first golem came from Isnt it too suspicious? Then the central one. Its the one right in front of us. Isnt it too suspicious too? It''s as if the enemy team put it intentionally right in front of the entrance so that we unconsciously choose it But then, I have a bad feeling about the right one. Somethings telling me dont come here!. I slowly look at the three tunnels one last time, trying to make up my mind. Hmm. Ive decided! I dont have any dice or coin to make the decision for me, so Im going to do it the good old way: running straight ahead like a headless chicken and hoping for the best! Hahaha! Well take the middle one! We can already see some enemies coming from the left tunnel. They are a mix of goblins and dwarves. So we run to the central tunnel and enter it before its too late. But then, Ricard suddenly stops and waves at us to continue moving. What are you doing now!? I ask. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Does he want to get all of us killed? But what he answers in a serious mode, makes me feel proud of him. Well, somewhat proud. Our little baby is growing up! Im staying here. Even if we were lucky and the dungeon core is further down this tunnel, its possible for us to get sandwiched between the enemies that are coming from this tunnel and those chasing after us from the other two. Ill stay here and slow them down as much as I can while you go and find the core. Im the most resilient one, and also the one who made the mistake, so Ill take full responsibility for it. Ok. I say. I hope you have good luck and dont die! Lemon, you go first now. Youre the only melee remaining. Yes! Ill show you I can be useful! Hey Baldy, good luck there! Good. This way our chances to survive have increased. Ill take the rear then, our mage and leader better be in the center. Accepting Ricards resolve, I urge the rest of the team to move on. We continue moving forward as Ricard waves at us with his hand. Also, Im an undead, so I cant actually die again. Im the one best suited for this! Hahaha! ok, I regret being proud of him. Even if it was only a little.
We fight our way through lots of enemy units. The first ones to appear are the same goblins and dwarfs we already saw appearing from the left tunnel. But soon after, better units appear, like orcs, and some weird golems that throw missiles at us. But they dont pose too much of a problem. Even if we are only three, because we are running in the opposite direction as them, we encounter them scattered. And they die easily to our concentrated attacks. The bad part is that there are lots of extra tunnels everywhere, so we have to backtrack our steps more than once. And every time we do, the next group of enemies we encounter is harder to beat because the enemies had time to lump together. Though its nothing a few Chain Lightnings and Hellfire combo cant make quick work of. We continue running through polished stone tunnels until we reach a room with something that glows in a faint purple light. Hey, brother! Look at that! Theres the dungeon core right in front of us! We did it! You chose the correct path! Yay! Its thanks to my amazing deduction and analytic skills that we could safely reach the dungeon core and break it! Hahaha! See? As I was saying before, the headless chicken approach always works! Hahaha! Wow! Youre amazing, brother! Laura looks at me skeptically. ...so you were lucky choosing randomly and now youre bragging about it, huh? Aaaagh! Dont look at me with those eyes! It hurts! Not wanting to suffer that stare any longer, I quickly concede. Ok, ok you are right. I was lucky... I just chose one tunnel randomly. Hey! You lied! Do you think Im still a kid, and you can easily lie to me all the time, huh!? Now, now, Lemon. I pat her head and she calms down. I was just spouting bullshit, do you really think I was trying to deceive you? ...no, I dont. Hahaha! Easy! Too easy! Its so easy to convince her of anything! Though I had to touch something disgusting and now my hand is slimy, so not everythings good. When I look away from my little sister, I notice Laura still staring at me with the same eyes as before. She must know I just manipulated Claras thoughts But why do I feel theres something else mixed in her gaze? Something like jealousy, maybe? Naaah. What are you thinking, Andreu!? Why should she be jealous? Its impossible to be jealous for patting my sisters disgusting head. Trying to break the awkward mood, I decide to talk about what happened with Ricard. Do you think Ricards alive? Im almost sure hes dead by now. Maybe hes coming here in his phantasmal form, and will soon start to brag about his heroic deeds. Says Laura. Aha Didnt you feel a little bit disgusted at his attitude? Im sure he thought he was some kind of noble warrior sacrificing himself for his princess! Clara it isnt nice to say bad things about dead people. Though I must say I totally agree with what you said. But we shouldnt be wasting time here. Until we crush the dungeon core, we can still be killed or something worse. So I move to the dungeon core and crush it. Then, I say. Well never forget Baldy. He sacrificed himself so we three could survive and live another day Its a shame well never see him again. I feign to wipe my nonexistent tears. Then, a phantasmal version of Ricard comes close to us from the passage we came from. ...Hey! I see you managed to survive and clear the dungeon! Hahaha! Nice job! Of course, I can see and hear Ricard, but I still open my mouth again and say the following words. Im so sad I can still hear him Yeah, me too. I can still hear his unending ramblings, explaining everything about the game, even those parts that nobody cares about. From my side, Laura continues my joke. Heeey, guys! Stop ignoring me! We walk to the dungeon portal that will teleport us to our second randomly selected dungeon. When we reach it, I say, in a very sad voice. Life is so hard Poor Baldy. Well miss him dearly. Yeah, we will. Its at this moment that Clara opens her mouth. Was she waiting for this exact moment to say something? Uh, Baldy? Whos that? Who are you talking about? Was there somebody called Baldy? So shes taking the we already forgot who he was route, huh? Nice! I decide to go along with her. ...Baldy I feel he was someone important to me, but I dont know anymore. It seems Ive forgotten already. ...is that so? I feel the same. Says Laura. Hey! I know you are joking, so stop it! It isnt funny. We continue to ignore him. A second later, I suspire again. Then, in a normal tone, as if everything previous to this moment wasnt real, I say. Well, lets move on! We three still need to clear as many dungeons as possible! Laura and Clara nod at my words. N-no way Can it be real? How is it that they cant hear me? Is it a bug? Ricard continues spouting nonsense. It seems hes starting to believe our words. Somehow. If you knew it was a joke, how come you are doubting your own words now? Hahaha. But when Im about to cross the portal Pffft! Hehehe! Im sorry, brother, Lily. I couldnt hold my laughter anymore. Hehehe! What a shame. We were so close to making him believe he was an actual phantom and nobody could see or hear him anymore From my side, Laura bursts out laughing too. Pfft! You must admit you were getting desperate there, Baldy! Hahaha! With our laughing voices and Ricards complaints, we cross the portal and enter our second dungeon for the tournaments first phase.
... As I already told you, most teams design a very lethal dungeon for this first phase. This time we found something like an alarm trap that called all monsters to our position, a very nasty one. But once we enter the next dungeon, who knows what were going to encounter. You must stay alert all the time! Because the only sure thing is that all other players will have planned nasty and deadly encounters for us. Remember that the way you design dungeons for Dungeon Invasions or Dungeon Battles is different! The latter also applies to the tournament. For Dungeon Invasions you try to make the players enjoy the diving experience, but in Dungeon Battles you want to kill them as soon as possible. Though the definition of fun differs from one player to another, so its possible to find normal dungeons where they try to kill the enemy invaders too - This was part of the knowledge drilling done by Ricard in retaliation for ignoring him in his phantasmal form.
Ch 58 - Humans? HUMANS! Here we are, in our second tournament dungeon! After crossing the dungeon portal, we recover all our HP, MP, etc., as well as get resurrected if we died. This is so we can go all-out in every dungeon instead of having to save resources for later: a very important thing when you are assaulted all the time by monsters and traps going for your life. Of course, single-use skills are also reset, like the Grand Finale skill and the status reduction it creates. But I didnt use it, so it doesnt matter. And also, it gives players who messed up, or who were unlucky in the random matchup, to have another opportunity to classify for the second phase. Or Main Tournament, if you prefer. Because being unlucky, getting killed in your first dungeon, and then being automatically disqualified is bad. The DMA developers are benevolent towards the players, in that they let them choose when to start the invasion into the next dungeon by crossing the portal instead of being teleported after crushing the dungeon core. So we can take some time to relax before starting the next invasion. If the team members are dead or scattered, only one player needs to cross the portal and all the others will teleport too. Anyway! Returning to the dungeon. We are surrounded by white and polished marble walls, with engravings in the middle section. Neatly ordered tiles with geometric patterns on the floor, and brasiers every now and then on the walls. This clearly looks like some kind of temple, maybe an underground one, but Im not sure. The first one to say something, having finished looking around, is Ricard. Humans! This place smells of HUMANS! With a deranged look in his eyes, he enthusiastically rises his arms. Only to be dejected soon after as he remembers a very important piece of information. ...what a shame we cant get souls in the tournament, because Im 98% sure this is a human dungeon! Why? Just WHY cant we get our special resources in the tournament!? Finally, he drops to the floor and shouts, dejected. Its like watching a movie about the three steps needed to go from euphoria to despair. You ok, Ricard? You already knew about it when we read the tournament rules, so why are you reacting like this now? I walk there and pat his shoulder two times, in pity. Dont get used to it, ok? Because this is going to be the first, as well as the last time, I try to console you for something as stupid as this. So we should expect humans. Anything else? Laura and Clara shake their heads in denial of my question. Ricard hes still on his knees, blabbering nonsense, so lets ignore him until he recovers his sanity. Or at least until he returns to his normal state, which isnt exactly sane but will do for now. Ok, then lets start moving. As usual, Baldy will take I stop talking when I see Ricards soulless expression. He has a vacant look and doesnt react after waving my hand right in front of his face. If Im honest with you, right now, he looks like a real undead. Its kind of scary because his Champion is an actual undead, a Death Knight. ...never mind. Lemon, youll take the lead. Followed by Lily, then me, and the last one is Baldy. A good leader needs to adapt to the situations at hand. Right now Ricard is lets say he isnt feeling well. So I cant count on him right now. I already knew something like this could happen, taking into account Ricards antics. I wouldnt dare say its a plan B because of well, certain stuff you might see later on, but when I was playing with my little sister to rise her level, I did some runs with her taking the lead so that she could get used to the position. So everythings going to be fine! I hope so. The first thing we find in our way is humans. Only humans. This must be an all-human player team because its weird we havent seen any other unit type so far. Unless they are planning to surprise us later on, that is. Ricard is still a soulless husk. He is reminded every time we kill one human that he cant enjoy their juicy and tasty souls, in his own words, and gets depressed again. Hes recovered enough to be able to talk and give info tips, but I still dont want him to take the lead. Just in case. More humans ahead! Warns my little sister. After killing the group of four humans, she complains. Im sure shes pouting, but her Champion doesnt allow us to see it. Because it doesnt have lips. Or a face at all. Muuh I hate when they are so weak! Before I manage to stack some of my skills, theyre already dead! Thats what happens when you have lots of DoT skills and the enemy is weak. Its the same in all other games. I say. But dont be depressed, in exchange you are very powerful against strong enemies! She and I have opposite builds. I excel against multiple weak enemies and shes the best against single and powerful ones. You could also take a few instant damage skills if you like. But then youll lose your specialization, like me. Adds Laura. I believe your build is very important for us as a team. Is that so? She clenches her tentacle-fist. Thank you, Lily! Ill show you how I melt any strong enemy we encounter! Hehehe! We fight a few more human groups. They are all quite weak. Hmm I dont understand whats up here. Normally, a team would design the dungeon to be as dangerous as possible, because one way to obtain points is to kill invaders; but this dungeon has been too easy until now. Maybe the other team hasnt read the rules? Or are they simply a group of noobs? I dont know, but I feel uneasy. Its just as Im thinking this that the passage ends and we enter some kind of fighting arena. There are empty seats all around us, protected by a translucent film of some kind of material. And from the ceiling, the sunlight enters and illuminates the area. Were we underground until now? But we dont have a lot of time to look around because, from several other entrances that were previously closed, heavily armed humans enter and surround us as soon as we reach the central area. They are a mix of Heavy Warriors and Knights, four of each. They are two decently strong units from the Iron Lords faction. Im unsure about their cp costs, but they must be between 200 and 400 cp. How do I know they are Heavy Warriors and Knights? Well, its easy to see because Heavy Warriors always wear their characteristic heavy armor, and the Knights must always wear a cape. This is a lot more dangerous situation than the previous fights. For once, there are more than four enemies, at a total of eight. But they are also a lot stronger. If we exclude the stats obtained by leveling up - because Im sure we are higher level than they are - each enemy is only slightly weaker than each of us. And there is twice the number This is getting serious. I say. Both the quality and quantity increased quite a bit from the previous groups Lily, Lemon, get ready for an intense fight! Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I then look at Ricard. Hes still downcast, so I shake him up a bit and also slap him twice on the face. I promise its just to wake him up and not to relieve me of the stress caused by his behavior! Wake up, Baldy! Its time for a serious fight! He ignores me even after the slaps, so I decide to use the trump card. Also called the taboo phrase you must never say in front of him unless you want to trigger his crazy mode. And that is Its time to kill some humans! ...kill humans? Light returns to his eyes as he understands what I just said. Humans? Where are the humans!? Im going to kill them all and consume their tasty souls, hahaha! He returned to normal. Well, as normal as that can be. Lets not mention he wont be able to get their souls, just in case. ...yeah, humans. So do your job properly and try to get the aggro of as many of them as you can. Its a good thing our team doesnt rely too much on physical attacks to deal damage because the Heavy Warriors are difficult to kill if you only have physical damage. Oh, yeah! Do you remember I like to complain so much about humans not having innate skills? Well, it isnt completely true. Dont misunderstand, they do not have any innate skills! Its just that When trained into higher-tier units, some of them automatically obtain certain skills. They arent unique or innate in any way, so you can give those skills to any unit you want, but they are free skills that dont cost any skill points to obtain. Though this doesnt solve the part where they cant have anything truly unique. Because any other player can give their units the same skills as those obtained by the human units, only that they cost one skill point. And no, if I create units with human bodies, my units dont get those trained skills, because I didnt train them. Thats why I dont want to use humans at all if possible. The skills that the Heavy Warrior and Knight always have are Heavy Armor and Dauntless, respectively.
Heavy Armor (Passive skill)
Reduce the physical damage you receive by 30%, but your speed is reduced by 1.
Dauntless (Passive skill)
When facing an enemy with at least 20% higher average stats than you, increase all damage you deal by 20%.
The Heavy Armor doesnt affect us very much because a lot of our damage comes from spells or skills that deal other types of damage, but the Dauntless skill is different. It is one of those skills that are designed to face stronger units. And the Knights have decent stats already, so a 20% increase in damage isnt something to scoff at. By the way, Im not sure if I explained to you or not, but Champions dont get the 100% stat buff in this tournament. So yes, it follows most of the normal Dungeon Battle (pvp) rules. But even without the buff, I believe our stats, or at least Ricards, are higher than theirs. So they are going to benefit from the 20% increase in damage this combat. Fuck our bad luck. As a side note, resistance skills to the same damage type dont stack. If you have a skill that increases the resistance by 20% and another that raises it by 30%, you only get 30% resistance. This is obviously for balance reasons. A very funny consequence of this is what happens with dwarf units. Because they already have the innate 20% reduction damage on all types of attacks, basic resistance skills do very little on them. That is, unless you upgrade those skills So, roleplay-wise, you either end with naked dwarfs that tank all damage with their Stone Skin skill or with highly armored dwarfs that are almost immune to that kind of damage. And Ive been to dwarf dungeons where the player actually gives the dwarfs the proper equipment. Basically, I fought against dwarfs wearing a loincloth, and also against tin cans with eyes. Hahaha! It was amazing! While Im remembering the dwarfs wearing loincloths, the humans are getting closer. Hahaha! Do you really think a bunch of humans can scare me!? Ricard shouts again, before rushing ahead. Hes the tank and I told him to get their aggro, so hes doing his job properly I suppose you can say it like this. When Baldy gets their attention, you bring them down one at a time, ok, Lemon? Yes, brother! Also, Lily, focus on healing. Dont let Baldy die again. Ill try to assist where its needed. They are quite strong units and are scattered, so Chain Lightning wont work properly. Following my instructions, Clara latches her tentacles on her first victim, and Laura prepares to dash in with Blink and save Ricard when hes reduced to low HP. And I I wait for the right time to act. A little bit more Just a bit more Now! I cast Chain LIightning against the poor knight with the monstrous creature attached - also called my little sister - when his HP bar is almost depleted. The spell reaches the first knight and then jumps to another knight. They are scattered, so it only jumped one time; but thanks to timing it properly, the 20% increased damage, plus my usual 40% extra spell damage, the spell leaves the second knight with less than half HP. And the first knight, left at 1 HP, immediately dies to Claras DoTs. Lemon, that ones the next one! I point at the knight that received the lightning jump. Hahahaha! Come and see if you can kill me! Hahahaha! Meanwhile, Ricard is spinning, using the Whirlwind skill, and attacking all the enemies in range at the same time. Hes currently surrounded by four Heavy Warriors and one Knight. I dont know if he did it on purpose or what but the Heavy Warriors excel in defense, so they dont deal too much damage. And thanks to his innate skill, Essence Siphon, which heals him for 20% of the damage he deals, added to Lauras healing, hes holding his own pretty well. We killed one knight, one is going to die soon, the third is attacking Ricard, and the last one Its chasing me. I got his aggro after casting Chain Lightning and its now chasing me through the whole arena. Stop it, you jerk! I shout. Im a squishy mage, you know!? If you want a duel, go fight that crazy undead over there! Ignoring my words, the Knight continues to chase after me. Every now and then, I slow down and the knight gets close and hits me. What am I doing, you ask? Well, I dont want to spend too much EP running away, so Im moving slower to save as much EP as possible. But the main reason is: I allow him to attack me every time the Lightning Shield timer is reset. I take some damage from the knights attacks, but he takes more damage from my Lightning Shield, so I win after every clash. Without doing anything, just running away! Hahaha! Also, sometimes the Lightning Shield stun activates and I can rest for a short while. Lemon, get closer to Baldy! Im going to use Chain Lightning! Also, Lily, heal her! Shes going to die soon! After receiving the attacks from the first Knight, and now the attacks from the other knight, shes getting dangerously low on HP. After all, Knights do a lot of damage. Laura quickly casts Revitalize on Clara. Then, as I told her, she gets closer to Ricard and I cast Chain Lighting targeting the knight Clara was fighting, whos almost dead by now. The spell hits the first knight, and then it bounces between the four heavy warriors and the other knight, who are attacking Ricard. The first knight is almost dead, and the other enemies are severely damaged thanks to staying in Ricards Whirlwinds range for a long time. If you add this to the Chain Lighting and Shared Voltage combo The first knight gets stunned, and both the normal Chain Lighting and Shared Voltage trigger jump to the nearest enemy, dealing a large amount of damage. The Chain Lighting keeps jumping and triggering Shared Voltage every time it should reduce an enemy to 0 HP, and then the Shared Voltage lightning jumps and spreads the remaining damage. Even if there are only six enemies in the mix, with so many lighting triggers, it looks amazing. Hah! Look at that amazing visual effects! I say. Added to Baldys Whirlwind skill, it looks like an electric tornado, hahaha! I shout, rising my arms and laughing maniacally. Well, thats it! Thisll end the fight! The remaining enemies were low on HP, so the Chain Lightning must have made quick work of them. And Ricards Whirlwind will deal the last hit. Heeee It looks nice, brother! But dont forget about that knight thats still chasing you! Oh, shit, I forgot about that one. At this exact moment, I see a sword slashing at me. This is some kind of skill, isnt it? Im fucked.
Its easy to get distracted and stop looking at your surroundings during a battle. Thats why assassin units are one of the most feared units when playing this game. - Basic knowledge every DMA player knows, or is forced to acknowledge after getting killed by one.
Ch 59 - Thoughtlessly charging ahead The only remaining Knight slashes at me. It must be some kind of skill because it doesnt look like a normal attack. I try to avoid it, but its already too late. The sword hits me. At the same time, lightning appears around me and shoots against my aggressor, pushing the knight away and stunning it for a short while. Hah! At least it didnt kill me. This was a very close call I say, looking at my status window. My HP is currently in the danger zone. I take this chance to run away and ask for help. Can somebody take this knight off of me? Im about to die! Sure thing. Im on it! Ill help you too, brother! Both Laura and Clara rush at the knight to save me. The poor knight is now being restrained by tentacles at the same time as a succubus hits it with a whip I dont ever want to be in that position. Note to my future self: never aggro both of them simultaneously. Meanwhile Hahaha! How did you like it!? You bunch of pathetic humans cant reach my supreme level! Hahaha! Ricard is spouting bullshit again. Though this time it only lasts until he remembers he wont get any souls in the dungeon, and his sullen expression returns. Its like watching an emotional rollercoaster. Hes switching from depression to happiness faster than I ever imagined possible. A short time later, after the last knight is killed, I bring order to the chaotic situation. Hey, hey! Lets calm down everybody! We cant waste time here, we must move forward! Can I go in front again, please? Um I hesitate for a moment, but then I look at Ricard Ok, you can go in front, Lemon. I think its the best option. Yaay! Laura comes next to me and whispers. Are you sure about it? It was fine until now, but you know she can be quite unpredictable. I know. But I nod. I completely agree with her point of view, but I then make a gesture pointing at Ricard and say. ...do you think hes a better option right now? She then looks at Ricard and frowns. Youre right. It might be for the best. So we continue moving forward in the same formation as before. Hey, hey! Look there! Theres the dungeon core! Clara shouts as soon as she turns around the corner. And theres nothing else in the path! Ill be the one to crush it! Hehehe! Wait! Stop! Laura tries to stop my little sister before its too late, but she dodges the succubus and rushes ahead. Whats going on, Lily? Did she run ahead because were at the dungeon core? I ask. Isnt it too soon? But now that I think a bit more about it, the previous group with the Knights and Heavy Warriors must have cost quite a lot of cp, so we might be close to the end. Stupefied at Claras actions, Lauras reaction is late. She doesnt answer my question and stays there for a moment. When she recovers, she follows my little sister. ...Hey! I said wait! It looks dangerous! I dont hear Clara saying anything in response, so she must be ignoring Laura. Omg, shes doing it again I sigh at my little sisters behavior. Its already too late to stop her. I hesitated because Im in the back and cant see whats ahead, and now shes running amok I, too, pick up my peace and turn around the corner. The first thing I see is Clara crossing a gigantic bridge, and Laura chasing a few meters behind. I said stop right there! No! Brother is going to praise me for destroying the dungeon core, hehehe! Yeah I dont think so. Below the bridge, theres a very deep chasm. I cant see the bottom of it at all If you exclude the bridge and the brasiers illuminating the way, the rest of the room is empty. The walls and floor have the same engravings and geometric patterns as before, but the bridge is amazing. It puts to shame all bridges Ive seen in real life. And, as Clara said before starting to run, theres the dungeon core at the other side of this bridge. Decorations you already have in your dungeon dont cost any cp to use in Dungeon Battles. You can use something like this if you want, and theres no detriment for the tournament at all, this is why you can go as far as you want with decorations. I chase after them, but, about the same time my little sister crosses the halfway mark and Laura is a few meters in, I hear a loud noise and stop. Rumbling sounds. At first, I think it is some kind of trap activating, but when the noise increases in volume, I see the bridge collapsing. Several parts of the bridge fall into the chasm, and the other parts soon follow them. Laura tries to run back to our side, but the ground collapses before she can make it. Luckily, she has Blink, so she uses it and barely makes it to the chasms edge. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. But Clara, who was in the middle of the bridge when it started to collapse, cant do anything. Shes too far from both sides, and she has no mobility skills. She turns around before falling into the chasm, looking here in a panic and waving at me. Is she saying goodbye!? ...you really I can only put a hand on my face and sigh at whats happening. The only thing me and Ricard can do is watch the spectacle. I must say it looks quite amazing from our position. ...hah I was lucky there If not for the Blink skill I would be dead right now! Having barely made it, Laura looks down from the edge. ...theres no way Lemon survived. As Laura said, my little sister cant survive this. Not too long after, we can see Claras champion come out of the chasm, in her phantasmal form. ...what the hell did you do, Lemon? I admonish her. Did you want to kill yourself so much!? N-no! I didnt do anything! The bridge suddenly collapsed. I didnt touch anything! I swear! Hmm That was an instant death trap, I think. Oh, did you recover from your human soul obsession, Ricard? Nah, what am I saying, thats a chronic illness. Im sure it triggered when somebody reached the halfway point. I see But it doesnt make sense! Still angry because of what happened, Laura complains. I understand everyones trying to kill the player teams that invade their dungeon to earn extra points, so putting an instant death trap makes sense but theres no other way around the chasm! How are we going to cross it now!? And why did you charge ahead without listening, Lemon!? No, Im sure theres another path somewhere. There must be. If the only path was the collapsing bridge, the dungeon wouldnt be valid because theres no direct and permanent path between the entrance and the dungeon core. Yeah, what Baldy just said. Also Lily, please calm down. If Lemon didnt run ahead and triggered the trap on her own, all of us would have been on top of the bridge when it collapsed and everybody would be dead right now! What a nasty trap this is Hehehe! Yeah! You should thank me instead of complaining. I glare at her, whos laughing after getting herself killed. ...Lemon, you and me are going to talk about this later. I know you unintentionally ended up saving us, but still I sigh. Also, we need to find the real path now. You might ask why dont we destroy the dungeon core with a ranged attack and be done with this, right? We dont do it, because we cant. There are two restrictions put on invaders that can prevent the destruction of the dungeon core. The first one is that there cant be any enemy - from the dungeon defense mobs - in the same room as the dungeon core and within twenty meters. This is to prevent somebody to destroy it when being chased by monsters or to destroy it in the middle of a fight. But there are no enemies anywhere, at least no enemies I can see right now, so we can ignore this one. The second one is that you must be within arms reach to destroy it. Yeah as much as my little sister can extend her tentacles, theres no way to grab the dungeon core if we dont cross this chasm first. I ask the others if they saw another passage when coming this way, but they shake their heads except for Clara, who rises her hand with enthusiasm. Oh, oh! I know! What do you know? Im not in the mood for stupid things right now I swear, if she spouts nonsense Ill explode. I saw it when I came out of the chasm! Theres another passage there! She says, pointing near the edge of the room, where the chasm and the engraved wall meet. What are you saying? Theres nothing there The only thing there is the wall, reduced to rubble. It looks as if the original room was split by a tectonic shift or something similar. Both room halves have the same style, and the engravings and floor patterns continue from one side to the other. And the only thing connecting both sides was the bridge. Yes, theres a path! Come on, believe me! Ok, ok Ill come. I decide to let her drag me away. I mean, theres nothing to lose even if it''s a lie Laura and Ricard shrug their shoulders and follow us. As I was saying, theres nothing Were now close to the chasms edge, but we cant see anything. Before, because of the lack of light - all the brasiers are on the path to the collapsed bridge - it was hard to see and I couldnt be sure of it. But now, I can clearly see theres nothing at all. No! Come closer! You must come here and look below! Look below? You mean, into the chasm? Yes! I follow her instructions. The chasm is so deep I cant see the end of it. The darkness is asphyxiating. But I also see what Clara was talking about. Ugh thats very nasty. I say. Its so nasty it puts my dungeons gimmicks to shame! What do you mean, Mad Rat? Let me see it too! Laura pushes me so she can see it too. Right below our position, theres a staircase that goes down. Its camouflaged into the cliffside and its impossible to see it from any other place unless you can fly, or you jump into the chasm. Then, theres a pitch-black and very narrow bridge that crosses the gap to the other side, so dark I can only distinguish its contour because Im close to it right now. I cant see it from this position, but Im sure there are more stairs on the other side of the bridge. So it is like this, huh? You see the dungeon core and get excited. The only path is the bridge, so you cross it. Assuming that even if its trapped, its the only way forward. Then, it collapses and you die. The end! But then, when you come back up in your phantom form, you can see there was another path that crosses it and you are filled with despair. Not even I have something this nasty in my dungeon! Maybe I can use something similar in the future? Something that screams this is the only way forward when its a trap and the real path is hidden right next to it. Fufufu! Hahaha! Mad Rat, what do we do? Lauras question brings me back from my delusions. H-huh? Um oh, yeah! We cross it. This must be the good path. Ok. Then, Ill go first. She takes the lead and goes down the stairs, followed by Ricard, and me in the last place. Claras flying around me, making noises and trying to scare me so I misstep and fall. But it doesnt work because Im too busy making plans. Ooooh! I have an even better idea! A path that seems like the only way forward but in fact, its a trap. And then, right next to it, another path thats hidden that looks like the real one, but its also a trap! Hahaha! We reach the other side of the chasm without any more trouble and quickly break the dungeon core. Meanwhile, I keep planning my next dungeon gimmick. Fufufu! Hahaha! Itll be LEGENDARY!
Sometimes, youll need to know if whats ahead is a trap or not. In those cases, ask yourself this: DOES IT LOOK LIKE A TRAP? If the answer is NO, its probably a hidden trap trying to take you by surprise. Try to avoid that area if possible, they are usually very dangerous. If the answer is YES, its also probably a trap, only that it isnt as hidden as the other ones. Its best to avoid them if possible too, as they tend to be very dangerous. By now you might be thinking: then, how am I supposed to proceed if EVERYTHINGs a trap and EVERYTHINGs dangerous? To this, I must answer: welcome to THE MAD RATS LAB! - Extract from the Chapter Before we get into the serious stuff from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 60 - What’s that, another trap? *Bzzzt!* An electric arc hits me after pulling a lever. Aaagh! Shit! Its the wrong one again! I pull the lever next to the one I just pulled and the door opens. Let me try it next time, brother! Im lucky! Hehehe! Um, ok. Not like its important whos the one pulling the lever as long as the door opens, nothing else matters. We are currently in our fourth dungeon. Its full of traps everywhere And as you can imagine from our previous conversation, weve already found several doors locked with two levers. If you pull the wrong one, a trap activates. I know, I know. Its a 50% chance, but still it hurts. Also, precisely because it has a 50% chance to do nothing, these kinds of traps, if you can call them traps, are quite cheap. And this dungeon is FULL of them. We have encountered traps in which, if you pull the wrong lever, you suffer an electric discharge. Traps that spew fire, traps where the floor banishes, traps that drop a boulder on your head and a lot more like being hit by a cold blast, blinded, having the HP, EP or MP directly drained, and any other thing you can imagine. There are even traps that make more traps appear! The only kind of traps we havent found is the instant death ones, but I dont discard one or two instant death traps hidden between the absurd amount of other traps. So far we havent encountered a single monster, only traps. You might be surprised at hearing this, but yes, theres not a single enemy in this dungeon. Ah, before I forget! The third dungeon, the one after the collapsing bridge, was very easy. In fact, Im not sure if the other team understood the rules for the tournaments first phase at all. A mix of humans and elves living in wooden houses on top of the trees looks amazing, but thats the only thing they have. It isnt dangerous because the enemies are scattered, and it isnt deadly either. Especially if you compare it to the instant-death bridge trap. In short, we beat it without any troubles: no deaths, no surprises, and we reached the end in a short amount of time. It might even be the easiest dungeon Ive ever been - relatively speaking, now that we are level 5, because the first dungeons I invaded, at level 1, were easier. *Fwoosh!* Agh! Hey, Lemon, didnt you say you were lucky? Hahaha! I taunt her after receiving a burst of fire right in the face. She pulled the wrong lever in the next trap, just after saying she was lucky. N-no! Ill show you! This one doesnt count. Doesnt count my ass! But I dont mind, because as long as she doesnt die, it doesnt matter who takes the traps damage. *Click!* In the next trap, she manages to pull the correct lever and starts showing off. See!? I told you Im lucky! No, you pulled one right and one wrong. In any way you see it, thats the 50% chance you have when pulling them at random Gununu How can she make grinding noises with her teeth when she doesnt have a mouth at all? Youll see Ill also guess the next one! Ok, whatever you say *Bam!* Pfft! Hahaha! You pulled it so convinced, and then got slammed by that giant log! Hahaha! Again! This doesnt count! Its ok, feel free to pull the next one too. Meanwhile, Ricard and Laura are following us and talking between themselves. Sometimes, they laugh at our actions, but it looks like they decided to leave everything to us for now. *Clik!* Yeees! I guessed it! See!? I can do it if I want. You did it! I shout with enthusiasm. Then, I return to a mocking tone and say. But this only makes it a 50% success, you know? If you say youre lucky, shouldnt your success ratio be higher!? Ugh! Like this, we proceed through this all-trap dungeon, changing who pulls the levers so that nobody dies. Were crossing a narrow corridor when a trap that shoots poisoned arrows activates. They hit Laura whos the one leading us right now, but they are weak, so we ignore them and continue moving forward. I think we should be reaching the end by now. Yes, I think so too. Weve been here for a long time and found lots of traps. I calculated how much cp was spent in those traps, and if Im not wrong, we must be near the end right now. Walking in front of us, Laura turns around, and Ricard confirms her suspicion. Clara shrugs her shoulders. Its good if its true. Im tired of so many traps already! Me too, Mad Rat. By the way, I think its time to swap places: my HPs getting low, and Im already out of MP to use heals. Ok, Lily. When we exit this corridor, we swap. Everyone resumes our dungeon invasion after my words. Right now, everyone is low on HP. Most traps dont deal a lot of damage, but its damage that cant be prevented, and its impossible to avoid most traps in this dungeon. We managed to stay alive by switching who walks in front and taking turns to pull the levers, but were reaching our limits. We soon reach another room. Theres a closed door at the other end, and four pillars with a lever placed on the four corners of the room. This is weird Says Laura. Until now, each door only had two levers. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Thats true. I add. Maybe this one works in another way? Who wants to try and pull one? Ill pass. As I just said, Im too low on HP right now. I dont mind pulling it Me! Me! Ill do it! As expected, Clara enthusiastically rises her hand, interrupting Ricard. After I nod, she approaches one lever and pulls it. *Bzzzt!* And shes electrocuted. So this isnt the correct one I comment. But then, I take another look at the lever and see something unexpected. Unlike what happened until now, the lever returns to its original position. Its as if its telling us to pull it again. How weird Then, what happens if we pull another one? Or pull the same one again? Stroking her chin in a thinking pose, Laura also noticed the same thing as me. Hey, Lemon. Can you try and pull that one next? Sure thing! My little sister goes there and pulls the lever Laura pointed to. When pulled, it releases another electric blast before returning to its original position. We try a few more times. Pulling a single lever at a time, regardless of which is it, doesnt work. We only take damage from activating the trap. And pulling the same lever again only releases more lightning. ...I have an idea. Its Ricard who proposes the next action. There are four levers in the four corners. Its impossible to pull two at the same time because they are far apart, but we are four players so whats going to happen if we pull them all at the same time? It makes sense to try. I say. Each of us moves in front of a lever, and we pull them all at the same time. Instead of the usual *Bzzzt!* sounds, what we hear are four *Click!* sounds followed by a cry. My cry. Aaaaaaa! The ground under my feet disappears and I fall. I fall and continue falling. Will I ever reach the end? Just as I think so, my body is impaled by spikes that immediately kill me. Ok, that was very timely. Brotheeer! Are you ok!? I hear a distant shout from my little sister. No, Im not. Im dead. But theres no need to shout because theyll know as soon as I come out of the hole. In my phantom form, I rise from the hole. I rise, and rise, and continue rising. Its the same path as before, but Im now moving slower So it takes more time than the fall. When I finally come out, I see everyone looking at me. I also see that the door is now open. Dont need to explain. I say. It was the correct method to open the door, but it also meant one of us had to die Both Laura and Ricard nod at my words, and Clara Hey, hey! Your face and cry were so funny! You have to see the replay later! Ill save it later, and watch it loooots of times! Hehehe! shes making fun of me. Luckily, right behind the door, theres the dungeon core. We break it and proceed to the next dungeon. Though I dont think well have time to beat yet another one. Lets see if we can reach the second phase of the tournament with our three deaths and four dungeons cleared. I think our chances to make it are quite high I hope so.
Fufufufu! Hahahaha! Rising his arms up, a player laughs maniacally. A hood hides his face, so its impossible to know who it is. Hey, bro! Its thanks to you showing those videos that were having such an easy time in this dungeon! Another hooded player, walking right next to the first one, interrupts his laughter. But I still dont understand why are you so obsessed with that player how was he called? Mad-something? The first player clicks his tongue. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Arent you ashamed of yourself for asking such a question? Isnt it obvious to follow a player who has such crazy and innovative ideas? When I saw His first video, I discovered a whole new world! It was to such a degree, I had no other option but to switch to the Flesh Monstrosities faction! How could I, who was striving to reach enlightenment, ignore such a great inspiration, after all? In a very excited tone, the first player tries to convey how his life changed and why he adores that player so much. But the second one only looks at him in disbelief, as if hes a lunatic. Then the first player continues talking, in a reprimanding and somewhat exasperated tone. His eyes opened as much as possible, almost as if they were going to pop out of their sockets, giving him a deranged expression. Also, how can you forget the name of the greatest evil genius of all time!? Ill say His name as many times as needed so that you never forget it again! The name of the illustrious personage whos illuminating the path forward for all of us who believe in a better future! The one who brings despair to everyone equally! The player who has managed to balance so much despair with equal satisfaction, making other players want to invade his dungeon even knowing they are going to suffer! Remember my words, because Im sure His names going to last through the annals of history; a name so noble that even I, His most devout follower, sully it every time I say it! I tremble in excitement every time I remember it! The player pauses his explanation and shudders before continuing. And His name is Come on, havent you learned by now that its a waste of time? Hell forget about it in just a few minutes A third player interrupts his monologue. Like the previous two, hes wearing a cloak that hides his face. Also, I dont understand the reason why we need to hide our faces with hoods and cloaks. Videos of the first phase wont be shared until the end of the tournament It doesnt make sense. Arent we here to show His amazing might? A dry laugh escapes from the first player at the others question. Ha! As if it wasnt obvious! We are His followers in the dark, those that support Him and fuel His evil machinations! We arent worthy enough to show our ugly appearances to the world. Only when we meet Him in person, and He acknowledges our existence, can we show our faces to the world! Huh, so its something like this, Leader. Now I understand! The third player enthusiastically nods to the firsts words, as if he just reached the ultimate truth. The fourth and last player takes this chance to bump his fist into the thirds side. Of course, it is like this! Are you a moron, that you dont even know something as simple as this one!? Sorry, sorry He lowers his head in shame at his blunder, awkwardly scratching his head. Like this, the group of four players proceeds through the dungeon. Behind them, there are lots of corpses from very weird and disgusting creatures, like something that looks like a shrub with eyes, for example. And in front of them, a passage full of mushrooms awaits. The first player, walking in the front, turns around and excitedly exclaims. I hope you didnt forget about the poison resistance skills! As His followers and devout believers, its an indispensable skill! He sagely nods at his own words before turning again to the front and walking into the tunnel. And dont forget to check your status screen and battle log every once in a while! This is one of His teachings, so we must never forget it! As much as I would like to give Him our deaths as a sacrifice for His glory, we cant afford to do it yet! We must first reach the second phase and show the world His greatness! Fufufu! Hahahahaha! Following behind him, like ducklings following his mother, the other three players soon join him in his maniacal and deranged laughter. Its obvious why two of the followers are doing it, but why is the other one, the one who doubted the Leaders words, laughing too? Maybe hes just following the others actions to not be left out. Or maybe, just maybe he has been completely brainwashed by now. Who knows?
The increasing popularity of The Mad Rats Lab led to lots of players knowing about it, and those players further increased its popularity in turn. And as always happens when lots of humans like or talk about the same thing, factions emerge. There were those who liked surprises and the unexpected, who called themselves explorers; those who enjoyed suffering, called masochists; speedrunners who competed for who cleared it faster; those who wanted to see others despair, also called recruiters... But the most deranged of them treated the dungeon as a holy site, the player who created it as a god, and the lessons learned in the dungeon invasions as gods teachings. You know, the usual stuff that happens when you put a bunch of crazy people together. In this tournament, the world was about to learn about the Mad Rats Cult and its followers, the Mad Cultists. As well as the most deranged of them all, who the others called Leader.
Ch 61 - One last push This chapter has a different POV. After the usual white flashes, I look around. Everybodys waiting for my instructions. This is our third dungeon invasion today. If everything continues as planned, and we dont make any huge mistakes, well get enough points to enter the Main Tournament. All right, everyone! This is our third dungeon, and were right on schedule. So dont worry and lets proceed as planned. I say. Everybody nods at my words. Hahaha! Theres nothing to worry about if we follow your lead, Wizardess! Barbarian, the other girl in our team, is excitedly swinging her giant axe around. Im sure shes itching to attack some enemies already but, as she just said, she always follows what I say. Unless I give the order, she wont rush ahead recklessly. Do you want me to scout ahead, as usual? Yes, please. And remember to check the combat log and see if theres anything we need to look out for. Its important to keep track of the battle log because there are lots of effects and skills that are very difficult to spot otherwise. I always remind them to do it, because they tend to forget. Sure. Rogue turns around and a dark veil, the effect of the Shadow Veil skill, surrounds him before he leaves. Hell soon return and explain what dangers await ahead of us.
Shadow Veil (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP, 20 MP; 2 EP, 2 MP per second
A dark veil covers you, shrouding your presence. Enemy units have a harder time noticing your presence, effectively reducing the range at which they can spot you. This skill doesnt work on enemy Champions and Bosses.
Should I save my MP for critical situations? Or do you prefer me to keep everyone in top shape? Hmmm Ill decide when Rogue comes back, but for now, save your MP. And dont be too stingy with the heals, I dont want anyone to die! Ok, and about the crowd control? Offensive skills? Only if you see a good chance, or if you feel its needed. I leave the choice to you. And Ill tell you when we need you to attack. Druid nods at my words. Hes in charge of keeping everyone alive, but only this would be a waste, so he also provides crowd control and damage. Mostly area ones, like entangling every enemy in an area, or creating poison clouds. Were currently in an underground tunnel. In open spaces, his damage skills can be very useful because of the wide areas, but here, theres the danger to hit your allies. Thats why I tell Druid to not use them unless I give the order. Rogue returns and explains what he saw. Theres a lot of weird monsters ahead. Some of them deal passive area damage. Is that so? I think for a moment, before deciding on the plan. Were going to do a preventive strike. When you dont know what the enemies do, its the best option because it allows us to see how the enemies react and know how strong or weak they are. Druid, please cast Poison Cloud on the enemies when they are in reach. Sure thing. Sword&Sorcery is going to crush everyone in our path and reach the top! Hahaha! ...hey Wizardess, can I hit something already? Not yet. Ooww Rogue, you lead. The Rogue nods at my words and guides the rest of us. If we proceed as usual, even with unknown enemies, Im sure well beat this dungeon..
Aaah, how annoying! If only they were as easy as the first ones! I cant move freely with so much poison! True. And my Poison Cloud is almost useless
Poison Cloud (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP, 5 MP per second
Create a 10-meter radius cloud of poison. Units inside the area take (1 + 0,1 * SPI) poison damage each second.
Barbarian, just move to the spots without mushrooms and let them come to you! But! Just do it! And Druid, dont worry. You know its best to avoid wide areas in closed spaces like this... *AaAaAaAaAa!* Interrupting my words, one of those deformed monsters, the ones that are half an elf and half a dwarf stuck together, comes at us. I move behind Barbarian and cast Magic Missiles, trying to grab its attention. It works, because it rushes in our direction and leaves Rogue and Druid alone. You can have your fun now, Barbarian. Remember to kill them both at the same time if possible. Now were talking! Hahaha! The monsters in the first room were dangerous but weak. With a single preemptive strike most of them died and thus posed no danger to us. But these ones how twisted must your mind be to give them both swarming and a power-up when one unit dies!? Ok, they die soon after, but they surprised us the first time and Rogue almost died surrounded by them! And that horrendous cry! But the worst is they are immune to the mushrooms poison, so we cant do much against them. Well, all enemies in this area are immune or resist poison, except the Abyss ones. Now, this reminds me Rogue, I know its difficult to move and aim with so many obstacles and all the poison, but I need you to kill all those Abyss monsters as soon as possible. They are difficulting my and Druids work by reducing our MP, and Barbarian is vulnerable to them because of her low MP pool! The Abyss faction is among the ones I like the least. I know they are disgusting, but that isnt the important part The reason I hate them is their skills to reduce or drain MP. As a wizard, thats something Ill never tolerate! Fireball incoming! I shout. The others stop moving around at my warning, giving me a clear path to the targets. The Fireball flies and strikes a pair of Skeletons firing arrows at us, as well as one sneaky Imp. When the fire subsides, only three corpses remain. Nice job, me! I timed it to perfectly catch as many of them as possible. There are no more enemies nearby. Rogue says. Then lets move. And fast! I want to leave this area as soon as possible! Everybody follows after Rogue, who activates the Shadow Veil skill again. I hope we reach the dungeon core soon. I didnt expect to find so many crazy things right at the beginning and wasted lots of EP and MP to face them Im kind of afraid of whats coming next, but I cant show it on my face. I must appear as the perfect leader, the leader the other three expect and deserve.
We leave the tunnel full of poisonous mushrooms behind and enter the next area. We arent underground anymore, but the scenery is even more ominous. The red skys covered by dark clouds. And on the ground, a bubbling sulfurous sea covers everything but a meandering path that leads forward, and a few more paths that connect to this one further ahead. Im sure it looks like a web from the sky. There are also a few islands not connected to any path. Everythings made of dark red rock, a very big contrast with the yellowish waters. Theres a wooden sign near the entrance. In ominous letters, but with incredibly polished calligraphy that makes it very easy to read from a distance, it says: Follow your dreams, or find eternal peace. And right next to it, theres another one that says: Your souls are mine! Hahaha! This one is hard to read because the letters are deformed and change sizes, as if it was written by some kid. This second wooden sign is so tattered, that its a miracle its still standing. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Ok thats weird. The heat and the disgusting rotten smell quickly snap me out of my thoughts. Taking into account what we found until now and how big this place looks, I believe this is the last area. Oh, and dont dare go inside the sulfurous sea! Everyone nods at my words. It isnt the first time weve found something like these boiling sulfurous waters, where you take both poison and fire damage every second you stay inside. Its a typical hazard inside the Wicked Legion dungeons, something you would expect to see in hell. Hey, Wizardess! Do you think well find a big demon to fight here!? I hope so! Dont get your hopes up. I doubt they had so much spare cp to put a big one here. I turn around to look at Rogue. When he notices my stare, he shakes his head in denial. I have no idea which is the good path. Then lets choose randomly for now What a shame. If only we could see the dungeon cores purple glow from here! How is everyone doing? I ask as we move forward. Were on a tight timer for this first phase, so I dont want to waste time and do it as we move. They turn to me one by one. The first one is Rogue, followed by Barbarian and Druid. Im fine, about half EP and MP. Although I havent used any MP at all, its getting dangerously low I hope we dont find any more of those Abyss monsters EP and HP are fine. A little bit low on MP, but the rest is full. I also only lack MP I can cast only two more fireballs at most. I finish with my own evaluation. As expected when fighting against Abyss monsters, were lacking MP. Though the only one in the danger zone is the Barbarian due to her low MP and SOU stats, it still hurts me and Druid because we cant cast as many spells. Were about to reach the first crossroads when the first enemies appear. From both paths, several zombies rush at us. Well come at us as fast as a zombie can move. Ill take the ones on the right path, ok!? Says Barbarian. Rogue supports her from behind by shooting with his crossbow. I then turn around and say to Druid. Please, slow the other group down for a while. Shouldnt we kill them? No, I dont want to waste time or energy on them. I look around. Somethings telling me this place is dangerous. Also, they are so slow its impossible they can catch up to us. Ok. He snares the zombies with one of his spells. When they manage to get free of the restraints, well be too far away for them to catch up anymore. Were about to reach the next crossroads when Rogue warns us. Ambush! Get ready! I shout in response. At the same time as more zombies are coming from all three paths, two pairs of imps cast spells from the top of the nearest islands. Fuck! I knew there was something odd about them being so close to the path! Do we kill all the zombies this time!? No, well do as the first time! Barbarian is swinging her giant axe in anticipation, but its too dangerous to waste MP against simple zombies. Im sure were going to find nastier enemies ahead. And what about the imps? Ignore them and snare the zombies instead, Druid! I turn to Rogue again to ask about the path. Which direction do we take? ...the left one, I think. Ok! I too have a feeling the dungeon core is in the central part of this sea. We turned right the first time, so turning left now should lead us closer to it. Ignoring the imps, we kill the zombies coming from the left path and stop the movement of the other zombies before moving forward. I really hope we arent on the wrong path because the zombies are starting to accumulate behind us. Were going to have to fight our way through if we need to go back. We find a few more crossroads, but each time it gets more difficult than the previous fight. In the third one, Abyss creatures start to appear in the fights too. And in the fourth, we are assaulted by two specters, flying over the sulfurous sea, and Im forced to cast Magic Missiles to kill them. Rogue and Barbarian arent suited to fight against them, and Druid isnt good against single enemies. The worst is that its impossible to leave the specters behind because they can fly over the sea and quickly catch up to us.
Magic Missiles - Lv 3 (Active skill)
Cost: 10 MP, 5 MP per missile
You launch up to 10 magic missiles against any number of units. Each missile deals (2 + 0,2 * SPI) arcane damage.
Upgrades
Effective Cast: Reduce the MP cost of each missile by 1 (4 MP).
Targetted Missiles: Add tracking to each missile, making them very difficult to evade.
Magic Missiles is my favorite spell because of how versatile it is. You can spend very little MP to kill a single weak enemy or devastate groups of them by creating more missiles. Its even possible to blast strong enemies into oblivion by targeting them with all the missiles at the same time! Barbarian is clearing the path ahead of us while I focus on sniping Rogue, I need you to kill the Abyss monsters! Theyre sapping our MP away! Its too difficult! They hide behind the zombies when I target them! Fuck! Then lets run ahead and leave them behind! I shout. The only good thing is that we can finally see a purple glow ahead of us. Were close to the end! We werent wrong, the dungeon core is in the middle of this sea. If only we can reach the dungeon core and break it! We reach the end of the path. It opens up into a wider area, surrounded by the sulfurous sea on all sides except this path. In the center, theres the dungeon core. But its surrounded by twenty zombies. They are one of the most annoying creatures to kill because of their innate skill: Zombie Resilience.
Zombie Resilience (Passive innate skill)
You have a 30% chance to survive any physical attack that would kill you with 1 HP.
Zombie Resilience is stupidly good against melee fighters. I and Druid could kill them easily with our spells, but we dont have any MP to spare on them. Thats why Im trying to avoid fighting and run away instead. Barbarian, I need you to clear the zombies around the dungeon core, as fast as you can! Rogue, you help her! And Druid, you and I must keep the other mobs away! If they get within twenty meters of the core, were done! Luckily I still have some MP left and can quickly kill any enemy that gets too close But when I look behind again, I see IT floating on top of the sea, coming in our direction. No, no, no! Not a fucking Banshee! Not now! Were in a very dangerous position. If the Banshee uses her Wail innate skill, even if a single one of us gets stunned, were going to die for sure.
Wail (Active innate skill)
Cost: 200 MP
Release a powerful wail that travels for 20 meters. Every enemy unit in range takes (5 + 1 * SPI) psychic damage and has a 50% chance of being stunned for 5 seconds. This skill can only stun the same enemy once every 5 minutes. The timer resets after the stun ends.
We cant afford the risk, so theres no other way than for me to use all my remaining MP to kill it. Ten Magic Missiles are launched when I cast the spell, creating an impressive light effect. But Im not sure theyll be enough to kill the Banshee, and I dont want to take any chances, so I squeeze all my remaining MP and cast Magic Missiles again with all my remaining MP. Some more missiles appear a while later and fly toward the Banshee. There are five or six of them in this second volley. I was right at casting the second spell, because the Banshee survives the first barrage, but the second one kills her right when she was preparing to use Wail. I then look at the zombie mob that was following us from behind all the time. They are coming, slowly, but steadily. Druid, what are you doing? Cast your slowing spell again! Druid looks awkwardly at me before saying. ...Im sorry, but Im out of MP Fuck this! Barbarian and Rogue are still fighting against the zombies. We need to kill them before the other zombies come close enough. I do something I havent done in a very long time, almost since I started playing DMA: go into melee range and attack the enemies with my staff. Druid joins me in the desperate attack against the zombies around the dungeon core. Die! Die! Die! I shout with each attack. Finally, after killing the second zombie, I hear a cracking noise. This is the sound produced when the dungeon core breaks. Not long after, the remaining enemies vanish. We cleared the dungeon, so the game made them disappear. We rest for a moment to calm ourselves before I order everyone to move on to the next dungeon. We cant waste time because its limited. Wizardess, do you think well fight against another bunch of weird monsters? You know, like the ones from the first two areas. Because I hope not Druid looks at me. Rogues right next to him, nodding at his words. They expect me to deny the possibility. ...Im not sure. But they are from a very weird faction, the Flesh Monstrosities, so I dont think well encounter any other player from the same faction. With the hand on my chin, I think about it a bit more before continuing. Though if we had such a hard time in this dungeon, Im sure the other teams have died a lot, so if the team doesnt suck at invading other dungeons, Im sure theyll make it to the second round. Maybe well play against the team who designed this dungeon again. Maybe those weird monsters were the only ones they have, and there wont be any more surprises? I know they werent very strong, but a single mistake there could have sent us to the grave. Not believing his own words, Druid enters the portal that will teleport us to our next dungeon, followed by the rest of us. I hope the next dungeon has normal enemies! I want to wildly swing my axe around, regardless of everything! Strong enemies? Leave them to me! Lots of weak ones? Youre welcome!! but if they are tricky ones like the ones in this dungeon, you can take care of them, Wizardess. This dungeon it was evil! I sigh at Barbarians words. Why do you like to roleplay a musclebrain so much!? And I dont like tricky enemies either! You must be crazy to like them!
This team, called Sword&Sorcery, was a group of friends who liked TTRPG a lot and decided to play DMA as a team. After all, whats better than customizing your character as you like, and diving into real dungeons instead of imaginary ones? Wizardess, Rogue, Barbarian, and Druid are the nicknames they themselves wanted to be called as, as well as their actual nicknames in the game. Why those generic names? At first, they used them to help them avoid using their real names by accident. But then they got used to the nicknames and decided to keep using them. - Stuff Andreu and the rest learned later on, during the Main Tournament phase, when looking for information about the other teams.
Ex Ch 8 - A slimy chase Have you seen the latest video from the Mad Rats Eccentricities series? A new video from that crazy player? No, I didnt see it. Do you have it right now? You have it, right!? Show me! Ok, ok He plays the video and shows it to his friend. On the screen, bright letters appear. Its the title of the video: A slimy chase. Then it fades to black, and the video starts. A deformed humanoid with a rat head is walking through a messy and chaotic laboratory. He tries to open a door, but its closed. He then tries to force it open, to no avail. Then, he notices, in a clearly exaggerated way, there are four bulbs of different colors on the door: red, green, blue, and yellow; but they all are off. He remembers something. The video goes back in time. The deformed humanoid is coming inside the laboratory, and four slime humanoids, with the same colors as the bulbs, run away as soon as they see him. The flashback ends as he screams Eureka!. He follows the slime trails left by the four slime creatures. But every time he gets close enough, they spit slime at him and hes forced to slow down, allowing the slime humanoid to run away. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The chase continues. He runs through traps and poison clouds, is ambushed by monsters, and suffers from other nasty stuff. But he perseveres and manages to corner one slime monster, another one dies to the poison clouds, he blasts the third one with an electric spell, and the last one ends so exhausted that it cant run anymore and surrenders. Finally having defeated the four slime humanoids, the video returns to the door and the four bulbs. The fourth one turns on and the door opens. The rat-humanoid then laughs maniacally, jumping in happiness, and rushes to the laboratory again. But in the rush, he steps on the slime trails left by the slime humanoids and slips, sliding over the ground until he enters a random tunnel. In fact, its a gigantic worm with its mouth wide open. The last thing the video shows is the rat monstrosity shouting Noooo! I was so close this time! as the giant worms mouth closes. Followed by chewing and gulping sounds. And a burp. Hahaha! Its so funny to see the despair of the invaders! If only we could see the real replays from the original players Yeah, it would be amazing. But who wants to share a video of themselves dying?
Sometimes, Andreu himself recorded videos of him diving into his own dungeon and dying a horrifying death; most of them inspired by the actual deaths of other players who invaded his dungeon. He tended to exaggerate everything or make it more realistic by doing things that were not possible in the game, like sliding over slime thats supposed to only be a visual effect.
Ch 62 - Did we get enough points? Loud music starts to play, followed by the sound of fireworks and their visual effects. Its the end of the tournaments first phase. Were in the middle of our fifth dungeon when the timer for the tournaments first phase ends. Haa it finished if only we could get our special resources, this would have been so much better So this is the end, huh? Good job, everyone! I say. We did the best we could, so even if we dont make it, we should be proud of ourselves! Hey, hey! Well do it, right!? Please tell me we got enough points, brother! If we take into account how many dungeons we cleared and the deaths we had, plus how good we did during the dungeon invasions I think well pass to the second phase. This is assuming we get a few extra points from deaths in our dungeon; because, otherwise, Im uncertain about it. You think so? Yaay! She hugs Ricard. It is a very unexpected reaction, but not a pleasant one. You must remember hes almost as disgusted by the Abyss units as I am. And Claras Champion well, it isnt exactly pleasant to the eyes. Or to the touch. Ricard looks at me, asking for help. But I feign I havent seen his plead and turn my head away. Hey, Ricard. I remember you saying you wanted to play with my cute little sister some time ago, right? Then, you should enjoy these kinds of situations! Hahaha! When the music stops playing, a game window pops into my view. In it, I can see the points our team got in our first phase. Im sure everyones seeing the same screen as me right now. The point system goes like this. Every team gets 100 points for clearing a dungeon, and up to 25 extra points depending on how much of the dungeon the team cleared. They give extra points to those teams who fought and overcame all the enemies and traps instead of just rushing ahead to clear one more dungeon. If each team clears, on average, four dungeons - looking at previous DMA tournaments statistics - its possible to obtain the same points by steadily fighting everything in the path as the points obtained by clearing one more dungeon. So rushing ahead isnt necessarily the best tactic. Also, rushing ahead has drawbacks too, like increasing the chances to have party deaths. This is very important because 20 points are deducted for every party member that dies during the dungeon invasion. The total for each dungeon cant be negative, though. So the points the party gets when everybody dies are 0 and not -80. With this, good teams arent disqualified by a single failure. Though it does make it harder to accumulate enough points to pass to the second phase. Finally, 20 points are also awarded for each enemy player that dies inside the teams dungeon. And if the whole team gets wiped out, you get 100 points instead. This is why it is so important to design a dungeon that can kill invaders, instead of stalling for time.
Point Calculation
Dungeon Invasions Dungeon Cleared Completion Bonus Deaths Total Points
Dungeon 1 100 points (28%) 7 points (x1) -20 points 87 points
Dungeon 2 100 points (96%) 24 points (x1) -20 points 104 points
Dungeon 3 100 points (74%) 18 points - 118 points
Dungeon 4 100 points (100%) 25 points (x1) -20 points 105 points
Dungeon 5 - (53%) 13 points - 13 points
Total Attack Points 427 points
Dungeon Defense Party Wipes Enemies Killed Total Points
(x1) 100 points (x5) 100 points 200 points
Final Points: 627 points!
Six hundred points its quite a lot more than what I expected Hahaha! One team got wiped out in our dungeon! Thats why we got so many extra points Hmm it looks like our dungeon was good enough. Still, for the next battles, well need to improve a few things maybe we can do this Ricard and Laura mutter to themselves after watching the screen, and Clara is looking at me. Is she expecting me to say something? Im not sure. If Im not wrong, in the previous year, teams close to six hundred points made it to the second phase. We have more, so we should make it, right? So Ricard, do you think we made it or uh, ok. Nevermind. I get interrupted in the middle of speaking by another window that pops in front of us, followed by fanfare music and confetti. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Congratulations!
Your team has enough points to enter the Main Tournament! We wish you the best of luck in your incoming battles!
Everything happens inside the game, so they can give the results as soon as the first phase ends. A smile spreads through everyones faces. Yeeeey! We did it! After reading we got enough points, Clara jumps at me. Andreu! We did it! Hehehehe! Yes! We reached the Main Tournament! I pat her head before turning to Ricard and Laura. Everyone! Good job! I think its the first time I dont care about her sticking to me with that horrendous champion Hmm I reconsidered. I do care, but Ill keep quiet because I dont want to ruin the good mood. With a smug look on his face and a finger under his nose, Ricard looks at me, currently entangled in my sisters embrace, and says. Of course we did it! How could we be eliminated after so many hours of practicing together!? And lets not forget about my expertise and knowledge, which helped us reach new heights as a team! Hahaha! Now, lets move forward and show the world my greatness uh, I mean, our greatness! The League of Evil is going to reach the top! And I already know how we can improve. You just need to follow my Yaaay! We did it! Hahaha! I knew we could make it if we all worked together! Yaay! uh I mean. Good job, everyone! We have to celebrate it! Fufufu! Laura jumps around in happiness for a moment, but when she notices Im looking in her direction, she quickly stops and feigns indifference. Then, leaving Ricard talking alone, Laura joins our hug. As much as you want to feign indifference now, Ive already seen your initial reaction And you know it. Then Laura and Clara start to squirm around. The first one is trying to tickle the latter, but the latter doesnt want to let go of me. Ooooh! Whats this suppleness!? And this fleshy and bouncy feeling? This sensation as if a tongue was sliding over my naked skin!? Oh, yeah. Its my little sisters champion. disgusting. But why does it feel like a normal hand? No way! I glare at Laura for a moment, thinking it was her for a moment, but she doesnt react in any way. Maybe it was my imagination? A group hug? Let me join it! Hahaha! Its now that Ricard finally snaps out of his monologue and joins the group hug. if you can call this mess a group hug, that is. Fufufu! Hahaha! Our team did great this time, but this isnt the end! In the Main Tournament, well keep rising and nobodys going to stop us! Lets enjoy this amazing experience as much as we can! Well said, Andreu! If were together, we can do anything, brother! Yes! The League of Evil is going to trample everything on its path and reach the top! And then, were going to turn everyone into our little mindless undead slaves and rule the world! Hahaha! Please stop, Ricard. I dont want to remember our teams lame name
Clara and I are going back home. We went out to celebrate our victory with Ricard and Laura. But tomorrow is Monday and everybody has classes. We cant go to sleep too late, so we ended our party quite early. The first thing we see once inside our house is our older sister, sprawled on top of the sofa and watching the TV. Hey, hey, Marta! Do you know what!? Clara quickly rushes to her and asks in a childish tone. Huh? What are you talking about? Im watching this now, lets talk later. This is more important! Clara adamantly refuses to let go of this chance. You do know were in the DMA tournament, right!? ...I do. Well, we hehe. We got enough points to participate in the second phase, the Main Tournament! Hehehe! I see Marta awkwardly scratches her head, thinking about something. Congratulations, I guess? Hey! Cant you display a little bit of happiness for us? Your cute little sister came here to explain it to you, but you remain indifferent! Oi, oi! Who calls oneself cute!? Isnt it too narcissistic? Though I agree with you, Clara. She should at least feel happy for us. Well what do you want me to say? I too reached the next phase with my team, you know? And I dont expect you to be happy about it. Oh, youre participating too, Marta? I ask. Yeah, I am. And there was no way my team would get eliminated in this first phase, so theres no need to be happy about it. It was settled from the moment I decided to participate. As much as her attitude irritates us, what shes saying makes sense. After all, shes currently in the top 100 players in the Dungeon Battle ranking. It would be very odd for her not to reach the Main Tournament, regardless of whos she playing with. Also you were in the player level 5 tournament, right? She stops for a moment and looks at me and then at Clara. We both nod at her words. Then Im sorry, but theres no way youre going to win the tournament. W-what!? Why do you want us to lose!? Shouldnt you be cheering for us at least? Her words also hurt my pride, though I dont react as much as Clara. Yeah, dont be like that, Marta. Im sure youre participating in the maximum level, the player level 20 tournament. I dont know if youre going to win or not, but were not going to meet. So cant you at least wish us good luck? Sigh Its not like that. Theres this team Ive been training called Dragon Warriors, whos also participating in the level 5 tournament like you. And Im sorry to say it, but theres no way theyre going to lose to your team. W-waaaaa!? You traitor! Y-you are Ughfmf! I forcefully shut up Claras mouth. Im sure shes going to regret saying what comes next, so better close her mouth before its too late. Claras looking at me now, in anger. A few tears can be seen glistening near her eyes. Its kind of cute and sad at the same time. Also, Im crying right now Why do we have to use The League of Evil, when other parties have cool names, like Dragon Warriors!? Well you know I didnt do it on purpose, ok? I first didnt know you were participating in it too! Marta gives one excuse after the other. But her expression right now is suspicious. Way TOO suspicious. I-I didnt have any idea, ok!? And A-anyway! Im sorry for you, but as I said, theres no way for you to win this tournament! Im still not convinced by her words, but I decide its best to leave it as it is right now. Well Even if you say this, well still give our best and try to beat the team you trained! Also I wish you good luck in your matches, Marta. Me too! Good luck with your next fights! Youll see! Were going to crush that Dragon Warriors team! Were going to beat them so hard, theyll never recover! Hehehe! And good night! Yeah, yeah. Good luck to you too She waves at us, telling us to leave her alone. Now let me see the end of this show, please. We leave the living room and move to our respective bedrooms. Clara doesnt forget to hug me one last time before wishing me good night too and closing the door to her bedroom. But we dont hear what Marta says after we leave the room. Haah Why didnt you ask me to play with you? Youre always asking him instead of me If only I
The Wicked Legions special resource? Im sure you already know, but the demons enjoy tormenting their victims. And whats the best way to represent it in a game? Fufufu! You guessed it! Its to attack units inflicted by status effects! We obtain Sadism points by charming our victims, poisoning them, applying stun or paralysis, blinding them And then hitting them as hard as possible! Fufufu! The more the status effect lasts, and the more damage they receive, the more Sadism points we obtain! Thats why, when we play together, I like to use the Charming Eyes skill and also want to hit enemies with my whip, which can momentarily immobilize enemies! So Andreu, do you want to try it a little? You know, you and me, alone, tonight Fufufu! - This time it was Lauras turn to torment Andreu with the games knowledge. Though she maybe went a little bit overboard with the roleplay at the end.
Ch 63 - An amazing display of… In front of me, the bright letters make a countdown for the dungeon battles start. 3, 2, 1, Battle Start! The dungeon portal in front of me activates, and immediately after, an avalanche of goblins and orcs pours into the dungeon. What the heck!? The enemies advance through the laboratory, looking for enemies to slay. But they only find laboratory stuff everywhere, and me on a raised platform. So they rush at me. I pull the lever right next to my position, and a green light activates. We prepared an alarm system to show everyone where are the enemies. Each dungeon area has a color assigned to it, and when we pull one of the levers, all the bulbs of that color turn on. There is one such group of bulbs in each dungeon area, so we can know the position of the enemies from anywhere. Its a cheap but effective alarm system, exclusive to the Flesh Monstrosities. Other factions can do something almost identical, but because it isnt the same, this is exclusive to my faction, and wont agree with anybody who says both are the same! A good thing is that the bulbs and levers cant be destroyed because they count as part of the dungeon! We dont need to worry about stray attacks at all! The only problem is the enemies can also pull the levers, but they first have to find them! And they are well hidden! Hahaha! We decided to play defensively in this first battle to get used to how these battles are. Its the first time we can defend our dungeon, and also the first time there are three entrances instead of one. Im currently defending one entrance, and Ricard and Clara are defending another one each. Lauras near the dungeon core, and will help where its needed. The game has started, the cameras are filming, and everyone can see the battle, so Its roleplay time! Hahaha! You got the wrong enemy, you worthless scum! Come and eat this! Lets see how long can you stay alive! Lets play a little! Hahaha! I cast Chain Lightning and it jumps from one goblin to the next, eventually hitting several orcs. It isnt enough to reduce all enemies to 1 HP, so I cast a second one, followed by a third one. As usual, the lightning starts to multiply, and thanks to the Battery upgrade for the Shared Voltage skill, every Chain Lightning causes exponentially more damage than the previous one. The game almost freezes for a moment due to so many visual effects at the same time: all the goblins and orcs are stunned and with lighting coursing through them. But this isnt the end of the show, no it would be too lame otherwise. In this second phase, the dungeon portals not only connect to each other but instead work as a wormhole between dungeons. So instead of teleportation as usual, its possible to see and cross to the other dungeon immediately. And there are more goblins and orcs on the other side of the portal, so the lightning crosses the portal and strikes them too. I rise my hands up and cackle maniacally. Fufufu! You cant defeat me with such weak creatures! They only serve to make my attacks more powerful! Hahaha! I then jump to the lower level in an amazing display of skill - or at least I hope it looks amazing - and press a button to open the doors, releasing a bunch of Stitched that jump on the poor and defenseless enemies, making quick work of them. Awww! What a shame! Its already game over! I hoped you could last some more time I blew all my MP at once, but I dont care because its more important to reduce the number of enemies as much as possible. Whats more, I regenerate my MP very fast thanks to the Mana Core innate skill, so I only need to rest for a while to recover. In fact, Im more worried about the HP lost due to the Maniac skill I walk slowly among the incapacitated goblins and orcs until I cross to the other dungeon and feign to notice something. I say feign to notice because I actually noticed before casting the Chain Lightning spells. Its impossible to miss a Champion because the other team sees a special marker on top of our heads. Unless youre blind, youll always know its a Champion instead of a common enemy. I stop in front of one orc, touching it with the staff. Oh! Look what we have here! You look stronger than the other rabble. What are you, the commander? Fufufu I stroke my chin in a thinking pose. Meanwhile, the paralyzed player looks at me. If looks could kill Aha! I know! Ill use your body well! Dont worry, were going to have fun together, and when everythings finished, youll see how much you were missing until now The orc starts to struggle as the stun effect wears off, but my staff is already raised, ready for the final strike. Now, good night! Ill see you soon, and well play together a bit more! You, and your other half! Hahaha! Cackling maniacally, I grab the other players corpse, the Champion, and drag it to where I was standing at the beginning. Then I press one of the bricks and a secret door opens. Now, my little minions Ill leave you to clean this place. Hahaha! The Stitched have already killed most of the enemies, but some of them have recovered from the stun and are now trying to fight back. But we already won. I mean, they only have 1 HP. Even if they regained the ability to move and attack, the Stitched only need to hit them one time to kill them, so its impossible for them to lose. Whats more, the player is already dead and cant command them to retreat. How many orcs and goblins are here? Hmm maybe a little over forty? Well, who cares!? While laughing, I continue to drag the Champions body away. I know, its already dead, so it makes no sense for the game''s mechanics. Plus it is a Champion, and we are in the tournament. Any of the reasons would make it impossible for me to capture it, and all of them are true, but This is a~ll for the roleplay. Before leaving, I dont forget to pull the lever again, disabling the green light to show there arent any more enemies in this place. Im going back to the dungeon core to wait for my MP to recover and explain the situation to the others. I leave the room through the secret passage, which closes behind the champions corpse. Im sure this scene will look amazing with a little bit of video editing. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Im not too worried about more enemies coming from this same dungeon portal because, after seeing so many corpses from their own units, anybody would look for another path.
Welcome back! Hey there, Lily. She looks expectantly at me, waiting for me to explain the situation. My sides clear. They attacked in mass as soon as the match started, but I obliterated everything. Im here to recover MP and help where needed. Oh, I also killed one of the enemy players. The poor guy got blasted by my Chain Lightning and Shared Voltage combo after accumulating damage on the other weaker mobs, hahaha! Good job, Mad Rat! Do you want the prize I reserved exclusively for you? She says, slightly pulling her miniskirt up. Please, dont joke during the matches Im tempted to admonish her because r-18 content is banned in the tournament, but I stop when I remember theres no problem as long as it isnt explicitly said or shown. I look around. Theres nobody else in the room, but the blue and yellow bulbs are on, indicating there are enemies in both Ricards and Claras areas. Oh! The purple bulb turns on at this exact moment. The purple color indicates there are enemies in Ricards second area. The enemies must have forced him back. By the way, the red color is reserved for when there are enemies in the dungeon core room and calls for everybody to retreat and defend. So do you know whats up with the rest? I ask. I dont know. All three lights turned on at the same time, and only yours turned off soon after Its at this moment that Ricard runs inside the room. Haaa that was close He struggles to calm himself. Shit! Why did they have to come to my side with my perfect counters!? Hey, Baldy! I go to his side and pat his shoulders. You already lost the whole area? And what do you mean by counters? No, not everythings lost yet And by counters, I mean flying ranged units. Fuck! Why did I have to find so many fairies rushing through the portal I was supposed to defend!? I have almost no ranged attacks! How am I supposed to fight against so many flying enemies plus two champions!? Calm down, my friend! I pat his shoulder again. Everyone can get unlucky sometimes! Yeah, dont worry too much. We can still make a comeback! Adds Laura. I know this is serious, so I stop joking around and ask him. How bad is the situation, Baldy? The enemies are stuck in the Catacombs area, fighting against the skeleton archers. You know, the narrow passages and low ceilings cripple their mobility and the skeletons have higher stats but they arent going to last very long because they have the support of two champions! So Ricard lost control of the dungeon portal area, our units are fighting against the invaders in the Catacombs and there are two enemy Champions there. Wait a moment if I killed one Champion, two of them entered through Ricards portal, and I assume the last one is currently fighting against Clara - because lets be honest, theres no way Clara would still be fighting if only normal mobs attacked through the dungeon portal shes defending - doesnt this mean they went in an all-in attack, and theres no Champion to defend their dungeon now? Hahahaha! I cant stop myself from laughing again. Are you laughing at my failure? Asks Ricard in shame. No, no. This isnt it. I awkwardly scratch my head. He misunderstood why I was laughing. I was laughing because I believe we can win this match easily. ...what do you mean? We lost control of one dungeon portal and the enemies are advancing to this position right now! Remember theres a timer to end the match, and if nobody destroys the other teams dungeon core, the winner is the one who got closest to the other teams dungeon core! And the enemies are almost here! It doesnt matter if we kill more enemies than they do thanks to the defensive advantage if we only defend! He points at the dungeon core, emphasizing what he means. Im sure hes too worried and cant see the whole picture. Then tell me, why do you think Im here right now? No way were you forced to retreat too? Were you laughing because we already lost!? But he stops talking when he sees the green bulb is off. Yep. I already cleared the whole area and came here to see how everyone was doing. I chuckle. Heh. They sent lots of weak enemies against me, and I killed them all with a few Chain Lightning casts. I even managed to kill one enemy player Ricards eyes open wide as he realizes what Im implying. Do you mean one side is completely unguarded now? Yeah. There shouldnt be any obstacle capable to stop us if we attack through the laboratory portal now. I rub my hands in anticipation. Lily, heal Baldy and go help defend the Catacombs. Dont try to kill the enemies, just stall for time. If you see youre going to lose, retreat to the core room. Baldy, you stay here and prepare to defend the core with everything you have. Ill redeem myself from my previous blunder! Ok, Mad Rat. Baldy, come here, Ill heal you. Im not worried about this plan. Stalling for time in the Catacombs, with the narrow passages that comprise it, is very easy. Plus Lauras Hellfire is almost impossible to avoid unless the fight happens in an open space. And when it comes to defending the core, Ricards the one whos best suited for it because of his Champions resilience. With Lauras ranged support, not even the fairies will pose a threat to him. Remember to activate the red light to warn Lemon to come back if needed. I say before leaving the room.
Looks like its roleplay time again! Hahaha! The door closes behind me as I enter the room. This one is a room full of stasis chambers and a few operating tables. It looks similar to the laboratories in my dungeon. In fact, the stasis chambers and other laboratory equipment only work as decorations here, but they still provide some obstacles that prevent units from moving freely through the room. On top of one of those operating tables, theres the body of the player I defeated before, chained to it. Of course, it is a completely useless effort; but I put it there because I was roleplaying my character the best I could. Roaming through the room, and bumping into everything they find in their path, there are two Braindead squadrons. I ignore them for now. Fufufu! I come close to three metallic containers and press a very big red button right in front of them. Releasing white smoke, the containers doors open slowly and three tall figures come out. They have the dark and somewhat grayish skin typical of dwarves, as well as their sturdy builds. But unlike what happens with normal dwarves, I have to rise my head to look at their faces. Their slightly pointed ears, the big tusks protruding from the lower jaw, and the brightly shining red eyes display the fierceness all orcs have. With a thick half-body shield on one hand, a fantasy mace on the other, and clad in heavy armor, they certainly dont look like they are going to be killed easily. They are my newest creations: the units that are going to substitute the Braindead Followers in the future. They are both my guards as well as the units that pair better with my skill set from all the ones Ive created so far. Fufufu! Hahaha! I rise my hands up as I laugh. The time has come! Im sure youve waited for this day to come, the day when youll show the world how good you are compared to your previous selves! Trample everything in your path! Regardless of how many enemies, youll persevere! Hahaha! Nows the best time to try them out. Well, thats a lie. I didnt have time to test them before, so Im going to do it now. Tremble and despair, because nothing can stop us! Hahaha! Laughing maniacally, I leave the second laboratory, which we called the Chambers area, towards the adjacent area. There, the undefended dungeon portal is waiting for me and my newest creations to cross it. Following behind me and the three new units, all the remaining Stitched make for an impressive sight. Though Im not going to bring the Stitched with me to the other dungeon, theyre going to stay to help Ricard and Laura to defend the dungeon. Were going to win this easily. I hope so.
Regardless of what strategy you choose, dont hesitate. Of course, plan around your opponents strong and weak points, but once you decide, commit to it. The worst thing you can do is waste time. Oh, and you should have some way to communicate with your team. There are always unexpected events and you must be able to react to them. - Tips from a veteran DMA player for new teams participating in DMAs Main Tournament.
Ch 64 - The best good followers Aaah What bad luck! Why did I have to fight against the Abyss? I wanted to avoid a battle of attrition if possible... Its our first match in DMA tournament, and were fighting against a team called League of Evil. Heh, what a lame name. Its already been some time since I crossed the dungeon portal. The first thing I saw was a floating passage made of rock fragments surrounded by the void. I didnt want to jump to conclusions but when units with tentacles started to appear from everywhere, there was no doubt anymore. I wouldnt care for most other factions, but the problem with the Abyss faction is they have high stats. But unlike other factions that use the high stats to deal explosive damage, they instead focus on persisting damage and prefer to drag the fights to drain as much MP from the enemies as possible. The problem is that dwarves also lack damage and fight defensively. Dont misunderstand, the way the two factions fight is completely different! Dwarves use formations and damage reduction to outlast any other enemy and be the victors at the end of the fight. But if you have dwarves fight against the abyss creatures you get a battle of attrition, the worst thing because we need to go as far as possible in the shortest time. Take defensive formation! You two, retreat and let the others take the lead! The two dwarves dont waste time and switch positions with two dwarves from the second row. Aim! Fire! Thunderous explosions take place all around me, and several bullets are shot against a flying monster with lots of mouths, instantly killing it. This isnt the first monster of that kind we found. Ive been focusing on them because they are our worst enemies with their draining aura. Theres no way I can allow them to get close to our densely packed formation. Dwarves lack damage because most of their stats are focused on defense, but they can make up for it with special equipment. Around me, six dwarf Artificers are wielding dragonstaffs, special guns that make a very loud explosion when shooting. They can deal a lot of damage with every shot, but they take a stupid amount of time to recharge. I would have loved to have one or two cannons too, but they are too expensive. After the flying monster is killed, there are no more enemies in front of us. Everyone, charge! Under my orders, twenty dwarves move as fast as they can while maintaining the formation though it isnt as fast as you could imagine because of their short legs. I want to advance as much as possible before more enemies appear. Ive spent lots of time training with my dwarves and modifying their AI. Ive experimented with several setups, and after lots of failures, Ive managed to control them pretty much like a real army. I can order them to do most basic maneuvers as well as point with my finger to where they should move or attack. Stop! I order every dwarf to stop when more enemies appear. From all sides and below the ground, tentacles appear and another fight breaks out. Where are you Shit, I cant see! This is annoying. I must spend most of my attention on the enemys champion. He or she hasnt said a word yet, but its driving me mad. Moving below us all the time, in between the rock platforms, waiting for the opportunity to strike He only extends the tentacles and never shows himself for long. But I know its an enemy player because an AI cant have such complex behavior. Ah, there! Aim! Fi The champions tentacle extends and grabs one dwarf before dragging it below the ground. I dont even have time to order the Artificers to shoot. Shit! Its already the third time! Defensive formation! All the dwarven Guards surround me and the Artificers in a circular defensive formation. This is the only way we can effectively defend ourselves from the enemy champions assault because it allows most of the Guards to stab the enemy with their spears if the champion dares try to grab another dwarf. But we cant move properly in this formation, so the fight is going to take even more time. I hope the others are doing better than me. I dont consider myself a pro at this game, but Im still quite good if I say so myself. And the same is true for the rest of my team. But were just some random players who formed a team to enter the tournament. Except for the two siblings, we arent used to each other and thus decided that everyone would lead their own attack. Thats also why everyone is only commanding units from their own faction. The path is clear again. Only the enemy champion remains, hidden below the path, waiting for a chance to strike again. The dwarves are still doing ok, and the same goes for me. I dont think Im going to be defeated before the time for the battle ends, but Everyone, charge! I dont think Im going to reach the dungeon core either. I hope the others are doing better than me.
My three newest creations are following me from behind. Were currently inside a very dense forest. There are trees everywhere. EVERYWHERE! In fact, there are so many trees they form a natural barrier on both sides and create the illusion of a path, the path were currently following. ''Please let this be part of an elvish dungeon I really hope this isnt a Secret Grove one. Though if I take into account how Ricard had to run away from two fairy champions Fuck this!'' Im sure you already know by now, but the Secret Grove faction is the official name for the fairy faction. And the annoying myconids are also part of this faction. So you have both fairies and myconids in the same faction, which means lots of deception and trickery. Objectively speaking, they are one of the most annoying factions to play against. Getting paralyzed because you didnt notice a myconid before suffering a spell barrage from multiple fairies, or having to play hide-and-seek in the middle of the forest are just the mildest things they can do to you. If I had to define this faction in a single word it would be Surprise-Hahaha!. And yes, the laughing is part of the word: most fairies laugh every time they fool you or you fall for one of their tricks. Theyre the second faction I hate the most. The first is, of course, the Abyss. As you already know, I hate the Abyss because of how scary their units are. I have nightmares every time I have to fight against them, and sometimes, I also have them after playing with my little sister. But the Secret Grove isnt scary at all! I mean, most of their basic units look like normal mushrooms or winged girls and boys. You could even say they are the cutest faction of all! But this doesnt mean you cant hate them, because the reason I hate them so much is because of how FUCKING ANNOYING they are. In short, the reasons I hate each one are very different, but this doesnt mean I cant hate them both. The trees are so densely packed that its impossible to see the enemies before they attack. And this isnt a good thing if Im dealing with fairies. Well, it isnt a good thing against any type of enemy, but its especially bad against fairies because they like to run away after the first strike. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The forest is dark, the trees are twisted, and the trunks and branches resemble faces somehow. I feel their nonexistent eyes on me! There are mushrooms everywhere, any of which can turn out to be a hidden myconid, and a fairy can come to play with us at any moment And everything is quiet. There isnt a single noise other than the sound we make when we crush the leaves under our feet. ''I swear if I hear creepy music followed by a girls laughing and whispers calling me to come play with me, Im going to scream. Even if I know its just a fairys prank.'' Come on, were wasting lots of time here! Why did the portal have to be so far away from the core!? ''H-hello? Anybody there? I-if youre there, p-please, dont come out!''
The forest ends and we reach an amazingly beautiful lake. The water reflects the moonlight, giving everything an ethereal beauty. Glowing flowers grow close to the water, and fireflies dance with the wind. Or are they Will-o-the-wisps? I dont know from this distance. In the middle of the lake, theres a small island with something that glows purple, giving the whole area a magical feeling. That must be the dungeon core. Im sure theres a way to get there, but I dont see it from where I am. The Secret Grove might be the most annoying faction, but they can also have some of the most beautiful scenery. Though this doesnt make me hate them any less. I feel my tension disappear and my heart calms down after gazing at the rippling surface of the lake. Which isnt a good thing because Im still in the middle of the tournament fight. This is weird We didnt find any enemies so far. Maybe they expected to use the forest area for an ambush, but since I defeated the enemy player so fast, the other players dont know the path is free? If so Lucky! I look back at my newest creations. There were no fights so far, so I couldnt test them. After the tournament, I plan on using them as support mobs when I invade other players dungeons, as an upgrade for the current Braindead Followers. I know its weird to test new monsters when you are in the middle of the tournament, but they were the best mobs I could pick from because of how well they complement my build. I couldnt NOT choose them! Because they arent only an upgrade to the weak and stupid Stitched but they also are specially designed to cover my weaknesses! They are by far the unit that pairs with me the best of all the units Ive created. And they arent too expensive at 200 cp to create them plus the 10 cp to upgrade them to level 2. We could afford them. Yeah I dont want to upgrade them anymore so that the cost doesnt increase too much and I can bring the three of them and Cyam with me into dungeon invasions when I reach raise my player level to level 6. Lets explain why are they so good! Fufufu! First of all, they are very resilient. With the orcs high HP as well as the dwarfs high defensive stats and the Stoneskin innate skill, they can take a hard beating. Unlike me whos focussed on magic stats to deal as much damage as possible and Im squishy. They are also good melee combatants thanks to the orc half. If you take into account the orcs innate skill, Bloodlust, which boosts damage when below 50% health, and add their resilience to the mix, Im sure they can take down enemies stronger than them. While I suck at melee fights, they excel at them. Because you know hitting things with the staff sure is fun, but not very effective. But thats not all! I also gave them the Poison Sting skill to help with another thing I lack: focused and continued damage. Sure, I can blast lots of weak enemies very fast! But what can I do against a strong opponent? I can only hope it gets killed with my initial burst of damage or Im dead. With the Poison Sting skill, they can take care of this for me! Hahaha!
Poison Sting (Active skill)
Cost: 30 EP, 10 MP
Attack one enemy with your weapon, dealing the normal weapon damage plus an extra (1 + level) poison damage each second for 10 seconds. This skill can stack up to 5 times, and every time its stacks increase, the duration refreshes.
I know, I know 3 damage per second isnt very high. But you must understand this is added to the normal weapon damage, and the poison damages the victim each second after it. I have three of them, and the poison can be stacked up to five times each If you add it all together, its up to 45 HP per second only from the poison. Heck, when I have the champions buff, I have a little over a thousand HP, and I wouldnt last even 25 seconds with the poison applied to me! And thats without taking into account the damage from the attacks to apply it! If this doesnt solve my problem to bring down strong opponents, nothing will do Also, this was the only skill I could give them because most DoT skills need high SPI to be effective. And SPI is their lowest stat, so it was a bad idea to give them one of those. And last but not least, Ive given them a very useful skill that will (hopefully) prevent me from dying of future mistakes - also called suicide because of the Maniac skill - while, at the same time, helping a lot with their own survivability. Im talking about the Vitality Aura skill.
Vitality Aura (Passive skill)
You and all units within 10 meters of you recover 1 HP every 10 seconds.
Vitality Aura is one of those skills thats almost useless for defending the dungeon but is very good for when you want to invade one. You know: the HP recovered during a combat that lasts less than one minute is negligible, while the HP recovered during an invasion that lasts half an hour, maybe even longer, can be quite high. I officially introduce you to the Good Follower! My new Hybrids! My newest creations and also the ones that will cover all my weaknesses! Hahaha! At least I hope so. And yes! They are the upgrade to the Braindead Followers but arent braindead anymore. Plus they are good doubly so when compared to the Stitched. So the name couldnt be any other than Good Follower!
Good Follower (Lv 2)
HP 297 (270) STA 14 (13) SOU 8 (8)
EP 253 (230) MP 110 (100)
STR 25 (23) CON 28 (26) AGI 13 (12)
SPI 12 (11) WIL 24 (22) DEX 18 (17)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Poison Sting. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate). Passive: Stoneskin (Innate), Vitality Aura.
Now the only thing that I need is to test them in an actual fight. A normal and straight fight and not some kind of ambush or tricky situation, which are, as you can expect, a fairy specialty. Lets be honest, I dont think Ill have the chance to test them properly in this match. At first, I thought I could test them properly because of the goblins and orcs pouring from the dungeon entrance I was protecting. But not anymore. Not after seeing this place that screams fairies! in any way I see it. At last! Here it is! All this time, while I was explaining everything to you, Ive been moving through the shining flowers and bright fireflies, walking around the lake. And Ive finally found where to cross it to reach the dungeon core! There are several flat stones one after another, creating something that looks like a natural bridge from this shore to the island. Ill have to jump from one rock to the next. I could have tried my luck swimming to the island to save time instead of looking for this passage. But no thanks. Its a very bad decision if you take into account that all fairies can fly, leaving me and my mobs incapable of fighting back. Here I go You guys follow me and try to not fall into the water, ok!? I make the first jump before turning around and ordering the three Good Followers to follow me. Ahaha, what a lame joke. To order my followers to follow me. Somebody, please kill me before the shame does. So far, theres been nothing unexpected. Which is kind of unsettling. Where are you, fairies!? Because I KNOW youre going to appear. I dont know when you are going to, but Im sure you will! Sure that something is bound to happen, and very soon, I continue jumping from one rock to the next one. I mean, even if theres trouble ahead, I cant waste any more time. In the next five minutes, I need to reach the core and break it if I want to secure the win. Fairies, here I come!
It was very soon that a meme of the Mad Rat appeared in DMAs forums. In it, the Mad Rat was making a weird face, looking retarded, with the text Followers, follow me! right below. Andreu knew it was coming when his followers learned the real name of his newest creations.
Ch 65 - On a very tight time limit Oeeeee! Yeeeehaaa! Ahumph! I jump from one stone to the next. I then look around to make sure there are no enemies and turn back to make sure the Good Followers are following me properly before making the next jump. Ahyooou! Yeah, this is kind of boring. And the high tension of having less than five minutes to break the core plus the fact I can be ambushed at any time is killing me. To break the tension, Im having a little fun by making weird cries every time I jump. It also fits the crazy Mad Rat persona perfectly, so why not? Ughyaaaah! Hahaha! This is one of the Annoyers cries. If theres any player who encountered them watching the match, Im sure hell recognize this one. Yoshii! If only I could lay an egg right now I make a victory pose while I wait for the Good Followers to make the last jump. Im going to save this part and upload a new Mad Rats Eccentricities video soon. Finally reached the other shore! And still, no enemies found I look at the clock. The games always displaying a clock that says how much time we have left for the match to end. In the top left corner, right on top of the HP and the other status bars. Barely four minutes left I would like to do a little roleplay here, but if I do, I might get too absorbed in it and end up failing. Ill have to hold myself back Ill need to hold myself back. Itll be very, very hard. Its hard to advance because of the dense vegetation hindering our advance. But it also obscures us from our enemies at the same time. I mean, its hard to notice somebody sneaking in the dark when there are glowing flowers that catch all your attention and prevent you from seeing outside their light radius. We safely reach our destination. The dungeon core is about twenty meters away, surrounded by several fairies flying around. And very close to it, facing the lake, there is What the heck were they thinking!? Now I can understand why Ricard was pushed back so fast, and why I didnt encounter any enemies until now The crazy guys really made an all-in attack! Its a dungeon portal. One of the three portals we had to create for the match is placed as close as possible to the dungeon core. This allows them to go completely on the offense while still having the chance to defend the dungeon core in case its needed. They just need to send a few units back using this portal, because as long as theres one unit alive within twenty meters of the core theres no way for the enemy team to destroy it. Im sure neither Ricard nor Laura expected this. Theyre fighting as if the enemies were playing similarly to us, and they are trying to stall for time with weaker forces than the enemies have. If they dont notice the enemies sent almost all their units to attack us, theyll be overwhelmed sooner or later. This is bad. Really bad! If they see me trying to destroy the dungeon core and come back with reinforcements, the time limit will end and Im not sure if were going to win or not If the enemies manage to defeat Ricard or Laura and reach the dungeon core, well tie. Because I also defeated one of them. But if both of them die, or if Clara also dies well lose. I cant allow reinforcements to come! You can win the match by destroying the enemy core or killing all enemy players, of course. But you also win if your team was the one who got closer to the enemy core. And in case both teams reached similar positions, then the team who killed most enemy champions wins. Finally, if theres a draw when the time ends, the first team to kill an enemy champion wins. The winning conditions are designed in such a way that both defense and offense are viable options. Its more dangerous to go on the offense, but its also easier to win with a successful attack. If you focus on defense, youll have a shorter time to make a counterattack, unless you manage to kill all enemy champions. Maybe your team wont have time to reach anywhere close to where the enemies did before they retreated, and thus end up losing even if the other team took more losses. The only saving grace is that they put the dungeon portal facing the lake instead of the dungeon core. Im sure they did it to prevent us from seeing the dungeon core right next to the portal and come up with a strategy to sneak into it and have an easy win. But this is very good in my current situation because if I can prevent them from noticing Im here, they wont send any reinforcements and I should have enough time to kill the fairies and destroy the core. I dont know how well are the rest of my team doing, and we might lose the match. Thats why I must destroy the dungeon core: its the only way to secure our victory. What should I do? I turn around at the Good Followers. Yeah this is the only plan I can think of. You wait here for a minute and then launch an attack at the same time I do. Ill go around to the dungeon portal and prevent the fairies from warning the other enemies of our presence. If I reach the other side in a minute, I should still have about three minutes to defeat everyone and destroy the dungeon core. This should be enough. Oh, and just in case you misunderstood Theres no way the dungeon mobs can understand complex commands like this one. What they can actually do is stay still and attack when I attack. So yes, I said something impossible for them to do, but the real orders I gave them are simple enough for them to follow. I use the bushes and flowers to hide my presence as I walk to the other side of the dungeon core. Im not too worried about being spotted as long as I stay away from the flowers light. But I didnt take into account the time spent moving through them, and it takes more time to reach the dungeon portal than I expected. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Only a little over two minutes I dont want to shout just in case theres an enemy champion close to the portal on the other side, so theres no other way than to make the first attack and wait for the Good Followers to join combat. I cast Cold Blast, I dont want to get everyones aggro with Chain Lightning. Its also the first time I dont want the immobilization status effect to be applied. Why, you ask? Well My magic activates and a cold explosion happens right next to my victim. Luckily, it isnt encased in ice and prepares itself for combat. Then, the three Good Followers appear from the other side and attack the fairies. As I already expected, the fairies focus on them and completely ignore me. Oh, I think I forgot to say the one who received the Cold Blast wasnt a fairy but one of the Good Followers! Hahaha! Thats why I hoped the immobilization wouldnt activate, as well as the reason why the fairies arent attacking me. I wanted the fairies to move as far as possible from the dungeon portal and the only way I could think of was to get my mobs to pull them away. But I also needed to be ready to stop any of them from calling reinforcements so I had to make them wait. And the AI isnt good enough to have such a complex behavior by default The only remaining option was to make them attack when I attack. I just never intended to attack a fairy. So yeah, the three Good Followers engage the fairies after my first attack, one of them still covered with fine cold dust. Its a hard fight for them because they have no ranged attacks and the enemies can fly. Who am I trying to deceive? Theres no way they can win this if the fairies keep their distance. Meanwhile, I wait for a good opportunity. I want to hit as many of them as possible with Chain Lightning to reduce the chances of them slipping away. Maybe Im too cautious? They dont show any sign of wanting to cross the portal to warn the enemy players, but I dont want to risk it. About thirty seconds pass and the battle changes. It looks like the fairies arent very smart. They have run out of MP and engaged in melee with the Good Followers. My mobs are able to retaliate now, but the fairies still hold the numerical advantage as well as having better mobility. If I dont join the battle soon, my mobs are going to die. They are under 50% HP after taking the initial spell barrage. I know, I know I said fairies like to play hide-and-seek and such things. But if the other team set them to protect the dungeon core, they cant be as annoying as usual because they need to stay close to it. So their behavior changes too. And this means two good things to me! First, the enemies didnt improve their basic AI, so I can be sure they wont call for reinforcements. Second, they are now closer to each other and I can use Chain Lightning effectively now. Chain Lighting! I say in a low voice. I would usually shout it, even if theres no need at all to say the name of the skills you use, but Im scared of warning the enemy. The lightning hits the first fairy and jumps to the closest ones. I dont have the champions buff, and the fairies arent basic mobs, so not a single one of them dies. Though the first two ones are now at less than half HP, almost at a quarter. But now I got their aggro, and they are coming here. Fuck! There are even two lucky fairies who were too far away and didnt take any damage at all! I distance myself from the portal and engage the fairies in melee. I dont want to be unlucky and have one of them accidentally run inside the portal in the middle of the fight. Come here, you little shits! I try to hit them with my staff, but theyre too fast. Chain Lighting! Two of them drop after being hit by my spell, but the remaining five are still alive and attacking me. Im lucky my mobs are still doing good and engage them in melee again. Youre supposed to be my guards! Why did it take you so long to help me!? Is it really that hard to have good followers? They are supposed to be way better than the Stitched, but they still make some stupid mistakes Im being too strict here and I know it makes no sense. But only a minute remains and were still fighting! Im getting anxious! Die already! I unintentionally shout. Oh shit! I hope the enemy players didnt hear me! One fairy dies to one of the Good Followers attacks, and another one falls to my Cold Blast. I dont have enough MP to cast Chain Lighting again, so I must finish them with Cold Blasts. Only three fairies remain! Im so close to crushing the dungeon core! Its now that something strikes me like lighting. If I used Grand Finale, everything would be over by now. Why have I been so stupid!? If I had used it, I could have killed all fairies in an instant! And now I dont have enough MP to cast it! Aaaagh! I hate myself! I dont care anymore about being heard by the enemies. There are less than thirty seconds left. Theres literally no time for them to come if they havent noticed my attack yet. And if they already did, it doesnt matter if they hear me again. Another fairy falls to the poison damage and another one falls to the retaliation damage from my Lighting Shield. It doesnt die, but a Good Follower takes advantage of the stun time to finish it. Theres still the last fairy left, and I have no MP at all. Twenty seconds. Nineteen, eighteen Die! Die! Die! I wildly swing my staff around, trying to hit the last fairy. Everyones trying to attack the same fairy, who desperately avoids every attack. Because were so close, I have to duck to avoid one of my mobs mace attacks. This game has friendly fire active all the time. The only thing monsters dont do is target allied units with their attacks, but if you put yourself in the middle of it Hey! Watch out! Dont hit me with your attacks! Im forced to make a weird movement to avoid the weapons path. And its during this movement that I feel my staff hitting something and I soon hear a *Plof!* sound. I look below and see the last fairys corpse. Hahaha! I hit it while avoiding the attack when I couldnt hit it with the normal attacks! Hahahaha! Wait, theres no time to laugh now! During the fight, Ive been moving in the dungeon cores direction. So right now, I only have to rise my hand to crush it. Which I quickly do. The dungeon core cracks and its fragments scatter through the air, releasing an intense purple light. The victory screen appears in front of me. I dont know whats the situation inside our dungeon, but I managed to secure our victory! Fufufu! Hahaha! Everything worked as planned! Hahaha! I rise my arms and cast Chain Lighting into the air as I laugh. I was out of MP, but when the match finished, we recovered all our HP, MP, etc. Remaining time 8 seconds. Wow! That was close! If I got distracted I almost threw away our victory by laughing at my epic lucky staff hit! Hahaha! Nobody can stop me! Hahaha! But Ill behave as if everything went according to plan and I didnt forget about the Grand Finale skill. Now that I think about it, its a good thing I didnt use Grand Final because its now a secret for the following matches. Our teams trump card is still unknown to the enemies! All went according to plan! Hahaha! You and I know it didnt. But Ill take this secret to the grave. The game teleports me out of the dungeon in a white flash.
After the Followers, follow me! meme, the next one to appear in the DMA forums was Mad Rats surprised expression when killing the last fairy with the staff after ducking, with the All went according to plan! text. All those memes were in retaliation for the horrible experiences some players had in The Mad Rats Lab. To vent out their anger. Andreu always believed they were to make fun of him, though he didnt care at all.
Ex Ch 9 - The last stand Hmm what am I going to do Should I retreat? I swapped places with Ricard to defend the Catacomb area, but this is too much even for me A swarm of fairies is assaulting our dungeon. Even if the narrow corridors and low ceiling shut up their flying advantage, we cant hold them back. The skeletons are ok as ranged units, but they arent strong enough to fend off so many fairies, and every time we clash, more of our units die. I could ask for reinforcements, and maybe Ricard could send here Andreus stitched but they will only serve as meatshields in this situation and achieve nothing at all. Ill retreat and join Baldy in our last stand. I turn around and go back in our dungeon cores direction, but when I turn around the corner, I see something unexpected. Hey! Where are you going, succubus? Wont you stay with us and play a little longer? In front of me, one of the two enemy players is blocking the passage. How did you get here!? Tsk, tsk, tsk! If you want to know, you must first beat me! He, he, he! I dont have time for this, the other player going to get here soon! But how could she be blocking my way when she was behind me not too long ago!? No, Laura, dont forget we put a secret tunnel to facilitate the movement through the dungeon. She mustve found and used it. But how!? In this maze of identical passages, how could they find the secret tunnel!? I found you! He, he, he! From behind, an identical fairy appears and flies closer to my position. She looks at me with her eyebrows furrowed, puffing out her chest, and her hands on her hips, trying to look imposing. Were you trying to run away? Youre a bad kid, you know!? Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. These two are the enemy players. They use identical fairy champions and their speech patterns and behavior are the same too. The only differences between them are the place they wear the hair ornament, which they do on opposite sides, and the skills they have: one can use heavy single-target skills and the other has wide-area attacks. I fought with them several times, and I still dont know which is which because they like to swap and pretend to be one another. Theyre so annoying! Oh, no This is it. Theres nothing more I can do. I turn right and enter one random passage. Im going to make them waste some time, while I look for something. Here it is! I quickly pull the hidden lever and the black bulb turns on. The red bulb is used to signal everybody to go back to the core to defend, but the black bulb has a more sinister meaning: to tell everybody youre done for. And what better color for this than black? Its fun that black light, which doesnt exist in real life, can be used here. Im sorry Andreu, I couldnt follow your orders. I never expected to get cornered like this! Now that I was finally getting recognized by him, I had to screw this up! I hope he doesnt get angry. Ricard, please, defend the core until the end! We need to resist until Andreu destroys the enemy teams dungeon core! Sofia, shes here! Hello! Youre not running? Did you get tired? What are you saying, Andrea!? Look at her face! She got tired of playing tag and now wants to play another game! Which game well play next, lady? Squashing bugs is funny, right Andrea? He, he, he! Yes! Lets squash some bugs! He, he, he! The two players chuckle and look at one another, hiding their evil smiles with their hands. Oh, sure, lets play. I just had some work to do, but now, we can play for as long as you want! I must warn you, the games I play are a little different and sometimes, the other players get hurt, you know? I lick my lips seductively as I grip my whip and make a few test swings. If Im going to die anyway, lets enjoy this as much as possible.
As everybody expected, Laura was killed, and both Sofia and Andrea survived. But she managed to deal enough damage and delay them for enough time, preventing the enemy team from destroying their core, and giving Andreu enough time to win the match.
Ch 66 - Trouble is brewing So, now that the first round has finished, what do we know about the rest of the participants? I look first at Clara. Shes looking back at me with a straight face but with vacant eyes. We all agreed to make a little research about the other teams, but its clear she didnt and is now trying to prevent me from noticing it. So you didnt make any research, huh? N-no! I did it, ok!? Its just that Im sorry, Clara, but its impossible for you to deceive me like this. Ive known you for way too long. Im not going to achieve anything by arguing with her now, so Im going to skip her. ...Laura, how about you? Hey, Andreu! I swear I did some research! Is that so? Why are your eyes swimming like this, then? I-its just that I got too absorbed in watching the gameplays and I forgot about everything else! ...so, Laura. How about you? Hey! Dont ignore me! But you dont have anything at all, do you? I-i dont, but But nothing. We have a short time to prepare for the next match and I dont want to waste it. Dont worry, Im not angry. A little bit exasperated, maybe. But not angry. It would be very immature of me to get angry at something I already knew was bound to happen. ...but I leave my pouting little sister alone and turn to look at Laura. After calling her two times, she already knows what I want. I investigated quite a bit the other teams and how they played in this first round, and I must say we got quite lucky with our matchup. The other team was made of good players, but they didnt work very well together. Their teamwork was lacking. Maybe they were a hastily made team to participate in the tournament Anyway, I believe we passed this first round because we got lucky. With our lacking preparations and lack of offensive plans, we would have lost against most other teams. I too think we were kind of lucky In the end, you died and Ricard was forced to defend the core alone. We were very close to a draw We might even lose the match if I didnt destroy their core. Thats true. Adds Ricard. I did my job properly, didnt I, Andreu!? Yeah, you did your job properly by stalling for time. If that dwarf player got to the dungeon core, we wouldnt be here, talking about the next match. Hehehe Its true that Clara did a good job. Ive seen the replay and she managed to stall for time against a group of dwarves that behaved almost like a trained army. By the end of the match, they only managed to reach the entrance to the second area defended by her: the crumbling buildings floating in the void that connected to the dungeon core. I get goosebumps thinking about having to fight against them instead of the goblin and orc horde that poured through my portal. Im sure I would have been forced to retreat, like Ricard. How the heck can you make the AI behave like that!? Ive tried lots of things and improved their AI as much as I could think of, but the Stitched are still soooooo dumb! In comparison, those dwarves were better than real-world armies! And with magic! Though I dont know whats scarier: the dwarf army, or the monstrous horrors with my little sister dragging enemies into the void. I dont want to face either. Leaving that aside what do you think about the next match, Laura? I know it was our first match and we still didnt know how to play, but playing defensively without any plan wont work anymore. We must either act aggressively but still be able to defend the core, or at least have a counterattack plan. She takes a look at everyone present before continuing. Just look at the other teams plans, they were simple, but so much better than ours! They invaded from all three entrances at the same time but also had one portal right next to the dungeon core so they could come back to defend it very easily. If not because you countered completely the enemies coming from your portal, Andreu, and the player didnt have time to warn his teammates, there was no way for us to win. We got very lucky there! Yes, I agree. We won the match because I could kill one player in the first minute of the match. When one player dies during the match, the game forbids him or her from communicating anymore with the rest of the team. This is to prevent abuses from the players side, like killing themselves for the purpose of warning the teammates about an enemy going for the core. Or telling someones weakness after being killed by them. And messages using the games system arent allowed either. So each team must create its own means of communicating unless it can afford to be unaware of whats happening. We had the colored bulbs for this first match, but Im sure well need something better for future matches. Laura, anything else you want to say about the other teams? Not really She briefly stops as she strokes her chin. Well, there are two teams we should be very cautious about. Oho which ones? Thats interesting. Which two teams are good enough to catch Lauras attention in just the first round? The first one is called Dragon Warriors. I dont know how to explain it, but its as if they know everything thats happening. Their coordination is amazing, they can not only predict what the enemies are doing but also move ahead of them Its weird because its as if they experienced these kinds of fights a lot of times already. But were in the player level 5 tournament, so it shouldnt be possible those kinds of players should be playing at higher levels! Clara and I look at each other and nod. We know about that team The Dragon Warriors is the team our older sister trained. I say. What do you mean by this? Your sister? Asks Laura. Ricard is also sending a curious gaze, so I decide to tell them about the conversation I and Clara had with my older sister the other day; as well as the fact that shes been in the top 100 players ranking for quite some time already. Hmm if only she could train our team too Maybe I should ask Andreu to introduce his older sister to me Both Laura and Clara send Ricard murderous gazes. We can hear you, Ricard! Um, guys!? I-it was a joke! A joke! As if I wasnt enough to teach all of you how to improve in this game! Hahaha! What I mean is that Im clearly the most experienced one here He tries to make excuses, but hes instead slowly but steadily digging his own grave. With each sentence, he only manages to make the hole deeper. Hey, Clara! Dont point your knife at Ricard! I stop her before we appear in tomorrows news. That was dangerous! So, Laura. What about the other team? I force the conversation to return to the original topic. The second one is called Sword&Sorcery. Im not so sure about them because this was the first match, but they are very coordinated and their plans and countermeasures were amazing this time. Ooh, that one! Ricard jumps at the opportunity to explain about them. Literally, at the chance to explain something. Ive been intentionally leaving him for the last one, but he found a chance to wiggle his way into the conversation and is now ready to use his unique innate skill: knowledge drilling. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I too watched the video of their match and they looked amazing! Its funny how they call themselves by their nicknames: Wizardess, Rogue, Barbarian, and Druid. But their teamplay is no joke! They believe in everything the Wizardess says and follow all her plans. Its almost impossible to beat them as long as shes alive, but killing her isnt easy either because the others protect her all the time! And also Ok, Ricard. Lets leave it here for now. Before we fight them, and assuming both win every match, we must first face three other teams, the Dragon Warriors included. I interrupt him before asking Laura yet again. Anything else? I also investigated the team were going to face next, but I believe youll know more about them than me I sure do. Though I would prefer to not know anything at all about them *Sigh* Im getting a headache just thinking about the next matchup. Why did someone like them have to appear in this tournament!? ...the All Shall Despair team. After saying their name out loud, I cant hold myself back from adding. Now that I think about it, even that bunch of weirdos have a better name than we do Yeah, yeah! Why couldnt I be the one to decide our name!? League of Evil is too lame! I could think of a better name in less than a second! For example The Cute Nightmares. Isnt it like a thousand times better!? Clara, please dont start with this again. Also, I dont want to be in a team with the word cute in it. Though I honestly cant say which one is worse. Hey! The League of Evil is the best name ever! You should thank me for thinking about such a great name instead of complaining about it! Yeah, yeah Whatever so say, Ricard And we cant change the teams name anymore, so stop fighting over it already! I dont want to argue about this yet another time, so I stop everyone before its too late and it escalates out of control. Lets move to the next one! I Ok, then Ill go next as were already talking about the All Shall Despair team. Yes, I can see and hear you, Ricard... but I interrupt him before he can start talking. Hes looking at me with those dangerously shining eyes, and almost jumping around in excitement. Im sure once he starts talking about his investigations hes going to keep talking for a while. A veeeery long while. Thats why hell be the last one to talk. They are a bunch of crazy people maniacs, lunatics! Believers in something that doesnt exist! Fanatics, you could say. And its kind of my fault that theyre here. Dont misunderstand, Im not the one who created the group and I dont have anything to do with them at all! Its just, that you know they are kind of my followers... Your followers? Clara makes a weird face at my words. Please, dont tell me you want to join them! If you do, your brother will hang himself out of shame! Both Ricard and Laura already know a little about what I mean, its only Clara who doesnt understand what I mean because she isnt interested in other people. Other people that isnt me, I mean. Im sure you all know about the rising popularity of The Mad Rats Lab. The three nod at my words. I usually dont look at the forums too much, but sometimes I like to see what the players who enter my dungeon say. In the beginning, it was mostly players complaining about how difficult it was, or showing off to the other players how they beat it I make a short pause. I really hate to remember what comes next. But I must continue! I need to make sure they dont suspect me from having anything to do with them at all! ...but then, some lets call them fanatics for now. Some fanatics appeared and started to preach about something along the lines of equal despair for everyone and similar stuff. I dont know if they were already crazy or if they turned crazy because of dying repeatedly in my dungeon, but thats what happened. You cant imagine the headaches theyre giving me with all their bullshit Pffft! Hehehe! Andreu, your faces so funny right now! You have to look in the mirror! This isnt funny, Clara! What if the people think Im their leader!? Imagine being ridiculed because of being the leader of a bunch of lunatics! I dont want to have anything to do with them at all! Puhahaha! But dont worry, Andreu. Ill be there to help you with anything you need! It isnt your fault, and Ill make sure nobody thinks youre related to them! My mood slightly improves at Claras words. Sometimes I think I dont deserve all her attention, but at the same time, I also feel proud about it. Your brother loves you too, Clara. Thank you, Clara *Sigh* Returning to the topic this team, called All Shall Despair comes from some of those fanatics. I think they call themselves Mad Cultists, and the group is called Mad Rats Cult. Why did they have to put my champions name everywhere!? I shout in exasperation. Nobody talks for a while. Ricard is looking at me with a smirk on his face, and Laura is sending me a worried look. So youre their leader after all, Andreu No Im not! I already told you I have nothing to do with them, Clara! Pfft Hehehe! She continues to laugh at my exasperation. Luckily, Ricard and Laura arent so childish and ask me to proceed with the explanations. So what else can you tell us about the team they built? About their team? Not much. They were wearing hoods and cloaks that hid all their features in the previous match, so Im not sure which factions theyre from. Except for the leader, who Im almost sure is from the Flesh Monstrosities too. As for the reason they wear hoods, Im sure its for some stupid reason we cant even imagine. I mean, they are crazy! ...ok. Is that all? No, theres something else you must know. Because theyre so obsessed with my dungeon, Im sure they know everything that I have, maybe even better than I do. And with this I mean traps, monsters, skills, tactics the only thing they shouldnt know about is our trump card, the Grand Finale skill. Hehehe, youre useless for the next fight. Poor brother destroyed by your own followers! I told you I dont have anything to do with them! I shout. But then, I stroke my chin and add. ...though I must say they did help me develop my dungeon. I mean, they are fanatics that only come inside and test all kinds of things, most of the time dying they are a good source of cp and xp. Fufufu! What do we do now? Doesnt this mean we cant use any of your units? Were lucky we can use units from the four of us, but still limiting ourselves like this, even if its only for a single fight, can be detrimental. I would suggest As usual, Laura is the one thinking about the tactics were going to use. Ricard takes this chance to try to say something, but I interrupt him yet again before he can start with his ramblings. Well they know everything about my dungeon and my monsters. And theyre incredibly used to traps and dangerous and unexpected stuff because they spend lots of time inside my dungeon. Im sure theyre going to use those tactics against us in the next match. I look at the rest one by one. Ricard is starting to get desperate to talk. Like a bomb about to explode. Laura has her eyebrows furrowed. Im sure shes planning our next match with what Im explaining. And Clara she has finally stopped laughing at me and is listening properly. I only see two options left. We either forget completely about deception and surprises and look for a straight fight, or we double on the craziness and give them a taste of their own medicine. But the latter will be difficult. I suspire one last time before allowing Ricard to talk. Thats it for me. Now, Ricard Its time for you to explain your investigations. Omg, Im so going to regret this. I got a headache when talking about the next opponents Usually, it should go away shortly after forgetting about the stuff about the Mad Rats Cult, but Its only going to get worse now. But were here to talk about the other teams after all, so theres no way around it. Nice! I swear I saw him jumping excitedly, but it was so fast my eye couldnt catch his movement properly. Im going to start with the All Shall Despair team and then move on to the other teams we might face so were prepared for anything, ok? Ive watched their replay and looked for some more info and Yep, Im already regretting it. Lauras bored face and Claras almost closed eyes, ready for a sleeping session, tell me Im not the only one in this situation.
In what looks like a dark cathedral, with no light at all coming from the large windows, several hooded figures sit at a long table. The shape and size of every figure are different, but they all have one thing in common: from inside the hood, a pair of dangerously glowing eyes can be seen. Those arent the eyes of normal people. The one sitting at the tables end, the most important position, stands up and slowly sweeps its eyes through the rest of the figures. Brothers, were here today because our time has finally come! His voice travels through the whole room. His conviction and feelings so strong that any normal person would have goosebumps just listening to him. Our time has come! The other figures, still seated, repeat the firsts words at the same time. I know youre as excited as I am! Because the time to show our beliefs to the world is near! We must not fail! The time to show the world what true despair is here! Show the world true despair! Echo the other figures. In our next match, were going to finally reveal ourselves! Well leave the hoods behind and reveal our faces to His great persona. Well get acknowledged for our devotion! Well get His blessing! And then, well show Him the greatest despair! The hooded figure makes a short pause before continuing. Because even He must be allowed to feel despair! Hes the one who has shown us the greatest truth, and as His most devoted followers, we must help Him to feel despair too! He jumps on top of the table before spreading his arms wide and continuing. Fuhahaha! Well be the ones to bring Him absolute glory and despair! And show the world His greatest teachings! Get ready, everyone! The moment of truth has come! Everyones equal in front of true despair! All shall despair! Fuhahaha! All shall despair! All shall despair! All shall despair! A chorus of several voices repeats the Leaders words as he keeps laughing. One time, two times it doesnt look like theyll stop any time soon.
Soon, one of the most famous matches in DMAs history would happen. The sheer craziness contained in it made most players look in awe at the Flesh Monstrosities faction, as well as the two players behind everything that occurred in that match.
Ch 67 - In the beginning, all seemed ok What the heck are you doing, Alicia? In the white room full of screens, all of them displaying scenes inside the DMA game, on which players are in the middle of matches or preparing for the next fights, Alicia is comfortably sitting in front of one screen. Because of the long working hours during the tournament, the workers are allowed to wear whatever they want, but Alicia brought it to the next level. Hidden under a blanket, only her head and arms can be seen, and who knows whats she wearing underneath. She looks almost like a worm about to start the metamorphosis; as if she was going to spend the day watching the TV at home. If this was all, Jordi wouldnt have asked her. But he cant stop his eyebrows from twitching after noticing what shes holding in her hands. Hm? She reacts to Jordis words and turns to look at him. What do you think? Im doing my job, waiting for the match to start. The match? What match? Also, what the hell are you doing with this? Where did you get it from? Of course, the match between the Mad Rats team and the other Flesh Monstrosities team. Im sure its going to be an interesting one! She proudly sticks out her chest at the same time Jordis eyebrows twitch again. And are you asking about this? She points with her head to the popcorn cup in one of her hands, and the drink in the other. I brought them from home. What did you expect? Its a must-have when youre going to watch a film! Hahaha! *Sigh* Jordi sighs at her words. Doesnt she know that this behavior can lead her to trouble? Dont you know this can put you, and also me, into trouble!? Why arent you doing your job!? Oh, but Im doing it! Im supervising The League of Evil matches! I already asked everybody and they agreed to it! *Sigh* I just hope it isnt an alcoholic drink because Ill have to report you if it is... No, no, dont worry! Its just iced tea! Hahaha! Do you think Im crazy? Jordi thinks Maybe a little, but doesnt dare to say it out loud. Well, ok. Just dont cause any more trouble Ill go, then. Wait! She holds Jordis sleeve before he can leave. Werent you a Flesh Monstrosity fan? Then this is a match you must see! Jordi bites his lips. He knows he shouldnt do it, but it sure is a tempting offer. ...Alicia, you know I have other stuff to do. I cant just sit here and watch the match. Dont worry! If you stay only for a few moments, it will be ok! Do you think anybody will notice? Just take a seat next to me! Ill share some popcorn with you! For the umpteenth time, Jordi sights. ...ok. Ill stay, but only for five minutes He sits next to Alicia, waiting for the match to start. They dont have to wait for long. Its starting! Its starting! I can see it, Alicia. Stop pulling at my sleeve, please He didnt know at that moment, but those five minutes would turn out to last until the end of the match. Also, the number of people watching that screen would increase over time, and Alicia ended up tearing up because she had to share her popcorn with the others.
Are you ready? Because the match is going to start. Everybody nods at my question. This time we have a decent plan, and Im sure its going to go smoother than the first match. Laura, Ricard, and Clara walk to the dungeon portal and get ready to invade the other teams dungeon. Then, Ill wait for your good news! I say. And dont worry, Ill make sure nobody reaches our dungeon core! Good luck with the invasion! Good luck to you too, brother! Clara waves at me as she walks away. Hmph! Im going to show them what true despair is! How do they dare use this word in their name, when they arent from the Abyss faction!? Gununu it makes me want to give them nightmares for the rest of their lives... I shudder, imagining myself in their position. Right now, I feel incredibly lucky to be on this team and not have to fight against her. Im not exactly sure why, but after learning about the other team, shes been extremely aggressive, looking for ways to humiliate them as much as possible. It could be related to the fact they worship me and sees them as the competition or simply because they are giving me headaches and she wants to have the exclusivity. But if Im sure of one thing is this one: I dont want to understand the reason why shes like this. There are some things that are better left unknown. Mad Rat, Im leaving. If you miss me, send a warning and Ill come as soon as possible, ok? Fufufu! Yeah Laura sends me a flying kiss before turning around and following Clara. Dont worry about us, ok? Ill make sure we win this match, you just have to focus on defense! And if the enemies are too dangerous, just ask for help. We already talked about this, but we Sure, Ricard Just leave already or youll be late. I interrupt him before he starts with his explanations again. It isnt only to make him shut up and leave me alone because its actually true: the timer for the match start is already about to end. Though I wont deny the most important aspect for me is the former. ... whoops! Youre right! Hahaha! Im leaving! Good luck! He turns around another time before adding. And dont feel too much despair, ok!? Hahaha! Hahaha I scratch my head and awkwardly follow his laugh. I think the one who should be worried about it is you, Ricard. After all, Im in charge of defending, so I shouldnt suffer too much from the enemies compared to what you can encounter. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Now that they finally left, I can go to my position and get ready to defend the dungeon.
10, 9, 8 The countdown to the start of the match has started. I turn my head and see my little sister waving from far away, so I wave back. Pfft, how childish You might be asking how can this be; after all, we said goodbye and everyone moved to their respective positions: they went to the dungeon portals, and I moved to the first line of defense. And the answer is veeeery easy: because were still in the same room. Yeah, thats why. Easy, right!? For this dungeon battle, we squeezed our brains and planned the best strategy possible. In fact, not a single team has used a similar tactic in the first phase, and I dont think anybody else is going to use this tactic in this second round either. At first, we thought it was a crazy idea, and the game wouldnt allow it. But when we tried it it worked! Hahaha! It turns out this isnt a new strategy: Ricard, the one who proposed it, was talking about the something-something classical tactic, which means lots of teams have already done something similar in the past. What we do is exploit the there must be a different path from each dungeon portal to the core rule. Because, you see, theres no rule against the paths overlapping one another. Well, I must admit I say overlap, but the paths dont actually overlap, its just let me explain it properly. We put all three portals one right next to the other and created a layered defense layout to allow a single person - in this case, me - to defend the attacks from all three portals at the same time. In the first room, we have all three portals and the first defense layer. From here, there are several paths, well, tunnels, that split up and connect from one another. We designed it in a way thats possible to trace a path from each portal to the core without it crossing another path. But they arent fixed. If you choose one wrong turn, you can then return to this first room, or end up on the path assigned to the other portal. In the next room, for example, theres an elevated walkway over a cliff; which passes right next to a river, the second path; and the third path that comes and goes underground and waves between the other two without ever overlapping with either. The paths overlap without actually overlapping. This means its possible to defend one path from another, making this dungeon layout not only valid but also very easy to defend. And yes, basically, its similar to the Tunnels in my dungeon but a lot more complex. And with lots of secret passages to allow me and our dungeon mobs to change from one path to another and defend everything at the same time. In the normal dungeons its difficult to use secret passages because if they are discovered, they can hurt the dungeon owner. But in this match it doesnt matter if they discover them because they only allow movement between the three paths, hahaha! Just imagine their despair when having to fight against me, whos a specialist in ranged combat, and who can appear from anywhere! Hahaha! You wanted to show us despair!? Well show you what actual despair means! Fufufu! Hahaha! If you can remember, we were talking about ignoring all random stuff, traps, etc. Basically, everything coming from my dungeon. But we decided to go the opposite way in the end: design something completely new but so stupidly crazy that the other teams going to regret trying to teach us what true despair means. To achieve it, we have several surprises for them. But this time we also have other plans. We split our resources into two groups: me and my support mobs; and Ricards, Lauras, and Claras champions plus a few support mobs. As you already know, Im in charge of defending the dungeon. This is because Im the only one who actually understands the enemy teams way of thinking, and also because Im the best suited for ranged combat and guerrilla tactics. Ricard, Laura, and Clara are in charge of entering the enemy dungeon and destroying their core. Theyre now currently hiding wait a moment. Lemon, stop waving and hide already! Or our strategys going to be wasted! At my shout, she makes a whoops! face and quickly hides. As I was saying, theyre currently hiding right next to one of the dungeon portals, waiting for the match to start, when theyll look for an opportunity to sneak into the enemy dungeon and make a run for the dungeon core. Theyre going to move together. This way, unless theyre incredibly unlucky, their progress should be faster than if they went alone. Unless all enemy players go for them at the same time. But I dont think so. And the reason is I know the Mad Cultists well enough to understand what they want to achieve in this match. And Im 99,99% sure theyre going to come for me, regardless of what I do. the other 0,01% is the odd chance they are even crazier than I believed and betray everyone''s expectations. Anyway. Regardless of what that group of fanatics do, Im ready to face them and beat them to a pulp! Hahaha! 3, 2, 1, Battle Start! Here we go! The match has already started, but there doesnt seem to be any movement from the enemies. Maybe theyre waiting for us to attack first? But when Im about to give Ricard and the others the signal to invade the enemy dungeon, - after all, Im the only one who can see everything thats going on from my elevated position - something changes. Whats this? Some kind of music? From the three tunnels, I can hear a sinister melody, growing in volume over time. It kind of reminds me of solemn orchestra music, except for the random changes in tune and melody, as if written by a deranged composer. Not long after the music starts, drums are added to the music, turning the music into some kind of (un)holy procession. What the hecks going on!? I alternate between the three portals, trying to see a little further inside them, to no avail. Until, a short while later, I see several hooded figures coming through the three portals at the same time. All of them are holding candles. In front of each row, theres one figure wearing special robes. Theyre embroidered and look luxurious compared to the others. Theres the Champion mark on top of them, meaning they are in fact the enemy players. I only see three of them. Is the last one staying to defend the dungeon? The three players look around. When they see me, they look at each other, nod, and proceed to move in my direction. No way, no way, no way I shudder at the spectacle. Please, tell me Im dreaming! I dont like how this is going! I have a very bad feeling about it! The music intensifies as the hooded figures arrange themselves looking in my direction. Then, they separate into two groups and give way for the last and fourth player to walk through their formation. Wearing similar but even more luxurious clothes than the other three champions, the one who I assume is the leader of this group of lunatics walks to the front of their formation. The rest return to the original rows and columns and all drop to their knees at the same time. The music stops. All shall despair! All shall despair! The leader shouts, and the rest repeat what he said. Oh, venerable and respected Mad Rat! We, as your most devoted followers, have come today to show our respect! I can see Clara looking at me in surprise. I told you I have nothing to do with them, why dont you believe me!? Also, you should hide! What if the enemies see you!? I signal for her to hide once again. Luckily, the fanatics are currently on their knees and looking at the ground, so they dont see anything. Great Mad Rat! Weve learned Your teachings, weve followed them and shared them with the masses. Today, were here to show our faith! Thanks to Your great generosity, we learned the real meaning of life. And today, we bring You everything we learned. Please, teacher! Accept our feelings! Well bring You as much despair as possible, and we ask for you to give us even greater despair! Because all shall despair! All shall despair! At the same time, all the players take their hooded cloaks out, revealing what they look like. But I ignore them for now my brains still trying to process whats going on. A mix of rage and shame accumulates inside me at everything. Just the thought of other players relating me to this group of fanatics makes me cringe. I give the signal to Ricard and the others to dive into the enemy dungeon. I dont want them to see anything more of this I know, I know they can see it later, if they watch the replays, but its different than watching it in real life. The fanatics are so focused on me, they dont see the others passing through the leftmost dungeon portal. Fuck you! I swear Im going to make you pay for this spectacle!
"I think Ive never been as angry as that day. The shame. The fear of other people thinking I was one of them Or worst, their founder and leader. At that time, my brain could only think of one thing: Ill make you regret this! You want despair? Then despair youll have!"
Ch 68 - You want despair? Then despair you’ll have! I hold my anger back and look below, at the fanatics. Its only been one minute since the match started and my patience has already run dry. And thats after several training sessions, having to endure both Ricard''s and my little sisters antics! From my elevated position, I can clearly see everything that happens near the portals. The room, or should I say cave? The cave were in resembles quite a lot the ones in The Mad Rats Lab, but there arent poisonous mushrooms because we know the enemy team has poison resistance skills. But this doesnt mean its easy to move through it. With the irregular terrain, the rocks, the stalactites and stalagmites, the mud that covers several areas, and the slippery moss patches Now that I think about it, maybe I went a little bit overboard with the terrain. It looks like one of those elite-course training zones, except this one also has really dangerous traps and monsters hidden. The three followers are still kneeling on the ground, but are now looking at me. Lets see what we have here now that they took out their hoods and cloaks The first one looks like a normal human A human? Why would one of those fanatics use the human faction, the Iron Shield? Huh, of course! Theyre crazy, so there isnt any logic behind what they do! The middle one looks like some kind of monster from the Abyss faction. I unconsciously shudder. Please, dont tell me Im going to face those monsters alone! And the third and last one looks like a humanoid shark. A sharkman? I dont remember the races name, but they are from the same faction as the mermaids and tritons. I think the factions called Deep Seas. This one can bring us trouble if they used underwater zones to build their dungeon, we didnt plan to fight against lots of aquatic units. Only the leader is looking at me, his arms raised up and laughing maniacally. Hey, you little shit! Thats MY exclusive way of laughing! Look for your own! I patented it, you know!? I put my feelings to the side and take a proper look at him. He must be the Leader, and if Im not wrong, he explained in the forums he swapped to the Flesh Monstrosities faction not too long ago. Itll be harder to identify his champion than the others for obvious reasons. I start from the bottom and go up. Hmm normal feet and build. It must come from one of the most common races. But the hands have feathers. Is he an angel and some other classic race Hybrid? No, no, lets not be hasty. I then look at his head. A beak, a crest, bright orange eyes with vertically slitted pupils The heck!? I dont remember any humanoid unit that resembles a rooster! wait a moment! A rooster with slitted pupils Ive seen it before! Where was it? Noo way! Nononono way! Dont tell me its a fucking Monstrous Hybrid, and hes using a Cockatrice as one of its parts! This means I only have to worry about the Cockatrices innate skill and another one instead of three innate skills like myself, but the Cocatrices have that extremely dangerous petrification gaze and hes looking here! Is he trying to petrify me!? Starting the match playing dirty? Two can play this game, you know!? He grins. Im sure he knows Ive identified his champion and Im worried about the Petrifying Eyes skill. Everybody get ready! And release the Spark Swarm! He orders the players behind him, but I shout too. In fact, I force him to stop talking because of how loud I shout. Im too angry right now, and cant hold myself back. You wanted despair!? Then despair youll have! Right next to me, theres a giant lever. Im grabbing it with so much strength that, if this wasnt a game, and my hands werent corrupted by black demonic energy, my knuckles would be white. I and Leader exchange a stare. I grin. Then, I pull the lever. Run! The Leader tries to warn the others, but its already too late. If you wanted to be safe, you shouldnt have stopped there for so much time. Oh, what a shame! You got caught in this trap due to your own amazing display of craziness! The whole room trembles. Giant fissures grow and spread over the surface as the ground collapses. The only thing remaining are three narrow paths that connect the portals to the next area. The rest of the cave vanishes in a giant cloud of dust and smoke to the depths below. This is a trap I insisted on building for this match. It isnt deadly, the enemies only take a little bit of fall damage when they reach the bottom. But as long as they cant fly or teleport, its a very good way to limit their movements. I doubt Im going to use this trap in my dungeon in the future, but its going to be one of those special traps available to me for use in future pvp matches. Now, theyll have to find the way back to this cave if they want to call for reinforcements or go to defend their dungeon from the assault team - aka Ricard and the others. And I assure you, it isnt easy. Hahahaha! I laugh. Except for one of the champions, the sharkman, and a few more support mobs who got lucky because they were standing on one of the paths, the rest of the lunatics fall with the floor. I turn to look at that lucky - or should I say unlucky because he got separated from the rest? - player, grinning. So do you want to play with me first? Fufufu! Yes! Lets play together! Hahaha! Somethings wrong Shouldnt he be scared right now instead of laughing like a maniac!? Its then that I hear a thunderous roar getting closer from the central portal. It sounds like lots of firecrackers? It can only come from a swarm of similar creatures. But why did they prepare a swarm to fight against me? Against ME!? They should know its useless to attack me with swarms All my body hair stands on end. Well, it doesnt because this is a game, but I feel as if it does. Think Andreu, think! Theyre crazy, plus they have a Flesh Monstrosity player. And they are obsessed with you This could be absolutely anything. Could this swarm actually threaten me? Hmm Somethings definitely wrong. Ill have to wait and face whatever they prepared. Or, should I run away?
Now that were out of the other teams eyes, we can safely talk again! Ok, girls, you just have to follow my lead! This is going to be a breeze! No, Baldy. Im sure you remember we already talked about this before, and Im going to be the temporary leader of this team. Oh, come on! Dont complain You know you tend to get how to say it without hurting you ah, yes! You tend to get distracted. This is why you cant be the leader. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ... Ricard remains silent after Lauras admonishment. Hey, hey! Why can I never be the leader!? I want to be it too! Lemon Laura tries to find what to say to not hurt Andreus little sister. Dont worry, one day youll lead the team. Just wait for the end of the tournament, ok? Yaay! Clara starts to jump around in glee, imagining herself giving orders to Andreu and forcing him to do whatever she says. At this precise moment, Andreu cant stop himself from shivering. And it isnt due to the swarm or the fanatical bunch. Hey! I also want to try it sometimes We already tried and it didnt work, remember? Ugh Ricard puts his right hand on his chest, feigning to be very hurt at Lauras words. At his antics, both Laura and Clara roll their eyes and start to move forward, leaving him behind. Come on, dont be like this! I was just joking! He speeds up to catch up with the girls. So what do you think about all that Mad Rat Cult stuff? I must say I didnt imagine them being THAT crazy. It certainly is different seeing it in person to hearing about it from others True. Laura nods at Ricard. She too thinks it was too much, too crazy. If they follow my brother like this, they are not only crazy but also stupid! Hehe! Clara nods at her own words. The followers of somebody as childish and dumb as him must be even dumber! Also, Im the only one allowed to stick to him! How dare they try to steal my position! Walking side by side with Clara, Laura can only shake her head. There were so many wrong things in just a few sentences that she doesnt know where to start retorting. Oooh, is that so? With a mocking smile on his face, Ricard taunts Clara. And what do you think is going to happen if Mad Rat hears this comment from you? Maybe he wont talk to you ever again, you know? Haha Aaagh! Let go! Not waiting for him to finish talking, Clara grabs him with one of her tentacles and pulls him closer. He resists, but he cant stop his champion from slowly getting closer to her. ...you know, Baldy I can chase you and be your worst nightmare. If only we can reach an agreement, there wont be any need for me to do it Its a lucky thing her champion doesnt have a face because he would be scared shitless if she did have one. Im sorry, Im sorry, Im sorry! I wont tell him, I promise! Is that so? With a last pull, she releases Ricard but continues to look at him with her non-existent eyes, further terrifying the poor guy. Dont worry, I wont. I keep my promises! But No, nothing. Ricard is about to say something else but manages to stop before hurting himself. He knows Andreu will hear what Clara said if he watches the replay, but hes not going to comment on it, just in case. He already got enough abyss-hugs for the rest of his life. Can you stop fooling around? We dont have time to waste! Laura urges the two fools to move forward. The four fanatics should be entangled with Andreu, but theres no way to know for how long theyre going to stay there; or when theyre going to notice their invasion and send reinforcements. Ouch! What are you doing now? Ricard, whos taking the lead as usual, stops moving. Laura, already tired of his and Claras behavior, asks him in exasperation. Something dropped on top of me! He sees a figure scurrying away and points to it. Did you see? It was that thing! ...Whats that? I dont know. Ugh Ricard is about to take another step forward when another thing drops on him, before scurrying away, the same as the first one. Baldy, Lily! It looks like a mouse! A tiny mouse! What are you, ugh, talking, ouch, aboutagh? Shit, Im taking damage! Like raindrops, more and more of those mouses drop on top of Ricard. The amount increases over time, up to the point its hard to see his Champion because of the sheer amount of them. S-save m-me! I, cant, move! Laura grabs Ricard and pulls him away from the torrent of falling enemies. Soon after, the mouses stop falling and all the remaining ones quickly run away, disappearing through the many tiny holes in the terrain. What the fuck was that!? I took almost half HP damage from them, and was stun-locked! I dont know. But it reminds me of those crazy monsters Mad Rat likes to create. As I said, theyre tiny mouses! I know, I know, Lemon. But we need to know what exactly they are before moving forward. Knowing how they look isnt enough. Ah, Baldy, Ill heal you. Wait, Lily. I have an idea to heal and at the same time investigate what those monsters are. Ricard looks at his status screen one last time. Dont worry, itll be ok. He says to himself. Then, makes another step forward, and soon, those tiny mouses start to fall on top of him again. But this time hes ready for them and activates Whirlwind. Ricard rotates on the spot, slicing every enemy that drops on top of him before he can take damage. He only stops the skill after recovering most of the HP lost, thanks to his Essense Siphon innate skill, and immediately goes back to where Laura and Clara are waiting. Several corpses litter the ground, all of them from those falling enemies. Ok, now lets see what they are Not wasting time, he inspects a random corpse. I knew they were crazy, but this is going too far! How much stalking do they need to do to come up with these things just to counter our team!? Baldy, explanation, please. Urges Laura. Sure... Ricard scratches his head, thinking how to put it all together so its easy to understand, unlike most of his knowledge drilling sessions. At least, it looks like hes clever enough to know when to not be a smartass. Theyre called Plump Drops, but this isnt important. The worrying part is their innate skill and their behavior. Remember the innate skill we talked about before, the one some big units like elephants have? Its called Trample, and with it, they can deal damage to other units when stomping on them.
Trample (Innate triggered skill)
You can move over units significantly smaller than you. When moving over another unit, it takes (3 + 0,2 * STR) physical damage per second, and theres a 10% chance the unit gets stunned for 1 second. This skill can only trigger when moving at least at speed 5.
Ooh, now that you say it, they do have tiny elephant trunks instead of the mouses nose and whiskers! Hehehe, how cute! Ricard sends a glance at Clara, whos currently poking one of their corpses with her tentacle, before continuing. The Trample skill usually only works when the unit is big, against smaller enemies. But if you make the unit drop from above both conditions to activate the skill can be fulfilled even if theyre small. How so? Don''t they need to be bigger than us too? No, they dont. The skill only allows them to walk over smaller units, it isnt a requirement. When they drop from enough height, they get enough velocity to activate the skill, and the moment they touch us with their feet, it counts as moving over us. Thats why I took so much damage and was stun-locked. Hehehe! You got stomped by a bunch of mice! I must save the replay for later. Also, they are too cute! Ill have to get a plushie somehow Ignoring Clara, Ricard continues to explain the situation. But the worst is that the skill doesnt count as an attack, similar to those Slimeballs we encountered, or your Decaying Touch. So skills like my Frost Shield dont work! They knew both me and Mad Rat had the skill and prepared them to counter us! Not even your Decaying Touch will work because it needs two seconds of contact, Lemon! He punches the closest wall in frustration. So what do we do? We can go back and try another portal No, Lemon. Its too risky. We dont want the other team to know we have sneaked inside their dungeon. And thats not all Ricard points at the ceiling. Look, theres no end to the holes from where they fall. From this point on, they can come at us at any moment... Both girls thought they only needed to worry about this area, but after looking closely at the ceiling, they realize its impossible to completely avoid those monsters. ...and there could be tens, or even hundreds of them! Theyre sure to be cheap because they are units that come from a mix of two critter units. Elephants are expensive for a critter but are still cheaper than most basic units. If only we had an aura skill we could counter them so hard With his hands on top of his head, Ricard complains about the unfair match. Though he knows he wouldn''t hesitate at all to use the enemies information against them in the tournament if he could. What do you want to do, then? Asks Laura. I want to believe in Mad Rats skill to keep the enemies busy, and if we go back now, we might destroy all his plans. I have an idea to continue moving forward without dying, but its complicated. it might kill us all. Move forward I say! I dont want to disturb my brothers plans! I dont know. First, I want to know what idea you have. If its too dangerous Baldy, Lemon, this is what I was thinking
I almost died when I saw the replay of the match. I couldnt stop laughing for a whole day. I never expected Ricard, Laura, and Clara to do what they did.
Ch 69 - Riding the whirlwind express The thunderous roar is getting closer, which means there isnt a lot of time until the swarm reaches this place. What do I do? Should I run away? They must have prepared something that can hurt me quite a lot, and I dont like it Hmm you know what? Screw it! Im going to make this sharkman pay for the crime of imitating my laughing pose. And then run if it turns dangerous. What do rats do? They scurry away when danger comes. And Im going to do the same! Pride? Whats that, is it edible? Fufufu! Do you think Ill be afraid of your puny creations!? I fear nothing! except for my own creations, but they are my own problem and have nothing to do with this! Hahaha! I make another maniacal-laughing-pose - copyrighted, by the way - to intimidate the poor fool. I know your kind like to swim. Lets see how you like to swim in an arrow rain! Hahaha! Archers, attack! As I said before, Im currently standing on an elevated platform that oversees the whole room. As the rules say, its connected to the rest of the dungeon, so, technically, enemies can come and attack me in melee. But the path to get here doesnt connect to the room below unless that sharkman or the few remaining mobs have ranged attacks, Im safe here. And hes wielding a harpoon, so I dont think so. From several other elevated platforms, a bunch of skeletons appear and start to shoot arrows at the enemies. There are quite a lot of them, so it truly looks like an arrow rain. If only they could deal more damage skeletons kind of suck. Theyre versatile and can do anything decently well, but theyre only a little more expensive than basic units and, like most basic units, they suck. Those kinds of units are only good when mixed with something else to create one of my units, due to the double innate skills. But its not as if I could use a skeleton for one of my units, after all, they are undead, and dont count as living units. Sometimes I forget how annoying my faction is. But then, I think How cool it could be if I could use that unit and remember how cumbersome everything is. And everything goes in a downward spiral for a while But not now! I must focus on the match! The first volley strikes the fanatic and his minions and their HP bars appear, signifying they took some damage. One unlucky mob took a decent amount of damage, but the rest, especially the enemy champion, took very little damage. Hah why am I getting disappointed? I already knew this would be the result, so I shouldnt be. Dont misunderstand, its not like Im complaining, after all, this little damage is a lot better compared to what I could achieve with any of my units. The archers fire a second and third volley. I too take this chance to fire a few Cold Blasts against the enemy champion. He takes cover on one edge of the room but doesnt leave. A normal person would have left the room by now, to avoid taking more damage, but were talking about deranged people here... Im sure hes staying to see me despair when the swarm gets here. Hes going to be disappointed because theres no way Im going to feel that despair. There can only be two possible outcomes: either Chain Lightning works and I defeat the swarm very easily, or it doesnt and I run away like the rat I am. As you can see, theres no despair for me in any of the two. Meanwhile, the swarm gets closer. I can now see the big cloud, about to cross the portal, though I cant see how the creatures look yet. Why are you hiding!? If you hide like this, youre going to miss how I defeat your puny creations! Hahaha! I taunt him one last time before I refocus on the swarm. Theyve already crossed the portal and are coming in my direction. I observe them as I prepare Chain Lightning, to cast it as soon as they get close enough. The swarm moves through the room exactly the same as a school of fish, avoiding obstacles like stalactites and rocky protrusions. Oh, yeah, they fly. Well, to be precise, they hover; but in practice, its the same. They dont only move like fish but theyre actually fish. Their pointy teeth and exaggerated mouths reveal they are piranhas, but normal piranhas dont hover in the air, nor do they release electric sparks. Those electric sparks are what make the cracking sound, the sum of them all adding to a thunderous roar as if a dragon was coming for me. An electric dragon made out of smaller flying piranhas that continuously release electricity. If there was an award for how amazing a monster - or group of monsters - looks, I would certainly consider this swarm. But looks arent everything! Lets test their performance! Chain Lightning! The lightning leaves my hand and travels to the first piranha in the school, blasting it and then jumping to the closest ones. Only the first four are dealt enough damage to stun them, and not even the Shared Voltage skill helps with dealing extra damage. Its as if as if they absorbed the lightning damage somehow Wait! A unit that releases electric sparks, and also absorbs lighting I know of one such unit! It is it is Its the same as my Static Lambs! They not only copied my laughing pose but also my units build! This means they can hover because of the Electric Spark elemental I didnt want to create flying sheep, just the normal electric-resistant and electric-generator sheep, so I took out the flying. But Electric Sparks, as most Spark units - the critters from the Primordials faction, or elemental faction, if you prefer - can hover in the air. Why do I always remember crucial things after the fact? Or when its already too late!? I wasted 200 MP with a useless attack Its time to go with plan B, also called: Lets get the heck out of here! Archers fall back! I shout as I turn around and start running. I want to make this clear, ok!? Were not running away, this is a strategic retreat! Im fast enough to outrun most units thanks to the Wererat speed stat, Im sure there wont be any trouble getting rid of this swarm. At the same time I disappear from his sight, the sharkman clicks his tongue. *Tsk!* Hes smarter than he looks! But hes not going anywhere! Go and chase him! Hahaha! The unrelenting Spark Swarm follows after Andreus steps. Maybe they arent as fast as him, but they can fly it isnt clear if hell manage to run away or not. Then, after another Andreu-patented-maniacal-laughing, he awkwardly scratches his head. Now what should I do? Getting split wasnt part of the plan
Agh he got us good this time! I didnt expect them to have this kind of trap prepared But I dont regret it! Our introduction was PERFECT! Hahaha! This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The Leader looks around after standing up. Every single fanatic and support mob has taken a decent amount of damage from the fall, though the champions are doing a lot better because they have the highest stats. Theres even an unlucky mob that was squashed by a rock falling on top of it. Its not like its dead, but it wont be able to move until the rock has been removed. Yes YES! This is it! I shudder in excitement! We got the privilege to experience His machinations and receive His look of contempt! Fufufu! Hahaha Hey, bro. What do we do now? Splitting wasnt part of the plan. Dont interrupt my laughter! This is the sacred laughing pose, invented by Him and shared with our lowly selves! Its heresy to interrupt somebody in the middle of it! ...huh, ok Im sorry Its fine just dont do it again, understood!? After organizing everyone and assessing the situation, the Leader looks around another time. Its a well-known scenery because it looks exactly the same as The Mad Rats Lab tunnel area, except there are no mushrooms anywhere. Lets go! Onward to the unknown! Fufufu! Hahaha! But bro, shouldnt we go and defend our dungeon too? Otherwise, we might lose the match Nononono! Remember the reason were here! We arent here to win this tournament, but to show our beliefs to the world! To receive despair directly from Him! And to let Him enjoy the despair produced by our actions! Hahaha! Because all shall despair! Even Him! All shall despair! Echo the two other players. The Leader nods, happy that the others understand their great purpose. But then why did we put traps and other stuff in our dungeon? I dont understand Haaah sometimes I think Im surrounded by idiots The Leader mutters to himself before turning around to look at his stupid follower, the one with a human appearance. Of course, its to win us time, so that we can enjoy ourselves! It would be a shame to waste this opportunity simply because the other unrelated players destroy our core! He furrows his brows, having to explain something so obvious yet another time. In contrast, the human fanatic has a blank stare, trying to comprehend the Leaders words. Its as if what the Leader said made no sense at all to him, but hes still trying to find some kind of secret meaning to his words. This doesnt escape the Leaders sight, but he decides to ignore it. Theres a reason why this fool is on their team, and hes already anticipating the moment when he can show his skills. Oh, and as you might expect, the unrelated players are Ricard, Laura, and Clara. Then, lets move on. We must find Mad Rat as soon as possible! Until now, only we had the privilege to enjoy His plans. We must show Him ours too! Hahaha! They start to move forward. As usual, the third player, the one who was silent most of the time, starts to make a map to avoid getting lost: a basic procedure to invade The Mad Rats Lab. Usually, they wouldnt do something like this because its more enjoyable to get lost and encounter all the dangers; which any normal crazy fanatic obviously likes. But today, they plan on fighting Mad Rat the best they can to let him enjoy despair too. Its their purpose as devout followers. The Leader considers this a necessary breach of protocol. A necessary but absolutely unforgivable heresy theyll have to repent for their actions in the future. Bro what about the Spark Swarm? We wont be able to see it from here. I hope he enjoys it as much as possible! Hahaha! The Leader pauses for a moment before continuing. Though its a shame we cant see it
Aaaaaaaaah! Hehehe! Im flyiiiiiiing! Aaaaaaaah! Baldy, stop moving so erratically! Its hard to hit you like this! If you can do it better than me, why dont we switch positions!? Hmm no thanks, Im fine like this. A tornado advances incredibly fast through the tunnel. From above, a continuous stream of Plump Drops falls from the holes in the ceiling, falling on the tornado and getting slashed to bits as soon as they get close enough. Ahahaha! Im unstoppable! Look at this corpse rain! This is so amazing! No, you arent. And dont forget this is my idea, ok!? Ugh! And I told you to run straight! I cant! I cant control this properly! Hehehe! We must do this again! Its better than a rollercoaster! Running as fast as he can, Ricard advances through the dungeon killing everything on his path thanks to the Whirlwind skill, its area wide enough to hit all the dropping enemies before they can deal damage. Hey, Baldy! Dont try to get rid of me! Did you think I wouldn''t notice!? Come on, its disgusting! Also, why are you grabbing me with so much strength!? Shut up! I dont want to be left behind! It was Lilys idea and you accepted it, so now, let me enjoy the ride! Hehehe! Inside the tornado, Ricards silhouette can be recognized with some effort. Right behind him, theres Claras champion grabbing him with her tentacles. For some weird game logic, - maybe to avoid players sickness - the champion doesnt spin around while using the Whirlwind skill; so she can grab him and allow herself to be dragged away without spinning around. Hehehe! Im flying! Hes running so fast that Claras champion doesnt touch the ground. It resembles those cartoons where a giant dog drags the human holding the leash and making him fly. Except that the monster is the one being dragged away this time. Let me drain you a little, Ricard! From time to time, green light can be seen coursing through her tentacles, draining Ricards HP with her Draining Touch skill. Ugh Ricard shudders at the image of a tentacle monster draining him dry. This isnt supposed to happen, but he cant stop himself from imagining it. This might look stupid, but its an absolutely needed part of the plan. To avoid the falling Plump Drops, Clara must be inside Ricards Whirlwind area. But then she takes damage every second from Ricards skill. The only way to survive is to drain his HP continuously. *Swish! Plash!* Lauras whip hits Ricard and she manages to recover some of the lost HP and SP. Finally I could hit you! I told you to run straight! And I told you I cant! Following right behind Ricard and the flying Clara, Laura is running as fast as she can, continuously swinging her whip at Ricard, and using the Blink skill when falling behind. Similar to Clara, she can only survive the Plump Drops by staying inside his Whirlwind skill area, so she too needs some way to recover HP. Hitting Ricard with her whip is the easiest and most effective way as long as he doesnt turn around unpredictably. In turn, Ricard drains HP every time he deals damage with his Essence Drain innate skill. He gets his HP back every time he damages Laura or Clara, whore inside his Whirlwind all the time, as well as every time a Plump Drop falls from the ceiling. Ironically, this situation can only be maintained for as long as there are Plump Drops falling from above. But its also the only reason they need to do this. As soon as the enemies stop falling, they can stop. Hey, Laura, Im starting to get low on MP! Dont look here! Just run! Lets see if we can reach the end of this damned area first! ...ok. Hehehe, Baldy! Youre so weak! I dont want to hear this from you whos doing nothing but draining me! Haah!? Do you want me to accidentally kill you!? Stop fighting! Before the situation worsens, Laura is forced to intervene between the two. How does Andreu manage to organize the team and prevent this pair from doing stupid things most of the time? This is exhausting me! Thinks Laura. *Swish! Swish! Plash!* Why cant you run straight!? How can you take so much to get used to this!? Aaaaaaaaaaah! Hehehe! Yeeeeeeeeeey! Ugh Im getting dizzy When is this going to end somebody, just kill me already! A tornado racing through the tunnels, sometimes moving straight, and sometimes taking weird turns. Grabbing the barely visible player in its center, and flying because of how fast its moving, theres a horrific monstrosity, shouting all the time; and right behind, a woman is attacking the pale human with bright shining blue eyes, the one responsible for the hurricane of blades, with a whip Both the woman and monstrosity continuously suffering from the dangerous winds. As if the scene wasnt ridiculous enough as it is, theres a rain of weird creatures, tiny mice with elephant trunks, dying miserably when they enter in contact with the rushing tornado. Like this, the whirlwind express continues to advance, obliterating everything in its path. Using their victims blood, as well as their own blood, as fuel to continue moving forward. Who knows how long are they going to last?
The Dungeon Masters Arena torment was always a source of inspiration for players. A source of inspiration to create memes. But the amount created in this tournament was an authentic flood compared to the previous iterations Im sure you know why.
Ch 70 - Scurrying away like a rat Fuck! No! Dont come any closer! I run as if my life depended on it. In fact, it does because if those flying piranhas come close enough to me, Im done for. I told you to stop moving already! You really dont want to make me angry, you know!? I taunt them but, of course, it makes no difference to my current situation. I continue running. Im faster than them, the problem is were currently moving through a place with lots of obstacles and crevices I cant run straight, while they can. And this isnt good because theyre slowly catching up to me. The thunderous dragon is slowly catching up to me. I dont dare to look behind, I need all my attention on whats in front of me to avoid falling from a cliff or bumping into a rock or something. But I know how close they are thanks to the sound. There are two things Im worried about right now. The first is the swarm chasing me. And the second is the fact that the fanatics are now left to their own devices and I cant stop them until I somehow get rid of this Spark Swarm chasing after me. Though the latter isnt necessarily a bad thing: theyre sooooooo crazy, they might self-destruct at any moment, even if left alone. I dont want to take the risk, so I have to solve the former first. The swarm keeps getting closer. I can almost feel their tiny but sharp teeth shredding my skin, as well as the rest of my body, to pieces. Uaaaaaah! Somebody help me!! The cracking noises are so close, and so numerous, that I can barely hear myself screaming. How many of them are chasing after me? Maybe fifty or so? The good thing - or bad thing, depending on which side youre on - about critter units is that theyre very cheap, so you can use lots of them with little cp cost. This is why they can create so many of the same units chasing after me at the same time. Im sure the whole swarm doesnt cost more than 600 cp. But they have two drawbacks that are what prevent players from effectively using them. The first is their AI. They arent planned to use in combat, so their basic AIs are very basic. But making them follow x unit isnt hard, and this is what theyre currently doing: following ME. In fact, Im sure they dont even have any means to directly attack me at all. Not that they need it. With their innate Lightning Elemental passive skill, they reduce all incoming lightning damage by 50%. Because of how damage is calculated, this includes every time my attacks jump from target to target, quickly reducing any amount of damage to zero. They also have the Static Discharge skill, dealing continuous lighting damage to their surroundings. They only need to get close enough to me and Ill take constant damage, while they dont damage one another thanks to the Lighting Elemental skill. How do I know they have this skill combo? Well, they are the same ones I use in my Static Lambs mobs, and I know what the Static Discharge looks like. Im sure about it. Why are you so into copying everything I do!? Im going to sue you! As I run, I continue to say bullshit. One must stay on character at all times. If I kill myself, would you commit mass suicide too!? Now Im tempted to try it The second weak point critter units have is their low stats. They usually die in one attack. But the problem is the only AoE I have are the Chain Lightning and Shared Voltage, and they negate them completely If only Ricard or Laura were here! They could deal with the whole swarm in an instant! I could kill them one by one with Cold Blasts, but I dont have enough MP to cast so many of them. Plus I would have to stay still to aim, and this would get me killed. Oh, yeah, dont worry about my stupidity This time I havent forgotten about the Grand Finale skill. If I use it, I can kill all the piranhas in an instant. But I dont want to use it if possible, because who knows what other crazy stuff the fanatics have prepared for this match! If I use the Grand Finale here, Ill lose the opportunity to save the day later on. Though I wont hesitate to use it if they manage to surround me. Wasting it and being turned into a cripple is still better than dying uselessly. If only I could find a way to lose them somehow Oh! I know! Fufufufu! Hahahaha! I take a quick look around, trying to find a small crevice. There it is! Fufufu! Hahaha! Its time to apply the RATT protocol! I run to the crevice and when Im right next to it, I activate the Rat Transformation skill before entering it. I continue advancing until I reach the other end, never looking behind. It seems I managed to lose them! The cracking noises are getting further away! Hahaha! I undo the Rat Transformation. The only problem now is I cant move anymore for a while. Ive been training a lot lately with the skill and can now move in the rat form, as long as I stay in it for less than five seconds. But by then, Im so sick I cant move again for the next minute or so Ugh I want to puke Ill have to promise myself to never do this again unless its completely unavoidable Staying on the ground, slowly dragging myself like a pathetic and drunk worm, I look around my position. I should be in one of the multiple tunnels that cover this area, the tunnels that connect the dungeon portals to the next defensive position. I think I remember, this, one Ugh Somebody please, kill, me Are you sure about it? Do you want me to do it? WHAT!? Did I finally turn crazy too? Because Im hearing somebody talk to me! Now, Im turning crazy, too I hear, voices! Hey, dont be rude! Im right in front of you. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I hear the same voice again. Slowly - Im in no state to make swift movements - I turn my head in the direction of that voice. There, the sharkman is looking at my pathetic situation. It looks like he took the same path I coincidentally ended in. We both stare at each other for a while, the exact same surprised expression on both of our faces. Um do you mind, waiting for a while, until I, recover? Uhm sure, why not. Like this, we agree to wait until I can stand up again. Im glad theyre only crazy and not rude too.
Hey bro What do you want now? Slightly raising his eyebrows, the Leader thinks how annoying this follower can sometimes be. well, most of the time. Umm you said we were coming here to share despair with the world and with His great persona, right? Thats true! Its the noblest of purposes, to show the true way to live to the unbelievers, as well as share with Him our greatest plans and devotion! Hahaha! I see Then, why is it us the ones who are suffering right now? The human-looking player takes a peek behind as he continues to run. Currently, theyre being chased by something very dangerous, an enemy they cant hope to defeat without taking big losses. You fool! The Leader gets angry at his subordinate. Why are you still asking such questions after so long? Do you still not understand our purpose here!? It isnt only to show Him our devotion but also to receive His teachings directly! So of course we must suffer too! And you should be enjoying it, like me! Fufufu! Hahaha! Is that so? Not completely convinced, the follower continues to run side by side with the Leader. As they continue running, the ground trembles. Then, a gigantic figure appears from the ground, devouring one of their support monsters whole, before diving again into the ground, as if it were a fish jumping out of the water to eat an insignificant insect. Finally, the vibrations start to fade away, signifying the monster is no longer chasing after them. Hahaha! How many does this make!? I believe its the third one already. Fufufu! Hahaha! Do you see this, Al? Dont you enjoy the thrill too? I dont know, Leader I still feel like giving despair is better than receiving it. How can you still Aaaaagh! The Leader forces himself to calm down after an angry cry to relieve tension. He punches a wall - quite a lot of times - before continuing. I must admit I really didnt expect to suffer so much before being able to face Mad Rat directly. First the falling trap and now the two Tunnel Mimics with changed behaviors Who could have guessed it was so easy to turn them into big predators by just changing their AI! Hahaha! He always manages to teach us new things! ... Al, the human follower, stares at the Leader without saying anything. He must be thinking about something the other just said. After a while of doing nothing, he asks another question. Bro why did you have to sacrifice Gery to one of the Tunnel Mimics when they first attacked? Now we not only lost Bil but also Gery and we lost Gerys map can we still make it both of us, alone? Oh, come on, dont be a crybaby! And it was Gery himself who volunteered! Now, thanks to him, we only need to worry about one of those worms instead of two! Because he must have killed it from the inside! Hahaha! And he must be safe! Lost and alone, somewhere, in this extremely dangerous place But ALIVE! Its an honor for every one of us to serve a greater purpose! Im sure hes proud of it! Hahaha! But you clearly pushed him in front of the worm to save yourself! That was an emergency measure, you fool! We already agreed on it before the match! Just go and ask him! Hahaha! If this werent a game, the Leader would be sweating buckets right now. Up to the point that a poodle would soon form under his feet. Luckily, this is a game, and we dont have to see that disgusting scene. Al then moves a step away from the Leader, a mix of fear and anxiousness on his face. T-then a-are you g-going to sacrifice me n-next? I-i dont want t-t-to end inside a w-worm Nah, dont worry. You fool As if I would leave our secret weapon to die by himself! Im the only one who can properly guide you, so Ill never leave you behind. Ill take care of you, dont worry! Hahaha! You promise me? Yeah, I do! Then the Leader adds, in a whisper so that Al, whos right next to him, doesnt hear. ...I wouldnt hesitate at all to use Bil or Gery as a sacrifice again The tremors have completely disappeared by now. This means the Tunnel Mimic is too far away, and not only they cant sense it anymore, but its also true the other way around. Its the perfect moment to continue moving. Lets stop wasting time and continue! Mad Rat, you managed to divide us and teach us theres always a higher realm, to never conform to what we already know! Now, its time for us to show You what we have prepared! Fufufu! Hahaha! But bro, we first need to find him. Shut up! Dont make me look bad! And I told you to not interrupt me in the middle of laughing! ...Im sorry But dont leave me alone, ok? Yeah, dont worry The Leader rolls his eyes for the umpteenth time. If not because of Al being the best player in the Mad Rats Cult, he would have never brought him to this match.
What do I do now? Im alone I just emerged from the Tunnel Mimic, but I dont know where I am right now. A while ago, Bil got separated from our group because of the falling collapsing cave trap or should I say we got separated from him? If were the ones who fell into the trap, we should be the ones getting separated, but because our group is bigger than Bil, whos alone, then it should be him who got separated Which one is the good way to put it? And now I got separated too Should I say I got separated from the main team, or that I got separated from the already split team? Ou my head hurts when it comes to things like this I grab my head in pain. I managed to kill the Tunnel Mimic that ate me, attacking it from inside. I have way higher stats because Im a high-level champion, theres no way I would be defeated there! This isnt the first time I got eaten. Its been already more than ten times, so I dont care at all anymore. Dont tell anyone, but I kind of find it funny Being dragged away to a random place when killing the worm, and not knowing where I am at all, or what dangers Ill find Its a secret pleasure of mine. But theres one weird thing in all this. I was running away from it when I was pulled in front of the worm. I shouldnt have been eaten by it, I wasnt the closest one Well, Im alone now and theres nothing I can do! Not that I care... Gerys solitary adventure begins now! Fufufu! Hahaha! I toss the map I was drawing to the floor and stomp on it. This shit if the Leader didnt tell me to draw it, I would never do it! Drawing maps is for the stupid or the scared ones! A true believer would never do it! Hahaha! I look around and assess the situation Im in. Hmm it looks the same as before: lots of tunnels with no mushrooms at all. If its like this, I dont know if Im close or far from the place the Tunnel Mimic ate me Well, theres nothing I can do about it at all. I choose a random tunnel and enter it. Im going to continue exploring alone. Fufufu! This reminds me of the best times inside The Mad Rats Lab! Not knowing anything at all, and being nervous about what Ill encounter Lets see, lets see Lets see what you have prepared for me, Mad Rat! Hahaha! Im looking forward to it! I rub my hands together in excitement. Lets see what I encounter and how much I suffer from it Fufufu! Hahaha!
A few viewers thought everything happening in this match was previously arranged by the participants because it was too good to be true, and everyone was doing whatever they wanted instead of focusing on the match. Everyone except for Ricard, Laura, and Clara, the unrelated players. Later on, when things started to get truly crazy, they understood it wasnt possible. Because nobody can feign emotions as well as the ones displayed by the players in this match.
Ch 71 - Please! Please, oh great Mad Rat! Ugh, huh its getting, better I slowly stand up. I almost finished recovering from the dizziness caused when moving during the Rat Transformation skill, but my legs still wobble as I put more weight on them. Now that Im not that sick, I remember this passage is supposed to connect directly to one of the dungeon portals, so it makes sense I found the sharkman here. Around me, theres nothing of relevance except for the sharkman and the few support mobs behind him. If only IT was here, I could quickly get rid of him, and there would be one less trouble to worry about Well, theres nothing I can do about it. Also, now that my head has cleared up and I can properly see the enemy up close, I see hes using a Wereshark as his champion. So he isnt from the Deep Seas faction but the Wild Ferals. In fact, now that I think about it I dont think there arent any shark humanoids in the Deep Seas faction My bad, hahaha! Hes looking at me, his eyebrows furrowed. Is that pity, or is it a worried gaze? Whatever it is, I dont like it! I must always look imposing! Intimidating! And cool! So forget about what you saw or Ill be forced to use drastic measures! As I think about what drastic measures I should implement, he talks to me. So, umm Mad Rat What do you want!? I snap back. Meanwhile, I prepare to fight against him. Were bound enemies, destined to face each other! Its been our unavoidable destiny since the moment this match started! And I dont want to be surprised with a sneak attack before I can react this time, the first strike is going to be mine! Mine, and only mine! Fufufu! Hahaha! He makes the first move, slightly lowering his harpoon and the rest of his body, getting ready to attack me. Hah! As if Im going to allow you to get close! Im going to cast a spell before you can reach me! Chain Light But I stop in the middle of casting the spell after seeing him drop to the ground. Umm are you dead? Did you self-destruct or something? Its something I could expect from those fanatics Please please! It looks like hes still alive, rubbing his head on the ground, his hands clasped as if praying, and murmuring something I cant understand. I decide to get closer to him. I know its a dangerous thing to do because hes a melee character and Im a spellcaster, but he doesnt seem to want to fight at all. This, and Im curious about what the hell is he doing. Please, oh great Mad Rat! Please teach me how to bring despair to the other players as well as you do! Ill do anything you ask! So please, teach this lowly me! W-what, is, t-this!? Andreu.exe has stopped working. Please wait while we reinitiate the OS Executing Andreu.exe Restarting the system My brain shuts down. This is happening more than usual lately There must be something wrong with my surroundings that keeps interfering with my brains normal performance. Lets hear what he is saying For some reason, I couldnt register his words and now I have to listen to him once again. Great Mad Rat! Please let me be your disciple! I want to learn all your tricks and be as amazing as you! Andreu.exe has stopp Noooo! Stop! I dont need another reset! He wants ME to teach HIM!? Teach him WHAT!? Im no teacher, you know? And I dont even know what Im doing most of the time How am I supposed to teach somebody to do what I do when I myself dont know what Im doing!? And after the many headaches your group gave me, do you really think Im going to help any of you in any way at all!? This is an absolutely impossible thing! Ill prefer to die than to be related to you guys in any way! You must be crazy! What am I saying they ARE crazy why did I doubt it? Of course, theres no way Im going to accept this I dont want to be related to them at all! Accepting this would be the worst decision in my whole life! Im about to say no to him, except with what could be defined as more intense words you know, something that includes both insults and mockery, while looking down on him at the same time Wait, Andreu! Youre in the middle of the match and you should be roleplaying as the Mad Rat! What would the real Mad Rat do in this situation? Of course, in this situation, the Mad Rat would laugh, and propose a stupid agreement from which only I benefit. Oh, yes, yes! I got a great idea! Its possible for me to take advantage of this! I can get the advantage in this match and almost secure our win if I do this right! Fufufu! Hahaha! Sure, lets make a deal! But if you want me to accept, I demand one teeny tiny thing from you in exchange! Anything you ask, oh great Mad Rat! As long as I can provide it, Im ready to do anything you ask! Is that so? I make an evil grin. The only thing I ask of you is your meager life! If you give me your soul in exchange, Ill teach you everything you need to know! Fufufu! Hahaha! How do you like it, huh!? Isnt this the same as a deal with the devil? I know Im not from the Wicked Legion faction, but do have part of a demon mixed to create my champion. I should be allowed to make devil pacts too, shouldnt I? Also, if I secure his collaboration here, I would have to worry about one enemy player less! No MP or HP lost in this fight! And our team will get the kill advantage! I can secure our win if he accepts the deal! I accept the deal, oh great Mad Rat! He prostrates on the ground another time, his head pressing the ground even harder than before. If this werent a game, there would be a hole in the ground by now. Oh, great Mad Rat! Thank you for accepting my lowly self as your disciple! Ummm should I call you teacher from now on? He didnt hesitate at all to betray his team and allow me to kill him! This match is turning crazier by the minute! Do as you please Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I turn around and start walking in the direction the other three fanatics should come from. Theres only one way up from the hole they fell into, so it should be easy to ambush them. I must find IT before they do, and then use IT against those fools. Hey, whats your name? Also why did you surrender to me? Shouldnt we be fighting each other until one is dead? Ill need new test subjects for my experiments now, so you better give me a proper reason for not using you as one! He scratches his head awkwardly at my question. Im Bil. You know I admire you a lot, and well, I dont care at all about the Leaders plans! I just want to learn from you and inflict as much despair on the players invading my dungeon too! Fufufu! Hahaha! What should I tell him? Should I tell the truth to him? That theres no secret at all behind my dungeon? Or should I play the fake sage and improvise something to teach him? I see I sagely nod. Of course, Ill go with the latter. Who do you think I am? Im the king of deception and lies! The Evil Mastermind! Or at least thats what the other players call me... As much as I dont like the other players to talk bullshit about me, and abhor this group of fanatics, theres no way I can miss this chance to show off! It fits my character so well that missing this chance would be like shooting myself in the foot. Before we start, I must know about yourself and your dungeon. I stroke my nonexistent beard as I speak. Ill first need to know at what level youre right now to know what I should teach you. And also, I need some time to prepare whatever Im going to teach you. Because, honestly, I have no idea. I understand, teacher! Bil proceeds to explain everything thats going on in his dungeon, and about his champion and faction too. I already knew about it, but hes from the Wild Ferals faction and hes using a Wereshark as a Champion. His dungeon is a mix of land and aquatic stuff. I feign to listen to him while thinking about other stuff. Im currently worried about two things: where the heck are the rest of the fanatics, and also where the heck is IT right now!? Its a shame I couldnt change its AI too much for this match it must be roaming around aimlessly who knows where it is right now? But I need to find it somehow ...And thats more or less all, teacher! I snap out of my thoughts and return to reality. So he finished with the explanation, huh? I slowly shake my head, making clicking noises with my tongue. *Sigh* We have so much to work on I pretend to know what Im talking about. You see, you did everything wrong from the start Eeeh!? Everything!? But I thought I was following you properly! Ill take this chance to fix his attitude toward me, and maybe, if Im lucky, the rest of those fanatics too. I dont want any copycats! Stop doing everything I do! The worst is when you copy my laughing pose! And thats exactly the problem! You were following me instead of thinking for yourself! Whaaaaaat!? Its as if the sky is falling upon us the end of the world, the apocalypse! At least, thats what his current expression looks like. Oh, come on! Dont tell me you didnt even understand this This is the basics of the basics! I dont even need to make it up! Even Ricard, the one obsessed with efficiency and other not-so-fun stuff has created his own character! Why did you think it was ok to just copy whatever I did!? The first thing you must do is stop thinking as a player and create your own character. This isnt a Champion, this is your Persona, ok!? ...what do you mean!? I mean you must start everything by thinking about what character you want to roleplay! Do you want a giant and sturdy warrior? A vicious and lethal assassin? A mad scientist, like me!? I notice my error and quickly add, to prevent future trouble. Forget about the last one because this is MY character and I wont help you anymore if you copy me, understood!? Y-yes, o-o great Mad Rat! Nice! It looks like my intimidation worked! All is according to plan, the plan to stop people from imitating me I just devised. D-does this mean I must learn how to play as a wereshark? No, it isnt like this How can I explain something so simple? Sometimes, the simplest things are the hardest to explain It isnt a Wereshark, but YOUR Wereshark. For example, a mighty wereshark pirate, the terror of the seas! Or the king of the waves, who can create storms and tsunamis at will! You can also use any other unit like the sturdiest werebear: the unmovable mountain that can stand up to any attack without dying! Heck! It doesnt have to be from your own faction, you can pick from any other faction too! Then, if I do this, I can bring despair to the other players too? No, this is only the beginning The tip of the iceberg! Your character is only the central piece, it isnt enough by itself. Then, you must build your dungeon theme around the character you choose. Oooh! Like the mad scientist you have and the crazy laboratory and monsters! Exactly! Hes listening to me as if I was the greatest teacher of all time! What a shame I made it all up on the spot! Hahaha! The first step to bringing despair to the invaders is to make them WANT to come to your dungeon. And the most effective way is to create a dungeon that follows an interesting theme, then, you add a few more stuff and voila! You have players that voluntarily come to your dungeon to feel despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ooooooooh! As we move forward, I continue to teach him the basics. I dont enter into detail, I just go over it so that it looks like I know a lot about this stuff when actually, I dont. ...for traps and monsters, you must think outside the box. While the classics can be reliable and strong, it isnt everything you can do. Plan for unexpected things! If you want to bring despair to the invaders, you must add unpredictable or dangerous stuff. But never both at the same time unless you know what youre doing! Remember you dont want to KILL the invaders, but instead make them CRY! Oh yeah! Lets keep this rolling! Lets spout some more bullshit! And never forget, true chaos needs a certain order! If theres only random stuff put together, it doesnt surprise anyone! For example, imagine a space where everythings mixed up, with lots of materials and random objects floating around. Something like the void? Hmm similar, but more like a sea of chaos, where everything gets deconstructed and turns into a jumbled mess. Aaaah, I can imagine it! Its incredible how gullible is he. Pffft! A sea of chaos where stuff disintegrates into random stuff!? I took that idea from my little sisters dungeon! Hahaha! In her dungeon, the stuff actually disintegrates into nothing, but theres no need for him to know. Nice! And then, in this chaotic sea of random stuff, you find a whole building, doing perfectly fine, on top of a chunk of terrain. Wouldnt it make you feel like theres more chaos precisely BECAUSE theres the whole floating building, compared to just random fragments everywhere? Thats true in a place where everything is chaotic, I would never expect to find something like an intact building Wait a moment isnt this what you do in your dungeon!? Aha! Thats what you must apply in your dungeon! In the chaotic sea that its your dungeon, dont put only random stuff to torment your players! Add also normal stuff! Youll be surprised how off-putting it can be when they find something normal! They usually turn more paranoid, and end up doing stupid stuff, or lower their guard and get caught in the next dangerous situation! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ooooooh! Bils eyes sparkle at my teachings. I must confess I dont know what Im saying anymore. Im just spouting whatever comes to me, decorating it with more bullshit and lengthy explanations. Like a politician. Im surprised Bil actually understands what I say whats more, he seems to not only understand what I say but also correlate it to my dungeon. Instead of mellowing, what happens when you get closer to someone, his initial submissive attitude has turned into reverence. Hmm Am I really that great of a teacher? Whatever! Im going to continue with the teachings! Now that Ive started, I cant stop myself anymore! Tremble upon my words! Accept your own ignorance and let me teach you how to do the good stuff! Fufufu! Hahaha! ...and so I think I was in the middle of something important What was it again? It bugs me for a moment, but I quickly refocus on my teaching session, also called: spouting whatever comes to my mind as if I was revealing the ultimate truth
Not long after the tournament, a new series of videos called The Dark Teachings was created. Contrary to what youre thinking, it was Andreu who created them. He knew the fanatics wouldnt miss this chance, so before they created something dangerous that gave him a whole new wave of headaches, he took the initiative and used the new videos to further increase his growing fame. This new series soared in popularity and left both previous series - the Its Alive! Its Alive! and the Mad Rats Eccentricities - in the dust. The first two were oriented to a certain public, and not everyone enjoyed watching them, but this one there wasnt a single DMA player who didnt want to improve their dungeon, or who wanted to miss the chance to learn from the highly acclaimed Evil Mastermind. The era of piratery, I mean the era of player misery had just started! What he didnt know at that time was that a certain group of people would turn these videos into their future holy scriptures. Holy scriptures that werent holy, nor scriptures Not that they cared about it.
Ch 72 - Entangled The whirlwind express is about to run out of fuel when they reach a new dungeon area. The path theyre on continues, but right next to it, theres what looks like an underground lake. Quick! Jump into the water! Into the water? Why? Just do it! Fast! Waaaait! Im not ready! After seeing the lake, Ricard orders everyone to quickly jump into it. Moving in front, hes the first one to make the jump. Laura first questions his decision, but at his insistence, she shrugs her shoulders and jumps into the lake after him. Clara isnt as lucky and is forcibly pulled by Ricard into the lake. She was being dragged all the time by him, shouting and doing nothing Distracted, she doesnt have time to prepare and soon finds herself underwater. Oh, man. It was very close If not for the lake, we would die very soon. What do you mean, Baldy? I was out of MP, so I couldnt keep using Whirlwind. Also just look around. The water stops them from harming us. Oh, I see Laura looks around for the first time since they jumped into the lake. Similar to before, Plump Drops keep falling from the ceiling. But they slow down when they fall into the water and dont deal any damage to Ricard or the others anymore. The speed reduction is enough to prevent the Trample skill from activating. How many of them there are in this dungeon? We killed so many, but their numbers dont seem to fall at all! Im not sure if I want to know Ricard swipes his imaginary sweat from his forehead before continuing. It was so close when you proposed your crazy idea I didnt expect there would be no end to them! I expected to leave their area in less than ten seconds, but we spent fifteen seconds and now I have no MP at all Well, at least, we didnt die Yeah, if I knew there were so many of them, I wouldnt have said anything Maybe it was better to go back, after all. As Ricard and Laura talk about the almost failure of a plan, Clara is entertaining herself by catching the poor tiny Plump Drops with her tentacles and squishing them as if they were plushies. Hehehe! It was fun! And now, we can take a photo to celebrate! Theyre sooo cute! Hehehe! Of course, the poor critters cant survive after touching her for more than two seconds, as the Decaying Touch skill activates and kills them. But theres no end to their numbers as they continue to pour into the water she only needs to catch some more of those unlucky fellows to continue playing. Its a renewable resource, she doesnt need to worry about running out of Plump Drops. At least, it is renewable for as long as they continue to drop from the ceiling. Ricard moves his body and stretches after using Whirlwind for so long. He had to run as fast as possible and steer the Whirlwinds direction as best as he could at the same time, which exhausted him both mentally and physically as physically exhausted as you can get in a game. It feels good to control my champion properly again I never tried it before, but running and at the same time using Whirlwind is quite bad. Laura looks one last time at the ceiling, from which Plump Drops continue to fall. Since that place where they first appeared, the whole dungeon has been full of holes for them to jump from. Maybe the whole dungeon is designed with them in mind? But then why is there a lake here? If the enemy team wanted to rely on them and went as far as creating hundreds of them why put something that completely shuts them down? Somethings wrong there must be something in this lake Says Laura, but none of the other two react to her words. Ricard is busy stretching, and Clara is too focused on her cute little playmates. I dont believe theres a safe area in the dungeon, so something dangerous must be awaiting us in this lake not like we can go outside again for as long as those guys keep falling on top of us Ironically, we might be able to do something if Mad Rat was here with us. With a bit of luck, he could spread the lightning to all the monsters on the ceiling, waiting to drop on us when their turn comes Laura keeps talking to herself. Meanwhile, Ricard feels a tug on his waist, the same place Clara was grabbing with her tentacles during the whirlwind express. Lemon, stop pulling! Why are you still grabbing me? Huh? Grabbing you? But I already released you long ago. Astonished, she turns her head to look at Ricard at the same time Ricard notices something weird. All her tentacles are busy grabbing those Plump Drops, some of them are still struggling to get free, and some of them are already dead but theres clearly not a single one of her tentacles getting anywhere close to him. How weird then why do I feel like youre still grabbing me ugh! uaaaaaaaah! Ricard is pulled away from the other two by something invisible. It looks like the tentacle he was feeling wasnt an illusion after all. And it wasnt because of Clara either. Uaaaaah! W-whats this!? Surprised at whats happening, Laura and Clara can only gawk at Ricard getting further away. I knew it! There was something dangerous here! Laura is excited at her correct prediction. If only she could discover the danger before that whatever-it-is dragged Ricard away Oh, shit! We must go and try to save him! Clara just shrugs her shoulders and says. Poor Baldy, well miss him Should we continue our exploration? Lemon, it isnt time for jokes now! Lets chase after him! Sir, yes sir! She prepares to follow Lauras order and takes a swimming pose. Laura briefly looks back at Clara and notices the other girl is about to do something stupid. Release those monsters! Do you think its normal to bring corpses with you!? Especially in a situation like this!? But I want to keep them as souvenirs! Release them I said! *Sigh* Ok What a shame Go free, you little guys. Lets play again some other time! Reluctantly, Clara finally lets go of all the poor little guys and follows Laura, chasing after Ricard and whatever is dragging him away.
After a while of chasing after Ricard, Laura and Clara cant see him anymore. But he left a bubble trail, making it very easy for them to follow after him. Come on, Lemon. We must move faster! But were already going as fast as we can! Clara says the truth: they cant swim any faster. After all, all terrestrial units are slowed down when inside the water. Its clear that whatever is dragging Ricard away is an aquatic unit because its moving about twice as fast as them. But were going to be split like this we were supposed to stay together Laura grumbles as she bites her lips. Then, she stops moving. Huh? This is? What are you doing now, Lily? You were asking me to move faster, but then you suddenly stop are we stopping the chase and going our way? I think we can make it with the two of us alone. Chasing after him is a waste of time because we cant move as fast as whatever is dragging him Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Laura starts struggling against something, but Clara cant see anything at all, only a slight disturbance in the water surrounding Laura. Please, Lemon, tell me youre grabbing me with your tentacles because you want to stop chasing after Baldy. Tell me this is a prank She turns to look at her tentacled friend. There isnt a single one of her tentacles close to her position. Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I grab you? Its always you who looks for any excuse to fondle me and not the other way U-uaaaaah! Before Clara can finish her sentence, Lauras cry interrupts her. At the same time, shes dragged away in a similar fashion to Ricard. She struggles against the invisible entity, leaving a bubble trail behind. But then, after a few meters, Laura remembers she has a way to get free from the others grasp. Of course, she can attack whatever is grabbing her, but this isnt the best solution. For example, it could be a very resilient enemy, or more than one. In either case, she will take too much time to get free, and she would be separated from Clara either way. It could also be something else, like a trap, and attacking it would only be a waste of time and energy. But this isnt what she wants to do. The idea she has is very simple and easy and is an easy and sure way to get free. The succubus activates the skill, vanishes from her place, and immediately appears right next to the other girl. Blink! Nice reaction there, Lily! With it, you can get rid of the tentacles! Hehehe! Fufu! Thanks! If its like this, its easy to avoid them! I only need to activate Blink to escape. Fufufu! She proudly puffs out her chest. Even if shes dragged away by some unknown entity, she only needs to use Blink to free herself. But soon, her expression changes once again as she feels those tentacles grabbing her yet again. Come on, not again! Uaaaah! Laura is pulled by the invisible tentacles once again, moving further away from her previous position, at a very fast speed, and leaving the trademark bubble trail. Lily! Use Blink! Blink! ...I cant! She shouts. Its on cooldown! Clara then shrugs her shoulders and says. Heh Well, theres nothing I can do about it. Ill miss you, Lily. Ill miss you, but only a very tiny little bit. Save me, Lemon! Im sorry, but I cant! I cant reach you, Im slower! So I wish you good luck to get rid of those invisible enemies! Shouts Clara in response. Now, there are two bubble trails in the area. One left behind by Ricard, and one by Laura. Clara first looks at where Ricard disappeared from, and then at Laura, whos getting dragged away. She manages to escape the invisible enemy by using Blink a second time, only to get grabbed once again shortly after. Now Im alone. What should I do? Hehehe! I can play with the Plump Drops again! She raises her head and watches the Plump Drops that continue to fall from the ceiling and into the lake. While chasing after Ricard, they had to sink further into the lake, but the ceiling is still visible from this distance. Shes about to swim in that direction, but she stops herself. No, Lemon, no! Stop fooling around! Youre the only one remaining and your brother is relying on you! She slaps herself twice with her tentacles. They make a disgusting *squish* sound when doing it. I must find and break the dungeon core! Its the perfect time to redeem myself from all my previous mistakes! Hehehehe She cant stop herself from laughing creepily, imagining something only she believes its possible. If Andreu was here, he would surely think If she had a mouth, Im sure she would be drooling right now. And then he would add And no, some of your previous mistakes were too big to forget. A slippery sensation around her waist snaps her out of her delusions. W-whats this!? She shouts, startled. But then she realizes whats happening and calms down until anger overwhelms all her other emotions. Y-you dare! You dare try to win against me in a tentacle battle!? I cant see how you look, but Im sure youre ugly! How dare you touch me with your ugly filthy tentacles! Her logic is clearly all over the place. Also, do you really expect to win a tentacle war against me? Against ME, the Queen of Tentacles and Cute Things!? With those disgusting tentacles!? Ill show you why they call me The Slippering Cute Nightmare! And then Ill find the core, break it, and my brother will praise me! Hehehe! Clara extends her tentacles and coils them around the invisible tentacles trying to get a hold of her. And the same does her assailant. She doesnt know how many enemies there are, or how powerful they are. But shes sure of one thing: she wont ever lose in a tentacle battle! Bring it on! Ill show you whos the Tentacle Master! And then, everyone will praise me as The Cutest and Bravest Wiggling Sister! And my brother will praise me too! Fuhehehehe! This was the first time the world saw the ire of the self-proclaimed queen of tentacles and cute things. The slippering cute nightmare. The tentacle master. The cutest and bravest wiggling sister. and a lot more nicknames that were to come. As the combat starts, the first thing Clara does is turn her head around to make sure shes fighting against an enemy unit and not some kind of trap. If its a monster, there must be an HP bar somewhere. She turns her head around, in a 180o turn, to see literally behind her back, as the rest of her body still looks forward. Even if this is inside a game, it isnt possible for players to rotate their heads to look behind: the game adheres to real-life standards because the DMA staff wants to deliver the most amazing experiences and make players feel like they are in an actual fantasy world. This is the reason neither Laura nor Ricard could be sure if they were attacked by a monster or a trap: they couldnt see any HP bar. But Claras champion is special in that its made only of tentacles, and doesnt really have a head, so she can turn her head at impossible degrees for a human. Hmm I dont see it Oh, there it is! The monsters HP bar appears as soon as the damage from her passive skill, Decaying Touch, activates. And even if she cant see the enemy, shes now sure its possible to defeat it and get free. Hah! Lets see how long you last! Now that you dared to grab me, the Amazing Grasping Terror, Ill have to show you what a real tentacle monster is! Hehehe! She cant see the enemy at all, but she can feel it with her tentacles. She intertwines her tentacles with her assailant and grabs them in return. Now, its impossible for any of them to get free unless both release their victims at the same time. The monster drags Clara away as she leaves a bubble trail, the same as with the other two. But shes dragged very slowly in comparison to the other two, because shes also grabbing the enemy and trying to move in the opposite direction, difficulting each others movements and their speeds canceling each other. Poisonous Touch! After using the skill, Claras tentacles are covered in a greenish substance. Draining Touch! Green light comes out from the tentacles grabbing the monster and runs through her tentacles until it reaches her body, where they disappear. Immediately after, her HP bar gets replenished. Hehehe! Did you think you could win this!? In comparison, the invisible enemy is doing a lot worse. His HP is decreasing very fast, and its taking more and more damage as Claras skills stack. Soon, the monsters HP reaches zero and it dies. The corpse, still invisible, releases Claras champion and slowly sinks. This was easy! She raises her tentacle arms up in a victory pose, happy it was so easy. But at the same time, shes annoyed because a weak enemy like that dared to start a tentacle battle against her. When she tries to bring the arms back, she feels more invisible tentacles grabbing them. So there are more of you! Come! Ill reign supreme! Nobody can defeat me in a tentacle war! Ill win and my brother will praise me! Hehehe! Like this, the tentacle war continues until she is the last one standing. She might not be the best in most situations, and can usually only focus on one thing: getting her brothers attention. But theres one thing those tentacle monsters didnt take into account: getting into direct contact with Claras champion for an extended period of time is the same as asking for death. Ho? There are no enemies anymore? Having killed all the tentacle monsters, she looks around one last time. There are no more HP bars, so that should be all of them. Yeeey! The Master of Continuous Damage wins again! Im sure hell pat my head a lot after this He, hehe, hehehe! Clara dances to celebrate her victory, wildly swinging the tentacles around as she spins. What should I do now? I dont think theres any way I can catch up with the other two She spent too much time fighting with the invisible monsters and the bubble trails left by Ricard and Laura when they were dragged away are no longer visible. Well, theres nothing I can do about it! She shrugs her shoulders. Its time for me to show my true value! All responsibility falls upon me! Hehehe! If Andreu was here right now, he would suffer another headache. Though not as strong as those caused by the Mad Rats Cult. Ill save the day! I can do it! She pumps up her tentacle-fist to motivate herself. Ill reach the core alone, break it, and well win thanks to me! And then my brother will pat my head for a whole day! Hehehe! But first She turns her head up. Then, she starts to swim upwards and extends her tentacles Theres no need to tell you what shes going to do next, is there? Im sure you already know.
To ensure the viewers could enjoy everything during the tournament matches, the DMA staff activated a special filter to show everything that was invisible or couldnt be seen by the players. Units using the Invisibility spell, camouflaged units, transformed mimics, and water elementals submerged in the water were a few of the affected units. Thanks to the filter, all the viewers could properly see what was dragging Ricard and Laura away, as well as enjoy Claras fight: the most disturbingly fascinating fight that happened in the DMA tournament including both the first and second matches. A nightmare for some viewers, an amazing dream for others.
Ch 73 - In the belly of the beast Lemon, you idiot! You didnt even try to save me! Still getting dragged away, Laura shouts. Shes very angry at Clara, who didnt do anything to save her from the invisible tentacles instead of helping her, she just shrugged her shoulders and turned her head away. Dont think Ill ever forget it! Of course, she doesnt mean it, but she still says it because its better for both the roleplay and the audience. She tried to escape a few more times with Blink but got caught again every time she tried. If only she could see her aggressor, she could teleport away and attack it with everything she got... But its very hard to wield the whip while getting dragged away, and even harder to do so against an enemy thats behind her back. Furthermore, she has little MP because most of it was used to heal herself or the other two when they were running inside Ricards Whirlwind. The monster drags her to the bottom of the lake. There are spiky and irregular rocks everywhere, but no sign of life at all. Its a very desolate scenery. The monster slows down when they get close to what looks like a small mountain and drags Laura toward it. Why is there a mountain at the bottom of the lake? Its very easy to differentiate it from the rest of the lakes bottom because, contrary to everything else, the mountain is completely smooth. This, and its rounded. Lauras blood freezes at what happens next. On one side of the mountain, right next to her, the rock splits and a gigantic eye stares at her. Then the mountain trembles and a part of it starts to move. Its similar to a landslide, but instead of being affected by gravity, the mountain slides upwards, and a gigantic cavern appears. After the tremors stop, the invisible monster resumes his movement and drags Laura to the newly opened hole. No, please! Anything else, but not inside a monster! She struggles once again and even uses Blink in a last struggle to avoid being eaten, but the monster catches her one last time and drags her inside the mountains mouth. Are you stupid? If you drag me inside, both of us will be eaten! I-I promise you, if you release me now, Ill show you something good, ok!? She shudders imagining herself having to pleasure a tentacle monster, but is still better than being eaten alive. Again. She had enough the first time it happened in the match against Andreu, and she also had to bear with it when the Hunter slimes targeted her. She got enough of being eaten alive for the rest of her life. Of course, the monster ignores her and enters the dark hole. Aaaaagh! I hate this! Why did it have to happen to me again! She says her last words before the gigantic mouth closes, eating her and the invisible monster. Only darkness remains.
Im still alive? In the pitch-dark space, big enough for her to extend her arms and touch nothing, the only thing Laura can see is her status. and the matchs timer. So she takes a quick look and sees shes taking constant damage. Great, Im being digested. She says in a sarcastic tone. At least its a very little amount of damage. I can stay alive for a while like this The only good thing about this situation is that the invisible enemy that dragged her isnt grabbing her anymore. She doesnt know if its because it died, because it fulfilled its job and is now idle or if it was a skill from the gigantic monster that ate her, and has disappeared now. She doesnt care either way. Its also good that she cant feel the meaty walls, because she would feel sick otherwise. Now what? If it werent for Mad Rat waiting for us to crush the core, I would surrender right now. I abhor this! She stops to think for a moment. This place gives her goosebumps. She can try to kill the monster from the inside, but is this feasible? A monster as big as this one must have a huge amount of HP. As she stops complaining about her situation, she notices theres a clanking noise coming from inside the monster. The same noise thats produced when something metallic strikes a rock, the sound of mining. Whats this? A miner, inside the monster? Curious, she decides to follow the noise. Not that she has anything better to do in her current situation. *Clank! Clank!* The noises get louder and louder. Theres still no light at all, so she cant see anything, and following the sound is hard in this enclosed and dark space, but she does her best. She slowly advances with her arms extended until she touches something unexpected. Uaaah! Hyaaaaa! The sudden scream scares Laura and she screams too. After a moment of fumbling around, entangled with some other creature, and screaming all the time, she manages to stand up. W-what? Are you a player? Of course I am! Do you think a monster can talk like me? And you are? This voice and this stupidly annoying way of talking is it you, Baldy? Yes, its me! Hahaha! And youre Lily? Yes Ashamed at her screams not too long ago, she doesnt want to be recognized at all if possible. But it will be worse if she doesnt say it and they end up fighting, so she decides to identify herself and accept the shame. Ricards manly pride, being shattered because of his girly screams? He never had something like that from the start, so why should anybody care? Lily, welcome to the belly of the beast! Ugh dont remind me, please! But why are you so enthusiastic about it!? I absolutely HATE this! Oh, come on, it isnt that bad What were you doing before I, um found you? She doesnt want to talk about the screams or the tumbling around session. Ricard notices it and decides to follow her and never mention it in front of the others. Especially in front of Andreu. Not because of shame, but because of how Laura would react if Andreu knew about her actions because of him. She likes Andreu, and the tumbling could be considered an intimate situation. After all, there were places that were touched that shouldnt be touched. Maybe if he told Andreu, he would get himself killed not only in the game, but in real life a drastic act from a woman in love. And similar to what happened before with Clara, he wont remind Laura that Andreu can watch the replay at any time Just in case. I was doing some mining! Mining!? Yeah, I call it mining because of how sturdy this guy is. So it was you attacking the monster with the sword? Were you dragged inside this monster too? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Yes and yes. Well then, Ill continue with what I was doing. *Clank! Clank!* Soon, the clanking sounds fill the space once again. Hey, Baldy, why are you doing this? And, more importantly, why does it sound like rock!? Arent we inside the monster? It should be flesh! Naaah, I inspected it long ago and found out something very interesting. Remember the Tunnel Mimics inside Mad Rats dungeon? Well, imagine something a lot bigger, and specialized to stall time instead of killing invaders and you got this big guy. He continues attacking the monster and making clanking noises as he talks. I didnt see it properly before being eaten, so Im not sure about the second unit used, but the first one Im almost sure its some kind of earth elemental. Im sure you know, but theyre stupidly sturdy when staying still thanks to their innate skill. Theyre the best units if you want to block the enemies and stall for time And this guy doesnt move at all, so the passive skill is activated all the time.
Earth Elemental (Innate passive skill)
While not moving, reduce all damage dealt and received by 50%.
The problem is this guys high HP and defenses! And because it doesnt move at all, the damage I deal is negligible. See for yourself and inspect this monster: Ive been attacking it for more than a minute and he still has around 90% HP! Laura looks around in anguish. Although theres no light at all and she cant see anything, nothing prevents her from trying it. She doesnt like the idea of being inside a monster and continues to look for an exit. Um arent you worried about dying? Dying? Oh, you mean the acid damage from being digested? Dont worry, I heal faster by attacking it than the damage I take from the acid. The Earth Elemental innate skill is a double edge one: we deal almost no damage, but we also receive close to none from it. Try it, Im sure you can stay alive too with your Guilty Pleasure skill. Thats true I-i think I must do it too She reluctantly rises her whip and attacks the monster with it. She really doesnt like the idea of attacking the monster from the inside. What if it suddenly releases something disgusting on top of her? Like blood, or flesh chunks The monster is supposed to be made out of stone, but who knows what can happen. *Swish! Plash!* Hey! Dont hit me, hit the monster! ...Im sorry, I cant see shit. *Swish! Plash!* I told you to attack the monster and not me! *Plash!* Youre doing it on purpose, arent you!? ....maybe? Like this, the long and arduous task of slowly whittling at the gigantic monsters HP proceeds without trouble. Well, without much trouble. Auch! Another time!? Now youll see Hey! Why did you hit me? You cant miss with the sword, Im not close enough! Aaah, sorry. It slipped away from my hand At this rate, its going to take a lot of time. Longer than when Ricard was alone.
Meanwhile, in another match Arthur, help! Help! Its an emergency! If we dont do anything, were going to lose! A well-dressed knight bursts through the door, surprising the man inside. Both the man originally occupying the door and the one who just entered have sturdy and tall builds and handsome appearances. They also wear the most famous knight armor and capes from a certain historical period. The stone room is decorated with tapestries and a golden chandelier hanging over the table, the most important piece of furniture in this room. Several chairs are next to the table, with a standard right behind each one. The room is made out of polished stone and is illuminated by several torches. This is, clearly, a room from some medieval castle, probably the most important room in it. Arthur, sitting in one of the chairs surrounding a circular table, raises his head and stares daggers at the newcomer. On top of the table, right at the center, theres the dungeon core. He must be in charge of protecting it. Calm down, Lancelot! Were the Knights of the Round Table, we must stay calm and maintain decorum at all times! Did you forget about it already!? Arthur pauses for a moment and looks behind the newcomer. It looks like Lancelot, whos currently nervously looking at him, came alone. So, why did you burst inside like this? Finally being allowed to talk, Lancelot explains the situation theyre in. Its an emergency! The enemy managed to destroy the outer walls, crossed the city, and is now inside the castle! Theyre advancing very fast and killing everything in their path! WHAT!? And thats not all, Sir! The defense systems are down, and most of our defense units have already fallen! Why did you take so long to come and tell me!? And what about Morgana and Mordred? If were in this situation, why didnt you call them back!? I called them back, but the enemy somehow predicted what we were doing and they got ambushed inside our own castle! Im sure theyre dead by now Its as if the enemy knew the layout better than we do! And that player its a monster! I couldnt come back because I was chased all the time, and almost died a few times. Arthur cant believe what hes hearing. They might not be the best team around, but theyre good enough to hold their ground. At least, they should be. If so how can they lose like this against another team that should have a similar skill level as they do? Sound the alarm! Ill go with you and try to stop them before its too late! I just hope Morgana and Mordred managed to get deep into their dungeon before retreating because otherwise were done for. At Arthurs order, Lancelot shyly rises his hand. Um sir What!? We cant sound the alarm. The first thing the enemy team did was block the way there How can this be!? Arthur wipes his nonexistent sweat. Have they lost already? It certainly doesnt look good. Even if everythings lost, were proud knights! And as knights, well face our enemies with everything we have! Lets go, Lancelot! This might be our last battle! Yes, Sir! Arthur unsheathes his sword and readies himself for combat before leaving the room, followed by Lancelot. They run through the castle passages, illuminated by torches on both sides. Where are they right now? The last time I saw the enemy, they were assaulting the castle gates. But Im not sure where theyll be right now Then lets go there first, and decide what to do depending on what we see. The two knights run in the castle gates direction. On the way, they dont see anything unusual, which is weird unless the enemy didnt come this way. Because there should be one or two corpses somewhere if they did. It looks like the enemies didnt pass through this place. Maybe theyre still struggling near the castles gates? ...I dont think so, Sir. Huh, why? Because well, youll see it soon. Lancelot shudders as he continues talking. That monster of a player was there theres no way our defense units could have stopped her for a long time. Monster of a player? Yeah, it was as if she knew everything that was going on! I fought against her with the support of ten knights and we barely managed to touch her! It was as if she knew every attack before we made it, and parried or avoided all of them! Then why didnt you use the mage squad? Even if she can predict the attacks and avoid or parry them, she cant avoid wide-area ones! And I did order them to attack, but But what!? ...but they were already dead! They were the first units targeted during the fight, I didnt even see their assassins attack them! Fuck! Arthur knows a knight shouldnt swear. But its very hard to stop himself when the enemy not only predicted everything but also has a veteran player in their team, one who actually knows how to fight unlike most players who just randomly swing their weapons around. Arthur and Lancelot finally reach the castles gates. And any hope they had to turn around this situation, vanishes as soon as they see the scene right before their eyes. First of all, there are the corpses of their own units strewn all around the floor. Counting their numbers, they realize almost all units assigned to the castle are now laying there, as corpses. There are a few from the enemy team too, but theres no comparison between their numbers. But what makes Lancelot tremble in terror and drop to the ground on his knees is the player standing in the middle of the battlefield. Shes standing there as if nothing happened at all, with her eyes closed, and resting her bodys weight on her unsheathed longsword. ...i-its her! S-sir, its her! The monstrous player! So thats the player you were talking about The woman hears the other two talk and slowly opens her bright golden eyes. She looks at the two knights in disdain. Hoh? So youre finally here? I was tired of waiting, you know? She yawns. You see I had some fun time with your two friends before Lets see if you can entertain me as much they did. Lancelot trembles uncontrollably when she looks at him. Lancelot, stand up. Arthur raises his sword, ready for combat. I now understand what you meant we havent clashed yet but theres a special aura around her, something only the best players have. Before we fight, can I know your name, lady? Hoh, a true knight! She analyzes Arthur with her eyes. Sure, my names Makarel. And yours? Arthur. Like the legends, huh? Then, is that sword Excalibur? This one? Its a shame, but no. She grins at his answer. Not like there would be any difference Well, lets start then. She raises her sword up and then slowly lowers it again. Following her swords trajectory, a powerful light is released, quickly reaching the two knights. They try to avoid the attack, but it follows their movements. Its as if she predicted how, and when, they would try to avoid the attack.
This was the end of the second round match of the Knights of the Round Table team. They got unlucky because they had to face the audiences favorite team, the one expected to win this tournament: the Dragon Knights. As expected, they lost the match.
Ch 74 - All went according to plan Right now, Im walking through the dungeon with my newest (and only) disciple, Bil. Teacher, can you give me a nice idea for my dungeon? Hmm well, it depends on what you want to do I stroke my nonexistent beard yet one more time. Its a shame I dont have one, because it would be so good for this situation ...have you decided on what will be your character? Your persona? Not yet Bil looks down in shame. Ill need some more time to think about it Then, anything I tell you is a waste of time Why are you so dumb? *Sigh!* Not everything must be good stuff. I also need to insult my disciple from time to time Of course, its to avoid his idiotic and crazy ideas from coming out! Did you think I enjoy insulting people just because I can!? ok, ok you got me. Maybe I do, but only a tiny bit. Agh! Dont judge me with those accusing eyes! I enjoy it a lot! I confessed, so stop looking at me as if I were trash! ...but I do have a few ideas Oh, and I would like to keep using the Wereshark as my champion. I like how it looks! Is that so? I think a bit about his faction, the Wild Ferals. I know quite a lot about them because it was one of the two factions I was considering other than the Flesh Monstrosities. The Wild Ferals is a very versatile faction with lots of ways to surprise the enemies invading the dungeon. Having monsters that can literally turn into exact copies of critters, as well as the critters they can turn into, allows for some wild and dangerous combos. If you do it right, the invaders will never know if the animal they have in front of them is a critter or a transformed werebeast. Regardless of how good the faction is, as I said before, the first step is to decide on his character. Until he does, theres no need to waste time explaining stuff to him. But Im not sure about it, I dont know how to create an underwater dungeon If you play as the Wild Ferals, I wouldnt create an underwater dungeon. The thing is that playing as a wereshark without water would be very lame Hahaha. I chuckle at the image of a wereshark swimming in a desert. As stupid as it sounds, its actually possible to create for me if I mix a wereshark with another unit that can tunnel through the ground but it isnt important right now. The faction shines because of the numerous units, including aerial, land, and aquatic units. Limiting yourself to a single type of terrain would be a shame If I were you, I would think of something in the middle. Something with lots of water, abundant land for your other units, and open space for the flying ones. It would be a waste to miss the amazing units you can use and only stick with the few aquatic ones, adding only the hybrid ones like the werecrocodiles. Then I make half the dungeon underwater, and I put the rest of the units in the other half? No! Never! Are you stupid!? Well, he must be if he believes every stupid thing I say. Do you really think this is a good idea!? How dumb can you be!? Again, I need to insult him, so that he learns properly. And it doesnt have anything to do with me enjoying it, I swear. If you divide your dungeon into two halves, it would be the same as having two different dungeons! How lame is that!? Every invader will feel like youre lazy, or stupid! You dont want that, so you want it to be mixed, with both of them next to each other! Something like like a swamp, or an island, a river, a lake Maybe even something crazier like giant trees growing from the ocean and with giant lotus leaves as the ground for the land units You know, the normal stuff. Ooooooh! His face illuminates once again at my words. Hehe! Arent I a great teacher!? I pause for a moment before continuing. Then, I change the way I speak to the one used to explain the greatest secret in the world and signal him to get closer. I wont lie to you: a hybrid dungeon can be the most challenging to design. Not because its more difficult to plan or more expensive than the others, but because of how players react when they have to face both aquatic, land, and flying enemies at the same time. Its incredibly difficult to balance everything properly so that there isnt a single strategy thats strictly better than the others Once again, I stroke my nonexistent beard as I talk. This is growing upon me. If only I actually had one, my teacher image would raise to the next level. Im now tempted to add a dwarf as the next unit I fuse with my champion when I unlock the next upgrade, just so that I can have an amazing beard and stroke it as much as I want. It would be amazing! Hahaha! Not that Im going to fuse with a dwarf, or with any other unit, only to look cooler or to better fit the old and sage teacher stereotype Do you think Im crazy? The crazy guy is the one right next to me. ...but this isnt a thing youre going to worry much about because Having a hybrid dungeon is actually one of the easiest ways to make the invaders cry! Fufufu! Hahaha! Because they cant be good at both underwater and land at the same time? Well, theres also that But I was thinking about those amazing ambushes you can create! The unexpected transformations in the middle of a battle! The reinforcements that can come literally from anywhere! Being assaulted by water units, but not being able to chase after them because they move faster, and the land units will take this chance to recover! Fufufu! Hahaha! I see And then Ill be the king of despair! And the others will have to do what I say! Hahaha! Ok his reaction is worrying. Maybe I should stop teaching him, and avoid future trouble Naaaah, what could go wrong with a group of deranged people that worship the despair given by my dungeon? Everythings going to be fine, so lets continue with the amazing and absolutely proven explanations also called spouting bullshit for those who actually know about it. Whats more! Given your faction, the invaders wont be able to relax, because any animal they see might be a normal animal or a camouflaged werebeast! If you do it properly, they wont know until its too late! Its something I would definitely do if I had chosen the Wild Ferals faction. Regardless of my chosen champion, I would exploit everything in the factions arsenal. And this means lots of surprises and ambushes! This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Players complain about the ambushes in my dungeon, but its nothing, less than a speck of dust, compared to what you can do with the Wild Ferals. In fact, in my dungeon, the ambushes are only there to add variety. It isnt the focus at all, so it isnt a surprise theres this much of a difference. He then proceeds to ask a lot more questions, and I try to answer them the best I can. Of course, while feigning I know what Im talking about. Oh, and I dont forget to insult him from time to time so that his ego doesnt grow too much. We continue to walk and talk like this until And this is why Hahaha! Finally found You again, Mad Rat! Now, its our time to show You despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! Al, prepare for battle! Ooooh, shit! I was so absorbed in the teacher roleplay that I forgot we were in the middle of the match You must understand my position too, freely talking with the enemy makes one lower their guard. Who wouldnt when they treat you like a VIP? Ok this is an excuse, but it isnt completely false. Oh! Y-you and you are? Did we meet before? I make a surprised expression at the Leader. When in case of doubt, you feign ignorance. Im now playing the Who are you? card. Dont talk bullshit like this, Mad Rat! Theres no way you can forget about this match! No, well its true Im saying stupid stuff and trying to win time to assess the situation. But its also true I forgot about everything about the match for a while. Focus, Andreu, focus! Lets make a quick recap. Are there crazy guys in your dungeon, trying to destroy the core? Well, Im not sure about the trying to destroy the core part, because who knows what their true purpose is, but they sure are crazy. Check. Did you lose track of the time and the situation and now are fucked up? Mostly yes, though I wont admit it in front of anyone. Check. Is this situation dangerous? There are two crazy guys in front of me, with several support mobs, and another guy who calls himself my disciple with some more monsters right behind me. So Im not only surrounded, but surrounded by crazy guys, making this situation completely unpredictable. Check. Something else you must take into account? Something else, something else Oh, yeah! Theres this crazy swarm of electric flying piranhas from which I can only run away. They must be roaming through the dungeon at this time, and who knows where they are right now. Check. Wait, wheres the fourth guy? I could swear there were four of them at the start Ok, lets add an extra point to the list. Do you know the whereabouts of all the enemy players? Nope, I dont. And it worries me. No check. Do you have a way to get out of this? Fuck this! Why was I making the list again!? To get depressed!? Why isnt there a single good thing on the list!? I return to the situation at hand after making the useless list. It only served to make me more anxious and desperate. First of all lets feign Im fighting against Bil before he says something stupid. Theres no way to deceive the viewers, as theyve seen everything until now But I hope I can fool the Leader and the other guy into believing Im surrounded and take this chance to escape. Hey, is that you, Leader? Bil asks a question to the deranged Leader. I must start my act before is too late. Oh, no! I got surrounded by enemies! What am I going to do now!? Im screwed! I shout. Objectively speaking, this might be one of the worst performances ever. But they arent all there in their heads, so they might believe it. Is that you, Bil? The Leader looks behind me, in the direction of my stupid disciple. What are you doing, Bil!? Stop saluting like a fool and act as if you were fighting me! We got you surrounded! It looks like he believed my performance. Hahaha, fool. Its finally time for us to show You, oh great Mad Rat, what we learned from Your teachings! What teachings!? I dont remember teaching you anything! Maybe to Bil, if you can consider that as teaching anything at all, but definitely not you! He continues with his monologue. As fate called, the time has finally come, brothers! Because as His teachings say, All shall despair! Including him! Fufufu! Hahaha! Again, what teachings are you talking about!? All shall despair! Repeat Bil and the other guy next to the Leader. Did he call him Al? I dont care. Hey Bil, what are you doing!? Didnt you turn into my disciple now!? Why are you still in that damn sect!? I suppose this is what you should expect from deranged guys Anyway, lets try to fool the Leader again. I adopt a fighting pose and prepare for combat. Oh, no! After fighting against this guy that was chasing me for so long, Im out of MP and cant do anything! What am I going to do now!? As I say it, I point at Bil. He stares at me with a void expression. Why are you spacing out now!? Say something! This wont do I tell him through hand gestures to feign to fight against me. First, he only tilts his head. I can almost see a question mark appearing on top of his head. But then he makes an Oh, I understand! face and drops to the floor, kneeling in front of me. Nooooo, you fool! Im obviously telling you to fight against me! To be exact, to only do as if we were fighting so I can run away when the fight starts! Meanwhile, the Leader and the other guy are just looking at me with sparkling eyes. I have a bad feeling about it Hoh! Is that a surrender dance? We might need to practice those moves in the future, for our sacred dancing rituals Is this what you think about this situation!? Didnt you feel anything suspicious about your companion kneeling in front of me when were supposed to be fighting right now!? You know what Screw this! I dont care anymore! Ill just run away like the rat I am one more time. It happens as I prepare to run away. Through the tunnel Im supposed to use, the one where Bil is kneeling, I hear a thundering roar growing in volume. Its an unmistakable sound because I was forced to run from it not too long ago Im talking about the Spark Swarm. How did they catch up so fast!? Was it out of luck, or can they somehow track my movements? Im momentarily stunned by the situation. Why am I so unlucky!? Now I cant run away because I have the Leader on one side and the Spark Swarm coming from the other! Bill, you ask? Whos that? Hahaha, I was joking. Hes my disciple now, so he wont attack me. At least he wont unless he wants to break our agreement. It looks like the Spark Swarm is coming, chasing after You! Oh, how great is this situation! I shudder in excitement! Fufufu! Hahaha! As I said before, stop imitating my laughing pose already! Its copyrighted, you know!? And its disgusting to see others imitate what I do! Especially when they are crazy like you! Brothers! Well now witness the time when we can show the great Mad Rat, the Evil Mastermind, what we learned! Lets enjoy this moment and engrave it in our souls! It all went according to our magnificent plan to show the world what true despair is! The prophecy will be fulfilled! Fufufu! Hahaha! What prophecy!? And what plan!? It was all coincidence and you know it, so stop spouting bullshit like I was doing a while ago! Im the only one present whos allowed to use that tactic! But then I look at him and, listening to him as he continues to talk about prophecies and repeat All shall despair, I smirk. Yeah, I SMIRK. When he notices Im smirking he involuntarily shudders. I cant be sure if its because of excitement or fear, but I dont care. I smirk, because I finally found IT. I found the monster Id been looking for all this time. The Tunnels Nightmare is coming from behind the Leader and the other guy. As the Leader just said, everything went according to the plan. My nonexistent plan. Now everythings going to be ok. For me, I mean. *Fiiu!* I exhale. Looks like Im saved.
This day was the birth of the self-proclaimed first apostle. One of the stronger players in the Mad Rats Cult - stronger as in having one of the most dangerous dungeons - as well as the only direct disciple of the Mad Rat. Although they werent Andreus disciples, from this day until DMA closed the games servers, the strongest players in the cult were called apostles too. And although the Leader maintained his position, from now on, he would need to ask the apostles for their opinions. Andreu didnt know yet, but this whole apostle thing would only give him many more headaches in the future than he expected. He decided to play teacher, so he would have to face the consequences.
Ch 75 - The waves of change Im going to use the oldest distraction tactic ever. Hey, whats that!? I shout, pointing behind the Leader and his follower. And they actually turn their heads in that direction! Fufufu! Hahaha! Its already too late for them now! As I like to say, sometimes, relying on the classics is the best thing you can do. What am I pointing at? Its The Tunnels Nightmare, who I finally found, and thats currently sneaking behind them. Hmmm should I say it found me instead, instead of me finding it? Well, who cares Whats important right now is that they already turned to look at The Tunnels Nightmare and are now affected by its innate skill. They cant look away anymore for the next few seconds, and after that, they might be affected by fear and will be forced to run away from this place. Hahaha! See you later! If you survive this, that is! Fufufu! Hahaha! I take this chance to run away from the incoming Spark Swarm, moving behind The Tunnels Nightmare and hiding after the next tunnels turn. The Leader and the other player try to stop me, but they dont manage to do it because they cant take their eyes off my amazing creation. I only take some damage from random attacks. About 30% of my HP? Thats all they manage to do as I break through their ranks. It is a decent amount of damage, but its nothing compared to the certain death situation I was in a short time before The Tunnels Nightmare showed up. Bro, I think we fell for Mad Rats trap again at this rate, we might never reach our objective Shut up, I already know! I shudder in excitement at whats to come: a direct assault from our revered Mad Rat! but its a shame our plans were destroyed like this Teacher, what should I do now? Please tell me! Oh, yes. I almost forgot about him I think theres only one thing I can tell him right now. Dont worry! Just make sure to fulfill our deal and find a way to kill yourself! Ill talk to you later, after the match! maybe, if I feel like it. Though I dont say this last part aloud. Ok, Ill do it! See, he can be a good student when he wants to. The only big issue is his stupidity, but if you take this and his craziness out, hes a docile student: very easy to manipulate into doing my bidding! Hahaha! Bil! How do you dare to talk with the great Mad Rat without showing respect!? Youll have to repent for your blasphemy once we finish this match! Oh, come on, Leader. Im already tired of it, please spare me the hassle. In a sullen voice, Bill replies to the Leaders words. Something tells me I shouldnt say anything to interrupt their conversation. Call it instinct, sixth sense, situation awareness But its telling me this isnt the time to intervene if I want to keep my sanity. Its also telling me I dont want to know what that punishment is. But theres one thing that bugs me. Why is the Leader more worried about Bil talking to me as if we were friends, instead of the order I gave him to kill himself? No, wait. What am I doing questioning their behavior? Theyre fanatics, so whatever they do shouldnt surprise me anymore Anyway, a few seconds pass and the Spark Swarm is finally here! It appears from behind Bil and continues to move forward in my direction. Oooh, shit! Do they really have a way to track me!? Those fucking electric flying piranhas have a tracking skill!? At the same time, The Tunnels Nightmare skill, Your Worst Nightmare is about to finish, so it readies his only AoE skill: Alphas Howl. I changed its AI to release it just before the time when enemies are forced to look at it is about to end. To maximize its efficiency to affect more targets. The only exception is if the enemies try to run away. But they are only staying there, doing nothing except arguing among themselves. Normal players would use the numerical advantage they currently have to try to kill it before the fear effect starts. After all, the skill only forces you to look at it, it doesnt prevent you from moving or attacking - you still need to care where you step to avoid traps and the like. But you cant really expect ordinary actions from those guys. I put my hands on my ears right before The Tunnels Nightmare releases its howl. Its kind of annoying if you arent prepared because of how loud it is. The noise is so loud, it can almost be seen with the naked eye. Im a decent distance away, but it still hurts my ears. It doesnt help the fact the sound echoes in the narrow tunnel and it sounds louder than it actually is. Right when the howl ends and I can hear again, the situation devolves into a chaotic mess. There are quite a lot of players and mobs there, and almost all of them start to run away in fear at the same time Can you imagine about twenty monsters and players running randomly at the same time while inside a narrow tunnel? I can sum it up in one word: chaos. Im not sure which enemies are affected by Alphas Howl fear and which ones are affected by its Terrifying Presence passive, and its not like I care at all, but All the enemies are running randomly through the narrow tunnel. They run into the walls, crash into each other, and there are some unlucky enemies who fall into the crevices, to the floor below. Ironically, it looks like the only one who isnt affected by fear is the Leader. Meanwhile, The Tunnels Nightmare is having fun chasing the enemies and inflicting as much damage as possible. It attacks the enemies with its extended limbs and shoots sticky acid from time to time, covering the enemies with it and making them take continuous damage for an extended period of time. Oh, yeah! Regarding the Spark Swarm they died after the fear was applied. All of them at the same time. The fun fact is I gave The Tunnels Nightmare a skill that inflicts damage to all enemies affected by fear, Paranoia, - Im sure you remember about it - and the Alphas Howl skill inflicts guaranteed fear against weaker enemies. It also has an area wide enough to hit all of them at the same time. If you take into account those piranhas were critters, which are the weakest units in the game, you can understand they went poof the moment the fear status effect was applied. Hahaha! How do you like it? I crushed your secret weapon, the Spark Swarm, in a single moment! Did you really think I was afraid of your tactics? Its impossible! Now Ill go relax a little bit and enjoy your suffering! See you again if you survive, that is! Fufufu! Hahaha! Its time to run away again. Ill use this chaos as cover. There are a few reasons, like the fact that The Tunnels Nightmare isnt strong enough to kill them all, or that some enemies are running in my direction right now; but the most important is this one: its impossible for me to control the situation because all enemies are running randomly. I better go to the second defense point to stop them all, and nobody can sneak into the core room. Though first, Ill cast one Chain Lightning to inflict as much damage as possible and to add even more chaos to this situation. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Soon after, a few smoking and charred corpses appear in the tunnel. They look as usual, but who cares? Ill say theyre smoking and charred corpses because they died thanks to my Chain Lightning and the damage from the fear status. Ok, Im out of here now! Hope you enjoy your nightmare! Hahaha! Teacher! Why is it chasing after me!? Please save me! I hear Bils screams, getting further away as I run in the opposite direction. Of course, hes considered an enemy, so hes affected by all the traps and all our monsters attack him on sight. Hes also under the fear effect right now and chased by The Tunnels Nightmare. Oooh, come on! Didnt we agree you would kill yourself!? Then dont complain if youre chased by The Tunnels Nightmare and accept death! I ignore Bils screams. Im (not) sorry about it, but theres nothing I can do at all about it anyway. Hahaha! Usually, The Tunnels Nightmare would be fighting those who arent running away, but I changed its AI to do the opposite: chase and finish off those who are affected by fear. Otherwise, The Tunnels Nightmare would leave the enemies free to roam the dungeon and just scatter them but not finish them off. We dont want this for a tournament match, so I changed its behavior. I like this monster so much. In my dungeon, its the most feared monster of them all, and not precisely because its scary except for the Boss, the Minitaur Queen. But that one always stays in the same room, so it isnt as troublesome as The Tunnels Nightmare. I chuckle every time I remember that time one invader ran into the Tunnel Mimic while feared and got themself eaten and then killed, without being able to do anything at all about it. I hope it takes very long for them to regroup after this. Or that they dont regroup at all itll make the rest of the match much easier if they dont. Now that I think about it wheres the fourth and last fanatic? I havent seen him since the time I activated the trap in the first room
Haaaa This was very bad and good at the same time Exhausted, the Leader complains. Its been five minutes since they met Mad Rat and they scattered through the dungeon because of the fear status. Luckily, he wasnt affected and could run after Al, so they managed to stay together. Most of their support mobs are still lost somewhere. Bil included. They dont expect to find them anymore, nor do they want to spend time looking for them. Though they did find one very special unit they prepared for this match, one theyll need if they want to use their secret weapon properly. They dont know it, but The Tunnels Nightmare is now dead. After Bils efforts to stay alive when being chased by it - defying Mad Rats order to kill himself, although he died anyway - and the closeby mobs that recovered from the fear and jumped on it as soon as the fear effect ended, The Tunnels Nightmare received enough damage and was defeated. They wont have to fight against it anymore. Bro Snif! You really protected me! Im so moved! Al is crying, moved because the Leader protected him during the chaos, and didnt leave him alone as he promised. Though there are no tears because this is a game. Of course! I already told you I would protect you! Hahaha! But then, he mutters to himself. ...because I need you for our plan, that is. Huh, did you say anything, Bro? No, no. I didnt. Hahaha The Leader laughs awkwardly as he scratches his head. I was just talking to myself, dont worry about it. Um, ok! Al nods with enthusiasm. Well then, Al. This time for sure, were going to execute our plan! Its a shame the Spark Swarm was killed like this Dont worry, Bro! Ill do it! Yes, I believe in you. Fufufu! Hahaha! ...Bro, why do you keep laughing like this? Dont you get tired of it? I already told you this is His laughing pose! The perfect way to show our belief and also a very good way to taunt our opponents Why do you keep asking the same questions all the time!? ...sorry Like this, the madman duo continues the dungeon invasion with the only and sole purpose to inflict despair upon Mad Rat.
Oooh, how comfy it is to sit like this and do nothing Haha. I chuckle at my words. Right now I''m sitting on a comfy chair while waiting for the enemy team to show up. In front of me, theres a series of buttons, all with their own number. I call this: the Control Panel. Theyre those classic red buttons that call to you, saying Please, press me!. But at the same time, you know you shouldnt press them because theres the Dont press it! sign right on top though the message only increases your desire to press it. So yes, theres a whole bunch of those buttons right in front of me. Can you guess what they are for? Im sure you already suspect it, but Ill give you another clue: theres also a wide window that displays the next defense area we prepared. There are three paths at different heights, all of them clearly visible from my current position. The three paths are full of traps, and the buttons are, as you already expected by now, to manually activate them. This is the best way to use traps because they can be activated only when they can deal the most damage, but it needs somebody to activate them and normal monsters are too stupid to time them properly. But Im not a stupid monster, so itll work. From here, I too am visible to the enemies, but what are they going to do? Attack me in a ranged battle? Im the king of ranged battles, and I can hide behind the wall and continue to press the buttons even if they manage to overwhelm me. From here, I can rule the whole area! Hahaha! In fact, Ive already used these traps before, when one of the enemy players came inside a while ago. He was alone, and I didnt recognize him but Im sure he was the fourth fanatic from the enemy team, the one who fell into the first trap and somehow got separated from the Leader before I met them. Theres no other option, so it was him for sure. Its also the first time Ive been disgusted so much by my own actions. To the point that if this wasnt an important match, I swear I would have immediately surrendered. It was so bad I hated myself every time I pressed one of the buttons to activate a trap. Every, single, fucking, time, I activated a trap, that guy shuddered in excitement. He even moaned sometimes! Not in the classical Hit me more way, but in the Ah! Only you can give me so much despair, please continue!. The worst was he kept calling my name again and again and stealing glances at me before turning his head away in shame. Everything in me hurt: my eyes, my ears, my head, even my fingers every time I pressed a button! And he didnt even try to avoid the traps! He walked slowly and allowed everything to hit him! As I said before, I would have surrendered just to avoid giving him pleasure, but Ricard and the others would have killed me if I did and we lost because of it, so I decided to suffer the disgust and finally managed to kill him. I even added a few Cold Blasts to help him die as fast as possible, but regretted doing it after his reaction to my direct attacks The only good thing is that he finally died and I can now relax. And recover from my emotional wounds. Now I only have to wait for the others to appear while I relax, sitting in this comfy chair Oh, here they are! Hahaha! Right at the entrance of this area, something moves. I can see both the Leader and that other player whos always following him, accompanied by a few support mobs. There are less than half the original amount, adding those who were following Bil to their numbers. Hmm did they manage to stay together even after everything that happened with The Tunnels Nightmare? If so, theyre very lucky. But your luck ends now! The Leader points at me before saying something I cant hear because of the distance, and he starts to laugh maniacally, copying me again. At the same time, I start to laugh and talk alone. Right now, were both doing the same laughing pose. But mine is clearly better. More polished, cooler, and with more style. Im the original, after all. Fufufu! Hahaha! Prepare to suffer my ire! I need to punish somebody and relieve the stress caused by your annoying friend! I say as I put my finger right on top of one button, ready to press it when the enemies walk under the first trap, when ...Is that so? But I think youre the one in danger, Mad Rat. Theres somebody right behind me!? When did he get here!? I slowly turn around to look behind me, and I see somebody I didnt expect at all. H-how did you get here? I turn to look back at the Leader, just in case, but what I see is completely impossible. But youre also there, right next to your Leader! How can there be two of you at the same time!?
If most of what happened up to this point was giving me nothing else but headaches, the only single thing that didnt was also the most surprising one. Because, while inside the craziness, this was the only normal thing the enemy team did so far. Still, I couldnt understand how could there be two champions of the same player at the same time. I must admit, they did manage to bring me despair with this.
Ch 76 - A timely comeback H-how did you get here!? I ask once again. But the enemy player just shrugs his shoulders and doesnt answer my question. Hah, you dont need to know. Because youll die soon! At the same time, he jumps at me and swings a pair of daggers. I try to defend with my staff, randomly swinging it around, but he avoids it and hits me. Then, Lightning Shield activates and he takes some damage, its a very little amount, but everything counts. Im unlucky the special stun doesnt trigger, so he keeps attacking me in melee as I try to avoid his strikes. Fuck this! I cant defend myself, and he avoids most of my staff attacks! Why is he so good!? Oh, yes! Startled because there are two of them and because he appeared right behind me, I forgot Im actually a spellcaster Why am I trying to fight against an enemy in melee!? Am I stupid or what!? Chain Lightning! I cast Chain Lightning. I know it isnt the best spell against a single target, but I need to kill him before its too late But when I try to release it, nothing happens. W-what!? I shout. Then, I look at my status screen and see Im still at full MP. Hmmm whats this icon here? Wait, Im inside a silence field!? Did this guy create a silence field to prevent me from using skills!? So now, only passive and triggered skills should work Im screwed Oh, no, wait, Andreu! Dont throw the towel yet! If its the skill Im thinking about, it also prevents him from using other skills, so he can only hit me with melee attacks right now! And that skill consumes a lot of MP each second, so he cant maintain it for long I just need to survive long enough! The problem is: HOW!? How can I survive in this situation? I look around. Theres nothing I can use here only the buttons to activate the traps, and theres obviously no trap in this room. Both for safety purposes and to save cp. The only other thing in the room is the passage to get here, but I dont think I can run away from him and showing my back to a melee fighter that might be faster than me is asking for death. Meanwhile, he continues to attack me. I try to avoid his attacks but I mostly fail at it. Oh, yeah! I got an idea! I can jump through the window! I call it a window, but in fact, is just a big hole in the wall. I implemented it like this to be able to attack enemies from this place. If there was a glass pane in between, I wouldnt be able to do it at all. I can jump to the trapped area below and win as much time as possible like this! There are also a few automatic traps there, traps that dont need anyone pushing the buttons, and only I know where theyre placed! See you later! I say to the enemy player before jumping. I drop to the ground below, taking a little fall damage and immediately start to run. Why do I feel Ive been only running away all the time in this match!? I must be dreaming. Theres no way I, the greatest genius of all times - when it comes to random stuff - am losing so much in this match, forced to run away continuously Ah, no! I know! Its because theyre so crazy! That must be it! Im not running away because its dangerous, but because I dont want to stay close to them, just in case their madness sticks to me. As I try to delude myself, an explosion occurs in a close place. That was a trap? W-wait, theres no way, r-right!? I look at the Control Room, the room with the Control Panel, and see that player waving at me as he presses more random buttons, activating several more traps. He grins before pushing another of the buttons, and another trap springs to action. This doesnt look good I expected him to jump after me instead of staying there and randomly activating all the traps D-did I mess it up? Maybe I should have tried something else Good job, Al! Nows the time to finish our mission! Fufufu! Hahaha! The Leader takes this chance to rush in my direction. He and the support mobs jump from the higher path to the one Im currently in. Now that I look properly, the Al right next to the Leader doesnt have the Champions mark that appears on top of every player Its impossible for it to be a player. It must be some kind of mob, maybe a Doppelganger or something similar. though this doesnt explain how did the real Al manage to reach the Control Room. Aaagh! You managed to fool me! But dont think you got me yet! Hahaha! I find myself in a difficult situation: theres the Leader and some support mobs chasing me, and Al pressing buttons and randomly activating traps. Everywhere, explosions, fire bursts, acid buckets, pitfalls any kind of imaginable trap activates at random places. Sometimes I take damage, and sometimes the Leader or his mobs do; but most of the time they dont hurt anyone at all. The only saving grace is Al doesnt know where the traps are placed. If only I had planned to create a few rat-sized passages so I could run away using the RATT I really didnt expect to find myself in this situation. In theory, there was no need for me to be in this area, I should be overlooking everything from the Control Room. As I run, a snaring trap activates right below me and vines and roots quickly wrap my arms and legs, forcefully stopping me. Then, I have to stay put while the Leader and the other monsters catch up to me. Why did I put this trap here again!? An ensnaring trap doesnt deal damage at all, it only stops enemies from moving, so it makes no sense if I wanted to kill them! Oh, yeah it was to make fun of the enemies and have an easier time aiming my ranged attacks and spells... Well it backfired. Im completely screwed right now. The enemies surround me, and assail me from all directions at the same time. You got me, but Ill take as many of you as I can to the grave with me! Hahaha! As my HP gets lower, I spend all my MP in spells. The Chain Lightning spreads through the enemys ranks, and their HP bars take a huge hit, but it isnt enough with a single one. With the second, there are a few of them with less than a quarter HP, but still no stunned enemies. I could use Grand Finale right now to kill all the surrounding enemies, but its a useless thing to do. I dont know if some enemy would survive or not, and if they did, I would be killed anyway This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But whats more important is that Al isnt inside the skills range. After using the Grand Finale skill my stats would decrease so much, there wont be any way for me to escape from him. Im doomed anyway. So if I used Grand Finale here, I would reveal our teams secret weapon and achieve nothing at all. Better keep it a secret for the case that Ricard, Laura, and Clara manage to destroy the enemy core and win this game. T-this wont be my end! Remember my words! Ill return! And Ill be stronger than ever! Fufufu! Hahaha! As I laugh for the last time, I release the third and last Chain Lightning. This is my most epic and cool pose! Engrave it in your retinas so you never forget my valiant sacrifice! If Im going to die anyway, lets do it with style. Lets hope the other three can destroy the enemys core before they do and we win this match. Hope is the last thing you lose. Thats what they say. Fufufu! Hahaha! We did it! We achieved our objective! The prophecy has been fulfilled! In my phantasmal form, I can hear the crazy stuff the Leader keeps saying. In the tournament, when you die, the other players cant see you or communicate with you at all, but you can still see and hear everything. Usually, I wouldnt mind it at all, but right now can somebody shut him up, please? Or at least, let me leave the match and return to the waiting room so that I don''t have to listen to him anymore!? please?
Hehehe, Ill be the one to break the core Lalala! Hehehe... Switching between laughing and humming, Clara swims in the underground lake. Shes now close to the surface again, and the Plump Drops continue to fall into the water all around her though she doesnt take any damage because the water reduces their velocity. There truly seems to be no end to those falling monsters at all. From time to time, she grabs a few of the poor guys, switching them for the ones she grabbed before, who arent moving anymore those that died because they were touching her champion for too long. I really like their tiny trunks! They somewhat look like a less versatile and minuscule furry tentacle. Hehehe! She brings one of them right next to her face and squishes it a few times before the Decaying Touch skill activates and it dies to the damage. I really want a plushie that looks like them. But how can I find one? Hmmm She keeps talking to herself until something catches her attention. Further ahead, coming from outside the water, theres a bright purple light. When it touches the water, it refracts and imitates the typical sunlight rays, except they are purple. It could mean lots of different things, but in DMA this light usually means the dungeon core is close. Ah! The dungeon core! Yeees, I made it! She spins around in glee. She even forgets about the Plump Drops and even releases all of them. Hehehe! Well win thanks to me, and then Ill be praised! Hehehe! Clara speeds up and moves in the direction the light comes from, forgetting about everything else. She doesnt even notice that, as she reaches the surface of the lake, the number of Plum Drops falling on top of her decreases until they completely stop. For being so obsessed with them until a short while ago, she sure forgets about them pretty fast. Of course, its because her only and true obsession is more important: getting Andreus recognition. In fact, if she were to look upwards, she would see there are no holes in the ceiling anymore. Its impossible for more Plump Drops to drop on top of her. Furthermore, if she were to take a closer look, she would notice shes now swimming through a different cave, the entrance to it being underwater. Hehehe! But she can only think of one thing right now. ...Ill win this game! Hehehe! She brings her head out of the water and looks at whats ahead. As expected, theres the dungeon core a few meters away, emitting purple light and illuminating the whole area, and sitting on top of a crude stone altar. A gentle slope stretches from the shore and goes straight to it. Finally! The victory is mine! Come to me, little core! Your mama will hug you to death! Hehehe! Clara rushes to the dungeon core, trying to break it as soon as possible, even if its only a single second earlier. But in her rush, she forgets to look around yet another time and pain follows. *Fwooosh!* A few steps after leaving the shore, a gigantic burst of fire hits her, burning her intensely. Luckily she cant feel pain because this is a game, but the damage her champion takes is quite significant. Still, she just stops for an instant before continuing. A trap right before the core? Well, nothings going to stop me now! She resumes her unstoppable march. And again, she ignores everything around her and focuses only on the core. Which leads her to activate the next trap. Four metallic poles rise from the floor, surrounding her. Their tips emit bright bluish light and electric sparks. Then, the four release an electric arc against her, electrocuting her at the same time. *Bzzzt!* Luckily for her, the metallic poles dont do a lot of damage, but its a continuous effect and they can stun her with a certain chance, forcing her to stop for a short while. A-aah! I cant move, properly! But, I cant stop! Slowly, moving in bursts between the effects of the stuns, Clara pushes onwards. She ignores the trap and continues to move forward. If only she took the time to destroy the lightning rods she would move faster and take a lot less damage, but shes too obsessed with the dungeon core right now and forcefully moves forward, ignoring everything else. She finally gets out of the lightning range, but more traps await her. The classical pitfall, a quicksand trap, poison arrows but she ignores them all and continues her almost unstoppable march. Her eyes can only see one thing right now: the dungeon core. After the arduous journey, which could have been a lot easier if she looked around and broke or avoided the traps instead of ignoring them, she comes within five meters of the core. Im almost there! Yes! But then, as if to mock her one last time, the dungeon trembles, and rocks fall upon her. They fall in such a way they create a rock prison around her, with small gaps she can see from but that arent wide enough to move through. If fact, those arent normal rocks but the last trap. Similar to what Andreu did with his dungeon with the Falling Corpse trap, this isnt a lethal trap but just a trap to make the other players angry: something to hurt the enemys pride when they thought they already won. Aaagh! I cant reach the core from here! Why did they have to fall on me!? Most players would look for a way out of this trap after being trapped by it. In fact, its as simple as attacking the rocks a few times and they will break, releasing the player thats inside. But not Clara. Clara is too obsessed with the dungeon core, that''s just about arms reach. Its close enough to think you can reach it if you extend your arm through one of the holes, but just far enough to not allow you to do it. Just a little bit more! She extends her tentacles through a hole between the rocks, but she only manages to graze the dungeon core. She needs to grab it before she can break it. Its so close! Maybe if I do it like this She keeps trying to grab it, switching positions inside the rock trap. She tries and tries once again. Then, she tries to squeeze her body through the hole. Come on! From an outside point of view, the scene is quite perturbing. Imagine a bunch of tentacles coming from a dark hole from which nothing can be seen, repeatedly stretching and wildly swinging around before reaching out to a glowing purple crystal but never coming close enough to grab it. Clara changes positions one last time. Now, now Ill get it Y-yes! YES! I got it! Hehehe! She doesnt waste any more time before crushing the dungeon core. It breaks into fine dust that disperses through the air. The purple light disappears with the last remaining remnants. The rock prison vanishes too, liberating Clara once again, similar to what happens to every trap and monster in the dungeon. Immediately after, the game message announcing the end of the match appears in front of all players that participated in it. A thing most viewers couldnt understand is how could Clara keep her calm after activating so many traps. Most players would be very angry in her shoes. Maybe even to the point of blaming themselves for their stupidity. The reason is simple: she didnt even register them at all. To her, she was just reaching out to the dungeon core. Everything that happened in between was simply ignored because the goal was the only important thing. Hehehe! Now brother will praise me! And hell pat me too! Hehehe! This was the beginning of another session of an activity called pestering Andreu until he surrenders and does her bidding.
After this match, Clara finally won the long-awaited head pats, accompanied by the you did well praise she much wanted. Andreu did it in real life to avoid that disgusting and slimy texture her champion has, which he hated so much. In Andreus opinion, she really deserved it. After all, he was dead and the enemies could go and win the match at any moment they so desired though first, they would have to stop laughing like deranged maniacs and proclaiming to the world their beliefs. By the way, when the match ended, Laura and Ricard were still mining inside the giant monster.
Ch 77 - Third match, Start! Yesterday, I had to do whatever my little sister asked for. Yeah I HAD to. I didnt have the leisure to choose. Otherwise, she would ensure I couldnt sleep properly for the next few days, turning my dreams into nightmares and Im not talking about the game. I complained, but she still forced me into it. I couldnt refuse her because of the last match, where I died and she destroyed the enemy core alone. Its not that I didnt want to, after all, we won the game thanks to her. But I still complained, because wheres the fun otherwise? Also, when I dont complain about this kind of stuff, the situation quickly escalates and her requirements turn kind of dangerous. By the way, talking about dangerous stuff its kind of sinister and nightmarish the scene where she keeps pushing through all those traps singlemindedly, staring at the dungeon core all the time and repeating the words brother, destroy, and praise. I was scared shitless when watching it, imagining what would happen later to me. Luckily, the nightmares didnt come this time yet. Though I still tremble when I remember it Anyway! Now isnt the time to think about that. What I need to do now is recall everything that happened in our last match and try to find where the main problems lay, so that I can fix them. Of course, Im not going to do this alone everyone in our team has something he or she should improve for the next match. For example, Ricard and Laura fighting each other inside the gigantic monster, Clara ignoring everything around her to reach the core, or them not wanting to retreat when they were in a bad situation and tried to force their way through with an extremely dangerous tactic As you can see, THEY have a lot to think about and improve for our next match! Hahaha! Me? Nah, I did fine the only thing I need to think about and improve is my avoidance skills. The skills needed so that I NEVER encounter those fanatics again. I dont want to be in the same room as them in the future! Absolutely never! If have to put up with their antics one more time, I might as well kill myself! Ok, ok you got me I too have things to improve about the match. But I wont give up on the other stuff, and I wont tolerate anyone who says improving the dungeon is more important! After all, my own sanity is the most important! Aaaagh If only I could blacklist them, to never encounter them again Or banish them from my dungeon and the forums talking about me Or ban them from DMA, not allowing them to play the game ever again Or kill them all in real life Hey, hey, Andreu! Lets not go that far, should we? Theres no need to ruin your life for some crazy guys! Sometimes I lose myself in it and end up with weird and crazy ideas Hahaha I scratch my head awkwardly, trying to convince myself I was just joking. Im sure its because their craziness spread to me after so much time spent together Yeah, it must be it. Well, lets try to forget about it, and lets go I enter the room the DMA staff assigned to us for this tournament after calming myself down. Were now going to talk about the past match and prepare for the next. Of course, we could meet in real life, but its easier to talk and plan about the next match when you can actually touch and see what youre talking about, as well as readily have any stats or descriptions you need, provided by the game. Hello, Laura. It looks like the only one in the room is Laura. Hey there, Andreu. Isnt Clara with you? Shell enter the game soon. When we were about to connect, she said that she forgot to do something important and told me to come first. I see She signals me to sit in front of her before taking a seductive pose, pushing her breasts forward with her crossed arms. She licks her lips. Ricard will be late too, so it looks like we have some private time right now Fufufu! I gulp. Oh, boy. Arent you a little bit too much into the roleplay right now, Laura?
So, guys shall we talk about the next match? Asks Ricard. Ricard and Clara joined us in the DMAs tournament room after some time of being alone. We talked about some random stuff, but Ricard was getting anxious, his desire of wanting to explain some stuff about the game increasing as time passed. As expected, hes the one to change the topic. Well, were here for it, so lets do it! I say. Thisll be our third match. I know little about the enemy team because you offered to look at their playstyle and other stuff, Ricard. What I do know is that if we win this match, were going to face the Dragon Knights in the next one assuming they win too, of course. But given theyre everyones favorites Come on, Andreu! Stop getting depressed every time you think about the team your sister trained! Thanks to this great me and everything I investigated for the next match, we should have an easy time! And then, we can struggle as much as we can against the Dragon Knights team You know, Ricard... What you say kind of sounds like encouragement, but at the same time it doesnt. You said we can win if we try hard enough, just to continue saying that its a fruitless effort because well lose anyway! Mmmmgh if only Marta didnt train them! Im sure she did it after knowing we were participating in the tournament, just so that you dont play with me as much as youre doing now, Andreu! Shes jealous! Hmph! Oh, come on Clara I dont think so... In fact, I dont know. But I dont want to think badly of her. Until its confirmed, I want to at least doubt why she did it. Please stop with this, I dont want to talk about it again Lets focus on the match again, please. But its true! Shes shes evil! Laura tries to stop Clara from talking about it again, but she only manages to make Clara angrier. Its my turn to intervene now. Clara, stop with this. She pouts at my words and turns her head away. Thats so cute. So Ricard, what did you find? Please keep it to whats relevant. Nobody wants a two-hour-long explanation. Though I dont say this last part aloud. *Khmm!* Ricard loudly clears his throat before starting. First of all, Im sure you all know a little about our next enemies, right? He looks at every one of us in succession. Both I and Laura nod when he looks at us, but Clara She starts to fidget around and clearly avoids his gaze. When I too look at her, she starts to sweat as she continues to avert her eyes. Clara I call to her, forcing her to look at me. After an intense staring contest - if you can call it because Im sure her eyes are swimming around, though I cant see it because her champion doesnt have a face - she finally opens her mouth before admitting what I, and everybody else, already suspected. ...no. Well, dont worry, Ill just need to explain everything from the start, then. Oh, no! Please, Ricard! I beg you! I know we have time, but we also have lives! I dont want to spend all day talking about it! A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Unaware of my internal complaints, Ricard starts his explanation. If it shows on my face, he either doesnt notice or completely ignores it. I suspect its the former because hes too excited about this. But I cant discard the latter either he would do it even if he did notice. The next team were fighting against is called Battle Forgers. As you can imagine from their name, they are a group of players who like machines and weaponry a lot, and use it for most of what they do. Like golems and machines, you mean? Clara listens to Ricard properly and even asks a question. Is my little sister finally growing up? Yes. In fact, they have two players from the Magic Engineers and two from the Stone Lords factions. So two play golems and machines and the other two play dwarfs and their inventions. As Ricard continues his explanation, Clara mutters to herself. I can clearly hear her, but it looks like Ricard is too focused on his explanation to notice. Uuugh machines and golems arent cute Well, most of them arent maybe its possible to create tiny mice with trunks too? I was wrong. It doesnt look like she will grow any time soon Also focus, Clara! You shouldnt miss this explanation! If I have to listen to his rambling, you must listen too! In the previous matches, they used lots of different units, but about half of them were always dwarfs, and the other half were golems. If they dont change tactics, and given both their factions, we should expect lots of sturdy units that have high defenses and/or high HP. He continues, ignoring everything else. Im sure he would only stop if somebody asked him a question. And not because somebody interrupted him, but because it would be the perfect chance to start with a new explanation before resuming the previous one. I just hope nobody asks anything Also regarding their dungeon, they like to use small and compact ones. This way they can use the dwarfs and golems without worrying too much about their lack of speed, and it also helps with the immobile or absurdly slow traps, contraptions, and other machines they like to use. In fact, in the two matches until now, they kept all dungeon portals within five minutes of the dungeon core at maximum. Though this doesnt mean its easy to reach it What things do you think we need to look out for? What do you think is the most dangerous stuff for us? Laura, as our strategist, has to care about those things the most. Thats why she makes this question. But I want to complain. WHY did you ask a QUESTION during Ricards knowledge drilling session!? Dont you know this is asking for a slow and torturous death!? It looks like this is going to take quite a while... Well, nothing new here. Its like this every, single, fucking, time The most important is As usual, I would ask somebody to kill me right now - in the game, not in real life - if not because were in this special room the DMA staff created, and we cant die! Were invulnerable! Not even death can save my poor soul right now!
Im currently waiting for the match to start. The dungeon portal isnt working yet, as you would expect. Its interesting that it looks so different when activated compared to now. The stone arch that forms it looks dull, and instead of being able to see inside the enemy dungeon through it, theres a black rippling film that covers the whole area. Its very sinister. So sinister I feel as if I were going to be sucked into a black hole or something of the like. Out of curiosity, I tried to touch it and it doesnt actually do anything. When you touch the rippling black surface, it feels the same as concrete concrete thats constantly changing shapes and rippling as if it were liquid. Really weird, if you ask me. But this is a game, so the devs can do whatever they want. This time we have a well-thought-out plan. Unlike the first time, when we had no plan at all; or the last match, when everything we planned was useless because the enemy was so crazy. I turn to look behind me once again. Theres quite a lot of monsters here. This time were using a few traps and most of our forces consist of monsters. I know, I know it goes against my own style. But there was no other way around this time! We had no other choice than to do it because most traps arent very useful against resilient enemies Of course, Im talking about traps that deal damage. If this match was a normal PvP one, we could prepare other traps that worked against tank units, but those traps are mostly to stall for time, a useless tactic in the tournament. unless you dont care about winning as the All Shall Despair team did. Aahh, please Lets try to forget about them I got a headache just remembering what happened in the last match Returning to the topic, please The useful traps in the tournament are the damaging ones and the ones that disrupt and disperse the enemy. Dealing 30 damage to a unit that has 50 HP is quite a lot, and if theyre unlucky and activate a second one, theyre dead! Hahaha! In this way, you steadily reduce the number of invaders without risking your units, and then finish the work fighting directly against the few enemies remaining. The problem is that, even if both dwarves and golems are resilient units, they play very differently. Dwarves usually go in tightly-packed formations, so a trap that deals area damage can be devastating against them. But golems rely on stats and go generally alone, making high-damage traps very effective against them. See where Im going? The traps that work against dwarves do almost nothing against the golems and vice-versa. Golems take negligible damage from area traps, and traps that deal damage to a single target might kill a dwarf, but its like a drop in the ocean when there are a lot more right next to the one that died. So yes, we decided to avoid traps because we were not sure what units the enemy players are going to bring to this match. Instead, we have a healthy mix of monsters that can fight against any kind of enemy and are capable of adapting to the situation. They can adapt because we can give them orders, ok? Dont go thinking a miracle happened and theyre now actually intelligent As I was saying before, there are a lot of monsters behind me: the plan is to attack the enemy dungeon with numbers. There are a lot of stitched, zombies and skeletons, imps and hellspawns and a bunch of whatever-the-basic-abyss-unit-is-called too. Those are the bulk of our forces, but our true power is in the elite units. There are a few from both Ricards and Lauras factions, as well as my two Not A Rabbits. Both Ricard and Laura agreed to exploit the common weakness both dwarves and golems have: speed. In short, all our elite units are speedsters that can abuse their lack of movement speed, giving us an advantage in combat. Thats the plan we have. Well see if it actually works or not. The only fast units I have are the Not A Rabbits, so I could only bring two strong units to this match. But they are the fastest of all our units! Though I also bring the slowest ones, the stitched Im a man of extremes, hahaha! 6, 5, 4 Ups! I was so distracted I lost track of time! The match almost starts without me noticing! Hahaha! I look at Ricard, whos right next to me. In this match, were in charge of attacking the enemy dungeon while Laura and Clara will defend. Are you ready? The match is going to start soon. Ah? Oh, yes, I am! He asks me and I answer. Did he notice I was spaced out? Remember youre in charge of the mobile units, Mad Rat. And dont forget, Ill hold the line with our slow and resilient units as you charge from the sides. Im the anvil, and youre the hammer. Yes, yes. I already know How many times does he have to repeat the same thing? Doesnt he grow tired of it? 3, 2, 1, Battle Start! The portal turns on as the dark film turns transparent. The match has started! I take a quick look at the enemy dungeon and see is that a giant machine? It looks like its charging something. There are giant coils and they grow brighter as the seconds pass Oh, no! Fuck! RUN! From my side, Ricard shouts to the units behind us before looking at me. When he sees Im stunned and dont understand anything, he pulls me out of the way. Our monsters scatter in all directions at his order, like cockroaches. The amazing formations I spent so much time on, completely destroyed in an instant. Oh, what a shame! As Ricard continues to drag me away, I see light coming through the dungeon portal. Its so bright it looks like the sunlight coming through a window in a very dark room. From this angle, I cant see whats happening on the other side, but so much light is kind of ominous. Sure enough, about five seconds after the match started, a light beam comes through the portal. Everything, and let me be clear, EVERYTHING in the lights path vanishes instantly. Not only the monsters but also the decorations, which are supposed to be indestructible, disintegrate as soon as the light touches them. When the light beam finally disappears, only the monsters that managed to move aside on time survived. The elites are fine, because they were very fast from the start, but the rest, especially the stitched, didnt fare so well. Poor stitched They survived for what, maybe five seconds? Not all of them died, but still What the heck was that!? Why cant we have a normal start in any of our matches!?
Every faction has lots of options when it comes to building their dungeons, but there are some that are more difficult to predict than the others because they have more freedom. The thing is that, in PvP, its important to exploit what you know about your enemy and use that information to your advantage. Exploit your enemys weakness if you can, and protect yours. A difficult thing to do against the most versatile factions. Thats why, in my opinion, the worst factions you can play against, when it comes to predicting what the enemy player will bring to the match, are the Flesh Monstrosities and the Magic Engineers. Youll never know for sure what units will the former use, nor what machines will the latter one have. Though, luckily, there are very few players in the high rankings that play the Flesh Monstrosities, so we dont have to worry too much about them. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 78 - Before the machine cools down In front of me, the corpses of our (not) very cherished monsters are strewn throughout the room, forming a clear line. It looks as if a gigantic beam obliterated every unit that was in its path Oh, yeah thats what actually happened! Hahaha! I try to make a joke to avoid crying. Not literally, you know what I mean. From my side, Ricard sends a killing glare at me. Is it because of my comment? I was joking, Ricard. Joking! I signal him to calm down with my hand. It was a joke, dont take it too hard, ok? I know its just that all our plans have been destroyed in the first few seconds of the match well, lets see how much damage we took After saying this, he starts to reorganize our troops at the same time he counts how many deaths we had. Isnt it dangerous to go into the beams area of effect? Curious about the giant machine I saw before Ricard dragged me away, I steal a peak at the enemys dungeon through the portal. Hmm it doesnt look like the enemies are moving. It must be because of this long and straight path right before the giant machine. Yeah, Im sure of it. If they were on this path, they would be dead too, and killing your own units with your attacks isnt the smartest thing to do... Does this mean theyre hiding somewhere else? I look around, but I only see two similar paths right next to the one in front of me. Theyre elevated, but with a gentle slope that goes downwards. Now that I look at them, this path goes is also going upward. It isnt possible to move between the paths because the height difference is too big, which means the only way we can go is towards that giant machine, following the straight path Then, if the other two paths are the same Oh, now I understand! The giant machine is at the point where the three paths meet, so the dungeon is clearly designed with it in mind! Maybe they can aim it towards any of the three paths! I cant see it from here, but this must mean the other two portals are on the two side paths Hey, Baldy. I have both good news and bad news. ... He turns around to look at me but doesnt say anything. Hes making the worst expression Ive seen him make in quite a long time. An expression thats almost as grim as that time I literally ran away from him in the middle of one of his knowledge drilling sessions. It must be because we suffered too much from that light beam. Well, Ill say it anyway. The good news is that I dont think the giant machine is going to fire another beam anytime soon. ...yeah If its what I think it is, itll take about five minutes to fire the beam again. It doesnt take too much time to fire but it has a very long cooldown period *Sigh!* Then, what are the bad ones? Isnt it bad enough what already happened? He turns around and makes a hand gesture to indicate hes listening to me. Im sure he wants to continue what he was doing before I interrupted him. The bad news is that the enemy dungeon is designed with the machine that fired the beam in mind. Im sure the three portals can be controlled with it, with straight paths with nowhere to hide from its attack. ...is that so? Yeah, why not? They really got us with this But I also have some other good news! Hahaha! I pause for a moment, looking at his back. He doesnt react whatsoever. They designed the dungeon in this way so that we cant avoid the beams, but they cant hide from them either! We can use this to our advantage! Finally, he turns his head to look at me. Did he really think everything was lost because we took so much damage and the enemy didnt lose anything at all? Well, theres no way I can accept this situation! I must pay them back! You see, we already have the perfect measure against them! Thanks to our fast elite units, we can reach the machine before it can fire again! Sure, they can block us with their own units, but if they do so, theyll be in the beams area too! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ricards expression finally returns to normal, but hes still not convinced about my plan. But this isnt good either regardless of how many units we use, they only need to sacrifice a similar number no, an even smaller number of units to block us. So well only be losing anyway. I tsk at his words. *Tsk, tsk, tsk!* What are you talking about, Ricard!? How can they effectively stop us if were faster than them? Theyll need to use a lot more units to block us than you imagine. If they dont, well reach that giant machine and break it. Im sure its quite expensive, so if we destroy it, the balance will turn in our favor. And they cant afford it, so they have to spend more troops than we do. Hoh, I understand what you mean Also, theres something else Fufufu I turn around and look through the portal. Then, I rise my right hand and make a squeezing gesture with it, as if I was actually destroying the giant machine, thats pointing in this direction, from the distance. I have a very nasty plan in mind, you see if I can manage to lure at least one of their champions Fufufu! Hahaha! He waits for me to finish my evil laughter. Anyway, we cant waste time! First of all Baldy! How many losses did we take? If I didnt make a mistake, we lost 12 stitched, 5 imps, 2 hellspawns, 8 zombies, and 1 skeleton. I cant understand how did all of Lemons units manage to survive I see I nod at his words. If Im honest, I thought we would lose quite a bit more units. These numbers are within an acceptable range for it being such a strong and unexpected attack. Do you think its possible to defend the dungeon with the remaining ones if you exclude the elite units? Hmm maybe. As long as the enemy''s focus isnt on us, we should be able to do it. With the enemy focus, Im sure he means the other players. But if my plan works, we wont have to worry about them attacking our dungeon with all their forces. Its also important to take into account our dungeon isnt designed with that light beam in mind. What I mean is that as long as we dont stay near the portals, we can defend the dungeon properly because the beam doesnt penetrate through the dungeons walls. Nice! Then Ill take all the elite units with me. You go back and tell Lily to run to the third gate and chase after me as soon as possible. We only have until the machine is ready to fire the second shot for our plan to work! Ok. Good luck, Mad Rat! Thanks. But I dont need it! Hahaha! Of course, this is an in-character bragging. I do need luck because the plan will be wasted if no enemy champions come. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I need to make them think its indispensable for them to come and personally stop our assault for my plan to be completed. Of course, itll be ok if we can destroy the giant machine without much trouble, but the best is going to be if I can lure at least one enemy player. Then, Ill go. I say. Im leaving the defense to you and Lemon, ok? Yes, sure. Go and avenge our units! The time for me to behave and act like the leader Im supposed to be is here! After this, my nickname, Evil Mastermind, will fit me perfectly! Nobody would question its veracity! Fufufu! Hahaha! Oh, one last thing, Baldy! When you tell Lily to come, tell her I need her to use her Charming Eyes when I give her the signal. Its necessary to surprise the enemies with it for my plan to work, so I might not be able to tell her later. Its very important, so dont forget! I quickly leave the room, the elite units following after me. I lead them towards the third dungeon portal, which should lead to the passage on the right of the one where we were until now. Im not the fastest one here, but Im the only player, so all the monsters are following me. I feel important with so many strong units moving behind me. You wait and see! You sent us a gift at the start of the match. I really enjoyed it, but you know? Itll be a shame to have it all to ourselves! So Ill share the gift with you too, ok!? Fufufu! Hahaha! I laugh as I run. What I just said is for our audience to enjoy. One must keep acting every time they can to please them. Though I cant deny I enjoy acting like this too.
There was one enemy player, with his support units, invading through the portal I want to use. I didnt want to fight against him, so I had to wait for him to go further into our dungeon. He took his time, but he finally left the area and were now free to put our plan into action. Lets go, everyone! I motivate the monsters behind me. Of course, its a completely wasted effort, but its important for the roleplay. What were going to do now is very important! Were going to run through this path toward the giant machine and destroy it before the enemies can stop us! Hahaha! I make sure to shout as loudly as possible. Lets see if the enemies can hear me somehow Maybe, if the enemies hear it, itll help to make my plan work. As the slowpokes they are, theres no way they can stop us! Everyone, follow me! I run through the portal and enter the enemy dungeon. As I already expected, were now in the right elevated passage. From here I can see the central one, below us, from which we received the first attack; as well as the leftmost passage, which looks exactly the same as the one Im currently in, but mirrored. The monsters follow me, keeping up with my speed. As I said before, theyre as fast or faster than me, so it isnt a surprise. If we keep moving unimpeded like this, well reach the machine before its cooldown ends, so they must come to prevent it. Its fine if they dont come and we can destroy it, but if they do come, I want at least one enemy player to come too. Theres no way Laura can catch up with us at the speed were moving when she comes but I only requested her help assuming theyll come and force us to stop. If they dont come, it doesnt matter if she can catch up to us or not. I can see the polished stone bricks pass by at a very high speed. Its funny running as fast as you can in this game because you dont get tired. The only thing that happens when you run is that you use your EP. Theres no sign of the enemy yet Weve covered half the distance when I see enemy movement near the big machine. It looks like theyre coming! If we stay like this, were going to meet at the point where the three paths are very close to each other; which means the height difference between this passage and the middle one wont be too much. Oh, look at that! There are two players coming! It looks like they really dont want us to destroy the big machine! Hahaha! The two players are using a golem champion. Its difficult to know what stats or innate skills they have because of how the faction works, but one of them wields a giant mace and the other has parts that look like a rocket launcher So I can guess their roles. By the way, both of them are humanoid. Two-meter-tall humanoids. The game forces every player to use humanoid champions, after all. And they remind me of those mechs from anime and video games. I dont like mechs at all... As you can expect, I like biological sci-fi stuff over technological ones. Though it doesnt matter right now. Hey, look at this! A rat is trying to sneak into our dungeon and destroy the Big Gun! The guy using the ranged golem taunts me as we get close enough. Were now in range for our spells and ranged attacks to hit each other. I stop and wait for him to continue. Youre really fast, you know? We almost let you complete your job But now you cant do anything! You like to run, huh!? Then lets see how you run away from THIS! Hahaha! At the same time, he raises his two hands, and from each one, four missiles are launched and come in our direction. Yeah as he said, theres no way to outrun the missiles if they can track us. But this doesnt mean I plan on running away from them. Fufufu! I thought you were too scared to face us directly, but it seems I was wrong I lower my head as I apologize. But you came to play with us! Then, Ill show you how to properly play with your opponents! Chain Lightning! Hahaha! As the missiles come, my lightning strikes them down, exploding in mid-air, and we dont take any damage. The missiles arent counted as units, so the Shared Voltage skill doesnt activate. But the Chain Lighting does work. As long as less than ten of them come at the same time, ten is the maximum number of jumps of this skill after all, I wont allow a single missile to touch us. Now, its my turn to taunt them. Did you really think you could defeat me in a ranged battle!? And with multiple weak projectiles!? Youre too naive! Fufufu! Hahaha! But we dont only have ranged attacks you know!? Haaaaah! Come here you crazy rat! The melee golem launches itself at me. Are those rocket shoes? They look cool. As soon as he reaches me, he swings the oversized mace at me, but I manage to avoid it on time. It doesnt matter how big it is if it moves slowly, and the user doesnt know how to wield it properly. Not like I know how to use weapons, thats why I use spells, hahaha! You missed! Oooh, that one was very close! Hahaha! I keep laughing and taunting him. The battle now has turned into a huge melee between all our support mobs and theirs. Were slowly winning ground because all our units are specially selected to work against dwarves and golems. We dont need to kill them here, but its good they arent getting overwhelmed because I have my hands full with the enemy players, evading the melee attacks and destroying the missile swarms, and cant help them in their fight. But it looks like both teams have secret agendas. I see the giant machine turning in this direction as it starts to charge. The five-minutes-cooldown will finish soon, and itll be able to fire again. I think I know what they want to do... But Ill make it go against them. In fact, I was counting on them using the giant machine during the combat it looks like well win! Fufufu! Hahaha! Now I only need to survive until Laura comes here Mad Rat! Im almost here! Im coming as fast as I can! I dont turn around because Im in the middle of a fight, but I can clearly hear Laura shouting at me as she runs in my direction. You got reinforcements? It doesnt matter because youre going to share the same fate! Youll all perish here! The melee golem player laughs at us as he sneakily gets closer to the edge. The other golem, the ranged one, is doing the same. Do you think Im stupid? I can see what youre trying to do, and I wont allow you! Do you really think so? I return the taunt as I grin. I think youre wrong about one thing its you two who are going to die Hahaha! The giant machine is about to release its light beam once again. Soon, the whole passage will be bathed in the light once again, obliterating everything in its path. Only that, this time, it wont be us the ones affected by the beam But I need to time this properly The machine charges the coils, and the light emitted intensifies just a bit more NOW! I grab onto the melee player before he can jump to the lower floor as I shout to Laura. Now, Lily! Use it now! Then take all our units and jump into the other passage. Quick! She hesitates for an instant but quickly understands what I mean. She uses her Charming Eyes skill against the enemy ranged player, whos stunned because of my action of grabbing onto his teammate, and then jumps onto the other passage. Now the ranged golem player wont be able to move either for the next five seconds. Itll be too late by then. Our elite forces jump after her, all of them taking a little damage because of the fall. Though its a negligible amount compared to the damage taken by the light beam which, by the way, is already coming in our direction. Let go, you maniac! Dont you know youre going to be killed too!? The enemy player shouts and struggles. He even punches me in the face, but he only manages to activate the Lightning Shield trigger and gets stunned. Hahaha, how unlucky you are! Let go, I said! Meanwhile, I Fufufufu! Hahahaha! When you prepare such an amazing gift for another player, its only fair they give something back to you! Fufufu! Hahaha! I laugh as the light beam comes. Gotta stay in character even when death is just a step away. And I mean it literally. I shout one last time before the light beam engulfs us. Lily, go and destroy the giant machine! Ill finish the job here!
What I enjoy the most is using the enemys plans against themselves. If you know what the enemys going to do next, its very easy to thwart their plans and use them to your advantage. - Famous phrase from one of the oldest highest-ranking players, in the top 100 ranking.
Ch 79 - The Giant Machine of Doom Hahahaha! I laugh as the light comes near to us. Hey, isnt the sun a little bit too strong today? Everything it touches vanishes, disintegrates Well, it doesnt, because the corpses remain, but it does kill everything in its path The beam advances and swallows the ranged golem player, followed by their support mobs. A fun fact about the monsters AI is that they cant follow complex or unusual actions unless theyre specifically modified to do them. This means the two players can make them run away, but they cant give them the order to do the same as Laura and our elite monsters did: jump into the passage below. It is mainly because jumping into the lower passage means taking falling damage, a thing they avoid by default. The other players could give them the order to run away, but its impossible to escape from the beam unless you leave the whole area, which means jumping and taking damage. Something they wont do unless they were programmed to do so. In contrast, our elite mobs only needed to follow Laura, a basic thing every monster can do - as long as the monster has at least 3 INT, which means the Stitched cant. This is the easy way to make them move through or jump into dangerous areas. Something the enemy players cant do because Im grabbing one and the other one is charmed. So yes. All the support units they brought with them to stop our advance towards the big machine, can only shiver in fear or run around like headless chickens until they find their inevitable death to the light beam. And at the same time, all our units are safe from it. except for me, but this and that are different things. The beam finishes swallowing the enemy monsters and is about to swallow me and the other champion too. We have the privilege to see everyone dying before us, I mean not see everyone dying before us, because the light is too bright to see anything. Aagh, shit! I never thought Id be killed by our own plan! He assumes hes already dead and stops struggling. But not me. I dont plan on surrendering yet. Im not sure if itll work or not, and it doesnt matter at all, but Ill struggle with my all until the very end! I have a plan that might or might not work About 50% chances to survive I would say. I first thought of using the RATT, but the light covers everything, so it wouldnt save me. But I do have another trump card hidden. not like the RATT can be called a trump card at all, but Ill call it so anyway. By now, Im sure you know what Im talking about. I wait for as long as I can before I activate the Grand Finale skill. This is the first time I use it in this tournament. Why do I reveal the skill now?, and What do I intend to use it for?, you ask? Those are indeed very good questions, my friend. First of all, it doesnt matter if I show the skill right now because the light beam released by that machine is so strong and wide that itll hide the Grand Finale visuals completely. This means I dont have to worry about the other teams discovering our trump card and thus wasting this opportunity. And also, you mightve forgotten, but before the explosion from the Grand Finale happens, the user has two seconds of invulnerability. The skill has a two-second delay so that theres a way for the enemies to avoid the explosion damage (by running away), but getting killed after activating the skill would be too lame for a champion exclusive trump card that cripples you after using it skill, thats why the devs added the invulnerability during those two seconds. This adds counterplay both by the enemies and by the user, but it doesnt matter right now Whats important right now is that if I time it properly and the beam takes less than two seconds to pass through my position, Ill survive! And if it doesnt, Ill die. Ill be crippled anyway, so the only real difference is that if I survive I can command the support units to defend our dungeon, assuming I can return safely, that is. In fact, if Im lucky, I might even mislead the other enemy teams into believing I have some kind of safety skill that prevents me from dying, like the Gods Intervention skill and that I can activate it at will. After all, I died miserably against those Mad Cultists, so it cant be an automatic skill like Gods Intervention because it would have triggered then. Anyway! Enough internal monologue! The light beam reaches me and the enemy champion, whos right next to me as I activate Grand Finale. Lets see if I survive or not One second. The beam doesnt show any sign of disappearing yet. I cant see anything at all, only white. One and a half. Maybe Im going to die regardless of what I did? Maybe I should have said an epic dying phrase instead of trying to survive If I die now, itll be too lame Well, at least I managed to kill two enemy champions with me, plus about fifteen or so enemy mobs. Quite a good exchange if you ask me. Two seconds. The Grand Finale light explosion happens and the invulnerability disappears. The light merges with the light beam and I cant see anything, but this time I dont know if its the Grand Finales visuals or the light beam. Theres no time to say anything in just two seconds, but theres enough time to think. Because the brain works a lot faster than the mouth. Im currently thinking about whatll we have for todays dinner. Yeah, I know. Totally unrelated stuff. But I dont know what will happen, so what else can I do? Plan about the future, which might be a wasted effort? No thanks. The light finally disappears and Im still alive? Hahahaha! Not even your death machine can kill me! Hahahaha! I immediately start to laugh, to stay in character, as I look around. There are a lot of corpses, including the two from the enemy players champions. All went according to plan! I cant believe it! Its as if, as if maybe I really am the Evil Mastermind, as so many players like to call me? Fufufu! Hahaha! This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. As I continue to laugh, I retreat from the enemy dungeon, limping in our dungeons direction. I must reach a safe place before any enemy finds me or Im dead. I mean, after having my stats reduced I have like 2 speed and a little over 100 maximum HP. And even less HP, at Oh my god! I only have 23 HP remaining!? It makes sense The stat reduction is calculated on a % of the current HP, minus the damage I take from the Maniac skill Im lucky I didnt kill myself. Imagine how ridiculous it would be to kill myself to avoid getting killed by the enemy I would then have to kill myself again to bury the shame. I run as fast as I can. With the reduced speed, which is almost as slow as a fucking stitched - how ridiculously slow must they be so that even with 1/4th of my original speed, I still move faster than them!? As I was saying, I run as fast as walking. It looks as if Im walking from the outside, but if fact Im running. Only that its so slow, the animation looks the same as walking. I already said it, but if I can, I dont want to let the other teams know I have the Grand Finale skill yet. The only option left is for me to pretend like nothing happens and Im leisurely walking back to our dungeon. Lets see Now that Im alone, Ill leave the destruction of the giant machine to Lily and look for reinforcements I opened the path for her, and the machines now on cooldown, so its our perfect opportunity to destroy it and settle this match. Theyre also two players down We almost have this match! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ill keep pretending for as long as I can.
Meanwhile, Laura has reached her destination and is ready to smash the giant machine to pieces. Whats wrong with this? Theres some kind of protective field around the machine Around the machine, theres an invisible force field. It only shows itself when somebody touches it, revealing a translucent bluish film with a spherical shape for an instant, before fading away. This is bad how am I supposed to destroy it if I cant get close enough? Well, at least it goes in both directions: we cant go in, and they cant go out. True to her words, inside the invisible force field, there are a few dwarves looking in her direction. They are looking at her and the elite monsters she brings with her, a void expression on their faces. Those must be the dwarves that operate the machine when its about to fire. Maybe with Blink, I can cross it? No, this way Ill be alone, if I get surrounded by the dwarves I might die without accomplishing anything. And who knows if theres something else thats nastier there The shield must come off when shooting, so I could wait until then, but who knows what can happen during five minutes. There must be another way Laura looks around the force field for any clue and notices two giant cables that connect to another machine situated at the exact center of the invisible force field. Those must be powering the shield. Aha! Thats it! I only need to follow those and Ill find out how to disable this! Not wanting to waste time, she and the elite monsters that accompany her everywhere, follow the rightmost cable at maximum speed - Lauras maximum speed, which is the slowest of the bunch. The cable goes into a side cavern, where a few more dwarves and two golems are protecting something that looks like a dungeon core, except its green instead of purple. A fight breaks down between the two groups. But with their superior numbers and higher stats, plus the support of a champion, the dwarves are quickly dealt with and Laura breaks the green glowing crystal with her hand. Exactly the same as with a dungeon core, it dissolves into smaller crystals that slowly disintegrate into the air as the light fades. And as with the dungeon core, the green crystal too was invulnerable for as long as defending units remained close to it. Hmm Im sure this weakened the barrier, but to be sure its best to destroy the other one too Now that she knows what shes looking for, when she returns to where the giant machine is located, she notices a very faint green glow coming from the tunnel from where the other cable vanishes into. Yes, that must be it Then she goes in that direction, but before entering that tunnel, she sees something else. This passage it looks like the ones that connect to our dungeon. Maybe, this one connects to the enemys dungeon core? Like the other three passages, this one also leads to the giant machine. It too is as long and straight as the others. But it leads in the opposite direction. Laura looks at the timer and talks to herself. Hmmm we lost some time already. If I go and destroy the other green powering crystal, the machine might be ready to fire once again should I risk everything going there? Hm I think its worth taking the risk. She decides to go through this other path instead of disabling the force field. If she succeeds and finds the dungeon core, theyll win the match. And if she doesnt succeed, she can always come back and cross the straight corridor taking advantage of their fast speed when the machine is on cooldown again. When they reach the end of the corridor, the giant machine is already powering up, and soon it releases a light beam in their direction. But they manage to reach the end of the corridor before it finishes charging up, and the light hits nobody. Like this, if the others send reinforcements, they wont have to worry about the beam anymore Thinking about Andreu and the rest, Laura continues to move forward. The path continues, sometimes turning to the left and others to the right. But there are no split paths whatsoever. I dont understand why did they add this part? To win time? Maybe there are hidden passages somewhere? She touches a wall for a moment but decides to continue after finding nothing. And a few meters after this, a faint purple glow can be seen from the end of the tunnel. No way Can it really be this easy? Sure enough, when she reaches the end of the tunnel, theres an empty room with the dungeon core sitting alone, on top of a pedestal engraved with runes. Just in case, she checks for traps but finds nothing. Fufufu! It was too easy! As she breaks the enemys dungeon core, she strikes a victory pose. They got too greedy on the giant machine, and it was their undoing! Their last defenses must have been the ones Mad Rat baited before, giving me an easy way to the core Fufufu! Soon after, the victory or defeat screen appears on every player involved in the match. Amazing plan, Mad Rat! Though I dont know what would have happened if it backfired This marked the end of the third match for The League of Evil. By the way, Andreu was ambushed by a few dwarves on his way back and died a miserable death. Though he didnt forget to feign to be doing alright until he died as if he didnt have his stats reduced to a quarter.
Did you REALLY think you UNDERSTAND whats happening in this damned dungeon, and that theres NO NEED to worry at all!? Then I ask you to share your strategy with me. Because if there''s ONE SINGLE FUCKING THING you should never assume, is that you know how this dungeon works! The player who designed this dungeon is the master of deceiving people! The greatest liar! The most unpredictable player youll ever find! Every time you think something works in a specific way, youll find it actually doesnt, and only get yourself killed. Or the other way around, when you think something is dangerous, its actually harmless. It might even be that something looks exactly what it is maybe, I dont know. If you believe Im wrong, PROVE, IT, TO, ME. Im sure the Evil Mastermind is chuckling at your futile efforts. - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ex Ch 10 - The truth about that player Did you see the matches in the last round? Its funny how this time the most interesting matches are in the lowest level group of players, the level 5 one! I laughed so much at the match between the two crazy groups! Hmm lets see if I remember one was called All Shall Despair, but the other one it was a very lame name The League of Evil. A boy enthusiastically talks with the girl sitting in front of him, who calmly listens to him. Theyre having breakfast at a cafe. Yes, thats the name! Its lame, but their antics, especially the one who calls himself Mad Rat, are very funny. Well I enjoy a lot more the matches of the Sword&Sorcery team. They might be my favorite team. I prefer planning and tactics over random craziness Is that so? Then you must enjoy the Dragon Knights matches too. You mean the favorites to win the tournament? I think they are too strong for the matches to be interesting. They won the match against Lancelots team, the Knights of the Round Table so easily I dont enjoy watching a match when you already know who will win before it starts. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But it was sooo amazing! That player, Makarel, is incredible! I play the game too, and I would never be able to do what she does! She looks like a professional player! I look forward to seeing how that League of Evil fares against her team! I want to see them struggle! Hahaha! You see, in fact The girl gets closer to the boy and whispers in his ear. They say Makarel isnt her actual name. In fact, they say Makarel in fact is After listening to her, the boy opens his eyes wide, a surprised expression all over his face. No way! Do you really think this is true? Because if it is
As the tournament continued, there was a certain rumor spreading through the viewers, a rumor about the Dragon Knights team and, in particular, their leader: Makarel. It was something Andreu and his friends would discover soon enough.
Ch 80 - Against all odds So any idea about what we can do for the next match, against the Dragon Knights? Were yet another time inside the room the DMA staff gave us for this tournament, planning the next match. This time well have to face the strongest team in the tournament, the one most viewers think will win. Of course, this isnt settled in stone and any team might beat them in a stroke of luck... Like us, in our next match. But this doesnt mean we are that team. Heck, even I dont think we can make it past this round. ... Laura lowers her head in shame and says nothing. Ah, this is bad! Our strategist is the first one to throw the towel! Though Im not going to blame her after seeing Makarel slaughter her way through every match, and her three companions that are good enough by themselves I cant think of any way to stop them. For some odd reason, her name sounds familiar. Makarel, Makarel Its as if Ive heard that name somewhere before. Its weird, because Im new to this game, so I shouldnt know anyone since long ago. And I dont know any famous player with that name I look at Clara. Unlike usual, when she avoids my gaze so that I dont discover she didnt investigate the other party at all, this time she gazes back at me and raises her tentacle-fist up high, loudly proclaiming. I have an idea! And Im sure itll work! We just have to disconnect from the game and punch Marta until she reveals every weakness the Dragon Knights have! This way, well be the ones dominating the game! Hehehe! What the heck are you saying, Clara! I hold her fist and force her to lower it. Are you really going to attack our sister for a match inside a game!? Also, how many times do I have to tell you to not use violence! But its her fault were in this situation! She should pay for her acts! And the times now! I smack her on the head once. She pouts, but it seems she finally calmed down. Owww Come on, Andreu! Its her fault were now in this situation! Just a little bit She raises her fist once again, swinging it around as if shes going to smack someones face. I said no violence! Ok ...Its true its because of her that we are in this situation now, but this doesnt mean you can beat her. Clara looks at me with puppy eyes. She doesnt want to let Marta go, doesnt she? I sigh. ...If you still want to try it, you can go and ask her to betray her comrades to help us. Maybe if you do it with your puppy eyes and appeal to her properly shell help us But no violence! Yay! Youll see, Andreu! Ill ask her nicely and make sure she tells me everything! Hehehe! Yes, yes good luck there, Clara. And good luck to you too, Marta. Youre going to need it. Though I dont expect anything from this at all It isnt like I dont believe in Clara but that I know Marta too well. If it were only Martas comrades who are affected, or if Clara was the only one fighting against the Dragon Knights, she might tell Clara everything. But this time Im there too plus it isnt Martas comrades, but a team she spent lots of effort and time training. Im sure she wants them to win, and theres no way shes going to help us in this situation. Well, who knows? You can never say never. Maybe its a miracle and it works. I look one last time at Laura, just in case she came up with something, but it doesnt look like its the case. Then, as usual, Ill leave Ricard for the end... Its now my turn. I do have some idea if you can call what I have in my mind as an idea, that is I start talking, and both Laura and Ricard immediately change their gloomy expressions for a mix of interest and suspicion. Its normal for them to react like this because my ideas tend to be a little bit crazy and unexpected. They might work and win us the game, or fail and put us in a dire situation. But this idea isnt going to be any different from usual. So, you know I have the Grand Finale skill, and the enemies shouldnt know that I have it unless they somehow learned about it in the last game? I turn to look at Ricard but he shakes his head in denial. If not even he could identify the Grand Finale skill, which I used to survive the light beam from the giant machine, even knowing about it beforehand, nobody should be able to identify it. If Im confident about one thing regarding Ricard, its his geekiness. There was something weird at the end because the visual effects from your light explosion and the original Doom Ray merged together but its impossible to identify what skill you used only with this. Some naive viewers might even think its just the same Doom Ray as the other times. But not even experts like myself can be sure of what happened at that time, just that you survived so you must have a skill that gives invulnerability maybe like the Gods Intervention one, or other skills like This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I resume my explanation, interrupting him. It was a nice explanation, but you were going to deviate from the original question, Ricard Why cant you stop talking about game stuff when you start, instead of telling only the relevant stuff? ...so maybe we can force them into a direct fight, especially Makarel. Then Ill blast everything with my Grand Finale skill, possibly killing everyone in close proximity. Even if I only manage to hit one of them, as long as this one is Makarel, you three might be able to win the game against the remaining enemies! Hmm I see what you mean Laura puts her hand on her chin as she thinks about my idea. But if it fails, it wont be possible to make a comeback. But it might be our only chance Maybe we can plan a strategy around this Then Ill leave it to you, Laura. Im sure you can make a better plan than me. The only thing that remains now is knowing as much as possible about our opponents I turn my head to look at Ricard, whos practically jumping in excitement because he knows its now his turn. Hes both the one in charge of the game knowledge and the one who investigates the enemies in detail. An indispensable person for the team. If only he could get to the point But before he can start, its Clara the first one to react. Yes! And I just have to force Marta into spilling everything! Says Clara, pressing her right fist against her left palm. Clara, didnt we talk about this already!? Yes, yes I wont use violence! I promise! can I really trust her? Well, if she does use violence, Ill look the other way and feign ignorance. Im sorry, Marta, but the self-preservation instinct is kicking in. I nod at Ricard to show him he can start. I like that you proposed that idea because after analyzing everything the Dragon Knights did in the previous matches, I came up with a similar one. The thing is that while all their members are good, the only one whos a monster is Makarel. The other three not so much. Is that so? I was so focussed on watching Makarel during the replays that I didnt look at the others and assumed they had a similar level. Not as good as her, but better than anyone else. With this I mean theyre on a similar level to the best players and teams in this tournament, like the players from the Sword&Sorcery team. Drago is very good at melee combat, I hate to admit it, but better than me. Fredloq might be the best archer in this tournament when it comes to aiming his attacks. He lacks in evasion, but it doesnt matter if you cant get close because youre already dead before you can do so. And Nanawa is incredibly good at destroying enemy formations and strategies. He and his assassin squad are capable of disabling the most dangerous units from the enemy team before they can do what theyre supposed to do, like what happened with the mage squad in their fight against the Knights of the Round Table He scratches his head as he recalls that match. I must admit it was incredible how the Dragon Knights managed to settle the game unilaterally, in the offensive, and with more than half the allotted time remaining. But if we exclude Makarel, they arent as good as other teams because they lack both leadership and adaptability. They rely too much on her. If I had to put them in comparison, the Sword&Sorcery team Laura likes so much is a lot better than them. Ill say it once again because this is very important this is ONLY if we exclude Makarel. He nods sagely at his own words. You see as the DMA expert I consider myself, Ive seen quite a lot of games and players and I can only compare Makarel to those monsters at the top of the PvP leaderboards. Those players are unbelievably good at combat, capable of predicting and avoiding most attacks, while at the same time, they can anticipate most of what youre going to do even before the match starts. And they have the capacity to adapt and change strategies on the fly, something you only get after thousands of games Its as if a pro player created a smurf account just to mess with the noobs But its weird because none of them would waste their time like this. If they had the free time to participate in the tournament, they would do so in the maximum player level, level 20, to display their skill against other high-ranking players and grow their fame. After all, theres a reason why the most watched tournament is always the level 20 one. After a long speech, he finally pauses for a while and looks at me once again. For a moment, I thought he was going to die I didnt see him breathing in the middle of it Thats why, if your idea works and we can somehow get rid of Makarel well have a chance at fighting them. But theres one thing we must keep in mind all the time: if shes really the same as those players in the high rankings, she should expect something like this coming. So we not only need to make a plan to kill her but also plan how to do it before she realizes shes the one being targeted. Yes something to make her believe its going as usual and then surprise her with your Grand Finale skill. Maybe we can use what you showed in the previous match to our advantage. If they know youre supposed to have an invincibility skill, we might be able to bait her with it Bait her into a trap I like it! Hahaha! I like everything that has to do with traps. Especially if they are random or unpredictable in some way. And even more, if they lead to the enemys destruction: either mental pain, where the player themselves despair; or actual game pain, where the champion dies, are good The best are the ones that inflict both, like The Tunnels Nightmare or falling into the underground river or water channels in the Minitaur Queen room. We continue planning everything until we have a solid plan for the next match. Well, a plan as solid as a plan revolving around suicide bombing can be. If we lose this match, there wont be anybody wholl criticize us. After all, were against the favorite team. But were going to do our best. Maybe you forgot, but were already in the quarter-finals! If we beat the Dragon Knights, well be only two steps away from being the champions! And its no shame losing in the quarter-finals! Laura encourages everyone, we were all making gloomy expressions once again... We now have a plan, but this doesnt mean we have high expectations for it to work. Now that you say it I never thought I could reach so far when I didnt have anyone to play with two months ago Says Ricard, the oldest player present. I must say, it was a pleasure playing with you all. If we lose, its ok. This is the first tournament Ive seen with so many good players in the player level 5. Its impossible to be always the best. Yeah if this is going to be our last match, lets leave a good impression on everyone! Lets say goodbye with a Big Bang! Hahaha! You got the joke, right!? Dont worry, Andreu! Ill make sure to force Marta into spilling the beans! And then we can improve our plans so that were sure to win! Hehehe! Didnt you forget about this already? Why are you returning to it once again, Clara!? Like this, we prepare ourselves to face the hardest enemy team weve encountered yet: the Dragon Knights, and the unstoppable Makarel. Please, wish us good luck
By this point in time, both The League of Evil and the Dragon Knights were quite well known because there were only a few teams remaining. And after their match against All Shall Despair, which went viral because of the sheer craziness contained in it, their match against the audiences favorite team was the one most people were waiting for. A match that would bring a big surprise to everyone: both the viewers and participants.
Ch 81 - Vastly different experiences The enemy has breached into our territory and is now approaching the first line of defense, boss. Everythings ready on our side, bro. Systems are operational and the traps are armed. Do I send Baldys team to intercept them? Yes, send him. I say. And prepare your own teams too. We only have a single shot at this, so we cant miss the opportunity. Ok, boss! Sure thing, bro! Currently, Laura, Clara, and I are sitting in a room with several monitors. Theres little light, most of it provided by the bright screens, which show different scenes from inside our dungeon. In the biggest one, we can see the Dragon Knights team invading our dungeon. As usual, its Makarel the one leading their assault. This is quite an expensive surveillance mechanism from the Flesh Monstrosities faction. The screens, the cameras showing everything inside the dungeon, and even the highly comfortable office chairs were currently sitting on. Usually, nobody would spend so much cp on something like this for a match, because its expensive and thus reduces how many traps and monsters you can deploy. And it doesnt really have any purpose in the normal dungeons because as the owner you can see everything that happens as if you were a god But we dont have any other option here: theres only one chance for us to surprise Makarel and kill her. For this single chance, we can spend any amount of cp. Thanks to the surveillance system, we can now see everything that happens in our dungeon, and we only had to sacrifice Hmm how expensive was it? Oh, yeah! We only had to use a quarter of our cp budget for it. Expensive, right!? But the chairs are free because they count as decoration! Hahaha! I had to pay for them but with the cp from the dungeon. They dont cost take any cp from the cp budget we get for this match. Though the Flesh Monstrosities isnt the only faction that has similar mechanisms, most of the other factions use magic instead of technology like this one. This isnt favoritism or anything, but the Flesh Monstrosities and Magic Engineers, which have similar technological stuff, maybe theirs is even more advanced, are clearly superior to the magical ones because are easier to operate and they work better. After all, they work the same as real-life stuff. In this dark room, Laura continues to look at the monitor. Shes sticking to me as much as I allow her to, while wearing one of those mini skirts, stockings, and a half-unbuttoned white shirt. The whole lewd secretary outfit. And shes acting as if she were my actual secretary only with a lot more touching than necessary. It looks like she finally found some way to roleplay her character without infringing upon the tournament rules. Boss, our defense troops are about to clash with the enemy. The battle starts in three, two, one there they go. She notifies me that the battle has started, and at the same time, keeps track of everything else the enemies are doing. I finally detected the enemys assassin squad! Theyre trying to surround Baldys forces and force him into a bad situation. Then make Baldy retreat as soon as possible. We cant afford to lose them. Sure thing, boss! Before communicating the situation to Ricard, whos currently engaged in combat with Makarels squad, she doesnt forget to rub my knee with her hand. Hey! That hand got too close to another area! I know youre roleplaying, but please stop! Thats harassment! For this match, we too have some speakers and a microphone. This way we can give instructions to anyone from this room. Very convenient, but very expensive too. I count them as part of the necessary expense to increase the chances the plan works. Baldy, do you hear me? Lauras voice echoes through the whole dungeon. The enemy is trying to surround you. Retreat right now! Theres no way for us to hear whats happening, we only receive image from the cameras. No sound at all. So Ricard raises his hand in acknowledgment and immediately prepares to retreat. Oh, no! Look at this! Although its still better than being surrounded, the enemy can hear what we say too, and now Makarel has launched an aggressive chase and is obliterating Ricards rearguard! Well, nothing we can do from here. Also, its better if she believes were losing this and fighting to the best of our capabilities. This way itll be easier to fool her. And sure thing, as we expected, Makarel''s unit follows after Ricards one. Meanwhile, Nanawa and his assassins are trying to flank them. Ricads going to have a hard time surviving this for a long time Well, everythings going according to the plan for now. Hey, bro! Do you know you look badass with those sunglasses? Maybe you should keep them after this match! And how about me? Do you like how they fit me? Meanwhile, as usual, Clara is doing something unrelated to the match. Shes currently fiddling with her sunglasses. Yeah Everyone in this room, and even Ricard, is now wearing sunglasses. You know, wearing sunglasses in a pitch-dark room, where the only light comes from the screens, its kind of weird, but she insisted on it. She said something like If were going to be watching the enemy with our evil plans, waiting for an opportunity to strike, we must wear sunglasses! And there was no way to dissuade her. Shes seen too many films So, in the end, everyones wearing sunglasses. Even Ricard, whos currently trying to avoid Makarels attacks as he runs away. By the way, theyre purely cosmetic. They dont hinder our vision, dont make things darker, and they dont cost anything to apply to the champions. Its weird how the game has sunglasses ready for a wererats head but I dont want to know the reason why it does, so its ok. Stuff you dont know cant hurt you. Eh, uh ok.? I dont know how to reply... WHY did you have to ask ME that question!? Couldnt you put someone else (like Laura, who happens to be right next to me) in this difficult situation? They look you look yeah, theyre kind of, ok? Is that so? Hehehe! I think Ill keep them too, then! Aaaagh! I hate myself for saying it because it couldnt be any far away from the truth! But I dont want to disappoint my little sister... Please, NEVER wear them again! Your brother is suffering here! You might be saying its an exaggeration, and Im overreacting right now, but let me explain so that you understand. First of all, the sunglasses on me look weird. You only need to know they arent something designed for a creature with a rats head at all. But at least theyre adapted to my head shape and properly hide my eyes. Then is Laura, who the sunglasses make even sexier than usual though Im not sure if its because of them or because of the outfit and roleplay Ricards sunglasses hide his bright blue eyes, the undeads identity. So right now he looks like a badass tall and pale guy. In my opinion, hes the one who the sunglasses fit the best. He even reminds me of certain film protagonists And finally, theres Claras champion. Let me remind you that her champion is just a mass of tentacles and that she doesnt have any feet, hands, legs, arms, or even a head. So how is she supposed to wear sunglasses, you might ask? Well, theyre embedded into the mass of tentacles that occupies the same space as a humans head. Yeah, embedded. The glasses temples go inside the tentacle mass, and since theres no nose at all, the bridge and lenses are floating in mid-air. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. And its extremely gross! Because it kind of looks like a human but it definitely isnt! Boss, theyre about to reach the designated area! Luckily, Laura interrupts my thoughts and I have the perfect excuse to avoid Claras questioning. Prepare the lockdown and start the saving protocol! Prepare the launching sequence! Sure thing! Bro, can I do the launching thing, please!? I would really like to do it! *Sigh!* Ok, but dont miss the timing, ok? Its very important! Dont worry! Ill do it properly! Now Im worried. VERY worried. I dont know why, but I somehow feel like shes making a sinister grin right now. I dont know if its a good thing or a bad one that her champion doesnt have a face Lily, from now on, I leave everything to you. I must do my job too. Sure thing, boss! If you do your job properly, I can reward you later, you know? Come on, cant you stop making those suggestive movements right now, and focus on the match? Please focus on this first, Lily Well talk about it later... Yes! Fufufu! She makes a fist pose before starting to give orders. Lemon, prepare to initiate the launching sequence! Everythings ready, Lily! As they prepare for the launch, I too prepare for what I must do next. Which means I stand up and move to where I should be. Wait a little bit more Now? Do I press it now? The target is already in the area. Not yet. We must wait for the target to be right in the middle so she cant avoid it. Come on, Baldy! Bait her a little bit further in Ok, here we go! Launch the bomb! Ok! Launch start! Good luck, bro! Aaaaaaaah.! At the same time Clara says those words, she presses a big red button. Then, the platform below my feet opens and I fall. Yeah the launching is in fact falling and the bomb is me. Oh, no, shit! I must stay quiet so they cant hear me! ... Like this, I fall to the room below, where Makarel is waiting. Well, where she currently is. Baldy managed to make her come to where we needed her to be. Ugh I hate this so much Why did I come up with this plan again? Oh, yeah, it was so I could safely get into reach and she didnt have enough time to avoid me. But I still dont like falling like this! This is true freefall and everything else is just a joke in comparison. I just hope my character doesnt turn into a mess of flesh and organs upon touching the ground Itll be too disgusting.
Fuck, fuck! Fuck this shit! Why cant I land a single hit!? Hahaha! Did you think you were good enough to fight with me? Such foolish thoughts! I might not be your equal, but Ill at least stop you for enough time to let my comrades destroy your dungeon core! Hahaha! In the middle of my fight with Makarel, we take a short break to taunt each other. I use this chance to put some distance between us. Contrary to me, she looks composed and is leisurely walking in my direction as I retreat. Im sure I look pathetic right now. Why do I, TheGreatBaldSage, suffer like this!? I should be massacring my opponents and feeding on their souls to grow my undead legion instead of fighting this clearly superior opponent! The undead faction isnt suited for 1vs1 fights but on many vs many ones! It isnt like any of us is actually alone, but what am I supposed to do when both my and her units are currently locked in combat and shes free to come at me however she wants to? So, shall we go for the second round? Ill let you make the first strike once again. Saying this, Makarel waves her hand, telling me to come to attack her at any moment. I look at my status and then at the HP bar on top of her. Shit! Ive lost 100 HP already and I didnt manage to touch her a single time! Not even when I activated Whirlwind! How can you evade a skill that only takes 0,5 seconds to activate!? She managed to use Blink in time to get out of reach! Now Im sure about it. Shes a pro player. And if she isnt, shes going to be one soon. I know this stuff, and only those players can do these kinds of stunts. Not coming? Then Ill come to you! She raises her sword up high and sends the Flying Slash attack at me. Fuck! Can she read my mind? How does she know how I would try to avoid the attack? Another 30 HP lost. Luckily, its a weak attack, with only 5 + 0,3 * STR damage, but its damage is already starting to accumulate. A skill liked by lots of high-level players because of how versatile it is. Following her attack, she opens her wings wide and uses them to take a short flight in my direction. Oh, please. Please! Order me to go back already! At this rate, Im going to die and the whole plan will fall apart! Baldy, do you hear me? The enemy is trying to surround you. Retreat right now! Thats Lauras voice, coming from the loudspeakers. Nice! The god of games must have heard my prayers and they answered. Nice job, Nanawa! Im sure its you trying to ambush me from behind. Thanks to you I have the perfect excuse to go back! You hear me, my undead legion? Those sneaky bastards plan on surrounding us and send us all of us to the clutches of death once again! But we wont accept it! Were retreating! Hey, whore you calling a sneaky bastard? Isnt it normal to use everything at your disposal to crush your opponents? Im not going to argue with you, Makarel. Because I too believe in it. But our situations are currently reversed, so Ill complain anyway. Zombies, cover our retreat! Let them understand why youre one of the most feared meatshields! Hahaha! I and the rest of the units start to retreat as the zombies make a literal wall of flesh to stop Makarel and her kobolds from following us. Thats what it should look like, but in fact, Im just earning us some time so that we can bring Makarel to the prepared space for the ambush. And do it without dying: the most important part of the plan. Zombies are slow and stupid. But theyre cheap and resilient too. Theyre the backbone of any undead legion. And if they arent, they should. Cost-efficiency, and assuming youre using them as meatshields, theyre one of the best units in the game. I wont let you run away! Leaving Makarel behind, I continue to run. But when Im far enough, I cant hold myself from looking back in curiosity. How are the twenty or so zombies doing? N-no way! Of the twenty zombies, ten of them are surrounding Makarel and attacking her at the same time. Unlike before, she does take some damage, maybe she lost about a tenth of her HP? At the same time, her kobolds are slaughtering the remaining zombies. With their higher numbers and better stats, plus Makarels support and instructions, it was to be expected. If they didnt have the Zombie Resilience skill, they might be all defeated already. Here goes my intention to reduce their numbers somehow. Not that it matters as long as Andreu can blast Makarel with his Grand Finale skill. Agh, how annoying I dont want to waste time with the zombies and let the real fun run away Im a descendant of the proudest race of them all, the dragons! Insignificant creatures like you shouldnt dare to face me! Tired of the zombies not dying because of their innate skill, Zombie Resilience, Makarel uses Blink to get some distance and then readies her innate skill. She opens her mouth as flames condense and soon after, a flame cone burns the ten zombies, killing them all. I never thought I would say this, but the dragonborns sure are OP They have high stats and one of the strongest innate skills, the Dragons Breath And they can fly. Im astonished the enemy team can win the fights when they used more than 1.500 cp in a single unit. Because there isnt a single dragonborn that costs less than 1.500 cp. And even with this, they still crush everyone. Hmm.. now that I think about it again, it does make sense. Having a pro player using an overpowered champion is the best way to crush any opponent. Then, having killed the ten zombies that were surrounding her, she turns to look at me, whos still running away, before grinning and loudly proclaiming. Run! Run, you little rat! Ill catch you soon! She then grins, opens her wings wide, and soars to the sky, chasing after me. At about the same time, the remaining zombies are killed and the kobold horde joins her in my pursuit. Gotta run now. And FAST! Hah! So you finally stopped running away? Then, want to resume our duel? She once again offers me to make the first move, but this time its my time to taunt her. Sure, lets fight. But this time, Ill be the one to give you the first strike. So come at me, you overgrown lizard! Hahaha! Hoh, the baby undead grew a pair of balls and decided it was time to die once again! Sure, Ill accept your offer then! She leaps at me with another wing flap. At the same time, the little remaining undead engage with her kobolds. I make sure Im standing where I should be Yes, the platform is right below. Ok, then its time to activate our plan. Please, Andreu, Laura, Clara Dont miss this chance, because its the only and last one well have. At the same time as her blade is about to reach me, I see something falling from the ceiling. That must be him. Then, the ground opens and I fall to the room below, narrowly avoiding Makarels strike. Nice timing! This strike might have killed me if it dealt more than 50 damage! This is everything I could do for this match for now. Nows your turn to shine, Andreu. I hope you can complete your plan and bring us victory. Also I dont want to do this ever again.
Up to this point, this was the most boring game of the tournament. Watching Makarel slaughter her way through the dungeon as her supposed opponents were sitting on chairs and watching everything happen, wasnt very interesting. Everything would change starting from this point.
Ch 82 - Y-you are… do I know you? ... I try my hardest to stay quiet as I fall. I also must stay vigilant and ready to activate the skill with the right timing. Regarding this, you dont really know how many times had to practice this free falling, or how many times ended up dying, my body splattered on the ground I think Ive gotten a little height aversion from this. The important thing about this tactic is that I must activate Grand Finale right before I smash into the ground. This way I wont die from the falling damage, because Ill be invulnerable, but it isnt the important part the important part is that if the skill activates just as I impact the ground, the area of effect will be right next to Makarel, and there wont be any way for her to avoid it at all! Not even with the Blink skill! I see Ricard, waiting right below. He then disappears as the shuttle opens, leaving only Makarel and all her kobolds - Ricards undead are already well, mostly dead - in the area. Hey, yeah! Ill manage to kill them all at the same time! Hahaha! I manage to activate the Grand Finale skill right before impacting on the ground with a resounding thud. Omg, this is painful! Ok, ok! It isnt, because Im invulnerable right now but the image of it, and the experience of hurting so many times, are still engraved in my mind and I cant stop myself from feeling the phantom pain. Not like damage hurts in the game. But I like to complain anyway. Its because of the roleplay, I swear! Dont look at me with those eyes! ...human nuke! Hahaha I barely manage to squeeze out those words before the Grand Finales light explosion activates. Right in front of me, Makarels looking back with a surprised expression on her face. Hahaha! It serves you right! Your oh-so-high and mighty self is going to die because of a stupid scheme like this! Im sure you never expected anything like this to happen! She does manage to activate Blink, but it isnt enough to escape the explosion because she was right at the center of it. We got her! WE GOT HER! Makarel is now history! Were going to win this! Nobody believed in us, not even us, but we managed to do the impossible! Hahaha! The light blinds me for a moment, as the brutal damage from the Grand Finale skill annihilates everything on its path. The Kobolds, the very few remaining undead, and Makarel will soon be turned into corpses. Its a shame I cant see her expression right now. I would love to see it, and relish in this sense of superiority from having achieved something impossible! it looks like Ill have to settle with watching the replay later on. Ugh huh I sluggishly rise from the ground. Its annoying having the stats reduced to a fourth. I feel weak now. I look around, at the destruction caused by my skill. The corpses of the kobolds and undead fill my field of view. Theres not a single enemy or ally standing. Every single one of them is dead! Fufufu! Hahaha! I raise my hand in my usual laughing pose as I start my monologue. Its the monologue required after one of my crazy plans works. Im sure all the viewers are waiting for it. It all went according to plan! Nothing can survive the human nuke self-destructing plan! Hahaha! My gloating drops to a halt when I hear a voice talking behind me, from a slightly elevated position. Did you really think this would kill me? Like a robot, I slowly turn my head around, then the rest of my body. And when I see the speaker, I swear I can feel my soul leaving my body. H-how? W-why? Fully encased in fire, and flying a meter over the ground, Makarel is looking at me with a nasty smile. Like what I did a moment ago, shes relishing in her victory. Lets be honest, having the stats reduced to a quarter is the same as being dead. Theres absolutely no way for me to survive if she decides to attack me. Ugh, disgusting! Was I making such an appalling expression an instant ago? Theres no way, right? Im sure I looked more normal. You see, Mad Rat I knew you would try something crazy like this, I just didnt know what you would do exactly! So I prepared for anything you could throw at me! Hahaha! So naive, to think your petty tricks would work against me! Makarel lets herself fall to the ground elegantly as she speaks. Shes only slightly shorter than me, so now theres no need for any of us to raise or lower our heads. Now that shes this close, I can finally see her properly. Of course, I saw her in the replays, but it isnt the same as seeing each other face to face. Her champion has clear dragon traits. Were they called dragonoids? No, was it dragonewts? Hmm maybe dragonborn? Aaaagh, I cant remember! And Ricard corrected me quite a lot of times already Anyway! Her champion is slender, and scales cover most of the limb area. It also has big dragon wings, which allow her to fly, and a pair of pointed and sharp horns on her head. If they werent only aesthetic, Im sure she could impale someone with those But the most striking is her face. Her sharp features and slightly prominent pointed teeth give her a fierce look. And those bright golden reptile eyes! So imposing and intimidating! I feel like a worm in front of her! I unconsciously shiver. This is the gaze of an apex predator not only because of her race but also because of her skills. Oh, yeah! And fire is currently covering her whole body. Hmm how weird. I could swear there was no fire covering her before It must be some kind of skill, then. Maybe she survived the Grand Finale thanks to it? Though I must admit you managed to surprise me and forced me to use my last resort She raises her sword up high once again, ready to deal the final blow. Now, are you ready to die? This time, its finally my victory! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. W-wait a moment! I cant stop myself from asking her to stop. Theres no way for me to survive this with the lowered stats, but theres something she said I cant let slip. What do you mean by finally? Do I know you somehow!? ... Her eyebrows twitch. Hah! Am I right, then? Tsk! So annoying! She spits her next words. What do you mean by I know you? I knew you were a dimwit, but are you really this dumb? Did you already forget about this name? She points over her head, at the champions mark. There, her name is clearly displayed for me to see. Makarel. Yeah, it says Makarel. I already knew your name, so what? ...and? I ask. I still dont understand anything! Her eyebrows twitch once again. ...and?, you ask!? She angrily points her finger at me. Are you trying to make a fool of me!? After so many times playing together, how can you forget about this name!? In anger, she raises her sword, ready to strike me and send me to my grave. W-wait a moment! I-i I think I remember now! She lowers the sword. Haaa looks like I can survive for a little while longer Now, think, Andreu! Think! Quickly! I must find an answer before she kills me, or I wont be able to find the truth once I die and itll bug me eternally! Makarel Makarel As I said before, this name reminds me of something Where did I hear it before? Also that condescending attitude, treating me like a fool Not like Ill refute her point of view because its kind of true, but it still kind of hurts. Wait a moment! That way of speaking, that nickname! And the fact that we played a lot in the past! There should be only one person who fits everything! But it cant be! She should be somewhere else right now! Because the only one that can fit everything is my older sister, Marta! She liked to use that nickname when we were kids! Andreu.exe has stopped working. Please wait while we reinitiate the OS Aaaagh! Once again with this!? It is happening a lot more than usual lately there must be some hardware problem somewhere. I hit my head a few times until my thoughts clear up. The good old trick of hitting it until it works, hahaha Where was I? Oh, yeah Marta. My older sister. M-mar Oh, no! I shouldnt say her real name here! I dont want to infringe upon the rules and be disqualified because of it! I-i mean sister... Sister!? Is it you!? She grins as I finally recognize her. It took you long enough! Hey there, brother long time since we last played together, isnt it!? B-but why!? Why are you here? *Sigh!* Do I really have to explain everything to you!? You never want to play with me, I had to think of something myself! So I decided to come and have some fun with you! Hahaha! Yeah and Im sure part of that fun is killing me in the most humiliating way imaginable Like right now, when I can only drag myself around like a pathetic worm due to the reduced stats! Figuratively speaking. Anyway! Ive always been beaten by you in games, but not this time! My time to destroy you has finally come, and you can do nothing against it! After so many defeats, my victory has finally come! Hahaha! Im the best! And Ill prove it now! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about this Its been so long since we last played together. When was it? Was it about the same time when Clara had those problems? Yeah, I think it was since then. The thing is that Marta is very competitive. And I mean VERY competitive. Since we were kids, and because were only one year apart, we used to play together quite a lot. And she managed to beat everyone except for me. And shes still angry because of it. Dont misunderstand. It isnt like I am better than her in every game, its just that my approach to games has always been different. While she perfected her moves and tried her best to improve, I just did random stuff that, somehow, worked. Well, sometimes. But the funny thing is that it always worked when it was AGAINST her. You can imagine it like a rock-paper-scissors game. She won against most other players, while I lost against them. But when it came to me against her, she couldnt predict my random actions and ended up losing. She used to call me a cheater by then How nostalgic. Aaagh! I hate that foolish expression! Im sure youre in your own world right now, thinking about unrelated stuff! Her shout snaps me out of my memories. N-no, wait! I swear I wasnt! Well, she got it right, I was. But Ill first try to calm her down. So, how are you doing, sis? Werent you supposed to be playing in the level 20 tournament? Why is a player like you in the lowest-level tournament!? So what? Im tired of serious fights, and its been so long since the three of us played together And since you never want to play with me, I decided to come and force you into one of my own games! She smiles evilly. Im sure that game was to punish me. But that isnt true! It isnt like I have too much free time between the college stuff and the persistent insistence of Clara to spend time together. Plus I spend all my free time playing DMA Hahaha, now that I think about it, what a shameless excuse! If we both play DMA, we could easily play together at any time It just never crossed my mind. But she never asked either, so it isnt only my fault! I try to refute her words, but before I can, she puts her index finger on her lips, telling me to shut up. Not now, brother. Well talk about this later. Remember were not alone right now. She gestures with her hand, as if waving through something imaginary floating in the air. Oooh, yeah the audience. Now then She grins. This is goodbye, brother! Wait! I try to stop her, but its too late. Her sword pierces through my body and I receive the message that I died. When she retrieves her sword, my body falls to the ground, lifeless. Aaaagh! I forgot about it because of the surprise, but the idea was to kill Makarel here so that we could have a chance to win this match! And now Im dead but shes still doing ok! It looks like we lost this fight Im sorry, guys! Or maybe not, because SISTEEER! Oooooh, thats a deafening and scary shout! It looks like a small but very dangerous monster is coming! Hahaha! Put her in her place, Clara! Kill her! So we can win this match! Hooo, my cute little sister decided to show up to avenge our foolish brother! In my phantasmal form, I prepare to enjoy whats going to happen next. I sit down on top of the nearest rock and take a comfortable position. Not a single one of the players can interact with me right now, but I can still see and hear everything. Its a shame theres no popcorn... A horrendous figure comes from one of the side passages. Wildly swinging her tentacles around, the figure closes up to the proud dragon humanoid. In contrast, the dragon calmly waits for the other to come closer. Meanwhile, I feign eating imaginary popcorn. There arent real ones here, but I can still feign to eat them. Fight! Fight! I say.
Not long after the conversation between Andreu and Marta, and using the rumors that were already circulating as a base, the viewers found the truth about Makarel. That she was one of the most famous players, and that she was using a side account so that she wouldnt be recognized. Some players complained about it being unfair. But the DMA staff ignored them, explaining that everything in the tournament is balanced and the only thing that matters is the players skill. And that only the dungeon stuff unlocked at or before player level 5 could be used, so everyone was playing on the same limitations and the matches were fair.
Ch 83 - The dragon’s fall SISTEEER! Claras shout fills the whole room as she runs towards Marta, wildly swinging her tentacles around. At the same time, Marta sheathes her sword. What is she doing? Is she taunting Clara? Im not sure, maybe she has some other plan but its a very effective way to proclaim youre better than the other. I would do it if I could too. Just maybe not against my little sister, because it would be too much. Well, lets see what happens next. I fill my mouth with imaginary popcorn and continue to watch the show. When shes close enough, Clara swings her tentacles in a wide swing. Go, kill her! So we have a chance to win this match! Though its a very easy-to-predict attack, and Im sure Marta will avoid it without trouble, maybe with the Blink skill. or not. She just lets the tentacles hit her, not moving a single muscle. What are you doing, Marta? It isnt a proper fight if you dont resist! I want to see you suffer! Hahaha! I evilly grin at the image of her begging for mercy, something Im sure Clara wont give her. Oh! She took no damage! I look at Martas HP bar and its still almost full. This this is cheating! How does she dare to cheat in the middle of the tournament!? Somebody report her! Nah, Im joking, this must be the effect of those flames that are currently covering her. It must also be the reason why she survived the Grand Finale explosion. Agh, what an OP skill! I never knew something like this existed! Maybe its a skill exclusive to the dragon faction? Clara makes a few more swings before realizing she isnt achieving anything at all. Then, she latches her tentacles around Martas champion. W-why!? Why did you do this, sister!? Why, do, you, hate, me, so, much!? Finally, her annoying sister cry has ended. Its weird, it lasted for more than a minute. Didnt she get tired in the middle of it? She kept shouting even while pummeling Marta with everything she had! She didnt even breathe during that time Its possible because this is a game, but its weird in any way you look at it. Humans have the instinctive need to breathe even while inside the game, after all. Calm down a little, wont you? Nooo! Ill make you pay for this! Marta tries to stop Claras futile efforts to kill her, but she refuses. Is it me, or she looks disgusted at being grabbed by so many slimy tentacles at the same time? Because if so, I might be able to use this in the future Fufufu! Hahaha! Why, wont, you, die, already! *Sigh!* This is the effect of my skill. Until it ends, you cant kill me. Then disable it so I can kill you faster! Dont be unreasonable Marta rolls her eyes at Claras insistence. Now that were like this, why dont we take this chance to talk a little? Its been so long since the last time No! I dont have anything to talk with you! Because of you! Its because of you that I wont be able to play anymore with our brother! Well be defeated here! Y-youre a demon! Demon! Come on, Cl sister Marta rolls her eyes once again. I had to defeat him at least once! After so many defeats, and him continuously bragging about it I had to show him whos the better player! Yeah, regarding this I SOOOO dont agree with you. Its not my fault you took it so seriously that it ended up hurting your pride, Marta! As far as Im concerned, Ive always considered you a better player than me. And you talk about bragging, but I certainly dont remember ever saying anything like Werent you so good? You suck or You cant even predict this?. I swear! Dont judge me with those accusing eyes! I didnt do it! only a little. Anyway it doesnt justify your actions! You knew this tournament was important for both me and Clara, but you still decided to play against us, and beat the shit out of our team! Its your fault! Y-youre a a Demon! Demon! Hahaha it looks like Claras childish anger has infected me Or was I naturally childish? Nah, thats impossible. It must be because of her. Im 100% sure. Also, who says I came here to eliminate you from the competition? After hearing Martas last sentence, Clara stops attacking, releasing her from her grip. By the way, my brain stops too. Y-you dont? Clara asks in doubt. I too want to ask this question, but I cant because they cant hear me right now No, you silly. Marta wipes Claras nonexistent tears from her nonexistent face. If this wasnt a game, Im sure she would be crying right now. And Marta knows it too. Hmm I know it makes sense, but the whole situation certainly sounds absurd. I just came to settle my score with him and to play a little with both of you. But now that its come to this, my skills effect is about to end and you can freely kill me. Then youll only need to defeat the other three guys or destroy our dungeon core. How does it sound? R-r-really? Are you saying the truth? I am, you silly. Look, the effect is already disappearing! As she strokes Claras cheek - meaning, the tentacles that occupy that area - the fire that was covering her whole body dissipates as if it was never there. Come on, do it now. Um, Ill do it! Clara and Marta hug each other. In this way, when Claras passive skill activates, Marta will start to take damage until her HP drops to zero, killing her. Though it might take a while. But before she dies, Marta whispers something in her ears. I cant hear it! Please, whisper loudly! As much as the DMA staff allows the viewers to see and hear everything that happens during a match, even including things the players cant see like invisible enemies, they took into account that, sometimes, players might need a little bit of privacy. So if you whisper into another players ear, it isnt registered and nobody knows what are you saying. Its a very good feature for when you need it, but not now! This makes it impossible for me to listen to what are they whispering to each other by playing the matchs recording! And I cant miss what theyre saying right now! Its as if youre watching a drama and miss the most important dialogue! The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I quickly run in their direction and manage to hear the last part of it. Fiuu! I made it! It isnt everything, but at least is something. ...the third portal should be free right now. Go there and destroy our core, sis. I always wanted you to win this match. T-thank you, sis! I wipe my translucent cheek. These arent tears, I swear! Its just that my eyes are itchy right now! Fucking onion-cutting ninjas! Dont you have enough when you come in real life, that you have to come inside the game too!? Having said this, Martas HP bar is suddenly reduced to 0 and she dies. That was fast! I thought it would take a while! Then, her phantasmal champion appears next to me and we look at each other. Yeah, once youre dead, theres no need to prevent the players from interacting with each other. She frowns when she sees Im so close. Then, with an angry expression, she asks. Did you hear it? Im sure shes talking about the part I missed Shit! So it WAS important! If only I was closer Umm I only heard the last part about the dungeon core... Are you sure!? I nod at her. I dont want to fight with her. At least not right now. Then its fine. She then looks at Clara and sees her sprinting into one of the passages. Is that? Yes, its the passage that leads to the third portal. I confirm Martas thoughts. Its good then. It might sound weird, but each portal has a number and it always connects to the enemys portal with the same number. This way its possible to make strategies around the portals, and easily communicate important information between teammates. What are you going to do now? Ill return to the control room and watch what my teammates, Baldy and Lily, do during the rest of the match. And you? Ill She looks in the direction of the same passage Clara used. Ill follow her, I think. I want to see her playing for a while. Ok then, lets talk later. Yeah, lets talk later. With this, we both go our separate ways. Theres no need for big goodbyes. After all, there should only be about ten meters between us once we disconnect from the game. We can meet each other as soon as the match ends. I must say I never expected what would happen in this match. So far, its the biggest surprise in this tournament. The All Shall Despair? Yeah, that too was a surprise, though not as big in my opinion. And it was a bad one. A horrible one! The worst surprise I could imagine! If they told me if I wanted another surprise like that one, I would certainly say no! But there shouldnt be any more surprises in the tournament, am I right?
Haha that was very close I was on edge all the time. Luckily, it ended well for us. Youre right. Then can you release me? Release you? Oh, I didnt notice! Sorry, ahaha I quickly release Laura. Because of what happened between Andreu and Makarel, and then between her and Clara, I got so nervous I grabbed and squeezed the first thing I found which turned out to be Lauras arm. After being saved, I quickly returned to this room to watch the results of our plan. But I almost had a heart attack when I saw it didnt work and Makarel was doing fine! At first, I couldnt understand, but then I noticed the fire wrapping her champion and I wanted to kill myself. Then she killed Andreu because of my blunder! How could I forget about it!? The dragon factions exclusive ultimate skill! The Dragons Wrath! OMG! Its the basic of the basics! The first thing when planning this match should have been to take into account the possibility of Makarel having the Dragons Wrath skill!
Dragons Wrath (Active skill)
Cost: 200 EP, 200 MP
For the next 1 minute, you are invulnerable, and all your stats are increased by 20%. After this time ends, your maximum HP becomes 1 until the end of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. This skill can only be used once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
As with all ultimate skills, the Dragons Wrath has a huge drawback. Having your maximum HP reduced to one means that absolutely anything can kill you. After all, the minimum damage is always one. Regardless of how high your defense is, and how low the enemys damage is, the minimum is always one. Unless you have complete resistance to that damage type. This means at least our plan managed to somewhat eliminate Makarel from the match, only that it went in the opposite direction as we expected: instead of Andreu being reduced to a cripple and Makarel ending up dead, he died and she would soon turn into a cripple. But then, just as I was about to exhale in relief, it happened. The loud sister cry. It came from the passage I used to come here. I turned my head in surprise and noticed something I didnt expect Clara wasnt in the room anymore! We saw her running in Makarels direction thanks to the cameras that caught her! It must have been then that I grabbed Lauras arm, in a mix of surprise and tension. She didnt even notice it, because she was as altered as I was. We already got this match! We managed to reduce Makarel to a cripple! We only had to wait until the skills effect ended and we could freely kill her! But then Clara left the room and ran in Makarels direction! Noooo, stop her somehow! I shouted, shaking Laura. Shes invulnerable right now! If Lemon fights against her, shell be killed! I I cant do anything! We can only hope she doesnt do anything stupid! Shit! And why did she shout sister? I dont know maybe she got angry because its the team her sister trained? The cause must be because Makarel killed Mad Rad. ... Not convinced, we decided to keep watching everything develop. There was nothing we could do anyway Despair ensued. Watching Clara attack Makarel repeatedly without any effect, I knew everything was lost. But why wasnt Makarel doing anything? She just stood there, receiving Claras attacks She even let Clara grab her with her tentacles Then, she said something and Clara stopped. Whats going on? I cant understand anything! I have no idea. But it looks good for us, doesnt it? Well, yes. Then, Clara and Makarel hugged each other. Soon after, the Dragons Wrath skill ended and Makarel died. Then Clara ran to one of the passages, the one that connects to the third dungeon portal. which brings us to the present. Maybe, we misunderstood and Makarel is actually their sister, instead of only the trainer? Maybe? I dont know anymore, but it could be the truth. Why would Makarel let herself be killed like this otherwise? But this doesnt explain everything. If Makarel is Andreus and Claras older sister, it could explain why she let Clara kill her But HOW did Clara know that Makarel was her sister? Maybe its something I cant understand because Im not their brother? Because it shouldnt be possible for her to know, we cant hear anything from this room! Was it telepathy? Sixth sense? Did I miss something? I dont know anymore If were lucky, Makarel will have told Lemon about a route into their dungeon, so we can win this match. Now we only need to focus on defense. Laura snaps me out of my thoughts. Oh, yeah! I got too distracted because of my blunder I should have remembered about that ultimate skill Dont worry too much now, Baldy. Well have to talk about this later or watch the replay to understand what happened. For now, lets focus on the other three players. Sure. The match is still going. It turned into a 3vs3 match, but theres nothing sure yet. The best thing is that our worst enemy, Makarel, is dead. Do you know where Fredloq, the archer, is? I need to vent some stress and hes the perfect target. I do some stretching as I wait for her answer. Hmm I think I last saw him in that area yes, there he is! Im going then. I leave the defense to you. ...ok. Dont be too reckless Reckless? Me? You must be wrong Hahaha! Laura makes a worried expression as I leave the room. Why is she so worried? Im just going to kill some pests I think I aged about five years when being chased by Makarel today. And another five because of Claras unexpected outburst Now I must recover by feeding on our enemys juicy, tasty souls! Im going to kill them all, release the accumulated stress, and feed on their souls! My time to show my skills has come! Tremble in fear, you puny mortals! For Im coming for your delicious and eternal souls! Hahahaha!
You know whats the worst about dying? Its having to wait for the match to end, without being able to talk to anybody. Luckily, Ricard managed to distract me with his antics and not-so-good tactics. And they call me crazy
Ch 84 - Like dominoes Yaaaaah! Ill kill you all and turn you into my eternal undead soldiers! Hahaha! On the screen, I see Ricard recklessly jumping into a group of enemies. Those are Fredloqs vanguard, the monsters he uses to give himself some time so he can snipe out the enemy. This is a very good tactic but it doesnt always work. Like right now. After all, surrounding Ricards champion with lots of weak enemies isnt a good plan. He can not only kill them fast thanks to Whirlwind but he also heals as he deals damage. So any amount of damage Fredloq can inflict upon Ricard will be offset by the health restored by his innate skill. In not so long, I expect Ricard to emerge victorious, and then Fredloq will have nowhere to run. Which makes me think. Are they really that bad? Did the rest of the Dragon Knights team rely on Makarel so much that they cant properly act now that shes dead? Or it might be just Fredloq? I dont know, but Well see how it goes. Of course, it isnt like I can actually hear Ricards screams and shouts. After all, we cant hear anything from this control room. Its just that, after soooooooo many times having to listen to him when he turns into roleplay mode, I can imagine everything he says just by looking at his movements and actions. Honestly, it isnt that hard. He mostly repeats the same things all the time. I can almost see his spit flying everywhere, like a completely deranged maniac! If only this wasnt a game Hahahaha! So tasty! This is what I live for! Now that I finally recovered my peak, its time for the main dish! Ricard raises his hands up as he laughs, before turning his head in Fredloqs direction, who, by the way, is trying to run away right now. But its too late now poor guy he unleashed Ricards full crazy mode and theres no way to stop him now only one of them can survive, and I certainly wouldnt put my bet on Fredloq. Mostly because hes a ranged champion who already lost his frontline mobs. Oh, and I forgot to say, but Ricard isnt alone either. He has the few remaining undead, those that didnt participate in his clash against Makarel, with him. In short, four skeleton archers. Thats all, the rest were destroyed at the start of the match. But since thats too few support mobs, he borrowed my Good Followers. And he didnt ask about it! Not like I could have given him permission since Im dead, but still! He didnt ask me if I could lend them or not! I swear, Baldy If a single one of them dies, youre going to pay for this I put an evil face. At the same time, I strike my palm with my fist, in the typical thug-like pose. If a single one of them dies no, if they get a single scratch, youre going to pay, Baldy. Im going to force you to to I dont know, Im going to force you into doing something! Ill decide on what later, but assure you you wont like it! Hahaha! After fooling around for a while, I once again turn to look at the screen. As expected, Ricard caught up with Fredloq and has him surrounded with the help of the skeleton archers and my Good Followers. MY Good Followers. If nothing goes wrong, Baldy will kill Fredloq and well have the advantage. Its going pretty well now that Makarel is dead... A feminine voice says right next to me. Oh, yeah. Im not alone in the room. Still wearing her sexy secretary outfit and those sunglasses that make no sense in this dark room, Lauras sitting on her chair and watching Ricards foolishness too. Im tempted to stick close to her the remainder of the match, like an actual haunting spirit, so that she gets the creeps when she watches the replay But Ill hold myself back for now. I dont want to upset her too much. Just blowing into her ear will have to do. I move right next to her and prepare to blow into her ear - not like it will have any effect at all, but itll show when she watches the replay, as every viewer can see and hear the dead players - when I notice something. A shadow? Something is moving through the room. I cant see it properly. What is it? If I didnt try to blow into Lauras ear, I wouldnt have noticed. The shadow jumps at us after getting close enough! Im dead right now, so the target must be Laura! Shit! This isnt a shadow! Its Nanashi! Now that theyre moving, I can see there are a few more shadows. This must be Nanashis assassin squad, moving undetected to achieve victory while were distracted by Ricards and Fredloqs fight! Lily! Its an ambush! Run! You cant die here! But as expected, she cant hear my voice, and the shadow draws closer. Oh, no! I call bullshit! Now that we finally had a chance to win this game, having defeated Makarel! This room works as the core room too! If Nanashi kills Laura, theyll win this match because the core is right next to us! The shadow moves forward. I see a dagger appear, reflecting the screens light. The shadow then swings the dagger, surrounded by an ominous light. This must be the effect of some skill, who knows how dangerous this attack might be! Lily! Evade! I want to pull my hair right now! I cant do anything! Were doomed! Noooo! We cant lose like this! But then, Laura disappears and Nanashi misses the attack, passing through my phantasmal champion and dropping to the floor. W-what!? Both of us shout at the same time. Im as surprised as Nanashi right now. Tsk! Did you really think I would forget about you, Nanashi? With so many cameras, it was easy to know where you were all the time! From my right, Lauras voice makes me turn my head. Ooooh, she knew about the attack and used Blink at the last moment! I knew you wouldnt be deceived like this, Laura! I always knew you would avoid that attack! Hahaha! As I try to deceive myself, Nanashi raises from the ground and raises his weapon once again. So you knew but this doesnt change anything! Youre surrounded and outnumbered! At his words, more enemies appear from the shadows. Yeah this doesnt look good. Who said Im outnumbered? She presses one big blue button and the ceiling opens, dropping several monsters into the room. W-what!? Once again, both Nanashi and I exclaim at the same time. Hey! Stop copying me already! Do you want to be like those crazy fools from the Mad Rats Cult, who copy everything I do!? Because if so, Ill have to take drastic measures If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oh, now I remember! This is what Laura asked me when planning the match! She wanted to have some surprise in case an enemy managed to reach the control room I just didnt expect her to use it to drop several monsters on top of the enemy! Yeah, all those big colored buttons come from my faction, so she had to ask me to create the mechanism first I just didnt listen to the rest of the plan. Now that things are balanced, lets fight this out, Nanashi. Lets see whos the best! She seductively licks her lips and strikes the ground with her whip. He snorts in response. Hmpf! Youre going to fall today. Killing Makarel is the most you can achieve! You did the impossible, but well show you we can hold our ground too! Hah, what a prideful guy! Look at him, being so proud about being carried through the whole tournament! You got it so easy thanks to my older sister, but now you want to be recognized by the viewers as a good player Youre so shameless! Its the first time everyone will see if they are as good as they seem. Because lets be honest, fighting under Marta and winning every match can make anyone look powerful, even if theyre total noobs. The fight starts as Lauras demons, those that fell from the hidden ceiling traps, and Nanashis assassin squad, clad in dark hooded robes, clash. Unlike what happens in most fights between players, both Laura and Nanashi focus their efforts on reducing the number of enemies instead of directly fighting each other. Hoh, it seems like both are quite good at making plans and focusing on victory over everything else I slowly move to the side so I can see everything without getting too dizzy. And talking about being good or bad, whats happening on Ricards side? By now he should have killed Fredloq, right? I once again look at the giant screen. In there, I can see Ricard struggling against a new group of enemies. They are Hoh, isnt that the last member of the Dragon Knights team, Drago? It looks like everything was a trap. Fredloq was the bait, and Ricard was the fish who ate it. Right now, Ricards troops are struggling to survive, and Fredloq, who was surrounded a while ago, is now about to escape the siege. Agh, it doesnt look good If nothing changes, Baldy will be against two players at the same time! Something is launched in my direction. I instinctively duck, and it passes over my head. Its a humanoid charred corpse, with molten lava-like veins. One of Lauras Hellspawns. The cloaked monster that threw the corpse in my direction receives a fire spell attack from behind and dies too. Aaah, that scared me! Wait a moment Im dead already! They cant do anything to me! Theres no need for me to worry about them at all! But still, its annoying! I cant see the screen like this! Angry at the situation, I shout. Hey! Cant you see Im trying to watch that screen!? If you want to fight, do it somewhere else! But they ignore my plead and continue the fight. As expected. They cant hear me I return to look at the screen and see Ricard continuously slashing at Fredloqs corpse while laughing like a lunatic. He did it! But it isnt really good, because to achieve it, he had to jump into a group of enemies, and those arent weak ones The combat continues. More corpses come flying my way Hey, do you have something against me, or what!? and the number of support units from both sides falls at an incredibly fast rate. Ricard managed to survive so far, but Drago is now facing him. He spent too much EP and MP in the previous fights, so theres no hope for him. Also, Ricard himself admitted that Drago is better than him in melee combat the outcome of this fight is evident. By the way, hes on top of a corpse pile right now, shouting something. Im sure its something like Hahaha! It doesnt matter how many weaklings you send against me, Ill kill them all and feed on their souls!, Im sure about it. My surroundings finally calm down as only two or three slackers from each side remain alive. Laura and Nanashi turn to each other, preparing for the final clash. You were quite good. But now there are no more weaklings to protect you! Any last words!? Heee I never said I needed them to defeat you, you know? Laura stretches her whip between her two hands as she talks. Now that were alone and have some time Tell me. How do you want me to punish you? Fufufu! Nanashi quickly gains the upper hand and moves behind Laura, ready to attack. But once again, she avoids the strike with Blink and swings her whip. Ignoring the damage he took, Nanashi throws the dagger at Laura. It hits its target and leaves a purple mark. Is that poison? She clicks her tongue and uses Revitalize on herself. Playing dirty tricks? I like it! There are no dirty tricks in combat, succubus! Both of them clash a few more times, and Laura realizes shes disadvantaged in melee, so she decides to use drastic measures. Hah! Lets see how you survive this! Hellfire! The whole control room is engulfed by black flames, damaging everything inside it. Yes, this includes both Laura and Nanashi. Are you crazy? Well, I just need to kill you faster! Like this, the fight reaches a new height. Nanashi is hard-pressed because hes taking lots of damage, and assassins arent the most resilient of units. In contrast, Laura has Revitalize to heal herself, which means she can survive for a lot longer. That is, only if she doesnt run out of MP first. This fight would be so easy if she could use the Charming Eyes but she was forced to use them to save herself before, during the grand melee, when Nanashi surprised her by suddenly switching targets to her. So the skill is now on cooldown. Otherwise, she could easily kill him. Go, Lily! You can do it! I cheer from the side. If you kill him and survive this, Ill follow one of your wishes! The fight continues, and the first one to fall is Nanashi. The trigger for the Guilty Pleasure skill activated at the worst time for him, and he was immobilized right when he was going to release his last attack. The dark flames disappear as she releases the spell. Hah Im out of MP Laura looks at her stats. If only I had enough to cast Revitalize once Im sorry, Mad Rat. It looks like its my end too I want to ask why, but then I notice theres a purple color covering part of her face. Hmm it must be that damned poison again! Noooo! Lily! Not you! My most devout and sexy assistant! I cry as her champion drops to the ground. And soon, theres a phantasmal version of herself looking in my direction. I see Nanashi looking at me with a weird look on his face. Oh, yeah, I forgot about this the enemies turn into phantoms too, so he heard my shameful cry Agh, somebody kill me so I dont have to face that stare! He leaves the room in the direction where Drago is, though Im not sure why. Not like I care. Im sorry I died too. She apologizes once again, dropping her head in shame. Dont worry, you did well. At least you protected the core. Do you know whats the best about this? That even if she watches the reply and listens to my promise, I dont need to follow any of her wishes! Because I said I would do it if she killed him and survived! But she died, so I look at the screen again. Oh, what a nice timing! To be able to see the exact moment Baldy dies! Hmm? Oh, so he died too. I was too focused on my combat to watch what he was doing. Will we lose the match, then? Because the only one remaining is him, and its coming in this direction hell break the core and win the game. *Tsk, tsk, tsk!* I tsk. I make sure to do it in the most annoying way I can, giving myself as much importance as possible. I think youre forgetting about someone else. You mean Lemon? But didnt she disappear somewhere? Yeah, but... I look at the games clock. Since everything started, quite a lot of time has passed. It should be about time to know what Clara was doing all this time. Either she dies, or she breaks the enemys core. But it should come any moment now. Ah, here it is! At the same time I say it, the games window announcing the end of the match appears in front of us. Hey, if Im not wrong, everyone except for Drago and Clara died in this match, right? Hahaha! We were like dominoes, falling one after the other! wait a moment! Now that I think about it what did I exactly do in this match? Werent I quite useless all along? The only thing I did was press the auto-destruction button, and I didnt even manage to achieve my objective Lame! I suck! I didnt achieve anything a all in this match! Literally, everybody participated actively in it, and it was only I that did nothing at all! Shame on me! Though I wont admit it in front of anyone. Lets keep this a secret between us, ok? We achieved the impossible! We won! I shamelessly say. We did it! Excited about our victory, Laura forgets about acting cool as she usually does and hugs me. because it cant be a convoluted tactic to seduce me, can it? Nah, theres no way. I quickly refocus on whats important. We won this match! The match that nobody thought we could win! Against the strongest team with a crazy pro player, my sister! And we managed to win! Hahahaha! Nobody can stop our team now!
Surprising everyone, even themselves, The League of Evil defeated the Dragon Knights and reached the semifinals. What nobody expected was the influx of viewers, curious about the team who defeated a professional player. The next match, the one against the Sword&Sorcery team, would reach the highest viewership of them all, including those matches between high-ranking players at the level 20 tournament. The League of Evils popularity, as well as its awfully lame name, was skyrocketing. Would they reach the moon, or self-destruct midway? Though most viewers wouldnt mind the former, the general opinion was closer to the latter.
Ch 85 - Andreu says: let’s talk! *Knock, knock!* Im relaxing on top of my bed when somebody knocks on the door. Hey, Andreu. Do you mind if I come in? I think we need to talk about what happened today I can hear Martas voice coming from the other side. It looks like she came to talk about the reason why she was playing as our opponent in the last match. But I dont feel like answering as I usually would lets provoke her a little bit. Who is i~t? In the most annoying tone I can find, I ask who she is. Its obvious I already know, but its in these little details that you can truly annoy other people. And I certainly am angry at her right now, so I want to do it. Hah dont be stupid, you know its me! So open the door already! Im sorry, I dont know anyone called me. Stop being a kid and open the door! Dont wanna! I dont have anything to talk about with a traitor like you! She bangs on my door. If you dont open it, Ill do it! She bangs on it again, putting more force, and the door bulges a little. If it continues like this, shes going to break it ...ok, ok! Stop banging on the door, Im opening it! She stops, and I continue laying on my bed. Yeah, I have no intention to open the door. Not yet. She has to suffer more! Why are you taking so much time to open the door? I was busy, but Im coming Hahaha! I laugh at her. Its hard to hold your laughter in situations like this one, but if she hears me laugh, shell really break the door I need to stay quiet. About thirty seconds pass. By now, Im sure she has realized Im playing with her. Andreu! Stop fooling around! If you dont open the door now, Im smashing it open! *Bang!* With a loud sound, my door bulges inwards. Aaaagh! Shes really going to break it! Wait! Wait I said! Im opening it for real now, so stop it! ... She doesnt say anything but stops her efforts to break the door. Finally, some tranquility Ill count to ten before smashing the door open One, two Aaaagh! My tactic to lie to her yet again has failed! She knew I wasnt going to open the door how did she know? Does she know the future? I raise from the bed and open the door. Reluctantly. So who is it? After I unlock the door, I open it and stick my face out and receive a punch. Yeah, I kind of deserved it, though there was no real need Why are you so violent, Marta? At least she didnt put too much force on it, so it doesnt really hurt. Well, it hurts my pride, but who cares about it? Auch! It hurts! I pretend Im really hurt, rubbing my face and spilling some tears. Lets see if she feels bad about it Stop doing stupid stuff already and move aside! but in response, she kicks the door, forcing it open. And, of course, it smashes on my poor left foot. Agh! I was pretending before, but this does hurt! Oh, Im sorry you should have moved aside when I asked you to In an indifferent tone, she enters my room and closes the door. You bitch! Dont you feel even a little remorse for your actions!? Stroking my poor foot, I lay once again on the bed. What do you want, Marta? Dont you know Im busy? Yeah, busy busy doing nothing, you mean? Ugh! That hurts! But its true, she knows me too well. Theres no way for me to fool her. Maybe if I change tactics, I would be able to fool her once again Fufufu! Time to make some plans! She fidgets a little, looking at me with an awkward expression. But she doesnt say anything. *Sigh* What do you want? Why did you almost smash my door, but now youre standing here, saying nothing? So you know I no, because of you, I Come on, Marta. I know you can do it! I we we have something to talk about I think. You came to apologize, then? Yes! N-no! I-i mean She struggles for a while until she finally says, in a voice so low I can barely hear. Im sorry? Was it really that hard, Marta? Is apologizing really that difficult for you? Also why was there a question at the end of your apology? Are you sorry, or not? For what are you sorry? Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Yeah, Im going to force you to say it. I wont show mercy! Hahaha! No, wait! Dont say it yet, Marta. Im going to ask Clara to come to my room too. Wait for a moment. But No buts! If youre going to apologize and explain, Clara deserves to hear it too! ...ok. Hahahaha! Today is a glorious day! The day I managed to force my older sister to do what I want! Even if its only because shes sorry! Im going to save this scene in my brain for the rest of my life! Hmm, now that I think about it Im a little pitiful, getting so happy because of this situation Well, who cares. Ill enjoy it to the fullest!
... ... ... I went to Claras bedroom and came back with her. As the good little sister she is, she followed me as soon as I asked her. Bringing her to my bedroom was easy. But then Clara is sitting on my bed right next to me, looking at me with a pout on her face and her arms crossed. Since she came inside my room and saw Marta, she hasnt said anything. She hasnt even looked at her! But her furrowed eyebrows and puffed-up cheeks are so adorable! Its like a little angry squirrel! And in front of me, sitting on a chair and with her head lowered, is Marta. She doesnt look very good right now. Im sure shes worried about Claras reaction, and the fact that she hasnt said anything at all to her. Is that despair I see on your face, Marta? If so Hah! Serves you right! This is what you get for doing stuff you knew you shouldnt! And this leaves me with no other choice but to turn my head alternatively between them, looking for a way to make this situation less awkward. Um I dont know what to say I thought they solved their problems during the match, but it looks like Clara only temporarily accepted Martas apology so that we could win the match Agh this situation is killing me! Somebody say something! Anything! I dont care who, or what, just say something! Why are you two behaving like this!? Its me the one who should be fooling around, as usual, and not you! Why do I have to be the sensible one!? Im not good at that role! Marta. She twitches when I call her. You wanted to say something to me and Clara, am I right? I I Her eyes swim all around the place as she nervously fidgets with her hands. I, I ...you? I make a sign for her to continue, but she only keeps repeating the word I. Ok it looks like she broke See? This is what happens when you never ask for forgiveness: youre not used to it and you have a hard time when you know you MUST do it. Me? Im on the better say sorry faction, so I dont have this problem. I do the deed, even if I know its bad, and then ask for forgiveness. And at the same time, Im already planning the next deed and how Im going to apologize for that one As you can see, its a lot better. Marta! This time, she jumps when I call her. Calm down and start from the beginning, ok? *Sigh* I, I I was angry... At first, it looks like she broke once again, but she manages to continue. I was angry because you never wanted to play with me. I urge her to continue. So far, she hasnt explained anything. I was tired of listening to you playing together all the time, so I planned some way to force you into it! Also, I had to beat the shit out of you at least once! How could you be the one to always win? I had to fix that first! Panting because of being out of breath, she finishes the phrase by pointing at me. Please, lets leave this out already You killed me, and you won. Happy now? I think the other stuff is a lot more relevant. Finally, Clara reacts and, in an equally heated and angry voice, refutes Martas words. It was YOU who stopped playing with US, and not the other way around! And it was Andreu, and not YOU who helped ME when I needed it! You told me to solve the bullying by myself, remember!? So of course Im going to ask him instead of you! I was a stupid brat by then! Marta stands up, shouting in shame. I was too immature to realize I wasnt the most important one and didnt realize you needed us! Oh, yeah I forgot. Well, it isnt like I actually forgot, but that I didnt want to remember At that time, Marta was in high school, and, like most adolescents, she thought she was too good to mingle with her stupid little siblings. That she was an adult and we were too childish. That everything revolved around her and everyone had to do her bidding. That she was better than everyone. That only her problems mattered, and everyone elses problems were irrelevant. Ok, ok, lets stop here I think you got what I mean Its just that I was in the middle of it. Between the egocentric Marta, who just started high school, and Clara, who needed my help. And I was going to start high school next year too, so I was busy with lots of other stuff. you must understand I can get heated too when remembering about it. So what? You were a brat? Is this really everything you have to say to me? And to Andreu!? Do you know how much I needed you? No. How much WE needed our older sister!? And you werent there for us! Marta lowers her head in shame and drops to the chair. I Im, Im sorry! I''m sorry I was so stupid then, and ignored you when you needed it the most! Are that tears I see in Martas cheeks? Its the first time since I dont remember the last time. I just want everything to return to how it was before Hmph! If this is what you want, youll have to do a little bit more than apologize! Clara crosses her arms and adds in a lower voice. ...though, well, this is the first step, I suppose Hmm is it me, or the more mature of us three is actually Clara, the youngest one? At least, this is what it feels like right now Marta is crying on the chair, and Clara is looking at her with the same furrowed brows as before. Come on, why do both of you have so much trouble saying what you actually want to say? This might be the time for me to intervene. Come on, Clara its clear that she feels bad about it. She even asked for forgiveness. Dont be like her and forgive her. She can make it up for you from now on, dont you think? Marta raises her head and looks at me with an incredulous expression. At the same time, tears continue to fall from her cheeks. What!? After so much dissing against me, saying whatever you wanted, did you really believe Im incapable of caring? If so, how is it that I was the one to help Clara instead of you? But, you also Dont worry about me. I did what I thought I had to do, and Ill never regret it. In fact, if I we returned to that time, I would do the same. Andreu Clara breaks into tears too and hugs me. It looks like she was truly holding herself back Marta is now looking here. In the middle of crying, shes trying to stand up from the chair before sitting once again. Dont you have something else to say? She hesitates. Then, understanding what I mean, and with a lot of hesitation, she finally says. Im Im sorry for you too, Andreu She almost choked when saying it. If you truly are sorry, why do you still treat us so differently? Did those continuous losses in games really hit you so hard that, even now, you hesitate to treat me properly? But Ill be the bigger person and ignore her behavior for now. Ok come here She jumps at me and Clara, who are on top of the bed hugging each other, to join us. Both my sisters are crying like theres no ending. Im sorry, Im truly sorry Andreu, youll never leave me, right? I pat both their heads as they bawl. Oh, come on, dont soak my clothes Hmm, wait! Why do I feel this wet sensation in my cheeks? Tears? Nah, it cant be.
All ends well that ends well. After talking about it for some time, we agreed to try to restore our original relationship. Now, lets see how long this peace lasts for
Ch 86 - Semifinal match Hey, hey, Wizardess! Do you think well have to fight our way through similar stuff than we did in the classification round? ...Im not sure, but it wont be weird if we do. Haaaa No! I dont want to! I hate it! We were lucky to survive that invasion, but who knows whatll happen now! I only want to face normal enemies! Battle my way through lots of powerful enemies until we find the core and crush it! Like this! Wah! Hyah! Barbarian swings her axe around as if she were fighting an invisible enemy. But I dont want to fight tricky enemies! Hey, Wizardess, dont you have a way to solve it? She looks at me with expectant eyes and a puppy face. But shes taller than me, so the puppy face doesnt work. How many times do you have to ask the same thing No, I dont. Maybe we will find them, and maybe we wont. It, it cant be! She drops to the floor as she releases a desperate cry. I put my hand on my face in exasperation. This Barbarian Whys she always behaving like a musclehead? She isnt like this in real life, but she turns into a lost cause when she starts roleplaying I turn to look at Rogue, but he avoids my gaze by covering his face with the hood. The same happens when I look at Druid. Dont look at me, its only you who knows how to reign her in. I must add I hated that dungeon invasion too. I hope they dont have too many monsters with poison resistance this time, or Ill be quite useless Why do you always leave this stuff to me? Sometimes, being the leader is too much of a hassle I sigh. Ue, ua, haaa! Now, shes making annoying sounds as she rolls on the floor. My eyebrows twitch. Youre doing this on purpose, am I right? Its a good thing I know how to make her stop. Barbarian, can you stop behaving like a child? I dont want to! And Im not a child! I snort. If you dont stop, youll lose the chance to fight some enemies when they come Enemies? Where are they!? Bring them to me! Hoh, less than a second. It took her less than a second to recover from the mental collapse. Look at her, wildly swinging her giant axe around as if nothing happened You only need to say something about fighting enemies and she changes from a complete slob to an unstoppable killing machine. She keeps looking around, searching for the enemies I mentioned. And when she realizes there arent any, she furrows her brows and crosses her arms. Liar! Call me whatever you want. It was the only way to stop you. Luckily, Rogue interrupts this useless conversation, and Barbarian focuses on the new topic. I know you said I was the most important asset in this fight, but you wont leave me alone, will you? I dont want to face those traps and random monsters by myself Rogue is worried about his job in this match. As the partys scout, hes usually in the most dangerous position, but this time is doubly so because hell work as bait too. Its easy to understand why hes worried even if I already told him we will be close to him all the time. When have we abandoned any of our members? Dont worry, well save you if they catch you! Also, we need you alive for our plan. Yeah! We never abandon any of our own! Ill beat anyone who tries to harm you! I Ill do my best. He pats his chest, relieved. But still Im not sure your plan will work. Attacking all together and leaving the defense to the mobs the more I think about it, the more doubts I have. Really? You doubt my plan? Rogue cowers at my question. He knows I dont like to change plans after deciding upon one. But you know my plans almost always work Ok, Ill listen to you if you have another idea, and Ill adjust the plan accordingly. N-no, no. Its fine! I just wanted to make sure Are you ok with it? We can still make some changes. Y-yes, Im sure! He enthusiastically nods. Yeah, I already knew you didnt have a better idea in mind. Youre just afraid of going into that dungeon, which might be full of random stuff, after we watched their replays. I dont know if our monsters are going to defend the dungeon properly or not, but I sure feel relieved about going with the four of us together. I think we all agree with Rogue. Its weird not being with you in a dungeon invasion Yeah! It was weird not having you nagging all the time at what I do! Barbarian laughs. Rogue and Druid look at me and her alternatively, not sure what to say. ... Stop! Stop yourself, Wizardess! Dont say anything about how many times you got a headache due to her impulsive roleplay during this tournament only because you werent there to stop her! Well, I too prefer moving with you all. This way I can better control everything you do. I put extra emphasis on the you. Good for you, wholl be together! But Ill have to scout ahead, alone, and also try to bait the enemy Rogue complains, saying hes the only one wholl have to be alone during this match. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. But everyone knows he only does it because of his character and doesnt really mean it, so we ignore him. It also isnt completely true. You know well be close by. I know, but still Ok, ok Dont complain anymore, we decided to do it like this when we were planning the match, its too late to make big changes now. Maybe I should motivate them a little. When the tournament ends, well return to our usual playing sessions where only we four, maybe with some support mobs, invade a dungeon together and roleplay. Look forward to it! They all display happy faces at my words. We started to play this game to do some actual dungeon-delving roleplay, after all. Participating in the tournament was my whim. I wanted to show everyone how great my character is, and how great my plans are! But now, lets focus on this match. I watched all their matches and came up with a good plan, I believe. We dont need to play harder, but smarter. I like playing smarter! The less effort I have to put into something, the better! Druid laughs at his own stupid joke. I dont know about playing harder or smarter, but I like fighting harder! Yeah, yeah, we know I pat Barbarians shoulder a few times. Sometimes, the best course of action is to ignore the fools, or those that behave like one, and keep moving forward. ... Rogue acts like hes too cool to say anything, standing some meters away, with his arms crossed and his back touching the still inactive dungeon portal. He likes to roleplay the cool guy, but then he sometimes breaks his own character by whining about something, like what he was doing before: whining about being the scout. 10, 9, 8 The countdown until the match starts appears in everyones vision. Enough fooling around! We must focus now! Im talking to you, Druid! I know, I know Uaaaaam! He stands up and slowly stretches, raising his arms up and then to the sides as he yawns. Until now, he was laying on the ground. Is everyone ready? Remember to follow my orders, and everything will be fine! Everyone nods and turns to the dungeon portal. At the same time, the countdown ends and the portal activates.
The match has started, but we dont do anything yet. Were waiting to see what the other team does first. Lily, I still think we should go and attack! Look, theres nothing on the other side of this portal! Clara raises her tentacle-fist high up and swings it to add emphasis. Since we started to plan this match, she has insisted on going on the offense. It seems like, after defeating Makarel (or Marta, our older sister), who was the best player in this tournament, she doesnt fear anything anymore. And I told you its too dangerous! They have one of the best players when it comes to planning the matches, its too dangerous to go without knowing anything! But theres nothing! We can go into it and invade their dungeon! I said well wait here for them to come! Dont try to go alone! Laura is forced to grab Clara before she can rush into the enemys dungeon. Hah, how childish. How good its you and not me I would hate to touch her champion so early in the match Gross! Disgusting! But you stopped her in my stead, so I have to thank you for it. Not like Ill actually say it. Hey, look! Here they come! We all turn to look at where Ricard is pointing and we can see the Rogue guy sneaking into our dungeon. At the same time that we look at him, he turns in our direction and immediately searches for an object to hide from our sight. An easy thing to do because of this rooms design. Awww Here it goes our chance to know what hes doing Do you think hes alone? Im not sure Its Laura who answers my question. In this match, were going to rely on her to take the decisions. Shes the one better suited when we are against another strategist-type player. See, Lily? This is why I say we go into their dungeon! If we dont know about the enemys plan, we better strike first! And I told you to wait! Clara struggles to get free from Lauras grasp. How ironic its the other way around than you would expect given their champions. Mad Rat, do something, please! Lemon, stop it! We decided on following Lilys plans in this match, remember? Ok Clara finally stops struggling and lowers her head. Im not sure if she did it to get my attention or if she really wanted to invade the enemys dungeon. There he goes! Once again, its Ricard the one who calls for our attention. We look where hes pointing and see the Rogue cross the passage and hide behind the next laboratory rack. Oh, come on! Why is he so careful!? Make some mistake already! Ricard elbows me before shutting me up. You know they arent noobs at this. They might be the hardest opponents we have faced if we exclude Makarel Hes clearly implying I should stop behaving like this. But I cant! Its part of the roleplay! Maybe we should hide ourselves too, so he doesnt know where we are, or what were doing the next time he pops out of his hiding place. Laura says we should hide, to not give extra clues to the enemy. A good idea! Though you should have said it from the start because now he already knows were all here. its a shame I didnt think about it before he spotted us. It was a perfect chance to show my amazing leadership skills! And I lost this chance Lets say something random to distract me from my shame. Oh, I know! Oh, right! Good idea! Nobody can play hide-and-seek better than me! Hahaha! We follow her instructions and find a place to hide. The next time the Rogue looks here, he wont be able to spot us. Oh, I almost forgot. Let me explain a little more about our current situation. First of all, were in this extremely big room full of water canals, a labyrinthic layout, and lots of laboratory stuff that prevent anyone from moving freely. Yeah Its the same as my first bosss room, except theres no Minitaur Queen here. The rooms also bigger than the one in my dungeon. In fact, its the only room we have in this match. We decided to use a single gigantic room, with three valid paths, one from each portal to the dungeon core. In this way, we, who know the layout - unless we forget, well see about it - have the advantage and can ambush them when and how we want. We also have enough time to look for a chance because the core is quite far away from any of the entrances. Oh, and there arent moving platforms to cross the water canals either! Theyre kind of random, so we couldnt use them for this match because they could make the rule of one path to the core for each portal invalid. Under Lauras suggestion, this time were focusing first on defense. Well wait for a chance to strike, kill one or two of them, and then well counterattack! Well put everything into attacking their dungeon and winning the match! Well, attack with everything and everyone except for Laura and a few mobs, whore going to stay to defend the dungeon. Basically, were going to use the home advantage to win the edge in this battle, and then switch whos attacking and defending. Only that, by then, well be ahead of our opponents and our victory will be assured! It certainly isnt something that goes with what we usually do, but Laura insisted on it. She said there was no way to secure the win with random stuff because of the Wizardess, and that we must have a solid plan. Ah, how good it would be if the four of them come together now that everyone knows I have the Grand Finale skill, theres no need to hide it anymore, so I can use it freely. And if the four of them come, I can blast them at the same time with a little bit of luck! I tremble in excitement when I imagine it. Ill redeem myself from the previous matchs failure, in which I blew myself up but didnt achieve anything! Tremble and fear me! The human nuke is going to strike again! Fufufu I cant stop myself from chuckling. Laura looks at me with a worried expression when she hears me. ...are you ok? Yes, yes Just ignore me. Of course, I continue to chuckle, imagining our victory thanks to my Grand Finale skill.
Maybe, if we heeded Claras persistent insistence to invade the enemys dungeon, the result of this match would have been a lot different.
Ch 87 - Plans and counterplans Uaaaaaam I yawn. This is is getting kind of boring. I mean, how much time has passed since the match started? But nothing has happened so far I check the clock and see that its already been three minutes since the match started. And all this time, weve been doing nothing but stay hidden and follow Rogues movement from the distance. Were too far away for ranged attacks, our position being more of an observation spot from which we can see most of the room than an actual combat position. Im not sure how are we going to win the match like this ...Im bored. Hey, hey, brother! Clara waves at me, signaling me to come closer. I move right next to her and she whispers. Im bored too! Why dont we go into their dungeon and have some fun? Look, theres no sign of any enemy on the other side of the closest portal we can go, and have some fun Maybe we can even find the core and win this match? W-what is this? Is this what they call the devils temptation!? This is one of those things you really want to do, but you know you shouldnt do because the consequences are going to be awful The problem is it sounds so good, you want to do it anyway I really want to say yes, but then I also dont want to. If I say yes, I wont be bored anymore, but then Ill have to suffer Lauras wrath I agonize for a moment, and when Im about to answer So you want to sneak away? What did I tell you...? We wont invade the enemy dungeon until we deal a huge blot to them first. Uaaah! That scared me! I almost shouted out loud! I-its the demon! An actual demon! The real demon came to assert dominance over the pretender! Did she use Blink? Right next to me, Laura appears without making any noise. She heard Claras devilish proposition and came here to check on us before we could do something stupid! Luckily, I didnt shout and thus didnt humiliate myself. But the best is that I didnt say anything. Its a good thing I dont have to give any excuse, because I was going to say yes. Quick, Andreu, quick! Think! What can you say so that she doesnt suspect you? Ah, I know! I just need to say this! O-oh, h-hey, Lily! Lemon was asking me if I wanted to invade the enemys dungeon without telling you Yep. When youre suspected of being an accomplice, the easiest way to show its a false accusation is to quickly betray the other one! Hey, you traitor! Clara looks in my direction. I cant see because her champion doesnt have a face, but Im sure she would show a mix of anger and surprise otherwise. Surprise at being betrayed. Hahaha, what a good thing for me, now I dont have to feel too bad about this! She doesnt want to make Laura angrier, so she cant say anything, and her face doesnt show any expression Its the same as if she didnt show any reaction to my betrayal at all! Im sorry, Clara. Your older brother doesnt want to lie to Laura Of course, I didnt agree with her because we already have another plan I didnt agree, so Im technically not lying. Even if I was going to say yes if Laura didnt come, it isnt a lie. A-and I was going to stop her Yes! I was going to stop her, before before she could do something stupid! Ahaha Laura looks at Clara. With a smile on her face, she asks her a simple question. Scary! Is that true? N-no, no! I was just joking, joking! Hahaha Yeah, sure. Nobody believes you, Clara. Laura stares at Claras face. Is she trying to force my sister into admitting the truth? I take this opportunity to turn around and hide behind another laboratory rack. Lalala, this doesnt go with me! I have nothing to do with this! I was just yawning because I was bored, but I never considered following Clara! I swear! Lets keep this between us, ok? Hiding behind I peek in their direction so I dont miss anything. Under her pressure, Clara trembles and raises her fists. She clearly wants to hit me right now. She knows Im lying. But at the same time, she knows I didnt say anything, so Im not lying at the same time Sometimes, life is complicated, hahaha ...ok! I admit it! I was planning on going into their dungeon. Happy now!? But Im tired of doing nothing! Hah Its fine. Just dont do it again Laura sighs. It looks like she isnt really angry about this situation. Could it be, that, maybe, she already expected something like this, so it didnt surprise her at all? Nah, it cant be. And youre right, this situation is only good for them. If it continues like this, we wont have time to counterattack and lose the match anyway Lets go, lets prepare an ambush! Finally! Yes! if I had known, I would have done this a lot earlier ...huh? N-nothing! I said nothing! It seems like Clara isnt angry at me anymore. Well, it makes sense. She achieved what she wanted. I pump my fist in ecstasy. She wasnt the only one who was bored, so I like this change too. Though I first turn around so that Clara doesnt see it I dont want any more trouble Although the match has just started and it was uninteresting so far, being angry at each other would only increase our chances to make a mistake and die. We advance through the cluttered passages full of laboratory equipment, hanging cables, and capsules filled with mysterious liquids and disgusting body parts. Some of the containers have mushrooms that look identical to those in my dungeon, except these ones are only decorations. In fact, we hope to make them paranoid about their presence. At this point, everyone knows we like to use them, so maybe we can make them nervous when they see mushrooms everywhere. And then, when they realize theyre fake and lower their guards Bam! We strike! Because, you know there are actual mushrooms in this room too. Its just that this time theyre placed strategically instead of randomly distributed. The passages are narrow and difficult to move through. Its hard for two or more people to walk side by side, so were forced to walk in a single line. We designed the passages like this so that the enemies cant properly fight in them but it also affects us. And theres another advantage to this kind of design: its easy to put secret passages anywhere, if you hide them well enough. From time to time, there are spaces between the lab stuff that allows one to go into the wall they create. Most of them are just dead ends that make one waste a lot of time. But, some of them, are actually secret passages that lead to another part of this gigantic room, skipping all those obstacles and water canals! In this labyrinth of similar-looking passages, these passages allow us to quickly move from one point to another, skipping everything in between. We can move faster than the enemies, and with no chance at all to be surprised by an enemy attack! The only open areas in the whole room are the ones near the water canals. Right now, were moving to one of those areas so we can ambush Rogue when he reaches it. If the plan works, well force him into a 1 vs many fight, and secure a kill for our team. Lets see, lets see I think it was here On my right, theres one of those openings. If Im right, this is the secret passage we have to take. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. But before I can enter it, somebody grabs my shoulder and prevents me from going inside. What are you doing, brother? Stop fooling around. Youre the one who designed this room, so Im sure you remember all the secret passages perfectly Why did you want to go into this dead end? Also, its one of the worst ones it takes a whole two minutes to reach the end and then wed have to come back! Uaaaagh! Gross! Now my shoulder is sticky with abyssal juice! Wait, theres something more important right now! I must act as if I was fooling around instead of forgetting about it! My pride cant allow me to admit I forgot about the secret passages I created! Useless pride Well, Im not really suited for keeping my focus on a single thing for long. I can remember most of my dungeon stuff because I can switch from one thing to another with ease. From creating monsters to invading dungeons, to preparing traps, to making the dungeon look amazing Ironically, it helps me focus. But the tournament is taking very long, and doing the same things repeatedly is taking a toll on my concentration! Yeah, Im sure that must be it. Hahaha is that so? Y-yeah a-as you said, I was f-fooling around! My eyes swim around and I stutter. Nooo! Body! Dont betray me! A-anyway! Lets find the right one! Theres another passage two meters ahead, this time on the left side. Of course, Im sure this one is the good one, so I go into it. Or better said, I try to. *sigh!* Mad Rat You dont really know when to stop, do you? This isnt the one either Wait! Wasnt this entrance the good one!? Shit! I dont know anymore. Also, Ricard, youre the last person I want to hear this from! YOU are the worst of all of us when you unleash the undead beast within you! Yeah, yeah! Sure. I I was just joking again. Oh, lets try this! This way I can prevent more errors and feel even worse than now. Aaaah, I dont think I can stop myself from doing it again Maybe one of you should take the lead Its, its because of this rat head that forces me to do stupid things! I say, in a defeated tone. At the same time, I hit my head as hard as I can. Lets hope this works. Yes! Ill do it! I remember everything! Its time for the Memorization Monster to shine! Hehehe! Dont worry brother! I think I managed to convince them, am I right? Well, just in case lets force Ricard into spilling everything later on. Hes weak to real-life pressure. Hell tell me anything if Im sufficiently convincing. I chuckle evilly as Clara overtakes me. She walks a few more steps and dives into a hole to the right. I knew it! I knew I was right! The secret passage was right here after all! I just forgot the exact entrance. Deluding myself like this, we enter the secret passage. Lily, whats the plan? I ask. Go there, wait for him, and attack all at the same time? More or less. Were also going to take the closest mobs with us, just in case. Who knows what will the Wizardess has planned I see. Just in case, I need an excuse so that somebody else retrieves the mobs. I dont want to get lost in the dungeon I designed Again. Right now, were going to one of the wider areas in the dungeon. Its a place where several water channels intersect and create a difficult-to-move-through area, but without obstacles that provide cover against ranged attacks. At least, thats what I believe. Im not so sure anymore about anything regarding this dungeons layout Shame on me! Im the one who designed this room, but the one who remembers the least! Fucking tournament! Its because of having to do the same so many times that Im like this! Yeah lets keep blaming the tournament. Like this, we continue moving through the secret passage. Argh! My brain is so dead right now! I need some action! When we meet the Rogue, were finally going to have some action! And then, if we find the rest I might be able to blast them all with Grand Finale! Fufufu! Hahaha! My right hand trembles in excitement, wanting to push the auto-destruction button as soon as possible. Shhht! Calm down, buddy! I gently pat my right hand. Dont be so anxious! Our time to shine will come soon. And then well blow everything up! Hahaha! Did you say something, Mad Rat? Ricard, whos walking in front of me, asks. N-no! Nothing! I was just talking to myself. ...is that so? Then, never mind. Wow, that was close! He almost discovered my secret: my right hand is actually alive and has its own personality! Nah, thats a lie. But maybe Ill roleplay like this in the future Who knows.
They disappeared into what looks like a secret passage. From my elevated position, I can see a huge chunk of this room. Theres little detail I can see because everything I see is blurred, I see everything in white and black, and the laboratory equipment stops me from seeing further away but its enough for what we need. Wizardess, did you come up with the plan? My vision returns to my champions. Druid is anxiously looking in my direction. He wants to know whats the situation. From time to time, he looks around before looking here once again. Hes truly scared of finding unexpected enemies. I end the Arcane Vision skill, undo my thinking pose, and start to walk in Rogues direction. If my prediction is right, theyll try to ambush Rogue soon, taking advantage of the fact hes currently alone. T-this is bad! We have to hurry and help him! Druid wants to go and save him already. But I just saw the enemies go into what looked like a secret passage, we still have some time. Dont be hasty. This is exactly what we were waiting for, we cant waste this chance. Well now get closer to Rogue, so that we can act as soon as hes in trouble. Well strike when they least expect it! Finally some action! I was getting bored of doing nothing! Hyaaah! Come and fight me! Everybody on our team knows I have the Arcane Vision skill, and they believe in my judgment. Weve made sure to never mention the skill in any of our matches, and we pretend as if I didnt have it, talking as if I were the one to predict everything the enemy team does. But in fact, we wouldnt have reached so far without this skill.
Arcane Vision (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP, 2 MP per second
Mark an area you can see, up to 50 meters away maximum. While the skill is active, you can change your vision and see things as if you were in the marked area, or return to your champions point of view at any time. Can only have 1 area marked at the same time.
This is one of those skills that look like a waste of a skill point but, in the hands of someone capable, can turn into one of the best utility skills ever. I cant remember how many times this skill saved our lives, both in the tournament as well as in the normal dungeon invasions. Things like scouting ahead in suspicious situations, or keeping watch over a single spot to prevent enemies from taking our rear without us realizing it. Or my favorite: in big rooms like this one, watching the whole situation from above. The perfect way to know everything the enemy team is doing! Arcane Vision is one of those skills only useful for players unless youre really good at modifying the monsters AI. Which I cant. But its also one of the less appreciated skills. Why would a player pick this skill when they can take another skill to blast the enemies away with a Fireball? They dont know shit. Being able to see everything before it happens, is way better. Knowledge is power! Knowing what the enemies are up to, is way better and an attack skill! Planning your next move according to what the enemy team is doing is the best way to win! The only drawback it has is that it costs a significant amount of MP if I want to keep it active for a long time. But Im a wizard. I can spare a few MP points if it means we get important information that might help us survive, or even win the match. But we had to think about some way to prevent the viewers from realizing I use the Arcane Vision skill because I have to stop moving when I activate it. So we came up with this thinking pose. The thinking pose is a name our followers gave me when Im using the skill, it wasnt our idea to call it like this. But it works, nobody thinks Im using Arcane Vision. A very good thing, because its very important the other team doesnt know about this skill. It allows me to abuse it in situations like this one. Everyone believes Im absurdly good at making plans and predictions, but in fact, I make most of them thanks to the info I get through Arcane Vision. Though this doesnt mean Im bad at making plans it only helps me to make better ones. If it goes as I predicted, were going to fight in a very open area. Why do you think so? Wouldnt an ambush work better in one of these narrow passages? I like having Druid around. He asks a lot of questions about my plans, helping me improve them. Its similar to what happens with Watson and Holmes. No. Im sure they want to force Rogue into a one-versus-many situation. And they cant do so in a passage like this one because only a single person can fight in it. Then, wouldnt we be at a disadvantage if they bring more enemies? Were only four! More enemies means more fun! Barbarian, stop for a moment, please Why do you always You know what, lets ignore her. It isnt good for my mental health. Dont worry. Im sure theyre going to choose an area that isnt easy to move through. Maybe with some obstacles on the ground that stop movement or the like. ...like those water canals we saw before? I nod. Maybe. Well see about it, but its very probable. I actually saw the area Im describing when I used Arcane Vision. Rogue was heading there, so Im sure Im right. They must plan to kill him there. And if we dont intervene, he has no chance of surviving. I know what youre doing. Now, let me show you how to counter the enemys plan!
The thing you need to worry about the most in a PvP match, unlike what most players believe, isnt the strongest skills the enemy player can use, but those that bring utility. If you arent prepared for certain situations, a single utility skill can break your whole strategy. A few examples are an invisibility skill turning all your guards useless, or a taunt skill allowing the enemy to exploit a death-burst skill to kill all your monsters. Sometimes, even a skill that only allows the enemy to see ahead, is enough. You should fear those utility skills. So, if you dont want to cry later on, plan your PvP dungeons taking them into account. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 88 - First clash Stay calm, stay calm Dont let my nervousness show Wizardess has my back and a solid plan. I-Im sure of it! I hate this! Why did we have to fight against these guys a second time? I had enough when we entered their dungeon in the preliminary phase. No, no! This wont do! Before I break my character, I mentalize myself. Im the coolest rogue in the world, I never doubt. My actions bring certain death to our enemies. Im a shadow. Nobody can see me unless I allow them. Im the silent and eternal watcher. Always taciturn, never nervous. Hah it looks like I managed to calm myself down. Its all because of this fucking dungeon! Do you know whats worse than a dungeon full of traps and random monsters!? A dungeon you know its full of traps and random monsters, but you havent found any yet! Im bound to find them, but I dont know when! Or how! I hope the others can save me when the time comes I advance through the weird passage. My steps are silent. Im a blurry shadow, moving from one corner to the next, unnoticed by the enemies. There are no enemies in sight anyway, so it isnt that difficult. But they wouldnt notice me anyway. Its kind of gross... All those disgusting containers, filled with suspicious liquids and creatures... The worst are those that only contain organs And this, ugh What the hells this thing!? Inside a container, theres a humanoid figure. A humanoid figure with body parts of different creatures added together in a monstrously hideous silhouette. Flesh that shouldnt match, stitched in weird places. A hand too small for the giant green arm. The right eye is popping out of the socket, but the left one is sunken in. A head that looks as if it would fall off if poked. I saw monsters like this one in the replays, but I never expected them to be this disgusting when seen in person! I hope this one is just a decoration because I dont want to fight this shit. Its a good thing this creature isnt alive. Im not sure how did the enemy team do it, but its a decoration. Uaaagh I want to puke But I must stay calm! I cant break my character! Im imperturbable! Gore, viscera, and disfigured bodies are something Im used to! Thats my rogue character! Maybe Ill have to reconsider my character after the tournament ends. I turn my eyes away from the disgusting creature. Ill need to bleach my eyes Hmm Now that I think about it, its been some time since I saw the enemy team. At the start of the match, I saw them looking in my direction from afar. But now, I cant see them anywhere. Wizardess must have the situation controlled, right? Im sure shes watching everything from above right now. I Ill have to rely on her. The path splits into two. I first look around, but theres no sign of enemies or traps. Im worried about the mushrooms that appear from time to time. So far they were only decorations, but who knows what will happen later on. I saw lots of players who suffered because of them, I dont want to be one of them. I choose the left path. No real reason other than it being the direction where I last saw the enemy team. I leave a small green pebble on the ground, near the split point. It indicates which path I took. Green means everythings ok: I didnt find any trap or enemy. I also have yellow, red, and black pebbles. Yellow means traps, red means enemies, and black means both. I hope I wont need to use a single black one Of course, Wizardess must be watching everything from above, so theres no real need to use the pebbles in this match. Still, its another method she wants to use to deceive the viewers and the other teams, so Ill use them anyway. I continue moving until I find a group of those disgusting creatures, shambling through the passage. Theyre still some distance away, and Im hiding, so they havent noticed me yet. Its thanks to the Shadow Veil skill. Agh! I dont want to fight them! In fact, I dont want to get anywhere close to them! Not at all! Ugh, what can I do? Theyre in the way Cant I ignore them? I can, right? There are lots of similar passages, Im sure I can choose another one and it will lead me to the same place. In the last fork, it looked like both passages met again after a few meters. I leave a red pebble and move to the other passage. I was right, they lead to the same place. I can now see the same group of disgusting creatures behind me, instead of them blocking my way. Barbarian, Ill leave you a present! Dont you think Im cool? Im the coolest rogue ever! And I always think about my teammates first, thats why Ill leave these monstrosities to you! Hahaha! I leave the scene, a cool smirk on my face.
This is it, this is the place where theyll attack me. Im sure of it. After a few more cluttered passages, I finally reached an open area. Here, a water canal intersects with another one and then merges with a third. They are too wide to jump over, so the only way to cross them is by using bridges. This really limits my mobility. And if this wasnt enough, theres nowhere to hide There were almost no enemies in the way, only a few scattered groups of those disgusting monsters. This must mean theyre either used to invade our dungeon or the enemy team is saving them to throw at us when they find a good opportunity. And what opportunity would be best than the one right here? A place where I cant hide, and from which enemies can overwhelm me in numbers. Its also a good place for ranged attacks since theres no cover at all. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Sigh. I must go into it. I know its a bad idea, and that I might kill myself if I do this, but I must. Im sure Wizardess is aware of the current situation and theyll save me, so Im not worried about dying. Im more worried about breaking character or doing something shameful. Something Ill never be able to recover from, like screaming like a girl I especially dont want to find any disgusting or random mobs. I dont know how Ill react if a bunch of those grotesque monsters surround me and attack from all sides. But theres no need to hurry. I first take a look at the clock. Hmm its been almost eight minutes since the match started. If Wizardess plans work, well finish this match quite early. A good thing because I dont want to stay here any more than absolutely needed. Before I enter the open area, I take a look around. I dont see any traps, and there are no enemies in sight. They must be hiding. Well Im tasked with being the bait. I know its a bad idea, but its my job. So far, Wizardess plans worked almost all the time, Im sure this time wont be any different. There are several passages I can go to after this area. Im sure Ill get ambushed, which means I wont be able to use them, but this doesnt mean itll be easy to lure them out. I must think about this properly. Taking into account how far I moved, and how big I think the room is theres a high chance the dungeon core is in that direction. In that case, that one is the passage I should use, assuming theres no ambush. The best way to lure them out is to make them think Im going for the core, and thats what Ill do. Here I go! I run in that passages direction, quickly crossing the gap until the first bridge. I have to cross two bridges to reach my objective. How weird, they didnt jump at me as soon as I came into view. Does this mean theyre waiting for me to be deeper into this area? *Puff!* ...eh? A surprised expression leaves my lips as my champion falls to the ground. What is it!? I look around. Theres a bluish cloud around me that quickly dissipates, leaving only a very subtle greenish one in its place. Arent these the visual effects of sleeping and poison mushrooms? They put them under the bridge so that whoever tries to cross it, falls prey to them!? Fuck this shit! I knew it! I knew there would be mushrooms somewhere! Oh, how much I hate them! We suffered so much in the preliminary phase because of them I really didnt want to find any this time! Well, here goes my hopes Also Aaagh, my character! I made such a stupid eh?!!! It isnt cool at all! I want to complain, but I cant. I must focus now, it looks like theyre taking action. From all the passages, except for the one I came from, lots of monsters pour out and quickly surround the whole area before coming at me from all sides at the same time. They used the time I was asleep to cut all my options. The enemies are quite good, Im now surrounded and I couldnt do anything to avoid it at all. As soon as the sleeping effect ends, I roll over the ground to get out of the poisonous cloud. I dont want to suffer more stacks of poison than absolutely needed. I cant see any enemy champion yet, but Im sure they must be close They must be waiting to see what I do before showing themselves. If I die to the mobs, itll be the best. But if I do something unexpected, they arent risking themselves by staying hidden. Im sure theyll only come out if they feel like its needed. Its a good plan. Not for me, but still, a good plan is a good plan, I must admit it. Looks like they have a decent strategist on their team too Which reminds me of our own strategist. Please, Wizardess, come out now! Im in deep shit, and I have no way to get out of here by myself! Help me! The only saving grace is the monsters consist basically of zombies and imps. At least, there are none of those disgusting creatures. Stifling a desperate cry, I cooly raise my two daggers and prepare for combat. I prefer the crossbow when it comes to combat, but its a bad idea when surrounded by melee enemies.
It started. I return to my body once again, cancel Arcane Vision, and end the thinking pose. The ambush was successful and Rogue is about to die soon. We must reach him before this happens. The problem is I cant see any of the enemy players. Their leader is smarter than it looks, he or she doesnt want to risk everything to kill a single one of us. But this poses a big problem for my plan. I was expecting to take them by surprise with our counter-ambush Ill have to change the plan a little. We cant waste time. Barbarian, what color is the next pebble? Um black. Its black. Oh, and theres another one thats red. Black and red? Lets hurry! Rogue must be in trouble! This is the signal I asked him to send before the match started. To give us a valid reason to know hes in danger, I told him to put a black and red pebble before going into an area he believes is dangerous. In this case, where he thinks hes going to be ambushed. Do you mean? Yes, I mean it. He might be ambushed soon. He has already been ambushed, but I need to feign ignorance. Well run to catch up to him and save him. Druid stands at attention, his face showing high tension. A great contrast compared to his usual sleepy one. Finally, a fight! Im raring to go! We quickly reach the open area with the water canals. After all, we were closely following him as I watched everything from above. This doesnt look good should I heal Rogue before he dies? No. Dont show yourself until I tell you. Rogue is surrounded by a bunch of zombies, and five imps are taking turns attacking him from his back. This is one of those tank + damage dealer combos that are quite dreadful: both the zombies resilience and the imps damage when attacking from behind arent a joke. Barbarian, you go first. Open a path for Rogue to retreat and kill the imps. Youre the only one who can jump over the water canals, so abuse it. But dont get too excited and put yourself in a bad spot. Yes! Aaaaaaagh! She rushes towards Rogue, shouting loudly. She believes this is a great way to show how strong you are, like an animal. Really, what a musclehead ... Druid looks at me. I can almost see a question mark on top of his head. You and I will hide for now. ...why? I dont understand. Well it looks like the enemy has a good head. I cant see them, but Im sure theyre hiding somewhere close, waiting for a chance to strike. Then isnt it even more important to come and make sure Rogue survives!? No, no. This is exactly what theyre waiting for. Well first wait, and see how it goes and see if we can lure them out. I have a great idea in mind. I first need to lure all of them out, but if it works I smirk. In fact, Im sure that from a third-person perspective, it looks like an evil smile instead of a simple smirk. Ah, I understand. You want to lure them out by making them think were in a bad situation. ...Yes. More or less. You know, two can play this game of hide and seek. This might be the most interesting game so far. Whoever you are, the one whos leading the other team I hope you can make me enjoy this match a lot!
MUSHROOMS! Mushrooms on the ground, mushrooms hidden behind a wall, mushrooms hidden behind a rock, and mushrooms inside crevices. Mushrooms on the ceiling, mushrooms under the bridges, mushrooms on top of mushrooms, mushrooms inside mushrooms, mushrooms that are creatures, and creatures that are mushrooms. Giant mushrooms, mini-mushrooms, glowing mushrooms, mushrooms with faces, mushrooms that make noises, and mushrooms that laugh at you. Poison mushrooms, Sleeping mushrooms, Paralyzing mushrooms, Fear mushrooms, and more Poison mushrooms. Freezing mushrooms, Burning mushrooms, Exploding mushrooms, even more Poison mushrooms, Blinding mushrooms, Instant-death mushrooms Did I forget the FUCKING POISON MUSHROOMS!? Mushrooms! MUSHROOMS! MUUUUUSHROOOOOOMS! Mushrooms EVERYWHERE! In this damned crazy dungeon, theres nothing that even resembles a safe place! Crazy!? YOU say IM the one whos crazy!? Im not! Oh, but there are Frenzy mushrooms too I almost forgot about them. - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 89 - Back and forth, a scheming battle Aaaaaagh! Releasing a loud roar, the Barbarian appears from the same passage as the Rogue and jumps into combat. Literally, I mean. She jumps over the water canal and lands on the other side, smashing one poor imp into oblivion. Then she attacks the remaining imps, killing them one by one while ignoring the zombies surrounding the Rogue. Well, zombies dont deal too much damage, theyre only resilient. It makes sense she prioritizes the damage dealers. Isnt that the Jumping Smash skill? The same one I gave to the Lab Assistants? I mutter to myself. Its going as Laura planned. She suspected the other players must be close, or at least another one of them should be. Staying hidden was a good idea so we didnt get counter-ambushed. Just imagine: the Barbarian jumping at me because I was staying at a faraway place to safely attack, isolated, and forcing me into a melee fight. Yes, I have some ways to survive, if Im lucky and the stun from Lightning Shield triggers I might do something, but Shes a fucking beast! Unless Im fortunate, theres no way I can win! I would only be able to shiver in fear and hope that somebody would save me before it was too late Well, maybe I can if I use the Grand Finale I could defeat her, but its too risky because I might inflict more damage on our own team if I dont plan it ahead. I turn my head to the side. Lauras watching the battle with a hand on her chin, thinking about something. Now what? Should we go and, I dont know, kill them? Hmm Yes. But only Baldy and Lemon will go, plus a few more imps. Im not sure yet if the other two are still hiding, and I dont want to take unnecessary risks. ...is that so? Well, youre the one making the decisions today. Ok! Ill tell them! You stay here and keep watching the battle and planning our next move. Not too far away, Ricard and Clara hide behind the laboratory equipment, watching the fight unfold. By now, all the imps are dead and the zombies will soon follow. Hey! I say to get their attention. She says you two should go and fight them. Try to kill the Rogue first, hes already taken quite some damage. Yes! Ill kill them all and bring you their corpses! Clara raises her, um tentacle hands in enthusiasm and proudly declares. Why is she always so eager to do anything I say? Oh, I got an idea! Maybe I should ask her to do my homework in the future! I know Im older, and were not even studying the same thing, but still she might actually do it! And then I can spend more time playing the game! Hahaha! Also no, thanks. I dont need their corpses. If you brought them alive, so I could capture them and turn them into my own units, it would be nice. But since you cant capture a Champion, I dont need them. Not that its possible to do it in the middle of the tournament anyway. You can do whatever you want with their bodies, but their souls are mine! Hahaha! Oh, no. Ooooooh, no! Hes going at it again! ...their sweet and tasty souls! Ill feast on them! Ok Oh, and take a few imps with you to keep them busy and deal some extra damage. Sure. But why imps? Cant I take my skeletons? Just do it. It must be part of her plan. Ok, ok They finally leave and enter the open area. Six imps are moving behind them, as Laura ordered. Hahaha! You dare come here, and destroy my undead legions? Blasphemy! I have no other choice than to take your own souls and turn you into my eternal minions! Hah! Youre only bones! What are you talking about? What has died one time, can be killed again! What!? Well see it! Come, lets fight! Sure, lets fight! A very weird conversation happens between Ricard and the Barbarian as soon as he enters the area. I simply dont know what to say. Should I be worried? Or should I ignore the two fools? I knew Ricard was like this, but for Barbarian to be the same Well, he at least managed to get the Barbarians focus. Shell now fight against him and ignore Clara. And talking about her Clara is running toward the Rogue, clearly set on following my order of killing him first. Kill, kill Kill! And then hell praise me! Hehehe! Uwaaaah! Scary! I really dont want to be in Rogues position right now! Agh, what am I saying!? I dont want to be in my own position right now either! I dont want anything to do with that that, THING. I shudder. The poor Rogue, whos still fighting against three zombies, soon finds himself grabbed by Clara. Hes unable to escape now. Poor Rogue, lets pray for him Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A fun thing about this game is that combat actually works kind of similarly to real combat. Ranged attacks always have the advantage unless the enemy is at melee range, and being surrounded by multiple enemies, even if they are weaker, is a bad thing. A very bad thing. This is why the Rogue couldnt kill all the zombies yet. He chose to survive and focus on defense, avoiding all the attacks he could. If he went on the offense, he would be dead by now. Focussing your attention on killing an enemy while being attacked from all sides means you take a lot of damage from attacks you could otherwise have avoided. Like in real life, numbers mean power. Of course, stats also play a big role here, but numbers still trump them. This is unless you have area-of-effect skills or are some nutjob. Like the Barbarian, who ignores everything else except her target. Or Ricard, who always plays aggressively because he heals from the damage dealt. or Clara, who only considers my orders and expectations and ignores the rest. Now that I think about it isnt the only normal one in this combat the Rogue!? Why is everyone else so special!? Special as in the bad sense of the word. Haaaah I sigh. Well, lets leave it at this, everyone has their own quirks. Me? Nah, Im perfectly normal Lets see how you defend against this! Ill feed a human skewer to my minions today! Hah!? You call this an attack!? THIS is an attack! Hyaaah! The Barbarian and Ricard are entangled in frenetic melee combat. Shes wielding her giant axe around, spinning and slashing in all directions. Its like a metallic tornado. But he isnt slacking either, he parries her blows and uses the shield to divert most of her attacks. Sometimes, he receives an attack, and sometimes she does. She should hold the advantage, after all, shes a damage dealer and Ricard focuses more on defense if not because the imps are pestering her with spell attacks. She has to divide her attention and thanks to it she misses more attacks and Ricard manages to sneak a few more in. Its a stalemate. The result of their fight will depend on what happens around them and not on their fight itself. Am I also like them when I go into full roleplay mode? Ugh they look like kids playing around! Its impossible for me to be like them, Im a lot cooler. Im sure of it. If the Wizardess is watching this, Im sure theyre going to do something soon. They cant allow us to freely kill the Rogue And the Barbarian will fall soon after him. Yep, youre right. As the battle progresses, Laura and I continue to hide behind a cluttered rack. As she says, its about time they make their next move. Clara continues to grab the Rogue with her tentacles, not allowing him to escape. It looks like hes decided to get serious too, as he used some skills to kill the remaining zombies. But now he must be out of EP/MP, and his HP bar is getting dangerously low too. Yeah its definitely a bad thing for whoever is grabbed by her Even if youre an ally, it isnt something I would suggest you try. You wont take physical damage, but will still take the psychological one. Hehehe! Ill bring you with me to the abyss! ... He tries to keep his cool, but hes clearly panicking there. Just look at his expression! The bulging eyes, the furrowed brows! And the fact that hes looking in the direction of the passage from where both he and the Barbarian came from! Im sure theyre here. I say. Yeah, I know. I said it just in case, but it seems she noticed the Rogues actions too. Get ready, and prepare the skeletons. Its going to be our turn soon. Sir, yes, sir! She looks at me with a weird expression on her face. Lets fix it. I mean yes, madam! How weird her expression doesnt change at all When I give the signal, I want you to attack their backline, assuming they have one. And stay close to them. Youre more dangerous than they are, if they ignore you, you can use our trump card. YES! Destruction! Explosions! Lightning! I want some action! I want to blow something up! As entertaining as it is to watch a group of people fighting and spouting nonsense, it isnt the same as actively participating! I want to be part of it too! Fufufu! Hahaha! Luckily, it seems my turn will come soon. Theres movement on their side.
As I expected, they do have someone smart on their team W-we must save Rogue! Hes going to die very soon like this! Calm down, let me think about it first. B-but, Rogue! He I ignore Druids rambling and ponder about our current situation and future actions. First of all, theyre good. They first forced us to bring Barbarian into the fight, and now they only used the minimum resources to secure their victory. If we dont do anything, theyll kill first Rogue and then Barbarian, no questions asked. But they didnt commit everything to the fight, so we cant be sure about their remaining assets. Im sure both Mad Rat and Lily are close, but I dont know what monsters they have with them. Then theres our current situation. Me and Druid are doing fine. Barbarian should be ok for a while, but Rogue if he doesnt get help very soon, hes dead. If Druid goes out now, Im sure theyll also send a few more stuff too, and the situation will repeat once again. But we cant afford to do it because Im sure Rogue will be dead by then. This means both me and Druid need to come out now. If we both come out, Im sure theyll also use everything they have at hand. They wont have any reason to keep anything hidden, after all. The last thing to consider is that were clearly in a bad position right now. Were alone, without any support mob, inside their dungeon. So they hold both the numerical and home advantage. But this doesnt mean anything, because if they react as I believe theyll do, and my plan works as intended Yeah, its PRECISELY because were in a bad spot that my plan will work. Theyll use everything they can to kill us all and win the match. Then, I only need to time it right I grin. Yeah, Im sure itll work! ...hey, Wizardess, dont ignore me! We have to do something or else Druid. I raise my hand, interrupting him. Were going in. Dont waste your MP unnecessarily, just keep everybody alive. Its really important youre ready to use Entangle when I tell you. Were going to win this! Y-yes! Sure! Whatever you say! I believe in you, Wizardess! Your plans always work! Yeah my plans always work.
Entangle (Active skill)
Cost: 50 MP, 10 MP per second
Immobilize every unit in a 10-meter radius for up to 5 seconds. The duration is reduced against units with higher average stats than you.
Wizardess plans always work. This was the general consensus among all viewers. Except this time, for the first time in the whole tournament, her plan didnt go as she expected.
Ch 90 - Tiny miscalculation Here they come! I know, I can see it too. ...right. As the Druid and Wizardess enter the area, I enthusiastically shake Lauras arm, telling her they did what she expected. To which she responds indifferently. The first thing the Druid does is run in the Rogues direction and cast a healing spell. Of course, it works and his HP is replenished, but Hah, thats not going to work! You cant heal faster than my little sister deals damage when all her DoTs are applied! What a waste of MP! Youre only delaying the inevitable! What did I tell you, Mad Rat? Laura admonishes me. Dont waste time now that they showed themselves! And it isnt a waste of time, because if they kill her during that time, the Rogue wont die. So get moving! She pushes me in the direction of one of the side passages. Remember, use that passage and take their backs so they cant run away. Ill go from the front and help Lemon. Sure. I leave through the passage. If I continue like this, itll lead me to an advantageous position near the Wizardess, from which I can surprise them. Fufufu! Hahaha! Its time for some experiments! Lets see, lets see today, well test how much damage can they take before they die! Im thrilled to see the results! Behind me, a group of skeletons ready their bows and swords. Theyre the last support mobs we collected from nearby zones. Laura specifically asked to keep them alive until now because theyre very good against them thanks to their innate poison resistance. Now that the Barbarian is busy, the Rogue cant do anything, and the Wizardess is trying to rescue the Rogue, the only one who can do something is the Druid. But his only damaging AoE is Poison Cloud I dont need to explain anymore, do I? I run through the passage. When I reach the end, I can see the Wizardess a few meters in front of me, and the Druid a little bit further away, entangled in combat with Laura. The Barbarian is still fighting against Ricard, and Clara and the Rogue continue their deathly hug. Hmm now that I take a closer look, the Rogues HP bar is too low, how is it that he isnt dead yet? Oh, but the Druids HP bar is decreasing at a similar speed as the Rogues was a while ago does this mean, hes somehow sharing his HP with him? Thats foul! Cheating! Isnt that skill completely broken!? A skill that prevents one player from dying as long as the other remains alive is too strong! Its completely useless if youre alone, but in a team fight its too powerful! There must be some drawback to it that I dont know This must be the reason why Laura is attacking the Druid instead of finishing the Rogue first She must have noticed some time ago, or maybe she knew from watching their matches, Im not sure. And also the reason why Clara is still grabbing the Rogue: to deal extra damage to the Druid, and also so that the Rogue cant roam and help somewhere else. A bunch of magic missiles appear near the Wizardess hand and fly towards Laura. Close to a fifth of her HP vanishes with them, reducing her HP to close to half. Fuck! I cant delay this anymore! Stop watching the show, Andreu! Its time for action! Chain Lightning! As I pop out from the passage, I cast Chain Lightning against the Wizardess. Shes a caster, and as a caster, she doesnt have a lot of HP. The damage she takes is considerable. Two, maybe three casts more and shell die. That is if I had the MP to cast Chain Lighting that many times consecutively, which I dont. Its a shame theyre too far away from each other for the lightning to jump between them. Though I do manage to get her attention and she stops attacking Laura. Its playtime! Wizardess, youll play with me first, ok!? Hmpf! How annoying! You keep popping from everywhere! Why cant you just come at us at once!? She turns around and says. She sounds angry, but why is she smiling right now? I dont know if shes an exception or what, but normal people dont smile when angry Unless theyre REALLY angry. But she doesnt look like shes that angry right now. Did she predict I was going to attack them from behind, and is now pretending to be angry? No way, right? The skeletons spread through the area and attack the Wizardess and the Druid with their bows and swords. Ricard really likes the classics, giving rusty swords and crumbling bows to the skeletons I knew it! I knew they would bring skeletons! Fuck this! Shut up, Druid! Now isnt the time to complain! Focus on the fight! Magic Missiles! A bunch of missiles fly my way. I try to avoid them by jumping to the side, but they change the trajectory and hit me anyway. Theyre targeted? Fuck this! Cold Blast! Magic Missiles! Cold Blast! Our spells hit each other, dealing large amounts of damage. Though mine deals less because its a basic spell, even with the 40% extra damage. Hey, this isnt fair! Your spell deals more single-target damage than mine! Go closer to your friends so I can show you my true power! Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Aha so what!? You should choose your spells better in the future! Oh, and itll be more unfair soon. She turns to look at the others fight. She inhales. No way is she Barbarian! She shouts. Im coming! You bloodthirsty beast! Are you scared of dying, trying to run away from me!? Hahaha! Im sorry, walking corpse! My leader calls for me! Lets fight another time! As if Ill let you run away! Ill kill you, and then turn your body into one of my minions! And then Ill bind your soul to it for all eternity! I I dont want to comment anything about Ricards and the Barbarians conversation anymore. The Barbarian jumps over the water canal thanks to her Jumping Smash skill. Upon landing, an unlucky skeleton meets its end. I have to admit shes good. Even in a situation like this, she has enough skills and awareness to pull off something like this. She didnt even look in that direction before making the jump! Ricard tries to follow her, but he cant jump over the canal like her, so hes forced to take a detour. The good thing is theres nothing that can slow him, so hell reach this place soon. The bad thing is how the hell am I going to survive until he comes? Fighting against the Wizardess and the Barbarian at the same time? No thanks! Fuck, what can I do? Now that I remember, Ricard insisted on not getting killed by the Barbarian during the match. Something about her getting very powerful after killing another champion, if Im not wrong. So I cant let myself die. Then, what should I do? If the push and stun from Lighting Shield trigger, itll give Ricard enough time to save me. But if it doesnt, and I dont do something else, Im dead. Lauras at about half HP. Claras HP is dangerously low because the Rogue keeps attacking her all the time. He takes a lot of damage, which is transferred to the Druid, but this doesnt prevent him from attacking her since theyre literally hugging each other to death. Ricard is the only one whos doing ok, he didnt take too much damage. The thing is I dont know how much of a boost will she get if she kills me. It isnt unthinkable that with that boost she could get rid of both Clara and Laura very fast, and only Ricard would remain. The Druid and the Rogue will die for sure. In the end, itll be a fight between Ricard with our support mobs vs a powered-up Barbarian and the Wizardess. Can he win this? I dont think so. The chances for the Lightning Shield stun to trigger are 20%, doubled to 40% thanks to the Maniac skill Should I risk it or not? What do I do!? Theres the Grand Finale too, but its risky to use when there are allies close to me. Wait a moment, Andreu! Allies close to me? Yes, yes, yes! Thats the key! Im on one side of this unobstructed area. The Grand Finale is wide enough to cover most of it, but if we take into account everyones positions Right now, the closest ones are the Wizardess and the Barbarian, whos running in my direction. Then there are the Druid and Laura, who are a few meters away. But Laura has Blink, so its almost sure she can escape the area of effect on time. The last ones are Ricard and Clara. Both are far enough they can simply run away to avoid the damage! The only enemy who might escape is the Rogue, but hes at a very low HP, and with no EP or MP. Not a problem at all if he survives. While Im thinking, I receive another Magic Missile barrage, and the Barbarian slashes at me two times. Then, what am I hesitating for? The only ones in danger are our enemies! Lets do this! It''s time to blow something up! Fufufu! Hahaha! Youre asking for death, you know!? Did you think I would fear you ganging up on me!? I make sure to shout as loudly as I can so that both Ricard and Clara hear me. Im doing it! Everyone, run! At the same time, I open my arms wide in a dramatic pose and activate the Grand Finale skill. Fufufu! Hahaha! Lets see how you survive this! Now, Druid. Barbarian, do it now! Everybody, get ready! W-what!? Im astonished at the Wizardess reaction. Shouldnt she be I dont know, scared? The first one to react is the Barbarian. She makes another jump, landing right behind me. Then she kicks me, sending my body flying a few meters toward the center of this area. Of course, I dont take any damage because Im invulnerable right now. But being invulnerable doesnt mean they cant forcefully move me like what happened right now Fuck this! I never expected them to do this! If I explode here, itll be almost impossible for Ricard or Clara to run away on time! But, when everything goes to shit, and you believe it cant go worse than it is, life surprises you with something even more ridiculous. Always. Ensnare! As the Druid uses his spell, the whole area is covered in vines and roots that quickly grapple everyone. And I mean everyone. This includes me, Laura, Ricard, and Clara, our support mobs, as well as the four of them. All of us are affected. Now everyone is immobilized and inside the area of my skill What the hell are they doing!? Are they fools!? Theyre going to kill themselves like this! Emergency Esca No, you don''t! This time, its the Wizardess who prepares to cast a spell. But Laura, who Im sure was expecting something else to happen after seeing the Druid cast Entangle, Blinks closer to her and activates the Charming Eyes before the Wizardess can finish casting.
Emergency Escape (Active skill)
Cost: 50 EP, 50 MP
Mark the area you are currently in. When you activate this skill, you can teleport any number of allied units you can see to the marked area. After the teleport, all units lose all their current EP and MP. This skill can only be used once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Wow, that was close If Laura reacted any slower, this match would end in our defeat We knew she had some kind of trump card saved, but I never expected it to be this skill. Ahahaha! That must have been their plan all along, to kill us when I used Grand Finale! And I fell into it! Its a good thing they failed, because otherwise Like this, the Wizardess cant do or say anything anymore. Not until the charm ends. Which means everyones going to die, right? Except for me, I mean. I wont die after using the skill. Well, it should be. This means we won! Hahaha! We won! And I managed to blow everyone up as I wanted to! Fufufu! Hahaha! But my laughter stops when I see the Barbarian moving. Ah, shit! Dont run away! As a last resort, the Barbarian uses Jumping Smash to run away. If she escapes, shell survive, kill me after the explosion, and theyll win the match. But, hmm is that a bug? Or maybe a skill upgrade? In theory, when youre immobilized, you shouldnt be able to use skills that move you Unless its a teleport skill like Blink. Not so fast, you brainless idiot! Ricard forcefully brings her back with his Dark Grab skill, dragging her once again right next to him, and inside the explosion radius. Hah! It didnt work! But fuck you, Ricard! If you had used it before, when she came at me, I wouldnt have been forced to use the Grand Finale and we could have won this a lot more easily! Sigh! No use crying over spilled milk The invulnerability time reaches the end and Grand Finale activates. The last thing I see is Laura looking slightly over my head before suspiring. Over the vines and roots entangling everyone, the black fire of hell appears, burning everyone before the inevitable happens. What is she doing? *BOOOOM!* The whole area is covered by a blinding bright light as the Grand Finale skill activates. The light expands, covering the vines, the black flames, and everyone; obliterating everything in its path. Only light remains.
There was only one way to describe that fight: Total Annihilation.
Ex Ch 11 - Taboo Dungeon Masters Arena forums. Thread: Level 5 Tournament - Semifinals (...) [Obbaboo] The beginning was boring, but seeing them compete like this is interesting. [Charlon] Its still boring though. [Shocker] Blasphemy! How can you say its boring! Watching Wizardess plans evolve and change over time, you should be glad! [Charlon] Boring is boring. [McDolland] Yeah, we want some action! [Obbaboo] You dont understand anything! Its more interesting to see them making plans and reacting to the enemy than watching them clash without purpose. Also, Wizardess is cute. Whatever she does, is justice. [Shocker] Plain is justice! [Obbaboo] No! Big is justice! Its clear the best one is Lily! [CovidSteak] Mmm, those jelly-like jugs that fill your whole hand. And those full but terse buttocks. Hah, hah ( ??) Ill return soon, I have something else to do [McDolland] I prefer the wild and childish feel from Barbarian [Abominate] Uwaah! Do you really like that tall and muscular gal? [McDolland] Whats wrong with liking muscles? [Abominate] Uwaah [SappySue] Im sorry for you guys. Youre so immature, focusing only on the boobs and ass, or even muscles [Shocker] So what if we are? Whore you to criticize us!? [Limbi] Yeah, stop pretending! We all know youre just like us! [SappySue] You have no idea, I feel so bad for you Its clear youve never been laid! Who cares about the physical aspect, youre missing the whole point! The best one is to be called big brother all the time and be embraced by those squirming and slimy tentacles, in a reverse r*** fashion. Hmmm. Aaahh! I shudder just imagining it! [Shocker] What the hell? [McDolland] What did I just read!? [Ilarite] Aaagh! My eyes! Somebody bleach them! My brain too, I imagined the scene and now I cant forget it! [Sky Tower] We have a crazy guy here! Call the police, we have an asylum escapee! [Limbi] I retract my words. I dont want to be related to you and your weird fantasies #SappySue [SappySue] Heh, as I said before, you know nothing. [Abominate] Uwaaaah! (է) Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. [Charlon] Lets return to the topic, please! Who do you think will win? I hope the League of Evil wins, I want to see what crazy things they do in the final match. [Shocker] Of course, its the Sword&Sorcery team! As always, Wizardess plan will work and theyll win. [NoLagHere] Im sure theyll win too! [Wait for sushi] Nah, youre forgetting theyre against the Evil Mastermind. Its the fucking Evil Mastermind! Hes so much better than the Wizardess that he doesnt even try to fight against her, allowing Lily to take charge! He knows they would win very quickly otherwise. He even cares about us, making sure we dont get bored watching such an unbalanced fight! [NoLagHere] No, Im sure everything related to the Evil Mastermind is a fluke. [Charlon] Careful with what you say, #NoLagHere, you dont want to infuriate his followers! [Saddle Wizard] I cant understand why all of you believe the Wizardess is that good! She isnt as good at planning, shes cheating! Im sure of it, its just we dont know how shes cheating yet [Roanokay] Whore you? #Saddle Wizard Oh, yes, now I remember! Youre the leader from the Unstoppable team, the one who fought and lost your previous match, the one who lost against Wizardess team! Ahaha! Such a sore loser! You must acknowledge shes better than you! [Saddle Wizard] Im not a sore loser! And shes cheating, I swear! [MadRatGod] HE will win. HE will show everyone why plans are useless! HEs the absolute wall nobody can surpass! Nobody can win against HIM! [Crazy 11] HE will show everyone what true despair is! HE and his teammates will break every enemy team''s plan, turning them into a sobbing, dispirited fleshy mess! [ImHisDisciple] Mad Rat will turn everything around for sure, I believe in him! Hes my teacher, after all! [Crazy 2510] All Shall Despair! [ImEvilToo] All Shall Despair! [NoLagHere] Aaaaah! They came! Quickly, block them so they cant flood the chat again! [DespairForEveryone 23] All Shall Despair! [Crazy 96] All Shall Despair! [AllShallDespair] All Shall Despair! [Roanokay] How annoying... How many times does this make!? And the admins dont block them because they only send one message each, so it isnt considered spam Even if they all say the same [Abominate] Its your fault, fools! Its because you mentioned the Evil Mastermind! Dont you know its a taboo name in these forums!? [MadRatGod] HE will bring despair to the enemy team, bringing this world closer to its final form! HE always surprises, its impossible to predict HIS actions! [Abominate] Ah, fuck I wrote his name again (...) [Limbi] They were right, Wizardess plan failed The madmen were right. Theyre still annoying, though. [Roanokay] Well, it was to be expected. Its the League of Evil were talking about. When did any of their opponents plans work? Not a single time. [Charlon] Yes, as expected. [Limbi] I dont know about you guys, but Im not sure who won this match. wholl reach the finals? [Obbaboo] It should be The League of Evil, right? [Shocker] Its clear its the Sword&Sorcery team. [Obbaboo] What are you saying, you noob!? Its clear the League of Evil won this match. [Shocker] You must be blind because its clear they lost. [Obbaboo] The League of Evil won! [Shocker] No, Sword&Sorcery did! [Obbaboo] The League of Evil! [Shocker] Sword&Sorcery! [CovidSteak] The League of Evil +1 [McDolland] Sword&Sorcery +1 [Sky Tower] Sword&Sorcery +2 [SappySue] The League of Evil +1000 [NoLagHere] Sword&Sorcery + (...)
The fanaticism of a certain group of people turned so aggressive that, especially in public forums and chats, it was taboo to mention the name Evil Mastermind, or the Mad Rat one unless they wanted them to appear.
Ch 91 - Getting it out of the system Fuck! Its all my fault! If only I didnt activate Grand Finale No, no! Im wrong! Its all Ricards fault! If he had saved me by pulling Barbarian away from me on time, things wouldnt have ended the way they did! Yeah, its his fault, not mine! I glare at Ricard, whos sitting right in front of me. He flinches. Im sure he too knows its his fault. He wont admit it, but he knows I know he knows. Its as clear as it gets. Andreu, didnt we talk about it already? He did a mistake, you did another one If I had foreseen it, I could have changed our plans so it didnt happen, but it was inevitable. It was bad luck, stop thinking about it. I know, I know. Its just, if he saved me then, we would have won the match My anger subsides at Lauras words. Its true, we already talked about this and agreed to stop blaming each other, but its hard to swallow because its clearly his fault! Clara adds more fuel to the situation, aggressively pointing at Ricard from my side. Yeah! Its his fault! He only had to keep Barbarian busy and didnt manage to do even this! See? Even Clara agrees with me. Unlike usual, where she always agrees with me too Wait a moment! If she always supports me, then whats different from usual? Ahaha He awkwardly scratches his head. I already said Im sorry. Also It wasnt so bad! We reached the semifinals, and were eliminated because of the judges decision! We also were the only ones who broke the Wizardess mith you know, about her plans always working and stuff like that I sigh. Hes right, we only lost because of a technicality. Let me try to explain it properly. Im not sure if I can because kind of convoluted The first and most important you must understand is that I killed myself with the Grand Finale skill. If it werent for this, we would have won for sure But I was too low on HP when I used it, and with the stat reduction plus the rebound damage from the Maniac skill, as soon as the explosion ended, I died. I committed suicide Yet again. But it isnt relevant! The relevant part is that, if I didnt die, I would be the only one standing and in a good enough state, giving us the victory. But I died, and the situation turned a lot more complex. At that time, I didnt understand why Laura cast Hellfire right before the light explosion. She looked at me and then cast it. And if she didnt we would have lost for sure. I didnt remember, but the Barbarian had a skill that prevented her from dying from one single strike, leaving her at 1 HP. This is a skill that resets after each kill, which didnt matter in that situation, but since she survived the explosion with 1 HP, she didnt die due to my Grand Finale. This should make them the winners, because everybody else, including myself, died with this skill. But thanks to Lauras Hellfire, the Barbarian died at the same time as me instead of surviving. Some skills last a few frames after being canceled or stopped, and Hellfire is one of those. Even if Laura was dead, Hellfire triggered once after Barbarians skill did, effectively killing her. And this led to a situation where everyone was dead at the same time, with no clear winners: every player died at the same time except for me and Barbarian who died a split second later. In the end, because the victory wasnt clear, the judges had to decide who won. It was kind of difficult for them to decide too. After all, the one who decided the outcome of the match was me, and since I killed myself and was not an enemy who did it, they were advocating for our win at first. But at the same time, the one who killed Barbarian was Laura, who was already dead then, so it should make them the winners instead. It was the first time in all of DMAs history that they couldnt say the winner of the match until about five minutes after the match ended. We even broke a record, hahaha! As you can see, it wasnt easy for them to decide. In the end, they stopped talking about who killed who and if the Barbarians death should count or not, and decided the outcome by the second victory condition: who reached further into the enemys dungeon. We didnt even step into their dungeon while they did, even if they didnt come very far So we lost the match. We lost because of a fucking technicality! If only I didnt kill myself I mutter, grabbing my head. Aaaah, what a shame I managed to blast everyone as I wanted! And I do mean everyone, even my allies, but we lost anyway. My epic win! When will my epic scene where I achieve victory by blowing myself up come!? Stop blaming yourself, Andreu. If I had known, I could have cast Revitalize on you and prevented you from dying I raise my head and glare at her. Aha! So its your fault, Laura! You admitted to it! But I think the real problem is they could save their trump cards until our match. I dont know if they were extremely lucky, or if were just that unlucky, but Looking defeated, Ricard scans everyones faces. ...remember our matches? Our second match against that crazy group of fanatics who knew everything about you, your traps, and your monsters, Andreu. Or that gigantic machine that could obliterate everything caught by the light beam. Or the favorites to win the tournament with the professional player, your big sisters team. We fought against way stronger opponents, so we had to reveal our trump cards somewhere during the tournament while they didnt! Its a matter of course they countered us and even managed to win! They knew everything about us while we didnt! He punches the table. His nostrils are flaring and his eyes have an unusual brightness A brightness kind of similar to when hes about to start one of his knowledge drilling sessions, but more intimidating. I flinch, and I see Laura flinching too. Shes currently sitting right next to him, so I see her actions clearly. I turn my head to the side to look at Clara. She looks kind of scared too. Its been so long since Ive last seen him angry. He rarely gets angry unless you contradict him when game stuff comes out, but I generally dont care about that stuff, so he doesnt reach this point. While we fought against all the strong teams, they were fighting against the weaker ones! Even those that got eliminated before fighting against us, like the Knights of the Round Table, who lost against your sister, were a lot stronger than any team the Sword&Sorcery had to defeat! Just look at their last match! They didnt even need to plan anything! They won by a slide because their opponents were a bunch of noobs that got lucky in reaching the finals! Hah, hah! He pauses to take a breath. I thought he was going to die there Oh, yeah, by the way. Their team won the final match too. The new newbie champion team, aka player level 5, is the Sword&Sorcery team and not us. But we were so close! Oh, here it comes again! The only match they had to put any real effort into was against us. The difference with the others is so big they had to use everything, adapt their plans during the match, and even with this all of them died and their plans went to shit! If they didnt know about the Grand Finale skill, or if we had known about the Druids shared HP one, we would have won so easily! And even with this, they only won because of a technicality! Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. He ends up shouting. Some people, sitting at other tables in the restaurant, are looking at us right now because hes too loud. Ricard I call him, pointing around us. Hah, hah He lowers his head in shame. Im sorry guys, I got too excited there But you must understand, it was so unfair We did all the hard work, and they only needed to come and reap the benefits If we only had a little bit of luck, we would be the champions by now! Note to my future self: do not anger Ricard. Ever. As always, Ill keep teasing him as much as I want, but if it looks like he actually gets angry, I must stop before its too late. No, no. Dont misunderstand, Im not scared! Its just I dont want to listen to his angry ramblings, I have enough with his usual normal ramblings. Theres no need to listen to him unless its an absolutely unavoidable situation. Come on, Ricard. It isnt that bad. Laura pats him on the back. I know what you say makes sense, but we couldnt do anything against it. Also, we still reached the semifinals, got a bunch of followers, and are now kind of famous! Im sure most viewers recognize our team as stronger or at least at the same level as the Sword&Sorcery one! I know, its just so, unfair *Snif* A few tears fall from his cheek. Oh, boy. Its like watching an emotional rollercoaster. From shame to wrath, to sorrow, to sadness And thats only in less than five minutes! I see Lauras lips tremble and her eyes are slightly red. So unfair Clara grabs my sleeve and starts to cry too. I wanted, to, w-win with you so much Andreu Yeah, it would have been nice. I say as I gently pat her head. Water droplets fall on top of my hand as I do so. Oh, shit. It got to me too I raise my head, my sight slightly blurry. Ricard continues to murmur in frustration, slamming his hand on top of the table from time to time. Lauras hiding her face from me. Im sure she doesnt want me to see her right now. I think we really needed to talk about this in more depth. After the match, we talked about it a little, but we were too distracted by the results and couldnt focus on our feelings. We really needed to talk about this again.
Everyone has finally calmed down, though our eyes are still red. Theyre looking at me with expecting faces. So what should we do now? I ask. Hmm weve been together so much this past week because of the tournament I believe it would be best to give each other some time alone. Laura suggests we stop playing together for a while. It makes sense, so I agree. I think so too Also, Im sure each of us wants to return to our dungeons and spend the cp we gained. We won 1.000 cp for reaching the main phase, plus 10.000 cp for reaching the semifinals. Its quite a lot for new players like us. And we have to add to this sum all the cp won by the players who entered our dungeons during the week the tournament lasted. By the way, the rewards scaled with the tournament level. For example, players who entered the main phase in the maximum levels tournament, the level 20 one, received 20.000 cp. Noo! I want you to keep playing with me! Clara looks at me with a pout and puppy eyes at the same time. Aaagh, it hurts! My conscience hurts! But Ill have to overcome it. Im a responsible older brother after all! Come on, dont look at me like this. Weve been playing enough this past week. I need some free time too, you know? As cute as you are in real life, youre a monster in the game, you know? I need to recover after spending so much time with your monstrous side the past few days. B-but, but I dont wanna! Hey, Clara! Remember what we talked about? Laura steps up, and Clara relents. Now Im curious about whats going on between them. *Sigh!* Ok, lets spend some time on our own Then, in a barely audible voice, she adds. Tsk! Ill have to Hey, hey! What was that tsk!? Whatll you do, whats your intention, Clara!? Im scared now Just in case, I must change the topic to something else But, what can I talk about? Oh, yeah, I know! Im going to regret it, but its better than what might happen if I dont change the topic and Clara gets enough time to perfect whatever plan shes devising right now. By the way, Ricard, did you know theres a bunch of crazy guys whore imitating your roleplay now? Ive seen videos of them competing for who gets more souls in a single Dungeon Invasion. Hahaha is that so? At first, he reacts as if ashamed, but then his expression changes, and his eyes start to glow. Oh, I know! They mustve understood the greatness of the undead faction! Theres nothing better than slaying hundreds, thousands, of humans and feeding on their souls! Hahaha! I can imagine their exalted expressions after a fight, sitting on a pile of dead humans! Ooooh, I want to dive into one right now! He hugs himself as he shudders in excitement. I knew I was going to regret it See this? Even the other customers are looking here in disgust! Laura and I look at each other. We must say something to stop him from running amok. I mean, continue to run amok. And you? I ask. I too got somewhat like a fan club, but I dont really want to talk about them Now Im even more curious! You just need to know its related to my champions appearance She blushes, lowering her head in shame so that I cant see her current expression. Lauras champion? Does she mean the succubus? Whats wrong with it? The horns, maybe? No, no, that cant be. It must be because of her big boobs and ass. Oh, yeah, I can imagine what her fans are like, and why she doesnt want to have anything to do with them Its disgusting theres this kind of player in DMA too Another reason why the Eternals are superior to most other factions! Most of them dont have flesh or theyre rotting, so we can use any champion we want without having to worry about people like that! Can you imagine somebody falling for a zombie? No, right? Hahaha! Stop already, Ricard! Were trying to stop you from talking about the undead, why cant you understand it!? And you, Clara? This time its Laura who changes the topic yet again, with the hope to stop Ricard. Me? I dont know, and I dont care. Clara looks at me from below, once again with puppy eyes. I only want you to play with me, I dont care about the others! Is that so? I dont know what else to say. You understand Im not going to change my decision, right? Whatever you say, Im steadfast in my decision. As steadfast as the biggest and most resilient rock in the universe! Unless you bribe me, but thats another topic. And you, Andreu? Arent you the one who should know the most about your followers? After all, youre the only one who already had quite a lot of them even before the tournament started. Ugh, Ricard. You really know how to poke where it hurts! I I dont know. Ive been purposely keeping myself away from the forums and other stuff since the beginning of the tournament I lower my gaze and stare at the floor. Can we skip this topic, please!? But arent you curious? Dont you want to know what those fanatics are doing? Laura asks me with a smirk on her face. Youre doing this on purpose, you little demon! Did you think I wouldnt notice!? W-who? I-I dont k-know, whore you t-talking, about? I d-dont know, anything, a-ab-about a group called M-mad Cultists! I start to heavily sweat. My eyes spin around as I try to come up with some valid lie. Come on, dont talk about them! I want to forget they exist! Heeeh? But Im sure you remember them, right? We fought against them, after all Also, I didnt say anything about the Mad Rats Cult or anything, you know? Oh, wow. She looks so evil right now! Her evil smile widens until her mouth almost touches her ears. The same with her eyes, that now look like crescent moons. At least, this is what I imagine. Ricard and Clara stare at me intensely. It doesnt look like they want to actively bully me, but they do want to partake in enjoying my suffering. Agh! Ok, ok! I have no idea, ok!? I dont want to have anything to do with them, so I avoid them as best as I can! I have no idea what are they doing, nor do I want to know! Is that so? What a shame Laura continues to look at me with the same evil expression as before. She wants me to come clean, doesnt she? I dont mind them doing whatever they want, but I hate them using my name for everything! The only good thing that comes from all of this is the huge amount of cp that I receive due to their constant invasions into my dungeon! Hoooh. She looks interested in what I said. And how much is it? I mean, how much cp is it? Hmm I dont know... Last time I checked I had around 12.000 cp, but this was during the tournament, and if I add the rewards we received Maybe 30.000 cp? Im not sure. Oh, I also leveled up once. 30.000 cp!? Laura almost shouts. Yes, I know its a lot for somebody at my level. Right now, all of them have vacant expressions, their eyes wide open and their mouths slightly ajar. Hello, guys? I wave my hand in front of my little sister. Clara? It seems theyre still processing the amount of cp I might have right now. I too am kind of surprised, but think its weirder to react like them! Well, theres nothing I can do. Until they recover, Ill sip on my tea ...Its cold.
Most viewers accepted the judges decision for the Sword&Sorcery team to win the match because they based their decision on an indisputable fact. But the actual consensus was that the actual winners of the tournament were the League of Evil. Even their most devout followers had to agree that Sword&Sorcery might have been eliminated long ago if they had to fight the same matches as The League of Evil did. Especially in those matches against All Shall Despair and the Dragon Knights.
Ch 92 - Useless garbage Im rich! Lalala Im rich! Lelele! I stop for a moment in a victory pose every time I shout Im rich as I dance inside my dungeon. Yey, yey, yey. Im rich! Ooooh, yeah! Jumping and dancing, I finally reach the end of the tunnel. Oooh, Im so excited! How long has it been since the last time I thought about improving my dungeon? My little cutie pies, did you miss me? You do? Well, I missed you too. I run to the closest mob to hug it Ugh, no, not you! Disgusting But before I wrap my arms around it, I return to my senses and stop. Omg, I almost hugged a Stitched again I think it was like this the first time too. A good thing I stopped before it was too late I dont want to repeat that experience. Instead of hugging the Stitched, I instead hug the other closest monster, which happens to be another Stit I mean, I hug the closest Demonic Swarmer. They arent exactly what one would call beautiful, with their two heads and twisted body, of which half of it is from an elf and the other half from a dwarf. Theyre deformed, grotesque even, but theyre beautiful compared to a Stitched. I stretch its two cheeks as far as I can. It has two heads, so I can stretch one with each of my hands. Did you miss me, baby? You didnt? But I did I wipe the imaginary tear from my face. Its been soo long since we could spend some time together. Almost two weeks! Have you been lonely? You did? Well, Im rich now, so Im going to add a lot more friends for you to play with! Fufufu! Hahaha! Sometimes, I think itd be more interesting if they actually reacted to my actions. Then, I realize it would be terrifying if they did, and stop thinking about crazy things for a short while. Also, there are a lot of players raring to come and play with you all, Im sure you wont feel lonely anymore. Yeah, even if we dont see each other ever again I release the Demonic Swarmer and it resumes its shambling across the giant cavern. Now, what should I do? Im not sure yet, I didnt have too much time to think about it. Hmm Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you. The cp I have right now is 29.754 cp exactly. Its so close to 30k Im only a few short. Where did I save it Oh, here it is! My to-do list. I open the file and a text list appears in front of me. This is the Things to do in the future list, where I write every idea I come up with, crazy or not. I know what youre thinking! When I say crazy, its the idea, not me. I scroll downwards, trying to reach the end Fuck, its interminable! No, no, no. My Things to do in the future list is too long, I say as I close it, I dont want to read it because its scary. Lets see if I remember some of the stuff that was on it. Hmm Theres so much stuff written on it that Im sure whatever I come up with now is there too. Guessing right wont be a problem at all! Aint I a genius!? First, it should be to increase the number of certain units, like the Demonic Swarmer. There are only nine of them right now. Having only nine in a dungeon this big, even if all of them are in the same place, is kind of lame. What swarm is composed of only nine creatures? None that I know. Then there were those new units I unlocked some time ago: the Fleshlings. As well as any other creatures I might be able to unlock now. Talking about new stuff... I leveled up during the tournament! Im now player level 6. This is the message I received when I leveled up.
Reached player level 6!
- Advanced units unlocked - Advanced dungeon elements unlocked - Maximum invaders in a party raised to 3 - Received 5 x Stasis chamber - Received 1 x Giant stasis chamber - Received 5.000 cp
So yes. Its easy to understand why the tournament was capped at level 5 and not any other level. Its because of the advanced units and dungeon elements. What are the advanced units, you ask? Theyre stronger units than the ones I could unlock until now. I havent taken a look yet, but Ricard already told me I would be able to unlock new monsters that are a fusion of three monsters instead of only two. The second one, the advanced dungeon elements are complex stuff I can now add to the dungeon itself. Its stuff like teleporting crystals/circles, moving walls and floors, and other similar stuff. With them, I can make a very difficult dungeon to navigate if I want to, which maybe I will But not now, in the future. Similar to the other time, another, huh perk? of reaching level 6 is that now up to three players can invade my dungeon at the same time. Yaay, what a good thing it is for me! It isnt an advantage at all for me, but with the stronger monsters and the more complex dungeon layout, it makes sense to increase the maximum number of invaders to three. The last three rewards are pretty much self-explanatory. That 5.000 cp is also part of the reason I now have so much cp. And I got a bunch of Stasis chambers as well as a Giant stasis chamber! If I sum the costs to build them to 5.000 cp, the actual reward is 5.750 cp. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I asked Ricard about it, and it turns out most factions only receive the normal cp award and no resources. This means the Flesh Monstrosities players receive a bonus with each level up, one which most other factions dont. Its quite a lot of extra bonus if you ask me. Then again, if you take into account we cant do shit if we dont have enough stasis chambers, it turns out it isnt that great Focus, Andreu, focus! I slap my face. Lets return to the list of stuff to do. I reply to myself. Sir, yes, sir! Where was I? Ah, yes. New monsters and stuff. Ill take a look at them later. The list comes first. The last thing I want to do is to add new and more dungeon areas. To make the dungeon more dangerous, crazier, bigger, and deadlier! Fufufu! Hahaha! But first I must take a look at how many bodies I have before I plan anything. Lets go take a look! I quickly teleport to the Storage Area, also called the place where I keep all bodies inside the stasis chambers, and take a look around. But what I see makes me want to cry. None There are none! I drop to my knees and pull the fur on my head. I dont have anything to work with, what am I supposed to do!? In fact, most of the Stasis chambers are filled except for the small ones, the ones that can only contain critters. But all the bodies I can see are from the fucking human Farmers! The most standard, vanilla, and in my case, useless unit of them all! Fucking humans! I hate them so much! Why are almost all the bodies I have from them? No, no, it cant be. There must be something else I frantically look through the rest of the stasis chambers. Why!? Why do I have so many humans? The only other units I have are two goblins, an orc, and an elf Why do I have more than forty fucking useless humans? I anxiously scratch my head as I try to make sense of the situation. I can swear I never captured a single one, so how comes I have so many Oh, shit, I know! Its because of the random captures from the Silent Kidnappers! I remember I had to remove the Silent Kidnappers from my dungeon so they stopped capturing useless units. At first, they were capturing lots of them, and I used those that were useful: the dwarves, elves, goblins, and orcs. The humans kept accumulating without me using them, and now theyre the only ones remaining. If youre asking why most of the captured units were from those four factions is because the Iron Shield (humans), the Sylvans (elves), the Stone Lords (dwarves), and the Savage Horde (orcs) are the four factions for beginners. Well, in fact, theres a fifth noob faction and its the Eternals (undead). But I cant capture any non-living units, so they dont count. The thing is that my dungeon is still an easy one. By easy I mean its still a low-level dungeon. A lot of my invaders are noobs too, and most noobs use one of those factions. The other players that invade my dungeon, those that want to demonstrate theyre better than the noob players, are so high-leveled its close to impossible for my Silent Kidnappers to capture any of their support units. In general, those high-leveled players crush everything related to combat though they still die if they fall for the traps and gimmicks. In summary, most units I got during that time were humans, dwarves, elves, orcs, or goblins, and I used the good bodies for my units when I needed them. In the end, only the garbage - aka the humans - remained. Fucking humans! Why cant they go extinct? The world would be so much better without them As I continue to spout bullshit, I think about what can I do with these, these useless bodies. Two goblins, one orc, one elf, and a bunch of useless humans I need to get rid of. But I cant simply throw them away, so I have to use them for something I really hate we cant dump bodies, but its necessary to limit the Flesh Monstrosities; otherwise, we could capture randomly in our dungeon and dont have to worry about useless ones. We can already create the strongest units thanks to the fusion mechanics if we didnt have any limits or trouble obtaining the bodies, the faction would be too OP. Theres also one basic unit from the celestial faction and those two basic units from the Abyss faction I dont want to waste. Though I cant remember the name of either unit, theyre too precious and uncommon to waste just to get rid of some humans. For very different reasons. The celestial one because most celestial dungeons are too high-leveled for me to go and freely capture stuff. Im incredibly lucky a Silent Kidnapper managed to capture one. And the other ones, the Abyss ones, its because I really, really, really dont want to go into one of their dungeons unless its absolutely, absolutely, absolutely necessary. I repeat the words three times because it''s very, very, very important. In short, Ill keep them for as long as I need until I find a use for them, hoping Ill never have to enter an Abyss dungeon again. By the way, the abyss units are from that time my little sister got angry at me for something stupid I did and decided to dive into my dungeon, film everything, and upload it to the DMA forums so that players could have an easy time invading my dungeon. She knew how to move through my dungeon safely because Id told her about all of my dungeons traps, monsters, and other stuff. She wanted to screw me up with this. Spoiler: it didnt work. She did reach the end of my dungeon and uploaded the video, but those players who tried to imitate her died anyway, without ever reaching the end. Oh, theres also the troll I captured when I was thinking about my first Boss I didnt use it in the end. When I was planning the first Boss, the first idea that came to my mind was to use a troll and give it a high HP pool as well as regeneration, but then I came up with a nastier idea and created the Minitaur Queen. The only way I have to get rid of useless bodies is to use them to create Fleshlings. Hmm what can I do with the bodies I have at hand? Can I make any good combination?
...Im sure you know by now, but there are five factions that are considerably easier than the others, especially at the beginning. This is because they have easy access to their special resource, which means they can progress a lot faster than the other factions. Most players that want to start fast, pick one of these five and switch to another one they like more when they are at a higher level. Do you want to know which factions they are? They are these five: The Iron Shield, or the humans, only need to create a bunch of farms to increase the number of Farmers, their basic unit. Thats why theyre so succulent for the undead: they always have lots of weak units. The dwarves, the Stone Lords, are similar but work with metal and mines instead of farms, though their units arent automatically created. The Sylvans or elves obtain it passively depending on the number of trees in their dungeon. There are also other conditions, but this is the basic gist of it. Then comes the Savage Horde, the orcs, goblins, etc. They obtain their special resource by attacking and getting hit, thats why they prefer melee over ranged combat. In general, the more the battle lasts, the more they obtain. And of course, the best of them all is the Eternals, or undead if you like. We only need to kill other units to obtain our special resource, called Souls. Its so easy! As long as they arent constructs, everything counts! Mmm, juicy, tasty souls! As you can see, theyre considered easy because they obtain their resource passively, or its incredibly easy to obtain, even if you do nothing and wait for other players to invade your dungeon. Any other faction has a lot more trouble obtaining their special resource. I must say you did choose badly when it came to this because the Flesh Monstrosities are the worst of them all you need to actually go into a specific dungeon to not only find but also capture the unit you want before it dies. You have to prepare so much and think ahead for everything you want to do before you can put it into action - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard. Andreu was sure he did it on purpose, to rub salt into the wound.
Ch 93 - A grain of this, a pinch of that, and… I dump the 46 human bodies into the Meat grinders. This is a special machine to create the Fleshlings, in a similar fashion to the Reanimation machine for the Stitched or the Operation tables for most of the other units. In short, the Meat grinder, well grinds all the bodies you put into it and disgusting flesh monstrosities come once the process ends.
Meat grinder
Research cost: 1.000 cp, 200 food, 500 metal. Research time: 6 h
Unlocks the Meat Grinder, a building needed to create those units that can use any amount of bodies to create them.
Its something I unlocked immediately after unlocking the Fleshlings because its needed to create them, but I didnt build any until now. It was so long ago I almost forgot about it all Ive spent a total of 1.000 cp to create two of them, 500 cp each. They arent very expensive, but everything adds up. I created two because I have two Lab Assistants, and theyre the only mobs who have enough DEX to operate them. Me? Nah, theres no way Im spending so much time standing there, doing nothing! Each Fleshling takes 30 minutes to create, you know? How much time do you think I would have to stay still to create them all? As I was saying, I dump all the human bodies into the Meat grinders. Do you remember how the Fleshlings work? I only need to use bodies worth 200 cp to create them. Any body will do. And from all those bodies, I can choose up to two innate skills for them to inherit. To make things more convenient, I can create multiple of them at once and only need one body with each skill I want to use. This means its possible to create five Fleshlings with the Stoneskin skill by using a single dwarf, as long as the total bodies used add to 1.000 cp. Its the perfect way to dump all the useless bodies and turn them into something actually useful. Furthermore, both Meat grinders are linked. I can create all the Fleshlings I want, and theyll be distributed among any number of Meat grinders I want. Its somewhat similar to a meat dispenser. Fleshlings have a fixed cost at 200 cp, as well as fixed stats that dont depend on the units used to create them. Like the Stitched, but compared to them, theyre stronger, faster, and more intelligent. The dungeon will be significantly more difficult with them around. Regarding how they look you could argue theyre as disgusting as the Stitched, though humanoids tend to be worse because we subconsciously dislike them. I think they call it the uncanny valley. Fleshlings are a half-a-meter-height mass of flesh, with four appendices that work as legs, and no visible mouth or tail. Theres something akin to veins made out of flesh on their surface. Given their speed and body size, you could even compare them to a headless and aberrant fleshy dog. A dog that cant bite, nor bark, and constantly drops a reddish substance I dont want to ever touch. Hell, I dont even want to know what it is! Beware, unaware invaders, or theyll bludgeon you to death! I laugh at my stupid joke as I prepare the other bodies. In total, its 1.080 cp. 44 Farmers at 20 cp each, and 2 Soldiers at 100 cp each. With this amount I can make five Fleshlings but Im still missing the most important ingredients. I prepare the next ingredient. Its the troll. I know, I know, its a shame to use a monster that its so hard to find and capture in the lower-leveled dungeons, most of the time theyre bosses and I cant capture them, but Can you imagine a bunch of fast Fleshlings running through the dungeon, all of them with Regeneration? Crazy, right!? Theres no way I can pass up on this. As for the last one goblin, orc, or elf? Each one has its own benefits. The goblins Slippery makes them avoid attacks from stronger enemies, the orcs Bloodlust gives them attack speed when below half HP, and the elfs Nature Attuned gives them immunity to my mushrooms as well as other irrelevant stuff. I imagine what role I want them to take. Theyre fast, and have decent stats. With Regeneration, they could stand their ground against weak opponents, or heal themselves after running away. I could also make them move together, in a pack I scratch my head. This is hard, there are so many options! Focus, Andreu, focus! Whats their strong point? Its their speed. Then, shouldnt we be abusing it to our advantage? We should! (evil grin) Then, how can we do it? Hmm turning them into little sneaking assassins! Well, not exactly assassins but more like disruptors that attack at the worst time before running away. Theyll be similar to the Goblimp Pests, but a lot more dangerous. Ohoho, I see where youre going, Andreu You already got your answer. Now, scram! Yes, thank you, Andreu! Youre welcome. I grin. I got a nasty idea of how to use them. If theyre going to run through the dungeon and pick up on the opponents when theyre in a bad position, the best skill I can give them is Nature Attuned. It might not seem obvious, but its the best choice. This way, they can attack when the mushrooms activate without any consequences, like the Demonic Swarmers. And I plan to add a lot more mushrooms in the future Fufufu! Hahaha! Having finished my evil monologue directed to the Lab Assistants, whore looking here without any expression on their faces, I prepare the last ingredient, the elf, and put it into the Meat grinder. Oh, yeah, until the creation process ends, both Lab Assistants will be standing in the same room now, the one right before the Minotaur Queen. This means any player who invades the dungeon will have to fight both at the same time I wish you good luck with that, unlucky fellows! A minute of silence for the victims, please. With the troll and elf, the total cp from all the bodies is 1.570 cp. Its 20 for the elf and 470 for the troll. This raises the number of Fleshlings to seven. What a shame, Im 30 cp short of an eighth one... I look once again at the available bodies. The only ones remaining are two goblins and an orc. I cant use their skills, but I can use them as ingredients too. Lets do it! I dont think about it anymore and add the two goblins to the mix. Theyre easy to find and capture, should I need them in the future. The best use for them right now is this one. Now the total value is 1.610 cp, enough for an eight Fleshling. This is good! Theres almost no wasted cp, and all of them will get the Regeneration and Nature Attuned skills! I rejoice, spinning around a few times in ecstasy. Lets do it! Grinding, START! As I press the confirmation button, all the bodies disappear from their respective Stasis chambers. Oh, I feel incredible! So liberated! I got rid of 46 useless bodies and freed the same number of stasis chambers. I can now go and capture actually useful units to further upgrade the dungeon. I also want to create a new area, and itll need a lot more bodies to fill it up. I dont want to create a new area, but not having anything to fill it with It would be too lame. Now, I wont have to worry about not having enough space to capture more units for a long time. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Well, just in case, I create a few more Stasis chambers, raising the total to seventy. Yeah, I know, it seems like a lot, but believe me when I say it isnt. There are NEVER enough Stasis chambers! Every single time I thought I had enough, I soon found myself crying because I couldnt bring X or Y units with me after the next dungeon invasion. It always happens. And I swear Im not the only one, the other Flesh Monstrosities players complain about the same thing. As the Fleshling creation process starts, a timer appears on top of the Meat grinders. A total of two hours for each Meat grinder. Yeah, good luck there, Lab Assistants, youre going to work hard today. A reminder for you, in case you forgot: work hard = standing still doing nothing. Like a statue. Between the Stasis chambers, the Fleshlings, and the Meat grinders, Ive already used close to 4k cp. Money is always so hard to obtain, but so easy to spend Though I still have a lot more to spend! Hahaha! Im rich! Oh, yes. Before I do anything else, I should prepare the template and assign all the soon-to-be Fleshlings to it! I open the Template menu and select the Fleshling type. Then, I raise the level to level 3. This is so they have one skill of each type, and I can freely do whatever I want with them if I decide to level them up in the future. If theyre a squad of fast disruptors, a very good skill to give them is Blink. This way they can easily and safely engage and disengage combat at any time Yeah, lets give Blink to them! The first skill I choose is the active one: Blink. Ill now have to decide on the triggered and passive ones. What do I want? More speed? Nah, theyre already fast enough. Damage? Hmm maybe? But as disruptors they dont really need to deal large amounts of damage, only be annoying. Oh, I have a great idea! I search for a skill called Pounce. Its similar to Minotaurs innate skill, Fierce Charge, but you could say its the downgraded version of it.
Pounce (Triggered skill)
If you move at least 6 meters in a straight line before attacking, your attack deals 50% more damage and has a 50% chance to stun the target for 2 seconds.
As you can see, both the bonus damage and stun chance are half those from the Minotaurs skill, and theres no push or double stun if they hit something. The only part of Pounce thats better compared to Fierce Charge is that the unit doesnt need higher STR than the attacked unit. Though it isnt really a drawback for Minotaurs because theyre stupidly strong. Ahaha, yes, thats it! Annoying as hell! I wanted the Fleshlings to be annoying, and this skill sure will make them annoying. Doubly so if you take into account they have Blink and can thus teleport far enough for the Pounce skill to activate once again after the first strike. In fact, if somebody is unlucky and encounters a pack of these Fleshlings, he or she might suffer from a permanent stun lock. A crazy idea comes to me at this moment. Omg, I must change the AI before I forget! I quickly change to the AI edition screen and make the following changes: First, the Fleshlings will run away from combat if either their HP or their EP, which they need for both Regeneration and melee attacks, falls below 50%. Second, theyll only start combat if the enemy is already in combat or has a status effect that incapacitates them, like stun or sleep. Otherwise, they run away if attacked. Third, theyll only use Blink in combat if the enemy is stunned to get in position for another Pounce. This doesnt include when they run away because Combat and Fleeing are two different states. Aaaaand, thats all. They have Intelligence 3, so I can only make three changes, but theyre perfect to make them as annoying as possible. As for the passive skill theyre annoying as hell like this, especially if they group up. But I dont want them to clump up, to maximize the chances of enemies encountering them. Or better yet, them finding the enemies. Im sure there must be something interesting... There are so many skills, that its hard to find what youre looking for. Of course, I could ask Ricard if theres a skill that does this or that but then Ill have to listen to him ramble for at least an hour. I dont have that much time to waste. This is hard I kind of want them to group up so that they can stun-lock unlucky invaders, but I also want them to spread out Wait, what if I give them this skill? Fufufu! Hahaha! I found it! This is exactly what I was looking for!
Shared Senses (Passive skill)
You share your senses with every other allied unit with this same skill. This only works if youre within 100 meters of one another.
This is one of those skills that are only available for common units and not for Champions. I dont think I need to explain to you why, do I? I immediately select Shared Senses as the third and last skill. With it, the Fleshlings can roam the dungeon independently from each other while at the same time, joining forces to attack the invaders. As soon as one sees an enemy, all the others within a hundred meters will know about it too. Whats more, since Blink only requires vision, itll be possible for them to teleport through walls as long as the origin and destination are within five meters. In general, this should be impossible, but the Tunnels area is extremely convoluted and there are quite a lot of places where the tunnels cross at different heights, or where their walls touch. Of course, this combo will only work if theyre close enough to each other and the other fleshling can see the other side of the wall Imagine finding one Fleshling, and having a few more appear by teleporting through the walls, ceiling, or floor, before pouncing at you all at the same time. Now add other monsters or mushrooms to the mix too. Scary, right!? What name can I give them? Oh, yeah, I know: Hauntling! Theyre Fleshlings that haunt the dungeon and can appear through any wall at any moment! Hahaha! I introduce the name and save the template, assigning all the Fleshlings in the middle of creation to it. These are their final stats.
Hauntling (Lv 3)
HP 252 (210) STA 24 (20) SOU 9 (8)
EP 216 (180) MP 144 (120)
STR 24 (20) CON 22 (19) AGI 34 (29)
SPI 13 (11) WIL 16 (14) DEX 12 (10)
SPD 7 INT 3 COM 1
Skills
Active: Blink. Triggered: Pounce. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Regeneration (Innate), Shared Senses.
Their MP and other magic stats arent very high, but it isnt important because they can still cast Blink quite a lot of times, which costs only 20 MP. As long as they can cast Blink, I dont care about anything else. They arent magic casters, after all. Well, well, well I rub my hands together in excitement. Now that Ive finished, I only need to wait for, hmm I sneak a peak at the timers on top of the Meat grinders. ...I only need to wait for an hour and forty minutes for them to be created. Agh, its too long! I already emptied the Stasis chambers of useless units. Now, the next step should be to go capture more units! This time, useful ones! Hell yeah! Its capture time! To fill the dungeon area I want to create, Ill need lots of bodies from both weak and strong units. If I take into account the theme of the area, Im sure Ill need a lot of slimes to use as the base. I can start with them, and then look for the other units Ill need I open the dungeon menu and browse it. Hmm this dungeon looks promising. Its settled then, lets go! I dont waste any time before starting the dungeon invasion. Its been so long since I last delved into a dungeon by myself Well, its only been a week and a half, but it feels like a lot longer. Tremble and shiver, you weaklings! Because Im gonna catch you all! Fufufu! Hahaha! Of course, now that Im level 6 Im going to bring the three Good Followers as well as Cyam, the Stone Eye Kidnapper, with me. Laughing like a deranged maniac, me and my support mobs are transported into the dungeon I selected. This is only roleplay. Roleplay, of course. I say it twice so you dont get the wrong idea.
Sometimes, the success of a Dungeon Invasion depends more on the Champion you pick than you would expect. For example, bringing a mermaid to an underwater dungeon might trivialize or at least simplify some of the dangers in it. To answer your question, if you want to invade the Evil Masterminds dungeon, youll have an easier time if you have the Nature Attuned skill. With an elf, a Flesh Monstrosity with that skill, or some other skill with similar effects, you can ignore the mushrooms everyone fears. Its what I like to call Easy Mode. Or you can also look at it this way: the invasion is going to be hell if you use any Champion that doesnt have this skill. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player. Sometime in the future, it wasnt weird to be asked these kinds of questions if you were a DMA player.
Ch 94 - Three skills instead of two Oooh, look at this! So, so beautiful! Im brought to tears at this spectacular view! I swipe my tears with the hem of my robe. Haa so much effort, so many Dungeon Invasions, but finally, FINALLY, Im ready to start building the next area! Hahaha! The room with the stasis chambers, which not long ago was almost empty, is now filled to the brim with specially picked units. I had nothing before, but now I have everything I want! Hahaha! Still, I believe its better for the stasis chambers to be empty than filled with useless human garbage It took me quite a while to fill my Stasis chambers. Ive been upgrading the Collectionist tech since I started playing the game, and can now capture up to thirty units after every Dungeon Invasion. Which is a lot, but it doesnt help when I need units from several factions. Its a good thing we had the exam season before the tournament because, otherwise, it would have taken a lot more time for me to reach this point. Of course, I looked through the new units available to unlock before going to catch them and captured only those units that I actually needed instead of random stuff. As you already know, I never do these kinds of stupid mistakes. Absolutely never! Oh, by the way, the Hauntlings spawned some time ago and are already haunting the players. I''ve read a few comments from players who died because of them, Hahaha! Well, continuing with the topic These are the new units I can unlock. As Ricard told me, there are now exciting options that use three units as the base now. For now, I only unlocked a single one of them. Because it was the only cheap one, and because itll help me decorate the dungeon. Its called Weirdy, and its this one:
Weirdy
Research cost: 500 cp, 200 food. Research time: 3 hours
A critter unit. This unit needs three critter bodies to be created. It inherits the aspect, innate skills and stats of one of the bodies, plus the innate skills of all of them. The cp cost and cp value of this unit are the same as the sum of all the units used to create it plus 5 cp.
As you can see, the Weirdy is a critter unit, thats why it was so cheap to unlock. Its the same as the Creepy, except I can put three critters into a single unit, and can thus give it up to three innate skills. Is good that the tech I unlocked to change the Creepys looks, allowing me to use parts of each unit used to create them instead of having to choose a single one, also works for the Weirdy. Theres no need for extra research, which is very good. Now the next ones are the amazing ones. With them, I can do so many things So, so, so, soooooooooo many things! Just imagining the crazy things I can do with them makes me very excited. If only I had the spare resources to unlock them, it would be amazing But I need to keep my cp for now because I really want to expand the dungeon first. The thing is, if I unlock them now, I wont have enough cp for both creating a new area and filling it with monsters. I can create the monsters, but cant put them anywhere and let them rot in an unreachable area, or create a new area and leave it completely empty. Either way, it would be too lame, so Ill leave them for later. Im sure youre curious by now, am I right? Well, the units Im talking about are the respective upgrades to the Hybrid and the Basic Chimera: the Amalgam and the Chimera.
Amalgam
Research cost: 12.000 cp, 2.500 food, 1.500 metal. Research time: 1 day
Abominations of flesh composed of parts of three humanoid units. Every Amalgam inherits the innate skills of its original units, and their stats are the sum of the original units. The cp cost and cp value of this unit are the same as the sum of the three units used to create it plus 30 cp.
The Amalgams are the upgraded Hybrids. Instead of two humanoid units with all their stats and innate skills added, its three humanoid units with their stats and innate skills added. Though this doesnt make them broken, because they end up having similar stats to those in the resulting cp range. Im sure the extra cp cost is to take into account the extra innate skills. Hybrids dont have it, but they also only have two innate skills, the things you can do with them is limited. But things start to get crazy if you give them a third one Another thing Amalgams have in common with Hybrids is that I must use parts of all the original units when deciding how theyll look. This is so enemies have an easier time predicting what the Amalgams can do. Though Im not sure how much this will help them if I add the Wererabbits tail to one and the players only get to see its front, for example.
Chimera
Research cost: 15.000 cp, 3.000 food, 2.000 metal. Research time: 2 days
Abominations of flesh composed of parts of three non-humanoid units. Chimeras are naturally resilient to pain, because of the eternal torment they suffer for simply existing. Every Chimera inherits the innate skills of its original units, and their stats are the sum of the original units. Also, all Chimeras start with the Eternal Pain innate skill. The cp cost and cp value of this unit are the same as the sum of the three units used to create it plus 50 cp.
The Chimeras are to the Basic Chimeras the same as Amalgams to Hybrids. Theyre the upgraded version: instead of two non-humanoids, its three. They too have the Eternal Pain skill, giving them the ability to survive combat for at least ten seconds. An excellent skill for stalling tactics, or simply to give them more time to deal damage. The only other thing worth noting is that, similar to the Basic Chimeras, its also possible to give them extra limbs, heads, etc, as long as the final unit has parts of the three original ones. Im sure that once I unlock both the Amalgam and the Chimera units, the game will allow me to research another unit type; one thatll allow me to use three units of any combination of humanoid and non-humanoid units to create a single unit with any innate skill I want, similar to the Monstrous Hybrid. Stolen story; please report. What Im not so sure about is why Amalgams are cheaper than Chimeras. Maybe its because the units used are humanoids? All humanoids can be used as Champions, Im sure the DMA developers balanced them so that the players cant do anything too crazy with them But this doesnt apply to non-humanoids, their innate skills tend to be a lot more crazy. For example, take the Mimic. A dumb monster that turns into an object to fool a player is one thing, but if you give the same skill to a player, C assuming they dont get sick because of the transformation, C things can turn too crazy, too fast. It could also be because of something else Well, I dont know, and I dont really care, either. Im here to have fun, not win. The only part I care about is that they cost more. But both the Amalgams and Chimeras are a thing for the future, lets not waste any more time on them, Ill end up crying otherwise Theres also another interesting unit I can unlock in the future. You can imagine it as the upgraded version of the Fleshlings I just created. Its called Flesh Golem, and like what happens with Fleshlings, its possible to create multiple of them at the same time with a single unit to give them innate skills. But they can have up to three innate skills instead of the one all other factions get.
Flesh Golem
Research cost: 20.000 cp, 7.000 food, 5.000 metal. Research time: 2 days
A strong unit formed by the flesh and blood of multiple enemies. You need to provide bodies worth at least 1.000 cp for its creation. Flesh Golems will inherit a maximum of three innate skills from the original units used to create them.
You can imagine them as the bigger, scarier version of the Fleshlings. If the latter focus on speed and numbers, the stronger Flesh Golems are the tanks that can take a large of beating. Theyre also pretty disgusting. Imagine this: an oversized slime trying to take a humanoid shape but failing at it, continuously squirming around, and a pair of appendices that kind of look like arms but at the same time they dont. Now, imagine everything made out of meat chunks and bloody gore. Did you get the image? Then, you now know what the Flesh Golems look like too. Nightmarish stuff if youre squeamish. And oh my god if Flesh Golems are strong! I looked at their stats and theyre worthy of a 1.000 cp unit, with their stupidly high HP and STR they are very difficult to fight in close quarters. Once I create them in the future, theyre going to be a terror for the invading players. Granted, they arent that fast, but theyre five meters tall meat walls that can take any beating and can crush you with a single blow in return. Heck, I dont think I can win in a 1vs1 fight against one of those things even if I have the champions buff that doubles all my stats! No, actually, I might have a chance if I stay out of its range all the time and keep poking at it with spells until it finally dies How much time would this take? Maybe five minutes? I really dont want to test it. With this one, I can clearly see a pattern for the standard Flesh Monstrosities units. And with standard I mean those that have fixed stats and appearance, so for now its the Stitched, Fleshlings, and Flesh Golems. The first is the Stitched, the stupid, cheap, weak swarm. They move slowly but can absorb quite some damage for their cp range. Like zombies, just less resilient. If you find yourself swarmed by them youre doomed C unless you have a build like mine, that is. Then there are the Fleshlings. Theyre versatile because theyre fast and have decent stats. You can turn them into anything you want. Suicide bombers? Sure. Stalkers? Why not. Pack hunters? Hell, yeah! Mine are like this too! Ranged attackers? Well maybe not this, because they dont have limbs to hold a weapon, and they suck at magic. But theyre still pretty good at anything else. And the third one is the Flesh Golems, the tanky ones. Theyre big, strong, resilient They increase the power of the dungeon and are reliable units that will surely scare more than one invader. What else can you ask from a literal meat mountain? Theres also a tendency to get smarter. Flesh Golems > Fleshlings > Stitched. In the future, there might be more specialized and ranged standard units in the future. Aagh ok, ok, Ill say it. You know I want to say it, and you want me to actually say it here it goes I must add that being better than the Stitched in the intelligence department isnt difficult. Because, as far as Ive seen: Absolutely anything >>>> Stitched. Poor Stitched, theyre so useless Though Ill continue to love (hate) them as usual. Ok, you got it? I said it! Are you happy now? Youre asking what about the other units? Well, I consider the Hybrids, Chimeras, and other stuff as a second group, separated from those three, because you need to know what youre doing to create the monsters or you can end with suboptimal choices. Or awful ones, like that time I went to one of my peers dungeons and saw a hybrid of a Wererabbit and an earth elemental Can you imagine? A unit that has the Earth Elemental skill, which needs the unit to stay still for it to work, but in a very fast unit that lacks the HP or resistances to take a beating? It was an utterly useless unit! One that couldnt do anything at all, with stats all over the place, and not being able to take advantage of either of its innate skills! Shame! Shame on the rock-bunnies, shame on their creator, shame on that dungeon filled with useless monsters! And shame on the DMA developers for allowing the creation of such a random and messed-up monstrosity! Hell, shame on me too, for having to see that disaster! Calm down, Andreu, calm down Now, where was I before this stupidly long internal explanation to nobody? Oh, yeah, I remember! My beautiful room, filled with beautiful bodies of useful units! *Khm, khm!* Fuck you, humans. *Khm!* Im so excited about this. Its dungeon development now! Oh, beauty, I love you so much I rub my cheek on a certain and very specific Stasis chamber as I hug it. A Stasis chamber containing a specific and very useful unit. Though Im not going to use it yet, because first comes the new dungeon area! If I first create the monsters, Ill have to reassign them after creating the new rooms. But if I do it the other way around, I can start the unit creation and theyll automatically be assigned where I want them to be. Its way more efficient to do it like this. Oh, no! I start to sound like Ricard! Efficiency this, efficiency that! Aaagh, I hate myself right now All right then. To the laboratory! Hmm did I hear this phrase before? Im not sure
... Do you know whats worse than having to spend a lot of time and effort to capture the units youre going to use in the future? Its spending a lot of time and effort to capture units and then creating completely useless monsters with them. Believe me when I say this because Ive seen players make Hybrids that are worse than any of the two units used to create them. I assure you, you dont want to be one of those players. Ask yourself this question first: What role do you want the monster you create to take?. If you already have an idea of what you want, sure, go for it. But if you dont, first search for two units that already do what you want; or find something nasty, then fuse them together, and make them even better! Lets use an example here. If you want a melee attacker, you can pick an orc, which is a decent unit for that role. Then, lets say you want to make it very, very dangerous. You just need to smack an Invisible Stalker together and bam! you have an invisible killing machine. Now you only need to change the AI so that it targets the mages and archers at the back Fufufu! Hahaha! Can you imagine? Its going to be awesome! For you, not for the invaders, but who cares about the invaders anyway? - Fragment from Introduction to the Flesh Monstrosities, one part of The Dark Teachings series. This episode, in particular, was the beginning of an onslaught of invisible orcs in the Flesh Monstrosities dungeons. A not-so-good event for most of the other players, leading to a new meta: tanks in the front, weaklings in the middle, and tanks at the back too. There was even one player who went a step further and created an all-invisible dungeon. A dungeon where only dauntless (or crazy) players dared to invade; but thats another story.
Ch 95 - Sealed up area I open the dungeon edition menu and start the modifications. Remember when I added the optional path through the Not A Rabbit area? Then, I decided I wanted the dungeon to be a little less linear than it was, and that I would add more secondary paths and other stuff in the future. Well Im not going to add extra paths yet because I really want to create a whole new area, and I wouldnt have enough cp otherwise, but this new area will be the first step toward that goal. Hmm I think this spot is nice Yeah, lets put the stairs here. I select the initial point and create the stairs before modifying them. I make them go downwards because the new area will be below the current ones. Where Im putting them? Theyre in a corner inside Minitaur Queens big room. For now, it looks like a classical dungeon, with stairs that go down to the next floor after a Boss encounter C though in this case theres no need to kill the boss at all. Then I modify the stairs to fit the next rooms theme. Excavated in the rock, the winding steps are clean and neat at the start, but as you go lower, mold and a brown-green sticky substance soon cover them. At the same time, the moisture covers the walls and a rancid smell hits your nose. If these stairs were real, it would be very easy to slip and fall, killing yourself It would be fun to see, but since this is a game, it cant happen. What a shame. With this, the entrance to the new area is more or less finished. Now I can proceed with the actual area. Oh, by the way. Theres a reason I reminded you of the extra paths and non-linear dungeon. And it is because this new area wont lead to the dungeon core. Yes, it wont. You see when I was planning what to do in the future, I came up with several ideas to improve the dungeon, and one of them was so good I had to implement it. Let me tell you something else first. Right now, the place where most invaders die is my boss'' room, the Minitaur Queens room. If the invaders dont die due to the damage, they die because they fall into the water canals, and cant manage to come back. I even saw one player who fell into the canals and got dragged to the big cavern by the underwater river more than three times in a single dungeon exploration It must be true that those who are the most stupid are also the most resilient because I cant understand how did he manage to survive the first four times he got dragged away. Anyway, lets forget about the stupid invaders and return to the topic! So, I came up with this crazy idea: if most players die in this room, what would happen if I made them cross it more than one time? Thats why this new area wont lead to the dungeon core but will contain a key to open the path to it; which by the way, is inside the boss room. This means that, from now on, the invaders will have to run away from the Minitaur Queen to reach this place, then defeat the monsters here, find the key, and go back to face the Minitaur Queen once again! Hahaha! And thanks to this, itll also break the dungeons linearity! Its a good thing I unlocked the advanced dungeon elements because some of the stuff I want to do wouldnt work otherwise. When the players go downstairs, theyll see the slime and moisture on the stairs, warning them of whats to come. Warning of danger is always a good idea. Though its better to have two dangers, warn them of the one they see and let them fall to the one they dont! Hahaha! This area will be the failed experiments area. Not in the useless monsters category but more like those creatures that do look like failed experiments. Here, the Mad Rat did his experiments, testing new units in isolated cell units until they were ready for his purposes but an experiment went very, very wrong and the Mad Rat had to seal the whole area to prevent it from escaping. At least, thats how the story is supposed to go. Ok, ok, I know what youre thinking right now. Shouldnt the Stitched, the Fleshlings, and some other units be considered failed experiments too? Well maybe? But if I do, Im limiting myself too much, so I wont. Ah, shit! I almost forgot to create the door that seals this area! I quickly climb the stairs up and add the sealing door, which can only be opened from outside. The door is one of those high-security doors for biological hazards. And this time I dont forget to add the warning signals as well as the Dont Enter! message, and the wooden boards blocking the way. They cant be destroyed, they wont block the way. Everybody knows that players tend to do the exact opposite of whats expected of them, so writing the Dont Enter! message is a surefire way to get them to go inside. Ok. Now that I finished the entrance, lets create the new area. I descend the stairs another time. Hmm Im sure this will work. This feeling of stagnation, that this place has been closed for a long time By now, most players have learned that the stuff they cant identify in my dungeon means Danger!. When they see this brownish-greenish slimy substance, theyll be freaking out. And they should! Hahaha! Ah, yes, I should add some lights. I could also make do with the ambient light that I put in most of the dungeon, but I dont want it here this time. I want something spookier. I add wall lights at irregular intervals as I go down the stairs. They only illuminate the closest area, leaving dark spots and shadows everywhere. In fact, most of the lights are covered by moss or the slimy substance; or are cracked and dont work anymore, further reducing the light in this area. Hah! Now it feels like a haunted house, amazing! The next thing I do is create a straight passage from the end of the stairs. Then, I add two more, creating a T shape. The fun part starts now I say, rubbing my hands together. Lets turn this area into something the invaders will never forget! Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Starting from the central passage, I add a few rooms of various sizes on both sides of it. Then, I put prison bars on a few of them. There are various sizes and shapes for the bars, indicating they were used to contain different types of units. Theres even a very large room with bars as thick as my whole torso, surely to contain a gigantic monster. Or maybe a powerful one? In the rest of the rooms, I put biohazard doors. These are containment rooms for monsters that needed special environments to survive, or simply because they could easily escape from a prison cell. In most of these rooms, I put a glass panel on the wall to see whats inside. Oh, and the most important part! About half of these rooms have part of the wall or the door itself destroyed by a very strong impact. An impact coming from the exterior. It isnt that some monster came out of them, but that something destroyed them from the outside. Theyll be trembling after seeing this because this means theres something very dangerous roaming this area Though, in fact, there wont be any strong monster yet, because I dont have the cp to create it now. Its a shame I dont have enough cp to spare for a very strong monster, so the boss of this area will have to wait. Im not sure if Ill create an actual Boss or just a strong monster that fits the area similar to what I did with The Tunnels Nightmare. But if I choose the former, Ill have to wait a lot more to create it, until I unlock the second boss slot. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. The Bosses have resistance to status effects and double stats, but the number I can have is limited. On the other side, if I create a strong monster, there can be any number of them, but theyll be vulnerable to stuns and other strong status effects. I can also create a unit that has higher stats than any boss by using really strong units as the base to create it but it wont have the status effect resistance. But this is for the future, lets refocus, Andreu. I continue adding more passages and interconnecting them, adding prison cells and containment units as I go. Some paths lead to dead ends, but I make sure there arent too many; I dont want the players nor the monsters inside to get stuck, I want them to find each other and fight. Another important feature for this area is that those cells and containment units that arent broken will contain groups of monsters the invaders can fight if they want to. Theyll only need to press the button to open the door and release the monsters. Optional fights with bonus rewards, yay! And because theyll see whats inside before they open them, they can choose which ones they want to fight and which ones they dont. This also means they can use skills from outside, but luckily most ranged attacks and spells cant be used through the walls, glass panels, or iron bars. Though skills that only require vision, like Blink, will still work. Also who said the invaders are the only ones who can open the doors? I certainly didnt! Fufufu! Hahaha! All in all, when I finish adding passages and cells, this whole area is about the same size as the big cavern, excluding the underground lake. If you take a look at it from the top, it resembles a city. And everything is right below the laboratory areas. Though some parts get very close to the Tunnels area, as some of them go very deep underground Ill connect some of those tunnels to this area with special passages: Private passages and Secret passages. You already know what a secret passage is, so I wont explain them. But the ones Im going to put are a little special because theyre conditional ones. This means when the dungeon invasion starts, theres a chance the passage will appear, and a chance it doesnt. You see the problem with secret passages in a dungeon is that as soon as one player finds them, either by luck or because theyre skilled, they arent a secret anymore: the rest of the players will know where they are and how to open them. But what if those passages are only there with a very low chance? Will the players waste their time going to each one, trying to activate them, and going to the next one if it doesnt work? What if the secret passage didnt appear in this dungeon instance? I dont think they will. At least, I wouldnt waste my time like this. In short, I put the chance to 5% for each of them, and only one can appear in each dungeon instance. Thanks to this condition, only the lucky players will find them, allowing them to enter this new area without having to cross the Minitaur Queens room first. If theyre lucky, theyll find the secret passage in the tunnels. But when they share it with the other players and they dont find the secret passage Im sure theres going to be some chaos in the forums. Ill have to go and get my popcorn bucket once again. And the private passages are something new that got unlocked when I reached player level 6. Theyre passages that only my own units can cross, they look like normal walls to any other player. But theres a certain condition for them to work: there cant be an enemy unit within 50 meters or within sight range of the passage. With them, my units will be able to move through the two areas, but the enemies wont. Im still not sure if Ill allow the monsters to do so or not, but theyll at least reduce the time it takes for me to move through the dungeon when I decide to actively defend it. A thing I like to do when I create a new unit and want to test it against some unlucky players. I finished the rooms and layout, so lets go for the details next. Similar to what I did with the stairs, I put wall lights, some of them broken, and cover most of the floors, walls, and even parts of the ceiling with moss. Then, I add that mysterious brown-green slimy substance throughout the whole area. I also add water droplets on the walls and ceiling, but instead of simple moisture, most of the floor is now covered by a thin film of water. The musty smell is also stronger here, though the game doesnt allow it to be too strong. Then I create a few holes in the ground. Deep enough for the players to fall into them or trip, or for a monster to hide there, but not enough for them to be dangerous. And because of the water film and reduced lightning, its close to impossible to see them before its too late. The only thing remaining is the reason I created this area: the key to unlocking the passage that leads to the dungeon core. This wont take me long. As it couldnt be any other way, the key I create is an authorization card, with the Mad Rats logo and a skull under a do not pass symbol. You know, the red circle with the diagonal line. Whats the Mad Rats logo? Well, its my face with some lightning. And as you would expect, the skull and do not pass symbol represent this sealed area. And yes! This means Ill add more areas like this in the future, each with its own respective authorization card the players must obtain to reach the dungeon core! The key will randomly spawn in one of the closed rooms. The players will have to find it and fight whatever monsters are inside to obtain it. The rest of the rooms are optional. They can open them and fight the monsters to obtain extra rewards, or they can ignore them and move forward. Of course, there will also be monsters roaming the passages. Not everything will be easy. Wow, this took longer than I expected. I might have gone a little bit overboard with the details and spent too much time with this I anxiously scratch my head. Luckily, Im not late for dinner and mom wont get angry at me. Lets save it for now, and Ill continue later.
If you want the players to remember your dungeon, it should always have a theme. Its also possible to have multiple themes, but its difficult to find a proper balance between them. Choose wisely. But having a theme doesnt mean the whole dungeon should look the same and have similar enemies. Players quickly get tired of that. Instead, create areas that complement the theme but are different from one another. For example, if your dungeons theme is zombies in a graveyard, dont just create a gigantic graveyard filled with buried zombies. Add some catacombs with elite undead, create a labyrinth underground filled to the brim with skeletons, or put the graveyard next to a foggy forest with spirits and phantoms. - Third point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 96 - You shouldn’t split up, guys! Im back! As soon as I finish eating, I enter the game, raising my arms up high, shouting. Now that I finished the new area, I can start with the monsters! Fufufu! Hahaha! After a little bit of roleplay, I open the dungeon menu and create a new Template. So every area needs one unit thats the weakest but also represents the units there. In the cave, tunnels, and laboratory areas, they are the Demonic Swarmers, Goblimp Pests, and Stitched, respectively. This time isnt going to be any different! You could argue it isnt needed, but I believe its better to have a bottom feeder in every area. This way I can apply constant pressure to the invaders while keeping the difficulty low. The only big difference with the other areas is that until now, all the bottom feeders are either the Stitched themselves or Siamese. In other words, weak units. But here, as the first time in the whole dungeon, I want to increase the difficulty a level and put Basic Chimeras instead. This increased difficulty will play a double role in my dungeon. First, its a sealed area, so its logical that the units inside are stronger and more dangerous. And last, its also the area players will find after the first boss, it isnt weird if the area after a big boss battle is harder than those before. Yeah, you got me Because of how my faction works, I can create strong Siamese too if I want to, with higher stats than any other Hybrid I have. But its a matter of how both units work: double the stats is always supposed to be stronger than shared passives and two independent actions. Even if you take into consideration the Siameses double level-ups and skills, its still easier to make stronger Basic Chimeras or Hybrids. So yes, the weakest monster in this area will be a Basic Chimera. As the first unit I choose the Giant Bat, and for the second I select the bodies I want to use from the list of options. Ah, here it is! The Acid Slime! The combination of these two units is very interesting because of the inherent traits of each one. The Giant Bat can fly and also has the Echolocation innate skill, which will be very good for them because of the lack of light here. And the Acid Slime can change its body shape at will as well as stick to the walls and ceilings without trouble. Also, because of their shape-changing and already slow speed, slimes dont suffer any penalty for being underwater Which means the resulting monster will thus have all those abilities at the same time! Its literally an all-terrain unit!
Echolocation (Innate passive skill)
You dont need light to see and the Blind status effect has no effect on you.
Im sure you all know what Echolocation does, so Im only going to explain the Acid Slimes innate skill: Corrosive Body.
Corrosive Body (Innate triggered skill)
When you make a melee attack, deal an extra (5 + 0,3 * CON) acid damage over the next 3 seconds. This skill doesnt work on units that have this same skill.
Basically, its just a triggered skill that makes them do extra damage with every melee attack, so every time they hit the enemy with their pseudopods. Now, what would happen if I give this skill to flying bat-slimes? And what if I change the AI so that they stick to the invaders faces and keep attacking them until either they or the invader dies? Nasty, right? Hahaha! AI changes here I go! Stay on the ceiling and dont engage until they walk right below, drop from above on the invaders heads Then attack recklessly until they or their victims die Changes done! Theyre ready for the level-ups and the rest of the skills! Ah, but first, lets set how they look. Ok, this is important. Do you know what the Acid Slimes look like? Well, theyre green slimes. They also continuously drip a substance that releases smoke when it touches anything else, but the important part is that theyre green, and the bats are a dark brown. Im sure you know where Im going right now, dont you? Aaaaagh, you say you dont? But its really easy! Green + dark brown = a slime monster that can change shape and stick to walls, and camouflage with the other slimy green-brown substance I covered the whole area in! You got it now!? Until these monsters move, theyll be impossible to differentiate from the terrain! unless the players bring some kind of detection skill, that is. But at least itll be impossible to see them before they attack. Whats more, the lack of light certainly wont help the players spot them; but it wont bring any drawback for them because of Echolocation! Its a win-win situation! Or lose-lose situation if you look at it from the invaders point of view, but who cares about them? Certainly not me. Now that I have the base, I should decide on the skills and levels. Hmm the bat costs 20 cp and the slime 60 cp, plus the 20 cp from the Basic Chimera. Itll cost 100 cp Im not sure if Ill use them in Dungeon Battles, but if I want to use them later, I should keep them at a low level. Level 2 or level 3, maybe? Of course, leveling the units will make them stronger, but it also increases their cp value. Its all about how worth it is to have a 10% bonus base stats and an extra skill compared to the extra cost. Because of the limited cp available in PvP modes, its important to keep the units you want to use as low as possible. I generally dont mind this stuff because most of my monsters are designed for my dungeon and not for PvP. I usually raise my monsters to the level I feel like it makes sense for the skills I want to give them, regardless of the cost. But not this time. Not this time because I want to turn this monster into a very good ambusher, one thats actually dangerous instead of simply annoying like the Goblimp Pests, or random like the Tunnel Mimic. I want to use them in Dungeon Battles in the future. Ah, I know! Lets go the other way around. Ill look for those skills I really want to give them and raise the level accordingly. This way they wont end up costing more than needed. Fufufu! Im a genius, arent I? Then, lets go for the first skill, obtained for free at level 1 upon creation. I think I know which one I want to give them for the first one. Theyre ambushers that camouflage and hide in the walls and ceiling, waiting for the invaders to come close before sticking to their faces Theres one really nasty skill that comes to mind to complement this behavior: the Silence skill.
Silence (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP, 5% Max MP per second
Both you and another unit cant talk or use active skills until this skill ends. This skill can only silence enemy Champions and Bosses for a maximum of 5 seconds unless its used by a Champion or Boss. The timer resets one minute after the silence ends.
If they activate this skill when they attach themselves to the invaders faces, it fits the theme perfectly! Itll be as if they cant talk or use skills because of the slime obstructing their mouths! One of the worst things in this game is not being able to use skills. Regardless of being a mage, archer, knight, tank, healer If you cant use skills, at least half your strength disappears. And yes, I know how nasty this skill is thanks to a certain group of madmen during the tournament. Oh how much I hated this skill back then! Because of my build, Im useless if Im silenced! But not everything is good about this skill. The biggest drawback of the Silence skill is the high MP cost and the short range. I already changed their AI to fight to the death, so it doesnt matter if they go to 0 MP as long as they deal the maximum damage during the time the enemy is silenced. As for its short range can you really call it a drawback? I mean, my monsters will be attached to the victim the whole time You might even ignore this part and say the only drawback is the MP cost. With the Silence skill, they can be very dangerous, especially if they appear in groups, or during a fight Wait a moment! If they catch an enemy alone, wouldnt this mean they almost certainly die? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Being silenced means they cant talk or make any sound, which means they cant call for help or warn the other players. It also applies to the monsters they bring with them. If the affected unit is a support mob, they might be sentenced to death unless the players are lucky and notice the attack. But if the affected unit is a player It might be too late for them! Hahaha! Also, because of how the new area Im creating works, the players are incentivized to split up to look for the key. Wait! If theres a high chance theyll want to split up, this Isolation skill is awesome!
Isolation (Triggered skill)
You deal 30% extra damage if the target doesnt have any allied unit within 5 meters.
Isolation is one of those skills that usually dont do anything. Mostly because invaders always stay close to one another, and bring support mobs with them, which further increases the number of invaders. But, if you somehow manage to split them up, or if they do it by themselves to look for a key hidden in the dungeon, for example Hahaha! Can you imagine this? An invader getting ambushed, silenced, and left behind by the rest of the team, only to trigger Isolation and end up dying without anyone noticing anything!? Yes. Yes! This combination will be amazing! I jump around in glee for a while before calming down. Ok, so theyre now level 2. If I want to give them another skill, I first need to raise them to level 3 and the skill must be a passive one is there anything I want? I scroll through the passive skill list. There are soooooooo many skills, Im sure theres at least one thatll fit them. *Sigh!* In the end, I dont find anything that catches my attention, nor do I have any idea to search for a specific one. Then level 2 it is. This makes them cost 110 cp, which isnt too high for such a dangerous unit. Only the name remains Oh, I know! I write Corrosive Choker in the Templates name and save it. Now that I finished with this, I can start their creation! I have twelve Giant Bat bodies, so Ill have to do with those. This means twelve Corrosive Chokers! Ill put them in groups of one to three scattered through this area, to add a little bit more of randomness to their encounters. Oh, by the way. This is what their stats look like.
Corrosive Choker (Lv 2)
HP 165 (150) STA 12 (11) SOU 11 (10)
EP 132 (120) MP 99 (90)
STR 13 (12) CON 15 (14) AGI 9 (9)
SPI 9 (9) WIL 8 (8) DEX 5 (5)
SPD 6 INT 3 COM 0
Skills
Active: Silence. Triggered: Corrosive Body (Innate), Isolation. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Echolocation (Innate).
The first and most basic mob of this area is finished! Lets move to my next trick! Fufufu! Hahaha! I cant stop myself from laughing like a maniac. This is because Im sure the next unit Im going to create is going to make more than one player cry in frustration! I already explained to you about the card with my logo that will appear in this new area, right? Then let me ask you a question: Do you know whats more frustrating than having to look for a small item hidden somewhere in this big area? Its having multiple of those items, but only one is real! Im sure you know where Im going right now I open the Templates menu once again and create another Basic Chimera template. This time, Im going to use the Mimic as the base. As for the second unit, its one called Boulder, from the Primordials faction, the most basic earth elemental in the game. For the second unit, I could use any other unit, really; but I choose the Boulder for a simple and single reason: when transformed, the Mimic cant be identified, but can still be attacked and killed. I cant prevent the players from attacking and killing the false keys, C aka Mimics transformed to look like the real key, C but I can give them enough resistances and damage reduction to prevent them from dying easily. And thanks to the Earth Elemental skill, they will take 50% less damage as long as they dont move. Which is all the time. I also change their AI so that they dont do anything and dont transform back unless killed. This way, the invaders wont be sure if its the real key or a false one unless they attack the key a lot of times, wasting time and EP/MP. The real key is indestructible, so there isnt any problem if they attack it relentlessly. The last thing I do is make them transform back into monsters if they try to use it to open the door and attack the invaders. They arent strong, but they sure will be annoying. And the best of all! Unless they collected all the false and real keys, theyll have to go back to the sealed area to get the real key! Itll be like: Oh, so you reached the door with the key, but in fact, its a monster and it attacks you! Better luck next time! Hahaha! As for the skills, I dont want to waste cp leveling up a unit whose role isnt combat, so Ill keep them at level 1. And give them the Survival Instinct skill, which gives HP regeneration when low. Theyll cost a total of 170 cp.
Survival Instinct (Triggered skill)
When you have less than 30% HP, regenerate 1% HP per second.
This skill, paired with the Earth Elemental and the Basic Chimeras Eternal Pain skills, might give them enough time to survive the attacks received so the players believe they found the actual key. I wont complicate things and just call them Monster Key. I write the name on the template and save it before starting the creation of three of them. In case you want to know, the Boulder is a 1-meter-tall monster. It has two chubby legs and arms, a small head, and its torso consists of flat stones stacked on top of each other. Everything is made out of rock, but this one also has a gooey black substance in the joints, coming from the Mimic.
Monster Key (Lv 1)
HP 160 (160) STA 12 (12) SOU 9 (9)
EP 240 (240) MP 100 (100)
STR 14 (14) CON 24 (24) AGI 3 (3)
SPI 10 (10) WIL 24 (24) DEX 11 (11)
SPD 3 INT 7 COM 0
Skills
Active: Mimicry (Innate). Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Earth Elemental (Innate).
I dont forget to spawn both the mimic monsters and the real card in random rooms in this area. From now on, not even I will know which one is the real one, or where the hell it is! Now, to the next monster!
Smack EVERY access card you see until you get TIRED of it or until the mimic whos imitating it dies! Then, repeat the process A. FEW. MORE. TIMES. It might be a mimic that survived your previous attacks! Ill never get tired of repeating this. You REALLY need to be sure the access card in your hands is the REAL ONE, or youll regret it when you have to come back to the area you found it and look for the card again. You dont want this, right!? Then, CONTINUE ATTACKING it for as long as you need to be sure. - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 97 - New ways to kill them all The time has come. Hands clasped in front of me, I solemnly raise my head. Inside the Stasis chamber, the aberrations visage enters my sight and I unconsciously shudder. Whats terrifying will always be terrifying. The time has come to put them to use. I hope I wont regret my decision today What the hell am I talking about, you ask? Isnt it obvious its about the Abyss monsters? What else could make me shudder just by entering my sight!? Are you stupid or what!? I create yet another Basic Chimera template and select the monster in front of me, called Vozeves. As for the second unit its one called Hydris, a water elemental from the Primordials faction. The elementals from the Primordial faction are interesting in how they can have multiple shapes except for the critters and the most basic ones. When creating one of them, the players can give them a few predetermined shapes, one of which is always humanoid. Though once the elemental is created, the shape cant be modified again, so no free remakes of units. Youre right, similar to the Amorphous players, the Primordials players can use almost any unit as a Champion. As for the other shapes, it depends on the unit and the elemental type. For example, aquatic animals are typical for water elementals, and birds for air elementals. Their strongest units have amazing options too, like a colossal earth dragon or a lightning cloud titan. Im sure youre wondering what happens when I capture them, right? When I capture them, I can only use them for the shape they have at the moment of capture. If I capture a water elemental that looks like an eel, Ill have a water eel. If I capture an ice wolf, itll be an ice wolf. Thats it. It means I have to choose carefully if I want a certain shape for my units, but not in this case. The only thing I want from the water elemental is its innate skill: Water Elemental. And I only need a non-humanoid water elemental for this. Oh, and the shape doesnt change their stats, only how they look! This is very important! The Hydris Im going to use is what you can call one of the starting Champions of this faction: units around the 100 cp range, 120 cp to be exact. The ones I captured are 1 meter long fish. Of course, I could use the cheapest water elemental for this, the Pond unit. But theyre weak, and I want the monster Im creating to be strong. I can only create two because I only have two Vozeves and I dont want to waste them. Enough explanations! Lets move to the monster creation! The Corrosive Chokers will be the assassins and damage dealers of this area, but the genuine unseen danger will be this monster Hahaha! You see the whole floor is covered in a water film, which means that this monster, thanks to the Water Elemental skill, can change its shape and hide anywhere in plain sight, being almost invisible. The key word here is almost. Thanks to it being almost invisible but not actually invisible, the invaders can see its body and activate the Abyss trait, the What Should Not Be Seen skill. This monster will passively drain the MP of the invaders without them noticing at all! Whats more, if they dont check their status on time, it might kill them! Now, I change the AI so that it moves in front of the invaders so they can see it all the time, and run away if spotted I make the corresponding AI changes. ...and finally, if an invader is low on HP, go for the kill and then run away. I want them to be as strong as possible, so I level them up to the maximum level I can: level 7. Thisll give me seven skill points to work with. This reminds me I can level up my champion once again. Well, Ill do it later. I hope I dont forget about it Lets see what I can do with the skill points!
Then I spend the last skill point to upgrade Gods Intervention to increase its duration and this is it! I finished setting the skills! I focussed everything on two main points: draining the invaders MP while staying undetected, and survivability in case they are forced to enter combat or when they go for the kill. Now I only need to think of a name for it. Hmm itll be almost impossible to see, and it looks like a transparent version of the Abyss monsters Invisible Horror? Yes, this name will do. As I just said, this monster looks exactly like the basic unit of the Abyss faction: a mix of a squid and a leech. To be more specific, a headless squid with even more tentacles, each of which ends in a leechs mouth. Though this one its transparent because its made out of water. Without further ado, heres the Invisible Horrors status.
Invisible Horror (Lv 7)
HP 304 (190) STA 20 (13) SOU 24 (15)
EP 176 (110) MP 256 (160)
STR 17 (11) CON 24 (15) AGI 20 (13)
SPI 27 (17) WIL 22 (14) DEX 28 (18)
SPD 5 INT 5 COM 1
Skills The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Active: Draining Touch - Lv 2 (Mana Drain). Triggered: Gods Intervention - Lv 2 (Lasting Protection). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Water Elemental (Innate), What Should Not Be Seen (Innate) - Lv 2 (Extreme Horror), Unidentifiable, Weakening Aura.
So, as you can see, I focussed on upgrading the relevant skills instead of giving it lots of extra ones. First of all, the upgraded What Should Not Be Seen raises the MP depleted from looking at the Invisible Horror by a substantial amount. Working together with the Water Elemental and Unidentifiable skills, itll make it very hard for the invaders to spot them while continuously reducing their MP. To increase their survivability, I gave them the upgraded Gods Intervention skill, which extends the invulnerability time they receive the first time they would die; as well as the upgraded Draining Touch. The Eternal Pain will at least give them ten seconds of life during the combat, which can be enough for them to run away. The upgraded Draining Touch is essential because it can not only heal the Invisible Horrors for a part of the damage they deal but also drains MP. Whats more, the invaders might die to this MP drain if they dont die due to the passive MP drain first! And no, I didnt forget about the last skill they have. The Weakening Aura is there to reduce the damage the invaders deal if theyre close to the monster. Its just a little bonus to make them waste more time and resources when near an Invisible Horror. I save the Template and proceed with the monster creation. Ill set the two of them to move independently and randomly through this area. I only have two Abyss monsters, so I can only create two I hesitate to press the confirmation button. Come on, Andreu. Its only a monster, one of YOUR monsters, theres no need to be afraid of it! Just do it! I finally press the button and they join the queue of monsters to be created. Theyre right after the Corrosive Chockers and Monster Keys, so itll take quite a while. Im not sure yet how scary theyll be when I see them inside the dungeon, but it might come a time when I cant come into my own sealed area... It wont be only roleplay anymore. Well, shit happens, sometimes. With the Invisible Horrors, I finished the most important monsters of this area except for the boss I want to create in the future. Theyll be the key monsters. Or those that will define how the area works if you prefer. Theyll also be the only monsters allowed to roam the area freely. All the monsters Im going to create next are those that will only appear in the closed containment units and prison cells. With only two Invisible Horrors and twelve Corrosive Chokers in this area, I dont think the invading players will die too much. Maybe? Well, anyway! Here are the skills descriptions in case you want to read them! Aint I generous!? Hahaha!
Gods Intervention - Lv 2 (Triggered skill)
When you would be killed, you are reduced to 1 HP instead and ignore all damage and status effects for the next 5 seconds. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Upgrades
Lasting Protection: Extend the invulnerability time to 10 seconds.
What Should Not Be Seen - Lv 2 (Innate passive skill)
Other units that can see this unit lose 5 MP per second. If the unit has no MP, the SOU is reduced by 1 every five seconds instead. Multiple instances of this skill increase the MP loss by 1. This skill doesn''t work on allied units.
Upgrades
Extreme Horror: Increases the MP reduction by 2 MP per second.
Draining Touch - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP, 20 MP
Reduce the targets HP by (2 + 0,5 * SPI) and heal by 50% of the HP reduced.
Upgrades
Mana Drain: Reduces targets MP by (2 + 0,2 * SPI) and recovers 50% of the MP reduced.
Oh, right! I almost forgot about something very important! The thing that will put the most pressure on the invaders! What am I talking about? Well, do you remember when I was creating the doors that can be unlocked by the players? Do you remember I said the players werent the only ones who could unlock them? Yes, thats right! The thing I almost forgot to create was a monster that can unlock them too! It wont be dangerous to the players by itself, but if it opens enough sealed rooms Chaos will ensue! Hahaha! I want a critter for this. Should I go with the Creepy or the Weirdy? Weirdy, right? I can make it look more amazing like this! Luckily, this wont take me too much time to do. I pick a worm, a bird, and I dont know, a rabbit? Yeah, a rabbit will do. I pick those three and go to the monster edition screen to set how it looks. Hahaha! This is so ridiculous! I cant stop laughing when I save it. Its so stupid! I decided this was the failed experiments area, but this might be too much! Hahaha! The Weirdy in front of me lives up to the units name. Imagine one of those fat and slimy worms the size of a fist. Then give it wings, big frontal teeth, and rabbit ears. But! And this is a big BUT! The wings are reversed and work as legs. Meaning it can fly, but it has to do so by doing it upside down. And even more ridiculous are the rabbit ears that work as its hind legs, allowing it to jump in a similar fashion to a rabbit. Ridiculous, isnt it? Hahaha! I cant stop laughing! Hahaha ok, lets finish this already I said it wouldnt take me long but if I dont stop laughing I wont finish it today B-but its so ridiculous! Its like its saying Please kill me!, hahaha When I finally manage to stop laughing, I open the AI screen. The only thing I do is allow this ridiculous Weirdy to press the buttons that open the doors. It does so randomly, so who knows how many is it going to open, or when. The only extra condition I add, this one to the doors themselves, is that they cant be opened unless there are invaders inside this area. I dont want the little Weirdys opening all of them before the players get here I give them the name Blip before saving the Template. Why Blip? Because its similar to the sound the buttons make when theyre pressed and the door opens. Ill leave them at level 1, and since theyre cheap and have no combat capabilities, Ill create a bunch of them! How about ten? Yeah, it seems like a reasonable amount. Lets do it! Automatic door openers, done! I say as I press the creation button. Now, lets move to those monsters that are going to stay inside the rooms.
You MUST also take a look at your MP all the time. Especially if youre inside the sealed area! If you see your MP is being depleted, you have a short amount of time to look for the f*****g invisible monster. Find it, and kill it! Otherwise, YOUll be the one to end up DEAD! Bring some kind of detection with you if you can. Or BLAST THE WHOLE PASSAGE with your strongest attacks and hope you hit that f*****g invisible monster. Whatever you do, DONT LET them reduce your MP for free, or youll regret it. Or youll die, one of the two. - Extract from the Chapter Important things to look out for from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 98 - Checking everything’s all right Fufufu! Hahaha! Yes! YES! This is it! Hahaha! I continue laughing for a while. For now, theyll have to be enough! And Im sure more than one invader will die to them! Hahaha! I walk through the passage, sealed rooms and cells on both sides. Though not all of them are actually sealed, as some of them have holes in the walls or the door is destroyed. In my hand, theres a checklist with several names on it. As I tread through this poorly illuminated passage, I read its contents carefully, putting a tick on the list every time I pass the room containing one of the monsters written in it. Ok, so let me be clear. I already explained this is the failed experiments area, right? Every monster I created and put here can be considered one. This also includes the Corrosive Chokers and the Invisible Horrors, as well as the monster boss Ill add in the future. But when it comes to those monsters that will stay inside the sealed rooms you can say they go a step further into the failed department. Next, to the right, its I peek through the glass panel to see what unit is inside. Hmm, so its them. And theyre in a containment unit as they should. Count? Its three monsters. Ok, check! Next one! What am I doing right now? Im checking everything is working as I intended. Im going through the new area, making sure the failed experiments are properly distributed in their rooms. You see In general, I dont mind the monsters spawning always in the same place, because the monsters are allowed to freely move. Its hard for the players to know what theyll find. Or when. Now, if I put monsters into sealed areas, theyll be completely predictable. And I dont want that. But thanks to unlocking the upgraded dungeon elements I can now randomize where and how the monsters are placed in the dungeon, as well as how many of them spawn. In short, I created six monsters of each template and set them to spawn in a randomly sealed room. Between two and six of the same monster. The same monster cant spawn in multiple rooms, and only one type per room. And the keys and Monster Keys are distributed randomly inside the rooms with monsters. What Im doing right now is checking everything is working properly. It looks like the first one I checked has spawned in the correct number, and in a sealed containment room instead of a prison cell. Its important its a containment room because this monster is too dangerous. Too volatile. This one, if you exclude the sheer power that comes from higher stats, is, by a very long stretch, the most dangerous creature in my dungeon right now. I called them Bombers. And yes, as you would expect from a unit called this, they explode. But it isnt a normal explosion, no. Its the biggest explosion ever created. I only need to tell you they are Siamese, both halves have a Death Burst skill C in particular the light and dark death bursts C and both also have the skill called Soul Blast, one of those skills that kill the user when activated. Each creature can only have a Death Burst skill, but Siamese can work around this because theyre technically two units.
Soul Blast (Active skill)
Cost: -
Deal (5 + 0,2 * current HP + 0,2 * current EP + 0,2 * current MP) damage to another unit. This damage cant be prevented or reduced and doesnt have any damage type. You die.
Soul Blast can be considered too strong depending on the situation. But it being single-target, not dealing high damage, and killing the user means most players dont use it nor give it to their monsters. Well, I did. Now, if you add the unavoidable damage of this skill the double Death Bursts, and the fact theres more than one monster in the same room I only have one word to describe this situation: BOOOOOOM! Oh, yes! Did I tell you one of the two units used is a Succubus, and the other is a Fairy? One half has a charm on-demand and the other allows them to fly and can turn both of them invisible while leaving a fake copy in its place for a short duration. And did I tell you that I upgraded both of their Death Burst skills to deal more damage? And that I gave them passive skills C which they share, in case you forgot C that increase their stats so they can deal even more damage? Yeah I might have gone a little bit overboard. But do I regret it? Not a tiny bit! Oh, but Mad Rat, what if one Blip, one of those creatures that can open the doors, happens to open this room and they scatter through the dungeon?, you ask. Hmmm good luck, I suppose? Its the invaders problem, not mine. Hahaha! The Bombers spawned properly. Then, the next one is There are a few more monsters I created, and Ill add a few more in the future. But all of them will have something that makes them failed experiments. For example, they might be too dangerous and unstable, like the Bombers I just introduced to you. Or they were created for a certain purpose but failed to get there, or they ended up being useless, or maybe they just ended up being ridiculous in how they looked. There are many ways an experiment can fail, after all. Oh, talking about monsters that didnt achieve the purpose they were created for, heres one of my favorites! The Failed Clones! In front of me, theres a prison cell with four humanoids. Theyre moving around madly, foam coming out of their mouths. One is cackling maniacally as it jumps around, and another one is channeling lightning around itself, ready to electrocute somebody. Oh, and the last one is biting on the first ones arm! Theyre good to go. Check! I believe you might suspect it by now. And yes, youre right. Theyre MY failed clones. They look exactly like me before merging with the Shadow and have the same skills I do. But theyre crazy. Completely and utterly crazy. Unable to talk, unable to think, unable to do anything useful. They encompass every part of the word failed. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The only thing they are good at is causing chaos. Im looking forward to what they do to the invaders when their time to shine comes; but for now, theyre pretty much useless. Dont misunderstand, as crazy as they might be, this doesnt mean they arent a threat. They do have all my skills except for the Grand Finale, the Mana Core, and the upgrade to the Shared Voltage, after all. This means the combo of Chain Lightning plus Shared Voltage exists, and they too have the Lightning Shield to defend against melee attacks. There will always be a few of them together I really dont recommend anyone to fight against them surrounded by weak mobs, but players do not always know whats best for them Well see what happens. The only good thing about them is theyre impossible to miss. Even if the Blip opens their cell and they scatter through the dungeon, all invaders will know where they are thanks to their laughs and cries, giving them time to prepare. Also I used all the AI changes to make them act crazier, so they behave like normal mobs in combat. Nothing complicated, I swear. The next one after the Failed Clones is I continue walking, looking at the list in my hand. Ah, theyre the Kidnapper No. 2, nice! Remember when I created the Silent Kidnappers, the ones half Spider half Small Myconid, to capture the invaders that came into my dungeon? You do? Nice. Then, you can say the Kidnapper No. 2 are their biggest, stronger, and less useful cousins. Similar to the aforementioned one, they too come from spiders and myconids, but their stronger and bigger versions: the Giant Spider and the Myconid C the normal one, not the big one. At almost two meters tall, they would look like very big and scary spiders if spiders had a mushroom, almost as big as them, growing on their backs. So yeah, a very big spider, with a very big mushroom. The idea behind them is a monster I created to capture the invaders and turn them into my future monsters. But they ended up being too expensive. And WAY too noticeable. I mean, its impossible to not see it when it appears! What am I going to do with a kidnapper that cant kidnap without being seen!? To capture an enemy, the kidnapper must channel for some time, and any damage interrupts the process! Its useless if they can be seen! This is why they are failed. Yes, theyre failed experiments, but this doesnt mean they cant do anything! I literally gave them every immobilizing, paralyzing, and stunning skill I could think of, to give them more options to capture their targets. Not like theyll do it. I didnt give them the capacity do to so on purpose, I dont want to repeat what happened with the useless Farmers again. But this doesnt mean they cant use those skills to cripple and make things hard for the invaders. For starters, they have the spiders Web Throw skill, which can immobilize another unit for up to 5 seconds; and the myconids Paralyzing Spores, which can paralyze every unit within a small range. Then, I gave them the active skill Bash, which deals some damage and might stun; the upgraded Frost Shield, which gives a high chance to immobilize and deals damage every time theyre attacked in melee. Finally, you add to the mix the passive skill Heavy Armor which reduces the physical damage they take, and the Basic Chimeras innate Eternal Pain, and you have one of the most annoying fights you can imagine. They wont kill many invaders, but theyll make them despair and cry as the fight drags on and on. I said they wont kill the invaders, but thats only unless something else, C like a Bomber, maybe? C joins the fight. Or the other way around. Theyre certainly annoying. I would hate it if they happen to be the monsters whore allowed to roam this area after a Blip opens their door. If its the Bombers, its ok. Theyre dangerous if they explode, but you just have to poke them and theyll self-destruct. Now, if its these baddies instead you can only hope they dont intrude in the middle of another combat or you might die. I turn around and continue walking. I have to step carefully, I dont want to fall into one of those hard-to-see holes. What will I find next? This is like when you receive a present but dont know whats inside! Hahaha! I turn to the right and soon reach the next inhabited room. This one, its another containment unit. And heres Pfft! Hahaha! Its the joke monster! Nice, they appeared as I wanted! Theyre so ridiculous! Hahaha! In any way you look at the monsters in front of me, you can only define them in one way: a joke. Theyre a joke, no questions asked. What are they? Theyre sheep with a human head. Thats it! And thats also all they got going for them! Amazing skills? Nope. High stats? do you consider 1 as high? Dangerous? Certainly not! Then why the hell did I create them? For the jokes, I guess? The only thing they can do is say preprogrammed phrases thanks to their human half. They can say stupid things, completely random stuff, and as I couldnt be in any other way, insults. They can release weird cries too, but thats more like a bonus. When I was thinking about the monsters I wanted, I couldnt stop myself from thinking about stupid combinations, and this was the one I liked the most. I HAD to create them. Ah, yes, I called them Mansheep. It was the only option, really. I couldnt not call them like this. What are they going to do?, you ask. Well Im not sure. Maybe somebody will laugh so hard theyll die? Its possible theyre forcefully disconnected for health reasons and Ill have a free win. I know they dont help at all, but theyre funny. Im here to have fun, so I created them. You have to know the Mansheep arent the only ones in the man collection. Theres also Manchicken and Manpigs ...for now. The monsters in the man collection are the only ones that might or might not spawn when the dungeon is instantiated. This is so the players never know what to expect from them. Agh, ok, you got me. I did it like this because I could and also thought it would be funnier. Theres no real reason behind it. I keep checking the spawned monsters as I tour the new area, making sure everything is ok. There are no errors so far, and both the ambiance and the monsters in the passages seem adequate. Theres only one monster remaining on the list. If Im not wrong, it should be in the last available room. The next passage, the first door to the left Oh, here it is, the Infected! The Infected are Ok, I know Im always complaining about them, and saying how useless they are, but this time I actually went and captured a few humans for this unit. Yeah, you can now go and blame me. Call me whatever you want. I know, I know, its my fault. I deserve it. Humans are garbage and should never be used So, as I was saying, the Infected is a Monstrous Hybrid of a human and a plant monster. To be more precise, its a Soldier and a Strangling Ivy. I really wanted to make a version of an infected human for some reason, and I made it. It looks like a normal human with roots, leaves, and branches growing everywhere. Its as if the plant is devouring the human from within, slowly draining it of nutrients until it dies. Also, there are both male and female Infected. In terms of power, its in the middle ground. It isnt very dangerous, but its strong enough to pull its own weight in a fight. It can be dangerous if it manages to grab an enemy and starts to drain its HP and EP and replenish its own; but otherwise, its weak to ranged attacks. Everythings ok! I rub my hands together. The new area is finished! Finally, its time to open it and see how the invaders react to it! Fufufu! Hahahaha! The last thing I do before leaving the game is activate the entrance door and save the dungeon changes. Its time to go to sleep. Poor unlucky invaders! Feel free to enter the sealed area! The area where the most terrifying monsters in the whole dungeon are! Hahaha! In this dark and mysterious area, filled with the most horrendous creatures, the invaders will never know whatll happen next. They might find a group of Bombers, find themselves drained out of MP due to an Invisible Horror, or they might find a harmless Mansheep. But one thing is sure: if they want to reach the end of my dungeon, theyll have to come inside. Good luck, everyone! I wish you the greatest suffering! Hahaha!
You know whats worse than having to fight a dangerous enemy? Its not knowing if theres one such enemy or not. Its a psychological factor. Humans fear more what they dont know than what they do, even if theres a high chance the unknown is less dangerous. Ill now teach you how to use this to your advantage. - Excerpt from A journey to the top, a guide to help players reach the top ranking in DMA.
Glossary 5 - Sealed Area The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 7 (Upgraded Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat + Shadow) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Chaotic Beam, Cold Blast, Grand Finale. Triggered: Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery), Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Mana Core (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Dungeon Areas Entrance - Forest that gradually turns red as if it absorbed the blood of uncountable victims as it approaches the entrance to the cave. It sets the mood and has no dangers. Cave - Giant cave that contains giant and glowing mushrooms, creating places perfect for ambushes. Constant screams can be heard from here. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Cave to the Rabbit Area and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Contains secret entrances to the Sealed Area. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Tunnel Mimic, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper, The Tunnels Nightmare, Hauntling. Traps: Falling Corpse, Mushrooms. Special: Eternal Resting Areas. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core, and the storage room protected by the Minitaur Queen. Serves as a central hub connecting several other areas. Monsters: Lab Assistant, Panicky Spitter, Minitaur Queen. Traps: Falling Corpse, Lightning Rod. The Freezer - Interconnected rooms, partly natural and partly excavated in the rock. Its filled with corpses, blood, and body pieces. A superficial ice sheet covers most of its contents. Serves as an alternative route to the Dungeon Core connecting the Laboratory to the Sealed Area. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader, Braindead Assassin (Hidden Enemy trap). Traps: Exploding Corpse. Field Effect: Freezing Cold. Rabbit Area - Mountain Valley filled with grass and innocent bunnies. Connects the Tunnels with the Laboratory, working as a shortcut. Monsters: Curse Rabbit, Not A Rabbit. Sealed Area - Abandoned laboratory with several holding and containment cells. Its filled with mold, water covers the ground, and most lights are broken. It contains the key to reach the Dungeon Core. Monsters: Corrosive Choker, Monster Key, Invisible Horror, Blip, all Failed Experiments. Bosses Minitaur Queen - Lv 5 (Hybrid - Minotaur + Fairy Queen) Active: Trickster (Innate), Acid Bubble, Light Arrow. Triggered: Fierce Charge (Innate), Fast Recovery, Survival Instinct. Passive: Presence Detection. Monsters Lab Assistant - Lv 5 (Hybrid - High Elf + Runesmith) Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution - Lv 2 (Double Snap). Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura. The Tunnels Nightmare - Lv 5 (Basic Chimera - Terror Slime + Maguiloyf) Active: Alphas Howl, Corrosive Goo. Triggered: Your Worst Nightmare (Innate), Mind Break, Paranoia. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Terrifying Presence (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Demonic Swarmer - Lv 3 (Siamese - Scout + Miner) Scout Half - Active: Dash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Miner Half - Active: Bash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Strong, Commander. Not A Rabbit - Lv 3 (Hybrid - Wererabbit + Hunter) Active: Rabbit Transformation (Innate), Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate), Unexpected Strike. Passive: Berserker. Hauntling - Lv 3 (Fleshling - Troll + Scout) Active: Blink. Triggered: Pounce. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Regeneration (Innate), Shared Senses. Corrosive Choker - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Giant Bat + Acid Slime) Active: Silence. Triggered: Corrosive Body (Innate), Isolation. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Echolocation (Innate). Invisible Horror - Lv 7 (Basic Chimera - Vozeves + Hydris) Active: Draining Touch - Lv 2 (Mana Drain). Triggered: Gods Intervention - Lv 2 (Lasting Protection). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Water Elemental (Innate), What should Not be Seen (Innate) - Lv 2 (Extreme Horror), Unidentifiable, Weakening Aura. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Tunnel Mimic - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Tunneler + Mimic) Active: Mimicry (Innate), Engulf. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Enlarge. Goblimp Pest - Lv 2 (Siamese - Goblin + Imp) Goblin Half - Active: Corrosive Arrow. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Imp Half - Active: Shadow Blast. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Panicky Spitter - Lv 1 (Monstrous Hybrid - Sptter Slime + Apprentice Technomancer) Active: Slime Spit (Innate). Passive: Sprinter. Braindead Mob - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. Braindead Assassin- Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Blood Power. Silent Kidnapper - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Small Myconid + Giant Spider) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Capture Expert. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Unidentifiable. Monster Key - Lv 1 (Basic Chimera - Mimic + Boulder) Active: Mimicry (Innate). Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Earth Elemental (Innate). Failed Experiments All Failed Experiments appear in random cells inside the Sealed Area. Not all will appear at the same time. They can be released from their cells by the Blip critter. Bomber - Lv ? (Siamese - Succubus + Fairy) Succubus Half - Active: Charming Eyes (Innate), Soul Blast. Triggered: Death Burst Dark - Lv 2 (?). Passive: ? (raised stats). Fairy Half - Active: Trickster (Innate), Soul Blast. Triggered: Death Burst Dark - Lv 2 (?). Passive: ? (raised stats). Failed Clone - Lv ? (Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast. Triggered: Shared Voltage, Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Kidnapper No. 2 - Lv ? (Basic Chimera - Big Spider + Myconid) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Web Throw (Innate), Bash Triggered: Frost Shield - Lv 2 (Extreme Cold). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Heavy Armor. Manbeasts - Lv 1 (?) Multiple monsters with a human head and animal body. They do nothing other than talk shit to the invaders. Shown variants: Mansheep, Manchicken, Manpig. Infected - Lv ? (Monstrous Hybrid - Soldier + Strangling Ivy) Can grab enemies and drain their HP and EP. There are both male and female versions. Not A Rabbit Prototypes - Lv ? (Hybrid - Wererabbit + ?) Failed versions of the Not A Rabbit, using the Wererabbit with other random units. Critters All critters that dont have a specific area assigned to them can be found anywhere, taking into account their characteristics. Death Butterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Fiery Fly - Lv 3 (Creepy - Fly + Fire Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Fire. Passive: Fire Elemental (Innate), In Flames. Static Lamb - Lv 3 (Creepy - Sheep + Electric Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Lightning. Passive: Lightning Elemental (Innate), Static Discharge. Water Ant - Lv 1 (Creepy - Giant Ant + Water Spark) Passive: Water Elemental (Innate). Curse Rabbit - Lv 1 (Creepy - Rabbit + Curse Bug) Triggered: Death Curse (Innate). Octocat - Lv 1 (Creepy - Cat + Octopus) Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Colored Geckos - Lv 1 (Creepy - Gecko + Gel of the same color) Passive: Sticky Trail (Innate). Stareshrub - Lv 1 (Creepy - Awakened Shrub + Mass of Eyes) Passive: Eyes Everywhere (Innate). Annoyer - Lv 1 (Creepy - Canary + Goat) Blip- Lv 1 (Weirdy - Worm + Bird + Rabbit) Monster Train The Driver or conductor starts roaming the dungeon as soon as the players enter, slowly activating the hidden monsters all around the dungeon. The stats and speed of all the monsters in the Monster Train increase as more and more monsters start following the Driver. 1 x Driver - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: Follow My Lead. Passive: Intelligent. 50 x Passenger - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: random Safeguard skill. Passive: Unstoppable Mob. 50 x Hidden Enemy traps Traps Falling Corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Exploding Corpse - Explodes when an enemy gets close. Lightning Rod - Strikes repeatedly with lightning. It can be destroyed. Poisonous Mushroom - Inflicts poison that stacks and deals damage. Sleeping Mushroom - Inflicts sleep on enemies. Hidden Enemy - Hides the monster inside until the trap is triggered, releasing it. Eternal Resting Area - Contains sleeping mushrooms and no other dangers. Players can fall asleep and never wake up here. Support Mobs and others (not in the dungeon) Stone Eye Kidnapper Cyam - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Cockatrice + Giant Spider) Active: Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Good Follower - Lv 2 (Hybrid - Hunter + Blacksmith) Active: Poison Sting. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate). Passive: Stoneskin (Innate), Vitality Aura. Ch 99 - First time here? Don’t worry! Here I am once again, in this insanely difficult dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! How long has it been? Maybe two weeks? Look at this! My muscles are excited about the incoming challenge! Im ready to beat my archenemy once again! Huh, huh, huh! I flex in a few different poses, showing off my incredible muscles. Heh, nobody can beat this! ...um, excuse me, Mr Mr. ImAnOrc A skinny elf looks around in fear. I-I heard this dungeon is ve-very dangerous w-why are you acting like that? Oh, this Theres no danger here. The entrance is completely safe, hmm I scratch my head in thought. How was this guy called again? It was something about forced work Ah, I remember. ... C0rp0rateSlave. Look at those twigs he has for arms. Its impossible for him to beat this dungeon! Hes lucky Im here to help him because otherwise, he would die as soon as he enters the big cavern. And lets not talk about the tunnels poor scrawny elf Is that so? He relaxes his expression but continues to look anxiously around. Huh, huh, huh! Dont worry about anything, Ill protect you with my amazing strength! I flex a few more times, demonstrating to him what I mean, but he turns his gaze away. How rude! And please dont call me with my full name. Call me Leader, Boss, Master, or simply Orc. Yours is too long too. Ill call you Corp. You fine with it? Yeah, sure. I dont mind, hmm Leader? You look very weak, but at least know how to show respect! Huh, huh, huh! I say, patting his back a few times. Lets not waste time and go! The adventure awaits us! B-but it was you who was wasting time flexing around What did you say, Corp!? I feign annoyance at what he said, asking him in an angry tone. N-nothing! I said Im lucky to have you with me! Hahaha Yes, youre lucky. With my help, youll achieve whatever you want. Also I lower my voice and come near his face, intimidating him. I heard what you said, you know? Something about flexing my muscles I-Im sorry! I misspoke! I-I w-wont say it again, I promise! Please, dont leave me alone! Huh, huh, huh! I explode into laughter at his reaction. Im just joking, you know!? Huh, huh, huh! Its hard to talk while laughing. Im not angry, not at all. Flexing around is a way for me to mentalize before challenging this damned dungeon. Also I dont mind if you want to look at my amazing muscles, you know? Huh, huh, huh! He forces a chuckle and awkwardly turns his head to the side, avoiding my muscles. So Why did you want to come to The Mad Rats Lab? Curious about the crazy difficulty everybody is talking about? No, no way. Im here because my boss forced me to come Everyone in the department refused the task and it ended up falling upon me. I hate all of them so much why did it have to be me? They know I hate spooky stuff and surprises too He starts grumbling, only stopping when he remembers Im right next to him. Hahaha sorry for that. Dont worry, I can understand. ...thank you. So as I was saying, I came here to check on this dungeon. My boss is interested in the Evil Mastermind myth, and I came to see it in person. They say you have to experience it for yourself to know whats up, doubly so for this dungeon. ...I agree. This is good. Very good. Its been some time since I met a normal person who wasnt corrupted by this dungeon yet. Im going to enjoy his reactions so much! Huh, huh, huh! But why didnt you come alone? Why ask me to help you? Its a lot more fun to experience it all by yourself Come on, I know what everyone says about this dungeon. Theres no way I could clear it alone! I needed somebody who already knew everything about it to help me. I nod. Ah, thats why you contacted me It makes sense. Theres no player who knows more than me about The Mad Rats Lab. Except for the Mad Cultists But nobody would want to ask them for help. At least, not if theyre sane. Yes. I contacted you because youre the author of the greatest guide to this dungeon, How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab. Though there were a few parts that worried me. You seemed kind of crazy? Huh, huh, huh! Its all an act to attract more viewers. Yes, an act! If I pretend to be crazy when writing it, more people will read it. Im just pretending. Thats a lie... Not a single line in the guide is a lie or an exaggeration. But I want to keep him fresh and see his first reactions to everything, so Ill stay quiet. Aaah, I understand now It makes sense because its a dungeon thats supposed to bring despair and madness to the invaders! Good job, then. It was very realistic! Thank you, I suppose? Im not sure if I should take offense or not. Were about to reach the entrance to the underground, the cave that looks like a mouth, when Corp opens his mouth again. I think I already said it, but thanks for the help once again. It looks terrifying and we didnt encounter anything yet The rumors about this dungeon arent exaggerated. ... I dont want to spoil anything, so I stay quiet. Hey, Leader. Whats your reason to come here? They say you dive into this dungeon at least once a week. And also, that youre the first one who reached the end after the Boss was introduced. Youre right! Im the best player when it comes to this dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! Also the reason I come here is to put myself in unexpected situations and challenge my skills. To keep myself fit! Theres no better place than this one! The Evil Mastermind sure is something else! Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. So youre an adrenaline addict? ...You can also put it like this. I deflate at his words, but I cant deny them either. Were now about to reach the big cave entrance. Corp keeps turning his head around in fear every time he sees a screaming mushroom, and shudders when sees the giant scratches on the ground. Heh, hes a weakling, if hes scared of this. Theres no way he could beat this dungeon if Im not here. From now on, stay close to me. Do what I say, step where I step, and dont ask questions, ok? If you want to reach the end of this dungeon, you must do all of the above, ok? S-sure. Fine then! I say, rubbing my hands together. Huh, huh, huh! The show is starting! Im looking forward to this. Both to the challenge and possibly epic fights against strong monsters, as well as to Corps reactions.
*AaAaAaAa!* It doesnt take too long for the first enemy to spot us. Agh, my heads going to burst! Whats that hellish noise!? Its one of the swarmers. Get ready for action. If you dont deal with them accordingly, theyll accumulate and youll have trouble. I order my orcs and goblins to set a defensive formation around Corp. I myself am standing alone, ready for some action. Corp also has some support mobs with him, but it doesnt look like he knows how to properly order them around. Theyre standing there, doing nothing. Come here, you monstrosity! I swing my battleaxe once at the incoming half-elf half-dwarf, killing the dwarf in a single strike. With the next two swings, I finish the elf too, who got a power-up after the dwarfs death. Ive been here quite a lot of times, but I still cant understand how can they run, or even walk, when one half is twice the height of the other. Yet another one of this dungeons mysteries, I suppose. Whos the next one? Im ready for more! When I turn around, I see my orcs dealing with two more Demonic Swarmers. The goblins are helping by shooting arrows too. Im not worried about the situation because I know my orcs can deal with them, even if they receive the power-up, but there are already two dead elves and Corp is crouching, his hands on his head. Im too young to die! ... I I wont comment on that. I ignore his cries and rush at the two swarmers. To be safe, Ill eliminate them before more can come. Two swings are enough thanks to the support of my units. Hah, hah Thank you. You truly saved me. Youre welcome, but you werent in danger at all, you know? Huh? He makes a stupid face and looks around. He then notices the orcs and goblins protecting him and finally understands. Ahaha My bad. I got too scared. Huh, huh, huh! You not only look weak but are actually weak too! Dont be so hard on me I didnt want to do this This is so good! I got to see his panicked self, regret, and doubt. And its only the first fight! How will he react if we find The Tunnels Nightmare? Will he run away first because of the fear status or because of real fear? Im looking forward to it! Huh. huh, huh! *AaAaAaAa!* Oh, here comes another one! P-protect me, please
Why are you making the goblin enter each tunnel first? Isnt it dangerous if theres a trap and they die? Before entering every passage, I make a goblin step inside and come out. It seems Corp is curious about it. A trap? Nah, Im not worried about those. Im more worried about the mimic worm. The mimic worm whats that? Are you kidding me!? Did you really not read anything about the Tunnel Mimic? Ah, that name! I d-didnt relate the name with what you said The Tunnel Mimic is that monster that imitates the tunnels and swallows you, right? Youre making the goblin enter first so it doesnt eat one of us! He raises his head to look at my face, his eyes shining with expectation. Hes waiting for me to praise him, but his expression irks me and I feel the impulse to punch him instead. Itll be better if I dont do either. Youre right. But wasnt it easy to spot them if you know every tunnel? Did you forget the map? Dont you remember the way? Ugh it hurts when they hit your weakness! I dont have a map, and I dont remember every passage, youre right! But I have the perfect excuse for it now! Its true, so it technically isnt an excuse, huh, huh, huh! That was before the Evil Mastermind changed their AI. Now they can camouflage as a real tunnel, opening their mouth where the real tunnel is. Ah, I understand! But, aww, thats nasty So it doesnt matter if you know the way or not, you might be swallowed by it anyway! Its a good thing you know about it beforehand, Leader! I wouldnt like to be left alone Hahaha! As I said before, trust in me. Im the best expert when it comes to this dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! Yeah Ill let him believe its only because of it and that it has nothing to do with the fact I dont remember the correct passages. I enter the passage the goblin scouted, followed by Corp and the support mobs. Im sure youre checking your HP all the time, right? My HP? Oh, you told me to check it before He opens the status screen before turning at me with wide-open eyes. My HP is decreasing all the time! Im taking damage! Save me, Leader! *Sigh!* This guy why is he like this? You know what? Lets play with him a little bit or Ill explode. Im sorry, Corp. Its already too late for you I put on a sad expression before turning away from him. W-what do you mean? Leader? He looks at me with an anxious face, but I must do what must be done. I look at the goblin mage and give an order. Do it, attack him. W-wait! Stop it! You were supposed to protect me! The goblin mage releases a small fire projectile. It flies to Corp and explodes upon contact. Hyaaaah! You liar! Corp tries to run away, but he cant because I grab him. ...huh? Im, fine? He looks incredulous at his body. Then, he turns his head and looks at me with the same expression. Huh, huh, huh! I explode in laughter once again. You fell for it! Huh, huh, huh! What do you mean? Why did you attack me? I cant stop laughing for a while, but I finally manage to say. Look at the ground. Is that a butterfly? A butterfly He takes a thinking pose. Omg, I can almost see smoke coming out of his head! Aha, I remember! Its the Death Butterfly! Thank you for saving me! I must tease him more. This is too funny. You mean, saving you yet again, right? Ahaha He scratches his head awkwardly because he knows Im right. Its a good thing youre an expert. Youre right. I can confirm Im the player who knows the most about the Death Butterflies. After all, I was the first player ever to die because of them. I checked it up, so Im sure of it. If this doesnt make me the most knowledgeable, what else will? Anyway, lets go and ugh. As Im about to continue, something hits me from behind. Is it I turn around to see the attacker. Right after, I get attacked once again from the other side. Its them! Aaaagh! Them? If theres one thing, ONE SINGLE FUCKING THING, I truly hate in this whole dungeon, its them. THEM! The fucking annoying Goblimp Pests! Come here you little shits! Im going to slaughter you all! Right after shouting, as if to mock me, another spell hits my back. I madly rush to the closest one while ordering the orcs and goblins to target the rest. I think there are three of them, but who knows? I swear, Im going to pester the DMA staff with messages until they implement a feature that allows the players to ban one unit from the Dungeon Invasions Ill keep asking them to implement it until they do, or until I die of accumulated rage, whatever happens first. Hey, what about me!? Dont leave me behind!
Soon, the DMA staff received a huge influx of messages from the same player, asking for the same thing. They answered they wouldnt implement that game feature, but the messages continued. As expected, they ended up ignoring the messages and blacklisted the sender.
Ch 100 - From bad to worse So how far do you need to go? Corp tilts his head to the side at my question. What do you mean by how far? I want to reach the end if possible. This isnt what I meant Maybe I wasnt specific enough? How can I explain it to somebody who doesnt know anything about this dungeon, so that he understands the situation? Hmm I touch my tusks, thinking. What I mean is how much do you want to see. There are a few zones and monsters that can force us to split, or outright kill us if were unlucky So I want to know if you want to experience them too or if you want me to try and avoid them. Though I cant promise anything this dungeon is too unpredictable. Why are you asking this? Isnt it obvious I want to see everything? And youre the expert, you should know how to deal with the monsters here! Corp points at me as he shouts. Oh, come on, why are you acting all high and mighty? Werent you scared a few minutes ago? This is why I dont like playing with other people What do I do? Hmmm I want to see how he reacts to the other stuff, so I wont get angry at him for this. Im being serious here, Corp. There are a few monsters in this dungeon nobody can do anything about. The first ones that come to mind are the Tunnels Nightmare and the monster train. Do you want to split up because of fear? I mean the fear status. Not even I can protect you if were both affected. Or even worse, being swarmed by an unending stream of monsters? Ive died every time it happened, you know? How do you expect to survive? W-what are you talking about!? It makes no sense, dont lie to me! I ignore him and continue my explanation. I force him to look at me, clasping his head between my hands. Do you understand, Corp? If we encounter those, its GG. We die! The end of the road! He calms down before opening his eyes wide in understanding, fear etched on his face. Heh, how funny. ...So answer me. Do you want me to try to avoid them or not? Keep in mind I cant promise anything, but Ill do my best. T-then, lets avoid them if possible. I dont want to come here more than once Nice! I release him. Good decision if your objective is to see as much of this damned dungeon as possible in one go. Huh, huh, huh! ... Corp doesnt reply. But as I resume the dungeon invasion, he follows my steps. As we agreed, Ill keep an eye out for them. Huh, huh, huh! But who knows whatll happen its impossible to know how, or when, theyll appear. And thats if they appear at all. I stretch my shoulders and swing my battleaxe around. Im looking forward to a fight to the death. Its been so long since the last one
Run, Corp, run! I start running without looking behind. Theres a thundering noise coming in our direction, which means its time to run away. Ok, but whats up now? He shouts from behind. Its the monster train, theyre coming in this direction! We must run away! Didnt you say youd avoid them!? Thats what Im doing right now! Like hell I can avoid them! The only thing I can do is run away as soon as I know where they are. The noise grows louder as we run, it seems the monster train is getting closer. The path splits into two and I turn right. In the next split, I turn left. Lets hope the monster train goes another way Shouldnt we be checking if theres a Tunnel Mimic? Do you think theres time to waste!? Just pray there isnt one and follow me! The thundering noise from the monster train starts to fade out. Did we manage to lose them? It seems they chose another path, but were not safe yet, there are a lot of tunnels that connect to multiple other tunnels in this area its possible well encounter them again soon. I decide it isnt safe yet and continue running. Agh, what a shame I could be enjoying an epic fight right now, and Im running away instead! I regret my current situation so much. The tunnel goes downward and then moves to the right. Hmm maybe were safe now? This area should lead to the underground river if I remember properly, so we should be safe from the monster train for now. Right as Im about to stop and return to normal peace, I see IT. Ooooh, shit! This is bad Umphf! Corp cant stop on time and crashes into me. Hes so weak that Im sure he felt like crashing into a wall. W-what are you doing, stopping so suddenly!? Dont look there! Look where? Whats that!? Is it a new monster? I try to stop him, but I cant move properly due to its passive skill. Corp avoids me and takes a step to the side, looking at IT too. Fuck this! Its too late now! Right in front of us, theres the Tunnels Nightmare. And its getting ready to use Alphas Howl. Were screwed if the fear effect works on both of us at the same time. Im sure theres an idiom about this situation something about going from a difficult situation to another thats even worse Why am I always so unlucky!? Why did it have to be here!? It could be some other kind of strong but dangerous monster, but no, it had to be the stupidest one in THIS WHOLE DAMN DUNGEON! Its the same every single time. If theres something bad that can happen to me, it always does. The only way this could get worse is if the Evil Mastermind himself comes to test one of his new creations. I really hope he doesnt come. I dont want to die a pathetic death in front of this noob. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After the howl, if youre not affected by fear and I am, chase after me. Understood? W-what? Chase after you, what are you Theres no time for explanations. The Nightmare howls and the five seconds of forced-looking end. At the same time, several of our support mobs and Corp start running away in random directions. Here goes our chance to defeat this dungeon Oh, Im not affected? I incredulously look around. Only me and one orc didnt suffer from the fear. I should do my job then. I chase after Corp. As funny as I find his reaction and the random bullshit hes spouting as he runs because of the fear, I must pretend everything is still under my control. Agh! I hate this! Does it make sense for things to happen so randomly!? Why does anyone like this dungeon!? Oooh, Corp is starting to understand the players feelings! Though theres still a long way for him to go until he reaches everyones level. He doesnt understand the good parts yet. And Corp, dont be rude. Im one of the players who like this dungeon! Its one of those hate-love relationships, sure, but this means I like it too. I hate the random stuff and tricky situations, but its also the only dungeon Ive found that can truly challenge me unless I go to higher-level dungeons. Fighting to the death against the monster train, or clashing with the Minitaur Queen is extremely satisfying for me. The thrill of battle, the tension coming from not knowing when the enemies will ambush me Theyre very nice. And I swear! One day, Ill beat every monster to the dust and raise as the undisputed champion! Though is evident that day isnt today. Leader, do something about this! Im on my way. I say something random. It isnt like I can do anything about it: until the fear disappears, hell run randomly through the dungeon. Thats it. The only saving grace of this situation is that the Tunnels Nightmare doesnt chase you if you run away. Like this, Corp, me, the orc who wasnt affected, and the goblin mage, who got lucky to run in the same direction as Corp, continue running inside the tunnels. Its about time the fear ends Right after I mutter this, Corp hits one wall and finally stops. This is a common sight when youre feared since the movement is random. Its common to hit walls, objects, and other random stuff as you cant control where you move. You ok? Ugh where are we? Corp fumbles around, trying to rise from the ground. He waves his hands around, looking for something to grab. Ah, this is What he grabs is a protruding rock that looks extremely close to one of those classical levers you find in most dungeon games. Dont touch it! I try to stop him, but he pulls it before I can warn him. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I try to stop him, its already too late. Im not sure if hes too fast, or too stupid. When it comes to this dungeon, definitely too stupid. You fool! Who knows whats going to happen next!? We might die now because of you! ...Im sorry? Of course, you are! This is bad... VERY BAD! Theres a golden rule in this damned dungeon, and it goes like this: if you dont want to die, dont touch anything you dont know about. Those mysterious and unknown monsters and zones are for those heroes who dont mind dying, not for those that want to reach the end of this dungeon. Im the one whos spreading the idea, I know what Im talking about! But Corp goes and ignores it every time! Im 100% sure its important because every time I died was because of something new I didnt know about. In short, New = Death. If youre really lucky, it can be New = Pain, but for some reason, when it comes to me, its always the first option. After Corp pulls the rocky lever, the dungeon trembles. Then, the wall collapses and a new passage appears. This is bad who knows whats there. Corp! Why do you never follow what I say? I intimidate him, and he lowers his head in shame and fear. This time Im not joking around, Im genuinely angry. B-but when you see a l-lever, y-you pull it, right? ... Ok, me, dont do it. Dont punch him in the face. Im the expert and gentle leader, I cant show my bad side because of this I slowly exhale, letting go of my anger. The damage is already done, now we can resume our dungeon exploration and move on. Lets ignore what happened here and hope it doesnt come back to bite us. Then, well continue going the other way Hey, Leader. Where do you think this passage leads to? Do you think were the first ones to discover it? ... He isnt planning on going inside, is he? I have no idea, but nobody said anything about a secret passage in this area of the dungeon. I think were the first ones to find it. Then shouldnt we go inside and see what we find? How exciting, were the explorers of the unknown! Hehehe! Thats ...a bad idea, Im about to say. At first, I think about dissuading him, but then I change my mind. Didnt Corp say he wanted to see everything? Didnt he say he wanted to experience the whole dungeon? Then, who am I to stop him from doing so? You said you wanted to understand why the players fear and admire this dungeon in equal parts, right? Then Im going to allow you to experience it first-hand. Youll have the honor to be the first one to die to the monsters, traps, or whatever lies on the other side of this passage. And this time, I wont be the one to suffer! Ill be the spectator watching the others suffering! Ill finally know what it feels like to be on the other side of the screen! Huh, huh, huh! This is going to be so good! Please, unknown and dangerous monsters, dont come at me, attack Corp instead. Hes the one who wanted to come, and also the one who wants to experience this dungeon in its full power Im only here to see the show, so please, act as if I werent here. Like this, we decide to go into the secret passage. Lets see what we find! I hope Corp finds despair Huh, huh, huh!
The passage continues for twenty-odd meters. Then, it narrows until theres only a vertical crack in the rock. Whats on the other side? Its too dark and I cant see anything. Well, Corp. We reached the end and didnt find anything. Its kind of disappointing there were no monsters or traps in this tunnel, but Im sure therell be some on the other side of the crack. Do you want to see whats on the other side? Sure! Were the first to discover this place, we must investigate everything we can and then we can brag about it. Ok Huh, huh, huh. He forgot the reason he came to this dungeon, didnt he? He also forgot how scared he was a few minutes ago. But I wont complain. It''s good to see him acting like this because his despair will be far greater later. For some reason, I cant stop grinning. Then, Corp do you want to have the honor to be the first person to step inside this new and unexplored area? In other words: I give you the honor to be the first one to encounter the dangers and the first one to die. Yes! Thank you, Leader! Im sure you want to be recognized too, but to think you give me the privilege Dont worry, I dont mind. I absolutely dont mind you having this privilege... I wouldnt call it a privilege either. Its narrow Can you push me a little? Yes, like that! A little bit more force Uaaagh! He falls to the ground at the other side of the crack. I-Im ok! I reached the other side. Im looking forward to this adventure of his. Uaah, it smells bad in here. And whats this sticky substance? From the other side of the crack, I hear Corp complaining. He continues to ignore one of the most important rules: dont touch stuff you dont understand. But its not that bad, he didnt die immediately. Is he lucky, or unlucky? Not dying immediately doesnt make you lucky, it sometimes is the worst result. A slow and painful death is generally worse than a quick one. I decide to cross the crack too. Its hard because Im larger than Corp. Will there be a big scary monster somewhere? I hope so because itll make all this endeavor worthwhile. But if its random monsters with dangerous or unexpected skills, please ignore me and have some big fun with Corp. Hes the one who wanted to come, after all.
First Survival Rule: If you dont want to die, dont touch stuff if you dont know what they are. Dont put your hand inside, dont get close, dont smell it. If it makes noise, dont listen to it. Dont look at it. If you can, treat it as if it didnt exist. You might still die because you ignored it, it might be something you cant avoid, but its better than knowing its your fault you died. - To help players invade The Mad Rats Lab, some players compiled a set of rules to follow when inside. It started as a shorter version of the How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab guide, but it ended up being a very long list.
Ch 101 - Into the unknown The first thing I see when I squeeze through the crack is barely anything. Its too dark. I look around, searching for light sources. There was ambient light illuminating the rest of the dungeon, but not here. Its too dark There are wall lights, but some are broken and this green substance and moss hide the rest Corp used the time while I struggled to pass through the crack to investigate the area. He could have helped me but instead decided to go and explore alone, the perfect recipe to get himself killed. *Sigh!* I suspire. You know what? I wont care anymore As long as Im close enough to hear and see him cry when the time comes, Ill take it. This area I scan our surroundings once more as I talk. ...feels very dangerous. My muscles are warning me of danger. Corp tilts his head. Your muscles? Yes, my muscles. My muscles are tingling since I crossed the crack, giving me a mix of dread and excitement for whats to come. This means there are very dangerous monsters in this place. Do you have some kind of sixth sense? Corp doesnt seem to believe me. Well, if this area is dangerous, it means well have a great adventure! Yes, youre right. A great adventure is right in front of us. Right? Then, lets go! Forward, to the unknown! I dont know if hell enjoy this kind of adventure, but Im sure theres adventure awaiting us if we dont go back right now. Me, the orc, and the goblin mage follow after Corp as he walks in front. With each step, theres a splash sound as we step on the film of water that covers the floor. Underneath, I can see a mix of old and worn-out tiles and metal plates. The walls have signs of being excavated, and the ceiling is a perfect arc. Theres no doubt this is a human-made area. This doesnt fare well the most dangerous stuff has always been in the laboratory areas, the only human-made ones in this dungeon. The other areas have traps and monsters that are more random and annoying, but the actually dangerous stuff is mostly in the laboratory areas. But if this is a human-made area, why does it look like this? The water covering the ground, the moss and slimy substance on the walls and ceiling, and the broken lights No way! Is this supposed to be an abandoned and sealed area!? If it is like that, I cant stop myself from shuddering. This is really, really bad. Hey, Corp. Are you sure about this? Were still on time to go back and see the rest of the dungeon. What are you saying!? Were the first to come here, our duty is to explore as far as we can and report what we saw! Ok, fine by me. Not like I really care. Then, in a lower voice, so he cant hear, I add. Dont say I didnt warn you later We can hear cries and the sound of people talking. As we move forward, they grow louder. The passage were in, the one that connects with the crack, splits into three more paths. We can see some rooms on both sides of each passage. About half of them have iron bars, and the rest have a wall with a glass window. Wow! Dont you think it looks like an abandoned lab? This is so great! What mysteries will we find? Corp is very excited about the situation. On the other side, I Now Im sure about it, were screwed, I mutter. Huh? Corp didnt hear me because he was shouting. Did you say something, Leader? No, I didnt say anything I did, but I dont want to change his expectations. Itll be funnier if hes unaware of whats to come. Corp runs to the closest glass window and peeks inside. Now that were closer, I can see its one of those special chambers to isolate whatever is inside from the exterior. Theres nothing He turns around and says to me. Do you think the others will be empty too? No, look there. This one has a hole on that side, whatever was inside is no longer there. Im sure there will be monsters inside the other rooms. Nice! Ive been thinking this for a while, but where did all this bravery come from, Corp? You were so scared at the beginning of the dungeon invasion Corp enters the left passage and runs toward the next room. I follow closely behind him. This ones empty too Ah, theres something in this one! Theyre rabbits! A bunch of rabbits! Rabbits? Hes right. Behind the thick iron bars, dense enough to stop the rabbits from leaving the prison cell, theres a group of six rabbits. The only rabbits in this damned dungeon should be the Not A Rabbits and the critter with the Death Curse skill. From my experience, theres no way those are simple rabbits. Corp, you should be happy, Im sure youre going to have your first discovery here. When the rabbits hear Corp, they turn their heads to look at him. All of them. At the same time. Scary But Corp doesnt seem to find this weird. ...and heres a red button. Im sure its here to open the door. *Blip!* Wow, he pressed it. He didnt hesitate at all. He lacks so much experience when it comes to this dungeon there isnt a single player who would press a button, ANY button, without taking several precautionary measures. This applies to any dungeon, not only this one. I decided I wouldnt care anymore, so I wont say anything to him, but still he was so fast to press it I couldnt have stopped even if I wanted to. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Corp was right. After the blip sound, the cells door opens and soon all the rabbits run in his direction. Now well see what monsters they, who are wearing a rabbits skin, actually are. Theyre all coming at me to say thanks! Theyre so cute! Cute my ass! Just wait until they transform! I sneakily raise my battleaxe and prepare for combat as the rabbits surround Corp. Its good theyre ignoring me, seems like I wont have to suffer this time. Corp, be careful I try to warn him. But hes too busy with the rabbits to listen to me. Aww, why were you inside that awful jail? Come here, Ill take care of you. He knows this is a game, right? And that these rabbits arent real, right? Maybe hes weak to rabbits and this is why hes acting like this? Corp bends his knees and is about to pet one of the rabbits when, what was bound to happen, what I was waiting for to happen, happens. The rabbits shake for an instant and all of them transform into their real forms. The process takes only an instant, but I see it clearly from my position. Its one goblin, one kobold, two elves, one dwarf, and a mermaid. All of them have rabbit ears on their heads, and fluffy rabbit tails on their butts, indicating they arent normal monsters. W-whats going on!? Whats this!? Corp looks at me, eyes wide open, waiting for an answer. But before I can open my mouth, the rabbits jump at him from all sides. Aaagh! Save me, Leader! He starts running around the passage, but the rabbit monstrosities are faster than him, theres no way he can shake them off. Huh, huh, huh! I knew this would happen I laugh at the spectacle. Help me, please! As much as I enjoy the spectacle, Im supposed to help him. Ok, here I go... Combat is combat, after all. Theres no way I can renounce to one. My orc pride is at stake here! I order the goblin mage to support from a distance and me and the orc chase after Corp. Stop running away if you want me to save you! I-I cant! Hes so useless Theres no other way, then. Ill have to use my only ranged attack and hope I can get their aggro. Phantasmal Weapon! I use the skill and a phantasmal version of my axe flies in a straight line in the direction of the rabbits. It passes through three rabbits, and through Corps champion too. Ah, shit, I hit him too... I hope he doesnt die because of me. The worst way to sully your honor is to kill your own allies. The rabbits turn around and come at me. It worked, I got their aggro! I almost died because of your skill, Leader! Oh, looks like youre fine. Im sorry Corp, it wasnt on purpose, it was the only way to save you. I shout. Well, maybe it was I had to release my accumulated stress somehow. The orc and I clash against the rabbits. Theyre fast, but thats the only thing they have going for them. Im sure their purpose isnt to kill us, there must be another and more evil purpose I cant hope to understand. Its the Evil Mastermind, there must be a plan hidden behind the surface, then the real reason is hidden behind this plan, which has a spin, bifurcates, then theres another plan, hidden in plain sight. Finally, everything comes together into the most convoluted plot in all of history I dont know what Im talking about anymore. Does it make sense? It doesnt, right? The only thing I understand of all this mess is that whatever I do, Im screwed. So I better enjoy myself the best I can. Eat this, you weaklings! Lets see if you can entertain me for a while! Huh, huh, huh! Its two against six. But I dont need to worry, because Fireball! With a disgustingly high-pitched and distorted voice, the goblin mage shouts the name of the skill from behind, and the orc and I quickly retreat to avoid the area affected. A huge ball of flame comes flying in our direction and bursts into an explosion as it hits the rabbits. The fire burns three of them, those who met my Phantasmal Weapon, to a crisp, and the others are left at about a quarter HP. Good job, goblin mage! This isnt a normal goblin to which I gave some magic skills, no. This is a true goblin mage: the Goblin Shaman. It is one of the rarest units in the Savage Horde faction because its a ranged unit, a mage unit at that. Theres a hard cap on how many of them I can have at a time, and each one needs a very expensive totem, but I always bring one with me into Dungeon Invasions because theyre very versatile. Its a shaman now, but I got used to calling it mage, so I still call it like that. I finish the remaining rabbits with a few slashes. With every one or two attacks, a rabbit falls. Leader! Corp runs at me as soon as the last rabbit dies. T-thank you, you saved me! His knees give way as he starts to cry. He then grabs my legs and continues sobbing. W-whats wrong with this,*Snif*, d-dungeon? This is a very uncomfortable positionHis head is too close to a very special area and I dont like it. Dont cling to me. And this is nothing, Im sure theres stuff a lot more dangerous than those rabbits. He opens his eyes wide. Therell be more!? *Sigh!* I suspire. This is why I dont like noobs Come on, man. You cant be like this, you must get ready for whats to come. Lets start by standing back up. I say, extending my hand. Corp shudders but accepts my help to get back up. Its a good thing this is a game because there are no tears, and my special area isnt soaked. Huh, huh, huh! After being so excited and irritating me so much with the whole exploration thing, hes back to the scared mode. Nice! This way Ill enjoy his reactions better. Bring it on, Evil Mastermind! I say, trying to raise Corps morale, so that he doesnt collapse before I can fully enjoy his reactions. I dont fear you, you can do whatever you want and Ill defeat you and any monster you created! Huh, huh, huh! Corp opens his eyes wide in fear. He then looks around, as if wanting to spot any danger that might come because of my words. A-are you s-sure you should be taunting h-him like this? Ive read that nothing good comes when you taunt the owner of this dungeon when in the m-m-middle of an i-invasion Why? What could go wrong with me saying it? Dont you know he cant be watching every single player invading his dungeon? Dont worry, Corp. The bad stuff will come anyway It doesnt matter if I taunt him or not. But then, as if to prove me wrong, all cries and shouts that filled the area, coming from who knows where, are extinguished at the same time; followed by a sound Ill never forget. *Blip!* The blip sound echoes through the passages. Who knows from where. I-is that *Blip!* Corp tries to ask me something, but gets interrupted by another similar sound. Followed by a third. *Blip!* After the three ''blip sounds, chaotic cries and shouts fill the dungeon once again. W-was it done on purpose? D-did the Evil Mastermind actually come!? Oh, fuck. Were so screwed right now! Whys it always like this!? Why did I have to open my mouth!? Why am I always so unlucky!? I never wanted to explore this new area, at least not when theres somebody else who can see me despair! I only wanted to see Corp despair because of his ignorance! I never agreed to be part of it too! L-leader, everythings a-a-alright, right? ...no, I dont think so. I cant bring myself to lie to him anymore. Ill need his help from now on, even if its only his moral support, to avoid collapsing myself. We must both be on the same page right now. I think were screwed I add. Like this, both I and Corp shudder, not knowing what awful things await us.
The dumbest thing you can do in this damned dungeon is TAUNT the owner in some way. You can comment on how easy the dungeon is, call him stupid, yawn a few times as a sign of boredom Whatever you do, from that moment on, YOURE SCREWED! Nobody knows how, or why, but the Evil Mastermind knows everything that happens in his dungeon and punishes everyone who belittles him or his dungeon. My recommendation is to immediately flee the dungeon if possible. Press the surrender button. Otherwise, hope for your death to be as painless as possible. Because YOU. WILL. DIE., thats a fact. The only thing that changes is the how. The only other thing you can do is somehow kill yourself. For this, I recommend bringing a skill that kills you when you use it, or area skills with which you can kill yourself. Believe me when I say this: YOU DONT WANT TO STAY THERE AFTER TAUNTING THE EVIL MASTERMIND. - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 102 - I can’t accept this! L-leader. It w-will be f-f-fine, right? Sure, believe in me. Ill take us out of this mess. And once again, Im forced to lie. Im sure Corp knows its a lie, but at the same time, he really wanted to hear me say that everythings alright. Were so screwed Its all because of Corps carelessness. When chasing after him and the bunnies, I lost track of where we were going. Now, neither of us knows how to go back and were relying on luck to find the crack that leads outside of this area. I have awful luck and Corps seems like he has even worse luck than me. Thats why were so screwed. Aaaagh! Save me! Corp cries from behind, so I turn around, prepared for the worst. But what I see is his champion submerged up to the waist. He fell into a hole, thats all that happened. It looks like hes about to die out of embarrassment. Come on, Corp I know the area is obscured and its difficult to see the ground because of the water, but his reaction wasnt normal I would have enjoyed it in another situation, but not now. Im too preoccupied with whatever the Evil Mastermind has prepared for us. I send him a reprimanding gaze before helping him get out of the hole, and we continue our exploration. Now that I think about it its been quite a long time since I last checked my HP I quickly open the status screen to check it. Its fine I exhale in relief. Corp, you check it too. Im on it! He nods. He then furrows and looks at me in confusion. The HP is stable, but is it normal the MP is being reduced? The MP, you say? I check once again, and hes right. My MP is dangerously low. Its getting lower! Fuck this, Im going to die soon at this rate! I really dont want to repeat that experience of being drained to death, so the first thing I do is order the goblin mage to hit me with an area spell. *Fwoosh!* When the fire dissipates, I look at my MP again and it continues to decrease. Fuck this this is bad I thought it was another butterfly, but it must be something else. I scrutinize everything in my sight. There must be something something Hey, Leader. My MP is only reduced if I look this way. If I turn around, it stays the same. Hm? An MP drain effect thats only active if you look in a certain direction It reminds me of the Abyss faction. But so far, there has never been an Abyss monster used for any of the monsters, this is weird. Everybody thinks there was some reason why the Evil Mastermind wasnt using any of the units with the nastiest innate skill, but now I understand! All along, it was a plot for the invaders to lower their guard, so that we died in this place! But not this time, because we noticed it before it was too late. We beat you to your own game, Evil Mastermind! Huh, huh, huh! Corp, there must be a monster somewhere thats depleting our MP. We must find it! Ok, Leader! Leave it to me! We both search for the culprit. It takes a while, but Corp points in one direction before saying. Doesnt that spot look suspicious? What spot? I dont see anything A little further ahead. Oh, you mean that? Corp is pointing at a part of the floor where theres a blob of water. It looks identical to the water on the floor, but its raised over the water level, which means it cant be natural. It looks weird, but do you think this is it? I make one step in its direction, and the water blob moves some distance away from me. Aha! I got you! Lets kill it before it runs away! At first, the blob tries to run away, but Im faster. When it notices it cant run away, it decides its time to defend itself and launches several transparent tentacles at me. The monster grabs me, but its all according to the plan. There isnt a single monster who can beat me in melee, except for those that can, but this certainly isnt one of them. Huh, huh, huh! A fight for survival! Its you or me! But youll never beat me! Huh, huh, huh! Our fight intensifies as I release a barrage of attacks. If not for the activation of some invulnerability skill the monster had, the fight would have ended very fast. Hah! Nothing can stop me! I turn around as I flex, but I didnt expect to see what I do. Corp, whats up now!? I was wondering why Corp didnt say anything at all during the fight, but now I understand why. Hes got his own troubles right now with that slime-like creature stuck to his face. *Sigh!* Ill have to help get him out of this Again. But on my way back to him, another one of these slime creatures falls on my head. ... I try to tell Corp to kill the monster before its too late, but I cant talk. This is weird This is a game, so it shouldnt prevent us from speaking or breathing even if the monster is choking me. Maybe it has some kind of silence skill? Regardless, what I have to do is the same. I get close to the closest wall and smash my head into it with as much strength as I can. I then repeat the process until the monster dies. The problem with monsters that try to choke or cover you is that its easy to hit yourself with the attacks if youre not careful. But if you smash yourself into a wall, you never take damage while the monster does. I know about this because of the dungeons full of slimes. This isnt the first time a monster tried to choke me to death. Huh, huh, huh! Did you think you got me with this, Evil Mastermind!? You have to try harder! Meanwhile, Corp is struggling the best he can, but he wont achieve anything like this. He needs to kill the monster or hell die. To save him, I grab Corp like a battering ram and start smashing him, headfirst, into the wall. He tries to resist, but Im too strong for him to get free. Im trying to save you, so stop moving around! Finally, after my warning, he stops and I can save him. Save him by smashing him headfirst into the wall. Hah, hah that was close Im under a hundred HP Why didnt you try to attack the monster, Corp? I, I dont know I thought it was a trap and not a monster. We survived another encounter. But I dont have any hope Corp is too low on HP, and my MP is almost gone.
We reach another crossroads and I peek around the corner to see whats ahead. Oh, no I step back in panic. N-no, this cant b-be why is it a-a-always me? We must run away, Corp. Right now! What did you see? Asks Corp, curiosity etched on his face. Its normal hes so curious. Its the first time I reacted like this. And the reason is because what I saw is THAT dangerous. Fuck why did he have to come? I hope he didnt see me He? Its the Evil Mastermind! The fucking EVIL MASTERMIND! Corp jumps in fright. I clearly saw him, acting crazy as he ran in the opposite direction. Hes looking for us! The only saving grace for us is that once the owner of the dungeon enters an instance to defend it, he or she can no longer see where the invaders are. Its possible to avoid him. But were talking about the Evil Mastermind, Im sure he has everything planned. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Lets run away, Corp. But I freeze once I turn around. W-why!? How can this be possible? He was running in the opposite direction five seconds ago! We both stay side by side, frozen, as we watch the Evil Mastermind running in our direction, white foam coming out of his mouth. Fufufu! Hahaha! He laughs. Corp, full-speed retreat! I shout, but he doesnt react. Hes looking at the Evil Mastermind as if his soul left his body, so I slap him two times to return him to reality. Run! We start running, chased by the Evil Mastermind. Hes faster than us, but we might be able to lose him by hiding inside the closest room after the next turn. But when the passage turns to the left N-no! This cant be! Its impossible! In front of us, another Evil Mastermind is looking at us with an evil and crazy grin on his face. How can there be two of them!? This is impossible! Aaaagh! Im going to die! I never wanted to come, its all my boss fault! Im going to take revenge for this, Ill make sure he suffers for the rest of his life! Hahaha! Yes, my revenge is going to be LEGENDARY! Seems Corp has lost it after the shock of seeing another Evil Mastermind. We cant run away anymore. Theres one of them in front and the other at the back. There are no other side passages. Instead of attacking, the two Evil Masterminds are laughing and pointing at us. Theyre mocking us, arent they? I take this chance to inspect one of them. And what I see makes me furious. Failed Clone!? Those are clones!? You dare make a fool of me once again, Evil Mastermind!? I swear, one day, Im going to crush everything you have to the dust and show everyone how cowardly you actually are! If this wasnt a game, Im sure my skin would have turned red instead of green because of how angry I am. Prepare yourself, clones, because Im going to turn you into minced meat! Before I can finish my monologue, the two Failed Clones raise their arms and prepare to cast a spell. I know that pose, its the pose he always has before releasing Chain Lightning. Everyone, scatter! I order everyone to scatter, and the orc and goblin mage immediately follow my orders. ...Then, Im going to put salt instead of sugar when he asks me to bring him a coffee. Hehe, when he has an important meeting with the other bosses, Ill put one of those farting pillows on his chair, and spike his drink with laxatives. Hahaha! But Corp doesnt react, so I kick him away, making him fly to the wall until he smashes into it with quite an impact. Maybe, it was too strong? Well, at least he didnt die because he continues his monologue about the revenge. The lightning immediately follows, both of the spells hitting me and only me. Am I their target because I taunted the Evil Mastermind, or am I just unlucky? Hyaaah! I shout to motivate myself. Ill use this time between casts to take the initiative. You two take the other one, this one is MINE! I order my two remaining support mobs. As soon as I reach the clone, I unleash the strongest attack I can: the Mighty Blow. About half of his HP vanishes like this. Hah! Weakling! In retaliation to the attack, a lightning burst comes at me. I take some damage, but the feared stun from the Lightning Shield doesnt activate. It might be because I have the Battle Focus skill or simply because I was lucky.
Battle Focus (Passive skill)
You have a 0,5% chance to resist stuns and immobilization status effects for every 1% of HP lost.
Battle Focus is a very useful skill for melee Champions like mine, especially when we have to fight against ranged enemies that have means to prevent us from getting closer. In this fight, in particular, its incredibly good. Haah! Die, die, die, DIE! I release my pent-up anger and stress onto the clone. Hes already dead, but I continue to mutilate his cadaver. I swipe my forehead when Im finished before turning to the other battle. They should be finished by now too *Booooom!* What greets me, instead of a victory scene, is a dark and light explosion that swallows the whole passage. The dungeon trembles. Two more explosions happen right after the first one. *Booooom!* *Booooom!* When the light and dark energies dissipate, the only thing remaining there are the corpses of my orc, goblin mage, and the clone. As well as the corpses of three monsters I havent seen before. W-what was that!? Asks Corp. He finally snapped out of his trance and is staring at the corpses. Hes lucky I pushed (kicked) him away because, otherwise, he would be dead by now. I I dont know. I dont know anything anymore I cant give him the answer he wants. We should be glad were still alive. Yeah
Huh, huh, huh! This is it! THIS IS IT! Ive been waiting for this! After so many stupid monsters and tricky situations, I finally encountered a monster that is worthy of my time! Huh, huh, huh! L-leader, I cant move Dont worry, Ill take care of this. The giant spider releases another bunch of spider silk at me, but Im not affected by the immobilization and our battle continues. Thank you very much, Battle Focus. Im really glad I picked this skill. After our fight with the clones, we discovered a room with two of these monsters inside, and I decided to fight them. They look like a giant spider with a mushroom on their backs. At this point in the fight, Ive killed the first one, and only the second one remains. The spider releases a cloud of spores. Theyre spores that paralyze the enemies that stay in the range, but I resist them once again. As my HP gets lower, my chances to resist the spores and the webs increase. Bring it on! Im not afraid of you! Huh, huh, huh! I swing my axe once again and the spider takes some damage. This is fun, theyre resilient enough so that I cant quickly kill them, giving me enough time to enjoy this fight. Hyap! I avoid the spiders bite and attack once again. In retaliation, ice bursts at me and Im momentarily immobilized. Well, I cant resist it every single time. Our fight continues until the spider is at about half HP. Im free now, Leader. Good, then stay in a corner so you dont get targeted again. Sure thing. I dont want to waste my little remaining EP with another Mighty Blow, so I only use basic attacks. Its also a good way to prolong the fight. Aaaagh! Save me! Come on, Corp. You know Im in the middle of a fight. I told you to stay in a corner. N-no, it wasnt me Replies Corp. Help! I turn around, ready to rebuke Corp. Again!? He looks at me with a weird expression. It wasnt me, I swear. He says. Do you think Im a fool? Theres nobody else here Why did I come here? I miss my home so much This time I can properly see that Corp didnt open his mouth at all. Then did the real Evil Mastermind come, after all? Baaaaaaahaha! Guess whos on the menu today! I feel the spider bite me from behind. Bah, I cant waste time with this. Theres something more urgent I must do. Corp, youre in charge of those voices. Ill focus on the spider first. M-me!? Yes, you. I and the spider resume our fight. Meanwhile, the voices continue to talk. Give it baaaaack, you thief! Give it baaaaaack! I-I never stole anything! I hear Corp reply in fear. Why did you come here, oink? Didnt you know this place is dangerous? Hahaoink! Hyaaaah, dont come closer! Hyaaaah, dont come closer! Im certain the first of those two was Corp. Im not so sure about the other one Pet my head, pet me! Ill forgive you if you do. Noooo, get away from me! I-its disgusting! Youll make a lovely stuffed human, you know, oink? Ill bring you to Mad Rat to stuff you! Hahaoink! L-l-leave me a-alone! This is getting ridiculous. They dont seem to be dangerous, but Corp is having a hard time against them. Join us! Join us, I said! Feed me, Im hungry. Can I take a bite out of you? A little tiny bit will do. Everythings real! The end is nigh! I waaaaas an adventurer like you, but the Mad Rat captured me aaaaand now Im like this. Youll be neeeeext, baaaaaahahaha! Dont come! Ill defend myself! I-i swear! I know how to fight too! Shouts Corp. My grandma can punch harder than that, oink! Aaaaagh, save me, Leader! Finally, the second spider falls to the ground, dead. When I turn around, I see Corp surrounded by a bunch of monsters. Hes grabbing his legs while sitting on the ground, hiding his face behind his knees, sobbing. Whats this? Theyre animals with a human head? Ugh, gross I walk closer to them and swing my battleaxe once, killing the closest man-pig. But before it dies, it turns around and says this: B-but I loved you I shudder. I dont feel bad for killing this monster, but I do feel awful because of that last sentence WHY did it have to say something like this? So cringy! Ill have nightmares because of this! Waah, sniff! Leader, you came to save me, sniff! T-thank you! Sure, Ill save you. I raise my battleaxe once again, with the intention to save Corp from the talking monsters, when I receive the following message.
You have died!
What the hell? How did I die!? I scan my surroundings, looking for what could have killed me until I see another one of those suspicious water blobs standing out of the water a few steps away. This must be it I died because I reached 0 SOU after my MP was depleted. Why did it have to be right now? I finally got to enjoy myself in a battle, and I had to die immediately after!? Are you kidding me!? After the surprises, monsters that choked us, the clones, the exploding monsters, the giant spiders, and even the talking monsters, I die because of MP drain? In a non-abyss dungeon? Because of MP drain!? Really!? FUCK YOU EVIL MASTERMIND!! I swear, one day. ONE DAY! Ill make sure one day youre the one to suffer instead of me! I raise my fist in anger and blame the Evil Mastermind as the custom dictates. Meanwhile, Corp is staring at my phantasmal champion in dread. He just realized the thing he feared the most, being alone in this damned dungeon, has actually happened. N-now, what should I do? I-im alone I lower my head to look at him. Im going to be the better person here and forget about enjoying his despair. I suggest you surrender, Corp. I can help you get info about this dungeon another time. ...ok.
Not long after this, the attention of a certain persons boss fixated on The Mad Rats Lab. This marked the beginning of what was going to come in the future, something Andreu never expected to come, but would catapult his dungeon to the top rankings. But thats a thing for the future.
Ex Ch 12 - A journey to defeat the God of Death The four heroes reach the place where the dark ritual is taking place. There, a hooded person is chanting a sinister melody, forbidden words in an already dead language. ...Hann irus maldy fur The heroes get close to the hooded figure. Then, he stops the chanting and looks at the heroes one by one. So youre the famous heroes? The hooded figure pauses, assessing them. Hmm You dont seem like much. He says before continuing with the chant. The woman warrior, in front of the three other heroes, raises her giant axe, pointing it at the hooded figure, and shouts in response. Youre right. We came here to defeat you, the evil apostle of the God of Death! Hah! You, puny mortals, came to defeat me? Me!? Im the God of Deaths chosen! The hooded figure raises his arms and a dark whirlpool appears between the two. You cant kill me, I rule over death! So what if we cant kill you? We just need to vanish you from existence, your soul included! Well first destroy you, and then go find your god, kill him, and end the war between the living and the dead once and for all! You dare come here and put all the blame on me? Its you who invaded this dungeon and destroyed my minions! Now, its time to take revenge! Ill feed on you tasty sweet souls and use them to feed my eternal legions! Youll soon be part of your enemys forces! Hahahaha! The dark whirlpool grows as the hooded figure laughs. The warrior woman clenches her fists, and the other heroes take battle positions. Now, raise, my strongest minion. Raise once again, champion of the past eras! The time to show your prowess has come! Go! Go and slaughter the champions of the current era! Hahaha! From the dark pool, a giant skeletal arm appears, followed by another. Then, they grab the whirlpool''s edge and the creature pushes itself out of the darkness. A skull with freezing blue fire inside the eye sockets emerges, and the massive body of the skeleton giant soon follows. Grooooooooowl! Keep them busy. I must finish the ritual to resurrect our god. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The hooded figure resumes his chanting as the giant skeleton rushes at the hero team. Theyre about to clash when Nooooooo! No, no, no, no, NO! The warrior woman shouts. This isnt how its supposed to go! Were the good guys trying to save the world from your evil plans, and not the invaders of your dungeon! The hooded figure scratches his head awkwardly. Ahaha sorry, sorry. Im too used to playing it the other way around I forgot the proper lines. ...Its fine. Everyone, lets repeat the scene from the start.
The heroes enter once again the same room, decorated with skulls and candles. Then, the same scene repeats, until NO! Not like this! You need to be more evil! You need to instill fear in the audience. But I thought I was quite evil like this Not enough, lets repeat it once again!
No! Again, this isnt good. Cant you properly say your lines without adding unnecessary stuff!? What? But I said everything you asked! This is what you say, but can you stop talking about the tasty sweet souls, please? It was ok the other times, but this time you said it thrice in the same phrase! Is that so? Its the habit of saying it all the time From the start, once again!
Nooooooo! Well repeat yet again. Come on, Baldy! I know you can do it properly, so lets focus on the dialogue, ok? The hooded figure raises his hood and reveals a tall and handsome man, with bright blue eyes and extremely pale skin. Oh, come on! I nailed it this time! He complains but gets ignored. Why did I have to agree to do this It was a big error. He thinks. Hes right, Barbarian. Were tired too. Can you stop complaining so we can move on? Its hard to be cool when doing the same thing again and again Even I can get tired of interpreting my character in the same scene. Wizardess, we cant keep repeating this indefinitely, cant you tell her to stop? Youre the only one who she listens to... Im sorry, Druid, but we all agreed she would be in charge of this. Though Im tired of this too. Yeah, Im in charge, so I decide how everything must go and when we need to repeat the scene. So, everyone, get ready for another try!
This was the first filming day of A journey to defeat the God of Death, a series about four heroes who fought against the God of Death, the most powerful necromancer. It featured a group of four friends who liked to roleplay together and the special guest who played the role of the evil undead characters.
Ch 103 - Sibling training How can you be so bad at this? She has been playing for less time than you and knows how to do it better. Marta is starting to get tired of me doing whatever random stuff comes to mind. Hehehe! Im better than you! The pro said it! Clara spins around in glee as she laughs at me. I-it isnt like this! Its because I want to have fun and dont care about winning or anything! I swear! Ea, ea, ea Dont worry, Andreu, we understand Clara comes near me and starts to pat me with her horrible tentacles. Aagh! I dont need you to console me, Im telling the truth! Also, it should be the other way around! It should be me patting you and not the other way around, Im the older brother! I tremble in a mix of shame and disgust as I grab my sisters arm (tentacle) to stop her patting. Ugh, slimy I cant understand how I ended up losing against you all the time Youre a fool, why couldnt I win a single time? Youre still mulling about this, Marta? Didnt we agree we would forget everything!? Also its because you cant adapt to random things. You expect everyone to do their best and when somebody doesnt, you cant react on time. I shouldnt have come I should have stayed in my dungeon, creating more monsters I cross my arms and mutter. But then you would miss our together time you insisted so much upon, Andreu. And more importantly, you would miss my amazing training course to turn you two into decent DMA players! You should be grateful, because thanks to me, youll be a better player soon! She smiles, a smug expression on her face. So irritating. Lets shatter it. I get close to her. Were about the same height, our eyes look straight at one another. But I dont need your help, my dungeon is doing good, dont you know? Maybe in a few months, I will be more famous than you? Then, Ill beat you to the ground and show everybody whos the best Youll beat me when the pigs fly! Well, in my dungeon, they do! So this means I can beat you anytime! Hahaha! Then uh, ah Aha! I got you there, Marta. You dont know how to retort, hahaha! I-in your dreams! Youll never beat me again! Clara takes this chance to sneak up on us and starts patting our heads, the two of us at the same time. Ea, ea, ea Not again, Clara. Please, not again! She knows I dont like it, so she does it on purpose. What the hell are we doing, you ask? Im sure you can imagine from bits of what we said, but Ill explain anyway. Remember when we decided to leave our differences behind and restore our previous relationship? This is the result after talking about what we could do. And spending time together was the perfect opportunity for Marta to take the lead and force us into a training session with her as the trainer. These were her exact words: I want to die out of shame when I see your pathetic actions, Andreu. So Ill teach you two how to move and plan your dungeon invasions. Clara, youre a lot better than this pathetic worm, so Ill also teach you how to beat the crap out of any enemy you find, ok? Its kind of amazing how she manages to diss me so many times in a short conversation without it sounding forced, dont you think so? Anyway. The thing is were now in a special area inside Martas main account dungeon, a secret area close to impossible to discover unless you know its there. She prepared a special course to train me and Clara and is now using Makarels account to dive into it with us. She could use her main account too, and come protect the dungeon from our invasion. But this way is better because she can better help us if needed, and you cant invade your own dungeon, so she had no choice but to use the second account. By the way, her main dungeon, the one were currently in, is a Divine Blood dungeon, the faction with the celestials. Angels, demigods, pegasi Very powerful stuff. If you can remember, when I was first creating my champion, I found one unit called Demigod, the stupidly expensive one with equally stupidly high stats If you do, nice! Because my sisters main Champion is another highest-tier unit from the same faction, with only slightly lower stats but with the ability to fly. Im talking about the Seraphim, the strongest angel. An angel with comparable strength to dragons, demon lords, and the Abyss cosmic horrors. This is the Champion she uses in the top 100. I asked her before and the reason she used a dragonoid C or however theyre actually called C in the tournament was because she likes flying a lot. Doubly so when it comes to combat. The Seraphim is soooo strong! Plus you can fly! Id love to play as one but Ill never admit this in front of her. Also, my champion is better. Cooler. Stronger. Well, maybe not the last one. I wanted to ask her to bring a Seraphim into my dungeon so I could capture it, but its sooooo expensive to create one Even if I captured it, I wouldnt be able to create a unit using it for a very long time. It would drive me mad, having a Seraphim inside a stasis chamber with which I couldnt do anything, so I decided to forget about it. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. For now. But wasnt she a dragon, you ask? No, thats Makarel, not her main account. She didnt want people to realize it was her before she fought against us. She thought it would be too easy to recognize her if she used a similar champion with similar skills, so she choose another faction. In my opinion, she failed at it. Similar ways to fight, plus both champions with wings, and a similar roleplay As demonstrated by the rumors before our fight, her fans immediately realized it was her, only that she was playing with another champion. So, as I was saying, shes now training us. She prepared a special course to work for us, one for me and another for Clara. I can swear mine is specially crafted to inflict as much pain as possible The main reason she tells me I suck is because I get too absorbed into the traps and monsters, and then miss the next ones. What did you expect from me!? Im always looking for new ideas! New monsters, new ways to use the traps, skills I didnt know existed Its a treasure trove! Its the first time since Ive started playing this game since Ive had so much fun! Excluding when Im inside my own dungeon, of course. When I find something interesting, I think of ways to use it in my own dungeon and fall into the next trap. Or dont see the next group of monsters Or I walk into a wall The usual stuff, really. Then theres the other part of the training course, which is combat training. I like to call it hell mode. Marta is obsessed with this part. She wants me and Clara to be good enough to avoid attacks and skills from somebody at her level. Yeah Its worse than you can imagine. HOW am I supposed to avoid the attacks of somebody who can predict where Ill move to avoid them!? For gods sake, Im a mage! Why do I need to learn how to dodge attacks? What I need to learn is how to use my brain so that the enemy never gets close! Thats the important stuff! Ok, you got me Thats an excuse. I suck at it and Ill admit it. On the other side, Claras doing a lot better than me in the combat training. She can now avoid almost one attack from every twenty Marta makes. Im not envious. No, Im not envious at all Shes better than me, but Im not envious. Especially so when Marta praises her but never praises me. As I said, Im not envious. Not at all. Also, Im a mage, I use my brain to fight. Its normal Im not that good at moving my body around.
The proper way to plan your dungeon in normal times and in PvP is very different. Explains Marta. You should already know its bad to put the invaders into impossible situations, but on the other side, its a good thing to achieve in Dungeon Battles. Or in matches like in the tournament. But cant I make my dungeon very difficult? I want all the invaders to die! Hehehe! Asks Clara. If you really want, you can. But then there will be very few players who will come, and youll have a hard time obtaining rewards from them. Ah, I see! So this is why theres almost nobody who comes into my dungeon. I shudder. If I had no intentions of going inside Claras dungeon, now I have even less. Lately, Eva is the only one who comes regularly Eva? Whos this Eva youre talking about? I ask her. I thought she only had contact with me and Marta, did she find somebody else? Clara answers. Shes my classmate. She then clenches her fist and furrows her brows. Well, I imagine her doing so because of her tone, she has no brows after all. Its her fault my slaves arent coming into my dungeon anymore Hey, Clara. You said the word slaves once again, you know? Should I retort? Nah, lets feign ignorance. I look at Marta to check her reaction. She looks at me, and we both nod at the same time. Im sure shes thinking the same as me. The next one to say something is Marta. Then, lets move to combat training. Today, youll be fighting between yourselves. Yes! I want to practice my strangling moves! Brother, youre my target today! Hehehe! Prepare to lose! Noooooo! Not combat training! I shout, falling to my knees in despair. Somebody save me! Literally, anybody! Ill pay you whatever you ask, so please come and take my place! I dont want to die so soon! Im too young! And this time it isnt simple combat training but its against Claras Champion. Its the worst! Its like mixing the two things you like the least into a single, horrifying experience! I look at the games clock, hoping for it to be close to dinner time. This way I can say its too late and quickly disconnect but theres still an hour left. Im screwed. You know what, youve been talking a lot about how to build better dungeons and other stuff, Marta. But youve never been to my dungeon yet, am I right? Youre right, I havent. Maybe I can change the topic like this? Lets push my luck a little bit more. Then, how can you be so sure of what I need to know and what I dont? Shouldnt you invade my dungeon first, instead of wasting time like this? And then, once you beat it, you can tell me how to improve my dungeon It makes no sense doing it the other way around. Yes maybe I should invade your dungeon first Sometimes, what you say makes sense and it surprises me Nice! Its going according to the plan, lets push a little bit more. And lets ignore the last part. As much as I respect you for your experience, if you dont know what I lack, Im sure you cant make good judgments. Yes, we should go to my dungeon instead of wasting time like this. Then, I want you two to come to my dungeon too! Interrupts Clara. I too want to improve it! I shudder. Theres no need for me to go too, right? Why are you talking in the plural, Clara? Didnt we agree you would never ask me to go inside your dungeon again!? I need to get myself out of trouble before its too late. Ill help you too, Clara, but I asked for help first, so we should go to mine first Marta interrupts me. Your dungeon is doing kind of fine if Im to believe what I read in the forums. As much as I hate to admit it, you must be doing something good. We can go to yours later. Claras dungeon comes first. Shit, it backfired! But its still better than this, at least I can skip the combat training part. If I have to choose between the Abyss horrors, and the Abyss horrors plus combat training, I would obviously choose the first. Then, lets quickly go to Claras dungeon What are you saying, Andreu? Today, were doing this. Well reserve Claras dungeon invasion for the next time, dont you agree? Clara nods. Yes! Today, we fight! Marta grins as she rubs her hands together. Then, lets start! She says. Im sure shes enjoying my suffering a lot. I try to run away, but she reacts faster than me and grabs my shoulder, stopping me. Where do you think youre going, Andreu? She asks. I-I I, remembered I have something important to do, so I must leave right now My bad, hahaha My eyes spun around in fear as I look for a way out of this. You have something more important than spending time with your two sisters, which you insisted so much upon? Really? Omg, that grin. Its the evilest one Ive ever seen! NOOOOO! Leave me alone! Somebody save me! Devil, Ill give my soul to you, so please save me! God, Ill pray to you every day from now on, so a miracle would be really appreciated! I wait for some divine intervention. Nothing? Andreu, lets fight! Hehehe! ... I have no choice but to accept my horrible fate.
For Andreu, these training sessions were way worse than the training of heroes in films and movies, where the main character trains to the limit of their body. It must be said, he tended to exaggerate things.
Ch 104 - Can’t see, can’t hear, can’t feel… Can’t suffer After the light flash that signals we reached our destination, I get ready for the Dungeon Invasion. All right, lets get ready for this Right next to me, Marta asks me an obvious question. Are you really going to use that? Arent you exaggerating quite a bit? Shes right, its obvious Im going to use this. Why obvious? you ask. Thats an easy thing to answer, my friends. Its because I dont want to see ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING of whats to come next. So Im obviously putting a blindfold on myself. This way, I wont see anything, even if I feel the urge to open my eyes at some point. But this isnt all Ive prepared for today. No, it isnt. I still have something else The next thing I take out of my Inventory is earplugs. Oh, come on, Andreu! Were supposed to play together! How am I supposed to test Claras dungeon if youre like this!? I dont care, I say. Its your fault I have to come here, you forced me to do it. So Im going to do everything I can to avoid suffering. Ugh If I had known She mutters. Hah! Serves you right! You were the one who practically forced me to invade Claras dungeon, even after whining the whole time about how much I hated it. Now, you must face the consequences of your decision! Hahaha! After yesterdays psychological and physical torture, also called battle training with my little sisters Champion while Marta taught us, I couldnt sleep. And I already decided a long time ago I wouldnt enter an Abyss dungeon ever again Since I have no way to avoid coming here, Ill do everything I can to prevent myself from suffering today too. What are we doing here? Isnt it obvious Marta came here today to check up on Claras dungeon and tell her how to improve it? As for me I got dragged against my will into this mess. These kinds of things happen sometimes, especially when your sisters decide things without taking your opinion into consideration. Anyway! Lets move to my last protective measure. I take a heavy fur coat to cover my whole body in it. Followed by thick gloves and some other protective clothes. They will prevent me from feeling almost anything. Things like slimy tentacles, for example. Or slimy tentacles. Did I mention slimy tentacles? The only spot the thick clothes dont cover is the eyes, but theres the blindfold there Its the perfect defense against disgusting things! Hahaha! Oh, come on. Youre kidding me now! I hear somebody complain near me, but I ignore it. Did you say anything, Marta? I cant hear you with the earplugs on Fufufu! Hahaha! Oh, and by the way. These are just cosmetic elements. DMA has a lot of personalization so that players can make their Champions look as they want without preventing them from playing the game properly. Its possible to make a blind monk, for example, similar to what Im doing right now, but still be able to see. What will prevent me from actually seeing, hearing, or feeling anything arent the blindfold, earplugs, or thick clothes, but the game options. I lowered all sounds and feelings to the minimum possible without actually turning them off, as well as disabling the sight completely. And as I put the protections on my Champion, I also modify the game options appropriately. Its fun that the game allows for so much customization while not limiting gameplay, but at the same time has options to impose those same penalties if you actually want to. Penalties like being blind, or deaf. I turned on the blind mode but didnt activate the deaf mode because I still want to be able to communicate with my sister. Instead, I turned the volume to the minimum. What the game doesnt allow is to completely turn off the sense of touch. I suppose its something about player mentality. Something like not wanting players to play as if they were invulnerable to damage and then think its the same in real life Did you say anything? I cant hear you. I shout. Hmm Its kind of weird to almost not hear my own voice when Im shouting. Ill need some time to get used to it. Dont shout, you jerk! Im right next to you! Oh, I can hear her properly now. Im sure shes shouting too. Is that so? I cant see you, so I dont know where you are... I didnt move, and neither did you, so of course Im next to you. And I said dont shout at me! Im sorry, but I cant stop. If I dont shout, I wont hear my own voice. I cant! Ugh, you really Youre doing this on purpose, arent you!? Uh maybe? Aaagh! I hate you! I feel something hit me, and then I hit something hard. Heh, this is fun. Im sure she just kicked me and I fell to the ground, but I almost didnt feel anything. Hey! Why did you kick me!? Just because I wanted to! ...ok. But Ill need your help to stand up. Here. I extend my hand for her to grab and help me up. ... She doesnt say anything but still grabs my hand and I feel myself flying for a moment before finding myself standing up again. Hahaha, her Champions strength is the real deal! Oh, by the way, shes using her main account for this, so shes using the Seraphim champion. Its a matter of fact her STR stat is monstrous right now. Now that I think about it Im glad I didnt fall into the void because of her previous kick. Im sure she mustve controlled her strength. She can be nice too. Ugh I hate this It was Clara, not me, who wanted you to come, you know? I would have preferred to come alone if I knew it would be like this I think I heard Marta say something, but Im not sure. This minimum volume thing is kind of annoying. But its indispensable to protect my mental health, so theres no way Im going back to the normal volume. Did you say anything? No, I didnt! She didnt? It must have been my imagination, then. Like this, we start our dungeon invasion. Youll have to protect me from all the dangers, ok? Also, guide me so I dont step into a hole and fall into the void, ok? You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Sure, yes. Whatever Ill take this as an extra handicap to train myself Did you say anything? I said yes! Ill protect you! Thank you! I love you! Hahaha! Ugh You you! I feel myself falling to the ground yet another time. Did I trip over because I cant see where I step? Or did she kick me again? *Sigh!* This Dungeon Invasion is going to be hard on several levels
Marta, are you there? Am I still following you, or did I get lost? I cant see anything This is weird its been some time since Ive last heard her say anything. I dont know where I am, nor do I know if there are any enemies And I dont know where my sister is either. Of course, its my fault that I cant see, and also that I can barely hear or feel anything. Mich makes me completely useless. Scratch that, it makes me worse than useless. Im the worst baggage I could possibly be right now. But shes a pro player, isnt she? She should be able to carry me even in this situation, aint I right? Thats why I find this situation weird. It cant be shes dead, and theres absolutely no way she got lost. So does this mean its me who got lost? Hey, are you there? Did you leave me alone? I wait for an answer, but I hear nothing. Hmm did I fall into the void? but I should have felt like I was falling if I did, right? I didnt feel like I was falling. Nor flying, like when Marta kicked me before. So it shouldnt be. Then, did I take the wrong turn and we split up? Thats possible. I mean, I cant see where I go. If she told me go right and I went left instead, she might be somewhere else. Obviously, it''s her fault for not guiding me properly. Me, you say? Im the victim here! Ok, so we all agreed Im the victim and its definitely not my fault. But this doesnt make the situation any better. Should I leave the dungeon? For blind people, or for people who disable the sight sense like me, or for anyone who wants to do it, its possible to control the game through voice commands. This means I can surrender whenever I want. I could do it, but then Clara will be sad about it. Lets stay here for a while I anxiously turn my head around a few times. I cant see anything, but what else can I do? Its scary being here alone, not knowing when an Abyss monster can come and attack me. Hello? Marta? how long do I have to wait? This, this is oppressing its so dark, and I cant see, feel, or hear anything It might be even worse than having to suffer one of those horrible hugs with the slimy tentacles or having to see one of those mind-shattering horrors I have to admit, I didnt think this properly. I cant stop myself from imagining the tentacles dragging me into a giant eye with teeth as I struggle to survive. You know what? I take it back. This oppressive feeling is waaaay better. At least, I wont get nightmares from this. Just at this moment, I can feel something touching my arm and slowly crawling upwards. Since I have the feeling sense set to the minimum, I can barely perceive it. Maybe maybe it isnt real? I was fantasizing about this exact situation a moment ago, it could be my imagination. I-I cant feel anything. This, this is just my imagination. Y-yes! I-its my imagination! Stupid imagination! I hate you so much! Why did you have to be so good at it, Andreu? This isnt real. Nothing is touching me. Im safe Wait a moment This shouldnt be possible! I should be surrounded by my Good Followers right now! And they should take care of everything near me! It isnt possible for an enemy to reach me unless unless Im completely alone Oooh, shit. OOOOH, SHIT! Am I actually alone? Did all my Good Followers die and now Im alone!? The feeling continues to go up my arm until it reaches my shoulder. Then, it trails up my neck. It isnt disgusting, dont misunderstand. Since I turned it to the minimum, I only feel a gentle touch that goes up my arm and my neck. The problem is with what might be causing me to feel this. O-ok. I think the time has come. Its time to surrender. I-I surre- I try to speak, but the something thats grabbing me reaches my face and prevents me from talking. Aaagh, shit! Like this, I cant talk. And if I cant talk, I cant give the voice command to surrender and leave the dungeon! This is very bad I struggle the best I can to free myself, to no avail. Whatevers grabbing me is stronger than I am. Ah, the feeling of oppression from before is now getting worse. I cant move. I cant talk. Nor see. Hear. Feel. The last three are on me, but still In this absolute darkness, the only thing I can do is wait for death. Will it come soon? I hope so. I cant even see the HP bar because I disabled the sight completely. Wait a moment I cant talk!? The games monsters shouldnt be able to gag a player unless its by accident or with a skill that allows them to do so. The only ones that can do so freely are the other players. This must mean ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME!? Pfft! Ahaha! Right at this moment I hear somebody laughing right next to my ear. It must be It MUST be My sister Marta! Hahaha! Your reaction was so funny, Andreu! Ahahaha! While laughing, she releases me. Im sorry, but I HAD to do it. After annoying me for the whole dungeon invasion, I somehow had to make you regret your decision to turn off the sight, hearing, and touch. Are you fucking with me!? You know the reason I disabled the three senses, so why are you making me scared like this!? She strikes me on the back a few times as she continues to laugh. At least, I think she does. Hahaha! Fuu She slowly breathes in and out to calm herself. Come on, it wasnt so bad. Im sure you couldnt feel almost anything anyway Thats true Still, this doesnt justify your actions! It doesnt? Do you know how annoying it was to guide you through the whole dungeon? Andreu, step to the right. Andreu, theres an enemy in front. Andreu, beware the hole. Andreu this, Andreu that Im not your babysitter! Also, you brought it upon yourself! You could always say no to Clara and be done with the Abyss stuff. ... I hate to admit it, but shes kind of right. I brought it upon myself. If only I could say no to my little sister when she asks And it was me who proposed to invade Claras dungeon. Sure, it was to avoid Martas teaching session, and it didnt work anyway, but It was me who said it first. And if theres one thing Ill always do, is to keep my word. Only when I want, or when it comes to my little sister. But Ill always keep my word. ...it isnt funny. Youre right, it isnt. Guiding you through the whole dungeon wasnt funny. You know Im not talking about that. Huh? Im sorry, did you say anything? I think I disabled my hearing sense too, so I couldnt hear what you just said. You, youre doing this on purpose I sigh. All right, lets forget about this should we continue? How long do you think it is until we reach the end? Dont you listen to what I say? Were almost there. I said guide through the whole dungeon, didnt I? Does this mean were done with this? Not yet. But I can see the dungeon core from here. Nice! I can finally leave this horrifying dungeon behind! Fufufu! Hahaha! Im not sure if Im making the proper laughing pose or not because of my limited senses. But I hope I do. I see you recover quickly. If I had known, I would have stayed quiet until the end Well, whats done is done. Wait here, Andreu. Ill come look for you once I finish this. She wants to leave me behind. Again, alone, in this dark space where I cant feel anything I shudder. C-can you not b-bring me with you? Didnt you hear me? Im not your babysitter. P-please, I beg you. Cant you guide me as youve been doing all the time? No. Im tired of it. And theres no reason to because were almost at the end. T-then Can I no, this wont work. Umm, please? I beg you, dont leave me behind! What are you complaining about now? Werent you scared of the monsters here? I do. But I hate this dark isolation too. I try to make puppy eyes at her. Im really worried if itll work or not After all, Ive got this giant rat head. This, and I cant see. Maybe Im not even looking in her direction. Sigh, fine. You can come. But dont hope for me to give you instructions. You can, I dont know... Just grab onto one of your Best Followers of whatever theyre called and make it follow me. This way I dont have to look out for you. Ok, Ill do it. And its Good Follower, not Best Follower. I stumble around until I grab something. It doesnt react, so I guess its one of my Good Followers. I really hope so, because if its one of the monsters Im going to cry. Good Follower, its time to switch our roles. This time, its me whos going to follow after you! We walk like this for what feels like a minute or two, though it might be less. Its hard to keep track of time when I cant see the games clock. We couldnt have we done this from the beginning? If I had thought of this before, I would have had an easier time Tsk! Damn it! Looks like both of us are thinking the same thing.
This was the second time Andreu invaded an Abyss dungeon. In the future, he would avoid them the best he could. Claras dungeon included. In fact, from then onwards, when he got randomly paired with an Abyss player in PvP, he immediately surrendered. Even before the match started. This was the reason he never reached the top PvP rankings.
Ch 105 - Battle report While pouting, Clara crosses her arms and shouts at me. It doesnt count! This is the first thing she says once Marta and I disconnect from the game. What doesnt count? Im sorry, but I dont understand. Youll have to elaborate a little bit more. I tilt my head to the side to show her my confusion. What do you meanC What do I mean!? She interrupts. Do you really dont know what I mean!? Oh my god! The dreaded question. If a woman asks you this question, or something similar, it means shes angry and you screwed up. The problem is that it usually doesnt help at all to know exactly where you screwed up so now Im in a situation where I must feign I actually know what shes talking about. I look at Marta, asking for help. She stares back and mutters: I knew this would happen Then she covers her face with her hand and doesnt say anything else. Youre smiling, arent you? Yeah, youre smiling. Instead of helping me, youre laughing at me!? How can you be so evil!? Why cant you help your little brother when hes in need of help!? Clara stomps her foot a few times in annoyance, waiting for me to say something. I turn my head to Marta once again, hoping shell reconsider helping me. But instead, she opens her mouth and moves her lips to form a phrase. I believe she said: You brought it upon yourself. What did I bring upon myself? What did I do this time? There are so many possibilities, I dont know which one might be Clara? I dont know what youre talking about Dont lie! Its you who said you wanted to go into my dungeon to help me improve it, but then turned off all senses Ah, now I understand, its about that. ...and I wanted you to see it. You lied to me! You never wanted to come! She pouts and turns her head away. Heh, cute. In case you dont understand whats happening: she was watching our invasion as the owner of the dungeon, so she knows everything that happened while we were inside. But we already talked about this, didnt we? Didnt we agree I wouldnt have to come into your dungeon ever again? Thats not true! What we agreed is that I would never ask you again! It isnt the same! It isnt? It sounds the same to me But now isnt the time to argue about this, I must first calm her down. That''s why I went into your dungeon. I just um, I just, disabled my senses so I wouldnt have to see the monsters. You know, because I, Im scared of them. Oh, so its like that. I thought you were just stupid and wanted to annoy me. Says Marta from the side. Youre not helping, Marta. If youre going to spout bullshit and add to the fire, you better stay quiet And you already knew the reason I did it, so dont lie! Clara continues to look at me with an angry face as Marta quietly laughs at me, her hand still hiding her face so Clara cant see it. I dont care. Says Clara. It was you who said you wanted to help me improve my dungeon, but you didnt keep your word. I Oh, come on! I said it to avoid the training session! I really wanted to avoid the training session, because I not only had to follow Martas lead but I also had to fight against you! Im about to complain and say this, but manage to stop myself before doing it. Wow, that was close I look at Clara, then at Marta. Yeah, I dont think its a good idea to say the truth. I mean, if I said I wanted to skip the training in any way possible, even if it meant having to go to Claras dungeon when I actually didnt want to go into it ever again I would anger both of them at the same time. Instead of solving the current issue, I would create two more. And I really, really, really dont want that. The worst is I know Im right. I have the right to not like something, and I shouldnt have to suffer because of it. But, and its a very big BUT, who dares to say it to my angry little sister and demon-like older one? Maybe you? Because I dont. We can switch places anytime you want. *Sigh* Ok I slowly start to speak, dragging my words so that, I dont know a miracle, maybe?, happens before I can finish my sentence. Im sorry Clara, I wont do it again. The next time, I wont turn my senses off. Claras face brightens for a moment before returning to her previously angry expression. She cant completely stop the tips of her lips from curling upwards. Then, youll go into my dungeon right now, right? And after dinner, well have the review session as we were supposed to, right? This is what I like to call coercion. Who volunteers to take my place? No? Nobody? ...yes. *Sigh* Clara claps her hands and, with shiny eyes, asks. Really? Yes, really. Really, really? You promise? ...I do. Yay! ... But youll have to come with me again, Marta. Me? Why me!? Martas smile disappears as soon as I mention her name. Well, theres no way Im going alone Perfect! If you both go into my dungeon again, Im sure youll find everything that I need to improve. Clara makes a victory pose. B-but why me!? I just came out of it! Why do I have to do it again, only because of his stupid actions!? Heh, bad luck, Marta. Theres no way you can get out of this deal now unless you want to make Clara sad. I forced you into this mess, hahaha! Also, dont insult me, please. Still I want to cry. Hi there, nightmares. Did you miss me? I didnt. In fact, I hoped to never see you again. But shit happens, and it seems well meet each other sooner than expected. Well then, until we see each other tonight. With love, Andreu PD: If only you could leave me alone, I would really appreciate it. Clara clasps her hands together as if praying. Why dont you get yourselves get killed because of MP drain so I can get both xp and the Despair, pretty please? This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. No way. No way, no way, no way, no way Theres absolutely NO WAY Im going to stare into one of those aberrations until I die. Pretty please? Clara makes puppy eyes at me, trying to force me into it. But I have my secret weapon against this tactic. Its called fear. I already said this before, but puppy eyes dont work when Im scared to death. Though I would prefer to be in a situation where they worked No, IC All right, well do it. Says Marta. Nice! Clara jumps in excitement around the room after hearing Marta agree. Nooo! Why did you have to agree, Marta!? Is it payback for forcing you to come with me? Im sorry Clara, I dont think I canC Lets go, Andreu. We dont have much time until dinner. We have to hurry up. Marta interrupts me and puts the virtual helmet on my head before turning it on. Wait, I never agreed to this. I dont wantC Again, I cant finish speaking. Noooooo! I dont want to do this! If I had known it would turn out to be like this, I would have done it properly from the start! I now regret my previous actions... But only a tiny bit. It was worth it to get Marta annoyed.
As soon as we finish eating dinner, Clara sits on my bed and asks me. Her current expression and behavior are exact opposites to the one she had when I turned off my senses. So, how was it? Did you like my dungeon, Andreu? Marta furrows her brows in annoyance. Hey, why do you only ask him? Why dont you ask me instead? I I, I I shudder. ...I really dont want to remember. I finish my sentence with an empty look. I hope I can sleep tonight I dont want another sleepless night filled with nightmares. Marta takes this chance to take the lead, while I try to recover from the horrors I saw not so long ago. Ok, so I, the great pro, will go first! She turns her head to me with a triumphant look on her face before continuing. Yeah, as if I cared. Clara, the first thing I noticed in your dungeon is that its too short. Too short? But I thought it was ok with this length. Mine and Claras thoughts overlap, but for very different reasons. Too short!? Fifteen minutes of cosmic horrors is too short for you!? Ill admit its kind of short for a player-level 5 dungeon, where they usually take about one hour to clear. But when it comes to the Abyss creatures, the shorter the dungeon is, the better. In fact, even a single second is way longer than it should be. Yes, too short. How do I say it Its like when I was starting to get immersed into it, I could already see the dungeon core, breaking the illusion. And it was even clearer the second time. Then Ill make the dungeon bigger! Clara pumps her fist before cutely tilting her head to the side. But how much bigger? About four times bigger. Players expect a dungeon of your level to take an hour to clear on average. Marta smirks at me as if saying Arent I amazing?. No, you arent that amazing. I knew that too, you know? Ricard made sure to drill it into my head some time ago Thats easy! I just need to add more stuff and Ill be done! Hehehe! It isnt that easy, Clara Marta rubs her temples with a dry smile. Have you ever been inside a dungeon where everything was the same? Where there was no change from the start to the end? I do. But they were all boring as hell See, you got your answer. ...What answer? Asks Clara, tilting her head to the side again. Marta and I exchange a glance. Sometimes, Clara can be like this. I like to see her as cute, but since theyre talking about aberrations and horrifying stuff, I can only see her as air-headed right now. Ive come to suspect she does this on purpose so that I lower my guard and she can do whatever she wants with me. But what can I say? Im a sucker for her. *Sigh!* Marta suspires before continuing. That you cant make the whole dungeon look the same! What else could it be? Is that so? Then, Ill create a bunch of random areas and stick them together, as Andreu did with his dungeon! Well be the same! Hehehe! Clara raises her hand up high and looks at me, waiting for a high five. Reluctantly, I raise my hand up when I shudder. And this time isnt because of the Abyss stuff. Whats going on? I look around and quickly understand the reason. Marta is sending me a death glare. What did I do to you now? I swear I didnt do anything! Im not trying to poison her with my actions, ok? Shes poisoning herself, ok!? I swear its her who wants to do what I do and not the other way around. So ignore me. Leave me alone. Shivering. Alone. I repeat alone twice because its important. I quickly retreat my hand. Im sorry Clara, shes currently scarier than you. Marta resumes talking. It doesnt work like this, Clara It doesnt? Yes, shes right. You cant just simply put random stuff together and hope for it to work! Like I did. But it doesnt work! Usually. That it worked for me doesnt mean itll work for you! It doesnt. What I think you should do is create different areas. With new monsters. But well talk about this in more detail the next time, in our next training session. Now lets move to the next thing I wanted to tell you. Bring it on! Isnt Clara way more excited than usual? Im starting to get worried. Does she really like those aberrations so much, that shes excited about Marta teaching her how to improve the dungeon? Its kind of suspicious. She usually only gets like this when it comes to doing something with me, like playing together. But theyre talking about the monsters I fear, so it cant be related. It cant right? Im sure it isnt. Yeah, it cant be. Its impossible. Right? So the next thing I noticed is both a lack of monsters and variety. I know Clara awkwardly scratches her cheek. But I couldnt decide which new unit looked cuter, so I didnt unlock any See? Air-headed. While Clara and Marta talk, I continue to tremble. My fear of the past slowly turns into fear of the future. The fear of What Ive seen slowly turns into What Ill see. What the hell are you doing, Marta? Telling Clara to make the dungeon longer and adding more monsters to it!? And new zones!? What if I ever have to go back into it!? I wont survive! And Im not talking about the game but about my mental sanity! Why do you despise your brother so much? As expected, they ignore my inner thoughts and continue talking. Theres a problem with how you use your monsters too. Im sure you dont receive much Despair from the invaders, do you? I dont but how did you know? Its easy, its because most of your monsters are hidden until the players get close. This is nice for ambushes and maybe killing the invaders, but this wont give you any Despair. Ah, so thats why I was getting so little! I got almost all of it when I invaded other dungeons Clara looks sullen as she lowers her gaze to the floor. I suppose it is. Marta pats her chest to show her superiority. But dont worry, with my help, youll soon be swimming in Despair! Ill teach you everything you need to know to bring the most fear and despair to your enemies! Yes! No. For example, putting the monsters in plain sight but too far away to attack, so that the invaders have no choice but to walk in weird poses to avoid looking at them or to have their MP reduced all the time. Ooooh, I like it! Please, no. Or like rising the monsters defense with skills, to increase the time their passive effect works. Nice! Like this, the battle report session between my two sisters ends and we can go to sleep. Or try to, because Im sure I wont be able to sleep today. ... ... Or maybe this isnt the end. Marta and Clara are looking at me. The latter one, with an expectant look. ...what? Werent we going to sleep now? I ask. What are you saying, Andreu!? Shouts Clara. Now its time for you to give me feedback! I dont want to. I dont want to remember what I had to go through inside your dungeon. Im sorry, but I cant. Now, its my time to stay silent. ... Hey! I try to stay silent, but Marta kicks me. Dont be like this, it was you who wanted to do this. She says. Please, lets not return to this topic yet again I already did my part, so now its your turn. Pleeeease. Adds Clara, making puppy eyes, from my side. Ugh, it hurts! My heart hurts! My heart (love) and brain (fear) are now fighting each other. Why did you have to be so cute, Clara!? Should I? Its my responsibility as the older brother. Plus I was the first one to suggest this. But I really hate having to think about Abyss stuff. I did come up with a few changes she can do to bring as much despair to the invaders as possible, mostly because its stuff I would hate to happen to me. Thats why Im so reluctant: I would HATE for it to happen to me. But Im sure I wont have to go inside her dungeon ever again. So it should be ok, right? RIGHT!? Ok Im going to tell you how you can improve your dungeon to give your invaders as much despair as possible. Yes! Thank you! I love you! Clara kisses my cheek. Well, maybe it isnt so bad? Hey, why didnt you kiss me, Clara!? Isnt this discrimination? All right! Its time to show the pro how the real stuff is done! Fufufu! Hahaha!
It wasnt a surprise to anyone that I regretted my decision to help my little sister sometime later.
Ex Ch 13 - Top 10 Deaths On the screen, a heavily armored man slowly advances through a rocky tunnel. He trembles and shivers. Then, he looks around with his eyes wide open, searching for something. He lowers his head, trying to see whats on the bottom of the cliff. Ugyaaa! A weird cry resounds through the tunnel and the man jumps, surprised. But he does so with such bad luck that he slips, falling to the bottom of the cliff. Before the screen turns black, a phantasmal version of the same man appears right next to its lifeless body, complaining about something. Hahahaha! Did you see that!? He was surprised because one of those goat-birds cries and literally fell to his death! Hahaha! How can you be so unlucky? Did you see his face when his foot slipped? Put it again, I want to see it again! This one clearly goes to the top ten, dont you think? He died to the stupidest mob in the whole dungeon. Of course, we have to put it on the list! Yeah. Sure. But I still like that one who dies to his own water spell hitting his crotch better. That one is the undisputable top one. Thats true too... I like more that one who dies when his own mob falls on top of him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Hahaha, that one is hilarious too. But then, if we add this one to the list, we will have eleven deaths. Which one should we remove? The one with the worm? Yes. The one with the worm. I agree. As funny as it is to see a guy running away in fear, get devoured, and die in despair, the rest are better. The one with the worm it is, then. Now we have to name it. Pfft, hahaha! Whats up now? Hahaha, nothing, nothing. I just remembered the one with the minotaur boss and started laughing again. Oh, yeah. That one is very funny too. I dont think I can achieve something like that even if I try to do it on purpose Hey, lets focus! Ill add this new video, but we first have to decide how to call it. Scared to death? Nah, thats lame. Unwanted suicide is better. I I dont like it, its too gruesome. How about Deadly jumpscare? Ooh, I like it! Lets name it like that! So does anybody have another video with a stupid death? Oh, yes! I have this one here The guy was so stupid he went inside the Eternal Rest Zone while poisoned and fell asleep. I believe hes the first and only player to ever actually die while inside of it. But whats funny is his rambling and insults after his death The Mad Rats Labs Top 10 Stupidest Deaths (temporary ranking) 1. Wetted His Pants 2. Mobbed Deadly 3. Jumpscare 4. Man-thing Brainwash 5. Its soo cutC Aagh, save me! 6. Minotaur Bowling 7. Theyre Everywhere! EVERYWHERE! 8. Slimy Benny Hill 9. -100% Damage. Am I healing my enemies!? 10. Poisoned Dreams
This top ten deaths list, with the links to the videos, went viral and the players who created it decided to make a new one every month. The surprising thing is they never got tired of it, nor did they ever run out of videos.
Ch 106 - I’ll crush everything you created Oh, yes. This is life! I chuckle as I spin around. Right now, Im seated in one of those luxurious office chairs in a dark room. In front of me, several screens illuminate my face and give it a mysterious feel. I put my feet on top of the table and lean backward in the most comfortable position. Then, I start petting the Octocat resting on the armrest. Welcome! Welcome to my dungeon, ladies and gentlemen! Ah, no, its only ladies *Khm!* I make a fake cough. Welcome to my dungeon, ladies! Ive been waiting for this day! Lets see how far you can go before falling into despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! As I laugh, I raise my hands up high. Hey, look at the shadow! It has such an epic shape! Theyre here. I stare at one of the screens. This one shows the entrance to my dungeon. In it, two light flashes appear, followed by several more light flashes of less intensity. The teleportation has finished. The first lady spins around in glee as she talks to the second lady. Were here! Hehehe! Yes, were here. This is the first time I know more than you about whats to come! Do you want me to be the guide? No, theres no need. I want to see everything for myself. Is that so But I wanted to guide you Says the first lady in a sullen tone. Next time, ok? Yes Im sure you know whats going on by now, so Im not going to explain anything. Ok, you got me After the tournament match where we used this control room, I improved it and placed it inside my dungeon. Now, if I decide to defend my dungeon, I can come here and watch and hear everything the invaders do while comfortably sitting on my chair. And in case I want to say something, I installed speakers throughout the whole dungeon. Today might be the first day I use them if I want to say something to my sisters. Oh, and I can also control some of the traps and mechanisms from here too. For example, the other day I manually opened a few of the sealed doors in the failed experiments area. It was because I got angry at some random orc player spouting bullshit about me. Marta, in her Seraphim champion, calmly looks around. So this is his dungeon, huh? She furrows her brows. Is this all you have? Compared to what I read in the forums, its too lame. Of course not! The funny and interesting stuff is inside! Were just at the entrance! Thank you, Clara. Youre so adorable, sometimes Though your behavior and aspect dont currently match. As you expect, this is because shes utilizing the usual tentacle aberration champion. I had enough Abyss stuff yesterday, and I didnt want to have anything to do with them today, but I couldnt tell her not to come only because of this, dont you think? Andreu, Im sure youre watching this. Says Marta. Are you ready to see how I crush your dungeon? Crush my dungeon? Easy to say when you bring your strongest champion and support mobs. I dont think its possible for you to die. Not at all, unless you literally fall into every trap and ambush. But the question you should be asking isnt that one, Marta. What you should be asking yourself is how far you can go without suffering, hahaha! You can try it if you want. My voice sounds through the speakers. Hyah! Marta makes a cute cry. Im sure she didnt expect to hear my answer. But she quickly calms down. Umm Are you using speakers? Yes. You sure know your stuff. Of course I do! Who do you think I am!? Who do I think you are? Youre my annoying and stuck-up older sister. Hey, Andreu. Since we can talk freely, youll answer any question I have, right? Clara ignores our bickering and asks me a question. I dont see any reason I shouldnt. Sure, why not. Also Can you give me one of those Octocats for me to hug? Please? I dont mind, but dont you know youll kill it as soon as your Decaying Touch activates? Well, theres no reason to say no, and shell be happy, so who cares. ...ok, Ill put it near the entrance. Yay! The two finally start the invasion and soon reach the caves mouth. As they come in and see the glowing screaming mushrooms and giant claw marks, Marta furrows her brows. Hmm She groans. Is that disdain? Or disguised approval? Its hard to see through the screen Im looking forward to seeing her cry and despair during the invasion. I dont think she will die, and the chances are even lower since Clara, who knows everything about my dungeon, is with her. But this doesnt mean she cant get annoyed at what might happen during the invasion. Im sure she wont expect most of the stuff Ive prepared. I mean, the usual dungeon stuff. It isnt as if I have prepared anything against her in particular. Oh, yeah! Before I forget, I must ask for assistance with something. Clara, before ending the dungeon invasion, do you mind going to a place Ill tell you so I can capture some of your Abyss units? This way I wont have to come into your dungeon Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Sure thing! Eh? Why should I do it for you? Also, what would you gain even if I do it? My units are too expensive for you to use right now. I already know. And I didnt ask you, Marta. I only asked Clara. She drops her head and mutters. ...Is that so? Is it disappointment shes expressing right now? Can it actually be possible!? Can it be she actually wanted to help me? Nah, no way thats true. Lets ignore her comment. Ehehe! Dont worry, Im going to help him since you cant! Says Clara while patting Martas back. Ugh! Ladies and gentlemen, this is what you call rubbing salt into the wound.
See this, Clara? This is what I was telling you yesterday. Its been five minutes since we started the invasion, and the only thing that happened so far is that the dungeons theme has been established. I see In contrast, in your dungeon, by the time the mood was set, I could see the dungeon core. As they approach the entrance to the big cave, Marta turns her head around and starts to teach Clara. By the way is Marta praising me? Of course, this is an unnecessarily long entrance that takes too much time to cover. Even if you run, it would take about a full minute, which is too much for any player. So you dont have to copy it because its useless. But you get the idea, right? And Pop! The bubble burst and I return to reality. Yeah, theres no way she can simply praise me. There must always be something else. That something else is usually contempt. Marta makes the first step inside the cave. She adds. Ok, so this is it. From now on, dont warn me about dangers or tell me whats going to happen next. I need to see it for myself to give the best feedback. Sure thing. Answers Clara. Shes tightly hugging an Octocats corpse, the one she asked me for. Is she going to drag it through the whole dungeon? ...I wonder if therell be an Octocat plushie somewhere its so cute! For once, we both agree on something being cute. Marta advances with a hand on her chin as she looks around. By now, Im sure they can hear the cries and moans of the Demonic Swarmers and other stuff. Maybe they already saw some of their shadows moving through the cavern. Hmm giant mushrooms, rocks and rubble, cliffs, stalactites and stalagmites This looks like a perfect place for ambushes. But ambushes from the get-go? Isnt it a little too much if this is the first thing the invaders encounter? Youre only 50% right, Marta. First, ambushes arent everything that can happen here. And second, the monsters that can ambush you are kind or random, and weak. Its close to impossible for a player to die as soon as he or she steps in here. And talking about ambushes *Swish!* A black projectile flies in Martas direction. It comes from behind her. ! She jumps forward right before the impact, successfully avoiding it. Then, she counterattacks with a flying blade. But its too bad for her because the Goblimp hides behind the rock on time. How did she do it? Does she have eyes on her back? How can she not only avoid the attack but also launch a perfectly aimed counter, all of it without seeing anything!? Tsk! Marta clicks her tongue. Sneaky one, huh? Wow, that was amazing! How did you do it? Asks Clara. Yeah, how did you do it? I want to know it too. Practice. This is the only answer she gives before furrowing her brows, turning around, and continuing the dungeon invasion. Will I be able to do it in the future too? Asks Clara with gleaming eyes. Well, Im sure they would be gleaming if her champion had eyes. Im sure you will if you train hard enough. Clara pumps her tentacle fist. Then, Ill train even harder! The Goblimp peeks from behind the rock to see what my sisters and their support mobs are doing. Right now, its AI should be assessing if it should attack, follow after them and look for an opportunity to strike, or run away. But before it can make a decision, Marta swings her sword once again and a second flying blade rushes in its direction, killing both the goblin and imp halves before they can hide behind the boulder. And she does so as if it were completely natural. No, no, no, no! Wait a moment! This isnt possible! I could understand if she heard the first attack, predicted where it came from and counterattacked. But not this time! The Goblimp was standing still, doing nothing! The only reasonable explanation is that she can somehow see behind her Now that I think about it, didnt she have her eyes closed? Im sure she mustve used some kind of vision skill to impress both of us. Wow, so cool! How did you do it? Marta smirks after confirming the kill. Heh! This is nothing. I knew it! Shes doing this to show off! The worst is that I must admit it kind of works. Only kind of. You need a lot more to impress me. After this short fight, if you can call this a fight, the two continue the dungeon invasion. The following monsters they find are a group of Demonic Swarmers, as well as the two Goblimp Pests that take this chance to strike. *AaAaAaAa!* The disgusting shouts echo throughout the big cave. Since Marta told her to stay put and leave everything to her, Clara puts her hands on top of the ear area to muffle the sound. Does it work at all? Your champion doesnt have ears, after all The shouts call for the closest Demonic Swarmers, and they soon join the fight. Or should I say massacre instead? Thats the only way I can describe it. Its like throwing eggs into a rock. The Demonic Swarmer comes close to my sisters group and dies in a few strikes. Those that end up fighting Marta, die in a single one instead, two if theyre really lucky. This scene repeats until there are no more of my monsters remaining. These monsters are interesting? Says Marta after the fight ends. But if youre even slightly smarter than this pebble Im stepping on, Im sure you know whats wrong with them, am I right? What can I say? Shes right. The Demonic Swarmers were ok in the past. Im talking about when I and the dungeon were in the beginning steps. But now theyve been left behind. Waaaaay behind. I didnt notice until now because theyre still an obstacle when it comes to some players, but I saw it clearly in this fight. They arent strong enough to act as strong monsters, and there arent enough of them to act as swarmers either. Plus the main reason I created them, the mushrooms, makes no sense because the place most players fight them is inside this cave, where there are no mushrooms Right now, theyre useless. Kind of. Ill ask you more about them later because I cant really understand what theyre supposed to do with only this fight. Sure Hey, whats wrong with them? I dont understand Asks Clara. Dont worry about it, Clara. Ill explain it later to you too. Clara pouts. At least her tone is the same as the one she uses when pouting. Muu Im always the one left behind! This isnt fair!
In my opinion, the best way to improve your dungeon is to ask somebody else for help. Ask them to dive into your dungeon and give their honest opinion on what they liked, what they didnt, and most importantly, what stuff they thought was missing. Of course, the best is to get feedback from an experienced player, but if you cant any player will do. Though its possible your vision of the dungeon and theirs dont align. In that case, making the changes they suggest would instead damage your dungeon. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 107 - Furious outburst Hahaha! Yes! Give her hell! Make her feel all my accumulated rage after so many years. Make her cry until blood leaves her eyes. Come on, my minions, I know you can do it! Ugh, this is Dont run away. Stop! I said stop already! Marta is desperately chasing after the Goblimps as she shouts in anger. Shes going up and down the same area, but she isnt able to kill a single one of them. Theyve been at it for some time already. Meanwhile, Clara is sitting on the ground watching everything, her head going from left to right, before going back from right to left. Like watching a tennis match. You see to avoid all Goblimps behaving exactly the same while still having the same AI, I set it so that, randomly, each one prefers one type of action over the others. There are those that are more aggressive and choose to attack if they can; then there are those that like stalking the players, and only attack when theyre busy with something else; and of course, there are those that like to run away as soon as they spot the tiniest danger. So far, Marta has killed all Goblimps that dared come close enough for her to see, by using the same trick as before. But those were mostly the stalkers and the aggressive ones, leaving the scaredy-cats alive. In this terrain thats advantageous for them to hide, filled with obstacles that prevent Marta from chasing them properly plus the fact that they hide or run away as soon as they stick their heads out and see Marta C or to be more specific, a Champion C closeby, she cant manage to kill them. If only she werent so proud, the situation would be different, but she just cant turn around and leave them be. It would be so easy if she just ignored them for a while and chose an advantageous location to kill them She could also split her support mobs to surround the Goblimps for an easy kill. But Im sure she believes its too lame to mobilize her little army for such weak enemies, because she doesnt do it either. She cant quite get them, even with the flying slashes, but her pride prevents her from turning around or seeking help. Its the first time Ive seen her doing something so stupid in a long time. Now, Im waiting for her patience to run low enough, at which point Im sure shell do something crazy. Im actually looking forward to what shell do. All right, Ive got enough of this shit! Ooh, the show is starting! Fear for your lives, for heavens wrath will fall upon you! As Marta shouts this, she raises her hands up high in a dramatic pose C which I have to admit is quite decent, though it doesnt reach the epicness of my lightning cast pose C and a blinding light orb starts to form on top of her. Soon, the orb flashes, disappearing for an instant before reappearing near the place the Goblimp was hiding, and an explosion happens. *Baaaam!* The light covers about a quarter of the big cavern as everything in its area dies. Ha, ha, ha! Nobody can stop me! Ha, ha, ha! Marta laughs as she confirms the Goblimp is dead. Yeah, good job there, Marta You managed to kill a little rat with a nuke. You sure can be proud of it. What did it take, only about a fifth of your maximum MP? To be more precise, a fifth of a maximum-level Seraphims maximum MP. Ridiculous. *Clap, clap, clap!* Oooooh! Clara exclaims as she claps. Hahaha, good job! You finally managed to kill one of them! I say through the speakers. Yes, youre right. The best part of this is that she only managed to kill one of Goblimp. There are two more alive that continue to play hide-and-seek with her. Dont worry, Clara. Your big sis will finish this in an instant. Just look at this! Ha, ha, ha! No, were not worried about this situation. What were worried about is your sanity. Or lack of. Im not sure about Clara, but I sure am. Marta raises her hands up high once again and a new light orb appears. After the explosion, the process repeats for a third time, reducing the number of alive Goblimps to zero. I say all Goblimps died, but in fact, not only the Goblimps but ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING inside the giant cave died, except for my sisters and their mobs. This includes all the critters as well as the few monsters that were hiding in some corner, and the Water Ants swimming in the underground lake. And it only took three-fifths of Martas maximum MP. Let me repeat it because its important. To kill three Goblimps, it only took three-fifths of a maximum-level Seraphims maximum MP. Crazy, right? Ooh, nice job, Marta. You killed them all. Well, them and everything else in the cave too. But dont worry, there are a lot more monsters ready to make you go crazy. It was really funny to see you running around like that! Fufufu! Hahaha! How dare you taunt me! Ill show you how I crush everything else! Yeah, keep dreaming. Umm where do you want to go next? Ill guide you! Asks Clara. Marta turns around to look at her with furrowed brows. Didnt I tell you I will do it myself? Um but I want to be of help too. And and there are two paths now! I can guide you through the one you choose. Ok but you choose which one. I dont want you to tell me anything in advance. Oh, and I want to see everything this dungeon has to offer, so dont miss any part. Sure thing! Clara spins around before starting to walk toward the rabbit area. Cute things here we go! Didnt I just tell you: no spoilers!? *Sigh!* Its a lost cause, lets not get angry at her for this Youre ignoring some crucial information, Marta. Given that Clara considers the Octocats, as well as the Abyss aberrations as cute Dont you know she could be talking about literally anything? Though this time shes talking about actually cute rabbits and their not-so-cute half-orc ambusher cousins. Now that I think about it, this is one area that makes some players go crazy in anger. Either by the ambushes or because of the damage debuff. Maybe Marta will get angry once again and blow everything up. Itll be funny because its possible that, with the damage debuff stacked, her damage will be low enough that she cant kill stuff in a single strike anymore. Im looking forward to seeing what happens. Hahaha! Im not a lost cause! Clara complains. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I look at Claras hand. Shes still hugging tightly the Octocats corpse. I notice that Martas gaze too lands on the poor creatures corpse. Im sure both of us are thinking the same: Shes a lost cause. O-of course you arent! I was joking, ha, ha, ha! You were right, Marta. Shes a lost cause. And youre too. Me? Nah, Im a perfectly normal and sane person. Fufufu! Hahaha! I start laughing for no apparent reason as I continue petting the Octocat thats resting on my armrest. Im not crazy. What am I doing, then?, you ask. Im practicing my Evil Mastermind persona. After being called like that so many times, and having the perfect chance to roleplay it C with the screens displaying the heroes, the comfy chair, and the cat on the armrest C I had to try it. Maybe Ill roleplay as the Evil Mastermind in the future Who knows.
Not long after blowing up the giant cavern, my sisters reach the rabbit area. Curious about what happened in the mushroom-filled caves? Well nothing much. Marta just ignored everything and pushed through with her high stats, and Clara followed her without saying anything. Hm decent change of environment. But only decent. I can think of at least a thousand ways to make this better. Marta nods sagely at her own words before turning around. See this, Clara? This is what I told you when I was talking about new zones. In contrast to the previously dark, oppressive, and dangerous zones, this open area filled with harmless rabbits is a nice change of peace. Yeah, thanks. If you think this is a nice change of peace, Im looking forward to what youll say when you reach the failed experiments area. But the rabbits arentC Shhht! Marta puts her finger over Claras lips. Or in the general area where they would be if she had lips. Didnt I tell you not to spoil anything? Clara nods. Then, let me discover it on my own. Downcast, Clara lowers her head. Ok Yes, Clara. Let Marta discover the surprise on her own. But she quickly recovers her mood. Then, she intently gazes in the direction of the closest rabbit. My eyes go back to the Octocats corpse in her grip. She isnt going to do what Im thinking shes going to do, right? Whatever Lets feign ignorance. Unaware of whats happening behind her, Marta starts to walk into the natural valley filled with grass and rabbits munching on it. You know Its weird to have a safe area like this. It makes no sense. This shows how green you are, Andreu. Safe area? What safe area are you talking about? I dont see any. Also, its way too big. I was a fool to even think it was possible your dungeon would be decent. Its clear you just smacked some random stuff together and got lucky with the results Marta keeps talking bullshit about me and my dungeon. She bends her knees and focuses her gaze on a random rabbit. Sometimes, surprising the players with something they dont expect, like a safe area, can be ok. But then you must have something on hand to exploit it, and its clear you dont. She continues her monologue. Theyre just normal rabbits Thats what you want me to think! Her expression changes to an angry one. Hah! Do you think I wouldnt notice this is a trap? As if I didnt know how you like to do everything! Do you think Im stupid!? She kicks the rabbit, which flies for a few meters until it hits a rock and dies. Ah, so it was an actual rabbit What the hell, Andreu? I expected more of you Can you make up your mind already? Are you praising or dissing me!? Marta decides to ignore the rabbits and continue the dungeon exploration. Heh, she didnt notice the damage debuff she got from killing that rabbit. W-wait for me! Dont leave me behind. Clara runs to catch up with her. I cant avoid noticing shes now dragging two of my monsters corpses instead of one. Their numbers are growing! I dont know if shes ever seen an Annoyer, but I wouldnt be surprised if the canary with tiny goat horns and a goatee is her next victim. Lets continue to feign ignorance Marta reaches the closed door with the lever next to it. Is this the door to the next area? Hmm.. it certainly looks like it is. Yes! This door leads to the laboratory, skipping most of the tunnels! If you want to see everything, we can go back whenever you want to. Clara, what did I say about telling me whats next? ...Ill stay quiet. Marta pulls the lever and the door opens. They all enter the passage that leads to the laboratory, but It happens at this moment. You see, the thing is that for some reason I cant quite comprehend, Marta decided it was her duty to protect Clara and her mobs from danger, so her mobs are surrounding the group. They look like bodyguards. And, because the group is so big and theyre placed like that, the Not A Rabbits dont know when to attack. So they didnt so far. But things change when the last mob steps into the exit tunnel, which is also the first and only time they can confirm the condition I put for them to attack: the enemy runs away. In short, the Not A Rabbits strike the same unlucky mob with the ambush damage bonus not once, not twice, but three times. And Martas squishy mage dies. Yeah, youre right Its a squishy mage. A squishy mage with low HP and defense, that only needs three overpowered attacks to take down. Oh, how much I wished I was as squishy as that angel mage Stupid monsters! How dare you kill one of my precious subjects!? Its one of your mobs, it isnt the end of the world, you know? This is it, Ive got enough of you! Ill obliterate all of you for the sins youve committed! Is this the only way you know to solve things, Marta? I thought you were I dont know. Better? Once again, the light orb appears on top of her before flying off and blowing up half of the rabbit area. Its smaller than the giant cave, so even if the explosion comes from a corner, it still covers half of it. As a result, all the Not A Rabbits, as well as five Curse Rabbits, die. And she gets a wonderful total of six stacks of the curse, reducing her damage by 60%. This includes the one she killed before but didnt notice. No! You shouldnt have done this, Marta! Huh? Why not? Its because of the curse! Look at your status, quickly! Youve been cursed! Cursed? Oh, shit, youre right. This is I believe its the first time Ive seen Marta make an expression like that one. Its an amazing mix of despair, anger and shame. She keeps opening and closing her mouth for a while without saying anything. This is obnoxious. Says Marta, when she finally recovers from the shock. Pfft! Hahaha! You did it! You did it again, Marta! Hahaha! I cant stop laughing. Shut up! Ill show you this is but a tiny setback. Even with this debuff, I can still crush your whole dungeon! Yeah, yeah whatever you say. Pffthahaha! Look at your face! Stay still, Im going to take a screenshot to save it forever and show it to everyone I know! Dont you dare! She hides her face with her hands in embarrassment. Too late, Marta. Ive been recording the dungeon invasion the whole time. So I have everything recorded! Of course, this includes your face and reaction right now! Hahaha! Ugh This means nothing! I was distracted. But from now on, I wont fall for any of your tricks! Yeah, yeah Whatever you say I repeat the exact same words. If you want, I can warn you next time Clara offers Marta a helping hand, but she doesnt reply. Im sure shes now conflicted between her pride to do this alone, and the shame of falling for more of my tricks. Oh, no! I must stop this deal before Marta agrees. Hey! Thats cheating! I thought you were a pro player. I make sure to put emphasis on the word pro. And as the best player in our family, its obvious you wont need any help, am I right? Of course, I can do this without any help. Youll see my true power from now on! Im looking forward to it. I taunt. Yes! It worked! My tactic, which is called make her angry so she cant think and continues to fall into my traps so I can laugh at her has worked perfectly. Its all going according to plan. Ive seen some of her replays and matches and she isnt usually like this. Im not sure if she wants to show off her amazingness to us, or if shes too nervous about having to face all my crazy stuff which, and Im talking about proven facts, usually causes her to lose Regardless, the important part is that shes playing worse than normal. In her matches, she doesnt accidentally blow up stuff, nor does she get angry and act recklessly. She wouldnt be in the top rankings if she did. Though I wont complain if shes like this today. Its funnier this way.
It was a good thing the recording of this Dungeon Invasion never left Andreus hands because Marta would have died in embarrassment. Whats more, not even her most devout fans would have been able to identify her if not for her Champion being the same she always used.
Ch 108 - Cry! Cry a little more! So this is the laboratory, huh? Marta looks around as she enters the laboratory. This is the first one, which only has a single Lab Assistant. She sees a half-dwarf half-elf monstrosity, wearing a laboratory coat and holding a notepad and a pencil. I feel that monster is stronger than the ones so far. But Im not sure theyre all weaklings to me. Do you feel superior or something? I say. Come back with a champion in our level range and well see if its strong or weak then. It doesnt count when you compare it to your stupidly overpowered Champion. Everythings weak in comparison! All right, all right Ill stop saying theyre weak Thank you, it was getting annoying. Youre right, it is stronger than the others. But, um you should no, its nothing. Clara wants to add something else but stops. Im sure its because Marta told her to stay quiet. The Lab Assistants continue to be the strongest mobs in my dungeon. The only one thats stronger is the Minitaur Queen but its a Boss, so it doesnt count. Now, the fact that they are the strongest doesnt mean anything when they have to fight against a ridiculously overpowered player. The only saving grace is that my sister has a -60% damage penalty for the next five minutes. Maybe, if the stars align and she isnt too aggressive, will the Lab Assistant survive for ten seconds? Im not sure Itll depend on how her support mobs act. Lets do this. Marta unsheathes her sword and flies toward the Lab Assistant. I think this is the first time Ive seen somebody fight against it with so many stacks of the curse. Usually, the players avoid killing the rabbits after the first time, or they wait until the curse wears off before continuing. My sister really is different. In a not-so-good way. When I created the Curse Rabbits, the idea was to use them to give the players a headache. To confuse them. To make them think between attacking the Not A Rabbits preemptively, and maybe getting cursed instead, and ignoring them and risking to take a surprise attack. But my sister ignored everything. Something that shouldnt have been possible. The funny thing is that the reason Curse Bugs C which, if you forgot, are the original critter unit that gives the curse debuff when killed C were initially implemented to counter behaviors like hers: to prevent players from blowing everything up regardless of the situation. So she didnt fall for my evil plans, but they worked anyway. The Lab Assistant reacts as soon as Marta enters its detection range. It jumps into the air and both of them clash in the middle, before touching the ground. Only this little damage? Marta complains after seeing the Lab Assistants HP bar. This curse is too much, Andreu! I cant understand why more players dont complain and give you bad ratings. Oh, but they DO complain. Only that they accept their own failures and dont put all the blame on me. Also generally, they dont continue the exploration until the debuff wears off. Unless they didnt notice. By the way, shes complaining because her normal attack only dealt about a fifth of the Lab Assistants maximum HP as damage. Let me repeat, just in case you didnt understand it correctly. Shes complaining that her normal attack C which deals the absolute lowest damage possible in the game C, added to her 60% damage reduction curse and to the Lab Assistants 20% innate damage reduction C which, by the way, stack, since one affects the attacker and the other the defender C, and my strongest mob (excluding the boss) only received 1/5 of its maximum HP as damage. Its like I dont know. Like complaining it took you only three seconds to run 100 meters because you were running on one leg. Crazy After hearing her complain, Clara tries to join the fight. Ill help you! I dont need help, I can do this alone. Yep, she doesnt. ...but I want to help anyway *Sigh!* Ok, come here. Lets fight together Yey! Im kind of sorry for the Lab Assistant now. Its going to be a two versus one now. not like it would make any difference.
Unlike every single player Ive seen so far, my sister actually went and looked out for the Monster Train. Whats more, shes actually defeating all the monsters and will surely emerge victorious. Shes got help from her mobs, but still isnt it too much? What about the mushrooms, you ask. She forced her way through. Her stats are so high that some poison damage can be ignored. And what about the Tunnel Mimic? Not worth mentioning. She ended up inside one, but she killed it from inside within a few seconds of it closing its mouth. It was so fast that she emerged in the same place where she got eaten. It didnt have time to move at all. I didnt even see what happened because there was no camera inside its stomach. But The Tunnels Nightmare sure made her despair, right? Nah, I wish it did, but shes got a resistance skill. I dont know which one, but shes got one. Clara had more trouble, but since she knows how everything in my dungeon works, she also knows how to fight against it. She broke the forced-look skill by walking behind a wall and then moving far enough so the howl didnt reach her. Pretty smart, in my honest opinion. The fact that youre forced to look at it doesnt mean you cant move. And if you move behind a wall, it breaks the skills effects and you can move normally from then on. An overpowered skill like this one is bound to have some way to counter it. They only lost three support mobs from the encounter, two of which came from Claras side. But not everything is going smoothly. For them, I mean. Hooo so this can be possible, too. I never expected it to go like this. I chuckle. Fuck this! How can they teleport through walls!? The game doesnt allow this shit! Shouts Marta. Yep, youre right. In the middle of the fight between my sisters and the Monster Train, a group of Hauntlings decided to pop up and wreak havoc. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. And this time, Im not exaggerating. Theyre truly wreaking havoc. The Hauntlings, the meat-bags with four legs but no head or any other features, are running and teleporting as they wish in the middle of this battle. They behave as I set them to: they start by pouncing on their victims, then teleport away to pounce again. And then repeat everything from the start. or until their HP is low at which point they retreat for a while to heal. At first, it was only one that casually walked near this place. But then, thanks to the shared senses, a few more soon joined this chaotic battle. My sisters dont know about this, but they happen to be in one of those places where several tunnels come near each other. Its only because of this that the Hauntlings can move as they please, appearing and disappearing like phantoms. Andreu! Ill report you! I dont know how, but youre clearly cheating! I ignore Martas complaint and continue to enjoy the show. Where is my popcorn? In the cramped tunnel, filled with my sisters mobs and a large amount of Stitched from my Monster Train, theres barely enough space to move. But this doesnt stop the Hauntlings from teleporting, sneaking a few hits in, pouncing on some unlucky support mob or one of my sisters, and then teleporting away to heal. First of all, I didnt expect them to be so resilient. Why arent they dying? My mobs have hit them a few times, but they dont die! If Marta could see their HP bars, she would notice they do take damage, but they soon recover thanks to the Regeneration skill. The problem is there are way too many units in this closed space, so the HP bars are all bunched up and its difficult to see anything. In fact, theres one dead Hauntling. Though its corpse is covered by the Stitcheds corpses and cant be seen. Second point. I didnt expect them to be so annoying, either. But this is a good thing. They can escape from my tentacles! Muuu, this isnt fair Agh, I cant target them like this, there are too many of those disgusting zombie-like mobs. It was you who wanted to fight the Monster Train after asking Clara if there was something else in this area. Dont complain now. If you cant focus your attention on the Hauntlings because there are too many monsters attacking you, its your fault. And the last point, something I wouldnt have imagined, not even in my wildest dreams, is that theyre coordinating flawlessly. Stun-lock? I-is this a stun-lock!? How can they stun-lock me like this? Did you change their AI? How did you do it!? For some time, Marta has been trying to cast the same light ball as before. But every time she tries, one Hauntling pounces on her and shes stunned, interrupting the casting. This might actually be the first time shes trying to blow things up when its actually needed instead of it being caused by a burst of anger. But they dont let her do it, hahaha! *Sigh!* This sister of mine, always blowing up stuff Hey, Andreu will you help me to create something similar to this for my dungeon? I want my cute monsters to be as intelligent as these headless doggos. Pretty please? Clara begs me. I shudder at the image of abyssal horrors teaming up. But shes asking me a favor Haaa well, I guess I cant disappoint my little sister. Ok but Ill only tell you how to do it. I wont come inside your dungeon. I reluctantly agree. Yes! Thank you, I love you. Clara sends me a flying kiss. Ugh! It isnt the same when youre using your champion, you know? The Hauntlings might be the best measure against overpowered and higher-level players. From what Ive seen so far, nothing could really stop or bother Marta until now. Now that Ive seen how strong can the Hauntlings be, Im surprised there werent more complaints about them in the forums. What can be the reason? Maybe, they werent so bothersome because the other players werent so strong compared to my sister? If the Hauntlings killed the invaders with a few attacks, they wouldnt be too annoying. Theyd be lethal, but not annoying. No, this cant be the reason. If they killed the invaders too easily, then the complaints would be about that. Hmmm I dont know. So instead of thinking about it, Im going to enjoy the show. Andreu, you little shit! Even if youre my brother, I swear Im going to report you for cheating. How dare you do this to me!? Dont run away, doggo. Let your big sis hug you to death! Where was I? Oh, yes, my popcorn cup. Here it is.
Hah it was horrible! Marta shudders as she remembers the fight she just finished. Its impossible to change the AI of any monster so much that you completely redefine how they behave. How did you do it, Andreu? What cheats did you use!? Marta is lying on the floor, complaining. Right now, she looks similar to all the corpses surrounding her champion. Cheats? I didnt use any. Hell, I wouldnt know how to cheat even if I wanted to. We beat them! Hehehe! Clara spins around in glee. Until now, I had to run away every time I found them. But this time, we fought and survived! Its all thanks to you and your mobs, Marta. It was amazing! ...thanks. Marta waves her hand at Clara before dropping it once again, going back to her corpse-like posture. Shared senses? Is this the reason they could teleport through the walls? She asks me after inspecting a Hauntling corpse. ...why are you always so lucky? Why do all your crazy and stupid plans always work when its against me? This is so ridiculous! Ill ignore her insults. Youre right! Its thanks to this skill that they can teleport through walls. There are other tunnels close to this place and they were going back and forth all along. Marta doesnt reply and keeps playing dead. I feel kind of bad for her being so depressed Ill have to taunt, umm I mean motivate her somehow. But it was really fun to see, you know? To see my amazing sister struggle like that until she managed to turn everything around and achieve victory When did the situation turn around? It was when the damage reduction curse wore off. From then on, Marta could defeat the Stitched from the Monster Train in a single strike, significantly reducing the time it took to defeat them. After clearing a chunk of space around herself, Marta started to kill every Hauntling that dared to come close enough. After hearing me, Marta twitches but keeps ignoring me. Hmm this isnt enough? Ill have to try harder. Meanwhile, Clara keeps poking at her with her tentacles and chuckling to herself. Do you want a stick, Clara? Maybe itll help you. But I must say it. Its amazing what you did there. Its the first time Ive seen somebody annihilate the Monster Train and survive to tell it. A few of them blew everything up, killing themselves in the process, but it doesnt count. You achieved what nobody else could! Maybe with this Hah, of course. Theres nothing that can stop me. If I had to struggle like I did, it means nobody else could beat them. She finally reacts. But soon closes her mouth and returns to her previous posture. Not enough? Lets take the heavy weaponry, then. But what a shame You struggled so much with my amazing stuff that now youre exhausted. Her eyebrows twitch. You couldnt cope with my weak Hauntlings and almost got done in She clenches her fists as her expression warps. Being reduced to this state this means I won yet again, right? You wish! Marta stands up with a jump. This was but a setback. This is nothing! Youll need a lot more to beat me. Who says I lost!? You must be blind if you think I lost! Ooooh. As expected, it worked. Sooo easy. Too easy. I like this spirit! Lets taunt her a little bit more. Now, lets see how far you can go before you face despair again! Hahaha! Marta raises her right hand and takes an epic pose. There was a time I could do nothing against your random schemes. But Ill show you. Ill never fall for any of your tricks ever again. For Ive been training too long for this day. I was taking this easy because you were my brother but Ill change to serious mode now. Ill show you what a true pro player can do! As she finishes her monologue, Marta starts to walk back to the laboratory area. Confidence and power can be felt from each step. Is this the pressure released by a pro player? I feel Intimidated. Kind of. Its as if I awakened something I shouldnt have. Maybe, shes really going to crush everything in my dungeon now? Well, at least I hope Ill get decent feedback from it Oooh, how cool! Can you teach me how to talk and take a pose like this one? Pretty please? *Puff!* Like that, the epicness of Martas speech is shattered. Clara you need to learn to read the mood.
Andreu didnt know yet, but the reason there were few complaints about the Hauntlings was that there were too few of them. In the vast tunnel area, it was hard for less than ten monsters to be close enough to share their senses. Most players who found them found them alone, or at most in pairs. But this would soon change. It would change as soon as Andreu created a few more of them. At which point it would become a lot more dangerous for the invading players, of course.
Ch 109 - Serious mode: Annihilation This cant be this is impossible. I stare at the monsters corpse displayed on the screen. Am I dreaming? Yes, I must be dreaming That was so cool! You were like a hero, splitting the evil guy in two with a single strike. Clara is waving her tentacles around, excited by what just happened. Marta smirks. Heh, this is nothing. Im sure youre confused right now, so let me go a little back in time to show you what happened Those words were the starting point. The start of the end. When (my) fun stopped. When the stomping started. They marked the appearance of a true pro player. As I remember what happened, time moves backward until it reaches the desired scene in the past. Everything turns foggy and is displayed in black and white.
I shouldnt be suffering like this in your stupid dungeon. From now on, Ill get serious. Said Marta while stretching. Yes! Hehehe! Ive been waiting for this! I knew you would be forced to get serious if you didnt want to fall for more of Andreus tricks! Hehehe! Clara gets excited at the prospect of seeing our older sister in action. It isnt every day you can see a pro player live Well, we do see one every day, but this and that are two different things. Maybe my taunting was a little bit too effective. I only wanted to make Marta angry and not to get serious! Serious? I ask. Werent you serious already? Hmph! You havent seen even the tip of my skill! I was trying to accommodate you and Clara. I also wanted to see everything similar to how one of your usual invaders would, this is why I let stuff hit me. Is that so? I dont know if I should believe you or not, everything, including your reactions, felt too real to me From now on, Ill treat this as if it were a PvP battle against a top player. Youll soon see the difference. But dont worry. Ill make sure to test every trap, monster, and area, and then give you feedback. Is your feedback the consolation prize? I dont like it! But Ill take it anyway it isnt as if I have any other choice. All my hopes to make her go mad disappear. The stat and skill differences are too far apart If she continued to play as before, I could have a chance to make her cry one or two more times maybe. But I dont think my tricks will work now. And I relied on those tricks! Dont you, too, think this is unfair!? My sisters continue the dungeon invasion. Theyve now finished the exploration of the first areas of my dungeon, so they return to the first laboratory room. They then step into the Freezer. The Freezer, where I keep the corpses. Always filled to the brim with blood, gore, and frozen cadavers. But as they go through it, the number of corpses skyrockets through the roof. Through the screen, it looks as if Marta is swatting flies away. Poor Stitched. As much as I hate (love) them, I didnt want them to end like that. The next room they go into is the second laboratory area, the one with the Lab Assistant and the four Panicky Spitters. Marta assesses the monsters inside the room before giving orders. Stay here. Ill do this on my own. But I want to help Complains Clara. Im tired of only watching. Then how about I leave this fight to you? Yes! Thank you! After reaching an agreement, Clara and her support mobs enter the room while Marta and her mobs stay near the door. The fight starts, and Clara soon takes the advantage. She knows where the traps in this room are, and also what the Lab Assistant is capable of. Hoh, so you can do it like this Im absorbed by my little sisters fight. In part because I cant take my eyes off of their terrifying visages, but also because shes fighting the Lab Assistant in a way I never expected. Shes good is it thanks to Martas training? Im not sure if thats the cause, but she has improved. Clara is controlling the aggro so that the Lab Assistant targets those monsters close to the lightning rods. This way, they get destroyed by the Lab Assistants aura damage while Clara and her mobs can focus all the attacks on the Lab Assistant. Pretty good. The last time she came to my dungeon, she didnt fight like this. Hey, Andreu. Martas voice snaps me out of the trance. Whats up? Whats whats wrong with them? Them? Whore you talking aboC I stop in the middle of the phrase. I look at where shes pointing. Its Its the Panicky Spitters. They dont know what to do or where to go because Marta and her support mobs are blocking the door, so theyre running randomly inside the room, trying to stay as far away as possible from all invaders. Meanwhile, they keep spitting slime against random targets. Sometimes they hit Clara or her minions, and sometimes Marta or her minions. They sometimes hit another one of their kind, and I saw one projectile landing on the Lab Assistant. This is ridiculous... I never saw what happened when they were ignored but couldnt run away until today. *Sigh* Theyre trying to run away... Ill explain to you later. For now, you can kill them so they dont disturb Claras fight. Sure, I will. A few flying blades later, the four Panicky Spitters are turned into corpses. Im always amazed at her skill in predicting where another player or monster will move, or how will they try to evade. Can she see the future? Because if she can, it will explain so many things If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. With the nuisances gone, Claras fight soon reaches the climax. The second ice nova hits nobody because she makes her support units retreat on time, and she herself finishes off the Lab Assistant. Well done, Clara! With this fight, Ive seen how much youve improved! Marta praises her. Yes, youve improved from the last time I saw you fight, I add. Hehehe! Clara shyly scratches her not-a-head with her not-a-hand. This isnt something I wanted to see, not with that champion. If not for her champion, Im sure I would be thinking How cute, shes weak to praise right now. After this short conversation, the two cross the door leading to the Minitaur Queens area. Their minions follow behind. Marta looks around and nods. Good, this is a perfect place for flying. She then moves her wings for the first time in the whole dungeon invasion. Maybe? Im not sure if its the first time or not. She beats her wings once, then jumps and starts to fly. Dont leave me behind! I cant fly! Shouts Clara. Dont worry, Im just scouting ahead. Until now, she hasnt used the wings once. Not that I can remember, at least. Is this what she was talking about when she said Ill get serious? So far, it was hard to fly because of the narrow passages and obstacles in the caves, tunnels, and laboratories. But there were a few times when she would have had an easier time if she used her wings. I thought she forgot, but it might be she didnt fly on purpose. Marta raises over the laboratory equipment. From this position, she can see most of the rooms layout. She then notices a small dot moving through the room. Theres something flying. Is it a monster? She mumbles to herself. Something flying? It must be the boss! Replies Clara with enthusiasm. But when she receives a glare from Marta, apologizes. Im sorry I blurted it without thinking. Ill keep my mouth shut in the future. Marta returns to where Clara is standing without saying replying. Im sure shes tired of Clara spoiling most of the stuff when she asked her not to do it. And not once or twice, but a lot of times. Is this why this area is so big? So it can fly? But it also gives players that can fly the advantage Are you listening, Andreu? I am. I always am. Ill have to see it for myself, but maybe you should put some stuff that prevents players from flying. Or from seeing. In case you dont know, there are skills that allow players to see from above. They dont need to fly to use it to their advantage. I see Ill think about it. Watch everything from above this is troublesome. I can do little about flying, and there arent a lot of champions that can fly by default, but the sight skills are a problem. Now that I think about it, in the tournament, it felt as if the other team knew everything we were doing. Could it be because of one such skill!? Maybe they could see everything from above!? If thats the case, its a shame. But too bad, its too late to do anything about it. Hmm Should I raise the walls to the ceiling? Or make the ceiling lower? Illusions? Maybe some traps could help Ill have to think hard about it. Lets talk about this later. Ill now focus on crushing everything on my path! Ha, ha, ha! I feel an imaginary cold sweat on my back. Theres no need, really. You can relax. Relax and fall for all my tricks! Fufufu! Hahaha! Lets go! Adds Clara. Ill show you the way this time. Theres no need Marta scratches her cheek. Uh, you know what, do what you want. Youll do it anyway But leave the flying monster to me. Aye, sir! Ill guide you, sir! It doesnt take long for the Minitaur Queen to detect the intruders. Its shadow flies at a fast speed toward my sisters group. Furthermore, it happens when theyre right next to a water canal. Oh, no! What are we going to do! Shouts Clara. I forgot about it! What if we fall into the water channel and get separated? I wont be able to guide you if it happens. So youre worried about not playing the guide role, and not about being separated from one another? Your priorities are all over the place, Clara. I told you, didnt I? Ill take charge of that monster. Step aside and let the pro do her job. Marta pushes Clara to a side and takes the front position, ready to receive the Minitaur Queens charge. Go! Go and smash her pride to dust! Push her into the water canal and let her feel despair! I shout with the micro disconnected. The boss increases its speed at the end, right before they clash. *Cling! Slash!* The two exchange attacks. Then, when the non-existent dust settles, I can finally see the results of the clash. Marta is looking at the floor with a surprised expression on her face. There, theres the Minitaur Queens corpse. Is this all? I was expecting more.
The color returns to the screen and the video returns to the present. My mouth hangs agape at the unbelievable scene. One strike. ONE SINGLE STRIKE. This is all it took for Marta to kill my boss. It was like cling, and then fwoosh! And then it fell, like that! Hehehe! Youre too strong! Clara merrily spins around. The Octocat and rabbit corpses are still hanging from her tentacles, but my attention is somewhere else. This is so ridiculous! My strongest monster, a monster that costs almost twice as much cp as my own champion, and with a 100% stats boost thanks to the Boss buff, defeated in a single strike!? Ok, Im sure she used some skill there. I saw her parry the attack, then her sword glowed for an instant, and That was all I could see. Maybe she wasnt joking when she said she would get serious, after all. Im not sure. Was it trying to do something? It ended too quickly. Says Marta. Its your fault it ended so quickly! Its also your fault you couldnt see how the boss works! So at least, dont put salt into my wound! It was trying to push you into the water canal. But your Strength is so ridiculous, you didnt get pushed. Oh, is that so? Well, it wouldnt have worked anyway. I could fly out of it. Youre right. I didnt think about it before, but shes right. Depending on what skill the player has, or if they can fly, they can get out of the water canal before its too late. Well, I put the water canals to make it annoying, not to make it impossible. Were close now. Clara grabs Martas hand and starts pulling. Ill show you to the end. I know where it is! Marta allows herself to be dragged. Otherwise, theres no way Clara could force her to move. Ok, then lets continue. Andreu, get ready, because here we come! She says. Aaagh! Its a monster! Its coming for my life, and theres no way I can stop her. Somebody, save me! I shout in the dark room filled with screens. Has the day when I have to say the Youll never get me! epic lines as I blow myself up? Because I can do it, I have the Grand Finale. Maybe this isnt that bad? Ive been looking forward to the day I could say it But wait. Shes saying this is the end? It isnt, theres the new area Oh, right! Clara doesnt know about the new area. The last time she came, I hadnt created it yet. And neither does Marta, of course. This means everything they see from now on will be new to both of them. No more spoilers, no more tips, no more Its dangerous!. From now on, theyll experience the true terror of my dungeon: not knowing what comes next! Youre in for a big, big surprise! Fufufu! Hahaha! My laughter echoes in the dimly lit room.
For those who liked diving into The Mad Rats Lab for fun, there was a motto they liked to say. It went like this: What kills you, makes you stronger. However, with it, they didnt mean what you would expect. Instead of talking about improving and making you a better player, they interpreted it in a somewhat warped way. For them, this phrase meant: if you die and feel despair, the next time you suffer the same, it wont matter as much to you. In short, it was a way to comfort themselves after failure.
Ch 110 - Just like you Clara slides her tentacles over the closed door with my logo drawn, the one that leads to the dungeon core. Why is a door here? There should be the dungeon core instead of this door Andreu, did you make changes to your dungeon without telling me? She crosses her arms and asks me. Yes, theres a whole new area. I just never told you because we were so busy with the training and everything else Muuu, this isnt good! I tell you everything I do, so you should do the same! Thats a lie, you only tell me what you feel like telling me. For example, you never explained to me whats that about the slave stuff you sometimes mention. Not like I want to know. In fact, I prefer not knowing. But you didnt tell me anything about it anyway. And Im sure there are a lot more things you never tell me. As if I could tell you everything I do. But dont you feel bad for your cute little sister? Dont you think its normal to tell me everything? Well, I dont. Do you believe youre my owner or something similar? Dont worry, Clara. If you want, from now on Ill tell you everything I do! See? Arent I a good older sister? ...but I dont need it. Im just interested in him, not you. W-what!? B-but haaaa, why is it always like this? Im sorry, Marta. It seems she hasnt completely forgiven you yet. Or maybe shes just joking because she got angry at me. Yeah the latter is more probable. After a little bit of fooling around, Marta starts inspecting the door. Meanwhile, Clara sits on the ground, sulking. Theres my logo on the door, occupying most of the double-sided metal door. Right next to it, theres one of those devices where you can put a card into. How were they called again? Well, who cares Hmmm, so this is why you asked me how could you put your own drawing into the game. Its a little bit crude, but the wererats head laughing like a deranged and the lighting in the background is quite original. And it fits you perfectly. Youre right! And thanks for the compliment. It wasnt a compliment. ... How am I supposed to take it, then? It sounded like a compliment to me, but she says it isnt Marta puts one hand on her chin and starts thinking. So we now need to find the card that opens this door? I wonder where it is we havent found anything like this so far, but Clara said this was the last room maybethat area I saw She mutters. This is because youre missing the new area, the failed experiments area. Hmm what to do? In a standard dungeon invasion, the players would have to avoid the Minitaur Queen while going back and forth between this door, which leads to the dungeon core, and the sealed area. But it makes no sense now because the boss is dead. It suffered a pathetic death. It wouldnt make any difference even if I could somehow resurrect it, it would die immediately again. And, I dont want them to waste lots of time, nor do I want to see them go back and forth without any fixed objective Itll be too boring. So Ill give them a helping hand. Ok, ok, you got me. Its mostly because of the latter. Who likes to be bored? Not I, certainly. Its inside the new area I created. Turn around. Marta turns around. Do you see that area on the rightmost wall, where moss grows and theres a weird brownish substance? Oh, that area I understand. Marta nods. I thought it was suspicious when I flew over the laboratory stuff, so it was the first place I wanted to investigate. But Clara led me here instead This shows her experience. With a single glance, she immediately knew what area was the most suspicious. I added the moss and sticky goo near the entrance to help guide players. Or to be more specific, so that players knew there was something there when they got near the sealed door. I also made it visible from here so that players would know where to go if theyre lost. I just never thought somebody would fly over the laboratory equipment, allowing them to see the hints from the entrance. Yes, that area is where you need to go. Ill guide you there through the shortest route to save time. Thanks, I suppose. I dont really need your help, but if it saves us time, Ill accept it. Couldnt you leave it at the thanks? Would it kill you to say thank you without adding anything else? Come on, Clara. Lets go. Clara continues crossing her arms and turns her head away. I dont want to. You dont? Then you can wait here, Ill come back once I get the key. Marta starts to walk. She opens her wings. Now that Im alone, I can make this easier by flying. Oh, right. Since shes been playing with Clara, who cant fly, she was hesitating to use the wings for exploration. But if she goes alone, she can do whatever she wants to. What can I do to prevent this? I dont want her to be in serious mode and freely flying everywhere because I wont be able to make her cry! And I want to see her go crazy and explode in anger some more! And talking to her is useless. After falling for my tricks a few times today, she wont listen to anything I say. I guess Ill have to convince Clara to go with her somehow Come on, Clara I say, in the gentlest tone I can. If you go into the new area, youll make me very happy. Clara doesnt move or react at all. This wont do It looks like Ill have to bring out the heavy artillery. Ill be so happy I might do whatever you ask me to do. But what a shame you dont wantC Marta, what are you waiting for? Lets go! Clara suddenly appears right next to Marta, who was a few meters in front of her, even before I finish my sentence. She grabs Martas hand and starts pulling. W-what!? How did you get here without me noticing? Exclaims Marta. Yes, my reaction is the same. W-what!? How did she move so fast? Did she get a teleport spell that I didnt know about? Sometimes, she can be very scary Well, scarier than usual, I mean. Did she know I wanted to make Marta cry again, and took advantage of the situation? Please, tell me she didnt do it on purpose. Tell me I didnt fall for her tricks, that shes not playing with me like that! Lets go! The sooner we complete this, the sooner I can get him to do what I want. What should I ask him? Hehehe! Ok, ok. But stop pulling me. I was on my way anyway Marta turns her head away from Clara and makes a nasty smile. She knows. She knows Im screwed! I shudder. Theres this feeling. This sensation of something coming for me. Oh, shit. Thisll come back and bite me. I just hope it isnt that bad Lets calm down, Andreu. What can she ask? Im sure its going to be something normal. She isnt going to ask anything stupid, Im sure of it. Im sure?
Hmm dark, humid, and creepy. Should I praise you for creating yet another area with a completely different feeling? Nah, itll go to your head. This is the first thing Marta says after opening the sealed door that leads to the failed experiments area. I set it so the boards and rusty door can be attacked and destroyed. It is so they can act as a blocker until the area is open, at which point the monsters inside can start pouring into the rest of the dungeon. I dont call it a sealed area only because it sounds cool. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. By the way, she only needed a single punch to break her way through. Marta starts going down the stairs, closely followed by Clara. Broken lights ugh, this sticky goo is disgusting mold Maybe you should go easier on the smell, its too strong right now. Marta comments as she descends. But I thought you were scared of spooky things, Andreu. Why did you create an area like this if you dont like it? Oh, no. Youre wrong. I answer. What Im afraid of is the Abyss stuff. Im not scared of normal horror stuff. Not of monsters, not of phantoms, and certainly not of the darkness. I also dont mind gore and gross things. Its just the Abyss monsters, just them. Aha, I see Marta makes a nasty grin. What are you planning now, Marta? Hey, hey! Do you think a monster will come and attack us while we cant see anything? Clara interrupts Martas thoughts by poking her shoulder. This is a dungeon, so yes. Im more or less sure it will. Then do you think itll be a disgusting monster? Or a dangerous one? Maybe a cute one? I would like it to be a big and scary monster that chases us and we have to run away! Do you think theres a monster like that? Im sorry, Clara. The monster youre talking about is still in progress. I didnt have the time or cp to create it yet. But I want to add a unit similar to what youre describing in the future, so dont worry. Youll have the chance to enjoy your monstrous chase in the future. I dont know. And why are you asking me, you should ask Anreu instead. Oh, right! Clara nods a few times before speaking again. Andreu! Is there an unstoppable monster from which we need to run away? I dont know what youll find, I answer. Also, dont you think itll be better if its a surprise? Im sure our older sister, here present, will agree with me. Shes been complaining about knowing too much until now Yes, youre right. Its better if we dont know whats coming next. Ok you dont need to tell us anything. But I wanted to know Clara lowers her head in sorrow. By the way, Im not lying. Which monsters are released from the sealed rooms and which ones arent isnt up to me. Its up to the Blips. Of course, this is only true if I dont manually open the doors from here, but this and that are two different things. Also, I dont want to do it because I want their feedback. I need them to experience a normal dungeon invasion. And with normal I mean a dungeon invasion where I dont personally intervene at all. Ive been tempted a few times to activate a trap right on top of Marta, to make her angry, followed by an Ups! exclamation so she knew it was on purpose. It was really hard to stop myself from doing it but I didnt do it in the end. Arent I a good person? So Im not going to intervene, nor am I going to tell them whats next. No help and no obstructions seem fair to me. As soon as they reach the end of the stairs, my sisters start looking around. Theyre searching for clues of what this area is, or what kind of enemies theyll encounter. Hey, look here, Marta! Shouts Clara. Theres an empty prison cell here! And next to it, theres a wall with a glass There are monsters inside! *Sigh!* How many times do I have to tell you to not shout? The monsters might come after us if they hear you... If they come, youll instantly defeat them all! So I dont have to worry! This isnt the issue here And dont touch random stuff! Why are you always like this Hey, Andreu, do you want to switch places? No thanks. You can take care of Claras behavior, I dont need that honor. But its best if I dont say anything in this situation, so I dont. I dont want to bring more trouble upon myself. Ugh, they look like monsters! Its disgusting. Of course they do, theyre monsters. And what did I tell you, Clara? I-Im not touching! Im just looking, I swear! Clara hides her hand behind her back. But thats not what I meant! Theyre humans, but theres something growing out of them. Its disgusting. Right before Marta stopped her, Clara was about to press the button that opens the sealed rooms door. I saw it, Marta saw it, and Clara knows we saw it. Im not sure whats she trying to achieve by lying here. Then what are we going to do? Are we leaving them here? No, Im going to fight them now. I just dont want you to randomly touch things. If you want to get into the top rankings, you must stop doing it. But I dont care about the rankings... And youll solve everything anyway, I dont have to worry. Marta makes a pained face and turns around. She starts speaking to herself in a low voice so that Clara doesnt hear. Ugh I like that she relies on me, and I want her to keep doing it. But my pride as a pro player forces me to train her the best I can. This includes fixing her obsession to poke everything she sees. I want her to rely on me, but I also want her to improve What should I do? Ugh Marta furiously scratches her head while thinking about what to do. I can hear it clearly thanks to how the screens and audio works in the game, but Clara cant. It seems youre having trouble with Clara too, huh, sister? Well I understand how you feel. Its usually me whos in your position, and the decision I took was to embrace chaos. The thing is, can you actually do it? Because if I remember properly, you hate chaos because it reminds you of your matches against me Fufufu! Hahaha! Do I feel bad for Marta? Hell, no! I enjoy her suffering! *Blip!* As Marta struggles with her decision, the sound of one door opening echoes throughout the passage. What did I tell you, Clara!? I didnt press it! It wasnt me! Look, the door is still closed! True to her words, the door to the cell containing the vine-infected humans is closed. It must have been a Blip, randomly opening another room. Lets see what monsters were liberated I scan the screens, looking for the cell that was opened. Oh, here they are. Ooooh, this is interesting. Very interesting. Lets see do my sisters react This is going to be very funny! Hahaha! If it wasnt you, then it means another door was opened. Andreu, do you have anything to do with this? Marta asks me. I swear it wasnt me. Then there must be something thats capable of opening the doors. Stay alert, we dont know what well face, or how many therell be. Ooh, you guessed it right. Theres something that can open the doors in this place. Sir, yes sir! Clara makes a military salute in response. Shes still fooling around Were leaving this place alone for now, we must understand whats going on first. Follow me, and stay quiet. Ok... Clara looks at the button that opens the door with regret before following after Marta.
Fufufu! Hahaha! It doesnt take long for them to find the first escapee. How will they react? Is that you, Andreu? What the hell are you doing here? Didnt we agree you would leave us alone? Andreu! You came after all! Hehehe! Their reactions couldnt be more different. One crosses her arms, furrows her brows, and asks for an explanation. The other jumps in glee and rushes at me. Of course, thats not me, its one of the failed clones. But Im not going to say anything... I want to see their reactions first. No, watch it properly. Its not him. Says Marta. The arms are different. Which means this is a monster Clara stops in her tracks after hearing the truth. Oh, youre right! They arent black, nor do they release black smoke. They got me. Then, theres no need to stay quiet anymore. Yes, youre right! Thats not me, its one of my failed clones. The failed clone finally notices the intruders and prepares for combat. And the first thing it does is laughing like a maniac with foam on its mouth. Then, it prepares to cast Chain Lightning but, before it can, it slips and falls on its ass. No no way Why did you have to fail so miserably? Why!? Pfftt! Hahaha! Marta bursts into laughter. I see now! Its truly your clone! Its as stupid as you are, after all! Hahaha! Its true! It even laughs like you do when playing the Mad Rat, Andreu! No, no, no, no. Im not as stupid as the clone. And it shouldnt be acting like a fool either. Whats going on? Then, another failed clone appears from the corner at rushes at Marta, whos the closest invader. At the same time, the first clone finally manages to cast Chain Lighting. But right at this moment, the newcomer makes a jump, putting itself in the middle and receiving the first hit from the lightning. Sure, after hitting him the lightning then jumps at Marta and some of her closest minions, but the failed clone takes the most damage because it takes the first hit. What the hell!? I programmed them to behave like deranged maniacs, but I didnt expect them to do something like this! Hahaha! Whats this? Is this a show? Pffft! I cant stop laughing! Why are they behaving like this? Why are they attacking each other? I want to ask the same question too. Oh my god, this is bad I can accept it if I messed up with their AI and theyre doing this shit because of me. But why did it have to be now!? Why did it have to be against my sisters!? I wouldnt have minded if it happened against another player instead! But its so different from what Ive seen so far My clones, why are they so stupid and useless!? All the players Ive seen so far were scared of them, you know!? Theyre supposed to be scary, not funny, so why are they hitting each other now!? P-put a, shield, and stay p-p-put. D-dont kill them. Marta orders her minions. I-I want, to, see what they do next. Pffft! This is, s-so stupid! Hahaha! Oh, here comes a t-t-third! Pffft! Marta rolls on the floor as she laughs. An almost transparent film appears in the passage, separating the failed clones from my sisters and their mobs. Now that the failed clones have lost their targets C or more accurately, they cant reach them C they start doing even more stupid stuff. Like licking the shield, or climbing on top of another to try and jump over the invisible wall. This i-is, getting, better! Hahaha! Meanwhile, Clara is watching everything with a dangerous gleam in her non-existant eyes. How do I know it, if she doesnt have eyes? I know her better than herself. What shes saying also helps me know it. After this ends, maybe I can Hehehe. Mutters Clara while intently staring at one of the failed clones and tightly holding the corpses of the Octocat and the rabbit. Wait a moment! Is she Shes going to do it, isnt she!? Those are the last words I hear before my mind breaks into tiny, minuscule fragments. It was supposed to be fun for me, and not the other way around!
I couldnt focus on the end of the dungeon invasion. I was too ashamed. It didnt help that Clara was dragging one of my failed clones corpses around, hugging it from time to time and murmuring very scary and perturbing things. Things I wont repeat so your mind stays pure... But it was a good thing Marta took the feedback part seriously and I could fix all the mistakes and improve the dungeon.
Ch 111 - Surprise! I stare at the screen with dead eyes. The failed clones continue to try to climb over the shield one of Martas minions created. Fufufu! Hahaha! They laugh, cry, and fumble around, randomly casting spells from time to time. I continue watching everything without reacting. Its as if my soul left my body. Pfft, hahaha! This is so ridiculous! Marta laughs. Right next to her, Clara clenches and unclenches her tentacle fist. Shes intently watching the failed clones as if about to pounce on one of them. After a while, one of the clones is hit by a Chain Lightning, followed by a Cold Blast. It dies. Why are they killing each other now!? Lo, look at this! We dont need to do anything, theyre killing themselves! Hahaha! Marta finally stops laughing and orders her minion to release the shield. She then proceeds to kill the failed clones. The remaining ones, I mean. She chuckles from time to time. As soon as the shield disappears, Clara jumps at one of the clones. Why did she jump on top of the one thats already dead? You know what? I think I dont want to know Good job there, Andreu! Shouts Marta. Its amazing how you managed them to behave so much like you! Pffft! Like this, all invaders will know how stupid you are! Most players are afraid of them, you know? I reply in a monotonous voice. That cant be, it makes no sense. Theyre so useless My precious. Its mine and only mine Both I and Marta shudder and decide to ignore Clara. For our own sanity. After this absurd situation caused by my failed clones concludes, my sisters continue the exploration. The only difference from before is that Clara is now dragging three corpses, and Marta chuckles from time to time, recalling the last fight. Three Corrosive Chokers drop from the ceiling at the same time, aiming for the first three victims in the group. Which happen to be both my sisters and one of Martas mobs. Ambush! Shouts Marta, immediately turning around and slashing right through the one that was aiming at her. She then proceeds to kill the remaining two, not giving them enough time to stick to the victims faces. Well, I say kill, but it isnt as if they could die so fast thanks to the chimeras innate skill: Eternal Pain. What she does is slash them once, with enough damage to kill them, before ordering one of her minions to put them to sleep and let them bleed to death. If youre asking why the sleep status doesnt disappear when they take damage, its because they dont take damage. The pain pool, the accumulated excess damage dealt in the next ten seconds, doesnt count as damage. Im sure its to avoid abuses with resistance skills, or skills that trigger when damage is received. And thats all the Corrosive Chokers can achieve: to die a slow, silent, and painful death. How ironic. Maybe its because of what has happened so far, but I was kind of expecting this to happen. With something stupid or unexpected, like monsters that teleport through walls, I might be able to upset Marta. But when it comes to a common thing like an ambush, shes unstoppable. I keep looking at the screen, a blank look on my face. Aaah, I wish this ends soon I want to forget about my clones and the shame they brought me... Unaware of my struggle, my sisters meet the next monster obstructing their way. Its one of the Invisible Horrors, my abyss near-invisible creations. The fight starts. Well, I say fight, but can you call a staring contest a fight? My monster moves at the same speed as they do, keeping itself in the general direction where theyre looking. I notice Marta turning her head for a moment before returning to look at the front. Did she notice the monster? Im sure she did. Then, why didnt she attack it? She mustve thought something like Why should I care? Its like an ant to me. In fact, Marta and her minions barely feel the MP drain. Its Clara and her minions that do. But at the same time, the Invisible Horrors MP starts to fall too. And at a very fast speed. Why? Thats a very easy question to answer, my friend. Its because Claras minions are from the Abyss too, so they share the MP draining skill. So the abyss monstrosities unknowingly stare at each other, slowly getting drained of all their MP. And yes, this is for both parties. The staring contest continues until my monster falls, dead, with its mind shattered because of looking at too many abyss horrors. Ironically, the ones to suffer the most from this are my monster, who died, and Claras support mobs. Marta and her minions, with their stupidly high stats, almost didnt notice. The mind-shattering monsters are the ones who have their own minds shattered! What an irony! Nothing interesting happens for a while. Only a few more Corrosive Chokers get themselves killed, and another staring contest occurs. My sisters also find another sealed room and massacre the monsters inside it. They were the Kidnappers No. 2. They stood no chance against my overpowered older sister and my tank-killer little one. *Blip!* Right when theyre about to leave the room, another Blip opens one of the remaining cells. What will it be this time? Im kind of curious, but I cant find the drive to search them. I still have to recover from my trauma. Ill wait for them to show themselves. Marta announced she wanted to see the whole area and find and kill all monsters, so its a foregone conclusion theyll meet at some point.
It doesnt take long for the escapees to show themselves. It doesnt take long for them to die, either However this time, it isnt a consequence of Martas actions. *BOOOOM!* Right behind their group, theres a very loud explosion, followed by a few more of similar intensity. *BOOOOM! BOOM!* The culprits? The Bombers. Who else could it be? Oh, they managed to kill some of Martas mobs, I didnt think it was possible. Hmm I see, its two of those squishy mages. The total death count of Martas support mobs has now risen to a total of three. Noo! My poor minions! Marta shouts as soon as she sees the corpses. Who dared to attack us from behind and kill some of my precious minions!? In her angry outburst, she doesnt see the corpses of the culprits, which are right next to her own minions corpses. Its Clara who points this out. I dont think youll find them. Theyre dead, after all. Dead? Marta finally sees the corpses of the Bombers. She inspects them. Are you fucking kidding me, Andreu? Why the hell did you give them those skills!? And you also upgraded them!? How much do you want to upset your invaders? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. A lot. I want them to cry or overreact, if possible, similar to what youre doing right now. But thanks for your concern. How dumb can you be? If you put something like this, players will complain about how difficult it is, and give you bad ratings! I knew it, you dont have any idea of how to design a dungeon! Ugh I want to forget about everything and finish this soon, but I cant stand her complaints anymore Ill have to say something. You just need to poke them and theyll self-destruct. You simply need to spot them before its too late. Also, theyll stay inside the cells most of the time, so they wont appear unless the players open their door or theyre unlucky. Youre right Marta lowers her head in defeat after taking a closer look at their HP and skills. But still invisibility and charm? Didnt you go a little bit overboard!? I dont think so. Ugh I hate you and your tricks, Andreu! And what am I going to do with this, now!? The ones I wanted to blow up are already dead! Marta looks at the light sphere right on top of her head. I dont know. Dont ask me, its your skill, not mine. I know! Chimes Clara from behind her. You can use it in the next room we find! And be like booom!, blowing everything up! Hehehe! ...lets do it. I need to relieve some stress anyway. Oi! Dont use my monsters to relieve stress! What did they do to you!? on second thought, blow as many of them as you want. I dont want you to focus any of that stress on me once we leave the game. Use them as punching bags, torture them, blow them to smithereens but whatever you do, dont do it to me, ok? They turn around the corner and soon find the desired target. Clara opens the door, and Marta throws the light ball inside, blowing everything up. Poor Mansheep... They were obliterated before they could say hello. Oh, look here! Theres a card here! It must be the key to the dungeon core. Says Clara. She inspects the corpses of the Mansheep and finds the key inside the room. This must be the real one. Theres no way one of the Monster Keys would have survived that insane explosion. Theyre very resilient, but not immortal. While Clara is rejoicing, Marta puts a hand on her chin. Hmm I dont think this is it, Clara. Hes too convoluted to do something so simple. Anyway, I want to see the rest of this area, so were not leaving yet. Aww I wanted to receive my gift soon Ok, Ill follow you Like this, they continue their dungeon exploration, murdering anything that dares cross their paths except for the critters. Hey, Andreu. Ive been wanting to ask you this for a while. Are you opening the doors from wherever you are? Asks Marta. No, Im not. Then why are they opening and releasing the monsters inside? Its because of some critters I created. Theyre very weird bugs. I think youve seen them once or twice already. Oh, so its them Its nice to know. Marta clenches her fists tightly while grabbing her sword. She then releases a flying blade to a faraway location. Wow, how did you manage to hit something that small from this distance? Says Clara. I cant see where the attack went, its offscreen. Maybe in the next camera Oh, here it is! Is this one of the Blips? But it was so far away from my sisters that I had to find another camera How the hell did she spot and kill it? Does she have superpowers? This is nothing. Says Marta. This is something that must be done. Now that I know the culprits, Ill make sure none will survive. Marta, are you Are you still holding a grudge over the Bombers?
I continue staring at the screen with empty eyes. I dont have any motivation or drive anymore, I just want this to end. Also, I try to avoid looking in Claras direction the best I can. Im sure you know why. Marta pcks up a card from the ground. See? I told you it wouldnt be so simple. Youre right. But I never expected there would be more than one key! Thats cheating, Andreu! Right now, Marta is holding the four cards in her hands C three of which are monsters, but they dont know about them yet C, and Clara can only agree to her words. If only they knew the first one they got was the only one they needed I kind of want to tell them, but at the same time, I also want to see how theyll react if I dont. So I wont tell them. Marta hasnt gone crazy anymore, they fought normally since the bomber incident. There were no more anger management issues. This means they didnt attack the Monster Keys and thus they survived. Its also because its Marta whos holding onto them. With Claras passive drain, they would die, sooner or later. But her hands are full right now, so she cant. Dont look at Clara, Andreu. Dont look at her I force myself to look elsewhere. I think this is everything. Marta stretches her shoulders. We covered the whole area and searched everywhere. We can finally go back and end this dungeon invasion. Yes! Finally! Clara spins around. Dont do that, please At least, not while grabbing my clone like that My sisters cross the sealed laboratory area and soon return to the already-dead-boss area. It doesnt take a long time because the sealed area isnt hard to navigate. Sure, it has quite a lot of dead-end passages, but most of them communicate with the central or main hallways. Unless you have trouble remembering where you went through, you cant get lost. Marta spreads the cards and looks at the closed door. Now we just need to introduce the keys into the card reader, and well be done. Can I do it, please? Sure, I dont mind it. Unless he put a trap there, it should be safe Because you didnt, right, Andreu? Hm? Why should I put a trap there? A trap that activates when you put the card? In a place players must activate to reach the dungeon core? Itll be too nasty. Though, this does give me some ideas Also youre wrong, Marta. The trap is in your hands, youre holding it right now. Well, not exactly a trap but more like a surprise. I stay quiet and dont reply. As I said before, Im not going to give any clues. It happens when they get close enough. At the same time, the three mimics, transformed into identical copies of the real card, start transforming into their original shape: a Boulder, the smallest earth elemental, with black goo coming out of their joints. Gyaaa! W-whats this!? Marta shouts in surprise. Shes the first to notice the shapeshifting and quickly releases the cards with a cute yelp. But its Clara, whos a meter away and can see everything better, the first to understand whats happening. The keys are turning into monsters! I knew it, I knew Andreu would have some hidden trick. It was weird there were four similar keys... Ooh, theyre small chubby rocks! Hehehe! After watching her reaction I burst out laughing. What a cute yelp, Marta! Do you also shout like that when you play ranked matches? I mock her. Aaah, it was worth it. It was worth staying here, after all I wanted to disconnect to forget about the clone incident, but this was worth the trouble. I lowered my guard, and its the first time I found something like this Marta clenches her fists and lowers her head in shame. Andreu, stop laughing! N-no, but Im not laughing at allC Pfft! Hahaha! I quickly turn off the micro as I burst laughing once again. Y-you are! I heard you! Oops, I wasnt quick enough. But hes right. Your cry was kind of cute! Hehehe! Ugh not you too After a few slashes C three to be exact, one for each Monster Key, C Marta puts the single remaining card into the slot and the door opens. She immediately glares at the dungeon core, ready to destroy it. Ah, I almost forgot! I say. Clara, do you remember I asked you for help at the start of the invasion? Oh, right! Its true you did Whatever you need to do, do it fast. I dont want to waste any more time here Looks like Marta is still affected by the shame and wants to end this as quickly as possible. Lets ignore her In the core room, to the right, theres a door with a code lock. Introduce the numbers from one to nine three times and itll open. Ok! Clara runs to the door and quickly enters the code. What do I need to do now? You dont need to do anything. Just make your support mobs walk inside and Ill do the rest. Ok! Come on, my cute little minions! Its time to follow your mothers orders and make your pappy happy! When have I become the father of such dreadful and ugly children!? I shudder at the horrifying image that comes to me. Marta stares unhappily at Clara as the latter makes her support mobs enter the capture room, as I like to call it. Make it fast, you two. Dont waste time. She demands. Sure thing! Ok.
Act as if you knew everything in advance. Youre never surprised. You never suffer because of a lack of information. If you die, its because you werent good enough and never because it took you by surprise. Let your opponents think so. This isnt only to make you look cool, but to help you rise in the rankings: if your opponents dont know what you lack, or which are your weak points, they wont be able to use them against you. - The first rule from Do you want to be a pro player?, a guide some players read in hopes of reaching the top rankings.
Ch 112 - How to improve your dungeon Marta crosses her arms and raises her chin, giving herself an Im important feel. All right. Are you ready, Andreu? Because Im not going to embellish what comes next, nor am I going to soften my criticism. Sure, go ahead. I answer, waving my hand. You say as if it were something new. When was the last time you didnt treat me like shit? Maybe when we were kids? Because I sure cant remember. Yes, yes! Go ahead! Clara, sitting right next to me, nods and repeats after me. She makes the same gesture too. And once we finish, we can talk about my reward. Your reward? What reward is she talking about? Ooooh, shit. Now I remember. Yes Well talk about your reward later. Looks like my future isnt bright. Im going to start from the start, then. Marta makes a dramatic pause before continuing. The entrance is too long. It might be okay for those coming into your dungeon for the first time, or for those fanatics who like seeing everything but for normal players, its too long. I understand what you mean, but I dont want to change it. It works perfectly as it currently is I reply. Marta nods. I knew you would say this. But I have the perfect solution! Aint I great? She proudly pats her chest. Yeah, yeah, youre great. I spin my eyes. So whats that great solution? I want to add an And you would be greater if you werent repeating it all the time, but I shut up. Now isnt the time to anger her. Not when I am the interested party. So, I thought about this. She continues her explanation. The cave is on a lower level than the entrance, right? It is. So why dont you put a hole to go from the entrance directly to the underground lake? This way, instead of taking about five minutes, the players can start the actual dungeon invasion in a shorter time. Itll take about one minute instead? Hmmm thats a surprisingly good idea. Coming from you, I mean. Hey! What do you mean!? Dont you know Im doing this out of goodwill? It isnt me who wants feedback, you know? Ok, ok, Im sorry I apologize before she gets angrier. Ah this is hard. Its hard to stop taunting her after such a long dungeon invasion doing it all the time. If only it wasnt so easy If it were Clara instead of Marta, she wouldnt get angry like this. Hmph! As long as you understand! Hey, hey! If its a fall, why not make it a slide instead? It would be a lot funnier! Clara gives her opinion on the topic. A slide, huh I mutter. I kind of like it Nice job, Clara. This way, it reduces the time to from the entrance and also makes it interesting. Hehehe Why do you only praise her? It was me who came up with the idea, you know? Why am I only praising Clara? Thats because Im doing it on purpose, of course. I knew you wouldnt like it, so I did it. And were back to where I screwed up. I never learn from my past mistakes Ill have to give her some praise too to prevent this situation from worsening. Nice idea, Marta, I say. I never thought about it and will help my dungeon a lot. Thank you! Its the truth, so I dont feel bad for praising her like this. Hmph! She turns her head away, but the tips of her lips go upwards. She tries to hide it, but she cant do it properly. Shes so easy. Too easy. And regarding the slide or hole I have a few ideas. I can make it so there are a few landing spots, so the players dont know where theyll end, or make it a lethal fall ok, maybe this one is a little bit too much. I can also complicate the stuff and add falling traps in the entrance area. There are so many options! Im sure Marta will continue with her feedback, but shes taking her time on purpose... We dont have all day, so lets move this forward. Ok, lets move to the next one. Im sure you wanted to talk about the Demonic Swarmers, the ones that shout all the time I say. Its true theyre on my list, but theres something else that comes first. Something else? What could it be? Theres nothing else between the entrance and the cave. Yes, something else. Marta nods sagely. Im talking about the giant claw marks. The claw marks? Whats wrong with them? Theres nothing wrong with them. The problem is they dont serve any purpose. How can I explain it so that even you can understand it Hey! Was there a need to diss me here!? The problem is theres no monster that could have created those marks in your dungeon. When I saw them, I thought What a giant monster! I want to see and fight it!, but there was no giant monster in your dungeon What a letdown. Marta continues her explanation. The problem is the expectations you create but dont fulfill. You should either delete the claw marks or create a monster that could actually create them. And I suggest you put it right at the start, in the first area, the big cavern. Expectations, huh I dont want to remove the claw marks, so I think theres only one way I can solve this. It makes sense Of course it makes sense! Im the one who says it. Knowing how you think, Im sure therell be a giant monster in the future. I want to be the first one to fight it! Ill show you how much Ive improved! Its also my specialty to fight against strong opponents. Clara grabs my arm and squeezes it. Please, can I be the first? Sure, you can be the first I pat her head as she chuckles. Marta looks at us and makes a fake cough. *Khm!* Lets move to the Demonic Warmers, you said? Its Swarmers. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. It doesnt matter. Im going to be frank with you. They suck. Theyre useless. It would be better to remove them than keep them as they currently are. Theyre almost as useless as y-your Pff! Your clones, Hahaha! B-but, lets not talk about them now, lets focus on the Swarmers. Again with the clones? Can you forget about them already? ... I stare at her with an indescribable look, trying to intimidate her. I hope Im doing it correctly. But she ignores me, so maybe it wasnt good enough? If you still want to use them, I believe you have the answer in its own name: swarmers. Add more of them, that should do it. Its a little bit more complex, I say. You maybe didnt notice, but I used elves to create them so that they could have the passive that nullifies terrain damage. I planned to put them in the tunnels filled with mushrooms. Are you stupid!? Why did you put them where there are no mushrooms, then!? Marta points at me as she shouts. Its the basics of the basics! Agh! Youre always like this, I shouldnt be surprised anymore She holds her head as if she had a headache. I cant understand this how am I always falling for your stupid shit. You dont even think about it! This is so frustrating Thats because youre not flexible enough to adapt to stupid situations, or those that make no sense at all. As you imagine, I swallow what I want to say, just in case. I dont want to die yet. I still need more time to do all the crazy stuff I planned. Its all written in the To-do list IV - this time for real (Dont delete this!). I put them in the cave because I didnt think about it properly. Also, I didnt have anything else to fill the big cavern with I make an excuse. As I answer her question, Marta stands up, comes right in front of me, grabs my shoulders, and starts shaking me. Are you kidding me!? Then create something to fill that empty spot! Youre playing with the faction with the most versatility, you can do almost anything you want. M-marta, stop! I-its, hard, t-to talk, like, this! From my side, Clara tries to free me from our older sister. Yes, stop! Only I can do this to him! Its my little sister''s exclusive privilege. I I dont want to retort to that. *Sigh!* Marta sighs, releases me, and sits on the chair again. Now its Clara who extends her hands in my direction, but I glare at her and she stops whatever she was planning to do. She hides her hands behind her back and starts whistling. Youre not deceiving anyone like that Marta starts muttering to herself. And I thought I could finally be proud of you, who created one of the hottest dungeons in DMA But youre still doing everything as you always do, no strategy, no planning Its a shame I cant focus on what Marta is saying because I need to keep Clara in check. If Im sure of one thing, is that shes waiting for a chance to jump at me. But I did hear some parts. Like the word proud. Wait! Did I hear it right!? Marta, proud of me? I inspect her face, but I can only see disappointment mixed with resignation. Nah, it mustve been my imagination. Got you! Hehehe! Agh! The little monster got me! But this time, it isnt a tentacle monster but an ordinary human girl. It isnt as disgusting as when it happens inside the game, but its still annoying. Clara I use a stern tone and turn my head to look at her. I only wanted to take you by surprise, and I did it! Hehehe! She releases me and returns to her previous position: sitting on my bed, right by my side. Yeah, right Good for you, I suppose. Shes always been clingy, but its getting worse. I think it began when she started playing DMA. Maybe all that grab things with tentacles until they die is affecting her usual behavior? I hope not. Theres no way shell start growing tentacles in real life, right? Because Ill be the first one to run away if she does. Andreu, why are you looking at me like this? Clara asks me. Nothing, its nothing. I cant say I was searching for spots where shes growing tentacles, can I? About what we were talking about before Having finished fooling around, Clara returns to the topic. What was the topic again? I forgot. Those Swarmers Oh, yeah, now I remember. I dont want you to remove them. Why not? Its because theyre funny! Making those weird cries all the time, and then the screams when they spot you. Im not surprised anymore. After the cute cosmic horrors, I can accept anything coming from her. Do you want to call the disgusting monsters that make you wish you were deaf when you hear them, funny? Sure, Ill take it. Whatever you want, Clara. Whatever you want. I dont plan on removing them. But I need to think about what can I do with them I want to move them to the tunnels, but it isnt enough. Two things. Marta interrupts my thoughts and extends the index and middle fingers. Apart from making more of them so they do work as a swarm, as well as filling the gap theyll leave, you must do these two things for it to work. Believe in me. Marta proudly pats her chest. Finally, I was waiting for this. The time to follow the elders advice has come! Oh, great teacher. Please show me how I can improve! I say, making a reverence. Im sure Ricard would die in happiness if I were to ever say this to him. Oh, great teacher, show us your greatness! Clara imitates me from the side. ... Marta looks at us without saying anything for a while. It isnt until we return to our original postures that she continues talking. The first thing you should do is increase the tunnels size. If you add a lot more units into it, especially a swarm, youll want to give them extra space to move through. I was planning on doing it already, so now I have the perfect excuse! Ill also add more of the other units because I feel like theres too little of some of them. Keep it in moderation. More isnt always better. As for the second thing raise the Swarmlings level by one and level up the skill that gives them the stat boost. If Im right about what are you trying to achieve with them, youll need to upgrade their skill. I dont remember the name now, but Im sure you know what Im talking about. Upgrade them ok, Ill do it. But Im sure there are a few available upgrades. Which one are you talking about? Youll see once you look at them. Marta gives me a smile and chuckles. This isnt fair, teacher! Dont give me only half the answer! What if I mess this up, now? Wont I feel stupid? Its a good thing its easy to go back and edit the skills of any monster or champion, reassigning the points wherever you want. Otherwise, I could screw this up spectacularly. Ok Ill do it. Nice! Then lets move to the next area: the rabbit area. Says Marta. I think it was ok. If I had to say how you can improve it, I would say it lacks variety. All the rabbits are the same two units. That was the idea, after all, to confuse the players. But now that you say it, I might add some new units Ooh, I know, I have a few ideas! Clara raises her hand with enthusiasm. She looks at me with sparkly eyes. For starters, you can make a rabbit with an octopus. I liked the Octocat a lot, so an Octorabit would be nice too! Then, I want you to create more rabbits that transform into other creatures. I want a goblin or imp because theyre small, then something with wings like an angel A tree! A rabbit that turns into a tree would be amazing! Then, what else oh, right! A bat. One of those that drain life! And of course, lets not forget about the Abyss monsters! You have to create at least one of them! She puts extra emphasis on the have to part. Yeah Im not sure about the rest, but lets forget about the Abyss one right now. Also, what the hell is this, Clara? Is this your Christmas list? Why is it so long? A dog-rabbit would be nice too, and then Oh, you didnt finish? You only paused to take a breath before continuing? I thought you were already done because the list was long enough already. Marta and I exchange a glance. This is going to take a very long time.
Right next to the entrance, theres this hole that leads to the dungeon, skipping the entrance part and jumping directly into the giant cavern. If its your first time here, or the second, or the tenth or the thousandth, DONT JUMP! If you dont want your dungeon invasion to end miserably, dont do it. Theres a chance youll end up in a random part of this damned dungeon, and believe me: you wont enjoy it. So unless youre a gambler, or have the certainty youll survive, FOR THE FUCKING SAKE OF YOUR OWN SANITY: DONT. JUMP! - Extract from the Chapter Before we get into the serious stuff from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 113 - Way too random ...and this is all I can think of. Oh, a fire-breathing rabbit mixed with a dragon would be nice too! Hmm yes, this was the last one. Clara nods at her own words. Oh my god! I thought I was going to die before she finished speaking! The rabbit list was so long Youll create them all, right? You know, Clara Dont you think this is too much? I have better things tC But you said youd do whatever I ask. And what I want is this! Is this what you want? Are you sure, Clara? Because Ill take your word for it. *Fiiuuu!* I exhale. I dodged a bullet here. Who knows what else could she have asked me to do While this is annoying and Ill need quite some time to do it, this is nothing compared to other things she could come up with. I must agree before she changes her mind. Ok, Ill do it, I say. Yay! But dont you think this is too much? How about I make the five you like the most instead? Of course, it cant include a monster I cant capture or use, those that are too strong or expensive. But five is too little how about ten? ... Ok, Ill create ten of them. Yes! After struggling for a while, I finally agree to her demands. Well, this is at least something I wont have to suffer from. Ill need some time and effort, but thats all. Looks like I and my Lab Assistants are going to be busy for a while. Ill drag the Panicky Spitters into this mess too. They were created for this exact purpose, after all. But this does make me ask a question: what the hell am I going to do with so many rabbits and wererabbits? Because I cant only create one of each Oh, and you must create create at least three of each so I can play with them. Yep, I cant create only one, I must create three. But it doesnt solve my question. The only thing Im entirely sure of, is that Im not going to put them all in the rabbit area. It would be too messy and defeat its purpose. Should I create an isolated area that isnt connected to the rest of the dungeon? That should fix this problem. Or I could also dump all the rabbits and wererabbits I dont like into the failed experiments area. There are already quite a few of them, so who cares if theres even more? Yeah, lets do it like this. Doing it like this I can appease Clara and improve my dungeon at the same time. Its good to have an area where I can dump anything and itll fit the theme. Failed experiments, get ready for your future neighbors! The weather forecast warns of a heavy downpour of rabbits, not less than three per currently inhabited cell! *Khm!* Marta makes a fake cough to get our attention. Are you finished now? She waits for us to nod. Lets continue with the dungeon review then. Where were we? My voice trails off, trying to remember what was the last thing we talked about. Oh, yeah. The tunnels go next. Yes, the tunnels. Marta nods. I like them a lot. Hey, thank you, Clara. Sometimes, Ill find some enemies, and sometimes, different ones. When I go into this area, I never know whatll come next, so its fun! Ive only seen them once, but yes, I agree with her. Theyre unpredictable. Too unpredictable, even Marta crosses her hands and adopts a teacher-like pose. Which isnt necessarily a good thing. I frown my eyebrows. What do you mean? From what Ive seen, the only ones who have a fixed spot are the environmental hazards and traps, and the monsters are allowed to move freely Am I right? She asks me. Yes. This can work sometimes, but more times than not it can create boring situations where no monsters show up, or extremely dangerous ones when all the monsters show up at the same time. Yeah this rings a bell. Its one of the complaints most people have. Not when the monsters dont show up, but when they attack all at the same time. But I always thought they were exaggerating I mean, who believes that half the monsters attacked the player party at the same time? They wouldnt fit inside the tunnel, after all! Its simply impossible! Maybe they found the Monster train and didnt know any better? Clara, listen to this too. Its important advice in general. Marta continues her explanation. You cant make everything random. If everything is random, its hard for players to enjoy the dungeon invasion. But it worked so far for me I complain. If it worked, its because youre lucky. If Im not wrong, theres all this competition with players going into your dungeon and then showing off how easily they reached the end, while better players complain about how difficult it is, right? ...youre right, butC No buts! Marta interrupts me. As I was saying, this is caused because your dungeon is too random. It has worked for you so far, but if you keep adding more random stuff, itll sooner or later blow up in your face, and no more players will come into your dungeon. Clara, you should learn from his errors and dont do it. Ok, Ill follow your words, teacher! Its incredible how neither of them feels shy about this teacher stuff. Theyve been at it since Marta started training us, but I never expected it. I mean, I would die in shame if I had to call Marta teacher, or the other way around. Sure, Ive called her teacher once or twice too, but it was in a mocking tone. Sarcasm. It isnt the same as doing it seriously. So what do you mean? I ask. Should I change everything so that theres nothing random? Itll take a lot of effort, and I dont really want to do it Also, my dungeon might never be the same again No, no. Marta waves her hand to signal her disagreement. Its too late to do something like that. If you did it, it would upset your invaders. After all this time, they kind of expect it. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Then what do you want me to do!? I cant change everything, but keeping it as it currently is, is even worse Am I supposed to start everything from scratch!? Removing randomness from my dungeon is going to be a pain in the ass. After all, almost all of it is random right now! And I can say with certainty it works! At least, I believe it works. But I dont want to lose everything if the players get tired of it My dungeon is gaining popularity, and Im having a lot of fun creating it. The last thing I want is for everything to disappear in a smoke cloud because the players get tired of the random elements I hide my face behind my hands. Aaah, I dont know anymore should I get angry at her criticism or cry out of desperation at having to change everything? Theres also the option to beg for her help and guidance. I would really hate it, but if its whats needed to save my dungeon Clara pats my back, trying to cheer me up. Im sure shes doing it so I dont forget about the rabbits, but Ill take it anyway. No, you dumbass. Sitting on the chair right in front of me, Marta kicks my leg in annoyance. Do I need to tell you everything? Why are you reacting like that? Instead of complaining, I say: Please, illuminate this foolish one on the path to victory. I grin. Heh, with this, Ive won her collaboration. She might insult me in return, but who cares? As long as I get what I want, she can call me anything she wants. After all, I know she doesnt really mean it when she insults me. she doesnt, right!? *Sigh!* Marta sighs. Its about moderation. Moderation! Do you know what this word means!? I cutely tilt my head to the side to show confusion. Well, at least I believe its a cute gesture. Clara does it to me all the time, and it always works except when were inside the game. Agh! Why are you acting like that now!? Marta kicks me again. Moderation means you shouldnt make everything random. Add one thing that is random, or maybe a few, but not everything! And avoid using randomness as an excuse for laziness. Oh, shes good. Really good. She got me with the lazy part Many times I leave things unchanged because Im too lazy. You just need to take a look at my to-do list. I think Im already at the fourth iteration, and I never completed the previous lists For example, in the mossy and moisty cell area, having some of the doors opened randomly is okay, because the players will always know when it happens thanks to the sound. Also, the monsters will always be the same. Thats wrong. I chime in. Im going to keep adding more in the future. Marta sends me a death glare. Oh, boy, if looks could kill You know what I mean. Yes, sir. I know, sir! I reply. We know, sir! Clara imitates me from my side. Not now, Clara What if she gets too angry because of you and stops giving me feedback? What am I going to do, then!? Martas glare switches to my little sister. Heh, welcome to the club, Clara! I sometimes dont know why Im trying so hard Marta mutters to herself. Ah, lets forget about this and move on Ok, so as I was saying, the monsters will always be the same, so the players will know what they might find after hearing a door opening. Shes right. The players will know something is after them as soon as they hear the Blip sound. They wont know exactly what, but it will be from a limited list. They wont be completely unaware. But on the other side, having monsters randomly move through an area is laziness. It doesnt take you too much time to set a fixed path. Or to change the dungeon parameters so no more than a certain number of monsters are in the same area, or set a minimum distance between groups There are lots of options. Heck, youre studying computer science! Im sure you could change their AI so that they work a lot better than they currently are! I could. Well, not with the ones that have very low Intelligence, like the Stitched, but I could change the other behaviors. Hmm I see what you mean Her arguments make sense, but Im still not convinced. But didnt you have the most trouble when the randomness hit you harder? What if what if this is exactly what I want for my dungeon? She goes beet red at my words, though Im not sure if its because of anger or shame. I sure hope its the latter. As I said before, I dont want her to get angry and stop helping me. T-this and that are two different things! Especially with the blinking monsters, you were incredibly lucky there. If they didnt appear right next to a place with lots of tunnels, they would have been useless. You dont want that to happen, so thats why you should fix their behavior. In the middle, she doesnt forget to kick me once again. Oh, boy My leg is starting to hurt now. Oh, I see I think Im starting to understand what she means with removing randomness. Shes trying to tell me I should fix the monsters behaviors so that they work to their own strengths. Until now, they could start fighting the players in places where they were clearly at a disadvantage, but if I do as she says, I can make sure they are always at their best. In short, shes telling me to make my dungeon harder, and Im very happy to oblige. I like it. I really, really, really like it! If I can fix my dungeon problems and at the same time make more players cry in despair, isnt it a very good thing to do? Its one of those win-win scenarios, isnt it? For me, I mean, of course. Randomness, get ready because Ill soon deal with you! Youve convinced me. Ill try to do the best I can to remove as much randomness as possible. Hmm just in case you misunderstood. By removing randomness I dont mean making the dungeon harder, ok? Making the dungeon harder, making the dungeon harder Im itching to start. Oh, sorry, Marta. What did you say? Well, who cares? I already heard what I needed to know. I nod to signal to her I understand. Are you sure? She looks at me with skepticism. Well, okay. There are two more things I wanted to tell you. First, the Freezer zone. I think you should make this area optional instead of part of the main path. Why? I ask. Its because its filled with gore. You shouldnt force players through an area like that unless its the theme of your dungeon. Its the same as your fear of the Abyss. How would you react if you found yourself in the middle of Abyss monsters when diving into a human dungeon? Abyss monsters, where!? I shudder. No thanks. Yes, I understand. You dont need to tell anymore But I like that area. Its a nice change of pace! Complains Clara. Thats why I told him to make it optional and not to remove it. Marta turns to look at me before continuing. You could reward the players that clear it however you like, but dont force the players to go through it. Not everybody can stand gore. And coming to a dungeon famous for the unpredictable monsters, only to be forced into something else you dont like isnt funny. Yes, yes. Dont worry. I understood it perfectly when you talked about the Abyss. So what was the last one? The last one is to add something else inside the boss room or make it smaller. Im not sure how itll be when the boss is still alive, but if the players manage to kill it, the room ends up being too empty and boring. We all know the reason it was boring, so dont feign ignorance now, Marta. If you didnt kill the boss in a single strike, you could have seen how it was when the boss was alive! But, well I understand it was boring. Shes right, Andreu. Says Clara. It was tedious to come and go through the area because there was nothing other than laboratory equipment and water canals. Yes, yes Ill do my best. I have no idea what I can do with this. Not at all. I look at Marta hoping to find a solution, but she only crosses her arms and says nothing. Well, here go my hopes of an easy way out. You still havent said if you liked my dungeon or not, Marta. I know what Clara thinks because she came a few times already, but you didnt say anything yet. You mean in general? In general, what do I think of your dungeon? Yes. With as few words as possible. I nod. It takes a while before she answers my question. Unpredictable. Annoying. And too random. Way too random. I like that assessment! And it comes from a pro player! Fufufu! Hahaha!
Which faction do I like the least? When it comes to invading a dungeon of that faction its undoubtedly the Flesh Monstrosities. Why is it like that? Do I really need a reason to hate them? But youre right, I do have one. And its because every time I enter a Flesh Monstrosity dungeon, it brings back awful memories of when I went into The Mad Rats Lab. Im sure you can understand what I mean. - Interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 114 - Shopping list
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
...
Hmm where did I put the list I search my pockets. Oh, here it is! I take out a crumpled list and carefully open it. Of course, this is all unnecessary and purely aesthetic. I could make the game show the list in front of me using the games interface. But I like it best when it matches the roleplay. I take a pen and scratch one of the elements in the list. With this, Ive finished capturing the goblins. Its a shame I didnt find any trolls... Well, I did, but its useless if the troll is the boss because I cant capture it If I want to increase the number of Hauntlings, Ill need at least one troll for the Regeneration skill. I want to create more of them, and with the same skills, so theres no other way than to get a troll somehow. This is why my faction is considered the worst when it comes to efficiency Sure, we have the most versatility and can make the strongest units C though its only when we reach the maximum level and have an absurd amount of cp to spare C but, and this is a big BUT, it takes so long for us to capture the units we want that it isnt worth it. Of course, its not worth it for most players. If you want to play as a mad scientist, as I do, theres nothing better. But the Flesh Monstrosities being amazing doesnt make the faction any easier. Itll take a lot of time to find a dungeon around my level with a troll I can capture if only I wrote the name of the dungeon where I found the first Ladies and gentlemen, please, dont be like me. When you find something important after lots of time looking for it, dont say This is done, now lets forget about the pain it was to search for it! as I did, and plan for the future instead. I scratch my furry head in annoyance. If I dont want to spend any more time with this, Ill have to ask Ricard to help me but I dont want to do it The problem with asking Ricard is that hell treat me like a noob. And hell start explaining a lot of random stuff about the game, rambling for hours. Sometimes, it is so bad that it feels as if he is trying to turn you into one of his undead minions, either by brainwashing you or by killing you out of boredom. Guess I have no choice, then. Im going to regret it so much Maybe, I can pull Laura into this mess so I dont have to suffer Ricards wrath alone. Yeah lets do this. Ive solved one of the biggest problematic items in the shopping list, as I like to call it, so I move on to the next item. Ill have to capture some rabbits too. They''re the most common in human dungeons, but theres no way Im going into one just to capture some rabbits. Lets hope I find some somewhere else. Ill hope for the best and ignore them for now. I have to capture a few wererabbits too, and it isnt unusual for them to be mixed with rabbits. If Im lucky, Ill find both at the same time. The problem is going to be to find the wererabbits themselves, but this and that are two different things. The next one is Geodis, the earth elemental. This one should be easy to find yep, lets go for this one next! It should be easy to find because its the second tier of earth elemental units, the one that costs around 100 cp. There should be plenty of them in any Primordial dungeon around my level. If I find a dungeon themed on a specific type of elementals, C which are very easy to spot after the teleport if you pay enough attention, C I only need to abandon the dungeon invasion and look for another one. Theres no need to waste time. Are you curious about what Im going to do with them? Youll have to wait to see it! Fufufu! Hahaha! Primordial dungeons, get ready because here I come! I prepare my usual follower mobs, the three Good Followers and Cyam, and select the first Primordial dungeon I find with a similar level to mine. The dungeon is called Elemental Totems. I dont know what Ill find in it, but at least the name promises more than one elemental type.
The light from the teleport fades away. Uaaa! I stretch. Its been a while since I was last alone in a dungeon invasion Except for the last one with the goblins, but it doesnt count because Id already been in that dungeon before. I hope I didnt lose my touch. I turn to my support mobs and start giving orders. For now, youll stay on guard mode. And you, Cyam you do whatever you usually do. The guard mode is one of the basic modes available to all units with at least four in the Intelligence stat. When a unit is in this mode, itll always stay within five meters of the player they belong to, or the unit you order them to guard. It might be the mode most used by all players in this game. Monsters in guard mode do join combat if the enemies are close, but theyll never wander away. You also dont need to worry about them sticking too close to you unless youre in a very narrow space. The only drawback is that mobs in the guard mode will never chase or attack ranged enemies unless they themselves have ranged attacks too. They can be poked to death easily. But this isnt really a problem because you can simply give them the order to attack, and theyll follow your orders. The problem with the monsters AI comes when they have three or lower Intelligence because they dont have the guard mode by default. And it gets worse as the Intelligence goes down The best example of this are the Stitched, with one Intelligence. Im sure you remember all the trouble I had just to make them move as groups. Why am I saying all this? Its because Cyam doesnt have the guard mode. After all, it only has three Intelligence. It also doesnt help that I had to use two of the allowed AI changes to make him capture units and never look away from petrified enemies, to prevent the status effect from wearing off. The only other change I could make to Cyams AI was to follow me. It stays right behind me most of the time and continuously bumps into my legs. But dont be deceived, it isnt as disgusting as with the Stitched. Cyam is a Cockatrice and Giant Spider chimera. It looks weird and funny, but not extremely disgusting C disgusting as in wanting to tear your eyes away, I mean. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It isnt too annoying either, as its only about fifty centimeters tall. You would imagine Giant Spiders to be the size of a human by the name, but giant spiders are just about fifty centimeters tall. And heck if they are giant compared to real-life spiders! I dont think a spider taller than ten centimeters exists in the whole world! Cockatrices, the weird chicken-like monsters, are a similar size too. So as much as Cyam bumps into my legs all the time, its easy to imagine it as a chummy, although extremely weird, small pet. A winged giant spider pet with a crest, reptile tail, and two chicken legs, sure; but still a pet. Cyam is my adored weird pet! The saving grace is that Cyam can at least understand the simplest of commands. Like stay still, attack, and run. As long as he understands those, I can make anything possible. By the way Im sure you suspect it, but the Stitched dont even understand those simple commands. Theyre the worst in so many ways So stupid, slow, ugly, disgusting, useless, weak Did I mention theyre stupid? Theyre so stupidly stupid! Ah, Im sorry, I lost myself a little there Where was I? I always get sidetracked when I start complaining about the Stitched Oh, yes. Cyams AI. In short, Cyam isnt as smart as the Good Followers, but hes the best! You cant imagine how many times he saved me by luckily petrifying an enemy at the most dangerous moment. And hes captured so many units without me having to lift a finger! You cant imagine how much time he saved me. Having finished my usual preparations, I take a look around our current position. Hmm there are two paths. On the left one seems like theres some magma, and is that snow what I can see on the right path? Since I can see two different areas from here, this dungeon has a high probability of having most, if not all, the elemental types, separated by zones. If thats the case If theres magma, there must be fire elementals close by. But magma is also related to rock Im here to capture earth elementals, so its clear which path I need to take. Without hesitation, I walk into the left path. Lets see if Im right or not.
No, no! Please, stop! Not one of you again! I stumble, trying to raise my body from the floor. The enemy takes this chance to get closer to me. Aaah, this is bad... D-dont come! This isnt fair, I cant fight like this! Pfft! This situation is so stupid, I cant stop laughing. My wobbly legs cant sustain my weight, and I cant focus on the fight. Hahaha! I never expected this when I came here, this isnt fair! There should be a warning somewhere, telling invaders what to expect! Puhahaha! How am I expected to defeat them if I cant stop laughing? Still on the floor, I raise my head to look at the monster once again. Or should I say monsters, in plural? Because there are two of them: one Geodis, the earth elemental I want to capture, and one Pyris, a fire elemental of similar strength to the first. But the problem isnt with the units themselves but rather with what theyre doing. Who was so stupid to think it was a good idea to make them walk like this!? I mean, I can understand the dungeon is called Elemental Totems, but did you have to take it so literally!? Yep, youre right. The two elementals are walking in my direction as if they were a totem, and with this, I literally mean one on top of the other. Hahaha! This is so ridiculous! I thought it was a glitch the first monster we encountered, but two in a row its impossible. This is designed to be like this on purpose. Who is the player who thought of this? This is an idea worthy of me! As I laugh on the floor, the Geodis-Pyris totem keeps approaching. Soon, it will engage in combat with the closest Good Follower. Theyre currently surrounding me on both sides. This is bad I cant allow it to happen again Let me explain. In the first fight, I had such a hard time refocusing on the fight that the totem managed to kill one of my Good Followers before I could recover. Itll be really bad if another Good Follower dies because of me Im not sure Ill be able to beat the dungeon with only one remaining. Is this totem thing a mental attack!? A way to incapacitate your enemies without the need of any skill!? I must admit it works. Hahaha! Ok, ok, lets focus Haaa, it was very close. I manage to calm myself right as the totem reaches one of the Good Followers. They start attacking each other. Go and join the fight, you dumbass! Dont leave one of you to die alone! I order the remaining one. I cast a Chain Lightning, which obviously hits the two elementals, and start to channel the next one. This fucking totem is a joke, but a well-thought one. You could expect them to be a prank, but the combination of both and the terrain is quite strong I could learn some things from this dungeon. My dear audience, allow me to explain. Im sure you remember this is a magma area, right? The thing with magma is that it deals constant fire damage to any unit that touches it. This includes the monsters that protect the dungeon, of course. Now, what do you think is the advantage of the fire elementals? Their innate skill prevents up to a certain amount of fire damage, completely negating the damage from the magma. So, if you put a fire elemental in a sea of magma with small rock islands, itll have a tremendous advantage over the invaders. Now let me ask, what is the advantage of an earth elemental? Their innate skill gives them protection against all damage C and a whopping 50% at that C as long as they dont move. Dont move means not walking around, attacking doesnt count as moving. Im sure you know where Im going now, right? Yep. The fire elemental is at the bottom of the totem, soaking (ignoring) all the damage from the magma, and freely moving around. And on top of it is the earth elemental, sitting still and thus not moving, receiving the damage protection. And both of them are free to attack as they want. Well, the fire elemental cant use melee attacks because its holding its companion, but can still cast spells. Quite a deadly combination if you ask me. But the reason Im laughing so hard is because of how they look. Both have humanoid shapes but are quite different. The Pyris, the fire elemental, is about 1,8 meters tall. Its shape is like a triangle, with no legs at all. It cant fly, but its movement is more like levitating than walking. It has wide shoulders and strong arms. In general, the feeling it gives is that of an inverted fire C you know, because fire is usually wide at the bottom and thin at the tip. The Geodis, the earth elemental, is huge. About 2,5 meters tall. Its obviously made of rock and has extremely thick arms and legs. It looks as if it could squash a human with a mere swing of its fist. When theyre side by side, theyre fine. The problem comes when you put one on top of the other, in particular, if you put the Geodis on top of the Pyris, because It looks like a fucking golem that continuously spews fire from its butt, flying around as if wearing a jetpack! Can you imagine it? A huge golem spewing fire from its butt? I sure can, I have it in front of me right now! This isnt fair How do you dare to make mental attacks against me, dungeon owner!? I have the exclusivity! I patented it first! Nobody can do it unless I give them permission! I shout. Of course, it reaches nobody. Haa lets focus on the fight again I dont want to lose a second Good Follower to this stupid gimmick. The problem is this combination is quite strong Ill start by attacking the Pyris. Its weaker than the Geodis, and if I kill it first, the raider will be forced to move around, losing its damage protection. Its also better because I came here to capture the earth elemental. Leaving it for the end will make it easier to capture. Eat this! Cold Blast! Cold Blast! Cold Blast! Like a gatling gun, I start casting the strongest, as well as the only one, single-target spell I have. Its more cost-efficient when fighting against few targets than Chain Lightning. Ah, man I really need to upgrade my champion and get another spell But I cant decide which one to take! Its so frustrating! The real reason I didnt upgrade my champion yet is because I forgot. But lets keep this between us, ok?
... Not everything in your dungeon must be there to make it better. Sometimes, its a good idea to surprise the invaders with something they never expected. Something theyve never seen before. Of course, if it makes the dungeon better or worse its up to the players wholl find it. The objective here isnt to improve the dungeon, but to make it different from every other one out there. Maybe the most important is this: by adding a surprise you not only increase the chances the players will remember your dungeon and talk about it with other players; but you also increase the chances of throwing them off, maybe giving you an edge to defeat them easily. You never know when one such surprise will immediately, or as an indirect effect, cause the players to die or make a mistake. Dont underestimate the effects of psychological warfare. - Fragment from Surprises and Unexpected Stuff, one part of The Dark Teachings series.
Ch 115 - The four elements And this makes two of them, I say. I stand up from where I was capturing the Geodis. Of course, I could have left it to Cyam, but its dangerous because of the magma. Now that I think about it what if Cyam goes and captures a random critter thats swimming in the magma sea? Well Ill solve it when the need arises. Also, theres the passive healing from the Good Followers too, itll mitigate the damage Cyam takes if he decides to do something crazy. I shrug my shoulders and look around. In the distance, I can see another one of these fire-earth totems. The first time it took me by surprise and I couldnt hold it in, causing the death of one of my followers. The second time was close, but I recovered fast enough to prevent a disaster. Now that its the third time I see them, I dont burst out laughing anymore. Well, the saving grace is that Im in the correct place to accomplish my objective I mutter. The not-so-great part? The totems are decently strong and hard to deal with because they properly use their innate skills and the terrain. I wonder If the magma area has fire and earth elementals, as I expected, what elementals will be in the snow area? Water and wind, maybe? I wonder if they move like a totem too. Of course, it would make more sense if it had ice elementals, but for some reason, players always prefer to use the four classic elements: fire, earth, wind, and water. If Im not wrong, those four are also the elements unlocked from the start. Players from the Primordial faction need to unlock the rest of the elements over time ice, lightning, light, dark, and some more I cant remember. This comes from one of Ricards knowledge drilling sessions, so I might have or might not have properly paid attention to his explanation. I warned you, so I wont take responsibility for any misinformation. Lets move to the next one, shall we? I ask to well, to nobody. It isnt like the support mobs are going to answer me. As before, focus on the Pyris first, and dont use poison attacks on the Geodis. I order the Good Followers. It isnt as if they can understand complex commands, but simple ones like attack X first and dont use Y skill work perfectly. Well, not perfectly, but most of the time they do work. As you might expect, the last thing I want is for the Geodis to die while I try to capture it. Because, you know, the poison damage C or any damage over time skill, in fact C and my stun that leaves them at 1 HP arent very compatible when I try to capture them. On the other side, its perfect when I want to kill the enemies: the poison kills them as soon as the stun takes place. Its the perfect combination of skills to maximize the amount of damage I deal with the Chain Lightning while killing the enemies instead of leaving them alive. An aura skill? Youre right, it could help with the killing. But it would be awful when trying to capture any unit. Aura skills cant be deactivated, after all. Cold Blast! This time, instead of falling to the ground, laughing, I make a preemptive strike with the only single-target spell I have. Im going to save as much MP as possible, I dont want to run out of fuel any time soon. Sure, I have the Mana Core that regenerates my MP at a very fast speed, but it does so by spending EP. It takes a lot longer to reach zero than MP would, but its the same problem. The Pyris responds by launching a Fireball at me. The spell explodes in a burst of fire, and everyone, except Cyam, who I have waiting some distance away, takes fire damage. That hurts! I shout. It doesnt, but I can shout anyway, cant I? But you cant win in a spellcasting contest against me! Eat this! Cold Blast! Cold Blast! Cold Blast! Fufufu! Hahaha! Like a machine, I cast one spell after the other. With every hit, a chunk of the Pyris HP bar vanishes. Cold Blast is one of the most basic spells, with the lowest damage possible, so it shouldnt deal so much damage But Im overpowered! Hahaha! See this? This is the effect of the Champions buff plus a 40% damage increase! The immobilization effect takes place after so many hits, and the Pyris cant do anything else until it dies. How pathetic, it could only cast one spell before dying Fufufu! Hahaha! I laugh like a maniac as the Geodis falls into the magma. But the totem was close to the shore when the Pyris died, so it soon gets out of it, magma falling from its stone body. The Geodis glares at me at the same time it starts running in my direction. Oooh, I got its aggro with my spell burst. The Good Followers engage in combat and try to prevent the elemental from coming near me. It doesnt work. I mean, how can you expect to stop something as big as that? My minions are tall and muscular because theyre an orc and dwarf hybrid but they cant compete with something like an earth elemental. I take a step backward but my foot touches the magma. Im faster, so I could run away, but not if theres nowhere to run away. Ugh I guess I have no choice Ill have to take the beating Its better to take the beating than take the magma damage and the beating too. You know, its less damage overall. The elementals giant fist falls on me. Shit, its almost as big as I am I instinctively raise my arms to protect my head from the impact. I know, I know It makes no sense because this is a game and the damage will be the same regardless of where the attack hits. Its a good thing the game works with stats and not on physics. I dont think I would survive a hit from that giant stone arm otherwise. Agh! I grunt as I feel the hit. I quickly take a look at my status screen. Hmm is it about 50 damage? Not bad, but not enough to put me in danger. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Oh, shit! Im stunned!? So the Geodis used a skill the problem is which one. And also, I hope it doesnt stun me again! The Good Followers are attacking the elemental as it continues to strike me. It would be bad if it died before I could order them to stop and cast Chain Lightning to capture it. The beating continues and I get stunned once again. Oh, come on! I cant do anything or say anything while stunned! I anxiously look at the earth elementals HP bar as it keeps decreasing. I get stunned again. Oh, come on! A stunlock!? But luckily, the Geodis passive skill activates once again and the damage it takes gets halved. Oh, yes. I remember Ricard told me something about it what was it? Something about the game developers giving the passive some time to activate so players couldnt make a step and stop, step and stop. Keeping the 50% resistance to all damage activated when receiving an attack, and immediately moving afterward It was a tactic used by the top rankers at the beginning. As expected, the DMA staff fixed it immediately, but not before about 90% of the top rankings were filled with players from the Primordials faction. After the fix, most of them quickly fell off the ranks, but its still ridiculous. I snap out of my thoughts right as the last stun wears off. Finally! I shout. And just on time! Stop attacking! I order my support mobs as I cast Chain Lightning. I was hoping for Cyams petrification to activate and help me with the capture, but it didnt. Well, the chance is very low since it depends on the status difference. I start the capturing process as I order Cyam to come back. The Good Followers took very little damage from this fight. In fact, only the first fireball dealt damage to them. Youre supposed to protect me! Why am I the one who took the beating instead of you? I complain. Maybe, and only maybe, next time I should wait for the tanks to take the aggro before I go crazy with the spells. Nah, who am I kidding? Im incapable of doing that. I finish the capture process and stand up once again. This makes three. Lets see how many more I can capture Im curious. Will there be a boss in this dungeon? And if so will it also be a totem? Thinking about random stuff, I resume the dungeon exploration.
Puhahaha! No, not again! I burst out laughing at the monster in front of me. Dungeon owner, why are you doing this to me!? Ill sue you for permanent brain damage! After finishing the magma sea area, I reached a room with three doors. The first one was the one I came from. I took a peek at the second one, and it connected to the frozen area. There was a giant, half-frozen lake, some islands, and a colossal waterfall but I didnt see any monster. I think I was right, the area must be filled with water and wind elementals. As you already know, the water elementals are invisible inside water. And the wind elementals can fly, are hard to see C theyre almost transparent C and have a high chance to evade attacks thanks to their innate skill. Well, I say evade, but its more like not taking damage.
Wind Elemental (Innate passive skill)
When you would take damage, theres a 10% chance you take no damage instead.
If you ask me, from the four classic elements, the wind and water elementals are the trickier ones, but the strongest in a straight fight are the fire and earth elementals. Which makes sense, if you think about it. And finally, the third door. What can I say? The third door was closed. But when I reached the center of the room, the two doors closed and something fell in front of me. Now, Im laughing like a maniac while staring at that something. Ok, ok I can understand the totem theme and name, but did you have to take it to this extreme!? Hahaha, this is so ridiculous! If it was funny with two of them, now that there are four Shit! Stop laughing, me! The four elementals are standing one on top of the other, like a totem. However, this time they have different shapes and sizes instead of being all humanoid like the fire and earth totems from before. From bottom to top, theres an earth elephant, a fire lion, a water dolphin? That is a dolphin, right? And on top of everything, there is a wind chicken. At least, it looks like a chicken from this distance. Now that I take a closer look, doesnt it resemble a weird pyramid instead of a totem? Well who cares. The four-elemental-totem is kindly waiting for me to start combat. Something I really appreciate because Im incapable of focusing on whats important right now, similar to what happened the first time in the magma area. Lets see Im sure what I have in front is a Boss. A type of Boss thats formed by multiple monsters instead of a single one. This type of boss is called What was their name? I scratch my head in annoyance. Agh, who cares? Its a boss type I cant create yet, so I dont know what its called. Lets call them Amalgam boss for now. I know its wrong because Amalgam is the name of one of the Flesh Monstrosities units, but I dont have a better name. So, as I was saying, this Amalgam boss (temporary name) is a special kind of boss thats formed by multiple monsters instead of a single one. They all receive the boss buff that raises all stats by 100%, and the boss isnt considered defeated until all of them die. They also receive the extra three skill points, but they share them. This means you have to split the points between all the monsters. This part limits how strong they can be individually. Between normal and Amalgam (temporary name) bosses, you would expect the latter to be stronger, but it isnt necessarily so. The accumulation of skills on a single unit, if theyre synergistic, can turn out to be a lot more dangerous than having multiple monsters with the boss buff. How do I know about this kind of boss, you ask? Its because Ill unlock this type of boss as the reward on the next level up. Or the one after the next, Im not sure. I just know Ill unlock it soon. Anyway, lets not waste any more time. Chain Lightning! As soon as the spell hits the boss C or should I say bosses? C, it roars and the room rumbles. Then, the terrain starts to change. The ground cracks and lava pours from it. The earth rises at places, turning the previously flat room into a difficult-to-navigate one. Water starts pouring from geysers that blow part of the ground. As soon as the water touches the lava, steam is created, generating a toxic fog. At the same time, thick thunderclouds appear on the ceiling, and a strong wind starts blowing. Wow, this looks amazing! Maybe I could take this and use it somewhere in my dungeon too! These changes are amazing, its almost like a film. I eagerly wait for the changes to end and the actual combat to start. Yes, come at me with all you got! Fufufu! Hahaha! I have no idea how this will turn out, but I dont care. I came here to capture a few Geodis, and I already did. I wont lose them even if I die. So lets enjoy this battle to the fullest! The elemental totem roars once again, it splits up, and the four elementals rush in our direction. This is a battle against the four elements! A battle against nature!
... Im sure you know the Primordial faction, the one with the elementals, has a lot of variety and elemental types. But did you know they only start with the four classic ones: fire, earth, water, and wind? To use elementals of other types, they first have to unlock them. All types cost the same to unlock, but theres a catch. The cost to unlock a new elemental type rises as you unlock more types. And the cost rises exponentially! This is why its easy to find Primordial dungeons with five elemental types in the lower levels, but its close to impossible to find one dungeon with all of them until they reach the maximum level. Its also the same with the shapes they can give to the elementals. They have to unlock them by spending cp and other resources. Though, in contrast to the elemental types, the shapes do have a fixed price, and it depends on how strong that unit is, like with all other factions. You cant expect a fire titan to cost the same as a fire lion, dont you think? - Some knowledge drilling done by Ricard, which Andreu might or might not have listened to.
Ch 116 - A stupid mistake The earth elephant charges at us in a straight line. I know this is a game and most stuff is determined by stats, but I still fear the moment we will collide. After all, its a huge monster, over three meters tall! Its impossible to ignore something like that when its running towards you at full speed, ready to stomp you into oblivion! You, go and stop the elephant, I order one of the Good Followers, pointing at the charging elephant. Ill play it safe. Safe for me, I mean. I have no idea how this exchange will conclude, but I dont want to be the one to stop that charge. If I were me, I surely would give such a monster some kind of charge skill, and I sure dont want to be the one receiving it. I feel something hitting my shoulder and turn to look at the aggressor. The wind chicken C because that is a chicken, isnt it? C is flying about ten meters over the ground. Its funny because it doesnt flap its wings, it just floats there with its wings open. This isnt a problem because all wind elementals can fly regardless of their shape, but it does look weird. The chicken is attacking me with what must be the Wind Blade spell, one of the basic spells. Instead of dealing a special damage type, like fire or lightning, Wind Blade deals physical damage.
Wind Blade (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) physical damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance of inflicting bleeding on the target, causing it to lose (0,2 * SPI) HP in the next 5 seconds.
The problem with Wind Blade is that its easier to avoid compared to other spells like Cold Blast, which explodes right next to the target. But the drawback is covered with the chance it has to inflict bleed on the target. From all damage over time effects, bleed can be considered the best C or worst, if youre the one affected by it C because its the only one that cant be reduced by resistances. Annoying Cold Blast! The chicken is sending one blade after the other at me, and I do my best to avoid them as I counterattack. Hmm? Is it me, or its easy to avoid them, compared to what I remember? Maybe, and only maybe, is it thanks to my sisters training? I could swear I wasnt this good at evading attacks before Nah, that cant be... Im sure its only because Im comparing them to Martas flying strikes. *Bang!* I turn my head to the sound and see one of my Good Followers flying. Its the result of the collision with the earth elephant. Oh, its good that isnt me I mutter as I watch it fly. Ill give you 7,5 points for this jump! I was right to put somebody else in its path. The remaining Good Follower soon starts attacking the earth elephant. It gets their aggro, and the poison will soon stack. But now that the elephant has stopped, comes the hard part: keeping it moving so that its innate skill doesnt work, while at the sime time preventing it to move enough to make the charge skill usable. How annoying why did this dungeons owner have to give both skills to the same monster!? Dont stand still, keep moving! I shout. But its obvious the Good Follower doesnt understand complex commands. Aaah, what a headache! This is going to be very difficult to micromanage In the middle of complaining, I keep avoiding the Wind Blades the best I can. *Roar!* The fire lion takes this chance to pounce on the Good Follower that just landed the one that was gently tossed away by the elephant. Like a real predator, it waited for the best chance to strike. Oh, no! I get closer to them and start attacking the lion. I cant let my loyal subject die like this! Cold Blast! As I get closer, I notice the Lion is surrounded by fire. Well, stronger fire than it should normally be. When I get closer, I start taking fire damage. This must be the effect of some skill If Im not wrong, theres a high chance its the In Flames skill, the same one I gave to my Fiery Flies, who also have the Fire Elemental innate skill. How dare you copy my combo!? I complain. I know its one of the most common combos in the game, but I can complain, cant I? Ill have you apologize, dungeon owner! The lion and the Good Follower are entangled in combat, rolling on the ground, but the lion clearly holds the advantage. As I continue to spout bullshit, I cast a few more spells to try and get the lions attention. This time, from afar, so I dont take unnecessary damage. Finally, the lion turns around in my direction, and the Good Follower can finally stand back up. And this all happens while avoiding the Wind Blades! Arent I amazing? Go and help your brother defeat the elephant. I give the Good Follower a command before I start running. I must stay alive until they defeat the elephant. Its the only way I can do this, after all, Im about as fast as the lion, so I can keep running and I wont take damage from the aura. But the Good Follower is slower. Now Ive got the attention of two of the bosses... Im in trouble! But as long as the earth elephant dies, I think we can manage. I peek at the earth elephant. Its HP is steadily decreasing thanks to the accumulated poison stacks. Thanks to the Good Followers resilience, as long as the elemental doesnt get the 50% damage reduction, it can handle it alone and achieve mutual destruction. So now that its a 2vs1, the battle shouldnt last too long. I only need to survive until then Hahaha! Well win! As long as the earth elemental dies, well win this fight! Hahaha! I laugh as I continue running. From time to time, I cast a Cold Blast, chipping away at the lions HP. When the earth elemental dies, Ill order the Good Followers to attack the lion, and Ill take care of the chicken. This is going to end easily! But, somehow, I have the feeling Im forgetting about something. Hmm what could it be? As I think so, I run over part of the terrain covered by water. Immediately after, the water rises, and it envelops me, restraining my movement and forcing me to stop. Oh, no! Fuck! I forgot about the water elemental! I watch the lion, ready to pounce at me, and the chicken, that continues to cast spells. Shit! Im so screwed! How could I forget about the water elemental!? It disappeared as soon as the fight started, so I naturally forgot about it but its a battle against the four elements! Until now, I was fighting only three! How can I be so stupid!? You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Agh, ugh Let me go! I shout and struggle, but I cant get free. This must be some skill. Dont disgrace me anymore! Kill me! Hehe, Ive always wanted to shout this. I take a look at the status screen, and it says Im immobilized for three more seconds. But in less than that time, the lion will be here, and the spells will hit me. Am I going to die like thisC Im ready to accept defeat when an idea comes to me. Oh, this might work I stop in the middle of the phrase, make sure the Good Followers are far enough for the plan to work, and start laughing. Fufufu! Hahaha! You fell for my amazing trap! Hahaha! Pretending to have a plan, I continue laughing as the lion jumps at me. I activate my last resort at this precise moment. Did you think you got me? Youre wrong! Its me who got you! Both the lion and the Wind Blades hit me, but I take no damage. This is because Im in invulnerability time. Im sure you know what I mean. Both Good Followers and the earth elephant are outside the Grand Finales area of effect, so I dont have to worry about their survival. In fact, from what I can see, the elephant wont last more than five seconds. And the fire lion and water elemental are clearly in the area of effect. With the huge damage of this spell, Im almost sure theyll die when the explosion happens. The only one Im not sure about is the wind chicken because its flying quite high Depending on how far it is, the explosion might not affect it. But Ill think about it when the time comes. I continue laughing. Hahaha! Eat this, you stupid elementals! Grand Finale! *BOOOM!* The light expands from me in all directions. The fire lion can only release a pitiful roar before dying. The water dolphin cant even do this and dies before it can make any sound. When the light disappears, I feel my stats dropping. I feel sluggish. I look around in a panic. Please, tell me the chicken died. Please, god! Im screwed otherwise! Please, please Be a good dead roasted chicken Fuck! I finally spot the chicken, whos circling above me and ready to launch a few more Wind Blades. I think I never hated a chicken so much in my life. Why didnt you die!? I complain. Strategic retreat! I run (limp) toward the Good Followers while trying to avoid the chickens attacks. Its a lot harder than before because of the reduced stats. The more noticeable ones are Speed and Agility. I watch as the earth elephants HP drops below 10%. Come on, just a little bit more My own HP is at 62 right now. I knew I would survive the Grand Finales stat reduction, but I also knew I would be left with very little HP. And now, this is going to be a problem. One Wind Blade hits my back. 47 HP left. Please, no bleed Please, no bleed I pray to the god of games, the devil, or whoever might listen to me. The earth elephants HP is now below 5%. But I have even less! I dodge the following Wind Blade, but not the next one. 32 HP Fuck, the bleeding! I see the bleed debuff applied to me. 29 HP, 26 HP, 24 HP The bleed reduces my HP to extremely dangerous levels. I dont dare counterattack the chicken. With my reduced stats, I wont be able to deal much damage but this isnt the important part. If I counterattack, itll be harder to dodge its attacks. I cant risk it because a single more Wind Blade that applies bleeding, or two that dont, will kill me! Of course, Ive already achieved my main objective: to capture some Geodis. But, if possible, I also want to leave this dungeon without dying and obtain the bonus cp from the clear. After all, to create monsters I not only need bodies, but also lots of cp. *Buooo!* The elephant cries as it falls to the ground. Finally! Im tempted to jump around to celebrate but stop myself. What if a Wind Blade kills me when Im celebrating? I dont want to die such a pathetic death Quickly! Protect me! The two Good Followers surround me, and I end up sandwiched between them. Like this, the wind chicken cant attack me directly. Right now, Im so glad this is a game! No stuffy feeling, nor sweat The Wind Blades start hitting the Good Followers. The target is still me, but it doesnt matter. Thank god this games combat system works with collisions and not with targeting. Now that Im safe, I spend all my remaining MP on Cold Blasts, but the chickens HP barely changes. This wont work with my reduced stats, I wont kill it before it kills us all, and the Good Followers dont have any ranged attacks. I never thought theyd need ranged attacks because I would always be there to fill that role! The aerial assault continues, and my minions HP slowly but steadily decreases. Thank god theyre resilient because what we need now is time Time, and a miracle. Cyam, youre the only one who can save us! Our survival depends on you, my kidnapping buddy! Theres a very slim chance the petrification will work due to the stat difference, and it will only last a few seconds at most against a Boss. But this is all we need! As soon as the chicken falls to the ground, petrified, the Good Followers can jump at it and prevent it from flying away! If the petrification works, were sure to win. Otherwise, were doomed. I think Ive never relied on luck as much as right now I mutter. Come on, gods of luck and chaos! I implore you for your assistance! 40% HP remaining. This is uncomfortable. Being sandwiched between two muscular orc-dwarfs isnt the best experience. 30% HP remaining. I start biting my nails. 20% HP remaining. There are no more nails, so I start biting my fingers instead. Oh, Im tasty! 10% HP remaining. Come on! Gods of luck and chaos! Are you going to abandon your most devoted follower (since today)!? What Ive been waiting for finally happens, and I order my minions to attack. Oooooh! Dont let this opportunity go! All hands, ATTACK! I shout. I limp behind the two Good Followers too. Heck, I even make Cyam join the fight this time. We pummel the petrified chicken from all sides. When the petrification wears off, I order Cyam to use the spiders innate skill to immobilize it for some extra time. Even one or two seconds will do. Cyam, use Web Throw! Hehe, I feel like a trainer from a certain game right now. Web Thow has a very short range, so it couldnt be used until now. The wind chicken struggles, and gets free from the webs. But we wont allow it to get away so easily. Come on everyone! Lets kill this stupid chicken! We continue the assault, while not leaving space for the chicken to fly away. In the middle, it turns to me with the intention to fire some more Wind Blades, so I have to quickly hide behind a Good Follower... Again. *Pokooo!* The wind elemental makes a stupid cry as it dies. Finally! We did it! I jump around in glee. I hug Cyam. You did it, my buddy! Its thanks to you we beat this dungeon! Cyam stays still and ignores me. Well, what could you expect from a games AI I turn to the third door, the one that was always closed but is now open. There, I see the purple glow of the dungeon core. Oooh, nice! We beat this dungeon. We wont have to go back to the entrance, and instead, Ill get extra cp for reaching the end! I quickly go to the dungeon core and shatter it.
Dungeon Invasion Successful!
Rewards Obtained
...
I check the rewards, and see there are the nine Geodis I captured this time. I got enough Geodis (humanoid) now! With this, I canC I stop and take another look at the reward screen. Geodis (humanoid), it says humanoid HUMANOID!? Aaaah, shit! I forgot how the elementals work when I capture them! Noooooo! I drop to my knees. This cant be somebody, please tell me this is a dream! Humanoid, theyre humanoid! I hit my head against the wall a few times. Of course they are! All Geodis are humanoid, similar to the Pyris, Hidris, and the others And I cant change their shape after capturing them I want to cry. Anybody else wants to cry with me? Ahh did I waste all this time? I didnt want humanoids because I wanted to make chimeras with them! What the hell am I going to do now!? I completely forgot about this! So the thing is, I got the elementals with the skill I needed. But theyre useless because I wanted to make chimeras with them, and I cant use humanoid bodies to create chimeras You know what? Screw this! Im not going to spend any more time looking for earth elementals, the shopping list is long enough as it is. So theyre humanoid? So what? Ill have to create humanoids instead! I can always use them to create monstrous hybrids and give them the innate skill of the non-humanoid unit I planned to. Theyll be more expensive, but who cares? Yes, lets do it like this. Fufufu! Hahaha! It went all according to the plan after all! I try to delude myself. But Ill still need to capture a non-humanoid earth elemental in the 400 cp range. This isnt negotiable. I stroke my chin in thought. The problem is where the hell can I find one such elemental and not die in the process of capturing it?
Usually, my greatest enemy is myself. Im not proud of it.
Special - Top 10 Deaths: Full Video 1 - Wetted His Pants Two players, a man and a woman, find some monsters in front of them as they turn around the corner. Aah! Monsters! Dont worry, Ill take care of them. Hm! The woman cowers behind the man. He, after enjoying the womans reaction, smiles and assures her before combing his hair back with his hand. He calmly unsheathes his sword, without forgetting to wave his cape to look the best he can. Ha, ha, ha! Come at me, lets dance! Oww, youre so cool, Brima! The man smiles. Heh, of course I am. The combat starts. As disgusting and pompous the mans attitude is, he does show skill with his sword. In fact, the group of Stitched only manages to hit him twice before theyre all defeated. This was easy. Says Brima, with the same smile as before, combing his hair yet another time. Dont worry, dear Ele. As long as Im here, youll be safe. After all, Ive already cleared this dungeon three times. Im sure you did! Those monsters didnt have a chance against you! Heh! The stupid duo continues the dungeon invasion. It doesnt take long for them to find a door leading to a chaotic and messy laboratory. Now a laboratory I wonder what will be inside Mutters the man. Did you say anything, Brima? Its nothing, Ele. I was talking to myself. Ok! The woman inspects the area. Are you sure you dont need my help? This looks dangerous. Nah, its fine. Thisll be easy-peasy. The man makes the same cheesy smile as before and confidently walks inside the room. Inside, he finds a weird deformed humanoid wearing a white lab coat. Hah, you want to defeat me with a pencil? You shouldnt underestimate your seniors! But when the combat starts, the man frowns. This one is a lot stronger than the others Hey, are you sure you dont need my assistance? Nah, if I get serious, I can easily deal with this monster. Oh, Brima. Youre so cool! The man takes some distance from the monster and starts chanting. Geiser! He shouts, loudly. At first, nothing happens, and the Lab Assistant takes this chance to go closer to the invader. But then, two seconds after Brima finished chanting, the ground below the Lab Assistant bursts open and a stream of boiling water hits it from below. A large chunk of the Lab Assistants HP vanishes. Heh, so easy to predict. Ele starts cheering for him. Go, Brima! You can do it! In response, Brima strikes the coolest pose he can, and the battle resumes. *Tsk!* this is taking too long Unhappy because the battle is taking too long, Brima decides to retreat and prepare another Geiser spell. But he doesnt know now is the worst time to do it. Because, as he casts the spell under his feet so that when it activates the Lab Assistant is on top of it, an ice nova comes from the Lab Assistant and encases him in ice. N-no! This why? Brima looks around in a panic, but he can do nothing to stop the Geiser spell from firing right below him. Aah, this is bad *Pshhhh!* The water bursts from the ground and hits him on his royal jewels, sending his body flying. And thanks to the damage he took from the fire aura, he dies as he hits the ground. Brima! Shouts the woman as she runs in his direction. Hahaha! That was so ridiculous! Werent you supposed to protect me, huh? How are you supposed to protect me if youre dead? She kicks his body. A nasty grin appears on the womans face as she moves her hands around, manipulating some menus. Now if youll excuse me, Ill take a screenshot of this, and also of the moment you attacked yourself, and send it to all my friends! Hahaha! Nooo, please, anything but that! Tsk, tsk, tsk! This is your punishment for lying to me. Do you think Im stupid? If you had cleared this dungeon a few times as you said, you would have known about the monsters skill. I wont be able to show off to my friends about clearing the dreaded The Mad Rats Lab, so accept your punishment! The man, in his phantasmal form, starts moaning in despair. Aaah, I want to crawl under a rock and die The Lab Assistant is still alive, but it looks like this is more important for the woman... She doesnt even defend herself as she is beaten to death.
2 - Mobbed Hmm where could my support mobs be? An orc is looking around as he roams the tunnels. Since I got eaten by the worm, I havent found a single one of them Im sure they scattered after losing track of me. Who knows where they might be. He turns right to avoid a patch of poisonous mushrooms. The tunnel gets more expansive, and he can see an overhead bridge in front of him. This must connect to another tunnel but I cant reach it, its too high. The man stops for a moment as he inspects the area. Huh? Wait a moment Isnt that? He notices a small green-skinned humanoid hiding behind a rock. The little creature is close to the bridge but doesnt seem to notice the orc player. If only I can catch his attention Hey, goblin, over here! The man starts shouting and waving his hand. Tsk! Not enough? *Thump! Thump!* He hears heavy steps coming closer. Is this the famous Monster Train? Shit! What a bad timing Lets try this. If the goblin doesnt react, Ill leave it here. The orc grabs the bow behind his back and aims at a spot close to the goblin. Startled, the goblin looks around, trying to identify the attacker, and finally sees his owner. It leaves its hiding spot and moves as close to the player as it can, which is right next to the edge of the bridge. Yes. Now, jump! Orders the orc. The goblin complies and jumps to the tunnel below. Usually, this height would be enough to kill any low-level goblin, but the orc catches it, reducing the fall damage they both take. Now we have to run. The man releases the goblin and gets ready to leave the place when the stomping stops. Distracted by catching the goblin, the player doesnt see the huge shadow looming above him until its only two meters away. He raises his head and tries to avoid the monster. What the!? Noooo! Stop, you fool! Why did you jump, too!? If only it were a goblin instead of a troll, he could have avoided it. But it isnt easy to avoid a three-meter object falling on top of you when youre in a narrow tunnel. *Baam!* The troll squashes both the orc and the goblin. As the only survivor, it stands back up and stays close to the corpse of its owner with a stupid face. Fuck! That sound, it was you? And why did you jump? I never gave you any order! The orc, in his phantasmal form, starts to complain about the absurd situation. Ugh this stupid AI! And the fucking poison mushrooms If only I had higher HP, I would have survived the hit...
3 - Deadly Jumpscare Why is this so quiet? A heavily armored man advances through a rocky tunnel. He trembles and shivers. This is weird Everybody says theres a lot of noise and cries coming from random directions, but its been five minutes since I last heard anything or I found any monster. Only mushrooms The man reaches an elevated passage. He looks around with his eyes wide open, searching for something. This is it, Im sure theres something here Will something crawl up from the cliff? Or maybe flying enemies? He lowers his head, trying to see whats on the bottom of the cliff. I dont see anything Ugyaaa! Just at that moment, a weird cry resounds through the tunnel and the man jumps, surprised. But he does so with such bad luck that he slips, falling to the bottom of the cliff. Uaaaah! What the hell was that! Shouts the man as he falls. A message appears in front of him. I died? Well, I was at low HP because of the poison, so it isnt a surprise... But what the hell was that? Nobody told me this was a horror dungeon! Liars! Everybody is a liar!
4 - Man-thing Brainwash Baaaahahaha! Guess whos on the menu today! I cant continue, anymore! Please, help me! You monster! Youre so hideous, my eyes are going to rot! A group of human-headed sheep slowly tread through a partially inundated passage. Following them theres a green-skinned child, or at least it looks like one. Hes walking on four legs, imitating the hideous sheep hes tailing. Baaaaaaahaha! Guess whos on the menu today! Says the green-skinned child. Hehehe like this, they wont attack me and Ill safely explore and map this area What a good idea to imitate and follow the harmless Mansheep! The group continues moving through the abandoned laboratory. When they get close to another group of enemies, they turn around to avoid the sheeps group. As long as the monsters dont see the camouflaged green-skinned child, they seem to avoid each others paths. The player and the monstrous sheep continue walking, shouting random things and screaming from time to time. In fact, the player is so absorbed in his roleplay, that he doesnt notice his MP being depleted. Finally, he dies, but he doesnt change his behavior either. Give it baaaaack, you thief! Give it baaaaaack! Imitating the Mansheep, the green-skinned player, now in his phantasmal form, continues his roleplay leaving his dead body behind.
5 - Its soo cutC Aagh, save me! Look, look! Eliza! Its sooooo cute! Yeah I saw the first twenty times, you dont need to point it out anymore. Hehehe, but theyre so funny and squishy! Also, this one is black. Its the first time we see one thats black. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Oh, youre right. Wow, amazing! The woman, made literally of fire, rolls her eyes around at her persistence. She looks at the other player, a wererabbit woman, with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Pam, I know you like cute monsters a lot, the same as me. But do you think its really necessary to show them to me every time? Yes, I do! *Sigh!* Eliza suspires. At least, let them go once you capture them. Theres no need to bring them with you Never! True to the fire woman, the wererabbit is covered from head to toe with gummy-like geckos with all the imaginable colors. Almost the only parts that arent covered are her feet and hands, so she can move and grab more monsters, and her head and rabbit ears. I cant understand why the other players are afraid of this dungeon with so many cute monC Oooh, look at that, Eliza! This is a new one! Hm? Hey, wait for me! Pam suddenly starts running, and Eliza follows after her, curiosity etched on her face. She might be trying to dissimulate and act calm, but she likes the cute monsters as much as her friend. Ooh, look at this! Its a cute cat and octopus mix! Oooh, so fluffy! Let me touch it too, Pam! No, its mine! Also, werent you complaining about it a second ago!? ...come on Eliza extends her hand and tries to pat the cat-octopus, but Pam squirms around and does everything she can to avoid it. In the end, the Octocat ends up on Pams face, grabbing her head with its tentacles. Aaaah, help me, Eliza! I cant see! I cant see! Stop running around, I cant help you otherwise! No, Im sure youll steal the cat from me if I do. Then, how am I supposed to help you!? Just help meeee! Eliza, help meeeeeee! Pam runs around like a headless chicken. Eliza tries to catch and help her, but every time shes close to grabbing her, Eliza suddenly changes direction and slips away. Aaah, help me! Then, stop running around, you fool! Help meee! The shouting and chasing continues until the wererrabit woman accidentally falls into the river. The Water Ants nearby immediately rush at her and start biting. I-Im being eaten! Do something, Eliza! You can save yourself, you just need to use one of your area spells. I cant, I dont want to damage the cuties! Then I wont help you either. You need to learn your lesson. The fire woman then adds, in a lower voice so the wererabbit doesnt hear. And I dont want to hurt them either You traitor! I thought we were best friends! I wont talk to you ever again! The fiery woman waves her hand in dismissal. Yeah, yeah whatever you say Lets see if you really do it this time. How much time will you last? An hour, maybe?
6 - Minotaur Bowling A miniature minotaur with wings and a crown slams into a chubby and deformed humanoid. As a result of the clash, the tall humanoid flies away, leaving disgusting body fluids on its path fluids coming out from its hanging entrails. It hits a cloaked skeleton with bright blue fire inside the eye sockets and explodes upon contact. *Boooom!* The room shakes and lots of silhouettes fall to the ground as the damage spreads. They fall one after the other, like bowling pins, after receiving the explosion of the big, chubby, fleshy humanoid. When the dust settles, only the miniature minotaur remains alive, standing still where it collided with the chubby humanoid. Fuck! The skeleton, in phantasmal form, starts shouting profanities. Why did I have to believe him? I knew it wouldnt work! I wasted so much time and effort to reach this place! The man turns around and watches the destruction caused by the explosion. Not only him but all his support minions also died. Stupid fucking useless guidance! Ill never believe what he says ever again! Bring a bloated zombie with you and give it self-destruct, he said. Itll kill the Minitaur Queen upon impact, or at least inflict a huge amount of damage so you can easily kill it later, he said. Fuck you! The only thing I achieved with it was killing my own team and ruining the dungeon invasion!
7 - Theyre Everywhere! EVERYWHERE! Aaah, this is bad theyre getting closer! As much as we run, we cant shake them off! Wooohooo! Huhuhu! This is so much fun! Bronn, we must repeat this later. A short and stout dwarf, with an impressive beard, is running through a rocky passage. Theres a small fairy too, flying and tumbling through the air. She sometimes spins around the dwarf as if to make fun of his slow speed. Fun!? This is too much for anyone, I cant understand how are you enjoying this, Silly! Its because youre jinxed! Also, you didnt bring any poison resistance skills as everyone suggested. Look at me, Im having a blast! Huhuhu! Well, youre right about the poison but it isnt the problem! The distinctive sound of thundering steps from the Monster Train gets closer as they talk. The problem is with the monsters, they coordinate too well. This is precisely why this is so funny! The dwarf groans in annoyance. If only you could help me Its your fault all our minions are dead. No thanks! I came for the spectacle! Huhuhu! Ah why did I think it was a good idea to bring you with me? Its because Im cute! Hehe! ... Pissed at her, the dwarf doesnt reply. They continue running and finally, the sound from the Monster Train starts to fade away. But the dwarf doesnt relax his expression yet. Im sure this isnt the end. Every time I think we lost them, we meet them again from the front, coming after us Youre right! Its so entertaining, watching you run away in fear! Its like watching a cat chasing after a mouse. Silly, shut up! If youre not going to help, at least stay quiet! Huhuhu! Bronn got angry at me! Huhuhu! Silly makes a sad face and wipes her tears, as if she were crying, as she laughs. In response, Bronn raises his hand as if wanting to strangle the stupid, annoying fairy. A few Goblimps start attacking the duo, forcing them to retreat into another passage. Why are they so smart? Complains Bronn. They know how to ambush, they coordinate between groups, they use the gap created by any trap we activate They know how to surround us so we cant escape! Yes, isnt this why its so funny? I said shut up! Running away from the Gobimps, the two reach a place with several tunnel mouths. There, as if waiting for them to come, groups of enemies appear from all the entrances, blocking all the exits. Goblimps, Braindeads, Hauntlings, Demonic Swarmers Even The Tunnels Nightmare. And as if this wasnt enough, an avalanche of Stitched starts pouring from above as if they came from a broken faucet. The first ones to hit the ground die from the falling damage, but there are so many of them, that the others use them as a cushion to soften their fall. Bronn looks aghast. Oh, come on! This is ridiculous! Hey, Bronn Good luck there! Huhuhu! True to her word, Silly activates her innate fairy skill, Trickster, turns invisible, and flies away. She hides in the best spot she can find. A spot from which she can properly see Bronn being swarmed to death. Come back here, you stupid fairy! These are Bronns last words before being swallowed by an unending stream of monsters. The outcome of the fight is evident. The dwarf, now in his phantasmal shape, starts talking to himself. These monsters are too smart Theyre everywhere! EVERYWHERE! You turn a corner, monster. Defeat one, theres another! Escaped from a group? Heres a few more! This is impossible Monsters, monsters everywhere! Monsters! Hahahaha! The man starts laughing like a madman. His mind, even if only momentarily, completely shattered. Silly waits for all enemies to leave the scene before abandoning her hiding spot and flying toward the other player. Then, the little fairy starts poking Bronns corpse with her stick-like staff. She chuckles. Hey, Bronn! Lets do it all from the beginning! But Bronn the dwarf ignores the little fairys words as he continues to laugh.
8 - Slimy Benny Hill From one tunnel, a weird blue human-like slimy creature appears, running. From the several tunnels that connect to this place, it chooses one and goes inside. Soon after, a heavily armored man enters the scene, chasing after the slimy creature. There are several more humanoids chasing after him. He looks around. Fuck! Where did it go, now? He chooses a random tunnel, which, luckily, happens to be the one the slimy creature chose, and runs into it. Both the man and the blue creature come into the same intersection once again but from different entrances this time. There are fewer creatures chasing after the man than there were before. The two meet in the middle. The blue creature spits blue goo into the mans face and quickly runs away into another tunnel. Not again! Stop running away! But the man doesnt give up, raises his sword in anger, and chases after the blue creature. A very well-known music starts playing as the action speeds up. The blue creature and the heavily armored man start appearing from different entrances, coming and going without any logic or sense. Three more slimy creatures join the chase, their colors green, red, and yellow. They sometimes appear in groups, they sometimes spit goo of their respective colors at the man, and sometimes they simply appear from one tunnel before quickly disappearing through another. The man, from time to time, manages to strike one of the creatures with his sword. But he cant deal the finishing blow because theres always another creature that appears from behind and slows him at the critical moment. The chase continues. The only thing that truly changes is that the units behind the man are slowly dwindling. Finally, the man grabs the blue creature, the first one, and is about to do the killing when a yet not seen creature enters from the side. At the same time, the music stops. The man turns his head to the intruder. Its too late for him to do anything. Oh, no, not again! Its already the third time! Why cant you leave me alone? I just want to kill them so I can move forward! The new monster, a pitch-black, horrifying wolf-like creature, releases a howl and the man starts running away in fear. The humanoids that were chasing after him are affected too and scramble away, each one choosing one of the multiple tunnels. Ok, this is it! You made me angry, this is personal now! Even if its the last thing I do, Ill make sure to kill you all! Just wait and see! Hahaha! These are the last words the man says before he disappears. Then, the chasing scene starts once again and the music resumes playing. A long time later, the man finally dies, exhausted.
9 - -100% Damage. Am I healing my enemies!? Wahahaha! Whats this, this is all too easy! Whahaha! A horned man stands on top of a wererabbit-orcs corpse as he laughs. He wears next to no armor, all of it consisting of a big shoulder pad. His uncovered bulging chest, his bat-like wings, and the colossal sword on his back give him a tremendous presence. But this is getting annoying, there are only weaklings everywhere... I heard this dungeon was extremely dangerous, but it was a lie. And I didnt bring any support mob on purpose! Im tired of this! Where does a demon lord like myself need to go to have an enjoyable time? The demon looks around in annoyance. He only sees more rabbits. Weaklings! Only more weaklings! Agh lets deal with this all at once. Eat this! Wahahaha! He casts a spell and soon the whole area is covered by black flames. The rabbits, as the weaklings they are, soon die. Except there are a few of them that dont die and instead transform into more of the same wererabbit-orc hes stepping on. Hm? They didnt die yet? Well, it wont change anything The demon waits for the monsters to die in the fire, but instead, they run at him and start attacking him all at the same time. The man tilts his head to the side. This is weird. Maybe theyre resistant to fire? Then Ill just have to deal with them with melee attacks, like I did with the first one. Sword slashes and claws fly everywhere. The battle continues, but theres no winner even after a minute. The demon furrows his brows. This doesnt make any sense why wont they die? Not even dragons can survive this long inside the fire while I attack them! If the man wasnt so proud, he would have noticed that the hybrid monsters hadnt taken a single point of damage since he first used Hellfire, and only from the first damage tick. But hes too proud to take a look at his stats while fighting weaklings. Somethings wrong. Is it a bug? Or maybe The demon finally inspects the monsters hes fighting. It isnt them Then, is it me? The fuck!? -100% damage!? When did I get this debuff!? Does this mean Im healing my enemies instead of dealing damage!? Well, I only need to wait until the debuff disappears. The demon, surprised, doesnt notice another thing. He doesnt notice that his HP is getting dangerously low. He usually relies on his damage drain to survive prolonged fights, but since hes not dealing damage, he isnt healing either. Another minute into the fight, the demons corpse falls to the ground. He only notices after the You have died message pops in front of him. WHAT!? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE!? Shouts the demon, now in the translucent phantasmal form.
10 - Poisoned Dreams An extremely pale human with bright blue eyes rushes into an empty cave. He looks around, checking for traps and enemies, and only relaxes after making sure theres nothing dangerous. The only slightly suspicious thing is some tiny bluish particles floating around, but they dont look dangerous. No monsters, traps, or poisonous mushrooms. Finally, a safe place! The man happily goes inside. That was close I have to heal myself, and fast Meditation is very useful, but cant be used in dangerous situaC In the middle of speaking, the pale humans body falls to the floor. W-what? The poison shouldnt have killed me yet! I should have a few seconds! In the temporary translucent shape that appears when the champion is incapacitated but not dead and cant be seen or heard by other players, the man quickly opens the status screen and sees that his champion is sleeping. Sleep? I wont survive this, the poison will kill me before the sleep goes away. If only status effects counted as damage, then the poison would break the sleep The man stops talking and waits for the inevitable to happen. About thirty seconds after his death, the pale human opens his eyes again. He stands up. Thank god Im a revenant and this isnt the end yet. He dusts himself and starts walking away. I dont need healing anymore, so lets leave thisC The man falls to the ground for the second time. Sleep!? Again!? What the hells wrong with this place? Im a fucking Revenant! After resurrecting, all the debuffs should disappear! Theres literally no enemy or trap that could have inflicted sleep upon me! This is bullshit! A hack! Ill make sure to report this once I come back The scene speeds up. It takes about eight minutes for the revenant to die again, this time because of its own resurrection skill, so it takes a while even with accelerated speed. During this time, he doesnt stop complaining and spouting insults. Covering most of the screen, a text with all the things he says appears, coming from bottom to top. Its amazing how much cussing and swearing, as well as how many profanities, can somebody say when they dont have anything else to do. It isnt until the message of You have died appears in front of him that he stops his ramblings and leaves the dungeon. But not before swearing revenge. Youll see! Ill find your real ID and make sure to make you pay for this, dungeon owner! Whatever it takes, I will!
Pffft, hahaha! Theyre so stupid! Yes, they are. But why are you laughing? Isnt it you in this video? Nononono! You must be confused. But didnt you tell me you were called like this? ...No. My nickname is with e instead of a. Yes, this isnt me, its somebody who has a similar name. It definitely isnt me. So Which one did you like the most? If you say so Im not sure which one is the best, its hard to decide Hey, can I put the video again? I want to see the face you make when you die another time! ...
This video drove countless men out to sea Huh I mean This video drove countless players to The Mad Rats Lab. This is the main reason the video series called The Mad Rats Lab Top Deaths never ran out of juice: it fed itself.
Ch 117 - Infiltrating into the organization Inside a dark cathedral, several hooded figures stand in a line. They all have different heights and shapes. The only light, coming from a few candles distributed in essential points of this cathedral, does nothing to reveal their faces. They stay completely still, not daring to move a single muscle. The eerie silence continues until a loud male voice breaks it. Welcome, everyone! Welcome, those whore ready to see the truth of this world! Fufufu! Hahaha! Dramatically raising his arms up, the man starts laughing. Lightning falls outside the cathedral, temporarily illuminating the scene. The mans silhouette is clearly defined against the bright light. Though his expression and face cant be seen, his exaggerated laughing pose as well as the crest on top of his head are evident to everyone present. The light also illuminates ten more silhouettes of different shapes and sizes surrounding the man in a semicircle. Theyre on top of the cathedrals altar, standing completely still, similar to the hooded silhouettes. But unlike them, they arent hiding their faces. The man stops laughing and looks at the hooded figures. He slowly scans them one by one. Youre the chosen ones, carefully selected from all the unworthy players. Today, you came to join our holy order. To show this world the truth! Together, well change this world and their worthless beliefs! Because, as you all know All shall despair! All shall despair! The ten individuals surrounding the man start echoing his words in a chorus. The man lets them do so a few times before raising his fist, and they all immediately stop. But first, youll have to pass one last simple test. Today, you all will form teams with one of our veterans and be initiated into the truth of this world. Today, youll have the greatest honor of entering The Mad Rats Lab, and enjoy the worst things in it, guided by our most devout believers! The man makes a signal, and the ten players surrounding him go down the altars stairs and walk in front of two of the hooded figures. Go! Feel despair! Understand despair! Embrace despair! The man extends his hand as if wanting to grab the sky. For sooner or later, the world will understand! Nobodys free from it! All shall despair! All shall despair! All shall despair! The ten veterans start chanting again, and soon the hooded newcomers join them. Meanwhile, the man starts laughing. Learn from Him, enjoy His dungeon, and finally, show the world His greatness! Fufufu! Hahaha! All shall despair! All shall despair! Still chanting, the hooded players follow behind the ten veteran players and leave the dark cathedral.
Today is the day. The day Ill get initiated into the Mad Rats Cult. I know what youre thinking, and no, Im not crazy. Its just Its been some time since I started competing with my friends on who could reach the end of The Mad Rats Lab first but nobody has completed the dungeon yet. So I thought: Whats the best way to clear the dungeon?, and came up with a crazy idea. Crazy as in unexpected, dont misunderstand. This crazy idea was to join the Mad Rats Cult. What could help me more than receiving advice from those obsessed with the dungeon? In the forums, they say the Mad Cultists C as they like to call themselves C know absolutely everything that happens in it, after all. Every secret. Every monster. Every trap. Every passage. They say the Mad Cultists even know whats the worst way to clear the dungeon, making sure to encounter all the dangers. If so, shouldnt they know how to avoid them too? Thats the reason I applied to join them. Feigning passion for the All shall despair cause, I applied to join them. The introduction ceremony was weird and creepy, and now Im ready to enter The Mad Rats Lab, supervised by one of the veteran players. I think he called himself the first apostle, or something similar We form a team and enter The Mad Rats Lab. After the light disperses, the usual forest area appears in front of me. From here, itll slowly get creepier as you advance, and the plants will start to have a suspicious reddish tint. All right, rookies! Youre the luckiest rookies in this batch, as you have the honor to be taught by me, Bil, the greatest and first Mad Rats apostle! Im the only player who has been directly taught by Him! Arent I amazing? The self-called first apostle looks at us, waiting for our reactions. Hes using a wereshark as his Champion. His pointed teeth and wide smile give him a stupid and somewhat ferocious look at the same time. Similar to what happens with all werebeasts, the wereshark is a humanoid with shark traits. With this, I dont mean a human with a shark head, thatd be too disgusting and ridiculous. The traits all weresharks share in their humanoid form are thick grayish skin, a big dorsal fin on their back and smaller ones on their arms and legs, and a long and thick shark tail. Then, theres the head. Weresharks have a slightly longer neck than humans, which is as thick as the head, making it impossible to differentiate between the two parts. The snout extends over the lower mandible, the same as real sharks. And finally, both upper and lower jaws are filled to the brim with dangerously pointed teeth. Three rows of them. Ooooh, amazing! Were so lucky! The other initiate, right next to me, says with enthusiasm. I never expected to meet a legend like you on my first day! Great First Apostle, do you think Ill be able to meet Mad Rat? Ive been looking forward to it since I watched the tournament! Shes a female player, and shes playing a well-endowed succubus. Her horns are big, her eyes and hair are the same red color, which contrasts with her pitch-black wings, and her figure is incredibly alluring. It isnt only me, so dont call me a pervert Im sure any male player would agree with me. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Rumors say theres been an increase in female players using Succubus as Champions since the last tournament. Its because of Mad Rats companion, who liked to physically stick to him, and he didnt mind it. Of course, this only applies to the Mad Rats Cult or similar crazy players. Distracted, Im late to react. Ooh, yeah. Its amazing! I try to sound as excited as possible. Its hard when you dont really care Nice. Then, lets start by introducing ourselves. As I already said, Im the great first apostle, names Bil. Bil sticks out his chest proudly. Then you look more enthusiastic, so you go first. Bil points at the succubus right next to me, and she introduces herself. My nicknames Anaconda, because I like to strangle and torture my victims before I finally eat them, as any normal demon would. But please, call me Ana because its shorter. She curtsies and softly chuckles. I involuntarily make a step to the side at her words. Omg, this woman is dangerous! Shes like a poisonous apple! It looks amazing, but if you take a bite Nice name, I like it. Says Bil. It is a very good name, indeed. It brings me back to some of my best memories Fufufu He chuckles to himself, remembering something. I have no idea what it might be, nor do I want to know. Now its my time to introduce myself. My full nickname is Sleeping Spymaster, but please call me Spy. As you can see, Im a human because I like they dont have any specific weakness, unlike most other factions. Tsk! Humans Bil looks annoyed. I dont like humans. As He says, humans are the worst and should go extinct. But our strongest player is also a human, so we havent banned them Yeah, humans are boring! Adds Ana from my side. Sorry-not-sorry for being boring. I prefer being boring than crazy. Bil looks around. I see you havent brought any support mobs as instructed. He nods to his own words. Ok, then Oh, I almost forgot! What are your roles? Tank? DPS? Healer? Im a melee bruiser, I say. Depending on the situation, I can protect the team or join the attack. I see Bil looks uninterested. Im a burst mage! I can deal a huge amount of damage in a large area in a very short time, but then Im completely useless until I recover my MP! Says Ana. I took this idea from Mad Rat, but my build is better when dealing with strong enemies! Ooh, nice! I see youve already been introduced to His great ways already! Bil pats Anas shoulder. But you should never compare yourself to Him in the future, ok? Nobody should. Hes too great for us to compare to, understood? Ok, First Apostole. Im sorry Ana lowers her head in shame. Will I be eliminated because of my mistake? Hahaha, dont worry! Its great youre so enthusiastic! I would never disqualify you because of this! Is it just me, or this situation is getting more ridiculous as time goes by? *Khm!* Bil clears his throat and tries to adopt a dignified posture. I say try, because he fails at it. Now, you two will take this dungeon head-on. I will follow you closely and evaluate your performance. Remember our Leaders words: feel despair, understand despair, embrace despair. Ill decide if you can join us or not depending on how you react. Are we going alone? Us two? Are you kidding me? I havent managed to clear this dungeon even with two of my friends, all of us with our support mobs, and you want us to clear it!? Alone? Are you fucking crazy!? No, this cant be Im sure Bil will give us tips if we ask politely. Oh, great First Apostle, Ive been here before, and I have a question I would like to ask. Doing extra homework, arent we? I first thought you werent worthy to join our group, but I see I was wrong. ...yes. Im very motivated. So is there a way to make sure you fall into one of those Tunnel Mimics? Sometimes, I cant find them I put the saddest face I can make. I have to ask it in reverse so he doesnt suspect me. I want to know how to avoid them, so I need to ask how to find them instead. The Tunnel Mimics, huh? You remind me of Gery, hes always accidentally being eaten by them But Im sorry, I cant give you any tips now. My lips are sealed. Are you kidding me!? You arent going to guide us, or tell any of this dungeons secrets!? Maybe, its classified information? It wouldnt be so weird. If so, Ill need to pass this test and join the Mad Rats Cult before I can obtain the precious information. What a hassle... I expected the initiation to be enough. But not everything is bad. I managed to fool Bil into thinking Im one of them. I worry about the future. How much will I have to suffer, today? Me, alone with this crazy bitch that only knows how to blow stuff up, in The Mad Rats Lab? This is the worst recipe I can think of. One that assures disaster.
Haa haaa This was amazing! Dont you think so too, rookies? Exhausted for running away for a long time, Bil turns around with a crazy expression on his face and asks a stupid question. I say stupid because of what happened just now. Yes, it was! I was so close to dying! Says Ana. First I wanted to cry, but then I understood what despair means and really enjoyed it. Youre making nice progress there, rookie! Hahaha! Youll soon be ready to join our ranks. The two idiots C as well as Bils support mobs C got caught in a hide-and-seek game with the Goblimps not long ago. Ana nearly died after running out of MP, and Bil needed five whole minutes to get rid of a single enemy. And now, theyre celebrating it! Crazy! Theyre crazy! Though I must admit I enjoyed watching them running around without a clue of how to do this properly. Yeah, it was quite good I add, a tad too late. If I want to join them to get all their secrets, I must first earn Bils recognition. But I dont know, I think there must be a better way to enjoy this Contrary to what I expected at the start, I didnt learn how to beat the Goblimps easily. Instead of focussing on killing them fast, Ana, and then Bil too, followed them at their own game. The worst thing you can do, really. What I did learn, though, is how I shouldnt fight them, thanks to the two of them. From this fight, I can infer that the best way to deal with the Goblimps is to: either ignore them until they decide to start combat; or use something with a high chance of hitting (and hopefully killing) them as soon as you spot them. I also never expected Bil to join the fight just to suffer with us two instead of helping, but this is now irrelevant. Ah, I see Bil awkwardly scratches his head. I see you dont like fighting the Goblimps too much. I can understand not everybody likes the same, but you should learn to enjoy other stuff too. You cant always be focussed only on the Tunnel Mimics, you know? Why the Tunnel Mimics again!? I dont like them, ok!? I asked you about them to try and get information on whats the best way to avoid them and not because I enjoy being eaten by them! I force a chuckle. Hahaha, yeah, you got me there But dont worry, Spy! Bil gently pats my back. When the time comes, Ill teach you everything you need to know about the Tunnel Mimics, I promise. Of course, Im not as much of an expert as Gery, but Ive heard so many times how much he enjoys being eaten, I can consider myself half an expert! Hahaha! Finally, some useful information at last! Bil gets closer and whispers right next to my ear. For example, and this comes directly from his mouth A very good way to enjoy it is to allow the worm to eat and digest you until you believe youre going to die, and then start attacking like a madman until only one remains! A fight for survival! A fight against time! And the best is that so much time would have passed since you got eaten, that youll have absolutely no idea of where you are once you get out! The thrill, the unknown! Bil hugs himself in ecstasy. Hey, this isnt fair! I want to know it too! It isnt fair if you only tell him! Ana complains, but Bil only shrugs his shoulders. Why did I? Why did I think, even if it was only for an instant, that what hes saying makes sense!? I shudder.
There were some crazy players, arguably as crazy as those in the Mad Rats Cult, who were willing to pay other players to infiltrate the aforementioned group of madmen and get all the information they could get before they were discovered. The problem with this? Most players didnt dare to join the cult because there were almost no players who came out of it. Not sane, at least. Thats why they had to give awesome rewards. What nobody can be sure of, is if those rich players were really expecting to get any useful information out of it, or if they only desired to watch other players fall into madness.
Ch 118 - Playing the slot machines Come on, come on please, gods of chaos and luck! I need your help here! I put my hands together and pray. What I need is extremely simple! I just need the most ridiculous and absurd combination ever! I hesitatingly extend a hand to the lever and pull it. Then, the cryogenic-like chamber in front of me opens and white fog fills my vision. Come on luck, be on my side I wave my hand to disperse the fog C a futile effort since this is a game and the fog a visual effect. Ugh another failure I drop to the ground, on my knees. How many times has it been already? Isnt this the sixth time!? The chamber is empty. If the chamber is empty, it means the experiment failed and I wasted yet another unit and some resources. It was a Stitched I lost, so it isnt a problem but still, I wanted to see it work at least once! Why do I have such bad luck when it matters the most? Haha, Im sure Marta would explode if she heard me say this. I turn my head to the side, to the other three identical capsules right next to this one. Well, I at least have three more pulls, lets hope for the best Are you curious about what Im doing right now? The answer is simple, I got tired of the shopping list, and since I didnt want to start creating and modifying only a part of my dungeon, I got distracted by something else. Something Ive been delaying for quite a lot of time. If Im not wrong, since the very first day I started playing the game. Though it isnt like I had the extra cp or resources to play with this yet. Also, I forgot, kind of. It was on my to-do list, but I only write new stuff in it but never actually read it, so Im talking about the Mutation vats. The MUTATION VATS! These machines can give one unit a random innate trait, but they have an extremely high chance of failure! You remember them, right!? Just in case you forgot, heres their description.
Mutation Vat
Cost: 3,000 cp, 200 metal, 200 food
Use cost: 100 food, 30 electricity
You can put a humanoid or smaller unit inside for 24h and activate the device. Once it finishes, there is a 90% chance that the unit is destroyed and a 10% chance that the unit gains a random Innate skill. If successful, the units cp value will be increased by 50 cp.
Ive tried a few times already, but all my experiments ended in failure so far. This is why I was praying to the gods before. If this doesnt work, Ill soon start praying to the devil. I know theres a 90% failure chance, but I cant be this unlucky, right? And it takes a full day to finish! I cant waste so much time with this! If it doesnt work this time I guess I can only do it all again? Fufufu! Hahaha! Yeah I dont learn from my mistakes. I stop in front of the second Mutation Vat and pull the lever to open it. Same as before, a white fog covers my vision for a moment and Theres nothing inside, again!? I start pulling my fur. Aaaagh! This is so annoying! Do you know how much effort I put into this!? Literally, no effort. I only had to create a Stitched, put it inside the vat using the dungeon menu, and press a button. But I can complain anyway, cant I? Ok Im sure the next one is the one! Im sure the next one is a success! I walk to the third Mutation Vat and quickly pull the lever. The fog disperses, but I cover my eyes with my hand. Ahh I dont dare to look what if it disappears when I look? Hesitating, I finally open my eyes, only to see the chamber is empty. Noooooo! I was so sure this was the good one! I drop to my knees yet again. But this time, I start rolling on the floor too, like a kid throwing a tantrum. I dont like this, this isnt fair! Whats this shit!? Why am I so unlucky!? Usually, it would have succeeded at least once by now! Calm down, calm down, Andreu! You cant behave like a kid! Youre a proper adult! I dont see why I shouldnt behave like a child! I can, so Ill do it! Uaaah, this is so unfair! I dont like it! Bwaaaaah! After a while of fooling around, I stand up and dust my tunic. Ok, this was enough. Better open the last one and see if its a full miss or if I won the jackpot. I extend my hand toward the last lever but I hesitate to pull it. Wait. What if the problem is I didnt pray enough? Maybe I should make a deal with the devil? Hmm yes, lets do it! Hey devil, are you there? If you are, I promise you this: Im ready to give my life away as long as this last Mutation Vat works and the mutation is successful. Do you agree? Of course, theres no answer. Ill take this silence as a yes. Here I go I pull the lever and the Mutation Vat opens. This is this ooooooh! Its a success! Yes! Yes! Finally, a success! Oh, yeah! I cant forget to say it. Its Alive! Its ALIVE!! I laugh like a maniac. I even use my Chain Lightning spell and adopt my most famous and epic pose. Then, I remember something and immediately stop. Hmm ok, this is I scratch my head. Im not sure what expression I should make. Wait a moment. I make a signal with my hand to the nonexistent audience. I must first, I must keep my promise. Lets inspect the Stitched and the mutation later. The last thing I want to do is anger the devil. Its important for the future. Future pacts, I mean. I open the dungeon menu and teleport myself to a very special area. The same very special area I used to train my human-nuke when I was planning on defeating my older sister. Of course, this was before I knew she was my older sister, but it doesnt matter. This area can be described very easily: an extremely tall platform with nothing else in the room. Ready for me to jump and splatter myself on the ground after the fall. I jump. Aaaaaaah! I shout. You must shout when falling, right? Aaaaaah! This brings back some memories Awful ones, sure, but it brings them back anyway. How many times did I do this before I learned when to time the Grand Finale skill properly? *Plof!* My body hits the ground and my HP falls to 0. In my phantasmal form, I look up, at the platform where I jumped from. I can barely see it from here. Well, this is done. I press the resurrect button and the game brings me back to full HP. Now I can go look what I got! Hahaha! It must be something amazing, Im sure! I rub my hands. Aah, it must be something amazing, Im sure of it. Its the result of a pact with the devil, so the Stitched must have gotten a crazy good skill. I quickly teleport to the previous room, right in front of the last Mutation Vat. The Stitched is still inside, not moving at all. Until I place it somewhere else, it will remain inside the machine. Lets see, lets see what we got I inspect the Stitched. This is
Stitched (Lv 1)
HP 60 (60) STA 5 (5) SOU 3 (3)
EP 50 (50) MP 30 (30)
STR 5 (5) CON 7 (7) AGI 2 (2)
SPI 4 (4) WIL 4 (4) DEX 1 (1)
SPD 3 INT 1 COM 0
Skills
Passive: Echolocation (Innate).
...Echolocation. Are you fucking kidding me!? After all this time and tries, I finally got a hit, and the skill I got was Echolocation!? What the heck am I supposed to do with this shit!? This cant be, I must have read it wrong. Let me read it again, just in case Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I inspect the Stitched once again. It clearly says Echolocation. Fuck! What am I supposed to do with a Stitched with Echolocation!? Put it on the ceiling inside a dark room, and hope for it to kill somebody when it passes below it by dropping on top of the intruder? Hmmm it might not be such a bad idea No, stop your delusions, Andreu. This is awful! The lamest idea you ever had! Theres absolutely nothing you can do with a Stitched with Echolocation! Nothing useful, at least. Maybe, if it were another unit it would be doable, but not a Stitched. Theyre too dumb. Yeah I must agree with myself here. Ah, shit there are so many cool innate skills it could get, but it had to be one of the most useless ones! And I was planning on unlocking the Cloning Vat and using it on the mutated Stitched if I got a good random Innate skill What a shame.
Cloning Vat
Cost: 30.000 cp, 20.000 metal, 20.000 food
Use cost: 1.000 food, 500 metal, 200 electricity, ? cp
You can put a humanoid or smaller unit inside for 7 days and activate the device. Once it finishes, you will obtain a copy of the first unit. Activating this device costs cp equal to twice the cp value of the unit you want to copy.
The Cloning Vat is a new building I can now unlock. You can say its an essential building if you really want to go heavy on the random nature of the Mutation Vats. Getting the same mutation twice is close to impossible, so if you want more than one creature with the same extra innate skill, you must clone it after the mutation. It can also help with the creation of normal units, if youre too lazy to go capture the units to create them, but the doubled cp cost is so absurd it isnt worth it. Ah what am I going to do now so much resources spent, only to get a useless Stitched This is such a letdown. Why couldnt I get I dont know, a Dragons Breath innate skill, for example? Can you imagine? A Stitched with the same dragon breath as a real dragon? That would have been so amazing! So stupidly broken! If you ignore the fact the Stitched dont have enough EP or MP to cast it, of course. But it can be solved with enough level-ups and stat-boosting skills! Well I guess theres only one thing I can do now. Yes only one thing. The only thing I can do now is prepare a new batch of Stitched and start a new round of mutations. Im sure Ill pull something good next time! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest you dont try this. Once you start, you cant stop.
What can I do now? Ive prepared the next round of Mutation Vats, but theres nothing more I can do here. I should go and continue with the shopping list but I dont want to. So what else can I do to procrastinate? I put a hand on my chin, thinking about some options. Then, I remember something very, extremely important. Something I almost forgot yet again. Oh, yeah! I still have to level up my champion and give myself another spell! Its amazing how, sometimes, you can forget the most important things. And repeatedly! Immediately forgetting about my repeated errors and failures, I open the status screen and press the level-up button. Now that I think about it I could have done this at any time, and spent the skill point later I could have gone shopping with higher stats... Well, its already done, so who cares? I rub my hands together and crackle. Hahaha! I feel stronger! My power is rising! Fufufu! Hahaha! Its only a 10% increase over the basic stats, I know. But 10% can be a lot. Im unstoppable now! I laugh some more. Ok, thats enough, me lets stop fooling around and focus on the task at hand. Now for the new spell! I have two requirements for this new spell: that it deals damage, and that it deals high amounts of damage. Ok you got me... Its the same requirement. But its important to differentiate between the two! It isnt the same to deal some damage than a huge amount of damage, after all! I filter the list of all active skills so that it only shows spells C aka, skills that cost MP, and only MP C so that I can get the bonus damage, and only spells that can actually deal damage. I dont want utility spells, healing spells, or anything similar. Burst spells! This is the only type of spell that is useful! Hahaha! Immediately, a list of all the spells that deal damage appears in front of me. Its so long I guess I must spend some time to, at least, read the names of the spells. Fireball nah, too classic and boring. Cone of Cold? No, the damage it deals is too little. Also, I already have a spell that deals ice damage. Magic Missiles? This is yet another classic. But, it is ok? I can increase the damage by spending extra MP, and choose to split or focus the damage on a single target. Yeah, lets put it on the might be good enough list for now... I continue browsing the list, writing the names of those spells I like, and discarding those I dont, until W-what the hell is this!? Chaos Bolt? The name alone already sounds amazing. Lets take a proper look at it Wow this is isnt this I gulp. ...perfect?
Chaos Bolt (Active skill)
Cost: 1.000 MP
Deal (30 + 1,5 * SPI) damage five times. The damage type of this skill is selected at random from all the existing types every time it deals damage. Also, every time this skill deals damage, theres a 15% chance to inflict one random negative status effect for 5 seconds. Against Bosses and Champions, the same status effect can only be applied once every minute. The timer resets after the status effect wears off.
Fufufu! Hahaha! I burst out laughing. This is perfect! PERFECT! It can deal a stupid amount of damage, applies random status effects and whats more, this spell fits the mad scientist roleplay perfectly! The random damage types are so good! It meets all my needs! The PERFECT spell! Hahaha! I quickly open the calculator C which is part of the games menu, Im sure you understand why C and start using it to calculate the damage and the chances to inflict status effects of this skill. 1,5 times SPI, add 30 to it, and multiply it by five then add 40% bonus to it, from Maniac and Mana Attuned I quickly press the buttons. This is a common skill for anybody who plays the game. This gives me, around 900 damage. 900 damage! And this is without the Champions bonus, which almost doubles it! Isnt this skill as strong as Grand Finale? But I dont need to cripple myself by using it. I review the numbers to make sure I didnt screw it. It seems I didnt. As for the probability to inflict status effects Maniac doubles my chances, so its 30% instead of 15%. These calculations are a lot more complex, so Ill spare you the details. But if I didnt make a mistake, these are the results. Hmm around 83% chance to inflict, at least, one status effect. And about a 0,2% chance to inflict all five of them. Not bad, not bad! Fufufu! Hahaha! I continue laughing like a madman, as usual, until I notice something I ignored the first time I read the spells description. A tiny, insignificant detail, really. 1.000 MP!? A fucking thousand MP!? Its so fucking expensive! If I pick this spell, Ill only be able to use it a single time. And this is only when I have the Champions buff! Well, maybe it isnt such an insignificant detail. Aaah, what to do this spell is so amazing! So perfect! But I cant use it! This is this is the worst! Its like starving to death, and somebody giving you poisoned food. You really, really, REALLY want to eat it, but itll be worse if you do! I want to cry such a shame if only I was at a higher level This wouldnt happen if I had the same MP as Martas champion does I slump on the ground, but then an idea comes to me and I quickly stand back up. This is it! The Chaos Bolt cant be the only spell that has similar effects! There must be something similar, something I can actually use! I open the skill list once again. Now that I know what Im looking for, it doesnt take too long to find it. This! This is it! Fufufu! Hahaha! With this, Ill rule the world!
Chaotic Beam (Active skill)
Cost: 220 MP
Deal (10 + 0,7 * SPI) damage two times. The damage type of this skill is selected at random from all the existing types every time it deals damage. Also, every time this skill deals damage, theres a 15% chance to inflict one random negative status effect for 5 seconds. Against Bosses and Champions, the same status effect can only be applied once every minute. The timer resets after the status effect wears off.
Yes! YEEEEES! Huge amount of damage? Check! Random nature that might make the spell do nothing if unlucky? Check! Status effects? Check! Does it fit my roleplay? Hell yes, it does! I dont waste any more time adding my skill to my skill list. Chaotic Beam I think I fell in love today. Come forth my loyal minions! Its time to go test my new skill on some unlucky peasants! And as we go, we might as well get some more units to turn into your future friends! Fufufu! Hahaha! I open the shopping list and choose one of the remaining items on it before starting a new dungeon invasion. Ah, in case youre curious, this is my current champions status screen. Without the Champions buff, of course.
Mad Rat (Lv 7)
HP 592 (370) STA 41 (26) SOU 51 (32)
EP 480 (300) MP 656 (410)
STR 40 (25) CON 56 (35) AGI 56 (35)
SPI 67 (42) WIL 49 (31) DEX 51 (32)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Chaotic Beam Cold Blast Grand Finale Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery) Lightning Shield Mana Attuned (Innate) Mana Core (Innate) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert)
There are some skills you better not take. I like to call them noob traps. Theyre skills that look amazing but can be awful depending on the situation. I generally recommend you dont pick them unless you know what youre doing. The easiest example are the chaotic spell series. Their damage output is usually higher than spells on the same level, but their chaotic nature can bring you lots of pain. For example, what happens if you hit a fire elemental with it, and it chooses fire as its damage type? Instead of doing a lot of damage, it does almost nothing. You want to avoid these situations from happening, so Ill never recommend them. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 119 - Oblivious Good morning! Good morning to you too. As soon as I enter the classroom, the guys greet me. I give an appropriate response and sit at my usual place. Oh, hi there. Its unusual for you to come this early. Ricard says as soon as I sit down. Yeah I agree. Today is one of those miraculous days when neither of the two buses I take were late. Ahaha. He scratches his head. I feel you public transport is usually shit. If only we were as lucky as Andreu, who can come walking Youre right. And talking about the devil, here he comes. Good morning, Ricard. With a sleepy face, he sits between us and yawns. Oh, and good morning to you too, Laura. Good morning, Andreu. Whats up with the baggy eyes? You almost look like one of Ricards undead minions. Did you have more nightmares? I joke, trying to get his attention. No, this time it wasnt anything of the like. I just spent too much time with the slot machines and went to bed too late His voice trails off, almost like hes falling asleep. Slot machines? What the hells he talking about? He, who likes to spend all his free time playing games or meeting with friends, spending time in a casino? It cant be But contrary to my reaction, Ricards eyes start shining brightly. Oh, so its something related to DMA I should have expected it. The slot machines? Do you mean the Mutation Vats!? He grabs Andreus arm and starts shaking it. Tell me everything! I want to know everything, in detail! Ok, ok, I will... But stop shaking me, please. Sure thing. So what did you get? Anything interesting? Well, I got mostly failures, butC Ricard interrupts Andreu. Did you get anything good? What are you going to use it for? Let me explain, dont interrupt! And like this, both of them start excitedly talking about the game stuff, like the two nerds they are. Though Andreu is less so, Ricard can be considered the king of nerds. As I observe the two, debating about how useful or useless a Stitched with Echolocation can be, I start thinking. Aaah what a shame here goes yet another chance gone to waste Why? Just why? Why arent you looking at me? You only glanced at me a single time before starting to talk with Ricard. I spent thirty minutes in front of the mirror before coming, but you ignored me This isnt fair. After dressing up and putting on some makeup, I can feel the gazes of most of our classmates on me. There are some who are even drooling! But not you, the only one I care about Even Ricard, the nerdiest of nerds, tried to woo me before he found out I liked you and not him. Fufu, it was funny to see his face when he misunderstood the reason I got close to you two. Though, I cant deny hes a good friend. He helped me with my first steps into DMA so I could chase after you. He even looks for opportunities so I can spend some time alone with you. But you never react What are you, a rock? Is your heart made of stone!? Why do you never react to anything I do!? Haaaa I sometimes ask myself why I even try so hard, but then I remember your clumsiness and recall why Im like this. The face you make when you fail at something, sometimes with a plan of your own, is so adorable The trembling lips, the look of despair Like a puppy! But you never stop trying, and when you finally succeed, your reaction is so funny I cant stop laughing. Yes! Youre a cute, silly man. But, after trying for so long, anyone will get tired If it werent because of my pact with Clara, I might have thrown the towel by now. She told me you actually find me attractive. That youre actively ignoring me because youre not sure what you actually want. That my efforts are slowly paying off. So Ill persist! Ill pester you until you fall, and then Ill devour your soul and plunge it into darkness, like the amazing succubus I am! Fufufu! And then, Ill be able to come walking to class too! Maybe. Of course, this isnt the main reason Im doing all this, but its still a nice side benefit. Fufufu! Shht! Shut up, the teacher is here and class is about to start! I stop Andreu and Ricards heated conversation when the teacher comes into our classroom. Ugh, how much I hate this teacher who treats us like little kids In fact, everybody hates her. Everybody except those who, for some reason, think shes beautiful and like being mistreated. Disgusting perverts
Haaaa finally, the class has ended. I swear, this might be the worst class we have in the whole degree. Not because of the content itself but because of the teacher. But well lets forget about it for now, Andreu. There are more important things to do right now. As Ricard and Laura stand up, I call them. Hey, Ricard, Laura. Are you free this afternoon? The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Why do you ask? I was planning on invading a few human dungeons to collect easy and plenty of souls for my eternal undead army, but I can always do it another day Yeah I kind of expected Ricard to say something along these lines. Laura looks at me with inquisitive eyes. Why do you ask? Now comes the moment of truth, I must choose my words properly! I know Ricard will agree to my request, but I also need to drag Laura into this, or else my head might explode soon, due to information overload. I certainly dont want to do this with him alone. Well, you see I try to make the best puppy eyes. I need help to capture some monster because I cant do it alone, so I was thinking of asking you to go with me. So, do you want to play together with me this afternoon? Ricards eyes start gleaming with a dangerous light. Oooh, so youve come to ask the great and amazing me for help! I see, I see Of course, Ill help! How can I abandon my pathetic and noob friend when he needs my support? Hahaha! Ahh, so annoying If he continues with his antics, one day of these, Ill snap and punch him in the face. But Ill stay quiet because I need his help For now. Laura thinks for a while before answering. Today afternoon? I can make some time for it, but I need to know when you want to meet. She tries to dissimulate, but I can clearly see her excitement. In fact is it my imagination, or is she actually more excited than Ricard? Wait, wait wait! More excited than Ricard is this actually possible!? Why dont you ask your sister too, Andreu? She adds. This way, it would be the old team, playing together! The old team, you say its only been two weeks since the tournament, it isnt that old. I counter. Youre right. But we havent played together since, so its the old team. Ok, ok I wont argue about it. I surrender. But my sister, huh? Well, Im sure shell agree as long as she doesnt have other plans, so If your sister joins us, it means the League of Evil will make a comeback! Tremble and shiver, players, because were back! Hahaha! Please Ricard can you drop that lame name already? I send a deadly glare at Laura. She was the one to talk about the old team, so its her fault. In response, she turns slightly red and turns her head away. Yeah, feel shame, Laura. Youre the one responsible for Ricards outburst. Im gonna blame all the time Ricard spends in this state on you. But surprising both of us, Ricard stops talking bullshit about the League of Evil, albeit temporarily, and asks me a question. ...Wait! You said you needed our help to capture a new unit, right? Uh yes, I did. Why do I have a bad feeling about Ricards question? Then tell me, tell me! What do you plan to do? Which unit do you need? Maybe I can help you with my vast knowledge! All alarms start sounding at the same time, warning me of the danger. But I cant ignore him, can I? After all, I DO need his help with this. Oh, how much I wish I didnt Ill tell you, so calm down, ok? I say. Im calm. I always am! As calm as the sea without wind! No, Ricard, you arent. But well, it isnt like I can change his personality, so Ill have to bear with it. I describe what I need. So what I need is an earth elemental that isnt humanoidC Ooh, do you plan to create a new Chimera? Yes, youre right. But let me finish first, will you!? Ok Ricards eyes dim and his expression warps. He now looks as if his soul left his body. Hey, Ricard do you always need to be so dramatic? I decide to ignore his stupid actions and continue my explanation. The problem is that I want it to be strong, maybe around the 400 cp range? Im not sure. And I also want it to be very big, and have the shape of some predator, like a bear or tiger. Alternatively, the shape could come from the other unit, I dont really care, but I do want it to be able to change shape so that it looks like a normal rock. But the main problem is I dont know much about the Primordial units, nor do I know where I can capture such a unit As I talk, Ricards expression starts brightening up. Every time I explain one of my doubts, his eyes shine more and more. Oh my god, Im going to regret this so much Weve now left the classroom and are walking to the next one. Theres Ricard on one side, and Laura on the other. Oh, I see! Chimes Laura from my side. She nods to herself as if determining shes right, before continuing. Im sure this is related to the giant claw marks at the entrance, right? Is this monster a new boss, or something similar, that you want to put in the big cave? These kinds of things show her experience as a game master for TRPG. She guessed most of it from only a part of the info she got. Youre surprisingly close, I say. But it wont be a boss monster, only a strong one. I plan to make it look like a rock and give it several adds that can do the same. Theyll hide and only attack those players who are extremely unlucky to poke at them by accident, or those who attack them intentionally. Kind of like a secret, and extremely difficult, fight. Ooh, I see She nods again, imagining what Im saying. Its similar to a scary movie. And then, when theyre surprised, theyll be like: Aaah, save me! and stick to the closest player, wont they? She demonstrates what shes talking about by grabbing my arm and sticking to me. But did you really need to stick so close to me to demonstrate it? I try to keep my face as impassive as I can and turn to look directly at her face. She holds my gaze for a few seconds before blushing and turning away, liberating my arm. You, really Ohoho, I see now! So this is why you need my counseling, dont you? I hear dangerous words from the other side, so I turn around. Ricard is trembling in excitement at the prospect of whats to come. So tell me, Andreu do you have free time after this class? Do you want to eat together? I shiver in despair. No, please, not again! I knew it was going to come, but its scary anyway! My eyes spin around, searching for a way to survive. And they inevitably get stuck to my only option: Laura. Please, save me! Dont leave me alone! I try to convey with my eyes. She smirks and returns the look. Help? With what? Im sure shes doing this on purpose She wants me to beg and offer something in exchange. Come eat with us, please... Dont leave me alone with him! I pray to god she understands what I want with my expression and desperate eyes. She slightly tilts her head to the side and raises her chin as if indicating me to continue. Whats in for me? Ill treat you to lunch, and Ill also let you ask for anything. I plead with my eyes. Anything? I see a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Well, not anything! But Ill owe you one. She reluctantly nods. Ok Wait a moment is that a smirk I see on her face? Hmm Im not sure about it. Well, the important part is that I got what I wanted, and successfully dragged Laura into this mess. Ricard hits me a few times with the elbow. So? Are you coming or not? Yes, Im coming to have lunch with you... And you, Laura? Do you want to come? We already agreed on it, but we must make it look as natural as possible so that Ricard doesnt suspect anything. I dont know maybe, if you treat me She says, holding her hands behind her back and making a sly smile. *Sigh* Sure, Ill treat you I agree. Then sure! She hops in glee and hugs me to show her thanks. Then lets go! We cant be late for class because otherwise, theres a chance the teacher will get angry and tell us to stay after the class ends. Come on! Ricard starts pushing me from behind. Hey, calm down. Were still on time. I complain. But we cant risk it! I struggle to get rid of him as he alternates between pushing and dragging me. Meanwhile, Laura observes us with a smile on her face. Well, there go my plans to do some homework before playing DMA With Ricards knowledge drilling session, there wont be any time left for them. But well who cares about homework anyway?
As expected, Clara agreed to play with us. Clara, are you free this afternC Yes! Lets do it together! I couldnt finish my sentence before she agreed to whatever I was going to ask. But this is weird because, usually, she lets me finish talking so I cant change what I was planning to say. Maybe, she already knew it beforehand? Nah, it cant be.
Ch 120 - The mad scientist strikes again Ill take a break from so many shopping trips and start using them I chuckle as I rub my hands together. Hahaha! What about our time playing together? It was ok, I believe. But nothing unusual happened. In short, the dungeon invasion was a success. I got the monster I wanted, we had a happy time together, and we even managed to clear the dungeon. If you exclude the fact that Clara and Laura were competing all the time about who got my attention, that Ricard never stopped blabbering about relevant stuff and I ended with a huge headache, and that we almost died four times it was a success. A huge success! Who am I kidding? I only care about the earth elemental I wanted to capture, the rest is irrelevant. I got it, so everythings good! Hahaha! Now, its time to put it to use! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ok, ok, I know, youre right I should be capturing the rest of the units I need for all the dungeon upgrades first, and then make all the changes together, to save time. But I dont want to! Im tired of going into random dungeons to capture monsters, I must have some fun now or Ill explode! Im not kidding, I have the button to self-destruct right here As always, the first step is to change the environment and the dungeon layout. It is important to do this first because if I do it first, Im more motivated when the time to create the monsters comes. This, and because I might forget about it later, or grow too lazy to do it after I finish with the monsters. Hey, dont tell anybody this, but this is one of those rules I make on the spot and change when and how I see fit Hahaha! Chuckling to myself, I open the dungeon menu and start editing the dungeon. The first thing is to make the first cavern bigger. This will mess up the tunnels, so Ill have to fix them, but I can move the entrance away and it will reduce the problems caused in the tunnels I smack my lips, planning how to do this as easily as possible. I dont want to redo all the dungeon only for this change, after all. Hmm, yes, I think this is the best option. After deciding how to approach this, I start by moving the different dungeon parts around. The first thing I do is move the entrance area, including the slope that leads to the cavern, about thirty meters away. Then I extend the cavern up to the new entrance and also make it slightly wider and taller. Of course, this forces me to reconnect the multiple tunnel entrances to their new positions. I take this chance to increase the number of entrances and tunnels, making the dungeon layout slightly more complicated. I also add the usual crevices, cliffs, and rocky terrain to the newly created area, but Im not convinced with the result. It looks artificial. The cavern is now way too large to be a natural occurrence, even with the multiple columns and rocks supporting the ceiling. At least this is the impression I get. So I decide to split it into smaller parts, each one connected with the others through large holes, crumbling ceilings, or wide archways. All in all, when I finish, you can see most of this area from everywhere like before, but it feels more natural because its made out of several interconnected caverns instead of a single, enormous one. The new, smaller, caverns also complicate the layout. Players wont have such an easy time navigating this area as they did before. In certain parts, I add crude, carved rocky stairs, artificial archways, and similar stuff. Not too much, but enough to show this isnt a completely natural environment. I dont know how to properly explain this feeling but upon discovering those artificial parts, it brings you the chills and you cant avoid thinking Theres something here. Which is exactly what I want. The last change I make is to extend the underground lake until the central part, splitting the caverns roughly into two halves. I connect the two halves with two stone bridges and an island in the middle of them. This new water area will help me with khm! future and secret plans maybe. Or itll turn out to be just a decoration, who knows. Of course, I dont forget to cover the new caverns with glowing and giant mushrooms, the same as it was before. Ooooh! I sometimes surprise myself! Hahaha! This looks so amazing! I clap, simulating an audience. Thank you, thank you, everyone! Fufufu! Hahaha! After a while of fooling around and making sure everything was perfect C I swear, I didnt waste time, it was completely needed! C, I save the changes without updating the dungeon yet and move to the most awaited part: Monster Creation! Finally! Finally, the most awaited monster, the one that can leave the huge claw marks on the ground, will make its debut! But first theres another monster, even more important than the clawy monster, that I must create. So much stuff to do, and so little time Yep, youre right. Im talking about the monster thats going to fill the gap left behind by the Demonic Swarmers. I open the templates menu and start the creation of a new Basic Chimera Template. This one will be a cousin of the Kidnapper No. 2, the supposedly failed experiment of the (actually) failed Silent Kidnapper. Why do I say they are cousins? Its because although the purpose and behavior of the two will be completely different, the two will look similar and one of the units to create them is going to be the same. So more like third-grade cousins? Distant relatives, maybe? You know what, lets forget about this simile, ok? Where was I? Oh, yeah, the Template. I choose the two units I want to use from the list of available bodies. Theyre the Myconid and the Giant Turtle. Then I set their appearance: a turtle with purple spots of varying sizes covering the entire body, and a giant mushroom growing on top of the shell. I already told you they would look similar to the Kidnapper No. 2, didnt I? They both have a mushroom in the same place, and both are about the same size. The only other monsters in this area, except for the Goblimps that are everywhere and the hidden monsters Ill create after this, will be these turtles. My plan is to turn them into heavy artillery tanks, filling a role not yet seen in this dungeon. Why tanks, you ask? Because if theyre resilient, the players will be forced to spend quite some time dealing with them, time the Goblimps can use to play with them. And why artillery? Its easy to understand. In this somewhat open area, what can be more dangerous than a monster that deals lots of damage from a long distance? So with their aspect and role settled, I move to the skills section. I dont want them to have too many skills, I want to keep them simple I talk to myself. I think giving them the minimum skills and then upgrading the relevant ones will be nice. Yeah, lets go with this. I already have an idea of what skills I want to give them, so I wont waste any time choosing the first one: Light Beam.
Light Beam (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP
Deal (5 + 0,6 * SPI) light damage to every unit in a 50-centimeter wide beam.
Its been some time since I started searching for a laser beam skill, and this one, Light Beam is the closest one Ive found. Of course, it isnt perfect. The damage is relatively low, its a wide beam instead of a thin one, and it doesnt deal continuous damage But, technically speaking, its a laser beam, so I cant complain. Also Three-meter tall turtles (including the mushroom cap) that shoot light beams from their mouths? Sure, sign me in! Similar to the active skill, I also know which triggered skill I want to give them. So I quickly select it.
Reflection (Triggered skill)
When receiving a single-target ranged attack or spell, theres a 10% chance to reflect it back to the attacker.
Reflection is a very funny skill that usually is only used on tank-type dungeon monsters because its almost useless for the invaders to have. Of course, it only has a 10% chance of working, and the reflected attack can be avoided as per usual If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. But this skill will make the turtles a lot harder to deal with. Theyll attack from a long range and the players wont be able to retaliate without getting close or risking a free counterattack! Fufufu! Hahaha! And if you add the Giant Turtles innate skill, Shell Im sure theyll be very difficult to kill.
Shell (Innate passive skill)
Reduces all damage taken by (3 * level + 0,2 * CON) damage.
You could argue this flat damage reduction is worse than a percentage one. And youd be right. Youd be right if only the turtles didnt have the Reflection skill. This is because Reflection especially punishes strong attacks, and Hardened Shell is the opposite. With both, theres no safe way to attack the turtles unless you use area attacks, which definitely arent cost-effective against a single target; or get close to the turtle to attack in melee, receiving the Light Beams to your face on your way there. But then, when you get close, theres the Myconids Paralyzing Spores to deal with! Hahaha! Isnt this combination perfect!? With this, only the passive skill remains, so do I want to make them more dangerous, or more annoying? I think for a while, but then I realize theres only one correct answer to this question. And the answer is YES! Surprised? The answer is yes, because I want to make them both more annoying and more dangerous. And I believe Ive just found the perfect skill for this.
Sniper (Passive skill)
Increases the range of all your ranged attacks and spells by 20%.
Whats more annoying and dangerous than a tank-like turtle that shoots beams from afar? The same turtle, but that can attack from even further! Dont you agree with me? With this, I have the minimum non-innate three skills, one of each kind. Now I can start upgrading. This looks promising Hahaha! Chuckling, I select the most important skill, Light Beam, and look at the possible upgrades.
Light Beam (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP
Deal (5 + 0,6 * SPI) light damage to every unit in a 50-centimeter wide beam.
Available Upgrades
Light Absorption: Reduce the MP cost by 15.
Wide Beam: Increase the beams width to 1 meter.
Dispersion: After hitting terrain or reaching maximum range, the beam explodes in a 3-meter radius dealing (2 + 0,2 * SPI) light damage.
Converging Rays: Increase the light damage to (10 + 0,8 * SPI).
Wow, theres some very interesting stuff in here! I exclaim. Although all the upgrades look powerful, I immediately discard the Wide Beam and Dispersion upgrades. Im not interested in Dispersions effects. And regarding Wide Beam, though it would make hitting targets a lot easier, I dont want to make the turtles dangerous. Well, not TOO dangerous. Increasing the beam width to one meter would make the spell almost impossible to avoid except for pro players, and I dont want that. I want the invaders to jump around, drop to the ground, push each other or whatever it takes for them to avoid the beams, really. I want them to be a pain in the ass, not unavoidable. On the other hand, Light Absorption and Converging Rays are too good to ignore. 15 MP seems like nothing, but it adds up quickly, and the extra damage is always nice to have. Whats more, if I pick up both upgrades at the same time, they synergize and make the Light Beam ridiculously powerful and MP efficient. I dont think it twice, raising the level of the template to five and giving the turtles the two upgrades. As for the other skills I scratch my head in thought. Is there anything interesting? I browse the skill upgrades and start crackling. Hahaha, I know I wanted them to be an artillery tank, but if I give them these two upgrades on top of the Light Beam ones, it would be so ridiculous! I love it! Im sure youre curious which ones Im talking about. Well, here they are:
Reflection - Lv 2 (Triggered skill)
When receiving a single-target ranged attack or spell, theres a 10% chance to reflect it back to the attacker.
Upgrades
Reflecting Arrays: Rise the chance to reflect attacks and spells to 15%.
Shell - Lv 2 (Innate passive skill)
Reduces all damage taken by (3 * level + 0,2 * CON) damage.
Upgrades
Hardened Shell: Increase the damage reduction to (4 * level + 0,3 * CON).
No extra functionality, just an improvement over the base values. But oh my god what an improvement! Fufufu! Hahaha! Marta, you were complaining about how easy my dungeon was, werent you? Now, I want to see if you can say the same after I put these babies into my improved dungeon! Imagining her despairing face after receiving her own attack back, a nasty grin appears on my face. Ah, I tremble in excitement at the prospect. What a shame its not going to happen. At least not anytime soon. But it isnt the same for the usual invaders, theyre going to find them soon. Very soon. I wonder how theyll react This makes the turtles level seven, the maximum level I can get for now. Theyre the only ones with the highest level right now, the same as my champion! As for the AI, I only want to make sure they stay as far away from each other as possible, to prevent two of them being at the same place. In fact, I can set it directly on the Zone options, so I dont need to change the AI at all. By default, their AI, when out of combat, makes them randomly walk around or stand still for a while before moving again, and this is good enough. Theres only one thing remaining: to give them a name. An artillery tank monster, a turtle with a mushroom Hmm I turn my head around in thought. Turtlenator? Nah, too lame. Termishroom even worse. This is hard Beaminator? Ugh, I disgust myself with the last one. I somebody wants to kill me, Ill accept it, I deserve it. I think for a while without coming up with a good name. Some of the worst ones I come up with are Shelly, Portable Turret, and, for some stupid reason, Bob. As any normal human would expect, I hammered my head on the nearest wall as a punishment for coming up with the latter. Aaaah, I dont know maybe I should keep it simple. Why not call them Beam Turtle? Its short, easy to remember, clearly represents what they are and, most importantly, it doesnt give me the creeps when I say it. Yes, lets go with Beam Turtle. I write the name in the Templates section and save it. The next step is to start the creation process. If I use all the bodies I have I can create six of them. I know this area is huge, but given their long range, this should be enough. Too many of them would overwhelm any noobish player. For now, Ive decided to create the six I can. If, later on, I find the need for more, Ill have to add more ingredients to the shopping list. The total cost is 310 cp for each one, 20 from the Basic Chimera, 120 from the Myconid, and 170 from the Giant Turtle. This times six, 1.860 cp. Not too bad. The Lab Assistants are going to be busy for a while Oh, yeah, before I forget. These are the Beam Turtles final status and skills.
Beam Turtle (Lv 7)
HP 512 (320) STA 35 (22) SOU 33 (21)
EP 400 (250) MP 368 (230)
STR 41 (26) CON 64 (40) AGI 17 (11)
SPI 41 (26) WIL 49 (31) DEX 11 (7)
SPD 3 INT 4 COM 1
Skills
Active: Light Beam - Lv 3 (Light Absorption, Converging Rays), Paralyzing Spores (Innate). Triggered: Reflection - Lv 2 (Reflecting Arrays). Passive: Sniper, Eternal Pain (Innate), Shell - Lv 2 (Hardened Shell) (Innate).
Im sure you already know about the Myconids, so Im not going to comment on that part. Regarding the Giant Turtles, as you would expect, they have average stats but they excel in defense. In particular, they have an extremely high Constitution. The worst part about them is their speed, but it doesnt matter since Chimeras and all other mixed units always use the speed of the fastest creature. I say slow, but theyre still faster than the Stitched, at 2 Speed. Though the Myconids arent the fastest either, with a Speed of 3. Fucking Stitched! Youre slower than a turtle, and I mean it literally!
The Beam Turtles attacks are easy to evade? You fool! Dont dare say such blasphemy! Sure, one turtle is doable if you know how. Two? Not so much. Three? WISH one of them is close to death or youre in DEEP trouble. God forgive you if you ever have to avoid the crossfire of four or more at the same time if you do, RUN AWAY as if your life depended on it, BECAUSE. IT. DOES! Tread with care because this is an open area, so its bound to happen sooner or later! - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected Dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ex Ch 14 - Killing flies with a cannon Its alive! Its ALIVE! Delirious shouts come from the cluttered room. The most notable elements are the glass containers full of mysterious liquids and disgusting body parts, and the cables connecting creepy contraptions with bloodied machines. From time to time, lightning courses through the cables, briefly illuminating a small area. A disfigured shadow reflects on the wall, its arms raised up high, laughing. At first glance, it seems humanoid until you realize its impossible for a human to have a head like that. Finally, I did it! Im sure this time will work! Come on, my newest creation. Theres a job you must fulfill. The man starts walking, the shadow disappearing from sight. Following him, another shadow starts moving too. A shadow so large that, before moving, anyone would think it was part of the room itself. The deformed humanoid appears from the right side of the screen, alternating between chuckling and talking to himself. Hahaha! This time Ill show you! Fufufu! Hahaha! Today, finally! Ill finally force you to your inexistent knees, as I promised that dreadful day! Hahaha! As his shadow anticipated, this isnt a normal human. A grotesque rat-like head, the same size as a humans head but with the snout, fur, ears, and repugnant appearance of a rat. Glowing red eyes, drool dripping from its open mouth. From the black claws, a corrupted-like substance, releasing dark smoke tendrils, extends until it reaches the elbows. Whoever created such a monstrosity must be as crazy, if not worse, than the creature itself. Impatient, the man stops and turns around, stomping his feet on the ground a few times. Hey, why are you so slow? Cant you see Im trying to achieve something important!? The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A two-meter-tall turtle head appears from the right, walking slowly until the turtle reaches its creator. Its size isnt the only unusual part of it, as it also has purple spots all over its body including the shell, and a mushroom on top of its shell. *Ugyaaaaaaah!* At the same time the man is about to pat the turtles head, a horrifying scream makes him jump in fright. I-i-i-its c-c-coming Its coming! He panics. But then, he remembers hes right next to the turtle and starts laughing again. Ahaha, what am I afraid of? T-t-theres no w-way we can lose t-t-this! Like a broken doll, he turns around to look in the direction the scream came from. His legs trembling so much its incredible he doesnt fall to the ground. D-d-dont wo-worry. E-e-everything will be f-f-fine. The man stays there, squeezing his eyes, waiting for something. Not yet not yet Now! Shoot! At his order, the turtle opens its mouth, and a light beam shoots from it. I-is it, d-d-dead? N-no, it isnt! Shoot! Shoot! Shoooooooot! The man screams orders like a madman, pointing at something in the air, and the turtle fires two more light beams in that direction. When the dust settles, the man falls to his butt, denying whats happening. I-its, its impossible Ho-how, how can it still be alive? The man scrambles away in a very undignified posture, running in the same direction he came from. Y-youll never get to me! N-next time! Next time, Ill surely win! Fufufu! Hahaha! Just wait and see! My revenge will be LEGENDARY! The mans voice fades away at the same time a weird space distortion settles on top of the turtles head. Color slowly drains from the turtle until it collapses, dead. Then, the small distortion starts moving again, in the same direction the disgusting humanoid ran away.
This was yet another failure of the Mad Rat to eliminate his first and worst mistake: the Death Butterfly, which continued to haunt him to that day. The followers of the Its alive! Its alive! video series were eagerly awaiting the time when the Death Butterfly would finally be defeated. Though, in fact, they didnt mind if the Mad Rat never got rid of it. Regardless of the outcome, it was funny to watch his new creations.
Ch 121 - Tiny, harmless adds Having finished the creation of the Beam Turtles, I move to the next ones: the monsters Ill create using the earth elementals. Before I create them, I must decide what exactly I want to do with them Random places, or fixed spawning? This is hard to decide I want them to be special monsters that will stay hidden instead of actively defending the dungeon. Theyre a reward for curious players. Theyre for players who want a harder challenge or those who poke every nook and cranny searching for easter eggs. So I have two options here: to put them in a fixed place but hide them very well, or to camouflage them in a random spot. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages, but I think Ill go with the first one for a very simple reason: theres too much randomness in my dungeon already, and Marta told me to reduce it as much as possible. Also who doesnt like the idea of a secret area filled with monsters? Having this settled, I have to think where to put them and how to hide them. I open a top-down view of the big cavern area and start looking for a good place. Here would be good this place is okay too not this one, but this other one, with some changes, would be amazing In total, I select four suitable places. The first is the island between the two halves. It is isolated, and players dont need to go there to clear the dungeon. But its too evident. It screams Hey, players! The secret area is here!, and I dont want that. Though this is a perfect place to place some decoys for the exact same reasons. Yes, Im going to put decoys. If I only create the monsters, their weird shapes will clearly attract attention; but if there are several more rocks that look the same, players wont identify them as monsters immediately. To hide a tree in the forest, they say. The second place is close to the entrance. This is good for another decoy, as itll make the players used to the weird rock shapes without revealing the monsters, in case they decide to inspect and analyze them. Then, on the left side, theres this elevated platform thats hard to reach but easy to see from the surrounding area. Another perfect place for a decoy and to make the players used to seeing the weird rock shapes. So, where am I going to put the real ones, if Im putting decoys everywhere, you ask? The real ones will be on a cliffside, on an elevated rocky platform hanging over the right side of the underground lake. Similar to the others, theyll be visible from a certain distance. But this time, theres no reason for the players to go near this place because all the entrances to the Tunnels are far away. Who would want to inspect some rocks that look similar to those youve already found three times? And then, thanks to my plan, theyll miss the secret monsters! Theyll miss the monster who left the claw marks all over the entrance! Hahaha! Now that Ive finished deciding where theyll go, its time to create them! Lets start with the adds. I open the Templates menu and select the Monstrous Hybrid. Its a shame I made that mistake because I wanted to give them the Eternal Pain skill all Chimeras get and whats worse, theyll cost an extra 50 cp. Of course, I could go and capture a few non-humanoid earth elementals, but no thanks. I dont want to spend even more time with this. I put the Geodis as the humanoid unit, and select a new and fascinating monster C new for me, not new to the game C called Splitting Slime. Theres a simple reason why the second unit had to be a slime, and its because I want them to look like rocks when still. The slimes amorphous nature makes this very easy to do. I could have used a Mimic instead, but then they would look exactly like a rock, and I dont want that. Also, Mimics, outside of their niche, are weak and useless. The Splitting Slime, as Ive said, is a fascinating and unique monster. As far as I know, its the only monster that can create copies of itself thanks to the Split innate skill. Well, the higher versions of this slime, like the Swarm Slime do so too, but theyre the same family so it doesnt count.
Split (Innate triggered skill)
When you take more than 10% of the maximum HP as damage from a single source and dont die, you split into two identical, smaller units with 50% of your base stats. SPD, INT, and COM dont get affected.
Yep, Split. Split as in dividing into two units half your original size. Its a unique design that forces the enemies to choose wisely how they want to approach the fight, because fighting against multiple weaker copies of the same enemy can be an advantage or a huge drawback. Players usually give them skills that take advantage of the increased numbers, so killing them with repeated and weak attacks is the general consensus. Of course, for a build like mine is the opposite: the best is to make them pop as soon as possible and take advantage of the increased numbers. Oh, just so its clear and you dont misunderstand later when it says base stats, it doesnt include those stats given through skills. So skills like Strong or Spiritual, which increase the stats by a flat amount before the level bonus is applied, still add the same stats to every slime. Crazy combo, dont you think? And yes, Im going to give them such skills. In fact, Ill give them the Generalist one for sure. Maybe some more too.
Generalist (Passive skill)
Increase HP, EP, and MP by 10 and all the other stats except SPD, INT, and COM by 1.
The added stats from Generalist greatly surpass any other flat bonus from the other skills. But the usefulness is debatable unless youre like me and want to make them as versatile as possible. Also, if you upgrade the skill, the combo is even greater. Ill show you later. A fun fact about the Splitting Slimes is that players cant use them as Champions. I know Ive said before that the Amorphous players can use any unit as a Champion, but it wasnt accurate. They can use any unit, as long as its compatible with the players, and a slime that splits and creates multiple copies clearly isnt. We dont have multiple bodies, after all! We wouldnt know how to control them! The same applies to us, the Flesh Monstrosities. I couldnt use them to create a Champion even if I wanted to. But it isnt a problem here, so who cares? I sure dont. The units are selected and I can now move to the skills. Hmm if I want to upgrade their skills, I must give them at least one of each. I already have the passive one, Generalist, so this leaves me with the active and triggered. For the active, it must be a melee one. And for the triggered, Death Burst, maybe? No, too clich. I dont want to abuse it. Then, some kind of retribution skill? I search for skills that will work well with the Split skill, both before splitting and after, and find two I like. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Indomitable Will (Triggered skill)
When you are reduced to less than 10% HP, recover 20% of your maximum HP. You cant be killed until this skill is triggered, if you would be killed, this skill is triggered instead. Can only be triggered once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
If you have a good memory, you should remember this Indomitable Will. It was a skill I was considering picking for myself, to counteract the effects of Maniac. With this skill, the smaller slimes will be harder to kill. Theyll survive one lethal attack, maybe splitting at the same time Indomitable Will triggers, further increasing their numbers. The ones that havent split yet will be a pain too, because 20% extra HP when you cant use powerful attacks is a lot. The way skills that trigger only one time can only trigger once, regardless of how many times the slimes split, so no infinite loops here, I checked it beforehand. Its a shame, but its fair. The other skill increases the damage output instead of their survivability. Its called Vengeance.
Vengeance (Triggered skill)
Receive a buff that increases all damage you deal by 5% every time an enemy kills an allied unit within 5 meters. This skill can stack and the buff lasts until combat ends.
This is a nice, decent skill. A 5% increased damage that can stack is especially good on monsters that split and multiply by themselves. Buffs and debuffs are kept when splitting, so Im sure you know where Im going. Now comes the dilemma: offense or defense? Hmm this is hard On one hand, I want them to survive more time, but I also like the idea of them being dangerous. Wait! Cant I solve this with an active skill? Something like Draining Touch!? Fufufu! Hahaha! Draining Touch will solve all my problems! If I give them Draining Touch, theyll heal as they deal damage, increasing the time they stay alive as well as the chances to split! The thing is Vengeance doesnt work with it because Draining Touch doesnt deal damage, it reduces the targets HP directly. This leaves me with Indomitable Will only. I imagine the scene of multiple rocky slime-like creatures endlessly healing and multiplying, creatures that can survive lethal damage once, instead splitting and healing back up I feel my lips going upwards as a grin appears on my face. Its settled. Draining Touch and Indomitable Will it is. Oh, Ill also give them Bash, because a melee attack with a chance to stun on so many monsters at the same time is going to be fun! As you can see, unlike usual, Im not pulling my punches back with them. Theyre supposed to be extra, secret monsters. Monsters only those players who seek extra challenges should fight, so I dont need to care for their well-being. If they die, its their fault. They cant complain the dungeon is too difficult, because theres no need to fight them at all. You wanted a challenge? A challenge you shall have! Hahaha! I chuckle while upgrading the template to level four and selecting the skills I mentioned. Now for the skill upgrades. I need at least this one: Like A Rock.
Earth Elemental - Lv 2 (Innate passive skill)
While not moving, reduce all damage dealt and received by 50%.
Upgrades
Like A Rock: Reduce all damage taken to 0% after not doing anything for at least 30 seconds. All other skills are disabled while this is active.
This is the skill I must give them if I want the players to mistake them for real rocks. Otherwise, they could be killed before combat starts. Oh, yes! They also need the Unidentifiable skill, I almost forgot! With this, they are now level six. I can level them up to level seven maximum. The thing is, I want to upgrade the Generalist skill, so I upgrade them one last time and give them the upgrade.
Generalist - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Increase HP, EP, and MP by 10 and all the other stats except SPD, INT, and COM by 1.
Upgrades
Proficient: Triple this skills bonus stats.
With this upgrade, all the slimes, including those after the Split skill triggers, will have all their stats increased by 3 and their HP, EP, and MP increased by 30. It doesnt seem like much, but it adds quickly. Lets not forget the AI. The changes I want to make are simple but significant. First of all, theyll never start combat unless they receive the order to do so from the big, boss-like monster Im going to create soon. Then, during combat, theyll swarm the closest enemy. If there are two or more enemies that are at a similar distance, theyll choose the one with more slimes around. Also, to prevent players from abusing their behavior, I make them avoid area-of-effect skills and enemies with aura skills. Basically, theyll try to avoid all damage over time effects that arent targeted. I also give them a preference to target any enemy who uses healing skills. You know what? Its thanks to the Geodis that I could make all those AI changes. Because theyre humanoids, they have an Intelligence of 5. The Splitting Slimes arent the smartest monsters, I couldnt have done so many changes with only them and its the same with non-humanoid earth elementals. So, in the end, my epic failure turned into a boon! Fufufu! Hahaha! Arent I amazing? I do things right even when I fail! As for their looks, theyre humanoid earth elementals as the base. You know, made of rock and soil, 2,5 meters tall, wide torso, and heavy arms and legs. But since I used a slime to create them, I can change their looks. They can also freely change shape, up to a certain point, and its precisely this feature Im going to use. When they stand still, theyll meld into a single volume, resembling a weird but believable cave element. There wont be any visible extremities. Just a tall, cylindrical, irregular boulder. Of course, due to its shape and size, itll catch the invaders attention. But this is why Ill create the decoys, which will look exactly the same as them. Then, when in combat, theyll return to the earth elementals basic shape, but theyll look as if they were melting. As if the stone was liquid instead of solid, dripping everywhere, ripples all over their surface. In my opinion, theyre very good! Hahaha! The only remaining thing is the name. I kind of like Liquid Stone It defines them pretty well, so lets go with it.
Liquid Stone (Lv 7)
HP 672 (420) STA 48 (30) SOU 41 (26)
EP 496 (310) MP 332 (270)
STR 43 (27) CON 64 (40) AGI 24 (15)
SPI 36 (23) WIL 33 (21) DEX 17 (11)
SPD 4 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Bash, Draining Touch. Triggered: Indomitable Will. Passive: Generalist - Lv 2 (Proficient), Unidentifiable, Earth Elemental - Lv 2 (Like A Rock) (Innate), Split (Innate).
A total of 350 cp to create them, plus 385 cp to level them up to level 7 Certainly not cheap, but theyre worth the cost! I have nine Geodis, and the same amount of Splitting Slimes, so of course Im going to create nine Liquid Stones. Now, I can finally move to the new boss-like monster!
Consider adding secret rooms, monsters, and areas. They will not only increase the number of times players will dive into your dungeon, but also enhance their experience. In them, feel free to experiment. Theres no need to follow the rest of the tips because as long its clear its optional, players shouldnt complain about them. But keep in mind theyre still a part of your dungeon, so dont go too crazy. - Ninth point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 122 - Not a boss monster Hmm. AI or looks? Ive started with the creation of the non-boss boss-like monster, but I struggle to decide what to do first. Ugh, this is getting annoying You know what? I know its technically not a boss monster, but for simplicity, Ill refer to it as a boss from now on. Im still not sure what skills I want to give to it, but Im sure theyll come along naturally as I work on the other parts. The order is important because itll lead the monster in one direction or the other as I create it. The problem is I cant decide which one to start with. Well, I suppose that since I want the boss to work together with the adds, its best to start with the AI yes, lets start here. I changed the AI so that the Liquid Stones will swarm the closest targets and target healers. To make things as hard as possible for the invaders, the obvious is to make the boss target the damage dealers and squishy backline. This way there wont be any safe position or tactic. If the players focus on stopping the adds from reaching the weak units, the boss will be free to massacre them as it pleases. If they stop the boss in its tracks instead, the adds will wreak havoc and swarm the unprotected. So, the boss will switch targets to the enemy that deals the highest damage, or to the one who has the least HP, as long as it is below 30%. Of course, I also make it stand completely still like the others when outside of combat. I plan to give it the same upgrade that makes it take no damage. As for the trigger to start combat Ill think about it later. For now, Ill just make him give the order to the Liquid Stones to start combat. Maybe Ill come back to adjust one or two settings, and to set the trigger to start combat, but this will do for now. Now that Ive finished with the AI, its time to set how itll look. Itll be highly aggressive, as I set in the AI, and itll also have a focus on strength. I must display it properly Im using a bear-like earth elemental as the base, and the other unit is another slime C for camouflaging purposesC, so it shouldnt be too difficult. Also, this one is a Basic Chimera, the unit with the most flexibility when it comes to body parts. For starters, lets make the front claws huge. As big as possible! If this is the monster who left the claw marks, inside of which a person can fit, they must be huge. Bigger, bigger, more Even more! Oh, I cant anymore Well, this will do. For now Hahaha! Theyre about a meter in size now, but I plan to make them even bigger in the future. How? Youll see it soon. The rest of the body will be based on the earth bear, so itll have the same shape and limbs as a bear does. But with the huge claws, which are bigger than its head, it looks extremely aggressive. I change the material of the front paws to stone. Theres some dirt in the joints to make it look organic. I do the same with the head, but I leave the original orange eyes. They glow, as happens with all elementals, so all players should know what theyre facing. As for the rear legs and torso, I change it to a mix of earth and stones that protrude from it. Some look like spikes and some like armor plates. The bear, with the exception of the front paws and head, is continuously morphing; the earth and the stone fragments float around, swimming, thanks to the slimes amorphous body. This is only aesthetic, of course. Theres no real effect on gameplay except for slight differences in the hitbox. Aaand, done! Now I can safely move to the skills! As this wont be an actual Boss monster, it wont start with three skill points they have at level one, but with one. And given two of them will go into upgrading the Earth Elemental skill and giving it Unidentifiable, itll leave me with only five if I level it up to the maximum level. It would be enough, I believe. Ill start with the obvious one: Enlarge! Didnt I just say I would make the claws even bigger? This is the easiest and most effective way to do so! With the Enlarge skill, the bear turns from a two-meter beast, when on all fours, into a four-meter tall titan, six when standing. Fufufu! Hahaha! Look at this beauty! Now, nobody can question who left those claw marks anymore! Ill also upgrade the Enlarge skill to make the boss stronger. I can technically only do it after I pick one skill of each category, but Ive decided on it already, so Ill upgrade it as soon as possible.
Enlarge - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Increases this units size by a considerable amount. The only change to stats is an increase of 10% in the base HP.
Upgrades
Overpower: Increase the stats by 20% when fighting smaller units.
In Dungeon Masters Arena, theres a general rule that the bigger the monster is, the stronger it is. Though for obvious reasons, this doesnt apply to humanoids. Thanks to Enlarges upgrade, the Stone Tyrant C yes, Ive already decided on its name C will have the strength it should have proportional to its size. Only against smaller enemies, sure but what units can the players bring that are bigger than a four-meter-tall bear? Im sure there arent that many. I dont think anybody will bring a giant or anything similar. In fact, even when Marta came to my dungeon, she only brought humanoids with her. Three skill points remaining, two of which must be for an active and a triggered skill. I scratch my head in thought. Should I pick a tricky one, or an offensive one? Unless I have a clear idea of what active skill I want to give to a monster, I prefer to pick the triggered first because it defines the monster better. What about this one? This is nice, even chaotic, perfect for what I want. And it fits the theme. Yes, lets give it this skill! The skill Im reading is Frightening Presence, a perfect choice to cause chaos in the enemy lines.
Frightening Presence (Triggered skill)
When another unit attacks you in melee, theres a 10% chance to inflict Fear for 5 seconds. This skill can only apply Fear to the same enemy once every minute. The timer resets after the Fear effect ends.
Two skill points left. Should I pick two active skills? Or only one and upgrade it? Im no expert in melee skills, Im a mage and only interested in spells. This means Ill have to spend some time browsing for a decent melee skill for the Stone Tyrant. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. No, this one is trash Oh, this one? Well, an earthquake-like skill would be nice, but it would also damage the Liquid Stones, so discarded Im looking for a specific type of skill, one that will represent the Stone Tyrant. The one thatll give it the skill to leave claw marks on the rock. Lacerate? This one sounds nice.
Lacerate (Active skill)
Cost: 60 EP
Deal (5 + 1,2 * STR) physical damage to a single unit. Theres a 20% chance to inflict Bleeding for 50% of the damage dealt as HP loss during 5 seconds.
Nice, neat, simple. Devastating. I can only say one word: perfect! Now for the last skill point. I could always upgrade Lacerate, but a boss-like monster with a single attack other than basic attacks would be too lame. A utility skill would be nice. Oh, I know! Why dont I give it the Earth Wall skill?
Earth Wall (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP
Create a 2-meter tall and up to 5-meter long earth wall. The wall is impassable, cant be seen through, and lasts up to 1 minute. The wall can be destroyed by hitting it 20 times or dealing more than 200 damage with a single strike.
Another nice, simple, but very effective skill, if I say so myself. And very thematic too. The best about the Earth Wall is that, with it, the Stone Tyrant can isolate the enemies from the rest of their group. In general, this is one of those skills players never give to a monster because theyre dumb and its hard to predict how or when theyll use them. Most of the time, the monsters are better without them. This is because most players dont know how to change the monsters AI. But I do. If I change its AI so that it only uses the wall to isolate the target from the rest of the group, the story is completely different. This change turns the useless and potentially self-harming skill into something extremely dangerous. At least, I hope so.
Stone Tyrant (Lv 7)
HP 1104 (690) STA 89 (56) SOU 76 (48)
EP 784 (490) MP 720 (450)
STR 81 (51) CON 104 (65) AGI 44 (28)
SPI 67 (42) WIL 57 (36) DEX 32 (20)
SPD 4 INT 4 COM 1
Skills
Active: Lacerate, Earth Wall. Triggered: Frightening Presence. Passive: Enlarge - Lv 2 (Overpower), Unidentifiable, Earth Elemental - Lv 2 (Like A Rock) (Innate), Eternal Pain (Innate), Regeneration (Innate).
Ok, so this is it. The Stone Tyrant is finished! I say, pressing the button to save the Template. The only thing remaining is to put the Liquid Stones and Stone Tyrant into the dungeon. This, and set the trigger thatll start the fight! Shit! I almost forgot to tell you the names of the units I used! The earth elemental, the bear, is called Stone Bear. I know, I know its kind of lame. But its literally a stone bear, you cant say the name is wrong. As for the slime, its called Regenerating Slime. Yet another simple yet accurate descriptive name. No, youre not mistaken. Regeneration. Yes, you read it well. Who said only Trolls could have Regeneration? Of course, theyre the most iconic ones, and maybe the most famous. But there are Hydras with regeneration, and other monsters, like well, slimes. Slimes might be the weirdest faction in regard to innate skills. Most factions have innate skills that follow a theme, but the Amorphous faction doesnt. Im sure you could find a slime that can do whatever crazy stuff you can come up with. Teleportation, regeneration, fear theres even one that causes instant death. But lets stop talking about slimes, shall we? Where was I? Ah yes, the Regenerating Slime. The Regenerating Slime is green. This is why the Stone Tyrant has green tints here and there, though only in combat mode. I expressly made it so that theres no green when its immobile and camouflaging as a rock. This slime is the greatest punching bag in the whole game. It can survive for a long time thanks to the regeneration and the slimes naturally high HP. All the other stats are mediocre at best. As I said, the greatest punching bag! And, at the same time, the greatest nightmare if you have to kill them to get to the slimes that are attacking you from behind them. I swear, Ive never hated any monster so much Except for the Stitched. I dont know how they do it, but theyre the exception to everything. If I had known there were slimes with the Regeneration skill, and that they were easier to find and capture, I wouldnt have lost such a long time looking for a Troll in my shopping trips. Well, whats done is done, theres no use complaining about it now. Ugh, it hurts, I say, checking the cost of this monster. 270 cp for the slime, 310 for the bear, 20 for the Basic Chimera, plus 385 cp for the level-ups. Almost a thousand cp for a single monster! I complain because I like to do it, but the Liquid Stones were way worse in comparison. All thanks to the extra 50 cp for the Monstrous Hybrids. Fuck my mistake! I start the creation of the Stone Tyrant and open the dungeon edition menu. Ill put them where they go, and theyll automatically move there when theyre created. First I create the look-alike rocks. I create exactly nine that look like the Liquid Stones surrounding a bigger one, the same size as the Stone Tyrant. I didnt plan for it to end like this, but it looks like a ritual place. Then, I place the ten monsters in the last area, the one with the platform hanging over the underground river, in the exact same position as the fakes. Now I realize its possible for the invaders to fall over the cliff too. Maybe Ill take it into account for the future. I also put a small stone slate right in front of the Stone Tyrant. It says Who made the claw marks?. When a player reads it out loud, the Stone Tyrant will awaken and call for the surrounding Liquid Stones to join the fight. Whats more, since the player who reads it will be right in front of the Stone Tyrant when the fight starts, that player will probably receive a free Lacerate on his/her face. And this is all, folks! I say, clapping my hands. Maybe, in the future, Ill turn the Stone Tyrant into a real Boss, well see how it goes. I also have to decide if I want to add a real Boss to the Failed Experiments area. Or to turn The Tunnels Nightmare into one instead Sigh! So many decisions and options! I dramatically raise my arms to the ceiling. This is whats called analysis paralysis! Oh, gods, please send me a signal, so I know how to proceed! *Diring!*
You have reached level 7!
Ok this wasnt what I was expecting, but it sure is a signal of some sort. The problem is This isnt what I was asking for! I complain. More options, more choices! Its even worse! A smile appears on my face. But Ill take it anyway Fufufu! Hahaha!
Ill repeat it as many times as needed: DONT TOUCH ANYTHING! Do you see some text? DONT read it, IGNORE it. Do you see a lever? DONT touch it, IGNORE it. Do you see a button? DONT touch it, IGNORE it. Whats more, if possible, dont even LOOK at them. EVERYTHING you see is a trap, waiting for you to come and activate it. So for f**ks sake, unless you dont mind dying, DONT. TOUCH. ANYTHING! - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 123 - Guilty pleasure Lets see what present the game gave me I talk to myself as I open the level-up message. I love the invading players and their steadily increasing numbers! I dont need to do anything to get xp and reach the next level! Hahaha! Of course, the shopping trips also helped a lot. Ive gone shopping a lot this week, and since every time you complete a dungeon, you receive a large xp boost It isnt weird I leveled up so fast. I say fast, but it isnt as ridiculous as you might think. You might have the impression it was recently when I last leveled up, but it isnt, it was almost two weeks ago. If youre confused, it must be because I forgot to upgrade my champion until recently.
Reached player level 7!
- Monster arena unlocked - Safe zones unlocked - Healing fountain unlocked - Maximum boss monsters increased to 2 - Maximum invaders in a party raised to 4 - Received 6 x Stasis chamber - Received 1 x Giant stasis chamber - Received 7.500 cp
Oooh, hooooh! I exclaim. Interesting, very interesting! I stroke my nonexistent beard as I read the new features. This is This is! Im not going to use any of them, except for the extra boss. But the cp bonus is welcomed, itll help me recover from my recent expenditure *Khm!* Fucking mutation vats (slot machines)! *Khm!* The extra boss monster is extremely welcome. As for the increased invaders what can I say? Yaaay? The monster arena is, as its name suggests, a place where the invaders have to fight against a horde of monsters before they can leave. It can be set so they have to survive for a certain amount of time, so that they have to defeat all the monster waves, or so they have to reach an exit point before they die. They have a drawback, though. As the dungeon owner, you have to create every single monster that will spawn in the monster arena. Otherwise, the arena will stop spawning monsters in the middle. If you can remember, my first invasion with Ricard, the one into the orc camp with the Troll that almost crushed us, had one of these. Also, do you remember the labyrinth with the rising water level and the unending stream of metallic golem-like fish? The fish that I kept at bay thanks to my Shared Voltage skill? That part was also a monster arena. Monster arenas are one of those topics players will never agree upon. Some hate them, some love them. I believe the main problem with them is that its too easy to make them too deadly, turning them into something bad for your dungeon instead of making it better. As I said before, I have no intention of putting a monster arena into my dungeon. If I ever decide to use one, Ill first have to think about it very carefully. I dont want to turn away all my invaders because of an undesired kill box. Regarding the other two do I really need to explain what a safe zone is? Or a healing fountain? No, right? As I expected. I dont want to use them either, but this is more because of personal reasons and player expectations than because Im afraid to make a huge mistake. From what Ive seen so far, and according to the players complaints, putting a healing fountain or safe zone in my dungeon in the wrong place would break the immersion. All the random stuff, monster chasing, the poison mushrooms and traps, and even the Monster Train would lose their meaning if the players had a safe area where they could shake them off. After all, safe zones not only stop monsters from entering them but also remove all damage-over-time skills and status effects. I need to think very carefully about where to put them, and this is if I decide to use them at all. One place I think could be a good place for a healing fountain is right next to where the Minitaur Queen spawns. As a reward for those daring to risk their lives C healing fountains dont prevent monsters and other stuff from attacking the invadersC, or for those who defeat the Boss. But Im not sure about it yet. Ah! I already have the safe areas in my dungeon, so what if I turn them into actual safe zones? This is such a crazy idea! The sleep wont work on enemies inside the safe area, but if they have to cross the sleeping area to go inside, as well as to leave it Fufufu! Hahahaha! I want to see somebody trapped inside! I cant wait! Ok, I take back my words. Just for the laughs it can bring, Im going to put a safe zone in every Eternal Resting Area in my dungeon. Maybe about 2 meters in diameter? Yeah, it should be enough. Before I forget, I open the dungeon edition menu and put a small safe zone inside every Eternal Resting Area. From now on, players cant complain about the safe areas, hahaha! Theyre now actually safe... as long as theyre lucky to reach them before they fall asleep, and never leave! Hahaha! Im looking forward to seeing how this goes. Ok, me. Now that Ive done something stupid, lets do something useful for once. This useful stuff is, of course, leveling my Champion. But you did it recently!, you say. So what? I dont want to postpone it again and end up forgetting it. I also know exactly which skill Im going to pick. I gave it to the Liquid Stones a few minutes ago, remember? Its the Indomitable Will one, the one that recovers HP the first time it gets below 10%, or the first time you would die. Since I upgraded the Maniac skill, I havent made any blunders called accidental suicide. Hahaha you got me. It did happen, but not many times. But now, with the Indomitable Will, it shouldnt happen anymore At least, I will survive the first time it happens every Dungeon Invasion. Indomitable Will will also help me with the Grand Finale. From now on, there wont be any chance for me to kill myself with my strongest, last-resource skill unless Indomitable Will has already been triggered. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Level up the Mad Rat here it is! Ugh! 175 cp for level eight!? This is getting absurdly expensive! Well, theres nothing I can do about it I reluctantly press the level-up button. Then, I quickly select the Indomitable Will skill and confirm my decision. Aaah, Im so powerful now! Compared to my early days, I could beat four of me at the same time! Hahaha! This is my new status screen. Of course, you must double all the stats except the Speed one when I have the Champions buff.
Mad Rat (Lv 8)
HP 629 (370) STA 44 (26) SOU 54 (32)
EP 510 (300) MP 697 (410)
STR 42 (25) CON 59 (35) AGI 59 (35)
SPI 71 (42) WIL 52 (31) DEX 54 (32)
SPD 7
Mad Rat - Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Rat Transformation (Innate) Chain Lightning Chaotic Beam Cold Blast Grand Finale Indomitable Will Lightning Shield Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery) Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert) Mana Attuned (Innate) Mana Core (Innate)
Once again, Im the strongest in my own dungeon! Hahaha! Eat this, you weakling mobs, you cant do shit against me! This only includes my level, so the Minitaur Queen and a few others could still kill me in a straight fight But who cares? Its a minor detail, the level is all that matters! Level, is, POWER!
Tunnels map, asap!, (Urgent) Help with the monster train... nothing new here Ah! Top 10 deaths. Oooh, this one promises, I must take a look. Ill save it for later I scroll down the list of posts related to The Mad Rats Lab. More of the same Hmm? TMRL victim association, what the hells this shit!? Curiosity etched on my face, I open the post and start reading. Aah, its just another post for defeated players to care for their mental health. For a moment I thought I was in deep trouble there nothing new to see, lets move on. I say while dismissively waving my hand. I didnt have too much time before supper, so I decided to exit the game and check what the other players say about my dungeon. The computers light illuminates my face. Although I could do this inside the game too, I like to check the posts in real life because this way, I also do some exercise. Well as much exercise as you can do by sitting on a chair! Still, its better than laying on the bed, and you cant convince me of the contrary! Also, every time I do this I feel like a hidden mastermind, observing what my victims C and the future ones C are saying behind my back to improve my plans and inflict greater pain on them. Maybe the Evil Mastermind nickname wasnt as unsuitable as I first thought I stop myself from thinking about weird things. Lets continue. The next post is The How to Stay guide is bullshit, heres why, so its about that guide, huh...? I dont care about a random players opinion about that guide, so Ill skip it. Still the How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab, huh As far as I know, this is the most famous guide about my dungeon. As my dungeon gets more popular, so does that guide. The author keeps it up-to-date, though not everything is covered. It seems he doesnt know everything, and some well-hidden traps and the best secrets are missing. I have no idea if that guide helps players to actually clear my dungeon, but it sure is an interesting read. If theres a problem with it, though is its writer ImAnOrc. I mean, if the name of the guide starts with how to stay sane, why does the author sound, you know, like a madman? If it were me, I wouldnt trust a guide that is supposed to teach you how to keep your sanity if the guide itself is written by somebody who has clearly lost it! As I said, Im not entirely sure of the guides usefulness either. But even if so, Im glad it exists. Its thanks to this guide that most players dare to dive into my dungeon, hoping to achieve success and die trying. The players believe knowing about the dangers is enough to surpass them, and theyre wrong. Very wrong. But who am I to take away their delusions and stop them from giving me some free xp and cp? Ive even mentioned this guide in one of my videos. To drive more people into my dungeon, of course. Ok, Andreu. Enough with that guide, lets continue. Lets see TMRLs seven mysteries. Aha, this one promises! I start reading the post. The first mystery is the claw marks? Well, it wont be a mystery anymore. I see, the others are the mysterious apparitions that cross the walls, the secret movement patterns of the monsters What a bunch of bullshit! Whats worse, those that are true, I already knew! As the creator, its no wonder I know everything in my dungeon, dont you think? What a letdown I expected something funnier and interesting, but it turned out it was just a bunch of random bullshit. I slump on my chair. Its annoying when you expect something and receive something else. But theres nothing I can do about it, so lets move on. The next one isThe time has come! - Recruiting for All ShallC I freeze in the middle of reading. I rub my eyes. Then, I close them and grab my head. Why? WHY!? Why are they everywhere!? I start pulling my hair. Aaagh, I was having a nice time, why did they have to appear!? Its so annoying. Every time I want to know about the players thoughts, I end up finding something about the Mad Rats Cult. Theyre everywhere! Shit! If this goes on, I might turn crazy myself The only sensible option I have left is to deny everything You didnt see anything, Andreu. What cult? What post? Theres clearly nothing here! Ah, yes. I was wrong. What a relief! For a moment, I thought there was a cult that followed everything I said as if I were a god or something similar Hahaha maybe I should spend less time playing the game, Im starting to hallucinate Theres nothing there, so I decide to skip the imaginary post about the All-shall-something, which is something that clearly only exists in my imagination, and read the next post. Watch and learn you noobs! Hmm this must be another bragging post. I need to cleanse my mind and eyes, so what a good chance! Im sure there are funny reactions to this post! Hahaha! In response to the players who brag about reaching the end of my dungeon, theres always a stream of players spouting bullshit and calling each other noob and way worse things. Theyre my favorite posts. I take out my imaginary popcorn before I start reading.
Reading about other players complaints and watching them insult each other, is my guilty pleasure.
Glossary 6 - Turtles and Bear The Mad Rat''s Lab Champions Mad Rat - Lv 8 (Upgraded Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat + Shadow) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Chaotic Beam, Cold Blast, Grand Finale. Triggered: Indomitable Will, Lightning Shield, Shared Voltage - Lv 2 (Battery). Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Mana Core (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Dungeon Areas Entrance - Forest that gradually turns red as if it absorbed the blood of uncountable victims as it approaches the entrance to the cave. It sets the mood and has no dangers. Giant Caves - Interconnected large caves creating a mostly open space. The giant and glowing mushrooms create secret paths and places perfect for ambushes. Constant screams can be heard while inside. Monsters: Beam Turtle, Stone Tyrant, Liquid Stone, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper. Traps: Falling Corpse. Tunnels - Connects the Giant Caves to the Rabbit Area and the Laboratory. Its a series of interconnected tunnels with an underground river. Contains secret entrances to the Sealed Area. Monsters: Demonic Swarmer, Tunnel Mimic, Goblimp Pest, Silent Kidnapper, The Tunnels Nightmare, Hauntling. Traps: Falling Corpse, Mushrooms. Special: Eternal Resting Areas. Laboratory - Filled with chaotically distributed laboratory equipment. Contains the Dungeon Core, and the storage room protected by the Minitaur Queen. Serves as a central hub connecting several other areas. Monsters: Lab Assistant, Panicky Spitter, Minitaur Queen. Traps: Falling Corpse, Lightning Rod. The Freezer - Interconnected rooms, partly natural and partly excavated in the rock. Its filled with corpses, blood, and body pieces. A superficial ice sheet covers most of its contents. Serves as an alternative route to the Dungeon Core connecting the Laboratory to the Sealed Area. Monsters: Braindead Mob, Braindead Leader, Braindead Assassin (Hidden Enemy trap). Traps: Exploding Corpse. Field Effect: Freezing Cold. Rabbit Area - Mountain Valley filled with grass and innocent bunnies. Connects the Tunnels with the Laboratory, working as a shortcut. Monsters: Curse Rabbit, Not A Rabbit. Sealed Area - Abandoned laboratory with several holding and containment cells. Its filled with mold, water covers the ground, and most lights are broken. It contains the key to reach the Dungeon Core. Monsters: Corrosive Choker, Monster Key, Invisible Horror, Blip, all Failed Experiments. Bosses Minitaur Queen - Lv 5 (Hybrid - Minotaur + Fairy Queen) Active: Trickster (Innate), Acid Bubble, Light Arrow. Triggered: Fierce Charge (Innate), Fast Recovery, Survival Instinct. Passive: Presence Detection. Monsters Lab Assistant - Lv 5 (Hybrid - High Elf + Runesmith) Active: Fireball, Jumping Smash. Triggered: Frosty Retribution - Lv 2 (Double Snap). Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Fire Aura. The Tunnels Nightmare - Lv 5 (Basic Chimera - Terror Slime + Maguiloyf) Active: Alphas Howl, Corrosive Goo. Triggered: Your Worst Nightmare (Innate), Mind Break, Paranoia. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Terrifying Presence (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Beam Turtle - Lv 7 (Basic Chimera - Giant Turtle + Myconid) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Light Beam - Lv 3 (Light Absorption, Converging Rays). Triggered: Reflection - Lv 2 (Reflecting Arrays). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Shell - Lv 2 (Hardened Shell) (Innate) Sniper. Liquid Stone - Lv 7 (Monstrous Hybrid - Geodis + Splitting Slime) Active: Bash, Draining Touch. Triggered: Indomitable Will. Passive: Earth Elemental - Lv 2 (Like A Rock) (Innate), Split (Innate), Generalist - Lv 2 (Proficient), Unidentifiable. Stone Tyrant - Lv 7 (Basic Chimera - Stone Bear + Regenerating Slime) Active: Lacerate, Earth Wall. Triggered: Frightening Presence. Passive: Earth Elemental - Lv 2 (Like A Rock) (Innate), Eternal Pain (Innate), Regeneration (Innate), Enlarge - Lv 2 (Overpower), Unidentifiable. Demonic Swarmer - Lv 6 (Siamese - Scout + Miner) Scout Half - Active: Dash. Triggered: Death Shield, Demonic Revenge - Lv 2 (Fuelled Rage). Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Commander, Presence Detection, Strong - Lv 2 (Proficient). Miner Half - Active: Bash. Triggered: Death Shield, Demonic Revenge - Lv 2 (Fuelled Rage). Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate), Commander, Presence Detection, Strong - Lv 2 (Proficient). Not A Rabbit - Lv 3 (Hybrid - Wererabbit + Hunter) Active: Rabbit Transformation (Innate), Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate), Unexpected Strike. Passive: Berserker. Hauntling - Lv 3 (Fleshling - Troll + Scout) Active: Blink. Triggered: Pounce. Passive: Nature Attuned (Innate), Regeneration (Innate), Shared Senses. Corrosive Choker - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Giant Bat + Acid Slime) This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Active: Silence. Triggered: Corrosive Body (Innate), Isolation. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Echolocation (Innate). Invisible Horror - Lv 7 (Basic Chimera - Vozeves + Hydris) Active: Draining Touch - Lv 2 (Mana Drain). Triggered: Gods Intervention - Lv 2 (Lasting Protection). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Water Elemental (Innate), What should Not be Seen (Innate) - Lv 2 (Extreme Horror), Unidentifiable, Weakening Aura. Tunnel Mimic - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Tunneler + Mimic) Active: Mimicry (Innate), Engulf. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Enlarge. Goblimp Pest - Lv 2 (Siamese - Goblin + Imp) Goblin Half - Active: Corrosive Arrow. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Imp Half - Active: Shadow Blast. Passive: Opportunist (Innate), Slippery (Innate), Strong, Spiritual. Panicky Spitter - Lv 1 (Monstrous Hybrid - Sptter Slime + Apprentice Technomancer) Active: Slime Spit (Innate). Passive: Sprinter. Braindead Mob - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Too Gross to Look At. Braindead Leader - Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Commander. Braindead Assassin- Lv 2 (Stitched) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Blood Power. Silent Kidnapper - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Small Myconid + Giant Spider) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Capture Expert. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Unidentifiable. Monster Key - Lv 1 (Basic Chimera - Mimic + Boulder) Active: Mimicry (Innate). Triggered: Survival Instinct. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Earth Elemental (Innate). Failed Experiments All Failed Experiments appear in random cells inside the Sealed Area. Not all will appear at the same time. They can be released from their cells by the Blip critter. Bomber - Lv ? (Siamese - Succubus + Fairy) Succubus Half - Active: Charming Eyes (Innate), Soul Blast. Triggered: Death Burst Dark - Lv 2 (?). Passive: ? (raised stats). Fairy Half - Active: Trickster (Innate), Soul Blast. Triggered: Death Burst Dark - Lv 2 (?). Passive: ? (raised stats). Failed Clone - Lv ? (Hybrid - High Elf + Wererat) Active: Rat Transformation (Innate), Chain Lightning, Cold Blast. Triggered: Shared Voltage, Lightning Shield. Passive: Mana Attuned (Innate), Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert). Kidnapper No. 2 - Lv ? (Basic Chimera - Big Spider + Myconid) Active: Paralyzing Spores (Innate), Web Throw (Innate), Bash Triggered: Frost Shield - Lv 2 (Extreme Cold). Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Heavy Armor. Manbeasts - Lv 1 (?) Multiple monsters with a human head and animal body. They do nothing other than talk shit to the invaders. Shown variants: Mansheep, Manchicken, Manpig. Infected - Lv ? (Monstrous Hybrid - Soldier + Strangling Ivy) Can grab enemies and drain their HP and EP. There are both male and female versions. Not A Rabbit Prototypes - Lv ? (Hybrid - Wererabbit + ?) Failed versions of the Not A Rabbit, using the Wererabbit with other random units. Critters All critters that dont have a specific area assigned to them can be found anywhere, taking into account their characteristics. Death Butterfly - Lv 2 (Creepy - Butterfly + Chameleon) Triggered: Decaying Touch. Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Fiery Fly - Lv 3 (Creepy - Fly + Fire Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Fire. Passive: Fire Elemental (Innate), In Flames. Static Lamb - Lv 3 (Creepy - Sheep + Electric Spark) Triggered: Death Burst - Lightning. Passive: Lightning Elemental (Innate), Static Discharge. Water Ant - Lv 1 (Creepy - Giant Ant + Water Spark) Passive: Water Elemental (Innate). Curse Rabbit - Lv 1 (Creepy - Rabbit + Curse Bug) Triggered: Death Curse (Innate). Octocat - Lv 1 (Creepy - Cat + Octopus) Passive: Optic Camouflage (Innate). Colored Geckos - Lv 1 (Creepy - Gecko + Gel of the same color) Passive: Sticky Trail (Innate). Stareshrub - Lv 1 (Creepy - Awakened Shrub + Mass of Eyes) Passive: Eyes Everywhere (Innate). Annoyer - Lv 1 (Creepy - Canary + Goat) Blip- Lv 1 (Weirdy - Worm + Bird + Rabbit) Monster Train The Driver or conductor starts roaming the dungeon as soon as the players enter, slowly activating the hidden monsters all around the dungeon. The stats and speed of all the monsters in the Monster Train increase as more and more monsters start following the Driver. 1 x Driver - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: Follow My Lead. Passive: Intelligent. 50 x Passenger - Lv 2 (Stitched) Triggered: random Safeguard skill. Passive: Unstoppable Mob. 50 x Hidden Enemy traps Traps Falling Corpse - Deals damage if it falls on an enemy. Exploding Corpse - Explodes when an enemy gets close. Lightning Rod - Strikes repeatedly with lightning. It can be destroyed. Poisonous Mushroom - Inflicts poison that stacks and deals damage. Sleeping Mushroom - Inflicts sleep on enemies. Hidden Enemy - Hides the monster inside until the trap is triggered, releasing it. Eternal Resting Area - Contains sleeping mushrooms and no other dangers. Players can fall asleep and never wake up here. Support Mobs and others (not in the dungeon) Stone Eye Kidnapper Cyam - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Cockatrice + Giant Spider) Active: Web Throw (Innate). Triggered: Gods Intervention. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Too Gross To Look At. Good Follower - Lv 2 (Hybrid - Hunter + Blacksmith) Active: Poison Sting. Triggered: Bloodlust (Innate). Passive: Stoneskin (Innate), Vitality Aura. Spitter - Lv 2 (Basic Chimera - Tunneler + Cockatrice) Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Tunneling (Innate), Reduce. Mutated Stitched - Lv 1 (Stitched) Stitched that got the random innate skill Echolocation through mutations. Ch 124 - Second time around So why exactly am I here? Youre here because I asked if you wanted to play with me and you immediately agreed, I reply. Her eyebrows twitch for a moment, then, she furrows and starts massaging her temples. I know that What I mean is why am I here, in this dungeon. She makes a gesture with her hand as if to encompass everything in our vicinity. Why did you have to drag me here of all places!? Oh, come on! Dont be like this! Its you who made me pick the dungeon, so you cant complain now. Ugh why didnt I choose instead Why did I bother offering you to choose? Also its because of you. I suddenly point at her with my finger. She flinches at my action. Me? I didnt do anything! But you did Remember the last time we came here? You broke through everything so fast, you couldnt experience most of it This and that are different things! Her eyes start swimming around. She knows Im right, but she wont ever admit it. Im sure youre only doing this for him, and dont care about me at all She turns around and crosses her arms in annoyance. I suspect shes pretending, but Im not sure. What can I do? I dont want our relationship to return to how it was before I dont want to be alone anymore Hesitating, I bring my hand closer to her. Should I grab her shoulder, or should I not? I dont know the only way I know to show affection is to act cute and clingy, like a pampered little sister. No, I cant continue like this! Im an adult now! I need to shake off my doubts! And this is the perfect chance to do so, when will I find a better situation than this? Shes my sister! I shake my doubts and hug her from behind. Thats not true, I whisper right next to her ear. I wanted to come with you. But it wouldnt be fair for him if you didnt experience his dungeon properly, dont you think? Is that so? Ugh, ok I wont complain about the dungeon anymore But this doesnt explain why I have to use this weak Champion. Why cant I use my main? And why cant I bring any of my good support mobs with me!? Still not happy, she throws another complaint at me. Hehehe, how cute. Shes trying very hard to dissimulate it, but anyone who knows her will recognize shes extremely flustered right now. I can see a shadow of fear deep in her eyes. Fear of messing it up because of our brothers unexpected traps and absurd schemes. Didnt I just tell you? I explain in a subdued tone. I dont want her to get angry at me. Its because you brought so much power the last time that you couldnt asses his dungeon properly. It wasnt fair, and you know it. So now, were going to do this again, but without him being present. Ugh Fine Ill do it B-but after this, youll have to accompany me to another dungeon, ok? And Ill be the one choosing this time! Yay! Sure thing! I cant contain my happiness and start skipping, following the path to the dungeons entrance. I was afraid I could mess this up and she wouldnt like me anymore, but it worked out! Im so happy! So relieved! Hey sis, I say. Can you tell me which champion are you using? Is it from the Divine Blood faction? Yes, it is. And please, dont call me sis its weird. Oh, shit. Did I screw it up? Then how do I call you? Makarel? I think it was the name you were using in the tournament No, no! Thats even worse! She waves her hand in denial. I was only using that name to see if you would recognize it. But none of you two did W-what can I do? Shes getting depressed because we didnt recognize her! I-I was very small, I say, trying to fix the situation. Also we stopped playing soon after because you were too busy with your friends I believe my eyes glazed over for an instant. Youre right, its all my fault She drops her head in shame. Ah, shit! In the end, I did screw up! I didnt want to make her depressed! I-its a thing of the past, the past! I insist. Then, I grab her shoulders and gently shake her. Lets forget about it, ok? So how do you want me to call you? She seems to recover a little from her regrets as she stares directly at my face. Anthemia. Call me Anthemia. This is my nickname, after all The one and only Anthemia! One of the top players in the whole world! Hahaha! She proudly sticks her chest out as she strikes it a few times. Ok! I nod. I didnt recognize my sister during the tournament, I only recognized her when I was spectating her fight against our brother during the tournament. But Ive been the most devout follower of Anthemia since I learned she was my sister. Maybe maybe it was because I yearned to restore our relationship. But I was too afraid to express my feelings, afraid she would reject me. And how do you want me to call you? She asks. You can call me Lemon. Its what our brother and every member of the League of Evil calls me. So Lemon it is. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Were about to reach the entrance to the cave when I remember she didnt answer one of my questions. Ah you didnt tell me which role you want to play. Melee damage dealer. Always. Why do you even bother asking? You should know it by now. Hehehe A dry laugh escapes from my mouth. Why didnt I expect it already? Shes always been like this: aggressive, and wanting to be in charge of everything. Its also her best position. Almost no DMA player can compare to her when it comes to this role. Its no wonder shed want to be a melee damage dealer today too.
As soon as we reach the big cavern, we notice it isnt the same as before. Ive come here a few times, so its no wonder I recognize the changes. But it surprises me that Marta notices the changes as soon as I do. Shes only been here once. Marta observes everything, trying to capture every detail before turning her head in my direction. It looks different, She says. It has a similar environment there are the same giant and glowing mushrooms, as well as the gummy geckos, but everything seems bigger. The silence gives me goosebumps, compared to the previous cries. It looks like shes still on edge. Usually, as Anthemia, she wouldnt get anxious for something as insignificant as that. I nod. Youre right, its clearly different. I point at a certain point. And look there, its as if the area is now divided into smaller caverns. Yes, I already noticed. Do you think he only changed the layout, or also the monsters? Did he make all the changes we discussed the other day, already? I dont know, I reply. I dont say it out loud, but knowing Andreu, Im sure he got tired of waiting and only did a part of the changes he planned. I dont know how far he went, but Im sure well soon find an area thats still the same as before. Im sure that, sooner or later, hell make the remaining changes; its just that he doesnt have the patience to wait until he can make them all at the same time. We dont know what awaits us, so get ready. Anything can happen. Marta gives me orders. Follow me, Ill lead. Sir, yes sir! When I reply, she furrows her eyebrows and turns around, ignoring me. Why? Im just trying to be funny to make her like me more. But are you sure? I know the dungeon better, and youre using a weak Champion now, one youre not used to Ha, ha, ha! As if something like that could stop me! Walking in front of me, Marta loudly proclaims. Youll see. Even with this weak Champion and no useful support mobs, Ill crush everything in our way! The same as our previous time here! Im sure you will! I agree with her, but Im not so sure. This time she wont be able to crush everything with stats alone and will be forced to show her actual skills. As an Anthemia fan, Im looking forward to it. Also, this will be the first time since forever Ill see a match between my brother and sister. I remember when we were kids and they bickered all the time, but they never stopped competing for who could beat the other at games. Usually, it was Marta who started everything, and Andreu always accepted any challenge. Then, she would complain about how unfair it was, that he wasnt supposed to do whatever he was doing. It was very funny, because he would always win, but only against Marta. Against anybody else, the victor was always Marta instead. It was then that I secretly started calling him evil mastermind. Because he always had a diabolically complex plan, ready to beat our sister with it. Those were fun times. Its a shame the Evil Mastermind himself isnt here with us today. If I told him and Marta discovered I told him, she would surely leave. The only thing I can do now is to force one of their matches, even if one of them isnt present. Invading The Mad Rats Lab will be enough. Hehehe, if Andreu discovered it was me who started using the Evil Mastermind nickname in the forums As far as I know, he doesnt like that name very much, saying he never planned even a quarter of the stuff that happens inside his dungeon. Hes split between not deserving that title and being bothered due to the high expectations it generates. Oh, and recalling stuff he doesnt like, Im sure he never expected me to pick the Abyss as my faction. He doesnt know I picked this faction on purpose; because I knew he didnt like them! Hehehe! The Abyss monsters, cute? Some of them are cute, sure, with their tiny tentacles and weird mouths. But Ill never put them as the cutest. The slimes, with their jiggly, jelly-like shapes are a lot cuter. But I still picked the Abyss because, with them, I can playfully scare and torment him! Im not afraid of him leaving me because of this; hes the only one who truly understands me, and the only one who never abandoned me. Apart from my parents, of course. But it isnt the same, our relationships are too different. I stop reminiscing about the past and refocus on the current situation. Right now, Marta is leading the way, scouting ahead of me and our support mobs. We dont know anything about the changes Andreu did, so were treading slowly, making sure to not fall into any traps or ambushes. So far, weve only encountered two Goblimps, which Marta quickly dispatched. Now that shes not using her Seraphim Champion and is acting seriously, to me, she looks more powerful instead of weaker. Although its true, shell never admit she committed such blunders the other time because Andreu was watching and taunting her. Look there, Marta approaches me and points to our right. Did you see anything like that before? I look in that direction and see a clearly unnatural rock. Its more than two meters tall, and with a bit of imagination, it resembles a human. It doesnt have distinctive features, but its certainly suspicious. And theres another one that looks very similar, a few meters from the first. No, its the first time I say. Ah, I know! Its the perfect time to act cute and silly once again! ...how suspicious! Lets inspect it up close! Wait, you fool! Who knows what extremely dangerous trap he mustve prepared! She tries to stop me, but I ignore her and leave her behind. With no other option left, shes forced to run after me, trying to catch up. What are you doing to do if you fall for one of his nefarious plots!? N-no, dont touch it! Im too far to protect yoC So you touched it, huh? Dont worry, nothing happened! I happily tell her. Its just a rock! *Sigh* Still, why do you always do these kinds of things? Hehehe! Instead of answering, I put one hand behind my head and chuckle, acting as cute as possible. Why did I jump ahead? Its because I was sure this wasnt a trap. Contrary to you, I know Andreu and his traps very well, sister. This rock was too evident, and too close to the entrance. This is clearly one of his false traps, one that will make you lower your guard the next time you encounter the same rock, but that one will be another fake that will make you believe theyre just rocks so you end up falling for the real trap in the future! Convoluted, I know. Although its easy to understand once you understand it. But Im not going to tell her, to maintain my silly image. Sigh, Im ashamed, my dear sister. How could you not see something so evident? Arent you the pro? How could I see it, but not you? Hehehe, dont worry, Im not blaming you, its clear its because youre weak to Andreus schemes. Im sure you would have seen any other players schemes before I did its just you cant do anything against him. Dont worry, Marta! Your little sister will protect you today! Hehehe! And then you wont want to leave my side ever again! Nothing happened, so I wont say anymore. But please, stop doing this in the future, Lemon. Sure thing, Anthemia! I make sure to stick my tongue out. Hehehe!
It isnt weird for a whole Dungeon Invasion to end in failure because of a single mistake. An impulsive player, a trap you didnt see on time, an ambush, or even a missed skillshot. If you dont want surprises and take this seriously, you should try to minimize those factors the best you can. This is why I especially recommend avoiding those players who cant contain their urges and do random stuff. If you plan on succeeding, drop them before they make you drop to the ground, dead. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 125 - I’ll show you Watch out! I shout. At the same time, I push Clara to the side. Wha? A white light beam passes where my little sister was standing a second before, barely missing her. One of my minions, standing behind her isnt so lucky, and more than half its HP disappears. *Tsk!* This is why I didnt want to bring weak mobs with me. Theyre so useless Clara looks around, trying to understand what happened. W-whats happening!? Why did you suddenly push me? Im sorry, but I cant explain the situation to you right now. I must improve our position first. Spread and hide! I give instructions to my minions. You too, Lemon. Tell your minions to hide behind the rocks! Y-yes! My cute slippery minions, go and hide behind the rocks! Cute? No, Marta, I cant get distracted by this. I must show my expertise to my little sister. I decide to focus all my attention on the attacker. Hiding behind a closeby mushroom, I pop my head out. The beam came from that direction I see it! A mushroom? No, it moves. Its a a turtle with a mushroom on its back. Whats wrong with your brain, Andreu!? Why are you always creating such stupid-looking monsters!? Cant you create a normal monster once in your whole life!? Well, it isnt exactly true as that goblin-imp mix and those guys with the lab coat look normal at least they properly fit together. But the rest are full of suboptimal choices. Are you doing this on purpose, to trigger me off!? Calm down, me. I shouldnt think about him right now. What we encountered is a turtle that can fire light beams. By how the beam looked, theres a high chance it was the Light Beam skill. If so, and given how much damage it dealt to my minion, the skill must be upgraded. Also, the delay from when I saw the light condensing to the time the beam was fired was slightly shorter than it should have been The only way to achieve reduced casting times is by reducing the cost of the skill, so the turtle must have an upgrade that reduces the MP cost too. Its hard to notice the reduced casting time, but for a pro player like me, its like the difference between the earth and the sky. Im sure of it: were dealing with a double upgraded Light Beam. But, the turtle is too far away It must have the Sniper skill too In less than three seconds, Ive analyzed our enemy. Now, I have to plan how to deal with it. I cant see any more turtles, but this doesnt mean theres only one. Usually, against a powerful artillery unit, the best option is to get close and attack in melee range. But my fucking brother used a turtle for this unit, so who knows what defensive skills it has. At least, it must have the Shell skill, a bad match for melee combat because melee attacks dont generally deal large amounts of damage. Whats more, that mushroom on its back gives me a bad feeling. This is why I hate him so much! Its as if he always knew what I thought and planned accordingly! Even worse, sometimes it looks like a trap, but it isnt, and then I fall into his trap as soon as I believe Im safe. Returning to our current situation, I dont want to risk being in the crossfire of multiple of those turtles Light Beams. I could manage it, but I dont believe Clara could. And certainly not our mobs. I dont know if there are more or not, but the wise choice is to avoid this situation at all costs. Whatever we do, one thing is clear: we must get closer. We cant do anything as long as the turtle stays outside our attack range. Ill go deal with it, I say. You stay here and take care of our mobs. No! Im going with you! Clara complains and crosses her tentacle arms to show her disagreement. This isnt the time to act spoiled. Im serious hereC Im serious too! I dont want her to get angry at me now that were finally playing together, so I dont have any other option but to agree. Haaa fine Come with me. But no fooling around. Sure thing, hehehe! Im not sure about this will she really behave? How does our stupid brother manage to keep her in check? I hate to admit this, but I might have to ask him someday I give a few instructions to my support mobs before leaving them behind. I hope theyre still alive when we come back. The only saving grace of todays invasion is that I could convince Clara to allow me to use the lowest of the lowest of all the angel units, the Angel itself. Even if its the lowest, 500 cp isnt so bad. but its so weak compared to my usual Seraphim I wanted to go alone so I could fly and defeat the turtle, but now I cant do it with Clara following me. We now have to cross this treacherous, irregular terrain. *Sigh!* If only I could use my Clairvoyance skill what I shame I couldnt give it to this weak champion. I lead the way. Its my chance to show my little sister that I wont be defeated by Andreu anymore. Five minutes later, we reach the place where the turtle attacked us. Since I memorized everything, itll take less than half as much time to go back. The turtle isnt here, what are we going to do now? Clara grabs my arm and starts shaking it. Stop shaking me. At my reprimand, she immediately releases my arm. Look there, I say, pointing with my finger, its the turtle. It didnt move very far away. Ah! Youre right! I didnt see it because its camouflaged with the other mushrooms! Ha, ha, ha! Its impossible to fool me! I boast. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Youre right! Hehehe! It feels good to be recognized by my little sister. But theres one thing bugging me: we didnt encounter any trap on our way. Maybe, there arent any traps here? No, no! I cant lower my guard! I cant assume there arent any traps just because we didnt find any. Doubly so in Andreus dungeon. Ill take its aggro. Wait until then to attack from behind. Ah, umm your DoT skills might have little effect on the turtle because of the Shell skill. Use as little EP and MP as possible. The Shell skill reduces the damage every time the monster takes damage, so its the perfect counter to DoT skills. Ok! Im sure shell do fine. Ive been the one to train her, after all. I rush at the turtle. As soon as it spots me, it casts another Light Beam skill, which I evade. Its easy to avoid such a skill from this close. It tries again, but I too avoid that Light Beam. Did you run out of gas? Pathetic! If my estimate is close enough, the turtle should have MP to cast the Light Beam spell three to four times in total. Lets see how you fight at close range! I step close to the turtle, make one attack, and step back. Immediately after, an orange cloud appears, surrounding the turtle in all directions. Luckily, I decided to move away. Tsk! Paralyzing Spores I knew it couldnt be this easy! W-whats that? I hear Clara ask me, hidden behind a rock. Paralyzing spores, I warn her. Dont get close until I tell you. It would be a disaster if she gets the aggro before I do and gets paralyzed on top of it. O-ok. The worst situation would be to be paralyzed and the turtle to shoot a Light Beam at that time. The problem is I dont have a lot of ranged options, and the same goes for Clara. Theres always Divine Wrath remaining But the Divine Bloods exclusive skill is too expensive to use against such a monster.
Divine Wrath (Active skill)
Cost: 20% Max MP
Deal (5 + 0,2 * Max MP) light damage to every unit in a 5-meter radius area. Allied units arent affected by this skill.
Luckily, the turtles MP wont allow it to continuously cast Paralyzing Spores. Ill wait until they disappear before attacking. It wont look amazing from Claras perspective, but its better than getting paralyzed and receiving a Light Beam. If only I had my Seraphim I wouldnt have to worry about the Paralyzing Spores at all! Were waiting until they disappear, I say to Clara. Then, well attack. Sir, yes sir! I keep the turtle in check by making rounds around it while avoiding the spores. Five seconds sound like nothing, but in the middle of combat, it feels like an eternity. Finally, the spores fade off. I dont waste any more time and jump at the stupid turtle. Im the best when it comes to melee combat. Nobody can beat me. Not as long as I have my Parry.
Parry (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP + ? EP
If you hit an offensive attack or skill at the moment of impact, you negate it and take no damage. This skill costs 1 extra EP for every 10 damage negated. This skill can only be used if you wield a melee weapon.
Parry has such a small window to activate it that is considered the hardest skill to use in the whole game. Most players that use it, usually end up wasting the 20 EP and taking the hit anyway. Though, for a pro like me, its an easy feat. Of course, theres the normal parry, which is completely different from the Parry skill and only depends on the players skill, ignoring stats. But the normal parry can only deal with physical attacks. Projectiles are very difficult to deal with, and theres nothing you can do against spells. Also, you cant parry a fist from a monster thats twice your size. Its physically impossible. But what you cant do with the normal parry, you can do with the Parry skill. And since Ive mastered both, theres nothing to fear! Ha, ha, ha! Lemon, you can come now! Clara starts attacking the turtle from behind. It doesnt work! She complains. As expected, her DoT skills arent capable of dealing a lot of damage. Dont worry, I calm her. Just keep your Decaying Touch activated, and make normal melee attacks. All right, Ill try my best. If only she was this docile during the dungeon exploration *Plof!* The turtle drops to the ground. It took longer than I expected I say, inspecting the area. Though we took no damage whatsoever. Its a perfect clear! Then, I notice Clara is covering her face. I feel so useless! Nothing I did worked! I want to cry Isnt this the time to show my older-sister awesomeness!? I sprint to her side and pat her back. Dont cry, Lemon. Its normal to feel useless against a monster that counters your build. This is why you make teams or bring support mobs with you. And dont worry! As long as Im here, Ill solve any problem you cant! Heh, how is it? Do you feel my greatness? B-but no? You dont feel it? Hmm oh, I know what to do! And Im sure that, when we find a situation I cant do anything about, Ugh, it hurts to say this youll be the one to help me then! Y Y-yes! Im sure I will! Ill help you and show everyone how good I am! Hehehe! That sudden mood change Suspicious. Did she fake it? Well then, shall we go back? I ask. Yes, I miss my babies. We decide to go back to where we left our support mobs. On the way back, Clara suddenly stops and points somewhere in the distance. There, theres a similar rock formation as the one that caught our attention earlier. A few tall rocks, surrounding a bigger one. Its like a holy site, but Im sure Andreu wouldnt have put something so simple in his dungeon. The previous one was a fake trap, so this one must be the real one. Or maybe this one is another fake trap. It could also be a real trap hidden behind a fake trap to make me think the trap isnt dangerous, but then it turns out the next rock formation is a deadly one. Or it might be this one thats deadly Hehehe! Lets go! Clara starts running in that direction without waiting for me. What the fuck, Clara!? Dont you see this might be one of his extremely convoluted traps!? What am I going to do if I cant save you on time!? Its hard to show my good side when you act like that! Its ok if you want to investigate it, but at least we must reunite with our support mobs first! I shout. She stops when she hears me. Oh, right! My babies! Aaaargh! Between her and Andreus nefarious plans, I feel like my heads about to explode.
... And did you know all the Dungeon Invasions and Dungeon Battles are recorded? The game company decided they wanted to prevent abuses and other nasty stuff, and the best way to do so was to record them. Of course, this doesnt mean anybody can access the records, as you need permission from the company or the players to see those videos. A good thing about this is that you can access any of your replays whenever you desire, a quick and easy way to publish your games and show your fans how you play. This is why its so important to use a nickname when inside the game, even if youre playing alone or with your friends. If the video somehow reaches the public, its best if nobody uses your real name. Unless you dont care about it but it isnt recommended. - Fragment of one of Ricards random knowledge drilling sessions.
Ch 126 - She lacks experience Stop running away without warning, Lemon! Marta is trying to make me stop, but I ignore her. I cant waste this chance to discover what secret Andreu has hidden behind the circular stone formations! Im doing this because Im curious, but I also want to brag about it later to him. Maybe, if Im the first one to discover whatever he planned, hell praise me and play with me a lot more How excited I am! Hehehe! Im not going to stop you, ok? Just wait for me, please! If Marta says this, I can only wait for her to catch up. I did all the running away and fooling around stuff because I didnt want her to stop me, but if she now says this All right, Ill wait for you! I say. Also, itll be safer if shes close when whatever Andreu planned starts. As I wait for Marta and our support mobs to catch up, I start reviewing my conclusions. I dont want to mess this up, its very important! To start, weve defeated a few more of those turtles by using the same strategy. We didnt take any significant losses, but one of my cute little mobs was unlucky and died because of the light attacks. Poor guy I couldnt do anything to save it! But Marta was amazing, living up to Anthemias reputation. During our melee fights against the turtles, she didnt take a single hit! She also protected me from taking any damage! Now that I think about it she played way worse the other time. Was it because Andreu was watching and she was nervous? Or maybe because she fell for his taunting? Hehehe, in our first invasion, it was funny watching them argue as I was the one doing most of the work by guiding her through the dungeon. Im sure she believed she was doing the heavy lifting, but if it werent for me, she would have needed a lot more effort and time to clear Andreus dungeon But lets leave that behind, lets return to my conclusions. Later, we also found a third stone formation on an island, in the middle of the lake. There were two bridges connecting it to the main cave. This cave system is so big, it even has an island inside it! I never expected something like this, even if it was a small island! I always enjoy discovering whatever my brother creates, but this time I was really surprised. But I only needed a single glance to know that that stone formation was another fake. Im sure Andreu wouldnt put whatever he designed in such an obvious place. In contrast, Marta was really worried I was about to blow myself up. She tried to stop me by any means, to protect me, but since I knew there was no danger, I rushed ahead anyway. Hehehe! She can be so cute, sometimes! Why are you always like this? Cant you understand its dangerous? As your teacher, I expect more from you As soon as she catches up to me, Marta starts criticizing my behavior. Its alright. I was sure there was no danger! But, even so I wont be able to protect you I dont have time for this, I must discover Andreus secret! So I leave her behind, furrowing, and start inspecting this fourth and last stone formation. Its clear as day this is the right place. This is the only one of the four stone formations that wasnt right next to the main path and wasnt visible from a long distance. I might not be the smartest, but I know my brother, and Im sure this is where the secret is hidden. Im 100% sure this is where something will happen! But I have no idea how to trigger it Lets see nine stone pillars with weird shapes, over two meters tall. Then, a bigger but similar-looking rock in the middle of the nine. As Marta said before, this does remind me of those prehistorical holy sites. But theres no way Andreu would create something like that without it having a higher purpose other than decoration. Since there are no monsters here, the secret must be in the stone pillars. Im sure of it! But I didnt find any clue in the previous stone formations Marta was against coming here. This is why I ran away, forcing her to follow me. But now that shes here, shes inspecting everything with a thoughtful look on her face. Im sure shes interested in knowing whats hidden here too. She walks to the central, enormous stone pillar. Something catches her attention and bends her knees to inspect it. Isnt that a slate with words? It must be the key, nice job, Marta! Who made the claw marks? Of course, it was you, you moron! Right as she insults our brother, the stone pillar in front of her starts moving. A giant claw appears from it and shoots in Martas direction. Be careC I try to warn her, but Im too late. The claw is about to hit her *Bang!* After the metallic sound made by the stone claw hitting Martas sword, I can see the monsters paw being pushed aside. Marta deflected the attack away, even when she wasnt looking at the monster because she was reading the slate. Tsk! Did you expect to get me with something as lame as this!? Hah, try harder the next time, jerk! She then shouts at me. Lemon, get ready for combat! Ill take this guy, you take the others! The others? What others? What do you meanC I want to ask, but stop in the middle when I notice movement all around us. Whats this? The monsters were the stone pillars themselves!? Thats right, Adds Marta. Dont dawdle, all our support mobs might die if you leave them alone. O-ok I watch the nine remaining pillars turning into some kind of liquid golems as they get closer. But Im not good against multiple opponents Then, do you want to switch? Do you think you can take this one by yourself? Marta asks me as she parries another claw attack. The monster shes fighting is a colossal stone bear. Its so big that a single one of its claws is the same size as my whole body. I dont know if I can hold my ground against such a strong monster I excel at killing resilient and strong monsters, but Ive always had a tank to keep the monster from targeting me. If I have to switch positions with her *Gulp!* I dont know I stutter. Then lets see how you do against the others first. If you cant, well switch, ok? Thisll be a good chance to practice for you. Okay, Ill do it. Ill suck the life out of all those stone-like bastards! Marta encourages me. Well said, Lemon! Slay all those stone-like bastards! What am I going to do? I only have two arms, so I can, at most, stack my DoT skills on a maximum of two enemies. Will this be enough? I can only try. Andreu, why did you have to create such a thing? I wanted this to be an instant death trap, or something similar, but not a combat. Im not very strong, I dont excel at fighting. After Martas training Im better, but still I would have preferred something else Well, at least Im sure nobody else has found these monsters yet. If they did, the forums would only be talking about this, so Im sure were the first. Im going to brag to Andreu after we go back! Hehehe! Ill try my best! Even if I die, I must protect my tentacled cute babies!
I watch as Clara engages the rest of the monsters, keeping an eye on the bear-like bastard. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. It isnt as bad as I expected. Sure, its a trap, and were now surrounded by monsters. But its a lot better than any other kind of trap Andreu could have designed. As long as its a fight, theres nothing that can stop me! You made a huge mistake there, Andreu! If you wanted to defeat me, you should have planned something else! Ha, ha, ha! Where do you think youre going? I say. I wont let you run away. Since the first attack, this giant bear-like monster has been trying to rush at our backline mobs. Im the one who dealt the most damage to it so far, but it continues to try regardless of its previous failures. It doesnt matter. As long as Im here, there isnt a single chance itll succeed. I open my wings to make a big leap, jumping over an Earth Wall the bear created to stop me, and appearing right in front of it with my sword held up high. Got you! I shout, slashing at it. The bear stops, abandoning its plan to attack one of my mobs, and attacks me instead. Im forced to use Parry to block its attack, but then I slash at it, taking away some of its HP. You did a good job with its AI, Andreu Its a shame its me who the bear is facing against. It isnt common to see monsters that do actually intelligent stuff in the game, and most of them can only be found in the top players dungeons. This is because you need some programming skills or lots of trial and error to do it properly. For example, having the strong, boss-like monster target the backline while the adds swarm the frontline makes this fight very difficult for most new players. Even veterans will find this fight difficult. But as long as they dont let the monsters do as they please, the players will win, and this is what Im doing right now. On the other side, though I take a look at Clara and our support mobs. Theyre struggling against the onslaught of smaller monsters. Wait, why are there more enemies than before!? Lemon, what are you doing? I shout. Why are there more enemies than before!? I-I dont know! They keep splitting and multiplying. I cant do anything against them, there are too many of them Im so useless yet another time I parry another claw attack and strike back, taking another chunk of HP with me. I cant allow Clara to be so depressed, I must do something But if I leave the bear to her, I dont think she can hold it back as well as I can Also, Ive already reduced it to less than half its HP Aaargh, you know what? She comes first! If the bear monster runs amock and we die, thats it. As much as I hate being defeated by Andreu, she comes first. I will never repeat the same mistakes as before. Lets switch, I say to the disheartened Clara. You take care of the bear and Ill take care of this mess. N-no, its fine what if I make a mistakeC I dont care! I interrupt her. Just do it, ok!? If you can, dont allow the bear to reach our backline, but dont overdo it. Prioritize your survival. O-ok Thanks, Anthemia. ...youre welcome. I force the bear to step back one last time before running in Claras direction, switching places with her. I couldnt pay attention to this side of the fight, but Im sure of one thing: if the enemies are multiplying, they must have the Split skill. This means they should be weaker after dividing, and I have the perfect skill for this. I didnt want to use it yet, I wanted to save my MP for the actual boss fight but I have no choice. After theyve multiplied so much, the only way to beat them is with an AoE skill. Regret your actions! For youve committed the gravest sin: youve made my sister cry. Now, face the Divine Wrath! A large, shining orb appears on top of me as I use the skill. I throw it to the ground, right next to where most enemies are, and it explodes in a burst of light. Oh, youre more resilient than I expected, I mutter. It isnt like I expected them all to die, I was sure the ones that didnt split yet wouldnt and would instead split. But Im surprised half of the smaller ones survived too. In fact, between now and before I used Divine Wrath, the number of enemies is more or less the same. I dont want to waste any more MP until I know whats going on, so Ill have to do this the old way: getting up close and personal. Dont let them swarm you, I give orders to the support mobs. Split up and continue moving around. Some players, especially the new ones, find it hard to control the support mobs in the middle of combat. But if you ever get to the top, its a skill that comes naturally. It becomes as easy as breathing. I was expecting Clara to take care of them while I focussed on the bear, but it seems she was overwhelmed by the enemy. Now, our current situation doesnt look good: we have three dead mobs, and theyll soon increase if I dont intervene. I jump into the enemies at the same time our mobs disengage. Soon, I find myself swarmed by them. About twenty enemies, all attacking me at the same time. This is one reason to hate slimes: they dont have a fixed body shape, so they can squeeze themselves to focus on a single enemy. Instead of a maximum of five or six medium-sized slimes, a lot more can fit in the same space, overwhelming the enemy with numbers. Even I cant avoid so many simultaneous attacks, though only one or two every now and then manage to land. At the same time, I keep a close eye on my surroundings. Thanks to this, I catch an important detail. I see they have a stunning attack. This is why our mobs are struggling so much I keep ordering our mobs to disengage, making the enemies swarm at me when Im the closest target. I too keep a close eye on my sisters fight. She still has a lot to improve, but thanks to her tentacles and the innate skill that allows her to grab the enemy, the bear cant shake her off. From time to time, it still tries to kill our mobs if they get close enough, but Clara continues to deal continuous damage to it, forcing the bear to strike back or risk being killed. If this continues, it wont take too long for her to emerge victorious. I cant let this happen! As the older sister, I must end this first! My pride is at stake here! There are at least thirty slimes surrounding me right now. Its like a wall. Not even slimes can squeeze that much, so some of them are waiting for their chance to come at me without doing anything. This is now better, I exhale, relieved. I can easily manage this. But we got two more deaths... Theres nothing I could do to prevent our mobs deaths, but thanks to their sacrifices, I now know whats going on. First, they focus on the one whos closest to them unless you use healing spells. The situation got a lot easier to control since I ordered my healers to stop using their skills. Second, they have the Indomitable Will skill. This is what was giving Clara so much trouble, as well as the reason my Divine Wrath didnt work as expected: the first time they should die, they instead split up! Third, they have some kind of healing skill themselves. This is why they keep splitting all the time instead of dying. And fourth, they also have a skill that gives them flat bonuses. Im not sure which one, or if they have multiple, but at least their HP is increased for sure. If only I could inspect them, this would have been so much easier Andreu, why the fuck did you have to create such monsters? Theyre too hard to deal with unless youre really good, or you already know how they work! Dumbass! Jerk! Stupid! Idiot! Though Ill admit these monsters are well-designed, Ill absolutely never say it out loud. Id rather cut my tongue than praise my brother! Not as long as he keeps bothering me so much, mocking me every time we play together! But now that I know how they work, and that Im surrounded by almost all of them, its time to finish this. I dont need to fear wasting MP by using Divine Wrath anymore. It was hard to get to this point because the bear has some kind of fear skill, and the slimes like chasing after our running mobs; but it wont happen anymore, Im about to end this fight. You dare surround me? You made a foolish mistake. Eat this, you shitheads! After the light burst, there are quite a few monsters remaining, so I cast it yet again. Theres no need to save MP, Im sure I wont need to use MP until the actual Boss fight, and, most importantly: I must finish this fight before Clara does. Only four enemies remain in close proximity. They must come from an enemy that hadnt split up yet and was at full HP. Other than these, there are two more that werent inside my AoE. I finish the remaining enemies with leisure with a few sword strikes and the help of the support mobs. Now, the only remaining enemy is the bear. Ill let Clara deal with it, she needs the experience. Meanwhile, I check my current status. Hmm 20% of my HP is gone Not bad. For having taken the full brunt of the attack with this weak Champion, its a reasonable amount. I put on a serious expression and dust my clothes while saying. Im finished here. How are you doing? Do you need my help? The bear is still trying to get to our backline, but even if Clara makes a mistake, theres no way Ill allow such a thing now that Im free. No, its fine, She answers. Ill do this myself, its my job to take care of the strong enemies! Well said, Lemon. I praise her. But really, this fight this fight was a little bit too much. Andreu, are you crazy? Do you want to kill every invader, and make them complain about your dungeon!? No, but theyre hidden the monsters do nothing until you wake them up. They must be optional, so it should be ok Aaargh! Why do I worry so much for his sake!? Why should I care if he makes a blunder or not!? As his older sister I want him to improve, but every time I remember his smug face after defeating me I have to stop myself from caving his face in My fists start trembling as rage fills me. I hate him so much!
... Overwhelming them with numbers can be more effective than you might expect. But if you decide to go for this, do it properly. Dont try to overwhelm them with a few tens of monsters, do so with hundreds, even thousands! The more, the better! No, really, Im not kidding. A thousand dragons are too much, but if theyre very weak, a thousand monsters is a reasonable amount. Just keep in mind that, when you use this tactic, the objective isnt to kill them, but to make them cry. You want them to feel useless. Defenseless. Weak. You want to force them to use AoE skills, squeezing all their remaining EP and MP. Make them feel they have no choice but to use all AoE skills they have or theyll die. Then, bring some more monsters out, and theyll surely cry! Even if they survive the new batch of monsters, theyre sure to have wasted most of their resources on them. Use this chance to beat them with something even nastier! Fufufu! Hahaha! - Fragment from Making them Cry, one part of The Dark Teachings series.
Ch 127 - At the same time, in the same place Annihilation. No, this isnt enough to express my current situation. Its utter annihilation. Theres no hope to overcome this. The corpses of my goblins and orcs litter the ground. It doesnt matter where I look, there are corpses, corpses, and more corpses. Those few goblins and orcs that are still alive C two to be exact, one of each C are soon to join their comrades. Thank god this is a game, because Id be puking if I had to see the mutilated dead bodies, bloodied, filled with holes and wounds. I move my head in time to avoid a light beam coming at me, but I cant do the same with the giant bears attack. I start bleeding, my HP will soon to reach a dangerous number. Why? Just why!? I grab my head and start shouting. Today was the day I was supposed to finish my investigation inside the Failed Experiments area! What am I going to do now? My orc pride is at stake here! I cant disappoint my followers, whore eagerly awaiting me to update my guide! The ongoing battle? Theres nothing I can do about that, so I might as well stop struggling and accept my death. Aaaaaaaaaaaah! This isnt fair! My voice echoes through the whole cavern system. If theres any enemy that isnt attacking us already, itll soon join the battle. Not that it matters. This isnt a fair duel, everyone ganging up on us like this! I demand an apology! I demand a rematch! Fuck you, Evil Mastermind! Huh, huh, huh. Ive just committed one of the biggest taboos. Usually, insulting the dungeon owner while inside The Mad Rats Lab is the last thing you want to do but if dont do this, Ill explode. Come and have a duel with me, if you dare! Coward! Weakling! Im sure youre useless in a straight fight! Ill accept a fight with you anytime! Huh, huh, huh! Aaah, I feel better. Refreshed. Though its only a little, shouting obscenities at the top of your lungs sure helps with stress. I hope this doesn''t impact my next invasions I calmly watch as two more light beams come at me. Goodbye, cruel world I say as I let them hit me.
You have died!
I slowly open my eyes in my recently acquired phantasmal form. *Sigh!* Next time, I should stop talking to myself during the dungeon exploration Slowly, I reach for my biceps and kiss them. First the right arm, then the left one. I can feel the energy slowly returning. Next time! Next time Ill surely beat this damn dungeon and recover my lost orc pride. Ill defeat every single monster by myself! Huh, huh, huh! What a bad luck I had today to end like this Why am I always so unlucky? Arent I way too unlucky? It isnt normal at all, I checked it with the other players in the forums, and its something that only happens to me. Im starting to think the Evil Mastermind has an alarm that warns him every time I come into this dungeon, to manipulate the traps and monsters and put me in the worst situation possible No, no, no. Stop thinking weird stuff, me! Im strong! Ill surely beat it next time! Huh, huh, huh! After all, it cant always be the Evil Masterminds fault today my downfall came because of my own error. I shouldnt have done what I did It all started when my handsome and muscular self entered the big cave and found everything changed. The manly me was preparing for the dungeon invasion, stretching as usual
Huh, huh, huh! My muscles are twitching in anticipation. Today, Ill face all the horrors in the new area and emerge victorious. Finally finally, Ill be able to proclaim myself as the king of this dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! As I walk, my eyes naturally drift to the claw marks left in various places. Theyre so deep that if I stand inside one, only my head and shoulders will be visible. Im so looking forward to the day I can fight the monster that made them! The thing is, Im not sure if I can fight it. Is it that it doesnt exist, or that nobody found it yet? I hope its the latter, but Its weird nobody encountered it yet with so many players participating in the search, myself included. The tunnel opens into the usual big cavern, signaling the real start of this Dungeon Invasion. Somethings wrong I look around, but I dont recognize where I am. Please, dont tell me Did I end up somewhere else? But I swear I was following the path It cant be Today was the day I was going to clear this damn dungeon once and for all. I even memorized all the tunnels and passages, so how come I dont recognize anything!? I dont like this. Changes mean Ill suffer. Changes mean new, unknown stuff! Changes mean DEATH! Huh, huh, huh! Everything is fine, I say. But deep inside, I cant stop the fear from growing. I came yesterday. There cant be that many changes, can they? What am I scared of, huh, huh, huh! My valiant goblins and orcs keep staring at the void, unperturbed by the changes. What am I, a chicken? If my mobs arent afraid, then I, who is stronger, shouldnt either! Ah, I know! This is it, the chance to show my prowess! It wont be like all the previous times when I died a horrible death! This time, Ill surpass the unknown and be victorious! Huh, huh, huh! My laughter echoes inside the cave. Or should I say caves, now that there are a few of them? Ah, shit. The nearby monsters Nah, Im close to the entrance, Im sure there arent any monsters nearby. And talking about loud sounds Where are those screaming guys? I cant see or hear any of them. Their cries were annoying, so Im not complaining, but more changes mean more uncertainties, which usually leads to my death This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. No! Stop! I cant fall into this thought spiral. Today, it wont happen, Im sure of it. I wont allow it to happen. Everyone, lets move, I say, taking the first step forward.
Come on, weaklings. Stop hiding and come face me! Huh, huh, huh! Who am I talking with? Nobody, unless theres some monster actually hiding somewhere. I hope there isnt. Im simply trying to alleviate some of the build-up tension. Walking for about five minutes, not knowing when an enemy will strike, isnt something pleasant. And its even worse in this dungeon! Every second you spend here without trouble means that when trouble finds you C and believe me when I say itll find you C, itll be more dangerous! Goblimps. If youre near, show yourselves! I say, expecting some reaction. Nothing, huh Not even Goblimps, the worst pest in the whole game, have come to attack us. I hope they were removed, like those screaming guys, but if theyre still here I want them to show up as soon as possible. The sooner you get rid of them, the better! Oh, how much I hate them How long do I have to wait!? I keep shouting and provoking them. I want to know what Im facing, but at the same time, I dont. Im scared of what might appear. Do I really have toC Whoa! A light beam passes next to me, and hits one of my orcs, taking a huge chunk of HP with it. Finally, you showed up! I check the direction the beam came from and see a monster that looks like a giant turtle. Huh, huh, huh! Everyone, charge! Theres nothing we can do from this distance; we must get into melee range first, so I start running and all my support mobs follow me. Waaaaah! This is it! The excitement of battle! Huh, huh, huh! The turtle creates another light beam, shooting it from its mouth. I gladly receive it with my body, preventing it from hitting my orcs and goblins, who are behind me. Is this all youve got? You must try harder! Its all thanks to the Impenetrable Wall skill, a heavily underestimated skill most players think is useless. But this is one of the best skills for a Champion like mine: orcs want to take damage, to trigger the Bloodlust skill; and Impenetrable Wall allows me to do so while, at the same time, I can protect my weaker mobs. Its simply incredible.
Impenetrable Wall (Passive skill)
Reduce the damage you receive from all AoE attacks and skills by 20%. When they hit you, you stop them from expanding in the direction youre blocking.
Thanks to the Impenetrable Walls damage reduction, and the fact I have higher stats than the turtle C I didnt check it, but Im sure of it C I take very little damage from the light beams. Is this all? Then, now its my turn! I raise my battleaxe up high before slamming it on the turtles head. Resilient, aint ya? Then, Ill just have to strike harder! Huh, huh, huh! As expected from a turtle, it takes little damage. This makes it an ideal punching bag to relieve my accumulated stress. I must thank the Evil Mastermind for giving me this chance. Wahaha! Youre too slow to hit me. Eat this, you shithead! Engrossed in the fight, it takes me some time to notice somethings off. Why arent you coming? This is an easy prey I turn my head to my support mobs, and I see a barrage of light beams coming from several directions. My poor orcs and goblins are struggling to avoid them. This isnt good Lets retreat! Well move to a better place and strike again! As much as I enjoy battle, I cant allow them to die like this. Theyre my sworn brothers! My dear subordinates! They rely on my strength, and I rely on theirs. I cant allow them to die such a pointless death Id rather lose my orc pride than allow it. March, forward. Ill take the rear and protect you. I shout. We run and run. We go from the left side of the cave system to the right, but theres no end to those light beams. The turtles can attack from so far, its very hard to shake them off. And once we do, theres another one waiting in front. I knew it, this is why I hate the new monsters. You never know what to expect or how to deal with them. If I had known about their behavior, I would have tried my best to avoid getting the aggro of multiple turtles at the same time Now its too late, I can only regret it. There must be a way to shake them off, we cant continue like this There have already been two goblin deaths. Two more than they should. Something, something Ah, the underground lake! It should prevent the turtles from following us! I immediately make everyone turn in the lakes direction. If we jump inside, we can swim until the turtles stop targeting us, then come back safely and resume the Dungeon Invasion as if nothing happened. Huh, huh, huh! Arent I a genius? As if to mock me, at this precise instant something small hits my back. Fucking Goblimps, why do you decide to strike right now!? I turn around to use a Phantasmal Weapon in retaliation, but I do so with such bad luck, that I misstep and fall to the ground, headfirst. Fuck this bad luck! Hm? Theres something written here Who made the claw marks? I dont know, but Id like to. No, no, I cant waste time withC Ugh! When I try to stand up, something enormous hits me and makes me fall to the ground again. I roll to take some distance before trying again. When I stabilize, I see a colossal bear-like earth elemental, already swinging its claw at me. A claw as big as my whole body. Whats up now? Another enemy? I take the blow and then search for a way to run away. I would love to fight this monster but now isnt the time. Huh? Were surrounded? Why? HOW!? Im sure my reaction will sound stupid to anyone who watches in the future. When did they come? What happened? There were no enemies here, this is why I chose this path! But now, were surrounded by golems, theres this giant bear in front of me, the Goblimps are waiting for a chance to strike, and the turtles are getting closer Arent we doomed? Right as I think so, four light beams are fired at us, striking several of my orcs and goblins. No, nonononono! This makes no sense! I deny the reality, but my orcs and goblins keep struggling and dying. Today I was going to win, it cant end like this! I start a murderous rampage, attacking every enemy in sight with my battleaxe. I dont spare a single EP or MP in my effort to save us, but the more I attack, the more enemies I have to face. Theyre multiplying!? Finally, I realize its because of my own attacks that the enemies keep increasing in number. Aaaaagh! This isnt fair! I drop to the ground in despair. My goblins and orcs. My comrades! Theyre falling, one after another! Evil Mastermind! I swear Ill make you pay for all the times youve humiliated me! Even if its the last thing I do before turning crazy, Ill make sure to crush your dungeon and show everyone how to beat your dungeon without taking any damage! In my delirious rage, I start laughing. Then, I stand up again and face the giant bear. At the very least, Im going to enjoy this as much as possible. This bear monster has such big claws that it could actually leave those marks in the entrance area. Maybe, its actually this monster, the monster Ive been looking for for so long? Then, does this mean that I fell for the Evil Masterminds trap when I read that text? Was everything planned from the start? Im sure of it! Since I said I would beat the dungeon this time, he must have prepared everything so that I would have no choice but to run away to the lake, then make me fall, accidentally read that slate, and activate the trap! Im sure of it! You didnt outsmart me this time! I saw through your machinations! Huh, huh, huh! Huh, huh, huh! Ill show you Just you wait.
The new monster additions to The Mad Rats Lab created a huge wave in the DMA forums. Both from desperate and exhilarated players. If only they knew those were the tip of the iceberg of what was to come in the next days
Ch 128 - Everybody needs to study I pick up all my stuff after the class ends. Today is Friday. This means we have two days to relax and do whatever we want in front of us. Ricard, Laura, I call them. Do you have any plans for this weekend? I plan to spend most of the time capturing more monsters for my dungeon If you want to join me, help is always appreciated. They turn to look at me, their expressions brightening for a brief instant. But then, Laura gloomily counters my offer. ...arent you forgetting about the exams? And *Poof!* as if by magic, Ricards expression radically changes. Now, he looks as if his soul left his body. The exams I tilt my head. What are those, are they tasty? She hits my shoulder. Dont joke around with this. Theyre the final exams, theyre important. Oh, you meant those exams I joke. I dont need to worry, I did well until now. Yes, but not everyones the same She points to the side, where Ricard is trembling with glazed eyes. Exams Oh, no, the final exams are here What am I going to do? And I was planning to level up this weekend Yes, Ricard, theyre here. Its funny that you, whos obsessed with the undead, is the one whose soul has left its body. You know what? This is what you get for fooling around by playing games so much that you never studied. Hahaha, look at me! Ive played a lot too, but I did my homework (sometimes) and studied early so I wouldnt need a studying marathon later. Play smarter, not harder! Like me. Hahaha! I dont think Laura will have any trouble either, so I ask her again. Ricard? Hes already got his plate full. So do you want to help me? Sure, but, hmm She hesitates to continue, biting her lower lip. She fidgets with her hands, twirling her fingers around. But But, only if we go alone, you and me. The two of us? Im sure Clara wont like it, but its ok. It isnt as if I have to do everything she wants. Fine by me. But is there a reason why you want to be alone with me? It cant be she wants a date with me, can it? No, no. A date inside a game isnt a date at all, its impossible. She must want to practice something when only I am present, Im sure thats it. She hesitates. No, its just NO! *PAM!* Ricard slams his fist on the nearest table. I swear I could hear something breaking, but the table seems fine, so was it Ricards fist? I cant allow it! He continues. Were a team, so we must play as a team! I decide to taunt him a little. Arent you angry because you must study and cant come with us? Maybe you shouldnt have spent so much time playing DMA. Thats He turns his head around, avoiding eye contact. Dont try to change the topic. Were talking about the League of Evil here! How dare you break the rules and try to play without me. If I cant, then you cant either. No, regardless of how you look at it, its you whos changing the topic to avoid being embarrassed. Also, your true intentions are showing, didnt you notice? But we never made such rules. I counter. Of course we did! From the moment we created our team, we swore to stick together forever. This includes As he continues rambling on and on, Laura and I exchange a look and agree to stop talking about this. Well continue when he isnt around. Why should we stick to his invented rules? Its his own fault if hes in this predicament. Ok, Ricard, stop! I stop him from continuing his eternal explanation. Do you really have no time free? It isnt a good idea to spend all the time studying either, maybe you could spare one or two hours a day When I stop him, he starts glaring at me. But then, when I mention the breaks, he looks at me as if I was his savior. Oh, shit! He might start worshiping me now Ive already gotten my hands full with that stuff, so you better not join them. Ah! Youre right, Ill need a break or two, of course. Maybe one every half a day no, every hour perhaps I can squeeze one every half an hour One hour of playing for every half of study doesnt sound too bad. Tired of listening to Ricard, Laura hits him on the back. What are saying? Of course, this wont do. One break or two is fine, but using the breaks as an excuse to play instead of studying is completely different. Do you really want to suspend? N-no, I dont want to Then, will you study or play this weekend? Laura pressures him by pointing at him. If you dont put your shit together, youre going to turn into a useless person. And, did you know? She makes a nasty smile. ...girls dont like useless guys Fufufu. Ah, uh Ricard stutters, his face bright red. I, I Oh, wow. I didnt know you could convince him like that, Laura. Though I dont think itll work if I were the one who did it. At least, I hope it wont work Itd be scary if it did. So, are you going to study or not? She steps away, giving him some space to calm down. He gulps. Ah, huh yes. Im, going, to to to, study, of course. I can almost see bitter tears falling from his eyes. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. But this sure is amazing, I never thought I would live to see the day when Ricard didnt know what to say. Ive never seen him struggling so much to talk. Usually, when he starts talking, its like an unending stream, but now Both Ricard and Laura are putting on awkward expressions, so its up to me to break this weird mood. And I have the perfect way to do so. *Khm!* Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you before I make a dramatic pause and they eagerly wait for me to continue. Heh, I feel important. I asked my older sister if she could help you two improve, and she said shes too busy. I calmly observe as their expressions dull before continuing. Instead, she said she would prepare an easy course inside her own dungeon for us to go and train. Yes! Yes, yes! Fucking yes! Ricard starts jumping around. Finally, its my chance to show my knowledge thats comparable to a pro player to a so-called pro. Ill make sure to impress her, and then shell admit Im better, and my popularity will reach the sky! Hahaha! Yeah good luck with that. But wont she need a lot of time too, to create the course? Laura asks, ignoring Ricard. Would it really save her any time at all? She said shell reuse some of the stuff she prepared for me and Clara, I answer. She also said she wanted to show me my place, so shes in fact the one whos most interested in this I understand. Laura stops and gives me a pitiful gaze. Your relationship isnt as good as I expected, huh? No, well... Its its difficult to explain. I awkwardly scratch my head, recalling our love-hate relationship. So when are we going? Ricard grabs my shoulders with so much strength I feel theyre going to break. I can anytime you want. I have nothing to do this weekend. Didnt you say you were going to stuC Wait, we can talk about this later. Laura interrupts me in the middle of my retort. Were the last ones, well be late to the next class if we stay here. Youre right. Lets go. I say. Im ready, I was waiting for you, Adds Ricard. Hey, Ricard, how do you have the nerve to say this when youre the one who was wasting our time a second ago? Lets talk as we walk, He continues. Andreu, what do you think will impress your sister the most? My battle skills or my game knowledge? Hmm nothing? Should I pop his bubble now, or wait until later? Hmm Ill be funnier if I wait, so Ill let him be happy for now. Impress her? I put a hand on my chin to make him believe Im taking this seriously. Im sure youll impress her if you beat her in a one-versus-one combat. Is that so!? Then, I guess Ill have to train and give my all! I pat his back. Im looking forward to your victory. Thank you, my friend. Does anyone want to make a bet with me? Ill bet everything I have on Ricards defeat Hahaha, what an easy way to make money! Laura stares at me, furrowing her brows, disapproval written on her face. Why do you look at me like that? What did you want me to say? Even if I know theres absolutely no way hell win a fight against my sister, shouldnt I be cheering for him, as his friend? I put my index finger on my lips, making a signal for her to stay silent. She nods. Ricard never took me seriously when I said my sister was one of the top players. Hes been playing along, but Im sure he still thinks Im bragging. Hes so focused on his own greatness, that he cant see the reality around him. But Laura knows the truth. Im sure Clara shared my sisters real identity with her, and she knows how deep of a hole Ricard is digging for himself right now. Well, a humility injection wont hurt him. Maybe, after losing like a pathetic worm, hell start playing more seriously and will turn from a walking encyclopedia to an amazing player. Hey! Dont look at me like that! I can dream, okay!?
This cant continue I must do something or Ill be left behind. Think hard, Clara I must solve this problem! I roll on top of my bed, hugging my favorite slime plushie. I must solve this problem soon, but I cant think of any solution. Im being left behind by Andreu in DMA. Hes already level 7, but Im still at five. His friends are leaving me behind too. Ricard was always the highest of us all, and Laura is managing to keep up somehow. I believe its thanks to the succubi in her dungeon, but I cant be sure. At first, it was okay thanks to the nerds in my class, but I demanded too much from them and now theyre avoiding me. Its partly my fault, I was too pushy but I dont know how to approach somebody else, Im scared of being hurt. I put on a nasty front and treated them harshly, so they wouldnt hurt me, but the only thing I achieved was making them scared of me. I regret my actions now... Didnt I act the same as those kids back then? The same they did to me I hate myself for it now, but I dont know how to apologize. For the tournament, I received help from my brother and his friends. They all helped me level up to level 5, so we could have a good chance at winning. Andreu felt it was his duty, and Laura didnt dare say no when he asked her to help me level up. Ricard on the other side as soon as I promised him to put lots of weak units in a special area for him to farm, he immediately agreed. He might know everything related to the game, but hes too easy to manipulate, hehehe. But I cant keep asking them for help all the time, they have their own lives and stuff they want to do Now the only one who regularly comes to my dungeon is Eva, the classmate who stopped me from putting pressure on the nerds. Im sure she does so out of duty because she believes herself as the class representative, that she must help everybody. Im fine with it, I dont care what she thinks. The problem is that it isnt enough if shes the only one If I could spend as much time as I wanted inside the game, I might not have this trouble. I could be like Ricard, and forget about everything else. But I dont have so much free time. Next year Ill start my university life, and I must spend as much time as possible preparing for the entry exams. Maybe Ill have to ask Marta for help. Im sure she can help improve my dungeon, and if she puts in a good word, as Anthemia, my dungeon will surely gain popularity... Yes, lets do it. I decidedly stand up from my bed and walk to her room. *Knock, knock* Fuck off, Andreu! I hear Marta shouting from the other side of the door. Im not surprised by her shouts, Im used to it. Its me. Oh, ok. She opens the door. You can come in, Clara. Im sorry about that. Andreu just left and I thought he wanted to bother me Did he tell you about your team training? Is this why you came? No, he didnt tell me anything. I came for something else. It looks like, after this, Ill have to go and pester Andreu until he tells me everything. Can you help me with something? You need my help? She tries to hide it, but shes happy Im asking her. Sure! What do you need? You see its about my dungeon I start explaining my current situation. She listens calmly, but cant hide the smile growing on her face as I continue explaining.
Most players create one or two private areas inside their dungeons: areas where their friends can farm, train, etc. If youre one of these players, be careful with them. Since they must be connected to the main dungeon, if the players find them, either by luck or because somebody told them, theyll consider them as part of the dungeon and go inside. Depending on the private area you created, and the dungeon youve created, this will be very bad, and harm your dungeons ratings. For example: you dont want players that dive into a realistic dungeon to find a farming area; or those that come to your farming dungeon to find a training passage filled with deadly traps. - A tip from a veteran DMA player.
Ch 129 - Rebirth of a dead unit I have some free time until the hour I agreed to meet with Ricard and the others for our dungeon training. The thing is that, right now, Im in one of those situations when you have enough time that you dont want to waste it, but not enough to focus on anything. In short, I have no idea what I can do to avoid boredom. Hmm I suppose. I could fix the Demonic Swarmers. It shouldnt take too long and Ill have them ready for when I update the rest of the dungeon Yes, lets do this. It isnt as if I had anything better to do anyway. I open the Templates menu and search for the Demonic Swarmers. Hah, theyre still level 3! Poor, pathetic weaklings theyve stayed the same since I created them, and they were the first combat unit I created after the Stitched Its no wonder they were so useless. They were created when I still didnt know how to go about my dungeon. It doesnt help that I didnt put them where they were supposed to go, either. But if theyre like this, even if I put them in the tunnels, they would be useless anyway. Dont worry, my useless and deformed babies. Ill fix you up now. Currently, all Demonic Swarmers are waiting in one of the warehouse rooms C empty rooms that arent connected to the main dungeon, so invaders can never reach them. I put them there because I didnt want them disturbing my new cave area. Im sure that, by now, they and the Silent Kidnappers are best friends. Poor, useless guys Theyre more useless than the random creations in the failed experiments area. Well, the monsters in that area are just pretending to be useless, but they actually fulfill their respective roles. It isnt fair to compare them. I start by opening the Template and reading their skills. Its been so long that I forgot what I gave them. Dash, Demonic Revenge, Strong, and Commander for the elf half. As for the dwarf half, it has Bash instead of Dash. Yes, I remember now... But why did I give them the Commander skill? Ah, I remember! It was because without at least 1 COM they couldnt call for help at the start of combat. Ok, then. Lets start with the changes. The first thing Im going to do is look at the upgrades of the Demonic Revenge skill. Marta told me I should upgrade this skill first, and that Id recognize what upgrade she was talking about as soon as I read them. Hmm aha yep, its definitely this one. Ill give them this upgrade right away. Theres one upgrade that increases the bonus stats; another that prevents them from dying as soon as the buff disappears, giving them a stat reduction penalty instead; one that increases the effective radius theres even one that increases the duration. But theres only one thats actually useful for what I need. I level the Demonic Swarmers to level four and select the upgrade. I get two skill points, one for each half, but since both halves have the Demonic Revenge, I must spend both to upgrade both sides. The upgrade is called Fuelled Rage.
Demonic Revenge - Lv 2 (Triggered skill)
When an ally dies within 1 meter, increase all stats by 100% for 5 seconds. When this skill ends, you die.
Upgrades
Fuelled Rage: After this skill is triggered, each following ally death extends the duration by 2 seconds and the stats by another 10%.
The idea behind the Demonic Swarmers was that they would call for help at the start of combat. Then, when one of them died C and keep in mind the two Siamese halves count as different units C they would get a buff, making them very dangerous until they died. But the main problem with this is that I never created lots of them, only about ten. There never was an actual swarm. Another important reason they failed is that a strong monster with 100% bonus stats is dangerous, but a weak monster with 100% increased stats is still weak. Moreover, the players only needed to survive for five seconds and the buffed Demonic Swarmers would automatically die. With the Fuelled Rage upgrade, two of the main problems will be solved. Now, as long as I create a lot more Demonic Swarmers, theyll turn from useless to extremely dangerous. Hahaha! And this is without taking into account theyll be in the tunnels filled with mushrooms! Nature Attuned will finally have a chance to shine! Fufufu! Hahaha! Now that Ive fixed them, its time to improve them even further! For starters, and since they share passive skills, Im going to give them something useful. I level them up another time and, with one of the skill points, I upgrade the Strong skill.
Strong - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Increases the units Strength stat by 5.
Upgrades
Proficient: Triple this skills bonus stats.
Now I have to decide what to do with the second skill point. I could always give them another stat-rising skill, but I think I can give them something nastier. For example, what if I give them the Shared Senses skill? Wouldnt it make it so that the cries of one alert the closest ones, and those alert the others with the shared senses? Almost all the Demonic Swarmers in the entire dungeon would swarm the invaders at the same time! Fufufu! Hahaha! Just imagine the invaders going crazy as enemies come from everywhere at the same time! Ah, no. I cant do that it would be too extreme. Also, I dont want to risk messing with the Hauntlings. They have the same skill and who knows what could happen. Theres still another skill I can give them thatll help them find the intruders without making them too OP: Presence Detection. If they know when an enemy is within 20 meters, they call for help, and those that hear the call, come closer, it can still turn into a chain reaction too, though not as big as with the Shared Senses. I guess Ill have to settle with the Presence Detection. Theyre level five now. I can level them up to level 8, but I wont do it unless I find skills I really like for them. Also, I dont want to make them too strong before testing how the changes work. Not this one No, no. Useless This ones too broken. I scrutinize the skill list for the perfect skill. This one This, this is Fufufu! Hahaha! This one is soooo good! What do the Demonic Swarmers want to do? They want to swarm the enemy, and they want to die, powering up their allies. Then, they want to inflict as much damage as possible before dying. So What if I give them a skill that prevents them from dying prematurely? And what if this skill is more powerful the more deaths there are? Ladies and gentlemen, I have the honor to introduce you to the Death Shield! The shield that activates when something close dies!
Death Shield (Triggered skill)
When another unit dies within 1 meter, you obtain a shield that lasts for 10 seconds. The shield absorbs all the damage you would take from the first attack or skill.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Similar to the Demonic Revenge, the Death Shields effective radius is tiny. But, equally similar to the former, the tiny radius doesnt really matter once you take into account the Siameses nature, as well as the fact that theyll swarm the enemy. And this combination is so stupidly broken! Every ally that dies will raise their stats, increase the buffs duration, and give them a shield. Sure, DoT effects can easily pop the shield. And sure, it only triggers on ally deaths and cant accumulate charges. But stopping a free attack after every death, applied to multiple monsters at the same time I wonder how much the players will like (hate) them. Though I wont add them yet, Ill wait until I make the rest of the changes. Then do I want to give them another skill? No, I think theyre ok like this.
Demonic Swarmer - Scout Half (Lv 6)
HP 67 (45) STA 9 (6) SOU 6 (4)
EP 90 (60) MP 75 (50)
STR 30 (20) CON 6 (4) AGI 9 (6)
SPI 7 (5) WIL 7 (5) DEX 7 (5)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Dash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge - Lv 2 (Fuelled Rage), Death Shield. Passive: Commander, Presence Detection, Strong - Lv 2 (Proficient), Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate).
Demonic Swarmer - Miner Half (Lv 6)
HP 97 (65) STA 7 (5) SOU 4 (4)
EP 75 (50) MP 60 (40)
STR 31 (21) CON 9 (6) AGI 4 (3)
SPI 6 (4) WIL 9 (6) DEX 7 (5)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Bash. Triggered: Demonic Revenge - Lv 2 (Fuelled Rage), Death Shield. Passive: Commander, Presence Detection, Strong - Lv 2 (Proficient), Nature Attuned (Innate), Stoneskin (Innate).
You can argue all you want, saying its a waste of skill points to give them both the same triggered skills. I disagree. Its precisely because of this that theyll be good. At least, this is what I hope. *Piring!* A message? From Ricard, hes asking if Im ready. It seems everybody has logged in What a timely coincidence, Ive just finished this. I reply to his message, saying Ill send the party request. First, I update the Templates changes and then start a new party. After they join, I select my sisters dungeon from my favorite dungeons. After having to go into it so much the past two weeks, I saved it so I wouldnt forget its name. Here we go, to our team training session I hope Marta isnt too hard on us Theres no need to choose which support mobs Ill bring with me because were not using any. Were going only the four of us. It was both a request and a requirement my sister imposed on us if we wanted her help.
After the flash of light, we find ourselves in Martas dungeon entrance. Were floating in a dark space and right in front of us, theres a colossal, golden gate. It has engravings everywhere, and it shines with its own light. Its as if we were in front of the real heavens gate. Every time I see it I feel tiny, insignificant. This gate sure fits my sisters personality. Im not sure why, but I never get tired of this spectacle. Ah, but dont tell Marta, ok? As far as she knows, my opinion of her dungeons entrance is on the level of passable. Wow! Exclaims Ricard. I knew we were going into a Divine Blood dungeon called Heavens Path, but I never expected it to be so literal. Hehehe. Isnt it amazing? Our sister is the best. Clara chimes in. But I dont know why this feels familiar. Its as if Ive seen this before... Im sure you saw it on some DMA videos, Ricard. Both this dungeon and my sister are famous. But Ill stay silent for now... Ill let you have your fun for now. Of course you have, our sister is famous! Ricard rolls his eyes. If you say so Then, he mutters to himself. She must have copied it from a famous player, Im sure of it. Muuuu Dont cry, Clara. Ive tried it too, but he doesnt listen. Just let him fall for his own delusions. Youre going to enjoy it more if you let him continue to embarrass himself. Alright, lets go. I clap my hands to get their attention. Our sister wont join us until later, but she told me how to get into our training area. I walk to the door and press a few of the ornaments in a certain order. When I press the last one, it makes a *Click* sound, so it should have worked. Is this it? Asks Ricard. Will the door lead to a new area after this? No, this is only to activate the mechanism. After we enter, therell be a column to the left. Theres the actual door. Oh, I see A double lock, to prevent meddlesome players from accidentally triggering it Says Laura. Youre right. She used more awesome words to describe it, but its basically the same. Letters engraved in the gate start glowing when we get close to it. It says: Heavens Path is the last trial. Im tired of reading it by now, but the first time I couldnt stop myself from thinking how appropriate it is. The celestial gate starts opening as soon as I press the glowing orb below the letters. All right, lets go, I say. Clara runs past me, spinning her hands around. Hehehe! Today Ill show our sister how much Ive improved. Im sure shell be surprised. Its a shame we wont go into the actual dungeon Im curious about the stuff inside a pro players dungeon. Comments Laura from my side. Id instantly die if I came alone, so this is the first time I could give it a try truly, a shame. Meanwhile, Ricard Hey, Andreu. When will your sister come? Im itching to fight her! is still in his own world. Lets hope he learns something today. When she comes, shell watch our invasion, and come after we clear it, or when we die. Shell be evaluating your performance and will only accept the duel if youre good enough. What!? How dare she? Does she believe shes some kind of god? Did the factions theme go to her head? Its decided! Im going to give my best today, Ill put her in her place! Yeah good luck with that. Laura and I exchange a knowing look before stepping inside, following after Ricard and Clara.
I discovered this later, but when I updated the Demonic Swarmers, I didnt take into consideration the fact that Presence Detection works through walls. Given the nature of the Tunnels, the Demonic Swarmers could create spontaneous swarms before the invaders knew they were close. They met the players in a massive group, unlike the original one at a time which was exactly what I wanted, much to the invaders dismay.
Ch 130 - Are you sure this is the easy course? As soon as we enter the training area, a light film appears, blocking the entrance. Well I guess we cant go back until we clear this or die trying. I say. Of course, since this is a game, we can always press the surrender button, but being locked inside a place like this is such a classic in fantasy dungeons I like it. This is such a classic, Laura says the same thing I was thinking. But classics are classics because they work. If theyre still used afterC Hey, hey! Clara interrupts. Do you think this is a warning for something worse to come? Our sister isnt this cheap. Im sure that, later, ummmngmn! I put my hand on her mouth C to be more precise, where her mouth should be, after all, her Champion doesnt have one C to stop her from continuing. What are you doing? Are you crazy? Didnt I tell you not to jinx things!? Uh, gross! its slimy. ... After I release her, she turns her head away and crosses her arms. Heh, Im sure shed be pouting if her Champion allowed her to do so. Stop fooling around. Ricard admonishes us with a stern voice. Take this seriously, we must surpass this training course to show your sister how good we are! Hahaha! No, Ricard however you look at it, youre the least adequate to say this. I could maybe accept it from Laura. I might even accept it from Clara if she makes a puppy face. But Ill absolutely never accept it from you. But I hold back and ignore him instead of retorting. If hes like this, maybe he wont do any of his usual crazy stuff. For the first time since we entered here, I take a closer look at our surroundings. The white, marble walls, ceiling, and floor are simple and have no decorations, but somehow bring a feeling of purity to me. There are several windows from where bright white light comes in. When I try to see whats on the other side, my eyes burn and I must turn my head away. Because of it, I have absolutely no idea where this temple-like hall is supposed to be; but as long as there are more of those windows, we wont have any trouble with dark places and shadowy enemies, Im sure of it. All right, lets go, team, I say. Baldy, you take the lead as usual. Then itll be me and Lily, and you go last, Lemon. The hall is wide enough for two of us to walk and fight side by side, so this formation should be the best one to adapt to any situation. Ill take care of whatever comes at us. You can rely on me. All right. Ill protect your back as usual, brother! They reply in the same order Ive called them. When Clara says it like this with her current appearance, a shiver runs up my spine and I cant stop myself from wondering if my decision is the correct one. Nah, Im sure itll be ok... From previous experiences, it only backfired about half the time. Soon, we enter a wider room with similar decorations to the hall. On the opposite side, right in front of us, theres a closed door with a hole in it. On the side, theres a shining orb on top of a pedestal. There are some stairs leading to it. And heres yet another classic, comments Laura. And Im sure theres a trap somewhere. I nod. I agree. Lets investigate. Laura and I approach the door to take a closer look. Meanwhile, Ricard moves to the orb to do the same. This is an unusual situation. Usually, instead of helping, he would start one of his ramblings about something related to the game in this situation. This shows how motivated he is. On my way to the door, I notice there are a few large holes in the walls, close to the ceiling. Theyre pointing next to the orb. Why are you hesitating so much? Isnt it clear we must take this orb here? Ill take it! Hehehe! I turn around in time to see Clara running toward the orb. Lemon, stop! I shout. Its a trap! W-wha? Because of my shout, she tries to stop but instead trips, falling headfirst onto the stairs. With her tentacle arm extended as she falls, she hits the orb with enough force to push it out of its place. The orb rolls on the pedestal and falls down the stairs at the same time as Clara does. *Buoooom!* Several light orbs are shot from the walls, exploding as soon as they hit something, and blinding me for a few seconds. The only sounds I can hear are my sisters groans and the clinking of the orb as it continues to fall down the stairs. When the light finally clears up, I can see my sister, still alive, struggling to stand up. Ugh what was that? She asks. The trap you triggered, I answer. But how is it that you didnt take any damage? ...damage? Still confused, Clara tilts her head. She opens her status screen. Ah, youre right. Im perfectly fine. I think I know what happened, explains Clara. The orbs missed her because she fell to the ground. They were aimed assuming the person who grabbed the orb would be standing. Its logical, who would expect somebody to you know, trigger the trap like that Youre right I agree. Clara, do you understand now!? Youve been lucky so far, but this is the reason why you shouldnt act as you always do. B-but, I No buts! Its even worse that youre doing this only to get my attention, you know? Wha? She makes a surprised exclamation, not sure how to react. She starts fidgeting with her head lowered, raising it briefly to check my angry face before lowering it once again. ...did you know? I nod. Yes, Clara. I knew. Did you really expect me to be so blind? I might let your cuteness blind me sometimes, but Im not dumb. Well not THAT dumb. Haaa I exhale. Its alright, its just a game, so I forgive you. Just stop doing it already, ok? Otherwise, I might have to kick you out of the party No! I wont do it again, I promise! She jumps at me and starts hugging me. And thank you, for forgiving me. Hehehe! Lets see how long you can keep your promise A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. But anyway. Is this a trap specifically designed to cure Claras impulsive behavior? Because it sure looks like it is. Well, theres nothing we can do about the past, so lets think positively. Thanks to Clara, we dont have to waste time investigating the trap, we already triggered it. I decide to go and pick up the glowing orb, thats now at the bottom of the stairs. Its at this moment that Ricard, who has stayed quiet until now, with his mouth hanging open, decides to snap out of his trance. Is, is your sister fucking crazy!? He shouts. Do you know what those orbs are? Those are some of the strongest traps in DMA! And she used so many of them that they could instantly kill almost any of the strongest Champions! Didnt you say this was a training course? And an easy one at that? What kind of training course starts with an instant death trap!? Ahaha I scratch my cheek. This is easy for her, I guess? I dont know. The only thing Im sure about is this trap was planned to try and fix Lemons behavior It still doesnt make any sense! he counters. Why would she want to kill one of us right at the start? Whats more, her own sister!? I too think this is a little bit too much adds Laura. But Im sure she has her own reasons for this. Ricard shakes his head. Youre wrong! This shows how much shes lacking. Pro player? Hah! Shes only abusing her high level. If I was on the highest level, I would never abuse my powers like this, and would instead display my game knowledge and skills to train my juniors... I leave Ricard to his ramblings and introduce the orb into the doors socket. As soon as its in, the door starts glowing and then it disappears, leaving only the doors frame. Im about to cross to the other side when Laura pokes my shoulder. Hey, hmm Mad Rat, she says. Is it just me, or that light film is closer than before? She points back to the entrance, to the light film that blocked our way out. It sure looks like it is Its hard to say from here because of the angle, but it seems like the film has advanced about a meter. Ooh, it has moved? Lets see! Clara starts running away before suddenly stopping and turning to look at me. Can I? I start rubbing my temples. Its fine go ahead and check Well, at least this time she stopped and asked for permission. Does this mean she actually learned something? As soon as Clara reaches the light film, she touches it with her tentacles. Ouch, it stings! Ive taken damage too! She then checks its speed. Also its moving very slowly. Its possible to cross it, but I take damage as soon as I touch it. Laura analyzes the situation. So we have a timer now Its moving slowly, but depending on our actions or the dungeon layout, it could be a problem in the future. Youre right, I agree with her. Well have to move without wasting any time from now on. Then, I turn to Clara once again. I knew it! I blame her, joking. Why did you have to say that, at the start!? You jinxed it after all! Af if it had anything to do with this! Clara counters as she runs back to us. You know it would have happened anyway. Maybe it would, or maybe not. The only thing thats clear is that its your fault! Hahaha! Muuuu! It isnt! It is. No, it isnt. Ok, ok its nobodys fault. I finally relent. Laura calmly waits for us to finish our foolish conversation, a thin smile on her lips. So do we continue? Or do you want to wait until the light film catches up? Itll raise the stakes and put us in extreme tension. No, Id rather avoid it, I reply. Meanwhile, Ricard is continuing with his ramblings. ...Id make sure to train my students every day. Ill also make them learn every single skill and unit that the game has, as well as all the combos and counters Lets ignore him for now. I clap my hands to get everyones attention. All right, lets return to our previous formation and start moving. We cant waste time. What will the future hold for us? Who knows. But knowing Marta as well as I do, Im sure it wont be easy. But you know I say. The light film its clearly your fault, Lemon. No, it isnt!
Hey, Baldy! I shout. I thought you were keeping them at bay. Im doing what I can, okay? Theres too many of them. I avoid an attack by twisting my body, and at the same time, I cast a Cold Blast. Im lucky and the Sacred Cat is immobilized, so I take this chance to slam my staff on its head and push it out of the tiny platform. Ricard is supposed to keep them in check while Im in charge of the Pegassi flying around. I raise my head to look upwards, scanning the area for enemies. There come two more Chaotic Beam! The spell hits the frontmost Pegassi, taking a large chunk of HP out. Tsk! Still alive? I guess I have no choice then. Chain Lightning! The lightning hits the Pegassi and jumps to the other one. Thanks to the damage from my first spell and the transferred damage from the Shared Voltage skill, both Pegassi are paralyzed at 1 HP and fall to their deaths. Lily, Lemon. How are you doing? I dont think we can hold on for long. I look at the pillar in front close to the entrance, where Ricard is struggling to hold back an avalanche of Sacred Cats. Ricards going to fall soon. There are several tall pillars in the room only wide enough for two of us to stand on them at the same time. We must jump from one to the next to reach the other side of the room. The problem is those pillars are tall enough that if we fall, its instant death. Also, there are only a few that are safe. If we step on the wrong one, the pillar disappears and we fall to our deaths. Whats even worse: enemies arent affected by this, they can freely stand on any platform. We discovered it by chance when Laura jumped on the first one and almost died. Thank god it was her and not any of us she survived thanks to the Blink skill. It would be nice and fast if we could check every pillar the same way, but we can only make four errors, and we already failed two times. How do we know we only have four chances? Because there are four towers on the other side of the room and every time we stepped on the wrong platform, one of them lighted up. Theres some kind of puzzle or clues to identify which are the good ones. Since Laura is the best of us at this stuff, and also the only one who can survive if she jumps on the wrong platform, shes the one in charge of finding the path. Clara is helping her, and at the same time protecting her from the enemies that reach them. Meanwhile, the task of stopping the majority of the enemies, the Sacred Cats, has fallen onto Ricard, as hes the tank and the best one of us at fighting multiple enemies at close range. And Im in charge of the flying enemies, the Pegassi. As you can imagine, in this situation, the Pegassi are extremely dangerous because we cant get close to them, or easily avoid their attacks. They fly around and fire spells at us with impunity. But the Sacred Cats are even worse than the Pegassi. This is because they have Nine Lives. No, no, I mean it literally. Theyre weak, on a similar level to the Stitched or even weaker, but they have the innate skill called Nine Lives which, literally, revives them the first eight times they would die. It doesnt matter what we do. We can blast them, smash their heads, or drop them to the ground below they simply dont die! Because of this, their numbers are slowly building up. Theyre about to overwhelm us with raw numbers. The only saving grace is that they cant fly or climb the pillars back up when they fall: they must go back to the entrance first, where theres a ramp for them to climb. My Shared Voltage isnt very effective against them. Theyre naturally spread out, and the lightning can only hit a few every time. Because of this and the fact that the only one who can deal with the Pegassi is me, Ive left them mostly to Ricard. I think Ive got this one, replies Laura. If Im not wrong its this one. She jumps to another platform. Yes, I was right! Only a few remaining now. Make haste, I say, jumping to the platform she was standing on until now. We cant hold much longer. I know, Im doing my best tooC Hey, look there, brother. Clara points back to the entrance. Its the light film. Its already reached this room. Ah, youre right. I look back, and surely, the light film thats been chasing us since the start is now right at the door leading to this room. Well, unless we waste a lot of time here, it wont catch up with us. If we dont make a huge mistake, we should be able to clear this room. But, at what cost? Will we have any EP or MP remaining for the rest of the training? If it weren''t for the Mana Core skill, I would have run out of MP a long time ago *Thump! Thump!* The ground trembles rhythmically as if something huge is stepping on the ground. When I turn to the origin of the noise, I see something very large, as tall as the platforms were standing on, coming our way. What the hecks going on now!? I shout in annoyance. Lemon, this guy is on you, youll have to deal with it on your own. Sure thing, brother. Ill stop it, whatever it is! Hehehe! Thats it, problem solved. Hahaha! As if!
One of the first things you need to learn is to manage your EP and MP. Treat them as valuable resources and dont waste them. But dont get obsessed with saving them for later either. A good DMA player is one who knows how to balance their use and get the most out of them. And when youre low on them, dont hesitate to take a rest and recover. - A tip from a veteran DMA player to newer players.
Ch 131 - Get out of here as soon as possible Baldy, is that a Titan? What the hells my sister thinking, sending one of those after us!? Titans are one of the high-tier units. Just their size is enough for anyone to know how powerful they are. No, it isnt, explains Ricard, shouting so I can hear him. Look closely. Dont you see something that looks like wings on its back? It must be some tier of angel, but extremely enlarged. Oh! Now that you mention it, I can see something white on its back. Why did Marta use an angel here? Even in this large room, with enough room for Pegassi to freely fly around, it cant even fully open its wings. Unless she just wanted to make us panic? If that was her goal, she succeeded. But even if this isnt an actual Titan, Im sure Marta buffed it quite a lot. I dont think Clara can stop it for long. Lily, think faster! I pressure her. We must get out of here before Lemon is defeated. I know, I know but it isnt that easy, you know? Im not an expert when it comes to these kinds of things, but if Im not wrong, the puzzle to know which is the next platform is drawn on top of the current platform. Then, you need to match it with the possible next pillars, which have similar drawings on the laterals Yep, I have no idea how to solve it. How many are left? I ask while scanning our surroundings for the presence of more Pegassi. There are none right now. Can I help you somehow? I dont think Ill be of any help, but you never know. No, I believe I have this one. This pattern matches the one on the right. Hup! She jumps on the next platform and lands safely. It doesnt break and collapse, so she was right. Yes! Only two remaining. Nice job, I say, making the jump too. How long will it take for the next one? Hmm I dont know Huh!? Its the same as the first one? Then, the answer must be the square with three triangles Surprised, Laura scans the three possible pillars we can jump on. What!? Why are there two of them with the same pattern? It makes no sense. Same pattern? I observe the two patterns and sure enough, they look the same to me. No, there must be something I missed but what? As she analyzes everything again, I take another look around us. Ricard is struggling to keep the Sacred Cats at bay, there are three of them that escaped his control and are now coming to us. Im sure that soon, more will follow. Also, Claras HP is getting dangerously low. One or two strong hits and shell die. One cat comes at me, and I smack it with my staff, sending it flying to the ground below. The other two go at Clara, but theyre stupid and smacked by the colossal angel, who sends them flying. Tsk! We cant go like this Lily, are you sure it must be one of those two? Are you sure the last one is wrong? Huh, why? Just answer me. Yes, it must be one of the two. ButC Then, just jump on top of one at random. I interrupt her. We can make one more error. But I dont like to do things this way. Also, what about the last one? I just need a little bit more time to inspect the clues and Im sure Ill find the right one. Just do it! We dont have time! If it comes to it, Ill take care of the last one. You? Take careC I said jump! I interrupt her again and gesture to her with my hand. We have no time! You can use Blink if it breaks, so dont waste time. Ok She reluctantly nods and jumps on the central pillar. It doesnt break, then this is the good, Uaaaaah! She was sure this was the good one because it didnt break as soon as she touched it like the previous ones, so she was surprised when it broke. She uses Blink but doesnt aim properly and misses the platform Im standing on. Luckily for her, I extend my arm in time and grab her, pulling her back. We fall to the ground, shes on top of me. We stare into each others face. Hmm theres something soft touching me right now No, no, we dont have time for this! If this one was wrong, then the other pillar must be the good one, right? I say, snapping her out of her daze. Go and start solving the last one. Um, right. I shall go She reluctantly stands up, allowing me to follow suit. After sending me another look, she turns around and jumps on the platform. This time, it doesnt break. I watch as the third tower lights up. We cant make any more mistakes now or were done for. I have no idea whatll happen if we make a fourth mistake, but Im sure Marta has something nasty ready for us. Maybe all the pillars will crumble at the same time, or some attack will wipe us out. The only thing I know for sure is that well all die. Luckily, since the giant angel appeared, there hasnt been any more Pegassi appearing, so I can focus on other stuff. Alright, only one pillar remaining. As for the rest I turn to the others situation and start giving orders. Baldy, come here. We cant let you stay there anymore! I shout so that Ricard, whos blocking the Sacred Cats right next to the first pillar, hears me. Ok, he answers, but youll have to tell me the good path! The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The good path? Ah, shit I dont remember which platforms are the good ones I cant disturb Laura now, I guess I must rely on Claras memory. Lemon, do you remember the good path? Clara, whos fighting the colossal angel in the central part of the pillars, answers me. Yes, I remember. But I cant guide him if Im busy with this. It doesnt matter, I say. I was going to tell you to retreat anyway. I think the best way to proceed is to get the giants aggro. Lemon, dont attack it anymore and help Baldy. Chaotic Beam! The beam hits the monster right on its head, but it isnt enough to get its attention. Another time! Chaotic Beam! After the second one, it turns its head in my direction. The eyes, emitting golden light, are really intimidating. Then, with heavy steps, it walks in my direction. Aaah, shit. Am I going to die like this? For a moment, my heart stops, and then I remember Im inside a game and recover my sanity. From the looks of its wings, this is just an Angel, the weakest of them all. Though it is a 20-meter one, so its certainly not a normal one. An Angel has higher base stats than I do, so we should be in a balanced situation after the Champions buff. But I cant lower my guard because its an angel created by Marta, specifically designed to train us. Theres no way its weak. Also all angel-like units, from the Angel, the basic one, to the Seraphim, the strongest one, have the same innate skill, called Divine Mark. Its one of those skills that seem useless until you actually fight against one. Divine Mark might be the most flat-out broken innate skill in the whole game. And when I say this is because its a skill thats always good, in any situation. Unlike with most other skills, there isnt a single situation when this skill is bad or useless.
Divine Mark (Passive innate skill)
Increase all damage dealt by 10% and reduce all damage taken by 10%.
Yep, you read it right. A flat 10% increase to everything they do, and a 10% reduction to everything against them. As if the fact they can fly wasnt broken by itself, they also have the most universally useful innate skill in the entire game. Fucking devs why do they favor the Divine Blood faction so much? Though I wont complain because, thanks to this fact, once I can start using their units C which are generally stupidly expensive C Ill be able to have all their perks, and even mix them with others, making my units invincible! Andreu, maybe you should stop dreaming about the future and refocus on the colossal angel thats about to smack you What is this!? My conscience? Its been a long time sinceC Focus on the fight! Oh, yeah, the fight! A mace as big as I am is falling, ready to turn me into a pulp. I jump on one of the safe pillars on time, avoiding the attack. The following shockwave makes me shiver. Oh my god how did Lemon survive for so long? Wont I be dead as soon as that thing touches me? I observe the angel raising the mace again when Laura shouts at me. Mad Rat, umm we have another problem here! What problem? I manage to answer, barely avoiding the following attack. Its the last pillar This time, the three options look the same. Itll take some time to solve it What? The three options look the same? Hmm this does put us in a difficult situation. I guess theres no other option, its time to reveal my incredible detective skills Its ok, Ill take care of it. But Ill need you to keep this guy busy. Fine by me, but Are you sure? Arent you weak with puzzles? You didnt solve a single one of these. Dont worry. Arent I the greatest leader? When have I disappointed you? Havent I always surpassed all your expectations? Hahaha! Not sure what to say, she stays quiet and attacks the colossal angel, trying to grab its aggro. At the same time, I jump from platform to platform until I reach the last one, the one with the puzzle we need to solve. Hmm interesting If Im right, then this means I intently stare at the three pillars in front of me. Yes, Im checking the pillars and not the drawings and clues. What did you think I was going to do? Solve the puzzle? Hahaha! Did you expect me to solve it quickly when Laura couldnt? But I have a secret technique nobody else knows. An infallible cheat code thatll allow me to solve this! Whats my secret technique? Its the knowledge of battling against Marta since we were kids! I know how she thinks, and Ill find the correct path without solving the puzzle. There are three pillars I can jump to from here. Ive been calling them pillars until now, but theyre irregular platforms of varying sizes and shapes. This is important because its the reason its impossible to predict the path without solving the puzzles. At least, its the reason it should be impossible if I werent here. Theres one platform very close to this one. I dont even need to jump to reach it, I can walk to it. Then theres a second one thats more than a meter away, and the third one will require a long jump to reach it. Knowing my sister, Im sure this last jump cant be easy. Im sure its the third platform. Well, Im not 100% sure, but theres a high chance it is. I take a last look behind me. Ricard is following Claras instructions and hopping between platforms in my direction. There are dozens of Sacred Cats chasing after him, using any means necessary, like pushing other cats to the ground below or using the wrong platforms, to try to reach him. Theyll soon reach Lauras position. Its impossible theyll survive the fight against both the cats and angel, so were done for if we dont leave this area soon. We dont have time to solve it properly, so I might as well leave it to chance, dont you think? Hahaha! Here I go! I shout, making the long jump to the last platform. As soon as I land, I stabilize myself and wait. It doesnt crumble. I guessed it right! Fufufu! Hahaha! I stop laughing to tell the others. Come on, everyone! I found the last one! I see relieved expressions on their faces, but theyre too focused on surviving to say anything. Laura is the first one to reach me. She doesnt make the jump and instead uses Blink. I can understand her: its safer to use Blink if she isnt confident with making the jump. How how did you solve it so fast? she asks. Solve it? I didnt, I answer, avoiding one of the angels attacks. As you might expect, it chased Laura all the way here. But now we have enough space to move around, so it isnt as dangerous as it was before. Then, how did you I just left it to my gut feeling. At my answer, she sends me a silent glare. What did you expect me to do, when we didnt have time? Haa! Its fine, it doesnt matter anymore. But to think you risked everything on luck Well, we needed to do something or we were dead anyway. And it worked in the end, so its fine, isnt it? Hahaha! ...
Luck is also a skill. It might as well be the most important skill in the game because, with it, you can solve problems and surpass situations that you shouldnt be able to. If you dont consider yourself lucky, you should try to find a companion that does. Im sure itll help you in the most unexpected situations. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 132 - Nobody told me about this Go, go, you can do it! An enormous mace strikes the ground, sending Ricard flying a few meters away when he jumps to avoid it. Clara falls to the ground when the ground shakes. Go, team! Go, team! Were almost there! A little push and well win! (Or were done for, if there are more enemies) I make sure to lower the volume so only I can hear the last part. What the hell am I doing? you ask. Im cheering for my team. Isnt it obvious? What else could I be doing? Then, why am I cheering instead of helping? you ask. Its because Im useless right now. Let me recapitulate so you can understand After escaping the room with those pillars, we found ourselves assaulted by countless enemies in a narrow corridor. They shot arrows at us from the sides at the same time that more enemies rushed at us from the sky, falling in the middle of our ranks. We thought this was a dangerous spot to fight, so we decided to rush forward, ignoring the enemies, to avoid taking too much damage. We made the wrong decision. What we found at the end of the narrow passage wasnt a door leading to a new area but a large arena. It didnt take long for all the monsters to surround us and continue the assault, this time without anywhere to hide or run to. Whats worse, the same colossal Angel from before dropped on top of us. Our chances to win, dwindling by the second. But, then, in a heroic and valiant sacrifice, worthy of the most epic fairy tales, I made my comrades retreat and sacrificed myself to save the world! I cast as many Chain Lightning as I could to get the monsters attention and then blew everything up with a Grand Finale. Enemies fell everywhere, the only ones left standing were me and the wounded colossal Angel. Fufufu! Hahaha! Can you imagine how epic it was!? And now, since Im useless thanks to the reduced stats, the only thing I can do is cheer for the rest of my team. Give me an L! Give me an E. Give me an A! Give me a GC I open my eyes wide and stop myself before its too late. What the heck was I doing!? Why was I spelling that lame name!? All my body shivers. I punch myself in the face as a punishment. Ah, shit... It counted as an attack and I almost killed myself Well, at least it was worth it. Lets resume cheering. But this time, Ill avoid stupid and dangerous mistakes. Go, go, team! You can do it! You just need a last push! Why is it always me who ends up being useless? Why do I have to blow myself up so often? Is it my fault, or is it because of the rest of the team? Hah, why am I making this question when its obvious its because of the rest? I dont have any fault. None at all. Ricard tries to parry one attack but is instead squashed into the ground. You cant parry attacks like that, Ricard Well, hes making fewer mistakes than usual. Usually, he would have been sent flying two or three times because of his own mistakes, but today hes only been sent flying when it was an effect of the angels skills. Also, theres no need to worry about him. He has the highest stats in our party, has skills that increase his resilience, and Laura is always keeping an eye to heal him when needed. He never dies easily, like a true undead should. Please dont tell him I said this or he wont stop talking until he turns me into a corpse. Meanwhile, Laura and Clara attack it from the sides and back. Claras tentacles are latched onto it, so when the angel tries to shake her off, she spins around the monster instead, further entangling herself with it. Like right now. Hehehe! Do it again, do it again! What do you think this is, Clara? An amusement park? The angel grows angry, turning everything around itself into a sea of bright, white flames. As soon as they appear, everyone, including itself, starts taking continuous damage. Ah, shit, this isnt good I comment. I guess I can only do one thing. Go, go, team! Dont mind the flames, you can do it! Hahaha, did you expect me to actually do something? Nah, its impossible. Right now, Im disabled. The fight continues. My teams HP starts dropping like theres no tomorrow, but the angel isnt doing well either. If it continues like this, our entire team wont be able to do anything for the rest of the dungeon invasion, but well win this fight. Im sure of it. After all, what could go wrong? Shit, what am I doing!? Did I jinx it? Nah, dont worry, Andreu. I didnt say it out loud, so it doesnt count. Finally, the colossal Angel drops to the floor with a loud thud. It almost falls on top of Clara, but luckily she manages to untangle herself and move away on time. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. We won! But its only thanks to my initial Grand Finale, which took away more than a third of the boss HP at the start. Yes, I knew you could do it! Good job everyone! Haa that was hard. Laura wipes her nonexistent sweat and turns to Clara. Are you sure this is the last part? There wont be an impossible area after this one, right? Yes, Im sure this is the last. My sister will never do something so shameless, hehehe! It wasnt that hard. So, when is your sister coming? Im itching for a fight. If shes half as good as youve said Ricard trails off, distracted by the door that opens on one side of the arena. My sister comes in, clapping. *Clap! Clap!* Good job, I didnt expect you to survive the first time you tried it. She says. Of course, there are lots of things you can improve, but well talk about it later. Clara jumps at Marta, grabbing her arm and shaking it. Sis! Did you see how much Ive improved? Didnt we agree you wouldnt call me sis anymore? Ah, youre right. But did I do well? It was ok. Marta glares at Clara for a moment and asks her More importantly. Did you learn your lesson? Clara flinches. You mean, to stop rushing at things? Marta doesnt say anything and keeps staring at her. I did I wont do it anymore She finally says, lowering her head. Her voice fades off, to the point I have to strain my ears to hear it. Then its fine. Marta then turns her head to me and snorts. Hmph! At least, you didnt disappoint me anymore, she adds after a pause. Is that all you have to say to me!? Well, she didnt criticize me either, it could have been way worse. Getting off scot-free isnt that bad. The next one Marta speaks to is Laura. I can teach you later if you want, but puzzles arent always straightforward. Sometimes you need to think outside the box, or leave it to your intuition, like he did with the final jump. She points at me before continuing. Omg! Did I actually get praised here!? Marta PRAISED me!? Though Im sure he was just lucky. Its impossible he could decipher my code at all. Yeah I knew it couldnt be real. Why did I even get my hopes up? I swear, the next time, I wont fall for her tricks. Laura agrees to Martas proposal. Thank you. Its an honor to receive your teachings. Im sure Ricard would die in ecstasy if he were to receive those words. Drop the formalities, its annoying. Oh, and nice to meet you. Then, they exchange greetings. Immediately after, Marta scans Laura, then turns to look at me. She turns her head at Clara, who winks at her; and ends up staring at me once again. Oh, I see now I understand what all that fuss was about... What did you understand, Marta!? Tell me! I demand an explanation! I hope well see each other soon in real life. Laura giggles. Ill do my best. This isnt fair! I want to know it too! Hmm or maybe not. What if its something its best I dont know? What if I regret it later? Then, I better stay ignorant. Yep, ignorance is bliss. While I keep rejoicing in my ignorance, Marta turns to the last of us, the only one she hasnt greeted yet. Ricard since my sister came inside this room, he has been staring at her with his eyes wide open and his mouth hanging so low it almost touches the ground. I swear, Im not exaggerating! Though, to be more precise, hes been staring slightly above my sisters head. Every time theres more than one player in the same dungeon instance, theres a symbol on top of its head for the other players to see. In general, you can choose between a symbol, your nickname, and your current Champions name. If you choose the Champions name, theres an extra icon in front of it to show it isnt the players nickname. For example, on top of my head, Im sure Marta can read Mad Rat right now, with the Champions icon in front. This is true everywhere except in the tournament, where everybody gets the same symbol but with a different color whether its an ally or an enemy. Mostly to avoid cheating by using spaces to hide names and similar stuff. So, why is Ricard like this? Its because on top of Martas head, in bright letters, theres the name Anthemia. Theres no symbol in front of it, after all, so it means its the players nickname. Also, her Champion looks exactly the same as the Seraphim she uses as Anthemia when playing in the top ranks, except for the wings. The wings looks and their numbers are different for each angel type, to avoid player confusion. This is important because her current wings show shes using a normal Angel unit instead of her Seraphim. If it were only for how she looks, Im sure Ricard would be spouting bullshit about how does she dare impersonate a top ranker. But since its impossible for two players to have the same nickname Im sure you can get the rest by yourselves. Is this the guy who wants to fight with me? Marta asks me. Why is he looking at me like that? Its its hard to explain, I say. Is that so? She shrugs and waves her hand in front of his face. Hello, is there anyone inside, or are you an empty husk? Ricard finally snaps out of his stupor. But instead of answering her, he turns to me and starts shouting. Hey, Andreu. And you too, Clara. Why didnt you tell me your sister was Anthemia!? THE Anthemia! The top player who slaughters everybody who dares fight her in melee! Ooh, you know your shit. Thats me! Hahaha! She laughs. Hey! What about keeping our real identities a secret, just in case the video gets exposed? You just called us by our real names! Though it isnt like I cant understand him The shock he just suffered C after ignoring us every time we told him in the past C must be quite great. I, Clara, and Laura retort to him at the same time. I told you I tried to tell you, but you never listened. Hehehe! They told you, Baldy. Multiple times at that. Ignoring everybody, Marta says All right. Now that youve snapped out of your trance Its nice to meet you. Im their older sister. She chuckles at Ricards reaction. Ill agree to have a duel with you after seeing how much youve struggled to get this chance. But only because my little sister asked for it, so you should be glad. Not everybody can fight against me. Ive even changed my usual Champion to this weak Angel, who should have the same stats as your Champion, so we can fight on equal terms. No, no, no This cant be Anthemia My chance at glory Nobody told me about this! Ricards shout echoes in the large arena, but we all ignore him.
Fighting against a better player is a great chance to improve. Take this chance to learn how they move. Observe what decisions they make in every situation. How and which attacks they evade, and which ones they dont. How they position themselves and how they use the terrain. When and how they use their skills. And if its a fight with support mobs included, dont miss how they command them around, as this might be the most important of them all. Combat experience is a very important factor in this game, and the fastest and easiest way to get it is to learn from a better player. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 133 - In for a beating I thought we were friends, says Ricard. Youre a traitor... How dare you say this to me? I retort. It isnt my fault you didnt believe us. We told you many times our sister was a pro player. He heavily exhales. Haaa youre right. But I always believed you were bragging to me Right after the tournament, I thought it could be true, but the more I thought about it, the less I believed it. After all, it makes no sense youre both lacking so much in basic game knowledge if you can ask your sister for anything. Ahaha There are reasons for it. What can I say here? That we were in a strained relationship and barely did anything together? Even if hes my friend I dont want to go into so much detail. We arent that close yet. I raise my head to look at Marta and Clara, who are talking excitedly close to us. Laura is sitting on the ground with us, but she isnt saying anything, with a pensive look on her face. From time to time, she sneaks a glance at us. Im sure she thinks we dont notice, but I sure do. The fastest way to get fully healed and recover all EP and MP is to exit and reenter the dungeon, but Marta said it would take too long to reach a suitable place for the duel if we did. She also said it was easy for us to die in any other place than this training path. Its understandable. She didnt plan for the duel because I only told her today. So, right now, were sitting on the ground, right next to a healing fountain. Were in a room beside the arena where we fought the colossal angel. For some reason that I dont want to imagine, in case they would become true, she put a healing fountain here in case it was needed. Were waiting for Ricard to recover all his stats for the duel so he can get his ass beaten in a fair match. Itll be a short break, it wont take long for the healing fountain to do its work. I thought that, even if you were telling the truth, your sister would, at most, be a good player. Maybe in a high ranking, but certainly not one on the top seats But it turned out your sister was Anthemia. THE Anthemia What am I going to do now? Well, maybe you were a little bit too arrogant for your own good. Do you think so? Haaaaa youre right. I wanted to show you my good side. That Im a good fighter too, and not just a walking encyclopedia.... Absolve myself from all my previous errors. Well well well look whos conscious about his own lackings. I never expected him to be the first to say it. In fact, I was expecting Laura to explode and tell him one day. Clara and I actually made a bet about it, and I lost it, so. Ill have to do Claras bidding yet again. I hope it isnt something Ill hate Im sorry for not believing you, Andreu. Haaa Im so useless The only thing I can do right is spout random things about the game, and be a decent frontliner. I always make mistakes I brag about how much knowledge I have, but Im incapable of putting it into use. Hmmm well, huh Im going to regret this so much In fact, I already regret it, and I havent spoken yet But I must say it. For Ricards sake. You know you arent that bad, you know? Please, dont encourage me with empty words. Its better if you stay silent. No, no. I really mean it. Deep down, very, very deep down, all of us appreciate your vast game knowledge. Its thanks to you that weve survived on a lot of occasions. Do you do you, really think so? I do. Its just You can be a little bit too enthusiastic about your explanations. Youre also too proud around weird stuff. Like, why do you act like a jerk when teaching us something? Do you think we enjoy it? ... Im sorry. I He pauses for a moment. From now on, Ill do my best to stop doing those things. And thank you for not leaving me after all my mistakes. Oh, come on! Who would throw away a friend for something like that!? Hahaha Thanks, bud. Youre welcome. I swear, if this wasnt a game, Ricard would be spilling a tear or two now. Me? Nah, this is an allergic reaction to telling the truth and acting like an adult. Finally, Ricards previously glazed eyes return to normal. He then raises his head and stares at Marta. Im sure hes preparing mentally for the fight to come. It doesnt take long for Marta to turn to us and say Are you ready? You should be in tip-top condition now. Instead of answering, Ricard turns to me. Is this necessary? I was too full of myself, theres no way I can win a fight against your sister What are you saying!? We both know its a good chance for you to improve. I push his back, forcing him to stand up. So, go there to get your ass beaten. Hahaha, ok. Ill go get my ass beaten. He smiles at me, his previous expression gone from his face. All right, lets do this, Anthemia. Please, dont be too hard on me. Hmph! Who do you think you are? Did you really think I would go all-out against a weakling? The duel would end in a blink of an eye, and I wouldnt enjoy it. Ill go easy on you, but not because you asked for it. why cant you just agree like a normal person would? You know, something like Its fine, I was planning on going easy on you anyway. Hahaha Ricard laughs awkwardly, scratching his head. Im ready. Before we start, says Marta. Im not sure if Ive told you before or not, but Im using an Angel as a champion, which has similar stats to your Death Knight, to make this fight fair. Ill also put a handicap on myself: I wont fly. She raises her sword. Now, give me your best. If you cant hold out for at least a minute in these circumstances, you should stop playing DMA and go to some other game instead! All right Here I go! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The fight starts with Ricard making the first strike, which Marta leisurely parries to the side. Its like watching David versus Goliath if David had zero chances to win. Godzilla against an ant. God against an inanimate grain of salt! ok, ok, Ill stop. Im sure you know what I mean. Poor Ricard Hes in for a beating. Which reminds me where did I put them? Oh, shit! I forgot to bring my virtual popcorn with me! What am I going to do now!? Their fight continues as I despair at my lack of preparation. Ricard tries with a barrage of strikes, but when he realizes none of them hit my sister, he decides to switch tactics and use Whirlwind instead. Its a good idea. Whirlwind is a skill, and one with a continuous effect, so it isnt easy to avoid and it isnt possible to parry it either. But this doesnt mean it cant be avoided. As soon as Marta sees the first animation frames of the skill, she jumps backward to get out of the skills area of effect before it activates. He then chases after her, with Whirlwind activated, and she runs away. When he realizes they have the same speed and hell never catch up, he stops and uses Dark Grab instead. Dark, shadowy tendrils launch forward from his hand, entangling Marta and dragging her to him. Dark Grab is one of those skills thats impossible to avoid, it has an auto-locking function. Though not everything is free, because, for the damage it deals, its very expensive. Also, forcefully dragging the enemy into melee range isnt always a good idea. Ricard takes this chance to swing his sword again, and Marta takes the first hit, unable to evade it on time. Good job, Baldy! I cheer him. You landed one strike more than I expected! If you continue like this, you might even win. Hahaha! Martas brows twitch after listening to me. She sends me a glare, and, for the first time since the fight started, opens her mouth. Did she get angry? Good job with the combo. But you still have a lot to learn once you have the initiative, you should follow up instead of rejoicing on your feat. Like this. Its true that Ricard missed a chance there. While Marta was recovering from being dragged, he should have attacked her a few more times and he might have landed a few more hits. He lost his chance, and it might be the last one he gets in this duel. True to her words, Marta starts an unrelenting barrage of sword strikes. Theyre fast and accurate. Ricard struggles to evade them or block them with the shield, but hes hit from time to time. In fact, about a third of the attacks hit him. And every time he tries to step backward, Marta sends one or two flying strikes at him, forcing him to move in the way she wants to. Didnt she say she would go easy on him? Asks Laura from my side. Shes going easy on him, I answer. If you had seen her in serious mode, youd immediately notice the difference. How am I so sure? Because she was serious when she was training me. Theres a stark difference between her current attacks and those ones. I shiver. Is that so? Yes, shes going easy, confirms Clara. If she was attacking seriously, he would be dead by now. Shes unstoppable! Hehehe! Yeah I agree. Im sure shes waiting for him to try something else. In times of despair, its when you grow the most. At least, this is what our sister likes to say. Laura shudders. I see A pro player''s skills are really terrifying. I dont think Ill ever be able to do what shes doing now, and you say shes going easy I nod. Youre right, I feel the same. For her, this is more like a drilling session than a duel. Look at the annoying geeks face, cant you see hes smiling? Im sure he realized it too, and is having the time of his life. Ah, youre right! I was too focused on Anthemia and didnt notice it until now. Then, theres no need for me to worry. Nope, theres no need. I agree. Come on, Baldy! Do something! Do you want to die like a pathetic worm!? Shouts Clara, taunting him. Marta grins at him, taunting him even more. All right! He shouts. Lets see how you avoid this! Letting her hit him for a moment, he forgets about defense and uses Dark Grab again. At first, I think it is to force her out of a comfortable position, but Im surprised when, immediately after, he uses Whirlwind. What a fool I mutter. A fool? Laura asks, not understanding anything. Didnt he achieve what he was looking for? No, youll soon understand. He made the worst mistake, hehehe! Marta, who cant run away on time from the Whirlwind since shes dragged right next to Ricard, starts taking damage. But soon, she recovers her posture, and instead of doing anything, she stands there, with her arms crossed and the corners of her lips tilted upwards. She calmly observes him, disdain etched on her face. A light film appears, covering her. Even as she stays inside the Whirlwind, she doesnt take too much damage. I have no idea what skill it might be, but its clearly effective. Im sure Ricard did this because he knows they both move at the same speed, so she shouldnt be able to run away once shes inside the Whirlwinds AoE. The problem is he didnt take something even more important into account. Something thatll make him lose this match. Soon, what I was expecting becomes true. Whirlwind cancels on its own and Ricard falls to the ground, not expecting it. The duel is over, I say. Looking at him from above, Marta admonishes Ricard. You made the worst mistake. Do you know whats the most important thing in a fight? He looks at her, grasping for air, incapable of answering. Its keeping track of your stats. Do you know why you lost? You lost because you overused your expensive skills and ended up running out of EP. Haa haa but, at least, I managed to put you in a difficult position, didnt I? He asks, grinning like a fool. ...Do you really think so? Marta uses Blink and appears a few meters away. I could have run away anytime. But the match was decided when you decided to use those expensive skills, so there was no need for me to humiliate you anymore. Ricards mouth opens fully, but instead of despair, I can see his eyes glowing in excitement. He stands up and lowers her head. Anthemia, thank you for this match. I learned a lot. Hmph! As long as you acknowledge my favor She turns her head to the side. But youre too green, youre not worthyC Please, can I be your pupil? He interrupts. Can you teach me everything I need to know to improve? It would be an honor to learn from the best of the best! Hmm Marta looks around, troubled. I Can I call you teacher? Or do you prefer great teacher? Great sage, maybe? Of course, Ill adapt to anything you say, so feel freeC Absolutely not. And stop bothering me. Marta cuts him. Ooooh, look at this! The one thats obsessed with trying to get others to call him teacher, willing to receive instructions from somebody else! He grabs Martas arm and starts pleading. Please, please, please! Ill be the best pupil in the whole world, I swear! Ugh She turns to look in our direction. Can one of you do anything about this? Its annoying. Sure, I answer. Clara, go and pick up our stupid teammate before he puts himself in an even more awkward situation. Okay! She flexes her tentacles. Its time for the Grappling Queen to shine again! Hehehe! I dismiss her with my hand. Yeah go have a nice time. Its funny to see how Ricard, whos almost as disgusted as I am of the Abyss units, struggles to stick to Marta as Clara starts pulling on him. Hey, Mad Rat shouldnt we help, too? Asks Laura, still sitting with me on the ground. Huh? Why? I send a glance at my horrifying little sister, pulling on the even creepier Ricard, and my older sister, about to explode in a fit of anger. Why should I bother with that mess? Theres no way Im getting close to THAT.
Not too long after this, a new member would join Anthemias fan club. In time, that person would become one of the most devout followers, not missing a single one of her matches. But thats a story for the future.
Ch 134 - Our first time together Alright! So what do you want to do now? Ricard asks as soon as my two sisters leave to go play together. Laura gives him a stern look. What do you mean? Didnt you say you were going back to studying after this? Thats you know he stammers, now that Im here, we might as well play some more His voice trails off, intimidated by our stares. ...uh, you know, it wont hurt a little bit longer, right? Are you kidding? For some reason I cant understand, I feel as if Lauras indifferent tone is hiding hostility. Are you willing to risk your grades for a few more minutes of play? No, this is I mean, we can Just accept it, I give him the last push, patting his back. Why dont you focus on the important stuff instead of fooling around? We can I dont know, have a gaming marathon once the final exams are over? How about it, huh? I dont know why, but I have this weird feeling I have to convince him to leave before things go south. Yes, why dont we do that? Adds Laura. You leave now, and we spend a whole day playing DMA when the exams end. Haaaaa Ricard exhales, an awful expression on his face. Is it just me, or does he look way worse than somebody conscripted for war? Alright, Ill go study now But its a promise, well play once were done, ok? At least for a full day! I dont mind it, in fact, I would do it anyway, so I of course agree to it. Yes, lets do it. Ah, also Ill keep track of your account, to make sure you dont sneak into the game. I wasnt going to do it! but maybe I could play a little We send him a deadly glare at the same time, forcing him to stop. I understand, Im leaving, Im leaving. Stop looking at me like that! See you on Monday, I say, before he disconnects. Yeah, see you. Laura waves him goodbye. Goodbye! With a grim face, Ricards figure disappears from our view. Now that hes finally gone, the usual smile finally returns to Lauras face. What are we doing now? She asks. You wanted to go capture more monsters, right? I nod. That was my plan. Theres time for one Dungeon Invasion before I have to go back to study. Maybe two if theyre short But isnt this the only thing youve been doing the past few days? Arent you tired of it? Well, youre right, too Do you have a better idea? I dont know She puts her finger on her lips in thought. Ah! Have you ever tried the 2vs2 Dungeon Battles? No, I havent. How does it work? Is it similar to the 1vs1? Apart from those fights against you, Ive tried it a few times, but Im not the best there. My units arent very suited for Dungeon Battles... I havent tried either, but I know how they work! Its the same as the 1vs1, except we can use units, traps, etc. from both of our dungeons. We use our Champions to attack the enemy team. The win condition is also the same: the first team to destroy the core wins; or the ones that survive if the enemy team dies. So its the same but with two players instead of one... I imagine the two of us fighting together against a short dungeon specially designed to kill us as soon as possible. It isnt such a bad plan, isnt it? Alright, lets try it. But do you have good units we can use? Because mine suck. She slaps me on the back. Hahaha, dont worry. Not all of them suck, you just need to use them properly! Is that so? Yes! With my plans and your dangerous monsters, Im sure we can achieve victory. Imagine what deadly combinations we can create! Well bring insufferable pain to their bodies, and then well crush their souls too! She grasps the air and squeezes as if she were crushing somebodys heart. She looks really into it, doesnt she? So, shes proposing me to create the deadliest dungeon we can imagine? Deadly traps, impossible encounters, dangerous monsters bringing despair to our enemies ...When are we starting? Fufufu! Hahaha!
As soon as the process of creating the dungeon for the Dungeon Battle starts, Laura asks me. Andreu, do you have everything ready? Yes, I do. Youre lucky I captured a few spares in case I wanted to create some more monsters But I only have three. Will it be enough? She thinks for a while before answering. It would be best if there were at least five, but it should work. Did you give them the skills I asked you? Laura makes a serious expression and asks again, this time with a serious expression on her face. But I can clearly see her smiling eyes. Shes planning something. I dont know what, but Im sure she is. You didnt give them any weird skills, right? Of course I didnt! Who do you think I am!? She smirks, seductively tilting her head. Arent you a mad scientist? Shes doing this on purpose, to laugh at me, but I wont fall for her. You just need to take a look at all the weird and useless monsters that fill your dungeon to understand what I mean I I want to counter her argument, but theres nothing I can say. ...all right, you got me there I raise my hands in defeat. I cant argue against it, can I? Of course, you cant. Fufufu! You little demon Oh, my! Thank you! She starts acting coy. I never expected you to compliment me like this. Come on, keep on going! You really For my own sanity, I should change topics. Lets stop wasting time and focus on the dungeon creation, ok? Why? She asks. Are you getting flustered? No, Im not I cross my arms in annoyance, and she immediately returns to her usual serious expression. Its fine, its fine. She waves her hand. Lets pretend you didnt get flusteredC I didnt! C and return to the topic. About those monsters, you gave them the Reduce skill as I told you, right? Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I nod. I did. As for the attack skill, I gave them the Toxic Spit one because I already know how it works. Hmm Im not sure I remember that skill... Damage? Cost? And most important, range? Low poison, low cost. Id say between short and medium range. About five meters maximum? Its good for its cost, and it also fits the theme. I see Id like something with a longer range, but it should be enough. If you say this skill is good for them, Ill believe you. Im sure youre wondering what the hell are we talking about right now. You see When we were brainstorming for ideas, we came up with one that we both liked; but for it to work, we needed some monsters only I could create. Luckily, I had some spare bodies in case I wanted to add more Tunnel Mimics or another Cyam. Otherwise, we would have had to change our plans. So I went back to my dungeon and quickly created a monster following Lauras specifications: a Basic Chimera thats half Tunneler and half Cockatrice. Ill keep the explanation short because you already know both units, but these new monsters can burrow through impassable terrain and petrify enemies that stay in their field of view. And since I also gave them the Reduce skill, instead of being worms twice as long as a human is tall, theyre now about half a meter in size. Theyre stone worms with a chickens crest on their heads, a pair of diminutive wings in the central part of their body, and chicken legs close to the tail. As you might expect, I gave them the wings and legs because of how ridiculous they look with them, as any perfectly sane and normal human would. Then, I named them Come Here You Motherfucker, because Im sure more than one player will get enraged because of them, hahaha! Well, no, I actually didnt. I was tempted to, but I recovered my senses and named them Spitters. Because they actually spit poison at you but most importantly, because they spit at you and your chances to have a normal dungeon invasion, appearing from impossible places and keeping you on guard against the danger of being petrified at a critical moment. Yeah Im sure Ill put a few of them later on my dungeon. In fact, I might put a few more than just a few. All right, so here is what their stat block looks like. Laura asked me to keep them at level 2 so they dont cost too much. In Dungeon Battles, every cp counts, and the Spitters already cost 130 cp to create, 140 after the first level-up.
Spitter (Lv 2)
HP 148 (135) STA 11 (10) SOU 9 (9)
EP 148 (135) MP 99 (90)
STR 15 (14) CON 13 (12) AGI 12 (11)
SPI 9 (9) WIL 12 (11) DEX 4 (4)
SPD 5 INT 3 COM 0
Skills
Active: Toxic Spit. Passive: Reduce, Eternal Pain (Innate), Petrifying Eyes (Innate), Tunneling (Innate).
Reduce (Passive skill)
Reduces this units size by a considerable amount. This skill also reduces all base stats by 10%.
Its funny that the Enlarge skill only gives an extra 10% health when the Reduce one, its counterpart, takes away 10% of each stat. But its easy to understand if you take balance into account: smaller means harder to hit and spot. If you want your monster to be smaller and abuse its size, youll also take a stat reduction with it. But we mostly want the Spitters for their innate passives, so who cares about the stats? I like a lot how the Spitters turned out, but do you really expect them to kill the enemies? I ask. I think they fit more my type of units than those used in PvP And with my type of units, I mean annoying, unexpected, and random. She smiles. As Ive told you before, it isnt about the monsters themselves, but about how you use them. Well use them as distractions and as a failsafe, so theyre perfect as they are. Ok, fine by me. Both Ricard and Marta told me to avoid random stuff in PvP battles if I want to win. But it''s not like I care about winning, I simply want to enjoy this match as much as possible, and Im sure Laura thinks the same. The next step is to create the dungeon itself. For this step, we both work together to get the most complex labyrinth we can design. The idea for this match is simple to understand, but very difficult to execute properly: a hard to traverse and extremely complex path, hanging over an endless abyss. If the enemies fall, its an instant death. If they dont, theyll have to find their way through the treacherous labyrinth, filled with traps, as hordes of ranged minions harass them from afar. There are lots of places to take cover that both sides can use to avoid taking damage. But if the other players do so, theyll waste precious time we can use to beat them in the match. As you might expect, the weak point of this strategy are the flying enemies, which can ignore the whole terrain and go straight to the end. Heres where my Spitters will shine. If you get petrified, unless youre in a very dangerous position, it generally wont spell your immediate doom. But its a whole different story if youre flying over an endless abyss My monsters are indispensable to stopping the enemy players in case they bring flying Champions. This isnt very common because most factions dont have them, but theyre a lot more common in PvP matches than you might expect. We hide the dungeon core in a secluded cave, to prevent the purple light from revealing its position. And, last but not least, the whole dungeon is inside a low-ceiling cave, allowing my Spitters to appear from the ceiling, anywhere they want. Most of the terrain were using comes from Lauras dungeon. Ive never invaded it, but it makes me wonder what the hell is her dungeon about. She has a sea of lava, which we used in the tournament, a labyrinth on an abyssal crack, and I also remember the lavishly decorated banquet hall, from when we had our first Dungeon Battle. How the fuck do you connect the three into a single dungeon!? Or did she create a dungeon construction toolkit so she can create any dungeon she likes? Well I guess its better if I dont know. Blissful ignorance. Do we have everything ready? I ask, impatient to see the enemy players reactions. I think so. Now we only need to fill the dungeon with the monsters and traps. Do you think 10.000 cp will be enough, or its better to go with 20.000 cp? Shes asking me about the cp limit for the Dungeon Battle. Other than the terrain used to create the dungeon, we can only use monsters, traps, etc. up to that amount. This includes both the cost of leveling the units and our Champions. Of course, its the same for the enemy team. 20.000 cp. The more the merrier. I answer, not doubting it for even a second. I want to make the enemies have the hardest time of their lives! Hahaha! Im sure you know itll also make it harder for us too, right? I dont mind, I dont care. I just want to see them suffer! Fufufu! Hahaha! All right, 20.000 it is. With a smile on her face, she starts planning everything were going to use. What do you think if we put this here, and then
When you create your dungeon, you should focus on making it enjoyable for your invaders. In PvP, however, the only thing that matters is winning, so feel free to put into practice all the devious schemes and traps you didnt dare put into your normal dungeon. - Basic DMA knowledge every player should know.
Ch 135 - Stacking to infinity As soon as the Dungeon Battle starts, we find ourselves in what looks like a dilapidated corridor, with wooden doors on each side. The crumbling walls, the spider threads hanging from the ceiling, and the dust that flies everywhere as soon as we take a step show that this place was abandoned a long time ago. The lack of light makes it impossible to see the corridors end, if theres one. Overall, this place gives me the creeps. This place I mutter, keeping my voice as low as possible to avoid alerting any possible enemy. Do you think were against an undead player? Laura nods. It could be, or someone pretending to be one. Keep in mind that were against two players, so it could be undead and something else too. Ah, youre right. I almost forgot. Well, as long as there are no Abyss monsters, I dont mind if this place is spooky. Well just need to keep our attention high, as this kind of place makes ambushes a cinch. Monsters could pop out from behind any door when we least expect it. Usually, you would know what team youre against before starting the match, but we intentionally set it to hidden. Its to prevent the other team from knowing what we have prepared for them. Most DMA players know that playing against the Flesh Monstrosities is hard and they raise their guards. We want to avoid it. I start inspecting the area but dont notice anything out of place. Do we start moving? I ask. Wait a moment. I want to check the other team first. All right. It isnt like were really pressed for time. Although in Dungeon Battles time is very important, rushing ahead is the worst decision you can make. Laura manipulates the menu to show the other teams progress, an option exclusive of PvP matches, where you cant interfere with the other team once the match starts. If youre striving to reach the top rankings, or simply take the Dungeon Battles seriously, its a very important feature. It not only allows you to see what parts of your dungeon work and those that dont, depending on how the other team plays, but it also allows you to keep track of the other teams progress. For example, if you see your opponents are about to reach the end of your dungeon, you have a chance to rush ahead in a do-or-die fashion and hope for the best. Its those bright blue eyes it looks like an undead, you were right. And the other player is an angel? He looks dumb and extremely noob if I compare him to your sister Its easy to notice the difference because Ive just met her. I take a peek at the screen that appears in front of Laura. Ah, youre right! But wont this make them break through our dungeon easily? We created the Spitters for this exact reason, but the petrification its still a random chance. It could happen that the flying player is never affected and can safely scout ahead. I dont think so, I believe in your Spitters. She takes a look at my expression before continuing. Are you thinking about the random chance? Dont worry. As soon as they realize theres a chance the flying player falls to his death, Im sure he will stop flying around. You mean their mobs? I understand what you mean. Its psychological warfare. She nods. Youre right. What she means is that we dont need to petrify any of the players for them to stop flying around. As soon as one of their support mobs is petrified, which has a higher chance of happening because they usually have lower stats than the Champions, they will know it can happen to them too. And then, to avoid an instant death scenario, they can only stop flying around. I take another look at the screen to watch their actions and inspect their team. They have eight support units with them, so their team is composed of ten units. There are three Zombies, which Im sure theyll use as cannon fodder; a pair of Skeletons; three Touched, which are the Divine Bloods basic unit and arent that different from a human with a glowing rune on their forehead; and two units I dont recognize, walking on four legs. No Specters I comment. They didnt bring the most annoying unit, so its good for us. Wait, Specters hover in the air Now that I think about it, it would have been horrendous for us if they used Specters because they hover instead of flying, which means they dont fall when they are petrified. They could use them as scout units without any punishment. We exchange a knowing look. Shes making an oops! face. What a hole in our epic plans! Laura, werent you in charge of making the plans? How could you leave such a hole in them!? But as I said, they didnt bring any Specter, so everything is fine. That was close, Lily, I say. If they brought any, wed be in a lot of trouble. I know she lowers her head in shame. That was my oversight. What a huge blunder Dont take it to heart, everybody makes mistakes. Especially me. I pat her back. If I were the one to plan everything, Im sure there would be errors everywhere! Fufufu! Hahaha! I proudly pat my chest. She smiles. You silly The enemy team is also inspecting us. Im sure of it because of their postures, sticking together to look at a small screen. Information is key, so it isnt unusual for this to happen. Even if we chose to start the Dungeon Battle without any knowledge about the enemys faction, this doesnt mean we cant try to grasp as much information as possible. Oh, yeah. Regarding our units. We brought two Good Followers with us, four Imps, and a hulking mass of flesh and fat called Glutton, from Lauras faction. Because of the cp limit, we had to keep our expenses to the minimum, so we brought the minimum indispensable with us. The Imps are, as Laura likes to call them, sacrificial units. They have different resistance skills, and we will use them to scout and identify possible lethal traps. The Good Followers will be our frontline. Since they synergize well with me, they were the best option. And the Glutton is our hidden card. Well, not exactly hidden because its impossible to hide something so large, but you know what I mean. This two-and-a-half-tall humanoid is as wide as it is tall. With a humongous belly, and an equally big extra mouth in it, it surely makes you wonder how is it capable of standing and running around. If this were real life, Im sure this guy would weigh well over 400 kg. The Glutton is a demon with an innate skill you might already be expecting. Its called Gluttony Stolen novel; please report.
Gluttony (Active innate skill)
Cost: 30 EP, 30 MP
You store 5% of all damage received and dealt as energy. When the skill is activated, release all the energy accumulated and deal equal physical damage to a single enemy.
Gluttony is a completely useless skill in short fights or dungeon invasions because you need time to charge it. But if you make sure the unit survives, and give it time to charge, it can literally deal an infinite amount of damage. This is also the perfect example of the gluttony sin well understood. Most people believe gluttony is only about eating, but it isnt. Of course, wanting more food is a part of it, but the true essence of gluttony is overconsumption. About always wanting more. To consume that which you dont need, leaving those in need without whatever youre consuming. As you might expect, the other six capital sins also appear in the Wicked Legion: lust, sloth, greed, wrath, envy, and pride. Then, if the capital sins exist, why dont Succubus and Incubus have the Lust skill, you ask? This is because only the avatar units do. Succubus and Incubus are normal demons that are influenced by one of the sins, but they dont represent it. And the Glutton, as strong and imposing as it looks, is only the lower tier of avatar units, which are in the 400 to 600 cp range. The actual Avatar of Gluttony is a stupidly strong unit on the same ranking as the dragons, elder gods, and similar stuff. So, as I was saying, C I do have a tendency to cut myself with stupid thoughts, dont I? C the Gluttony skill makes you want to accumulate as much damage as possible before releasing the attack. Should I use the skill now, or wait until I consume more? Im sure this is the question most players ask themselves when dealing with the Gluttony skill. By the way, yes, youre right. When using the Gluttony skill, the Glutton opens its belly mouth wide open before biting the enemy. Were bringing the Glutton with us because we dont know what well encounter, and both I and Laura lack single-target focus damage something the Gluttony skill can fix pretty easily by itself if given enough time to charge. Leave it to the Wicked Legion for wicked and dangerous innate skills Charming Eyes, Opportunist, Gluttony So far, the only one I know that isnt like that is my Mana Core but you can argue its actually the most wicked one. After all, fast MP regeneration allows you to do a lot of nasty stuff. The two opposing players start discussing between themselves. They must be talking about what they see on our side. Its clear Laura and her Glutton are from the Wicked Legion. The same goes for the Imps, as we didnt disguise them at all. But when it comes to me and my units, it isnt so easy. In this dark place, Im sure theyre having trouble properly identifying my two Good Followers since I made them wear hoods that hide their faces. As for me, I look like a Wererat except for the claws and tail. Of course, my Champion has normal feet, but its hard to notice because of the shoes; and my hands actually look like claws, only extremely dark because they come from the Shadow. If they dont pay proper attention, they might not notice the lack of a tail and think Im an actual Wererat from the Wild Ferals faction, which is exactly what were aiming for. When they realize Im from the Flesh Monstrosities, itll be too late! Fufufu! Hahaha! The lack of light, which Im sure was designed to work against us, might end up working in our favor! Eat this, you fuckers! Hahaha! I can envision their despairing faces when Are you ready? Laura snaps me out of my delusions. Y-yes, Im ready. Lets go! Forward, to adventure! But I cant advance as she grabs my robe, forcing me to stop. Dont rush ahead. Did you forget we dont have the Champions buff? Oooh, shit. I forgot! O-of course I know! Who do you take me for? Hahaha! She stares at me with a skeptical face C come on, believe in my lie! C before turning around and starting to walk away. Well, whatever. Lets go. I chase after her. Hey, arent you afraid of ghosts and scary stuff? Huh? No, Im not. Also, this is a game. Why would I be scared of a game? I guess youre right Here goes my chance to feel something bouncy and soft when she got scared Well, it isnt like I was looking forward to it THAT much. So do we check every door in our way, or do we ignore them and move forward? Lets start by checking them first. Well decide depending on what we see. All right! I immediately extend my hand to grab the closest doors doorknob, but when Im about to pull on it Aaaah! My hand disappeared! I shout. ... WHAT!? Surprised, Laura turns around and sees that half my arm is inside the door. She opens her eyes wide and runs in my direction. I start laughing at her reaction. Hahaha, you fell for it! Its just an illusion! I move my hand in and out of the fake door to show her. You jerk! I thought it was dangerous! She punches me. The next time you do it, Ill leave you alone. Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. I had to do it, your reaction was so funny! Hahaha! But maybe this is the good path to the core, so we should investigate it. I put my hand inside the illusion one more time, but this time, when I try to pull out, I cant. How weird, my hand is locked in place I turn to Laura, but she sends me a dangerous glare. Im not falling for your tricks again. N-no, but this time its reaC Whatever is grabbing my arm pulls me inside the doors illusion, taking me by surprise. Aaaaah! Save meeeeee! She wont abandon me, will she? I really hope she doesnt.
... Another important thing you must always remember is the unit tiers. Although it isnt something as relevant as it is in other games, its hard to beat a unit from a higher tier than you because of the stat difference. The game also blocks you from using units from certain tiers until you reach the level to unlock them. Andreus faction kind of goes around this since the Flesh Monstrosities can create units using bodies from any tier, but the units they can unlock cant be from a higher tier. Although one thing is being able to use them, and another completely different thing is having the cp required These are the ranks: Basic units, also called trash units by the players because of how weak they are, are those that cost up to 250 cp to create. Advanced units, the tier we all are in right now, are unlocked at level 6 and comprise units that cost from 250 cp to 500 cp. If you remember the tournament, there were a few players using Champions from this tier or higher, like myself, although the rules said we couldnt use stuff from higher than level 5. This is because the DMA staff made an exception to this rule for the Champions only, because of several complaints in the previous tournaments, but I wont go into detail now. The middle tier, the Heroic tier, has units between 500 and 2.000 cp, is unlocked at level 11, and is where the bulk of units used in competitive play come from. Theyre strong enough to dwarf basic units and beat the advanced ones, but cheap compared to the two following tiers, making them the perfect option. A step higher at level 16, you have the Legendary tier, where most iconic units from each faction tend to be. Like the undeads Lich, the humans Paladin, or the orcs Warlord. These units range from 2.000 cp to 10.000 cp, a cost so high that even high-level players avoid mass-producing them. And then, if you reach the last level, level 20, you finally unlock the Mythic tier! This is where the ridiculous units appear. Stuff like dragons are just the common mob of this tier, which ranges from 10.000 cp to the highest cost in DMA, and is filled with the strongest and most awesome creatures you can think of. The Kraken, the Avatars of Sin, the Gaia Tree, the higher tier Angels, the Elemental Incarnations, the Elder Gods Im not sure how far this tier goes, but I believe the Demigod unit costs about 200.000 cp. Now, as for the reason why unit costs rise exponentially while the stats only do so linearly it is for balance reasons. And also, to prevent players from farming Zombies to create Dragons, for example. Since you get only a part worth of the units cp cost you defeat as a reward, defeating a few dragons is enough to create one of your own. But if you want to farm Zombies, you need to kill thousands of them instead. As much as I like to farm weak and tasty humans for their souls, it''s more efficient to do it the other way around if youre aiming for cp. - Fragment of one of Ricards random knowledge drilling sessions.
Ch 136 - Spirited away Ugh! I hit something hard, forcing me to stop. I have no idea how far I traveled. It could be a few meters or a few hundred. As soon as I crossed the illusion, there was barely any light for me to see, and since I was spinning around uncontrollably, it was impossible for me to keep track of anything. My surroundings are dark. If there were a few candles illuminating the passage before, now theres a single hole from which a ray of light comes in, leaving everything else in darkness. Ugh this was rough... I stand up and look around. In this dim light, I can only see shadows everywhere. Wait! Theyre theyre coming closer!? Ah, fuck. Where I am? Whats going on? I step away, sticking my back to the wall I hit a moment ago. The shadows get closer and start swinging their limbs at me. One of the shadows is sent flying with an electric flash when my Lightning Shield triggers. Enemies! And those groans zombies? Ah, so its just zombies Why was I so scared? You fuckers, trying to scare me with your meager strength! Earth this! I cast Chain Lightning, and soon, all the shadows fall to the ground, paralyzed. The Zombies innate skill, usually feared for their resilience, doesnt do shit against my build. A 30% chance to survive physical hits with 1 HP is supposed to stop me? Isnt it funny? Even if they have the skill upgraded to work against all damage types, it still wouldnt bother me. After all, I never kill them with my Chain Lightning, leaving them at 1 HP. Now that Ive grown used to the lack of light, I can see the zombies bodies on the ground, though not very well. First, Ill finish them off. Ill think about what to do from here on after. So, after deciding my plan of action, I start another session of Whac-A-Zombie, creating crunching sounds every time I swing my staff. Hahaha, how long has it been since I last did this Are the other players still competing for who reaches the highest score? I guess not, its been a long time. As soon as the last zombie dies, I dust my hands. I wait for a while, listening to any noise. That should be all of them because I cant hear anything. Im glad this is a game. If this were reality, I would be covered in zombie juice right now Not a very pleasant thing, if you ask me. All right, so what do I do now? I look around. Its hard to see because of the dim light, so Im not sure about it, but Id say Im inside an underground room in a church. What makes me think so? The fact that everything I see is made out of stone, and the style reminds me of a necropolis. Also, there are corpses all around, and Im not talking about the zombies I just defeated. The little light in this place comes from the space between two stone slabs that dont align properly. This means there must be a room right on top of this one but I cant move through stone, so theres nothing I can do about it, I can only look for another way to reach it. Forgetting about the impossible, I stare at the three passages that lead to this room. Hmmm which one did I come from? I have absolutely no idea. Did I come from the one in front of me, or from the one at the back? Or maybe from the last one? Because of the darkness and the dizziness of being dragged away, I have absolutely no idea where I came from. The logical action would be to stand still and wait for Laura to find me, assuming she knows where I am, of course. But were here to have fun so Ill do the exact opposite: choose a random passage and hope for the best. After thinking for a while, I choose the one in front of me because it looks more important than the other two. Exploring alone in the darkness, la, la, la Since theres nothing else to do and nobody to talk to, I open the screen that shows the other teams progress. It should distract me for a while.
Two players have their heads close to each other, watching a screen in front of them. ...Its the demons and the shapechangers, right? The one with the wings on his back asks for confirmation. The other player, the one with the glowing blue eyes, frowns. Im not sure Theres no problem with the demons, but for some reason, I feel like the wererat is missing something though I cant put it into words. Its hard to see it because its so dark. This is why I told you we should add more candles in the first area. But you were like No, its important to keep it dark for the theme! and didnt listen to me. Now, do you understand why I wanted more light next to the entrance? Yes, yes, you were right The blue-eyed player shrugs, signaling defeat. Are you happy now? It feels good to hear you admitting you were wrong. Hahaha! Laughs the winged player. But I dont think theres anything wrong with that wererat. Youre paranoid. Look at that head and the claws Its clear its a shapeshifter. I know, but theres been an increase of the Flesh Monstrosities players recently what if its one of them, Vandi? You know as well as me that the game forces the players to use body parts of the two units so that its impossible to confuse them with the standard units. Do you see anything out of place? ...its too dark to see properly The blue-eyed player mutters in a low voice. Vandi, the winged player, puts a hand on his ear, and asks, What did you say? I cant hear you I said that its too dark! And whose fault is it? Taunts the winged player. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Its my fault! Argh Everythings my fault, ok!? The blue-eyed player crosses his arms and turns around. He furrows his brows and his expression slightly warps. The other player laughs, patting his friends back. Hahaha! Thats more like it! Lets go. Well assume theyre from the demons and shapeshifter factions, so keep your eye out for random animals. If were wrong well cross that bridge when the time comes. ...fine. The two get ready to start the Dungeon Battle. Before leaving the entrance portal, the angel player takes a last look at the screen and chuckles. Watch this, Ariet! This guys so dumb! He got caught by the first trap we set up. Oh, youre right. But why is the girl standing there with her arms crossed and an angry face? Why isnt she helping her teammate? Who knows? Vandi shrugs.I guess our worries were useless. We have this match in the bag. Hahaha! Ariet, the blue-eyed undead, tries to calm his friend. Lets not celebrate yet. Who knows what might happen in the future. Dont be such a spoilsport. Cant I enjoy our advantageous position? *Sigh* Do whatever you want, youll do it anyway Thats more like it! Hahaha! They continue watching the screen until the succubus finally realizes that something must have gone wrong and starts investigating the area where her teammate disappeared. We should move too. Says Ariet. Even if we hold the advantage, we cant lower our guard. The angel player smiles with confidence. Sure, dont worry. I have everything under control. ... The tunnel ends and the two players find themselves in front of a narrow natural stone passage. It goes up and down, it splits up, and then reconnects again. The irregular terrain and cave ceiling make it impossible to see which is the correct path. Its a pure natural labyrinth, as difficult to traverse as confusing. And as if this wasnt enough, on both sides of the path theres a deep, hollowed abyss. Ariet gulps. A single misstep and hes done for. However, it isnt the same for his friend Vandi, who can fly. Vandi starts laughing. Hahaha! Were so lucky today! Not only the enemy team self-destructed early, but well have an easy time here too! Im sure they didnt expect us to have flying at our disposal. Dont be hasty. There might be traps designed to stop you. Why are you so fearful? Even if there are some, and I trigger them, what are the chances Ill instantly die? I can fly, after all! I can think of a few right about now. Says Ariet, extending his fingers to start counting. First there are the instant death traps, but theyre too expensive. Then, something that cuts your retreat path, forcing you to fight countless enemies. Theres also a chance youre charmed since this is a demons dungeon All right, stop! Shouts Vandi. Lets say youre right and I can die. Even so, it doesnt really matter if I die. The guy on the other team is also done for, so itll turn this into a 1vs1 match. I have confidence in your skill! Thanks, I guess? Ariet spins his eyes around in disgust. Anyway, I dont want you to throw this match, so will you behave? Vandi makes a pained face. I dont think we need to be so cautious, but fine Ill stay close to you and only scout ahead when needed. Ill also support you with my spells when enemies appear. ...thanks. The two players, with their support mobs, advance through the treacherous path. Vandi flies around, scouting ahead and providing support when needed while Ariet controls the mobs and gives instructions to the former. He makes a Zombie walk in front of the group to trigger any traps. The Dead Hounds are so useless in this terrain If we knew, we could have brought more Skeletons or Touched instead Complains Ariet. But if this was an open space, they would be invaluable assets so we couldnt leave them behind. Dont frown so much, youll get wrinkles. You know this is a game, right? ...youll get wrinkles in real life too. Vandi chuckles at his joke. And why do you complain? We have the upper hand in this match. Youre right I should relax a littleC Whats that!? The ground shakes. The scouting zombie falls to its death as the narrow path crumbles, falling into the abyss. Luckily for them, the only one to fall is that zombie. Ariet turns to his teammate with an angry face. Werent you in charge of scouting ahead!? And I did! There was no sign of traps! What a scout you are, that the first trap we meet, kills one of our units! We cant keep losing zombies like that Ariet calms down from the initial shock and starts thinking. There must be a valid path from the entrance to the core, and traps like this falling bridge are expensive There shouldnt be a lot more of them, but theyre still dangerous Hey, what if I check every suspicious place? Since I can fly, I can survive even if the passage crumbles. You should have been doing this already! Complains Ariet. Its your job as the scout! Vandi scratches his cheek. ...I didnt think about it before ... *Sigh*
Walking alone in the darkness, this rat shows his madness. Lalala I swing my staff around as I sing. Ive taken a peek at our opponents and they seem to be doing fine compared to us. They only lost one zombie so far and didnt encounter any of our monsters. But that angel guy... Hes so careless. Doesnt he fear falling to his death? Not like he knows about our plan, but still Im looking forward to the time he gets petrified. I want to see his screaming face. Ah, no, shit! I forgot that when youre petrified you cant move any muscle, so I wont see it Well, who cares? Ill enjoy it anyway. Fufufu! Hahaha! Alone, lost, and restless, this ratC I stop in the middle of my awesome song. What was that? I make as little noise as I can, listening to the noise. It sounds like It sounds like a womans voice. Mad Rat Says the voice. Mad Rat, are you here? The voice comes from the front, though I cant say how far exactly. Lily, is that you? I ask. Maybe I wasnt dragged as far as I initially thought. Mad Rat, are you here? The voice asks again. It does sound like Lilys voice, but its weirdly distorted. It must be because of this places structure. Yes, its me! Im here! I shout. Im coming, dont move, ok? I start running in the direction of the voice. It doesnt take long for me to reach the end of the passage. I find myself in a small room. Compared to the places Ive been until now, you could say this one is brightly illuminated, though it actually isnt. The light comes from the top of a staircase. Other than that staircase, the only entrance is the one I came from. Where are you hiding? Im sure shes angry at me right now, so lets say some random stuff to calm her down. Im sorry, I was fooling around, Lily. Thank you for not abandoning me. I was so lonely Wheres Laura? I cant see her anywhere I inspect the shadows, but I see no sign of her. Also, I cant hear her anymore. Whats going on? Am I imagining things now? It wouldnt be the first time it happens Somebody touches my shoulder. Mad Rat? She says, blowing cold air next to my ear. I jump, scared at her unexpected actions. How would you react if you were in this dark place, just having come out of the necropolis? W-why are you doing this to me? I know I was wrong, but theres no need to go so far with the joke This isnt good for, my health My voice trails off as I break into a cold sweat. The hand thats grabbing me isnt Lauras. This hand is white, almost transparent. Hyaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Sometimes, the best traps arent those that deal damage but those that split up the other party. Splitting the enemies is more effective when you have limited resources available. Though keep in mind the other players wont enjoy it. Use it sporadically, or reserve it for Dungeon Battles. - A tip from a professional DMA player to newer players.
Ch 137 - Fear for your life Hyaaaaaaaaaaaa! My manly shout, about as high-pitched as a little girls, echoes through the dark tunnels. Get away from me, you monster! I forcefully break free and run away, falling to my but in the middle. I scurry away on my fours to take as much distance as possible. Then, when I feel theres enough distance between us, I pick up my leaking courage and look at the other party. Its its a beautiful woman. Her translucent body is as white as the snow. Shes floating above the ground and is smiling at me. Mad Rat, are you here? She says, again. The fucks going on with you? Why do you sound like Oh, I see Now that Ive got some time to calm down and think about the current situation, I can finally understand whats happening. Right in front of me, this woman Im sure shes a Ghost. Ghosts look similar to Specters and Banshees but have a significant difference in their combat ability. While Specters are resilient and strong, and Banshees have the powerful Wail skill which can cause a TPK by itself, Ghosts are a lot tricker. Ghosts arent suited for combat, but this doesnt make them any less lethal. They have a very high intelligence, and their skill makes them invulnerable to everything.
Incorporeal (Innate passive skill)
You cant deal or take damage and can move through any kind of terrain. Your skills cant affect units without this skill.
While Incorporeal makes them utterly useless in combat, their strong point is elsewhere: they can give orders to other units while being invincible, they can scout without any consequences and the nastiest of them all: they can play tricks on the players. If you ask me if theyre suitable to invade other dungeons, the answer is clear. No, they arent. Theyre utterly useless against AI-controlled mobs. Since theyre only useful against players, Im sure you all are thinking the same: Who would ever want to create one of them?, am I right? How wrong you are Oh boy if they can be troublesome against players Take this Ghost as an example. Im sure this Ghost recorded Lauras voice calling for me after we were separated. Then, it came to me to play with me. Ive been lucky this game didnt include any deadly trap, or Id be done for. And the worst is that I cant retaliate! I can do absolutely nothing to it! Impotent, anger starts filling me. My fists tremble in rage. I swear its because Im angry and not because Im scared. It also doesnt have anything to do with the shame I feel after releasing that shout. Absolutely nothing to do with it, I swear. Stop pretending to be my friend, you dumb AI! The only reaction of the Ghost is to continue smiling and repeat the same sentence. Mad Rat, where are you? Argh I said shut up! It seems the only purpose of this ghost is to annoy me Then, the best I can do is ignore it too, and move on. See you never again, and dont you dare follow me! I run up the stairs, only stopping when I reach the next floor to take a peek behind me. I cant see the ghost anymore, it didnt follow me. Wow, Im saved The last thing I want is to be haunted for the rest of the Dungeon Battle. Ill forget everything that happened in that room. What do you mean by a ghost? What ghost? I was dragged away from Laura, and then I fought against some zombies, immediately after I found the stairs and climbed them, and now Im here, on the upper floor. Nothing happened in between. No ghost, no nothing. This upper floor is brighter. Theres white light coming directly from above, through small holes in the ceiling. Though I cant see whats producing this light because its too bright. The strong light creates equally deep shadows. Everything looks even darker than before except for those places that the light directly touches. Similar to the other rooms, most of what I can see is made out of stone. Shit. I come out of a dark place perfect for ambushes only to end up in another thats even worse Who designed this dungeon? Did they expect invaders to enjoyC Ah, right! This is a Dungeon Battle. Hahaha There are three exits, four if you add the staircase. I have no idea which one is the correct one, so Ill have to inspect them first. This whats this sound? Before I start my investigation, I hear some chants. They come from this passage Lets investigate! Its the only thing that stands out, so I might as well follow the sound. what do you mean by look for clues? A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Pffft! Hahaha! Youre so funny! Looking for clues is for losers! I only agreed to do it because there was nothing else, but now I have a lead. True adventurers C and crazy scientists C go with the what looks more interesting rule. Theres nothing that catches my attention other than these chants, so I MUST follow them. The passage continues for a while, turning left and right semi-randomly. As I continue, the light grows brighter and the chants grow louder. By now I should reach another room here it is! Right on time, the passage ends and I enter a circular chamber. Right in the middle, theres a light beam, coming from the ceiling. Or at least this is the first impression I get, because as I get closer, I notice it isnt a simple light beam: the light comes through a circular iron grid in the ceiling. Hmm how weird I get even closer, stepping into the illuminated area until I can finally see where the light is coming from. ...a light orb? And it somehow looks sacred? Floating a few meters over the iron grid, theres a floating orb of white light, shining so brightly I can barely see its shape. Taking into account the distance, the orb must be about two meters wide. The chanting comes from above too This means there must be another level on top of this one. There must be some stairs somewhere, the problem is where I return to the dark area and start looking for another staircase. This bright light, the chants The undead and angel players if Im right, there must be some kind of ritual ongoing right above me. Im sure the dungeon core is close to that place. If I can find the way there Fufufu! Hahaha! Can I win a 2vs2 match by myself? Itd be legendary if I pull it off My chuckles echo in the empty chamber. ...itll be LEGENDARY! Fufufu! HahaC In the middle of my epic laugh, someone grabs my shoulders, forcing me to stop. A chill makes me shudder as I remember what happened not so long ago. Their hands grab my neck. Its cold. Mad Rat whispers a familiar voice, next to my ear. Mad Rat I got you it says, blowing cold air on my neck. W-wha!? Is it the same Ghost? I try to run away, but I cant. Whatever is grabbing me isnt as incorporeal as that ghost. Then is it something worse!? Kyaaaah! Release me! Release me, you monster! I shout, wildly swinging my staff around, in panic. Why is everybody pretending to be Laura today? Stop! Stop it! I hear somebody shouting, but I cant understand what it says because Im shouting too. Finally, when I take a breath to scream some more, I can hear what my aggressor is saying. Stop hitting me I said! ...huh? This voice Lily? I say, sounding like an idiot. I-is it, you? The real you? My aggressor releases me and I take some distance. She looks at me with a smiling face. Yes, its me. But why did you start attacking me? And what do you mean by the real me? Hmmm Im not sure How do I know its you and not a monster? How do I know? She imitates me. Have you ever held a conversation with an AI-controlled monster? All right, all right Ill believe you. I say, still looking at her with distrust, to which she frowns. So what brings you here? I try to change the topic, but she quickly catches up and stops me. Stop asking stupid questions. I was looking for you when I heard a loud woman shout. I thought it was a banshee, and you might be fighting against it, so I followed the cry but I didnt hear anything else after it, so I decided to follow the chants instead. A loud womans cry, like a banshee It cant be, can it? Nah, Im sure it isnt When I saw you talking to yourself in this dark place, I thought wasnt it the perfect time for payback? Fufufu! She then makes the evilest of smiles. You know what Your reaction was so funny I think Ill save this replay and share it with everybody... Fufufu! NOOOOOO! I release a scream thats objectively worse than those from the banshies. My honor! My dignity! I cant let anybody know I was the one who made that cry! How dare you do this to me! Anything but that, I plead. If you do, Im not going to see an end to the mocking from my sisters If Im lucky, she will think Im talking about the current scene, but Im a lot more worried about the one with the ghost. She puts the index finger on her lips and slightly tilts her head to the side in thought. All right, she agrees, but only if you agree to one demand. one demand? Why does it sound familiar? This kind of situation makes me feel like I have no choice but to accept the deal I dont know, but I feel like Ive been in this situation before. One demand? What kind of demand? I ask. I wont tell you until later. But I promise it wont be difficult for you. If it wont be difficult, it means itll be easy, right? Then, what am I hesitating for? Its fine to accept it. Im sure I wont regret it later. At least, theres no way Ill regret it more than I would if everybody saw the replay. Fine Ill accept the deal. Why do I feel like Ive made a huge mistake? Nice choice! Fufufu! She laughs with the same evil smile as before, making me shiver for some reason. Theres a dangerous light in her eyes Alright, so now that weve reunited, lets share information. I change the topic. So far, Ive only seen a few zombies, one ghost, and a lot of dark places. Oh, and Im also almost sure the dungeon core is close to whatever is happening right on top of this place. And you? Only a few? Why are you always so lucky? Ive been fighting against the zombies and skeletons most of the time. If only you were there, it would have been so easy! Ive missed you a lot. Fufufu! She sends me a flying kiss before continuing. There were so many that one of your Good Followers diedC Nooo, my poor baby! I fall to the ground, my hands raised up high. He was so young! In the middle of my grieving, I notice Laura staring at me with a dead face. I quickly stand up and feign ignorance by coughing. *Khm, khm!* Soo did you see any stairs to the upper floor? I didnt. But they must be close. She answers but keeps staring at me with the same dead expression. Why do I feel like shit? ...ahaha then, I guess well have to search this area until we find them. Sure. While you search, Ill take a look at the other team and check their progress. But I want to watch them suffer too I complain. Is she still angry at me? Fine but stop fooling around. I dont want to lose you again because of your own stupidity. All right! Fufufu! Hahaha! Alls well that ends well, dont you agree?
Did you know? Theres a bug in DMA that allows you to get free cp. Before breaking the dungeon core, if you crouch like this, put your hand behind your head, and then walk like a chicken, youll double the amount of cp youll receive. Yes, like this. A little bit lower Put more enthusiasm into it, feel the chicken inside you! All right, keep it like this, this is perfect! - False rumors used to troll noob players. The veteran players then shared the videos between themselves and laughed at the poor fools.
Ch 138 - Desecrated temple Were leaving them behind. At his blue-eyed friends decision, the winged player furrows his brows. What are you saying now? I can make two trips and bring them up. Theres no need to abandon them here, only because of a small obstacle Dont you see its better to have more units with us, Ariet? No, its you who doesnt understand, Vandi. Says Ariet, turning around and starting to climb the two-meter cliff. The Dead Hounds are a liability. Theyre useless in this terrain, and they cant climb cliffs. We already lost a few precious minutes the last time it happened, we cant be wasting time every time theres another cliff. Ill make it quicker than the last time! No, you wont. Were leaving them behind, so forget about them. The undead player reaches the top of the cliff. Following him, the remainder of their support mobs, with the exception of the Dead Hounds, which cant climb vertical surfaces, start climbing the rocky surface. But wont we miss them later? There might be somewhere ahead where they can shine Dont get me started on missing units Says Ariet, fury seeping into his words. Do I have to remind you the reason we lost our last zombie? The reason why I have to use my skeletons as scouts!? And this is without having fought any monster yet! Ahaha everybody makes mistakes The same mistake, three times in a row!? Ariets shout echoes in the empty abyss, an army of voices repeating the word row for a long time. You allowed all our zombies to fall to their death because you didnt properly check our path! Vandi scratches his head. Well, I was distracted Yeah, sure. Distracted. Dont you mean overconfident? *Sigh* What a scout you are Hmph! Says Mister Perfect, the one who never makes mistakes. Oh, sorry, Im wrong. You do make mistakes. Like making the entrance too dark to see the opponents! As if my mistake is comparable to yours! Just admit itC The undead player stops in the middle of his sentence, when he sees a spell being fired at them. Enemy attack! Im sure they came because of your shouts. Haha, how funny you are! Counters Vandi, his voice filled with sarcasm. It was you who shouted the loudest. Stop! Shouts Ariet, forcefully finishing the argument. Focus on the battle first! With their faces still contorted with anger, they duck behind the closest rocks. From there, they observe the trajectories of the attacks, trying to locate their aggressors. A mix of arrows and spells falls upon them, most of them stopped by the rocks theyre hiding behind. Theyre hiding in that crevice. Ariet analyzes the situation. Well need to go all the way around to get close, we cant allow them to play a stalling game. Shit! I knew fights would be hard because of this damn terrain. Vandi snorts. The terrain? This is nothing to me. Watch me, Ill solve this by myself. He says before flying toward the place where the enemies are hiding. Stop! What if theres a trap? Ha! There are no traps here. Instead of coming back at Ariets warning, Vandi beats his wings with more force, gaining velocity. Ugh you fool what if there are more enemies than you can handle? Left behind, the undead player has only one option left: to chase after him. He starts running, followed by the remaining support mobs, using the passage hanging over the abyss. He orders the Touched, the only ones who have healing skills, to make sure nobody dies to the ranged attacks. The path twists and turns. As expected, Vandi, who can fly, engages the monsters before Ariet and the support minions can reach a quarter of the distance they need to cross. Fuck! Will we make it on time? Ugh, not again In front of him, theres one of those places where the path might crumble, but he doesnt stop, hoping for the best. Luckily for him, the bridge stands firm and nobody falls into the abyss below. Ariet keeps a close eye on the fight, trying to get as much information as possible. You dont have the Champions buff! Stop fighting alone! Ariet shouts in a last-ditch effort to change Vandis mind. But the only thing he achieves is to further fuel his ego. I dont need it. Im the king of the skies, such weak monsters cant stop me. Hahaha! True to his words, the angel player is avoiding most attacks, while flying around and attacking with his own. Thanks to his superior mobility, the enemy cant use cover effectively. But hes against too many enemies. If reinforcements come, he wont survive. Ariet massages his temples to calm his frustration and takes a look behind him, to make sure all the support mobs are properly following him. Its then that he notices one Touched, the Divine Bloods basic unit, is missing. Did it fall off? No, its there. Whats it doing? He sees the missing Touched standing still, some distance away. He squeezes his eyes, trying to grasp the situation. Paralyzed? No, it has a grayish tone. Petrified, then. Petrified? But I dont remember the demons or shapeshifters having easy access to it Ariet shakes his head in denial, decides to leave the petrified Touched to its luck, and resumes running. Now that hes about to reach the halfway mark, he can finally see the monsters Vandi is fighting against. Some look like the standard demons, but two of them look like a two-headed imp and goblin monstrosity. I knew it! The Flesh Monstrosities! Why didnt Vandi warn me? No, Im sure he did it on purpose. He immediately looks around searching for any sign of hidden enemies. They could be anywhere, as the Flesh Monstrosites have almost infinite possibilities. Wait, if they have a petrifying skill, this means Ariet opens his eyes wide at his realization. Theyve been lucky so far, but if theres a chance to be petrified, Vandi could fall to his death at any moment. Vandi! Stop fighting and come back immediately! It isnt safe! He shouts. Vandi stops flying around for a moment to turn to look at him. He crosses his arms in defiance. Ha! I wont! You want to have all the glory to yourself. Ugh, hes so Ariet strongly squeezes his fists and increases his speed. At least, stop flying around and stand on the ground, please! He pleads one last time. So you want me to die? I never expected you to fall so low! The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. No, this isnt it Knowing its useless and he wont change his mind, Ariet lowers his shoulders in defeat. ...you fool if we lose this because of you, I swear Ariet starts running at his maximum speed. Now hes moving so fast that a single misstep will make him fall to his death. Please, I need to make it in time If Im near, I can at least grab him with my Vine Snare before he falls Due to the increased speed, one of the Touched makes a mistake and falls into the abyss. One skeleton soon follows it. Shit! This is so bad! Ariet despairs at the current situation. At this rate, never mind Vandi, all of us might Unaware of Ariets worries, Vandi continues to laugh and fly around. At this rate, Ill have finished before you get here, Ariet! Hahaha! Whos the useless scout now, huh? My contribution to this Dungeon Battle is a lot higher thanC But before he can finish his sentence, his Champion turns gray and he falls, still wearing the same smug expression on his face. Ariet observes Vandis petrified champion fall with anguish. The recently created statue crashes on the cliff. There it slips, getting closer and closer to completely falling off, before stopping. Wow, its a miracle The undead player releases all his pent-up emotions in a sigh of relief. Now Ill save him andC Right at this moment, one of those imp and goblin monstrosities kicks the statue, making it fall from the cliffs edge. The monster then looks indifferently at Ariet, as if to mock him. CNOOOOOOOOOOO!! Ariet extends his arms, reaching for Vandis statue, but hes way too far away to reach it. He grabs his hair and starts pulling. If this werent a game, he might turn bald after this day. Wheres the fucking monster that did this!? He shouts. Before the battle ends, I must find it. Ill have my revenge!
The first thing we see after climbing the stairs is a large, white shining ball of light. Weirdly enough, now that were closer to it, it feels like the light is less intense than before. Must be because the surroundings arent so dark. The chanting voices are also louder. Theres no doubt they come from the hooded humanoids standing in a circle around the shining sphere. Im sure this is the last fight, I say. Laura nods. Me too. But why are there sacred elements all around? Werent the undead the main theme? This looks like a temple of some kind. Maybe were in a desecrated temple? Or maybe its an evil cult? Hmmm it makes sense Anyway, lets get closer first. We get closer to the creepy ritual, making as little noise as possible. We dont want to alert them before were ready. There are two rows of hooded figures, standing a few meters apart from each one. The smaller circle is composed of about ten silhouettes while the external one has at least thirty, maybe more. Thats a large number of enemies, I whisper. It might get messy. Youre right Laura scans the enemies standing in front of us. The ones in the outer ring are Touched, arent they? They shouldnt be that strong. But the ones in the central ring are another story. I ponder for a while before giving my opinion on the matter. They look like Touched, with the glowing rune on their foreheads. And the othersthey should be in the 200 cp range. How do you know? Did I miss something? She tilts her head to the side, asking me to explain what I saw and she didnt. Its just my gut feeling. ... At my answer, she sends me a killing glare. ...Why? I shrug my shoulders. We have no other info about them, so my gut feeling is better than nothing, dont you think? Hahaha Still feeling her uncomfortable gaze on me, I decide to follow up with something else. You know I should be able to take care of the outer ring by myself, though Ill need some time to finish them off. Do you think you can deal with the inner ring until then? Seeing that I dont intend to fool around anymore, she recovers her usual neutral expression. Hmm If theyre indeed at the 200 cp range, she says, sending me one last glare, I should be able to deal with them with the help of our support mobs I think. Nice! Then, lets get rolling! Fufufu! Hahaha! We move ourselves into position and I start casting Chain Lightning. As soon as the spell is completed, I shout out loud. Eat this, you creepy cultists! Fuck you all! Im going to make sure theres not a single one of you damned cultists alive! Fufufu! Hahaha! You cant imagine how good it feels to shout this. Ive been accumulating too much stress thanks to some stupid cultists Its a shame I cant go and get rid of those cultists, so the ones in front of me will have to do. For now. As soon as the first spell comes out, I start casting a second Chain Lightning. And a third. I dont want to risk them splitting up, so I better secure my win while theyre still in formation. Here goes all my MP I comment, watching my status screen. Itll take some time to recover my MP, even with the Mana Core passive. The first spell hits the closest Touched, and the lightning starts to spread. Due to their sheer numbers, it stops quite soon, and only six or seven Touched fall to the ground. When the second hits, the Shared Voltage and the Battery upgrade start doing some work, incapacitating almost all the remaining ones and leaving only the furthest ones standing. As for the third Chain Lightning Lets say there should be enough excess damage to one-hit-kill most units. Unfortunately, there are no more infinite lightning chains, so it just goes to waste. Yeah the third one was a little bit overkill. But I didnt want to risk it, so who cares? Its clean-up time! I make a round, circling over the shining sphere and finishing off all the paralyzed enemies. Whaaah, hyaak! Paaaam! I make weird cries every time I swing my staff. Why? Because I can. Its similar to the Whac-A-Zombie game, but not quite as good. Whac-A-Touched. Doesnt it sound weird? Whac-A-Zombie sounds a lot better, and also makes a lot more sense, since zombies come out of the ground, like moles. At about the halfway point, the paralyzed enemies start awakening up, only for the closest one to me to hit me with a melee attack, triggering the Lightning Shield, and starting the chain again. Thanks, bud. You made my life easier. Maaaaaaaaaa! Raaait! Ratatatataa! I end my killing spree and swipe my nonexistent sweat. Ufff, uff it was hard. Too much exercise. I calmly observe Lauras fight against the ten elite monsters. Shes doing pretty well. So far, the only casualty is one Imp. I can see its corpse from here If youre finished, I would appreciate your help! She shouts. Who is she talking to? I look around in confusion. I already did my part, so she cant be talking to me, right? Stop fooling around! Im talking about you, Mad Rat! Her voice sounds a lot angrier than before. Hahaha One Chain Lightning coming up! My MP has recovered enough for me to cast another Chain Lighting. Finishing off thirty monsters isnt as quick as it sounds. As soon as the lightning hits the first enemy, it starts a chain reaction, C heh, how ironic for a spell called Chain Lightning to start a reaction, dont you think? C spreading to the other elite monsters. They arent as tightly packed as before, so only four are affected, but those that are, are reduced to ashes I mean, to 1 HP and paralyzed. My intervention is good enough to secure our win. See, Im helping too, I say, preparing to sit down and relax while I watch the show. Now that theres no way Laura is going to be defeated, I can finally rest assured Or I should be able to because Im sure she knows what Im thinking. Before I can sit down, the little demon calls for me again. Youre right. And it would be amazing if you keep helping me. *Sigh* Alright Why do I have to keep working? Cant I take a break while you fight for me? This is rat exploitation! Im going to denounce you to the animal rights association! Reluctantly I ready my staff once again and prepare to join the melee. The fight progresses as I expected, and we start overwhelming them now that they dont have the numerical advantage. I help too with a few spells and staff attacks until, finally, the last elite monster falls to the ground. Whew Laura exhales. This was intense. But now we should be finished here No, why did you have to say this!? Dont you know this is the best way to get yourself killed!? You should never raise death flags! But I dont have time to shout out my complaints because immediately after, the shining sphere starts pulsating. White spheres come out of the dead units, allied and enemies alike, and start floating to the big, shining, and now distorted sphere. See!? I was right! We observe the orbs transformation. It grows darker and darker until it looks like a black hole. We exchange a look. We both have the same scared expression right now. Im not sure if shes scared of the unknown, or if she knows whats coming, but I sure am afraid of whatll happen next. Because I DO know what comes next. Oooh, shit, I say, covering my face with one hand. I know what this is. Isnt this Baldys favorite? I anxiously check our surroundings. More than forty corpses. If we sum all the cp costs, it should be at least 5.000 cp Its just a quick approximation, but in any way I look at it Yep, were fucked.
The best part of this Dungeon Battle was watching the replay from the opponents side. There was so much bickering and complaining that they barely achieved anything. The suffering at the end, when one was dead, criticizing everything, while the other was alone, was exquisite.
Ch 139 - It’s just another crazy plan Were fucked. Well, were not done for, there might be a tiny chance we can overcome what comes next, but it wont be easy. Ricards favorite? Laura turns to look at me. Her expression clearly shows she doesnt know what Im talking about. What do you mean? I grab her hand and start pulling. Theres no time for explanations. For now, we must run away from here! O-okay We cant afford to feed more souls to that thing, even if by accident. The best course of action is to take some distance and assess the situation once the monster emerges. Since we didnt have time to explore this area yet, I choose to return to the stairs that lead to the lower level, the ones we used to come here. Laura and our remaining support mobs follow me. How much energy has your Glutton accumulated? I ask her. I hear her voice from behind. She isnt sure why Im asking, but it''s a very important question. It might be our only chance to defeat that thing. Huh? Hmm Its about four hundred damage. Wow, thats more than half my maximum HP! If I were to receive the Gluttons bite right now, I would die! But ...it wont be enough I bite my lips. Well need more than this I stop when I reach the stairs and turn around. All the monsters souls have already disappeared inside the dark hole, so IT is about to emerge. Dont misunderstand, the glowing orb that turned into a dark orb is irrelevant. Its just a visual effect to make everything look amazing. The real trouble and the reason Im scared is because of whats hidden inside of it. Laura grabs my head and forces me to look at her. I dont understand what youre talking about, Mad Rat. Whats going on? If you dont explain, I cant help to plan our next move. Its that things a Soul Eater, I say. Laura opens her eyes wide in shock. A, a Soul Eater? Isnt, this isnt this the monster Baldy always talks about? Yes, it is, I nod. He has shown me a lot of videos about its eating process, and Im sure were against one. B-but then, with so many dead units She shivers. So this is why there were only small groups of zombies and skeletons in the rest of the dungeon. They were planning to feed the cultists to it No, more importantly, how strong do you think itll be? I dont want to think about it, but she deserves to know. Im not an expert like Baldy, so I cant say for sure, but it should have about three to four times my stats or maybe even more. No way How can we deal with it? No, do we even have a chance? Laura quickly understands how fucked we are. I dont know Were pretty exhausted after finishing a long and taxing fight. In comparison, the Soul Eater thats about to appear will be as fresh as a daisy. Furthermore, itll be stronger than all of us combined. We observe the dark hole disperse with an explosion, and a dreadful creature appears from within, illuminated by purple light. Shit, the core is right on top it was inside the glowing orb all along! I curse. I was hoping we could avoid a fight, but we have no option now If we want to end this Dungeon Battle, we have no choice but to defeat the Soul Eater. Otherwise, we wont be able to break the core. By the way, the reason we couldnt see the dungeon cores purple light until now is that we didnt defeat all the enemies yet. Otherwise, even if it was inside the shining orb, the game wouldnt allow the opposing team to hide the dungeon core. After all, you cant make it impossible for the enemy team to know where it is. The maximum you can do is hide it behind a door that opens when you defeat the monsters C which is the same as what happened with the glowing orb. Ah, sorry. Im sure you dont understand whats going on, so allow me to explain. The Soul Eaters are one of the weirdest units in DMA because they dont spawn as most of the other units do. For them to spawn, there must be a certain condition that must be fulfilled. Its similar to the triggered skills, but the trigger condition is decided by the player who places them in the dungeon. For the one in front of us, Im sure the trigger was the death of all the cultists. But this isnt the weirdest thing about them. The weirdest thing is that they have all stats as zero by default, and obtain them by consuming the souls of other units thanks to the Soul Conduit skill.
Soul Conduit (Triggered innate skill)
When this unit spawns, it absorbs 10% of the stats of every dead unit within 10 meters of it, up to the maximum*. After killing a non-allied unit, it absorbs 10% of their stats. *Soul Eaters have all stats capped at 300. HP, EP, and MP are capped at 3.000.
Ok, ok I know what youre thinking. Absorbing stats? Isnt that OP? Well It is. But the circumstances and requirements for the Soul Eaters to spawn are so limited that its extremely hard to use them. Its possible to feed them all your units when they spawn, but it isnt the best idea in Dungeon Battles, where you have a cp limit. Whos the fool that feeds them lots of units only to get another unit thats weaker than the sum of all the sacrificed ones? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Youre right, this doesnt apply in the normal Dungeon Invasions, but theres no need to rely on this kind of stuff to kill your invaders. There are too many ways to exploit the game if you desire to do so, so you dont need a Soul Eater. Not like its recommended to do so, the best approach is to make the players enjoy the experience or youll get bad reviews. So, in short. Soul Eaters are OP, but they arent. I Im sure you understand what I mean. If only we decided to lure the cultists somewhere else instead of fighting them here the Soul Eater wouldnt have had anything to consume and would have died as soon as it spawned, giving us a free ride to our victory! Its a shame we played right as the other team planned. One of the most famous unit names in the entire game, The Reaper, is a higher version of the Soul Eater. I wont enter into much detail, but imagine a Soul Eater that starts with high stats, even before the Soul Conduit first triggers. Ridiculous, dont you agree? And the reason why Ricard loves Soul Eaters so much, despite them being difficult to use do you remember how much he loves farming souls to raise his undead army? He loves farming souls, and the Soul Eaters consume them to grow stronger. One plus one is two. Theres no way he wouldnt like them. Theyre destined to be together. I wouldnt be surprised if he were to create a Soul Eater named Matilda or whatever and marry it. So, what are we going to do? Do we run away and hope for the enemy team to get killed? Laura snaps me out of my delusions. Thank you very much! I couldnt stop myself from imagining the scene of Ricard marrying a creepy, deformed entity with a dark hole inside its mouth If you hadnt stopped me, Im sure I would have nightmares today. Huh? Ah I refocus on the Soul Eater, standing right below the dungeon core. It doesnt have any intention to come in our direction. Well, thats an option, it isnt moving at all. But Id rather act than wait. I knew you would say this. Fufufu! She grins, a mischievous glow inside her eyes. Do you have any idea what to do? I dont see any way we can defeat it without risking a wipeout Shes true that, in a straight fight, we have a high chance of losing. Feeding it one or two more deaths, even if by accident, would spell certain doom for us. The current balance is too precarious to risk it. But when have I ever done anything in the proper way? I try to hold my smile and display a neutral expression to make myself look more smart, but Im not sure if its a success or not. Hahaha, who am I kidding? Im sure Im showing a nasty smile right now. Did you give your Glutton any skill to avoid death? I ask her. I did. I gave it Gods Intervention. Itd be a shame if it died before being able toC Perfect! I interrupt her before she finishes. It might be the best skill you could have given it! Its perfect! If we do it this way, Im sure well kill the Soul Eater! Fufufu! Hahaha! ...are you going to tell me the plan or not? She looks mildly annoyed at me for not explaining anything and starting to ramble, so I stop in the middle of my epic laughing and explain my plan to her. Hey, you undead shit! Do you think of yourself as important when the only thing you did was eat the souls of all the garbage we worked hard to kill? Youre nothing! Nothing but scum. Ill show you how stuff is done! I point my finger, accusing the Soul Eater of all the random stuff that comes to mind. But as expected, it isnt easily swayed. It stays right below the dungeon core, staring at me. Scared? Hahaha! So weak! If youre not coming, then I will! Eat this! Fufufu! Hahaha! A burst of ice explodes right next to the Soul Eater when I finish casting Cold Blast, immediately followed by a Chaotic Beam. Then, finally, it makes a disgusting roar and comes at me. Right now, my objective is to get its attention. Its aggro, if you prefer. Its the first step of our plan, which, up to this point, seems to be proceeding smoothly. I swap between casting more Cold Blasts and randomly swinging my staff around, though my main focus is on evading its attacks for now. I dont use more powerful spells because I need to save some MP for later. Phase two! I shout, as soon as Im sure the Soul Eater wont attack anybody else. Laura casts Hellfire and both I and the Soul Eater start taking continuous damage, plus the damage from the initial burst. At the same time, she sends the Glutton to help me in the fight. She doesnt join the fight because itll be too dangerous. The Glutton comes inside the Hellfire range and unleashes a barrage of attacks on the Soul Eater. For how big and slow it looks, its surprising it can move around so fast. The dark aura surrounding the Soul Eater added to the Hellfire is draining my HP incredibly fast. I make sure to keep a close eye on my stats, I dont want to die due to a mistake. I wait until my HP goes below 150 and then activate my Grand Finale. The three seconds of invulnerability start and I start shining as light condenses around me. Three, two Since the Hellfire and the Soul Eaters Dark Aura are obscuring the area, I shout the countdown for Laura. ...one, NOW! This is the critical moment. The moment that will decide if we win or lose. A slight delay and the Soul Eater will kill me and the Glutton, right after the explosion, and absorb our stats. Then, itll get too powerful for the rest of the team to deal with. The Grand Finale finishes charging and the light explosion covers the area, momentarily hiding everything inside, including the other area effects. At the same time, I hear Laura shouting. Glutton, use bite, now! use bite? Why does this sound weirdly familiar? No, Andreu, no! Focus on the battle! Leave the weird stuff for later. As the light disperses, I see the Glutton covered in a white film and opening its stomachs mouth. The Soul Eater swings its arm at me, but before can kill me, the Glutton bites it. A disgusting crunching sound happens, and the Soul Eater makes a cry. Then, it explodes in a cloud of dust, leaving nothing but a tiny mountain of ashes to attest to its existence. Yes! Yes! I shout, jumping around. We did it! My plan worked! Fufufu! Hahaha! Laura is too late to cancel Hellfire, so I die and continue celebrating in my phantasmal shape. Hahaha! I knew it would work if we timed it properly! Good job, Lily. Amazing timing. Laura runs, stopping in front of my corpse. Shes wearing a smile, but at the same time, she looks kind of sorry. Uuups, Im sorry, I forgot about Hellfire and you ended up dead I know she cant see or hear me right now, so I continue celebrating as if nothing happened. I dont care that Im dead. The only thing I care about is that my plan worked flawlessly. Fufufu! Hahaha! We achieved the impossible! Were unstoppable! Hmmm I cant see you or hug you to celebrate, but Good job, Mad Rat. You know what? This is really awkward, so Ill destroy the dungeon core and we can celebrate outside, ok? She reaches for the dungeon core and breaks it. I ignore the victory message and continue celebrating. What was our plan, you ask? It was really simple. No, Im not kidding. The only problem is that it was hard to execute. Delaying any of its parts would allow the Soul Eater to survive and start killing us one by one. The plan was this: accumulate as much damage on the Soul Eater and feed the Glutton at the same time. Then, Id blow myself up, dealing a large amount of damage to the Soul Eater, and feed the Glutton a part of the damage. Instead of dying, the Glutton would receive the invulnerability, and with the Gluttony skill fed as much as possible, itd go and finish the Soul Eater before it killed me off. Hey, now that Ive calmed down Before teleporting outside the dungeon, Laura says, ...wouldnt it have been easier to feed the Glutton as much as possible before the fight, and have it finish the Soul Eater with a single attack? Thats My brain stops working. Why didnt I think about it before risking everything on this crazy and stupid plan!? Maybe just maybe no way! Do I actually enjoy blowing myself up?
The best part of this Dungeon Battle was watching the replay from the opponents side. There was so much bickering and complaining that they barely achieved anything. The suffering at the end, when one was dead, criticizing everything, while the other was despairing, was exquisite.
Ex Ch 15 - Massive Banning Hey, hey. Wake up. Did you hear it? Did you hear the latest news? A boy shakes up his friend to wake him up from the desk he was sleeping on. They just finished the class they were attending, and hes ready to use any excuse to forget about it as soon as possible. And what could be a more juicy target than the latest DMA news? Uaaaaam Hear? Hear what? The other boy sleepily raises his head, drool still on his cheek. This is why youre always struggling with your grades. Youre always sleeping! The sleepy boy makes another yawn before retorting. How is this any worse than what you do? Dont you spend all classes reading random stuff on your mobile? If they catch you, youll have trouble. Ahaha The boy laughs and scratches his head. ...you got me there Anyway. What did you want that you had to wake me up? I hope its something important, or else... He shakes his fist, menacingly. Oh, how scary! The boy feigns being scared in a clearly exaggerated way before bursting into laughing. Hahaha! Everybody knows youd rather die than exercise. Im sure your punch hurts less than a mosquito bite! The boy reluctantly lowers his raised fist. Tsk! If you dont have anything relevant to say, Ill go back to sleep, then. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. No, wait! Dont you want to know the latest DMA breaking news? At the excited boys words, the still sleepy one finally looks at the other. He notices excitement on his face, so something big must have happened. So? What is it? He asks. A massive banning! A massive what? The sleepy boy doesnt understand what his friend is talking about. A massive banning! There was some problem in the forums and people started to write dangerous stuff. The things escalated until the admins had to go there and ban everybody involved. Can you imagine? More than fifty people got banned in a single day! Well, most of them only got muted for some time instead of completely banned because it was their first time, but still More than fifty players, all at once! Ok, this might be the biggest ban Ive heard about He yawns, starting to show interest in the matter. But isnt similar stuff always happening? Im sure somebody posted something about how ugly elves are yet again, and things turned awry Nuh, huh, youre wrong. It wasnt a faction war this time. It was something about a rats lab or something similar I dont know, but it was about a single dungeon this time. This sure sounds interesting The sleepy boys expression finally clears up as the sleepiness gives way to excitement. So, why did they fight? Im not sure, but we can find it if we search. They said the posts have been deleted, but Im sure we can find somebody who made screenshots!
The tension between two player factions kept escalating due to the persistent and almost fanatical actions of one of those groups. Tired of them, the players decided to take action, and all hell broke loose. Since the dispute wasnt properly resolved, due to the DMA staff intervening, the leaders of the two factions decided to have a personal match to decide who was right. Of course, this match couldnt be anything else than an invasion into The Mad Rats Lab itself, the cause the fight broke out.
Ch 140 - Bickering duo Huh, huh, huh! Todays the day Ill beat this dungeon again! Im sure of it, I can feel it. My muscles are twitching in excitement at the prospeC For how long are you going to kiss your biceps? Its gross. This damned, stupid, and annoying fanatic How dare he interrupt me in the middle of my sacred ritual? Who does he think he is!? I can barely stop myself from caving in his face with one of my punches. Shut up, you dumbass. If youre disgusted, you can start by yourself. Go and get yourself killed somewhere so I cant see your irritating mug, chicken-face. In response, he starts shaking, filled with anger. Huh, my taunt worked. Fuck you, dumb bastard. Dont dare you insult me, His most devout follower! Were inside His exalted dungeon, you should be paying me the respect I deserve as the representative of the great Mad RaC Yeah, yeah as the representative of the sick kids with delusions of grandeur. I rudely interrupt. Hes so stuck up about this shit, that the best way to make him angry is to dismiss it as kids foolery. Youre great. The Great King of the Idiots! Huh, huh, huh! ...grrr He grinds his teeth together and growls. Look, hes turning red! Ah, no, Im wrong. His uselessly ugly chicken crest had this crimson color from the start. This stupid and annoying prick dared to declare he was the best expert about The Mad Rats Lab, and I had to tell him otherwise. As a result of our fight, I wont be able to write in the forums for a while, but I dont care. Nothing will stop me from writing my amazing guide. But it was worth it. Now I can beat him in this Dungeon Invasion and make him eat his own words. Ignoring his ramblings, I flex a little bit more, I stretch a little, and kiss my biceps one last time. All right, I say, we can start now. Ill show you who knows this damned dungeon the best. Hah! How dare you belittle me, His most devout follower, yet again! Its me who will win our match! I know every single corridor and monster that populates His dungeon, theres no way Ill lose. As if. The only thing you know how to do is dying Blasphemy! He glares at me with his weird chicken eyes. Ill be the one to clear this dungeon. Ill watch you struggle and despair, and Ill teach you how to enjoy it. As the representative of the great Mad Rats Cult, Ill beat your ugly mutt to a pulp! And then, youll join us. Ugly mutt!? I counter, ignoring his last sentence. Havent you seen yourself in the mirror? Like this, we start yet another fight about our appearances. Its clear Im the best at this too. You just need to compare my handsome orc tusks to his ugly, pointed beak, to know whos more handsome.
Huh, huh, huh. This is funny The madman no, madman isnt good enough to define him. The king of all crazy people; the winner of the Madman Cup; the leader of the worst cult ever to exist. That man that THING, is currently in the middle of combat as I watch him from afar. Hes making a weird dance, trying to avoid the multiple laser beams from several turtles. There are six of them? Im not sure. Arent you going to help me!? He shouts, clearly angry at my passiveness. Why did they all show up at the same time!? Theres no way Im going there. Ive had enough of laser turtles for a while. A very long while. Huh? Are you asking me to help you? I say, picking my ear. Why should I? Didnt you say youre the one who knows everything about The Mad Rats Lab? If this is true, then you shouldnt need my help, a random nobody, right? I make sure to remain properly hidden behind a rock to observe the spectacle. Huh, so noob. He calls himself an expert but he cant deal with this much? Also didnt you say you enjoy these situations? Why are you complaining now that Im giving you space so you can enjoy yourself? This this is Aaaagh! Preposterous! How dare you question my beliefs!? He starts trembling in rage. Of course, Im enjoying this situation. Aaah, the despair! The feeling of impotence! He grabs his shoulders, moaning between phrases. Disgusting But this and that are different! I cant allow myself to die like this, today is different, today I must survive and beat you! Huh, huh, huh! Good luck with that. I dismiss him and hide behind the rock once again. Ill leave the turtles to you, then You dare! Scumbag! Coward! I furrow my brows and I feel my biceps twitch. Coward! You cant win in a straight fight, so you hide behind a rock and let the others do all the work for you My biceps twitch again. Ooh, look at this! You were talking so much bullshit in the forums, but when the time comes, youre a wimp. Hah! So much for your honor. I cant see it anywhere. Did you lose it before we started the dungeon invasion? A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. At this point, my whole body starts shaking. How do you dare poke at my weakness like that? I wont stand this! Waaaaaaah! I shout, jumping out of my hiding place and rushing in the direction of one of the laser beams. Nobody calls me a coward, and Im not scared of any fight! Its a shame I can kill him right here right now because Id lose the bet. But I swear Im itching to slam my great-axe into that ugly chicken face. It seems Ill have to teach a weakling like you how to fight, I add, before leaving him behind. Youre like a dancer, moving around like that. A horrible one. Shut up! Im doing this because I enjoy it. Yeah, sure. I toooootally believe you Instead of bashing his face, I release my frustration into the turtle. Hmm were they always this weak?
So pathetic... Weve only crossed the first area and you''re already in shambles. Huh, huh, huh! Weve finished our fight against the turtles and are now in the tunnel area. After the initial fight against the six of them, we didnt find any other problems except two pairs of Goblimps, which I quickly dealt with. If only I could ban them Annoying pests. However, I didnt find them as annoying as usual. It must be because this stupid prick is worse than them. To think the day when I thought of the Goblimps as a mere nuisance will come Should I thank this prick? Hmph! Just to be clear, I did it on purpose. I couldnt stop myself fromC Yeah, yeah Whatever you say. I wave my hand in dismissal. Moron, stop interrupting me! Allow me to finish, at least! I dont see any reason to listen to your bullshit I leave him behind and take the lead, to make it clear Im the best player. Ugh this musclebrain is harder to crack than I expected I hear him mutter something, but I ignore him and continue walking. How would a straight fight against him be? Im itching to try. The longer I have to suffer his stupidity, the more I feel like doing it. I only agreed to this match because, as the owner of the best guide about The Mad Rats Lab, I couldnt ignore his comments. But what I want is a fair duel, with our honor and lives at the stake! I want to crush him with my fists and enjoy the victory, standing on his corpse. ...huh? Why is the light growing dimmer? I turn around and watch as the entrance to the tunnel closes. Is this, a Tunnel Mimic? Why is it here!? The tunnel I just entered was a fake one, it seems. But I swear I memorized all the tunnels just for this match, so how could it be? Dont tell me did the Evil Mastermind predict this too, and adjusted their behavior to pose as the real tunnels too? This isnt fair! Allow me to have a fair match against this annoying prick at least Im fine with your obsession with humiliating me, but not today! Tsk, tsk, tsk The fanatic clicks his tongue and makes the typical how can this be? so pathetic pose. To think you call yourself the greatest expert, only to fall to something like this The signs were clear, and you missed them all I saved your ass before, and now you laugh at me!? What signs? The Tunnel Mimics dont leave any sign when transformed. Dont make up random stuff, you fucker! The worms mouth closes in between, so he might not have heard the last part. I wont be defeated by this. I clench my teeth and start swinging my axe around. As usual, it takes about ten seconds for the worm to die. Im sure Ill appear in a random area of the dungeon, away from the rest of the team. In fact, this is a good thing. We didnt bring any support mobs with us, to make it easier to see whos the best, so if I end up in a random place, it means I wont have to see that guys face anymore. Not everything can be bad. I wont have to see him anymore nor help him to avoid losing my honor. He cant complain if he dies when we arent together. Isnt this the best way to show our skills? Happy times, here I go! The game pushes me out of the ground, making me drop into the closest tunnel. This is the worst part. Last time, it dropped me right on top of The Tunnels Nightmare and I was affected by its Fear, making me run away and fall into the river, which dragged me to the entrance cave I also eat a lot of poison. ...where I am? I look around, and the first thing I see is the annoying prick. Hes looking at me from above, disdain etched in his face. It took you less than I expected. Dont you enjoy being eaten? Its a sublime experience you must have at least once in your life. WHY!? I shout. Why did I appear next to YOU!? When this happens, the one whos eaten always appears in a random spot, far away from the rest; so how come Ive dropped right next to you!? He tilts his head to the side in confusion. Far away? Youre wrong. Its random. The worms might or might not go away, and it took you so little time to kill it, so of course, there was a high chance you would appear right next to me This is why you arent such an expeC Lies! Dont spout any more bullshit, its clear the Evil MastermiC Stop interrupting me, dumbass! Damn it! You never allow me to finish! Oh, look at that annoying prick, daring to interrupt me. Huh, huh, huh! He has finally grown a pair. As I said, the worms movement is random, so who knows where you might appear afteC Then why did it never work like this when I was there? Stop with your wrong assumptions. This proves I know more than you. I forcefully finish our argument. Then, I stand up and dust my clothes. Ugh.! I, I will He starts muttering some incomprehensible things, but I ignore him. Rule number one to keep your sanity: never listen to a crazy persons ramblings. Otherwise, they might start to affect you too, slowly corroding your sanity until you fall and turn into one of them. This is how they propagate themselves, like an infectious plague. As he keeps rambling, I kiss my biceps once again. Yes, I can still feel it in my muscles. Todays the day I beat The Mad Rats Lab once again! Im sure of it!
... Rule 2: dont mention the Evil Mastermind, the Mad Rats Cult, or All Shall Despair. If you do, you will summon them to the forum, and your post is finished. Rule 3: never believe any of their lies. Sometimes, what they say will be true. But first, contrast it with other, more reliable, sources. Rule 4: be careful of posts without a distinguished or anonymous author behind them. The author might be a cultist camouflaged as a normal person. - Manual for publishing and reading posts about The Mad Rats Lab without risks.
Ch 141 - The reason behind the seal In front of us, theres the door to the laboratory. Inside, one of those guys with a lab coat awaits. There should be four of those running slime-like monsters inside. Huh, huh, huh! Lets do this! I need to relieve some stress Stress generated because of the annoying prick, whos currently observing me scornfully as I stretch. Who do you think you are, staring at me like this? The disgusting one is you! I try to go inside, but he stops me, barring my way with his arm. What do you think youre doing? He asks. Huh? Are you blind? Im getting ready to smack that guy. I say pointing at the Lab Assistant. The urge to punch him instead of our enemies keeps growing. What else could I be doing? Did his brain melt? Im sure that, sooner or later, all this fanaticism will affect him, so has the meltdown started? This is why Im stopping you. Its my turn now. He answers making a smug face. Whaaat!? I shout in protest. This is the best part, you cant take it away from me! Suck it up, he turns around and walks into the laboratory, leaving me behind. He shakes his head. *Sigh!* This is why muscleheads are a pain to deal with You YOU! Are you fucking with me!? Yes, go! Go and fight alone. Show everyone your uselessness. This time, I wont save you if youre about to die! I close my fists tightly, stopping the shaking caused because of my anger, and carefully observe his battle. Im not going to allow a single mistake to slip by. Ill make sure to criticize everything I can. No way! Hes hes doing fine!? Ah so you could do it like that I unconsciously mutter, surprised by the fact hes using the enemys damage aura to deal with the scattered lightning rods. This way, he can focus all his attacks on the Lab Assistant and the traps will be destroyed by themselves. Maybe he isnt that bad, after all No, never mind. I take it back. He just made the most stupid mistake: to allow the slime guys to run away. Its a good thing Im here, standing right next to the doors entrance, or we would be doomed. The slime humanoids are trying to run away from the battle inside the room, but dont dare come close to me, and Im blocking the only exit, so were safe for now. Werent you supposed to take care of it by yourself? I say. Then, why didnt you stop these guys? See? This is why I wanted to take care of it myself. I raise my great-axe and swing it at the closest one. I have to make sure the others cant run away, so my movements are limited. But theyre weak, I wont have any trouble killing them. Huh, huh, huh! What are you hesitating for? Come at me with all you have! Laughing, I jump at the blue one, who was trying to sneak behind me. I turn it into a blue puddle. The yellow, green, and red soon follow the firsts fate. Haaa I had to save the day again How useless can this annoying prick be? Do you think Im your servant, always cleaning after your mess? I turn to him and shout out loud, so he can hear me. Hey, I finished here. So finish it already, I dont want to waste C NOOOOOOOOO! His scream interrupts me. Actually its more like a wail, a shout filled with grief. What did you do!? Ive missed most of their fight, so I dont know what happened, but the Lab Assistant is completely immobile. Is it dead? No, it isnt. It started moving again as soon as the annoying prick turned to look at me, so it was petrified. I cross my arms, indifferent to his emotional outburst. I fixed your blunder. You should be thanking me for saving us a lot of painC You dont understand anything! He points at the puddles around me. I didnt kill them on purpose! You RUINED IT! He moves his arms around, gesticulating like a like a madman. Letting them go, and then having to chase after them through the whole dungeon is the best thing in the wholeC Uugh! The Lab Assistant interrupts him, attacking him with his pencil. It was freed from the petrification as soon as the annoying prick looked away, so it was bound to happen. Huh, huh, huh! So stupid. Never look away in the middle of a combat. Such a fool I shrug, smiling. He sends me a last glare before resuming the fight. I calmly observe everything. The annoying prick doesnt use any weapons and fights with his fists. He isnt that bad. If only he stopped making weird cries every time he wings his fists and stopped making stupid and useless poses, he would be a decent fighter. He cant beat me, though. Not in a thousand tries. As soon as he kills the Lab Assistant, he comes stomping in my direction. Hes making the same angry face as before. Why the fuck did you kill them? You ruined it all. Im doing my best to show you the right path, but you ignore everything Ruined it my ass, I laugh. I just saved us a lot of time. Or worse, prevented our deaths. The only thing you saved us from is the real fun! The fear of the unknown, having to search for them in the intricate and unpredictable tunnels, filled with dangers and traps Just imagine it! The feeling of despair As he speaks, his face gradually turns into one of glee. In the middle, he grabs his shoulders and starts twisting around, like a maiden in love a crazy one. He even starts moaning at the end. Ah, aaaaah! I take a few steps backward, taking some distance just in case. Disgusting Is this guy for real? The first and only time I allowed them to run away, it took me a full hour to find and kill them, only to get ambushed by The Tunnels Nightmare on my way back Its a good thing I was here, I try my best to ignore him. Lets continue. *Khm!* He fakes a cough and calms down. Well, the damage is already done, so we might as well continue. What damage!? Killing those monsters is damage? In what world? This guy is in a worse mental state than I initially thought No, no. I shouldnt be surprised. Hes the Insane King! He CANT be normal. So, did you take a proper look at my amazing display of skill and knowledge? He asks. Are you ready to admit youre nothing compared to me? I force myself from pounding the smug face hes making after having accomplished his deed, opening the door to the next area instead. Ill lose if I argue with a madman. I shouldnt lower myself to his level. Are we going to enter The Freezer, or do you want to skip it? I ask. Why would we skip it? Such a blasphemy. Of course, were going in. Are you a coward? Stop calling me a coward! Its getting harder and harder to hold myself back as the Dungeon Invasion progresses.
You must be feeling it by now, right? The sense of awe at His creations. The dread at whats to come, the despair it generates Aaah, aaaaaaaah! The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Preoccupied with my problems, I try my best to ignore him. Where are they? Why cant I find any of them today, when they always appear as soon as I lower my guard? Im searching for one of those transparent MP-draining globs. I want to know where they are because I dont want to die; but most importantly, I want to get rid of this annoying prick as soon as possible. If he dies because of such a monster, he cant blame me. Even if he does, I can always say I didnt notice and hell have to suck it up. Paying close attention to the water film on the ground, I notice some movement. Finally, there it is I start walking sideways, making sure to avoid looking in the monsters direction. When he sees my actions, the annoying prick mutters something to himself. I cant properly hear what hes saying because of the echo, but I wouldnt want to anyway. Oh, finally! Hes finally showing signs of awakening. What a tough nut to crack Fufufu! Hahaha! He starts laughing while making an exaggerated pose. Hmm, Ive seen this before where was it again? Laugh all you want, you crazy, annoying chicken. Keep up like this and youll soon be joining the dead. Ill be the last one to laugh! Huh, huh, huh! The only thing I need to keep an eye on for is those exploding monsters, the Bombers. The other monsters arent dangerous to me, and the slime-bats are just an annoyance as long as I can slam my head into a wall when they try to choke me. Its fun watching the annoying prick run around like a headless chicken when they choke him. Ill never understand why he laughs instead of crying. It spoils part of the fun, but its enjoyable anyway. We continue like this for a while. I keep checking the annoying pricks status to see how his MP is doing. Its steadily decreasing, but he has a lot more than me, itll take a while for him to die. We turn around the corner. In front of us, theres a four-meter-tall high-security door. Its more than twenty centimeters thick, and its bust open. Something huge and powerful must have come out of here. Given the nature of this damned dungeon, Im sure this means a new monster is here. An extremely dangerous one. There are bite marks all along the edge of the broken area, so whatever was inside bit its way out. Literally. How monstrous do you need to be to bite through such a thick, reinforced metal door? I always wondered why was this area sealed if there was nothing really dangerous inside, only weird monsters. Im sure it wasnt implemented yet. Oh, shit. This is new. Were doomed I close my eyes and cover my face, resigned. Evil Mastermind, you did it again! You fucked with me right at the worst moment, as you always do. What did I do to you? Why do you hate me so much? Why cant you allow me to crush this insane fanatic? Why is it ALWAYS ME!? Why do I have to encounter all the new stuff before anybody else!? As much as I enjoy keeping my guide updated, it doesnt mean I want to discover everything by myself! Doubly so when it means Ill die soon after! My muscles, my most loyal friends. You betrayed me today... You told me today was the day I cleared the dungeon, so why do I have to die instead? At least Ill enjoy one last fight to the death... I pump myself up for the inevitable. Yeah, lets do it! Lets go out with a bang! Huh, huh, huh! Yes! YES! Fuck YEEEEES! Contrary to my reaction, the annoying prick starts jumping around in joy before dropping to his knees and praying. I thank you, oh Great Mad Rat for giving me the chance to experience Your great and amazing machinations. I accept the immense honor of being the first one to experience your latest creation. Ill make sure to learn everything I can. I pray for the continued success of your reign. Because All Shall Despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! I observe everything with disgust. If youre so enthusiastic about it, I might as well allow you to be the first to taste this despair you so much enjoy. *RAAAAAAAUGOOOOOH!* We hear a loud roar coming from the other side of the door, from inside the dark room. Its now or never. Enjoy your despair, I say, kicking the annoying prick, and forcing him to move closer to the hole. Im doing you a favor, huh, huh, huh! W-wha? Surprised by the roar and my actions, he cant react in time. He tries to steady himself but ends up falling to the ground. At the same time, a fist bigger than his head appears from the hole, blowing him away. Following the fist, the rest of the body slowly emerges. The almost four-meter-tall monster has the unmistakable head of an orc, including its tusks, on a trolls body. But its body is chubbier, with fat clumps all over its body, and has a grotesque mouth in the stomach area. At its sight, all my fear vanishes and is replaced with wrath. My fists start shaking. Whats wrong with that monstrosity? How dare you defile the majestic body of an orc and a troll like this!? I shout. This is this is Im so angry, I cant find words to express it. It was ok with the wererabbit-orcs because their essence was still there, but the Evil Mastermind went too far this time. This monster doesnt have the majestic build of a troll, nor the ruthless determination of an orc. He turned two amazing units into an such aberration! Poor comrades in arms, Ill make sure to avenge you! *Thump, thump!* The monster stomps its way towards its prey: the annoying prick. Ugh He stabilizes himself but instead of running away, he starts laughing. Fufufu! Hahaha! YES! This is it! Hit me more. Allow me to be the first one to despair with this new creation! Ill make sure to enjoy the best I can. I was starting to feel bad for him, but not anymore You can go and die freely. The two start fighting. I can feel my body heat up at the spectacle. Its a fight against a powerful monster! Even if it means I die, my whole body is asking me to go and join them. But I stop myself. Ill first let him die first to secure my win and then Ill go. I dont want to be the first to fight it anyway, so this is perfect. I observe the monsters movements. The fanatic strikes back with all his strength, but he barely puts a dent in its HP bar. It must be because of the trolls Regeneration. Fufufu! Hahaha! Yes, continue like this. Ill struggle as best as I can, while you destroy all my chances at survival. Oooh, so good I can feel the despair already! Aaah, aaaaaah! Fufufu! Hahaha! This is bad for my sanity, so I turn around, close my eyes, cover my ears, and wait for the punching noises to finish. Theyre loud so I can still hear them. *Punch! Crunch!* Fufufu! Hahaha! Moooore! *Crash! Smack!* ... All the sound disappears. Shortly after, at the thumping of the monsters steps getting closer, I ready myself for battle. Yes, come here. Show me what a real fight is! Im not as weak as that guy there, so dont expect an easy win. Huh, huh, huh! I have a chance at winning this, but it doesn''t matter. Even if I win, itll take me everything I have, and Ill die to whatever comes afterward. My purpose is to enjoy this fight before I die! We exchange powerful blows. Thanks to my battleaxe, I have the same reach as the monster, but Im better. The monster starts accumulating damage until it decides to start using skills. Then, I start taking damage too. Huh, huh, huh! Earth this! Mighty Blow! A large chunk of the monsters HP disappears, and the Regeneration starts filling it back up. In retaliation, the monster swings its fist at me. I parry it, but before contact the fist blurs, changing its trajectory and hitting me anyway. Hey, thats cheating! I complain. Well, it doesnt matter. This is the second assault, lets see if you can survive this, huh, huh, huh! Bloodlust triggers after I take the damage, increasing my attack speed and damage. After this, its me who holds the upper hand, and the monstrositys HP quickly falls. Except for the blurry firsts, Im now able to demolish this monster. Is that all you have? I thought it was going to be harder thanC Ugh! As soon as the monsters HP falls below 50% its attack speed increases too, taking me by surprise and landing a hit. Of course, you have Bloodlust too Were in an equal position now, lets have a fair match to the death! Huh, huh, huh! How long has it been since Ive enjoyed this so much? Was it the last time I tried to fight the Monster Train, maybe? Our fight continues. No, wait. Somethings wrong I keep track of the enemy HP bar as always, but it doesnt decrease. Is it a bug? Why does it not move from 50%...? It doesnt matter how many times I hit the monster, its HP bar stays in the middle point. Lets try this, then I use Mighty Blow once again, dealing a large amount of damage. As I expected, the monsters HP is reduced. It must have been a bug. Lets continue. But it doesnt matter how fast I attack, or how accurate my hits are. The monsters HP keeps increasing instead of decreasing. Until it reaches the 50% mark, and it stays there. I stop attacking to check whats going on, and once Regeneration pushes the HP over the halfway point, the Bloodlust deactivates as normal. What the fuck!? Its impossible to kill it like this! Whats going on? How does it heal so fast? Even with the Trolls regeneration, it shouldnt be able to heal as fast as it does! And why does itC My thoughts are interrupted when the monster opens the mouth in its stomach and bites me, killing me in a single hit.
You have died!
I cant understand anything! I shout, in my phantasmal form. This is it even possible to beat this monster in a fight? Unlike the previous times when I lost a fight, I dont see any way to beat this monster in a 1vs1. Good, good! Can you feel it? The sense of exhilaration produced by the despair? Dont you think its amazing? Fufufu! Hahaha! Now that both of us are dead, we can hear and see each other again. Shut up, I say. I won this duel, so youll have to accept Im better than you. In any way you look at it, from skill to experience to knowledge, is evident I won this match. NEVER! It was a fluke, so I wont. It doesnt count if there was a new monster neither of us knew about.
This was just the first of a long list of duels between the two leaders of their respective factions.
Ch 142 - The more you fight it, the stronger it gets This is it! My greatest creation! Fufufu! Hahaha! I make my epic laughing pose as soon as the monster pops out of the Advanced Giant Operation Table. You and I, together, will conquer the world! The puny, genetically inferior human nations will stand no chance against us! Fufufu! Hahaha! As usual, lightning courses through the laboratory equipment. I cast Chain Lightning too, to make it look even better. Why am I so excited? Ive finally managed to get almost everything ready to upgrade my dungeon. And more importantly, I created my first Amalgam ever! In case you forgot, the Amalgam is the upgraded version of the Hybrid, using three humanoid units instead of two. After their invasion into my dungeon some time ago, my sister Clara asked me to put a monster you had to run away from in the sealed area, and Marta agreed to the idea. This monster I just created will fulfill that role. The unkillable monster! The eternal roamer! The monster that grows more dangerous the more you fight it! If you want to survive, you better run away... Fufufu! Hahaha! I wasnt sure what to do with the second boss slot. I could create the monster that ruled the sealed area, or add something else in the first area, the caves. It took me some time to decide but, in the end, I decided Id use this monster as a boss. After all, theres already a boss-like monster, though hidden, in the caves. As its the first area, theres no real need for a boss, Ill leave it as it is for now. And this means you guessed it right! This means that this already stupidly strong monster will have all its stats doubled when other players come to invade my dungeon! Oh, by the way, here are the monsters basic stats, without any buff applied.
Overgorger (Lv 5)
HP 1.792 (1.280) STA 144 (103) SOU 78 (56)
EP 1.232 (880) MP 728 (520)
STR 114 (82) CON 110 (79) AGI 86 (62)
SPI 58 (42) WIL 105 (75) DEX 93 (67)
SPD 5 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Blurry Strike, Rotating Swipe. Triggered: Gods Intervention, Survival Instinct - Lv 3 (Powerful, Unrelenting). Passive: Blood Power, Bloodlust (Innate), Gluttony (Innate), Regeneration (Innate).
Yep, the stats are starting to reach a ridiculous level, though its balanced in its own way. This monster costs over 1.000 cp; with the extra cost for the Amalgam, its 1.050 cp to be exact. And this is without the level-up costs! I still remember the time when I had to search for specific units to reach high Dexterity to use them for automatic unit creation Now, with the three monsters stats added together, almost any unit will do. I have no intention of using the Overgorger for that, though. If I put it in the lab, itll stay there when the dungeon instance is created, messing with all my plans. Alright! Lets go over this as quickly as possible! Ive got a lot more stuff to show you today! Fufufu! Hahaha! Ooh, my cute, ugly, unkillable monster Im going to enjoy the invaders reactions so much I say, rubbing my face on the monsters thigh. It feels a little disgusting because of the fat clumped randomly all around its body, but I do it anyway. Yeah, this monster is quite tall, my head only reaches its thigh. The Overgorger goes like this: you cant kill it and you shouldnt fight it. Thats it, simple, right? Hahaha! Thanks to the units used, the Troll, the Chief C one of the orc units C and the Glutton you just saw the other day, the Overgorger brings the dont touch it concept to another level. Why, you ask? Its because of how all its skills work. First, is the Gluttony skill. The more you hit it, and the more it hits you, the more energy it accumulates, charging until it can one-shot any invader. This by itself isnt much, but if you add to it the trolls Regeneration, which extends the fight, making it last longer Good luck surviving the charged Gluttony skill! Fufufu! Of course, this isnt all. Did you really think it would be this easy!? The real danger comes when the Overgorger reaches the 50% health mark. At this point, both the Bloodlust and Survival Instinct skills kick in, and the Overgorger turns into a true killing machine. If you remember, Bloodlust raises the attack speed and damage; while the upgraded Survival Instinct Take a look by yourselves.
Survival Instinct - Lv 3 (Triggered skill)
When you have less than 30% HP, regenerate 1% HP per second.
Upgrades
Powerful: Raises the HP regenerated to 2% per second.
Unrelenting: Raises the HP threshold to 50%.
Yep, its like an extra Regeneration once the HP goes below 50%, raising the total to 7% maximum HP per second. Ive calculated it, and with the champions buff, the Overgorger will recover around 230 HP per second. Can you imagine it? Itll recover more HP per second than the maximum HP of most of my monsters! Good luck bringing such a monster down! Fufufu! Hahaha! The two active skills are there to fill the Overgorgers gaps without increasing its fighting power too much. Blurry Strike makes its attacks harder to avoid C I learned this was important when training against my older sister.
Blurry Strike (Activated skill)
Cost: 30 EP
Your next attack is blurred, making it harder to avoid.
And Rotating Swipe is to deal with hordes of enemies. Gluttony is single-target so it needed some AoE skill, and Rotating Swipe is perfect because its cheap and weak while hitting all units in melee range.
Rotating Swipe (Active skill)
Cost: 70 EP
Deal (5 + STR) physical damage to every unit in a 1-meter radius around yourself.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. But the tip of the cake is the Blood Power skill. Do you remember my Braindead Assassins, who attacked until they killed themselves with this skill? Theyre still somewhere in my dungeon, though I dont remember where Ill have to look at it later when I update the dungeon Anyway! The relevant part of Blood Power is this one: it allows the Overgorger to continue using skills even after running out of EP and MP, using HP instead. Sometimes, if you cant hope to defeat a Troll or similar monster, the best course of action is to stall for time until they run out of EP, the Regeneration skill will then stop, and you can kill them easily. Well this wont work against the Overgorger, because itll use HP instead. And since it regenerates so much HP every second Itll never die! Haaa I think Ive fallen in love I say, caressing the Overgorgers thigh. I must thank Clara for asking me to create such a monster Who would have known her idea of a monster you have to run away from would turn into such an amazing monster. This grotesque four-meter-tall troll, with a disproportionately small orc head, fat clumps all around its body, and the Gluttons mouth in the stomach area, is my greatest creation. But Im sure Ill surpass myself in the future Fufufu! Hahaha!
Alright, this should be all Fiuu, it took me longer than I expected. But it was worth the time! Until now, Ive been postponing the dungeon changes. The only part I did was changing the first, big cavern with the turtles and the hidden boss-non-boss monster and adds Ah, right! Im sorry, but what I said was wrong! I also moved The Freezer, turning it into an optional area. In the first laboratory, there are now two doors, one which leads to The Freezer, and one that leads to the second laboratory. In exchange, I added another entrance to the sealed area at the end of The Freezer. Those players who dont mind gore and being swarmed by Stitched now have another option to get there. They can avoid the Panicky Spitters and the second Lab Assistant, as well as only having to cross the Minitaur Queens area one time. Its also a measure to appease those players complaining about having to chase after the Panicky Spitters for hours If they mess it up and the Panicky Spitters escape, they can now choose The Freezers route instead. Alright! So, to recapitulate *Khm, khm!* I hope I didnt miss anything because I want to finish this already. ...The entrances slide is finished! There are no changes in the entrance except for the slide that leads to the underground lake, to the closest point possible to the caves entrance, for those players who are impatient. Theres also a slight chance theyll be dropped into a random place inside the tunnel area; and an even lower one theyll end up inside the Sealed Area. Shhht!, dont tell anyone, ok? Its a secret! The cave was finished long ago, so the next area is the tunnels. Hmm the important parts were the Demonic Swarmers, the mushrooms, and ah, yes! The Tunnels Nightmare! Fufufu! Hahaha! This is going to be fun. This is the part that took more time. There are now lots of Demonic Swarmers in the tunnels, where should have been from the beginning, and a lot of Goblimps everywhere in the dungeon except for a few very specific rooms, like the laboratories. It took a long time to capture enough units to create so many Demonic Swarmers and Goblimps, especially the Goblimps. Not because theyre harder to find but because of how many I needed. I put Goblimps inside the Minitaur Queens room and The Freezer too.... And they can now follow you inside the Sealed Area after you open it Theyre like cockroaches! Theyre everywhere! It doesnt matter how many you kill, there will always be more! Fufufu! Hahaha! As for The Tunnels Nightmare, whats even more terrifying than a monster that can appear at any time, and scatter your party because of the fear effect? This is a very easy question. Its worse if you have TWO of them instead of one! Hahaha! No, seriously. The tunnels are getting bigger over time, and a single one of them isnt enough to cover them anymore. There were lots of players who never found The Tunnels Nightmare a single time during a dungeon invasion, something I cant allow to happen. A second one will make sure this doesnt happen anymore. I changed the games settings so that they never get close to one another, so the invaders may never know there are now two of them! Unless they kill one and then find the other Shut up, you idiot! Dont ruin my expectations! ...ugh, Im sorry? Hmm were was I? Ah, yes! The mushrooms. I took this chance to unlock a few more types. My favorites are the Frenzy mushroom, which increases all stats but makes the unit affected attack the closest unit for a short time; and the Fear mushrooms, which inflict, duh, fear. But I also unlocked the Freezing and Burning ones. You know, the normal mushrooms you can find anywhere As for the other changes The Overgorger is the new second boss, the reason why the Sealed Area was well, sealed Ah! The reinstauration of the Silent Kidnappers and the upgraded Monster Train, I almost forgot! Ive concluded that getting extra units without having to lift a finger is good for my mental health; to save a lot of time if Im lucky. But what about the problem of them clogging my Stasis capsules, you ask? I solved it. Now I have a perfect way to get rid of them. A way to get rid of the extra, useless, garbage units. Like humans. Or humans. Did I mention humans? Of course, when needed, I can use them to create Fleshlings or Flesh Golems after I unlock them, but this isnt the best approach. From now on, Ive decided that, when I need to free some space, I can simply use them to create more units for the Monster Train. It doesnt matter if theyre weak or useless, because their numbers are the only important part of the Monster Train. Its perfect for the garbage human units! *Whooo, whoooo!* Human garbage! Welcome aboard the Monster Train! Hahaha! There were fifty Stitched in the Monster Train at the beginning, and now their numbers have doubled thanks to all the garbage I got! By the way, its possible to create a Hybrid between a human unit and another human unit as long as it isnt the same Dont ask how I know it, Im ashamed of myself for trying it. But this is whats important: as you might expect, the resulting unit is as useless as the originals. Fufufu! Hahaha! ...Fucking humans, theyre so useless! The Stitched dont have an innate skill either, so theyre equally useless. Ive always said it, right? The Stitched are useless. And ugly, and slow, and stupid, and lets leave it at this or we can stay here until tomorrow The last change is, hmm the Rabbit Paradise, right? Yep, this is the last part. *Sigh!* The Rabbit Paradise I shudder. My sister didnt stop pestering me until I created such a thing. As it previously did, the Rabbit Paradise connects to the first laboratory, allowing the invaders to skip the tunnel area if they so wish. The Rabbit Paradise is now so big, that I put the entrance directly into the first caves, on the left side next to the underground lake. I I would recommend against going there. Id rather face the random stuff in the tunnels, the mushrooms, and the two lords inside it C this is what I like to call The Tunnels Nightmare, since they arent actual bosses C than go into that abominable area. If I were an invader, that is. I even added a sign saying Do not pat the rabbits! just in case Apart from seemingly harmless rabbits, there are now Octobbits, the rabbit version of the Octocat. Lets ignore them because the relevant new units are the others. There are also more Not A Rabbit and Curse Rabbits than before, but theyre the minor of my problems. The actual problem is those mixed with the abyss units Clara pestered me to create. Remember that horrendous monster with multiple eyes that turned into mouths and vice versa, growing in and out of its bulbous body? Yeah Youre right. Im sure you can imagine the rest. As long as they stay in their rabbit form, theyre ok. But once they transform If you pat one of them, thinking how cute this rabbit is, itll transform and youll have nightmares for weeks to come. The worst part, for those unaware of the hidden aberrations under the rabbits skin, is that passive skills keep working even when theyre transformed. So invaders that come inside the Rabbit Paradise will have their MP constantly drained by them. A true, true nightmare. I shudder. Apart from these two, there are also tree-wererabbits now. These, cousins to the Treants C though the actual unit is another, weaker one C, come close to you before entangling you with their roots and draining all your HP and EP. There are two angel-wererabbits too. If they spot an isolated target, they transform, pick it up, and drop it from above, usually killing it. Then, they return to the ground and hide between the other rabbits. In short: every new wererabbit is a monster mixed with something new and dangerous, but youll never know which one youre dealing with until its too late. You cant run away because of the orc-wererabbits, you cant look at them because of the abyss-wererabbits, you cant allow them to get close to you because of the tree-rabbits, and you cant split up because of the angel-rabbits and you cant kill them because of the Curse Rabbits. Theres nothing you can do! Its better to ignore this area and go through the normal and predictable tunnels, dont you think? Fufufu! Hahaha! The Octobbit? What about it? Its a Creepy, so its inoffensive. Did you expect it to be dangerous, too?
ALWAYS bring some mob to act as bait, and protect it so it doesnt die. If you ever hope to clear the sealed area, youll need it. The boss isnt fast. It isnt smart, either. This might as well be the ONLY SINGLE F*****G MONSTER in the WHOLE F*****G DUNGEON that fights you without any tricks, but theres ABSOLUTELY NO WAY you can defeat it! Believe me, Im not kidding. So dont f**k around, use your bait, and hope itll keep the boss occupied for long enough. If you want to try your luck, you better stick a poisonous mushroom up your a** or go say hello to a group of Bombers. NEVER touch the Sealed Area boss! The more you fight it, the stronger it gets; and the stronger it gets, the more horrible death youll get. And if youre not sure your bait will be enough BRING. A. FEW. MORE! Just in case. - Extract from the Chapter Important things to look out for from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 143 - Welcome to The Mad Rats Lab One day, the following post appeared in the Dungeon Masters Arena forums. [Hello everyone! Its me, everyones favorite rat! Hahaha! Ive been sad recently because nobody has reached the end since I did the most recent dungeon changes. My poor babies are crying in a corner because they cant play with you And this cant be! This cant continue! So I came here to extend you a formal challenge. Will you be the first to clear my dungeon and prove it by uploading a video of your achievement? Will you be the greatest hero of all time? I welcome everyone to The Mad Rats Lab! I look forward to it, and Im sure you do, too. Fufufu! Hahaha! Yours sincerely, Mad Rat PD: Ill allow the winner to ask me any one wish. It must be something I can do, ok? Dont go too crazy. Youll also win an amazing chat with me and everyones favorite, my amazing older sister, Anthemia! How is it? Dont you love it? Fufufu! Hahaha! PD 2: Oh, yeah. Ill only accept your win if you use Champions and stuff you can unlock before level 10. Power-stomping isnt good, dont you agree?]
Standing in front of hundreds of undead, perfectly aligned in rows and columns, a pale-faced man with blue eyes is reading some text in front of him. A chat with Andreus older sister, huh? With my amazing game knowledge and my friendship with him, Im sure I stand a chance. And then, maybe, I can make her become my teacher Lets do it! Im sure Ill win this time! Hahaha! The undead player makes the screen disappear, turning to the immobile undead army in front of him, awaiting his orders. The time has come! He shouts. Were going to invade the world of the living once again. This will be the most important time, so I wont allow a single mistake! As he raises his arm high, the undead legion follows suit. For the undead! For the eternal feasting on mortal souls! Hahahaha! *WHOOAAAAA!* Drowning his laughter, the undead army roars in unison.
Hmm Fufufu! Interesting Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Sitting on a comfortable sofa, a young woman is reading something on her phone. You sure know how to incite the people, Andreu But are you sure about this? I hope you dont regret it later. After all, all the Mad Cultists will come as soon as they see the post. No, Im sure you didnt think about it at all She pauses to take a sip from a cup of tea. Fufufu! You never think about the consequences As silly as always. The woman starts stretching before standing up. But if anyone can participate, I can too, right? The woman stops moving for a while, a hand on her chin in thought. Anything I ask Maybe, if I win, I can he cant complain if I ask for this, right? Fufufu! Laughing, she walks and grabs a gaming helmet. I hope you asked for your sisters consent beforehand. Otherwise, shell get angry
[URGENT CALL TO ACTION! Leave everything youre doing and dive into The Mad Rats Lab! This is an emergency! The chance to show our faith! The chance to show our world our beliefs! The chance to demonstrate were His best followers! If you dont join as soon as possible, well judge you as an unbeliever and expel you from the Mad Rats Cult. There wont be another chance! There are no excuses! Sickness, work, family Nothing matters! A true believer will leave EVERYTHING to follow the Great Mad Rats call. WE CANT ALLOW ANYONE ELSE TO GET THAT WISH!]
Hey, Wizardess! Did you read that post? Theres a chance to meet Anthemia! Why dont we participate, too? I want to win! Slow down, Barbarian. I have no idea what youre talking about. What!? But this is the only thing theyre talking about in the forums right now! I cant believe you have noC The image blurs, before everything turns black. Sometime after, a woman takes out her gaming helmet. I was forcefully disconnected? How weird, it never happened before. She calmly puts the helmet in its usual spot. Then she combs her hair, making sure not a single hair is out of place. She then dusts her clothes, checking for any wrinkles. Finally, she reluctantly grabs her phone, whichs been shaking and making noise for a while, and checks it. [Barbarian: 50+ unread messages] Sigh
*Knock, knock* Marta, Marta! Are you here? Yes, I am. What do you want? Marta opens the door to her room and invites her younger sister inside. Clara starts to explain, very excited. Did you read Andreus post? Why dont we go and force him to do our bidding instead of allowing someone else to ask him for anything? What do you think? Want to come with me? Andreus post? What are you talking about? Oh, you didnt know? Here you have it 20 seconds later *Bam! Bam! Bam!* Andreu, open the door! *Bam! Bam!* I know youre inside. Stop hiding under the bed and open the damn door! Do you think hiding until I go away will solve anything!? *Bam! Bam!* Are you deaf!? I said: open the door! *Crash!* Andreeeeu, I got yoooou. Aaagh, Clara, save meeeeeeee! Dont stare at me like that Dont you adore your brother? Then help him before he dies. Ugh! I, cant, breathe Hey, my dear brother. You know what? Clara told me about your liiiiittle, tiny post Why didnt you tell me beforehand? She glares at him. If glares could kill, he would have died a thousand times. Do you know what I hate the most? Its people who use my name without my consent! How dare you put my name there without asking me first!? Now Ill have to punish you. Ugh! Clara! Somebody! Save meeeeee!
That day, the DMA servers collapsed.
Ch 144 - A new contestant? Hmm so this is the dungeon you told me about? Are you sure were in the right one? Everybody says how weird everything in this dungeon is, but arent we in a common, run-of-the-mill forest? My elf companion bites his lips before answering. This is this is just the entrance. The calm before the storm. It isnt until we enter the cave that the crazy stuff will begin. Aha, I understand, I nod, smiling. Its one of those warning things, right? I havent seen the entrance, but I already like it! I knew you would like it haha This isnt his first time. He came two times, I believe? The first time he couldnt reach the end, so he had to come again. He told me something about an orc player helping him, some expert or the like, but they died anyway. I dont know what happened the first two times, but he was reticent to guide me today. He asked me to find somebody else to guide me, but I could do nothing about it. This is work, and I need him here. He tries to hide it, but I notice his hands are shaking. His eyes also dont have the usual glint in them. Is this dungeon really that scary? I know he isnt a habitual VR player, and that he isnt very good at it, but still He has been into many dungeons as our scout, he should be accustomed to it by now. What could have happened for him to be like this? I feel my excitement grow. Im not sure what to expect, but Im sure itll be interesting. You know, MonC Dont use my real name inside the game! I cover his mouth with my hand before he says my full name. Use my nickname instead. O-ok! Ill do it! Celmin, Ill call you Celmin from now on! Geez how many times has it been already? You always forget. I-Im sorry. I-its t-the habit He stutters. If we were in real life, he would be blushing right now. Haaa its fine, I wont get angry for something like this If I were to, I would never be happy. But when will you stop reacting like this all the time? Weve been going out for a year now, and you still react like a cherry boy. Its annoying! This is why the others are always joking about you! Hahaha its i-its this dungeon, that puts me on e-e-edge Im sorry. With how reluctant he was to come, Im sure he only agreed because it was me who came with him. If it was any other teammate, hed do the impossible to avoid it. He can be so sweet sometimes He shoved his fear away to come with me and be my guide. But this only makes me more curious. *Sigh* Lets forget about it and move on. Im tired of his apologies, so I cut the conversation. But Im curious. Whats in this dungeon that youre so scared of? W-what? Scared? I-Im not scared orC Its written on your face, I interrupt him. His stuttering; his swimming eyes, darting around to avoid my gaze; and the fact that he hasnt taken a single step yet are evident signs. He tries to act though, but I know him too well to be deceived. Ah, haha y-yeah, I knew it wouldnt work He shudders. If we dont die, youll see it later. I know you love surprises, so I wont tell you. Oh, how sweet of him But Im even more curious now! Not sure if I should get angry or happy at him, for not telling me, I chain our arms together and start dragging him toward the dungeon caves entrance. Theres a path in this forest, you cant get lost. Ooh! I exclaim, surprised. You told me the entrance looked like a mouth, but I didnt expect this! I dont see whats so good about it To me, it only reminds me of the awful things that come after this Hahaha! Pay attention. Im going to explain it to you so you can look out for things like this in the future; for when you go scouting for dungeons on your own. I start my explanation, pointing at the important parts to make sure he follows. As you said, this looks like a creepy mouth, but at the same time, it doesnt, right? Now that you say it, it does look natural In our job, you need to quickly discern the good dungeons from those that arent worth the effort. The first sign of a good dungeon is the attention to the small details. Ive seen many similar entrances where the creator overdid it and it ended up being too artificial. If its supposed to be sculpted or excavated, then, it could make sense, but otherwise I signal him to continue the phrase. He hesitates for a moment before he opens his mouth. ...its not worth the attention and I should move to the next dungeon? Youre right! I pat him on the shoulder. Its also a good thing that the forest turns redder the closer you get. Its almost as if it were drenched in blood. It creates anticipation and warns about the weird stuff inside. because you told me the weird stuff starts after this, right? Y-yes, yes. I make the first step inside the cave and immediately notice something I didnt expect. Whats this hole? I ask. I dont know it wasnt here before How exciting! If I stick my hand inside, will something happen? N-no! Stop! Why? I ask. Dont you want to know whats inside? Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He hesitates to answer. Im sure its because he doesnt want to hurt my feelings I-it isnt a good idea to poke unknown things in this dungeon. He says. We might die. or maybe not and hes just scared. All right, all right! I say, shaking my head. I wont put my hand inside for now. First comes finishing our work. We can always come back later. I notice him shuddering, but I ignore him. Oh, look! The first mushroom! Hey, look at this! It has a tiny face. And its distorted, almost as if it is screaming! Ive been working on this for more than two years now, but it continues to surprise me the level of detail this game has. I know there are lots of memes about mushrooms and this dungeon, but I never understood them. I dont think theyre about the screaming mushrooms, so I wonder where they come from I guess Ill discover it soon! Its a shame theres no sound effects, I say, to nobody in particular. We could ask the owner to add screams, or we could add them later in post-production He tilts his head to the side. Hmm? But there were screams when I came. Is that so? Then this means the dungeon owner made some changes. How exciting! Lets go, to the unknown! I raise my fist and start walking forward. W-wait! Dont rush ahead! D-dont leave me behind! Hahaha, for a moment, I thought he wanted to stick to me like usual, but the truth is that hes afraid. This only makes my interest grow even further. Oooh, look at these claw marks! Theyre so huge! I know theyre decorations, but if they were real do you think well find the monster that made them? I-I He bites his lips and trembles. Oooh, he knows something but doesnt want to tell me! This is going to be so much fun! Hahaha! I smile.
So can you explain to me again why do I have to come with you? I know weve talked about this quite a lot of times already, but I cant understand her reasoning at all. Because Wizardess didnt want to come with me, so I politely asked you to come. See? Dont you think its a ridiculous reasoning? If she were to at least act her role as a barbarian and say something like As battle brothers, we have to defeat the mad rat and take the spoils together!, I would understand. But this this is way too unreasonable. Ill ask again, just in case. And how does this relate to me? I know weve played together sometimes, but Im not in your playgroup, so They didnt want to come with me, so I had no other choice but to politely ask you. Politely!? POLITELY!? You sent me more than fifty messages before I answered, and when I said no, you didnt stop sending more until I reluctantly agreed! I have more than two hundred messages as proof! I point at her with my finger. You harassed me into it! She snorts. Hah, dont sweat the little things or youll grow old Hahaha! Do you understand the joke? Youre already dead, so you cant grow old! Puhahaha! The nerve I feel my anger slowly rising at her actions. At least shes now acting more like a barbarian, doing whatever she pleases and justifying her actions with unreasonable explanations. ...thanks for explaining the joke I guess? But not everything is bad. With her on my side, I have more chances to be the first to beat this dungeon. Then, Ill finally ask Andreus sister to teach me everything she knows, and Ill be the greatest player in the whole world! Hahaha! Are you mad, Baldy? Are you mad at me? Youre making a sour face! Its so funny! She strikes my back several times while laughing. No, Im fine But since Im helping you, youll have to treat me with the respect I deserve. First of all, stop calling me Baldy and call me by my full nickname instead: TheGreatBaldSage. You can also call me Great Sage instead. Or simply Sage. You can also call me senpai if you like it more, orC No. Did I mishear? She didnt allow me to finish, so I wasnt listening. What did you say? I politely ask. I said no. ... what? Why not!? Cant you see Im suffering here because of the nickname? You owe me one for helping you today! She tilts her head to the side, in confusion. Shes faking it. I can see the nasty smile shes desperately trying to hold back. Why should I change the way I call you? Everybody calls you Baldy, so Im going to call you like this too. Ive been calling you like that until now anyway, havent I? This unreasonableness and selfishness the feeling of betrayal Thats more like it! Thats how a barbarian should behave! She has a long way to perfection and will need a lot of effort to reach my level, but its now decent enough. Hahaha! Youre now starting to act like a true barbarian. I nod. I like it. Hey! What do you mean by now!? Ive been acting like one since before I met you! Yes, yes. Whatever you say. For me, youre still a kidC I start patting her head, but she quickly pushes my hand away. Stop it! She pouts and covers her head with her hands so I cant do it again. She glares at me. Hahaha, how funny. This dungeon invasion promises. If we win and I get to ask Anthemia any favor, itll be the best dungeon invasion ever! I have a huge advantage over any other participant: I know everything about Andreus dungeon and I helped design some parts of it. This, paired with my game knowledge will surely give us an edge! But its a shame I wont be able to get a lot of humans juicy, tasty souls All right, its fine, I say. You can call me whatever you want, and Ill still help you. But if we win, Ill take the wish for me, ok? I dont mind. I want to do this to meet Anthemia. Shes my idol! She puffs out her chest. Then, she raises her axe and runs off, not waiting for me. Lets go! Battle awaits! If you dont come fast, I wont leave a single monster alive for you, you wont eat any souls! Hahaha! How dare she! Hey, dont run so fast, I cant keep up! It isnt only me but our mobs who cant keep up either. I know everything about this dungeon, you must listen to everything I say! This incredibly knowledgeable undead will teach you everything you need to know Do you know about the recently created slide thatll save us a lot of time? We must strive for efficiency if we want to clear this dungeon as fast as possible and be the ones to win! Lets take the slide! She shouts, ignoring the rest of what I said. Urgh the nerve Shortly after the two left the scene, in the same place ...Ummm Hello? Im here too, you know? Left behind by his two comrades, a languid elf lazily stands up from the ground. Did they forget I was here because I didnt say anything? Really, theyre so impulsive He scratches his cheek. Well I should go after them, right? Theyre going to die if Im not there. Without hurrying, he picks up some kind of branch with creeping vines over its surface, and green leaves growing out of it. This staff, paired with the plants growing out of several parts of his robe, allows no possible error as to what character he plays: hes a druid. Uaaaam He yawns. ...hmm But man, what good sleep I had. They took so long arguing between themselves that I got bored and laid down. But then, as soon as they finished, they ran away Barbarian is always like this He stretches, looks in the direction they left, and takes a battle posture, ready for any surprise that might come his way. Finally, he starts walking. I hope there are no poison-resistant monsters today I had enough in the tournament. He strokes his beard in thought. To think Ill come here one day Barbarian, you owe me one. He scans his surroundings, uneasy.
Like moths to a flame, the players started entering The Mad Rats Lab, each with their own goals. Some were looking for the promised wish, and some for their own, unrelated reasons. But, like moths to a flame, the only thing most of those players would achieve is to burn to their deaths.
Ch 145 - You, too, can enjoy your work Hmmm interesting. M-mon I-I mean, Celmin! Cant we go any f-faster? I want to spend as little time as possible in here. My companion asks. He has spent all the time since we entered the cave anxiously looking around. Calm down, Corp. Youre with me, nothing will happen to you I try to tranquilize him. N-no. Dont call me like that. P-please It brings me back to that day His eyes glaze over for a moment. I know its my nickname, but Id rather you call me Slave instead. What the hell happened to him? He doesnt want to tell me, but Im so curious! Hmm its a little how to say it I cant call him Slave, can I? Hes my boyfriend, calling him that is too much for me, even if its a nickname. Im not into that kind of stuff Cant we agree on something else? Im not comfortable with it. How about Ave? As long as it isnt C-c-corp He isnt convinced about it, but its the best I can come up with quickly. Im not great at creating stuff but at evaluating it. This is why Im so good at my job. Having resolved this problem, I return to what I was doing previously: inspect and record everything I see. And answering to your previous question I say. No, we cant go faster. This requires some time. When we look out for dungeons, the first thing we want is realism. Dungeon Masters Arena allows the players to create extremely realistic dungeons. Sometimes, theyre so good that its difficult to differentiate them from the real world. It hasnt been long since DMA started, but Ive been in all kinds of dungeons, ranging from those that consist of empty square rooms with only monsters, to those where so many creatures and details coexist that make you feel as if you were transported to another world. From what Ive seen so far, this dungeon would be on the detailed side, though itd need a lot more work to be one of the best Ive seen. But this doesnt mean Im not interested in this dungeon. Realism by itself isnt enough, we also want something new and exciting. Something unique, something with character. The viewers of Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons, or M&Dx2 for short, are quite exigent, after all. Ill never forget the dreamy experience in that dungeon with the swarm of glowing fireflies, beautifully dancing around like stars in the sky. A dungeon where bright flowers showed the path, while sleek and slender shadows were ready to pounce at you as soon as you lowered the guard. Or the dread I felt in that other dungeon. An eternal battlefield without death. Mountains of corpses everywhere. They rose, fought, died, and rose again in an infinite macabre dance; waiting for the day youll join them in their eternal suffering. I remember Corp having nightmares for a whole month after that one Hahaha! Ah, no, wait. He doesnt want to be called like that anymore. But the game is filled with both beautiful and dreadful dungeons, and weve covered a lot of them. This is why were here today, were looking for something different. For example Right now, theres the corpse of a giant turtle in front of me. It has a mushroom on its back and different colored spots on its skin and shell. At first, I thought the mushroom was parasitizing the turtle somehow, but it turns out it isnt: its a single creature. Can you feel it? I ask Corp. ...feel feel what? I dont understand what you meanC The madness! I interrupt, exasperated at his reaction. Or lack of. Cant you feel the madness in this dungeon? Everything weve seen so far is screaming at us theres something absolutely mad creating the monsters that weve seen everywhere! He shudders. I, huh, well I-I I already knew? Then why didnt you answer when I asked you!? No, no, no Calm down, me. Its a waste of time to argue with him right now, hes too scared to act like a proper person. I inhale and exhale a few times before asking him another question. What level did you say the player who owns this dungeon is? He thinks for a while before answering. ...hmmm. Was it six or seven? Really? So low? Its hard to believe a player with such a low level will have enough free cp to spend on non-gameplay-related stuff like critters and decorations, but you never know. Well have to see the rest of the dungeon first, it might be too soon for this one. But this doesnt make this dungeon any less impressive. Since weve started looking out for new kinds of dungeons, Ive seen a few ones with the mad scientist theme, but all of them were bad. Those that werent shabby, or simply horrible, were too focussed on one of two things: either they were obsessed with believability, creating monsters and were realistic but forgetting about everything else; or focussing too much on the mad part, creating completely random stuff that made no sense at all. This dungeon is the first Ive seen where everything makes sense so far. Weve seen harmless but very weird critters, as well as some dangerous ones; a monster with two heads, one from a Goblin and one from an Imp; and the turtles. The monsters are ingenious while keeping an equilibrium between their power, madness, and the surprise they create when you see them for the first time. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it as well as their good match with the environment. For example. This area is hard to traverse because of the different elevations and the rocks and other stuff blocking our way. But its possible to see most of the caves from everywhere thanks to the openings, and the stalactites and stalagmites that prevent movement but not vision. I can imagine the disaster it can be if several turtles set their sights on you at the same time, shooting at you from everywhere. Its something that can happen but isnt assured. It can also be that only one of them attacks, like it happened to us. This creates a sense of uneasiness, a sense of uncertainty. You expect the worst to happen, but if it doesnt, your anxiety grows instead of dissipating. It makes you think you were lucky and the worst is yet to come. Its almost as if a crazy, evil mastermind observed your every move. Lets go, Ave! Theres a lot more to see! Hahaha!
First Apostle, situation report! Make it short this time! Yes, Leader. A wereshark player genuflects in front of another player, a chicken-headed player. I just received a messC But right after starting his report, the Leader stops him. Stand up, you fool. Dont you know we dont have time for this? We must keep going on and on, never stopping, until we destroy the dungeon core! We cant waste time with formalities! He then grabs the wereshark by his clothes and pulls him up, not before giving him an intense glare. The chicken-headed player looks around for a moment. Dim light, walls coated with a greenish, sticky substance, and a thin film of water covering the uneven floor This is a scene hes used to, but this time is different. He has a purpose other than enjoyment today. A mix of weird monstrosities, werebeasts, and, unexpectedly, humans, are standing behind him. Corpses of human-headed beasts litter the ground. Lets go, Bil. Tell me as we go. So, as I was saying, I just received a messC The two players start walking. Again, right after starting his report, the Leader interrupts him. Al! How are you doing? Did you find the key yet? The Leader shouts, his voice echoing through the decayed passages. Not long after, another male voice replies. Similar to his own, this players voice too echoes in in the empty passages. Not yet, Bro. What a shame We cant only keep searching. Aaaah, so close but yet so far The Leader shouts again. Keep searching, Al. And remember to check its the real one, we cant waste time coming back! And dont fight the Boss if you find it! Sure, Ill check it, Bro. And Ill avoid the Boss. Where are you right now? Hmm sector C. I just killed the Bombers so there are no remaining obstacles, other than the Boss. Good job, Al. Continue on your own. Youre our best player, show your worth! Fufufu! Hahaha! Sure thing, Bro! The Leader stops shouting and the voice from the other player cant be heard anymore. Everythings going according to plan, Bil! Fufufu! Hahaha! Well be the first ones to beat the dungeon and get His wish! Aaah, I cant wait to ask for what weve always wanted Soon, our Mad Rats Cult will be acknowledged by no other than our God! Aaah, haaaah. The chicken-headed player hugs himself and starts twisting around, moaning. Yes itll be amazing to meet my teacher again. Bil makes a happy face. Ill ask him to teach me so many things Your teacher? Ah, right. I almost forgot If only it were me instead of this blockheaded idiot The Leader makes a sour face. Then, in spite, he punches Bil on his shoulder, saying. Well go to sector D, where the Boss spawns. Divided like this we can cover twice as much terrain. Arent I a genius? Fufufu! Hahaha! But Leader, its only because we have Al with us. Nobody else can go alone like that Shut up, you fool! The Leader gets angry at his follower who dare contradict him. And why arent you going on with the report!? Didnt I tell you twice already!? But you were talking with Al No excuses! The wereshark tries to defend himself, but the Leader unreasonably pushes the blame onto him. Explain as we go. Noticing Bill stays quiet, he adds. Come on! We dont have all day! The wereshark, whos not sure how to react because his respect towards the Leader clashes with his need to retort, starts his explanation for the third time. I just received a report saying that groups 7 and 24 have failed. Theyll start again from the start, but we cant count on them anymore The Leader crosses his arms at this information and grinds his teeth. Those fools! Make sure to write down their names. Theyll be punished after this ends! All right He gulps, thinking how glad he is to be on this team. The Leader and Al are here, so he wont be punished even if they fail. Groups 2 and 3 have reached the Sealed Area and are looking for the key; groups 4 and 19 are struggling against the Minitaur Queen The dark passage splits several times, but the two players dont hesitate a single time about where to go. Its as if they knew every single corner of this place. When they see a prison cell or a containment room, they dont forget to check if theres a key inside. Unfortunately for them, they only found one so far. It was a fake one. ...The only team that didnt die and has reached the laboratory area is team 44 They divided the whole Mad Rats Cult into groups of three to increase their chances of clearing the dungeon. More players means more support mobs and a higher survivability rate. Each team was carefully crafted to create a balanced party, raising their chances or thats what they believed. Because they went with the infallible rule of Im more important, so I go first. This is why group 1 has the Leader, Al, their best player, and Bil, the First Apostole. Then, group 2 had the Second, Third, and Fourth Apostoles and so on. As the report progresses, the Leader grows anxious, stomping his feet occasionally and punching a few walls. Slow. Theyre too slow! He complains, interrupting Bils report for the umpteenth time. Doesnt this mean were the group thats closest to the end!? It depends on how lucky they are to find the key, but in general, thats right Aaargh! And to think I mobilized everyone for this! Punishment for everyone! No, training! Once we finish, there will be intensive training for everyone! Fufufu! Hahaha! Bil shudders at the word punishment, imagining whats about to come. But then, when he hears the word training, he almost falls to his butt. I-isnt that too much? The Leader ignores his complaint and continues with his ramblings. Ill force everyone into a hundred drills, everyone will have to *Blip!, Blip!* Two simultaneous blip sounds interrupt him. The echo makes it difficult to know where they come from exactly, but one comes from behind and the other from the left, so they come from different locations Immediately, the Leaders expression switched to one of glee. Aaaah, finally, something good! Rejoice, Bil! Were going to have some fun now! Fufufu! Hahaha! He starts running ahead, in the direction of the first blip. But, the report I didnt finish it yet Without any other choice, Bil shrugs and starts following him.
Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons, or M&Dx2 for short, was a very popular TV show. In it, they explored fantasy worlds and filmed players diving into them. The audience loved the amazing worlds that appeared in the show, but they loved even more the reactions of the players. This was the show Andreu watched a few times before he decided to start playing DMA.
Ch 146 - What are you so scared of? Come on, Ave dont be a wimp and follow me. Tired of waiting for him to make the first step, I grab his hand and pull. He resists, grabbing what remains of the smashed door with everything he has. B-but cant we go back? Theres no need to go inside, you know? His eyes swim around, looking for an excuse, any excuse, to avoid this place. Weve already seen everything! I swear! I ignore him and continue pulling. Stop acting like this. Its your job to guide me, so do it properly. B-but, I He stutters. I-I know, we can just take a peek and go back! Yes, lets do this! Ahaha you dont need me, Ill wait for you here. Stop struggling already. Shit, I cant pull him away from the doors remains How can he resist me? I have the higher stats, it should be easy to do it! Whats going on? Does he have a skill that allows him to stick to walls or something!? Seeing that I dont want to change my mind, and sooner or later, Ill manage to pry him away from the door, he decides to switch to another tactic. In a final attempt to convince me, he grabs my hands and stares at my eyes, pleadingly. Please? He makes the sweetest of the smiles. Oww, thats playing dirty! But work is work. Contrary to his expectations, I take this chance to drag him away. He made it a lot easier by releasing the door on its own. Lets go, I say, grabbing his hands too, so he cant escape. Aaaah! No, not this again! He struggles the best he can, but theres nothing to grab anymore. This green-brown sticky substance makes it hard to grab the walls, and it isnt possible to grab the stairs. T-this is it! Once we finish this, were done! Ill break up with you! I know he doesnt mean it, so I ignore him and continue dragging him, descending the stairs. The light grows dimmer as we go, to the point that its hard to see anything at all. It seems like, finally, Im going to discover what hes so afraid of. The curiosity was killing me! I was hoping to see it sooner Not that I was disappointed about the rest of the dungeon, though. It was fun dealing with the turtles crossfire and the constant ambushes in the tunnels, I always appreciate a challenge. The mushrooms which everyone hates werent dangerous to us because we came prepared with resistance skills. Corp, or Ave as he wants to be called now, is an elf with the Nature Attuned skill, and I created a new champion just for this. It was a little bit boring, so I might want to try it without the resistance skills at a later date, but we couldnt risk dying and wasting time. That giant worm that tried to eat me was a big surprise. Corps face when it happened was hilarious. He couldnt believe it when I used Blink to escape. Hes still too green The rest was fine too. It was clear to me why the players both fear and enjoy this dungeon and why they keep coming back. This is exactly what were looking for, a. The Mad Rats Lab will be a great option for our Mystical & Dangerous Monsters & Dungeons. Its something different. Something unique but well-executed. But its too early. The low level of the player shows up everywhere. There are no real threats and the dungeon is too short. Itll take time for it to reach its true potential, well have to come at a later date again and see if its good enough by then. Oh, yes thinking about it werent people talking about Anthemia and this dungeon, before we came here? I heard it from our coworkers. About meeting her in person if were the first to beat this dungeon, right? I ask Corp, whos still trying to get free. Aaah, no. Please, anything but this! No use asking him, hes not listening. If were lucky, we might have a chance to meet her. Itll be a nice business opportunity but our job comes first. I shrug. As soon as we reach the end of the stairs, Corp calms down and stops shouting. He moves behind me and grabs my shoulders, turning his head around in fear, his eyes wide open. *Blip!* Aah! Corp jumps when he hears a noise coming from the passage in front of us. He hides behind me, shaking. I-it might b-b-be something else y-yes. Something, e-else Is this some kind of trap? Is this what he was so scared of? Finally! I rub my hands together. The mystery will be solved! Then, from the same direction as the noise, voices come to us. Bahahaha! I ate all your family, and youll be next! Lets beeeeeeee friends! Friends foreveeeeeer! What the hells going on? I didnt have time to inspect the area, is trouble already on our way? No, no, no, no Anything but this My whole body starts shaking. Its Corp, whos trembling so much that it affects me too. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Calm down, I say, Im sure theres nothing to be afraid. ...no, no, no not this not this! Ok, I was curious before, but now Im about to explode. Whats going on!? I want to know! Soon after, I see movement. Monsters, theyre coming in our direction. Its hard to see because of the lack of light, but they dont seem to be taller than a meter. Dont worry, Ave. Ill protect you! I stand ready for combat. A bunch of human-headed sheep are coming our way, spouting random phrases. What the heck!? I freeze. Its the first time I''ve seen something like this, whats going on? Luckily for us, they dont attack us. They limit themselves to surrounding us and continue their random bullshit. Baaaaaa! Baaaaaa! Baaaaaastard! Theres a new menu today, and the main dish is you! The only thing I can do is turn around and ask Corp about what to do. But when I do so, I see him curled up on the ground. Please leave me alone not this again Sigh Sometimes, I wonder why I fell in love with him.
Fufufu! Hahaha! Everything went according to the plan! I laugh, sprawled on a comfy chair, alone. Right now Im in the room I use to monitor the dungeon when another player invades, except Im not in any dungeon instance right now, so the screens are black and the light is on. I stroke the Octocat thats resting on my armrest as I talk to myself. Look at all the visitors! Its like like hundreds of times more than usual!? This is amazing! Im going to swim in cp! My dungeon will reach the top ranks in no time! Fufufu! Hahaha! Well, maybe not the top ranks but if Im lucky, the top 10.000 wouldnt be a stretch, would it? Yep, I think its perfectly doable. For somebody of my level C which, by the way, doesnt reach 10, the halfway point to the maximum level C this is something extremely rare. It wouldnt be the first time it happened, but it isnt common to see. I remember that when the Whac-A-Zombie went viral, that players dungeon got into the top 10 But that was an extreme case, and it fell off the ranks as quickly as it rose. Aint I amazing!? Fufufu! Hahaha! From now on, everyone will know about The Mad Rats Lab! Its a shame the light is on and the screens are turned off because, otherwise, itd be possible to see my amazing and epic laughing pose as a shadow on the wall right now. Hey, Andreu. You know that everything is thanks to your sisters fame, right? You didnt earn this. Shut up you fucking conscience! You have nothing to do here! Cant you see Im enjoying my success? For some reason or another, it always shows up at the worst time. Damn conscience, if only I could banish it away Youre a moron. Youll never get rid of me. Fufufu! Hahaha! Shut up I said! I wait for a while, but only silence follows. Where was I Ah, yes. The epic laughing pose. Fufufu! Hahaha! I unconsciously rub my neck as I laugh. It was hard asking for Martas agreement on the matter. I finally got her to agree, only because the damage was already done and it would sully her reputation if she refused, but I almost died there It shouldnt be possible because Im inside the game now but, somehow, I can still feel her grasp on my neck. And Clara, my little sister, didnt do anything to stop it! She stood there, behind Marta, laughing all the time! Next time, you should ask for permission before you do something like that, you know? Shut uuuuuup! Are you ever going to leave me alone!? Nope. Urgh, this, this No, no. Lets calm down, Andreu. Lets think about something else. Like like those fools whore currently invading your dungeon, hoping to win the prize! Lets see, lets see I take a quick look at a few of the current dungeon instances. As I switch between them, the game displays the players in each one, on a screen in front of me. There are so many that it takes a lot of time to do. How many instances is a lot, you ask? Its hard to say because it depends on your point of view, but I can give you a general guide. The bulk of the dungeons have about ten invasions each day. Most of those come from players who let the game choose the dungeon for them, or from the dungeon owners friends. Then there are the good farming dungeons or the somewhat famous dungeons, which can get up to a hundred each day. Sure, a hundred seems like a lot, until you compare it with something like my sisters dungeon, or those that appear in TV programs like M&Dx2, which get thousands each day. And youre right. There are barely any dungeons in between the two. Youre either extremely popular, or youre irrelevant. The Mad Rats Lab usually gets between twenty to forty invasions each day. It depends on the day of the week, and I dont want to think about them, but when the Mad Cultists do something is when I get the most invasions. Do you think twenty is a low amount? Then, Im sorry to tell you this, my friend, but youre wrong. For a player of my level, this amount of visits is abnormal. Lets continue looking I keep taking a quick peek at the different dungeon instances, searching for something that catches my eye. Hmm how weird. I cant see that orc player anywhere I thought he would be the first one to come. What a shame. I guess he does have a life outside of the game after all. Sometimes, when I have nothing better to do and hes inside my dungeon, I enter the dungeon instance to mess with him. His reactions and cries when he dies are so unique he never fails to entertain me. Yep. Its extremely funny to watch his invasions. Hahaha! Ah, look here. Its Ricard and who is that? It looks familiar. I scratch my cheek in thought. Hmm where have I seen that girl before? The elf that goes with them looks familiar too. Maybe its just my imagination? After peeking at so many players, everyone ends up looking the same. Ah, hes acting all crazy hes in his undead mode And that girl is acting in a similar mode too I was thinking of going and saying hello. I changed my mind. Lets see what else we got here. I continue skimming through the list. I see a few faces I recognize, like Laura and Clara playing together, competing for who gets the most kills. It''s the same as the elf and dwarf from a certain movie if they talked about dates and wholl play with me the next day. Ooooh, she even said the This only counts as one phrase! Theres no way Im getting involved in that, either. I dont think theres anything else to seeC My brain stops working when I come upon a certain group of players. Players who Ive only met once before, but the impact of that time was so enormous, Ill never forget them. Theyre also the players whove given me the largest amount of headaches. No, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooooooo.! Why are THEY here!? SHIIIIIIIIIIT! I forgot about them when I wrote the message in the forum! Aaaargh, my head! It hurts as if it were to explode. Anyone. Literally, ANYONE! Dont let them be the first to clear my dungeon, or itll be my undoing! I shout, pulling the fur on my head. Ricard, Ill be your servant for life and listen to all your ramblings. Laura, Ill go on a date with you. Clara, Ill go into your dungeon as many times as you want. My voice fades off as all the previous enthusiasm turns into fear for whats to come. Just, please dont let them be the first ones
Maybe I should think things through before I take action. Just maybe. - Self-reflection made after it was too late.
Ch 147 - Regret Die, you stupid motherfucker! A winged mans shouts echo in the cramped tunnel, followed by the high-pitched laughter of another creature. *Shishishi!* *Hihihi!* Aha! I got you now! Dieeeeeee! He shouts, slashing with his sword. The other man C a man with deathly pale blue eyes C shakes his head and massages his temples. Hey, Valdi! He calls the man thats on a murderous spree. Didnt we agree you would stop doing reckless things and listen to me? But the man called Valdi, absorbed in his actions, ignores him. Hahaha, nothing can stop me today! Ill show you, who humiliated me like that, that Im better than youll ever be. The blue-eyed man facepalms at his companions stupidity. I knew this would happen, I shouldnt have listened to him The screams and laughter finally subside when the man kills his opponent. He stomps a few times on the heads of this victim: a two-headed, green and red monstrosity. Satisfied, he finally turns to his companion. Hahaha He makes a forced laugh. Im sorry, Ariet. I couldnt stop myself after watching its annoying face. I cant forget the smile on their face as they pushed me to the abyss that day He trails off as his face contorts, a mix of anger and regret on it. It was your fault, dont blame the monsters. If only you listened to me, we could have won that match and you wouldnt have been humiliated like that. I know, but still that smile Valdi recalls what happened that day. Since that Dungeon Battle, he hasnt been able to forget the smile on the monsters face as it kicked his petrified champion off the cliff. Every night, he has nightmares about it. That nasty smile. That nasty laughter. And the worst of it all the face of the one who inflicted such humiliation upon him! Seething with anger, Valdi punches the wall. Damn it! If only I could forget But the other man wont eat that shit. Dont act like the victim now. If theres any victim from that day, its me, ok? It was ME who had to deal with the aftermath, not you. You were happily dead, doing nothing, while I had to carry our support mobs in that labyrinth, being sniped by monsters from all directions, and with the fear of being petrified any time! But it was me who died! You died because you didnt listen to me! After shouting their thoughts out, they stand staring at each other for a while. Haaa fine. Lets leave it here. So have you decided what youll ask if we win? Or not yet? Its the blue-eyed man who breaks the silence. If it were for him, Ariet wouldnt have come to this dungeon at all. Not after the awful experience in that Dungeon Battle. But Valdi, his stupid winged companion, insisted on coming. His reason: I want to take revenge! I dont know Yet! Valdi starts grinning. Im going to make him regret humiliating me like that. Itll be something hell never forget! Sure, if you say so Its because of him that Im now being laughed at by everyone. He put the video of our match in public so everyone could see my defeat. Im sure he did it on purpose! And then, they used my death in a top 10 deaths or something Ill make him suffer the same! Ill humiliate him so much, that nobody will take him seriously anymore! This dungeon is finished! Muahahahaha! Theres an option in Dungeon Battles to make them public for anyone to watch, one of the features commonly used by top rankers. Their match, too, was made public using this function. It was Valdi himself who did it, saying Ill show everyone how amazing I am!, but he conveniently forgot about it when things turned awry. Ariet shrugs. Im sure its going to be something stupid again No, it won''t! Alright, alright Tired of arguing, he pats Valdis shoulder. But you wont accomplish your revenge if we stay like this, wasting time. So lets go. Right! Youre right! LetsC *Shishishi!* *Hihihi!* As soon as Valdi hears the laughter, he snaps and starts running in that direction, shouting. IM GOING TO FUCKING EXTERMINATE YOU ALL! Sigh Here we go again. Left behind yet another time, the blue-eyed man cant do anything but watch his companion run amok. Friends can be so troublesome Maybe I should find a new one?
FUUUUUUUCK! I shout. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck my bad luck! I stomp with my foot in anger. Why did it had to be TODAY of all things!? Aah, this is bad. Very bad. This was the best chance I got to show how good I am to demonstrate Im the best player when it comes to The Mad Rats Lab. Im the writer of its most famous guide, Im sure I could have won this competition! But I was busy today. I didnt see the message until now, and now its too late. Haaa any wish I could ask from the Evil Mastermind. I could have asked him to remove all the fucking Goblimps from the dungeon! I might have missed the only chance to get rid of them forever. It would be so much better if they didnt exist Theyre annoying, theyre numerous, and theyre everywhere. Theyre like pests! But the worst is that theyre weak, too. Theres no enjoyment in fighting them. If only they were decently strong or came at you in a straight fight instead of running away Its a shame, but theres nothing I can do about it because theres already a winner. But the worst part isnt that there is a winner already, but who the winner is. I take another look at the screen, where the video of the winners is playing. Ugh I scratch my head in annoyance. Yep, theres no mistaking that stupid chicken head. We finally managed to make them lay low in the forums after our duel. But after this I dont want to think about it. Itll be chaos. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ill need the help of everyone to contain the repercussions. Im glad Im not the one in the worst position. Good luck with their wish, Evil Mastermind. Huh, huh, huh!
My head hurts. My heads about to explode. Ugh how can this be I grab my head. I want to smack my head on a wall until I forget, but if it doesnt work, Ill be even worse. I regret my actions If only I could have stayed quiet and didnt make that post In front of me, the screen is showing the video of the first invaders who completed my challenge. If I close my eyes hard enough, will I wake up from this nightmare? ...Its a great idea, I thought Itll make my dungeon famous overnight, I thought I drop my body on the desk. But why!? Why couldnt I think of the consequences before it was too late!? In fact, I did achieve what I wanted. Its just that the results werent exactly what I predicted. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I hit the desk with every word. How could I forget about them when theyre the ones to give me the most headaches? Aaagh, I want to cry Yes, as you might have guessed by now, the first ones to clear my dungeon after the rework are them, the ones Id rather forget the Mad Cultists. This is if were not counting those who came with level twenty Champions and trampled everything in their way, of course. Believe me when I say theres been quite a few of them, demanding me to meet with my older sister. But theyre the minor of my headaches right now. I already wrote that the max level was 10 in that post, they can go eat shit for all I care. It hurts, but I need to face reality. They won. Now, Ill have to grant their wish. Fuck this. I hoped Ricard would win, but I didnt hold high hopes for it to happen. He wastes too much time talking and playing the undead. The same is true for Laura and Claras team. But there were so many other players? Why couldnt ANY of them be the first!? Orc player, I needed you, but you didnt come! You know what? Theres no need for me to suffer alone. Yeah its your fault! Everythings your fault, you damn orc player! Be prepared, for the next time I see you inside my dungeon, youll have to face my wrath! Fufufu! Hahaha! Now that Ive shifted the blame upon someone else, its time to think of a way to mitigate the consequences of the orcs actions. My actions, you say? I did nothing at all, why should I reflect on my actions? Alright. So the first thing I must find a solution for is: how do I avoid meeting them face to face? Their fanaticism has reached an insufferable point after so long. They cultivate it in their little crazy farms, increasing their numbers like an infectious virus. And like a virus, it mutates and develops until it kills its host who am I kidding? They were always like this The thing is this: Ill die if I have to suffer their presence for more than ten seconds without being able to run away. I cant go back on the wish part, so I must grant them their wish, but I never said Id meet them in person, did I? I can always use the Im ill excuse I have no idea if theyll buy it or not, but I dont care. Also I have a small suspicion they wont care that much about it and that they instead want to ask their wish as soon as possible. They dont want to wait until they can meet me in person for that. You ask why? Its because of this. [Bishop of Doom: 150+ unread messages] See? Theyre pushing me to answer as soon as possible. And yes, Bishop of Doom is the actual nickname of the one they call Leader. You can blame me all you want for making them go crazy inside my dungeon but, as you can see, they were goners before I did anything. By the way, theres no way Im reading any of those messages. If they ask, Ill tell them I didnt receive them because of some game bug or something Alright Lets do it *Sigh!* I smack my cheeks and get ready for what might be the hardest thing Ill have to do for the rest of my life.
Hey there, players! Good job being the first to clear my dungeon, dear players! Ive seen no faults in the video you uploaded, youre the winner! Congratulations! You won a wish from me, and the chance to meet my sister, Anthemia! *Clap, clap, clap!* *Whooo, whooo! You rule!* Id love to receive you all in my dungeon, but I cant. Im extremely sorry, but Im lying on the bed, ill, and cant enter the game right now. But, depending on what your wish is, I might be able to grant it to you anyway. So what do you want? What is your wish? Dont waste this chance and ask for something worthy of the effort you put into it! Fufufu! Hahaha! [Disguised Koala]
As I write, I make sure to make myself look as pathetic as possible so they dont question the validity of my illness. I also write it as if I didnt know them at all, though this one is for my sanity and has nothing to do with them. The next few minutes after sending the message are the most stressful. What are they going to ask? I hope it isnt something ridiculous You never know what can happen with crazy people. I bite my nails. If they take too long, itll be a carnage at this rate. *Piring!* Luckily for my fingers, it doesnt take too long for them to write an answer. And what an answer! This looks more like a novel than a message! How can they write so fast? What are they? An AI!? Well lets skim over it and read only the relevant parts Otherwise, my brain might melt.
Oh, dear Great Mad Rat! All our 218 members show our deepest respect for Your great figure and our gratitude for this chance to show our devotion to Your great persona. We also give You our best wishes for You to get better as soon as possible, so You can go back to improve The Mad Rats Lab and bring us new surprises and enjoyment.
Two hundred!? How are their numbers growing so fast!? The last time I heard about their numbers, it was around fifty. Are they infecting others like an actual virus? I know Ive said it before, but it was supposed to be a joke
... Were sure that Your greatness has spread wide after this incredible event. Well make sure to spread Your word
Yeah lets skip that part. And that part too I scroll quite a bit until I reach the end. Ah! Here comes the relevant part.
... We dont dare ask for anything that will trouble Your great persona, so weve decided to instead ask permission to build a giant statue of Your great persona in the most important spot of our Mad Cult cathedral. This will allow all members to enjoy Your visage and imposing presence at any time they wish to. And if it isnt too inconvenient, wed wish for Your great persona to come and inaugurate it in person, once You recover from your illness. Always Your most devoted believer. [Bishop of Doom]
Andreu.exe has stopped working. Please wait while we reinitiate the OS Stop! I hit my head. Why does this keep happening when stuff related to them comes up!? Im tired of it! Alright, lets recapitulate. Theyre crazy. But I already knew this. The new stuff is that they wish for a statue of me inside their church or something. I can feel my headache getting stronger. At the same time, though, this isnt as bad as I thought. I abhor the idea of my statue being idolized by them as if it were me, but I can live with it as long as I dont have anything to do with it. The actual problem is this: In person. Those two words are engraved into my pupils. I try closing them as hard as I can, but I can still read them, as clearly as the first time. In person. ...Im kind of forced to say yes, right? Theres no valid reason I can give to avoid it, is there? I gulp.
After punishing Andreu for using her name without consent, Marta accepted to be used as part of the prize. The reason she gave was that it was a good chance to show she wasnt as haughty as most players believed while giving herself a boost in popularity. Though, deep inside, and shed never admit to it, she thought it was a good chance to help Andreu with his dungeon. What she didnt expect was that the winners of that challenge wouldnt care about her presence. Not at all.
Ch 148 - Consequences of your actions We find a wooden door at the end of the treacherous forest path. If not for the guide, who genuflected and politely opened it for me, I wouldnt have known of its existence. Please, this way. ...right. I nod. Why so much secretism and mysticism? I dont think theres any need to hide the entrance After all, nobody else would ever want to come here. I follow the guide inside the passage, and the door closes behind me as soon as I step inside. I gulp. Theres no way back now. *Fwoosh!* The sound of a fire being ignited surprises me, making me jump. Ah, its just a torch Then, following the first, several torches light up, showing a path in this dark cave. Ive seen this a lot in movies and films; every time I see it, it looks majestic. But for some reason, I can only think of it as creepy. Follow after me, sir. My guide turns around, staring directly into my eyes. I shudder at the glint in his eyes. Otherwise, you might get lost. ...Sure. We continue. A short time later, I can feel the moisture stick to my skin, and a weird smell fills my nostrils. What could this smell be? I think its better if I dont ask. The less I know, the better. Calm down, me. Well soon finish this and Ill go back home and forget about everything that happened today This is what I thought at the beginning, expecting this path to lead to our destination. But belying my expectations, the path soon splits into two. The guide mutters something to himself and takes the right path. Hmm? Is there something else in this place? Curious, I try to peak at the other passage, but I see nothing other than torches and the same stone walls. ...maybe not? From this point on, the path divides a lot more times. We turn left, right, go up and down I could swear we passed through the same place thrice Not all the passages are illuminated, either. Most of them have torches, but some dont, forcing us to put a hand on the wall to not get lost. Meanwhile, my guide keeps murmuring to himself, reciting something all the time. From time to time, he screams and hits the wall with his head before apologizing. Scared, I decide to stay quiet and feign indifference. My eyes start spinning after so much turning around. After a certain point, everything ends up looking the same. Again, why so much secretism? Nobody except for them would ever want to come here It takes a while, but the path starts getting wider and taller. It seems were finally reaching our destination. Then, after one last turn, a black door appears in front of us. I say a door, but its so huge it cant be called as a door at all. At least ten meters tall, and five wide. Wow I exclaim. The first impression is so big that I have to pinch myself to make sure Im not dreaming. As we get closer, the awe only increases. So much detail! Every part of this pitch-black door is engraved with drawings and something that looks like letters. As if hypnotized, I cant stop myself from getting closer. I caress the engravings, trying to understand what they represent. But as if repelled by some mysterious force, I cant concentrate on them. As soon as my eyes land on one of the drawings, a headache overcomes me and my vision turns black. Is this the entrance to hell? I think while touching it. Well, for me, it might as well be. *Khm!* The guide makes a fake cough to get my attention. Are you ready? Thanks to him, I snap out of my thoughts and recover my majestic posture before nodding. Yes, lets proceed. I convince myself that I have to do this once again. Now that Ive recovered my normal state of mind, I notice the melody coming from the other side of the dark door. Its low, barely audible. Its a fascinating melody, formed by multiple voices. They entwine and change drawing you in, digging into your brain. But, at the same time, it feels disgusting nauseating. With metallic grinding noises, the door opens and the dark melody inundates our surroundings. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I hold my breath at the scene on the other side. This this My eyes spin around. Do I really have to do this? I stumble inside, trying to capture everything. Wide, tall columns, reaching to the sky. Hundreds of hooded figures, kneeling and chanting. Theyre split into two groups, leaving a passage in between so we can walk through them. At the front, twelve more figures in a line, standing proudly on the altar. Thousands of candles are everywhere, illuminating the dark cathedral with their scintillating flames. From above, the moonlight passes through the glass panels, focusing the rays on the most relevant element of the whole scene, the thing that draws my eyes and from which I cant look away. A colossal statue, sitting behind the twelve hooded figures on the altar. A colossal statue of a deformed humanoid with a rats face, laughing maniacally while manipulating lightning. Oh my god I want to die in shame I mutter, in the lowest voice possible. I dont want to die yet, so its for my good that nobody present hears what Im saying. ...I dont want to be here Trembling, but hiding it as best as I can, I walk to the altar, escorted by my guide. I can feel the eyes of everyone on me, crawling on my skin, inspecting my every move with fervorous devotion. Keep calm Keep calm Thisll soon end, and Ill be able to forget about everything Mental note to my future self: never do anything without thinking about the consequences again, or Ill kill you. I force my right foot to advance. Then, the left. With every step, I feel as if Im digging my own grave. Cold sweat covers my whole body, or it would if this wasnt a game. I can feel shivers running down my spine. In fact, I can feel them running all over my body. It seems as if Ive been walking for ages, but Ive only covered half the distance. From here, I can now read the text below my statue. I thought it was some pedestal, but it turns out it has text too. It reads: [All Shall Despair! Fufufu! Hahaha!] I never said this! How dare they put this on my statue!? Well, theres no use arguing with madmen If I say anything now, Ill make them explode. Forget about living a normal life, if I anger them with my words, I might not have any more life at all. Come on, Andreu. Just a few more steps. A few more steps, then you say something stupid and then you can go home. Youre almost there! Sigh I want to go home I dont want to do this Finally, I reach the altar, where the Leader is eagerly waiting for me. I can see the excitement in his eyes, and the undeniable craziness too. I dreaded the walk with everyone staring at me, but at the same time, I didnt want it to end. Because now comes the worst part. The Leader raises his arms and all the chants stop immediately. All Shall Despair! ALL SHALL DESPAIR! He shouts, and everyone present, except for me, repeats his words. Oh, Great Mad Rat, were honored to have you here today with us Somebody. Anybody. Please save me.
Aah, Im so excited! As I prepare everything I need to play DMA, I keep talking to myself. Todays Thursday, and as every Thursday, were delving into a new dungeon! What dungeon will we visit today? Im so happy I switched schools! I met my two best friends there, and now I can play every week with them. Dungeon Invasions are so much better with friends! I quickly put my helmet on and start DMA. Today is going to be so much fun! As soon as the teleportation lights disperse, I turn to Matta and ask whats been on my mind. The Mad Rats Lab? Hey, Matta! Is this the dungeon you were talking about? The one everyone was talking about this weekend? Of course it is, he answers, Ill never make a mistake with this. Who did you take me for? Im the king of pranks, but Ill never lie to my friends. Hihihi! He hides his face as he laughs. He likes to play as a goblin, and he also calls himself the king of pranks, but hes a nice guy. I asked him why he always played with a goblin instead of using a stronger champion, but he answered that he liked the extra challenge; that a goblin fits his playstyle the most. So he created a short, chubby goblin that likes hiding and ambushing his enemies. Though he isnt using the basic goblin either, so his Champion isnt that weak. Matta usually works as our scout and is the one who always chooses the dungeons. Dont ask me why hes called like this. Everybody called him Matta when I met him for the first time, and he never told me why. Dont be a bother to us again, ok? I joke, grabbing his flabby belly. Last time, you didnt fit the hole and we had a hard time pushing you in Hey! He complains. Leave my belly alone! Go buy one for yourself if you want one! He slaps my hand away. Got a problem with me being fat? And we wasted more time waiting for you to recover your MP! Its true that, with my dragonborn, I always overuse my dragons breath and end up running out of MP. But its so fun to spew out fire! Ahahaha I scratch my cheek. Youre right But look at this. Wooob, wooob! Its like a tsunami! We joke and play around for a while until our friend decides to intervene. She pulls us apart and makes an angry face. When will you two grow up? Stop acting like little kids! Eeeh? But youre the one who looks like a kid, Berta. I poke her cheek. Even Mattas goblin looks like an adult compared to yours! Her fairy Champion doesnt look like an adult at all. *Chomp!* She bites my finger. Auch! It hurts! So this is how shes going to act, huh? Im sorry, mommy, I apologize, mocking her. I didnt take you for an adult because you look like a chopping board Hahaha! I start running away. Chopping board!? Come here, Carles. Im going to kill you! She starts flying after me. Hahaha, you arent fast enough! Youll never catch me!
Everybody has some dark history they want to forget about. What happened that day was part of mine.
Ch 149 - Into the mouth of the beast After seeing I''m faster than her, Berta gets tired of chasing after me. She stops to catch her breath, sending me a glare. Haa haa just you wait, Carles Ill make you pay when I catch you. Hahaha! I laugh. You wish! With that tiny wings and body, youll never catch me. Grrr! She growls. This is what happens with game stats: youll never catch up with somebody who has a higher speed than you. In real life, you can get the upper hand by using tricks, but they wont work here. Meanwhile, Matta has been looking around, inspecting the area. When we stop running around, he takes a paper from his pocket and unfolds it, revealing a map. Lets see where we are Hmm the entrance is here, so we should go in that direction He points with his finger. Hey, wait! I want to see it too! I run to his side and take a look at the map. Why are there so many interconnected lines? Its a mess! Even with the map, itll be extremely easy for us to get lost. Hmm? What are the red areas with a skull on them? They look dangerous. Do you think there will be lots of monsters? I dont know, answers Matta. This is the first time Ive seen the map Hee? Where did you find it? Not many dungeons have a map this detailed I try to snatch the map from his hands to take a closer look. Shush! He moves the map away, pushing me to the side. Im trying to answer your question, so stay put. He turns around, hiding the map from me. Hey, hey! I want to see it too! Berta says, flying in our direction. But instead of going for the map, she grabs my horns and starts twisting them while flying around. Ahaha, I got you! Now youll have to pay! Aaah! Stoooop! By pulling my horns around, she makes my head spin. It doesnt hurt, but its very annoying! No! Its my revenge for calling me a child. B-but its true! My retort only makes her fly around even faster than before. Uugh aaah, o-ok! I surrender! I was wrong, I wont say it again Do you regret it now? Ahahaha! She finally stops pulling my horns and sits on my shoulders, her head resting on top of mine. See? Like a child. This is how I carry my ten-year-old little sister when she gets tired. Now that Berta stopped twisting my head around, I peek over Mattas shoulder, trying to learn as much as possible about this dungeon. The map cant show three dimensions, so those areas that are on top or below other areas are drawn in another place, with annotations that show where they connect with the other areas. We could also use the simpler, less cumbersome, game interface to display the map as a screen in front of us, but then we would miss the whole point of this: to have a paper map on our hands! What kind of explorers go into a dungeon without an actual map? Itd be too lame. The best part of this map is that its impervious to damage. It doesnt matter if we lose it, it gets soaked in water, or burnt to ashes; Matta only has to ask the game to create a new map and it will appear in his hand. The most extensive area displayed on the map, the one that first caught my attention, is composed of an extraordinarily high number of interconnected tunnels. Some areas are painted red with a skull drawing, but since Matta didnt tell me what they mean, I have no idea what they represent. What a mess Were sure to get lost there... I mutter, unconsciously. But nobody reacts so I continue looking at the map. The next area that catches my attention is a wide, open area with an underground lake? It should be a lake, yes. Ah, no, wait. Some partitions divide the area into several parts, so it isnt an open area. Or is it? It isnt clear, but we will see when we reach it. From there, the map shows a path that leads to the dungeon portal. If we look at it the other way around, this means this wide-open cave is the first area we will find. There are some square rooms next to the big cave too. I wonder what will be in there. They certainly arent natural, which contrasts with the other areas Ive seen so far. At their side, theres another part that seems to have grass and trees. I thought the whole dungeon would be underground, but I was wrong. Finally, at the bottom of the map, there are two more manmade areas. The right one looks like a multitude of weirdly shaped rooms clumped together, like a labyrinth. The left one has several interconnected paths with a multitude of rooms on both sides. A cave, some tunnels, a secluded valley? Then, some artificial rooms I talk to myself. It sure looks like an interesting adventure. Hey, Matta! Did you find what those red areas are? Hm? Ah, yes, sorry. I got distracted by something else Here it is! WARNING: Here be mushrooms. Stay away if possible! Huh? Did I misread it? Mushrooms? He checks the annotations on the side of the map. No, it says mushrooms. How weird Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Hahaha! I laugh. How dangerous are those mushrooms for the map to warn about them instead of the monsters? Maybe theyre giant mushrooms, that make an enormous explosion when you get close? Like BOOOOOM! Still sitting on my shoulders, Berta hits and shakes my head as if a bomb exploded. Hey, stop it already! Ahaha! I move my hands around, shaking her off. She flies away, sticking her tongue out, and moves to Mattas front side so I cant catch her. But, giant nuke mushrooms you sure come up with weird ideas. Hey! Berta complains. It makes sense! Can you think of any other reason why they should warn about the mushrooms!? ...hmm now that you say it But this sure is weird. Mattas voice catches our attention. We leave our fighting behind and look at him again. The one who made this map added quite a few weird annotations. I have a bad feeling about this. He raises his sight from the map and looks at us. What do you think? Should we use the full guide? Bad feeling? Berta puts a hand on her chin and starts thinking. Hmm. Berta, dont think so hard or smoke will come out of your head. Hahaha! I taunt her and start laughing. Gununu She gnashes her teeth together. Stop acting like a child and listen to Matta. Youre the child here! But ok Ill think about what he said. Use the full guide? I say. No way. Itll spoil all the fun. I know but I have a bad feelingC No buts. I interrupt him. We use the map so we dont get lost, waste time, or miss important areas. Whats fun is to explore the unknown. If we use the full guide, it wont be interesting at all Hmm, hmm. Berta nods at my words. The blockhead is right. What did you say!? I only said the truth, ahaha! She sticks her tongue out and hides behind Matta. Matta ignores us and folds the map. All right. Lets do it as usual, then. Follow me! The fat goblin will lead the way! Gihihihi!
Theres a path in the forest that starts at the dungeon portal. We, of course, follow it. As usual, theres no support mob following us. We like it this way, as it makes us feel as if we were the protagonists of some fantasy novel. You can relax and enjoy the views. Ill warn you if danger comes our way. Walking a few steps in front of us, Matta says to us while swinging his stick around. Yes, a stick. Not a sword, not a spear, not an axe, but a stick. It cant even be called a club, because its too thin to be one. A stick. A fucking stick. Matta likes to bring the extra challenge to the limit by using a stick instead of a proper weapon. Thank god this is a game where equipment doesnt matter that much, and that the focus is on the dungeons and skills, because otherwise he might be completely useless with his stupid stick. I tried to make him change his mind and use a sword like me, but hes too stubborn. In comparison, my weapon is so amazing that his stick can be considered less than garbage. Look at this perfect katana! Its so beautiful with its reddish color and the edge that looks like its on fire! Dont you agree its the best fit for a dragonborn like me? He, he, he There he is, drooling over his sword again Berta says something but Im too focused on my sword to listen to her. As we move forward, I notice a change in our surroundings: the plants have a red tint, as if drenched in blood. It was barely perceptible at the start, but its more noticeable the further we go. Matta continues moving forward without saying anything. This means there are no monsters nearby. How weird in most dungeons we would have found at least one or two monsters by now, I mutter. Ssht! Berta puts her index finger on her lips. Dont jinx it. Hes right. Its certainly weird. Adds Matta before suddenly stopping. Oh, heres the cave entrance! We quicken our pace to reach him as soon as possible. The path opens up and we leave behind the red plants to find a huge mouth in front of us. Whoaa I exclaim. This promises adventure! Ahaha! Says Berta from my side. The mouth, or should I say the cave entrance, evokes a sense of dread. Its so realistic, but at the same time, so natural For some reason, I imagine a giant guardian, eternally guarding the entrance. Not to prevent intruders from coming in, but to prevent whats inside from coming out. I jump inside the mouth. Lets find out whats ahead! Im itching for some action. Wait! With his large belly flopping around, Matta runs in front of me and raises his arm to stop me. He takes his map out. It says here that theres a quick path there. He points at a dark hole inside the cave. We can skip directly to the action if we use it. No way, I shake my head. Were here to have fun. Its our first time here, so I dont want to skip anything. Me neither, adds Berta. We never skip anything unless we have no other choice, why should we do it now? Matta shakes his head while folding the map once again. All right, all right. It isnt like I wanted to use it I was just asking. We ignore the dark hole and choose to follow the normal path. It has a slight slope, going down. On the way, we find some weird screaming and glowing mushrooms, as well as claw marks on the ground and walls, left by some incredibly big monster. Matta gets fascinated by the screaming mushrooms, saying its the first time hes seen something this bizarre. Since he cant bring them with him, as theyre part of the environment and are thus indestructible by any normal means, he has to settle with a few screenshots. Finally, after about five minutes since we started walking, we reach the entrance of the cave-like open area. Screaming mushrooms, giant claw marks, nuke-like exploding mushrooms I say. How exciting! What else do you think well find? Who knows? Matta shrugs. We can only go and see! He steps inside the cave and immediately sticks to a rock before inspecting the area around him. Lets go! To the unknown! Shouts Berta. Blockhead, dont make a huge mistake like always, ok? What did you say!? I raise my fist in anger, but she reacts on time and flies away.
There was always discussion between the players about when you should use the slide to skip the entrance and when you shouldnt. As with these kinds of things, they never compromised and thought they held the absolute truth, calling the others stupid and way worse things. But there was one thing all players agreed upon: you should never use the slide the first time you enter The Mad Rats Lab. The main reason was that you would miss most of the warning signs, and not know what to expect from the rest of the dungeon. Of course, this didnt apply to a certain group of cultists.
Ch 150 - A taste of what’s to come Berta, Carles, I dont see any enemy. You can come out. After inspecting the area, Matta makes a gesture for us to come. I want to see it as soon as possible, so I rush into the cave when he gives the green signal. Woaaah! I exclaim. A fantasy, magical cave Amazing! I dont think Ive ever seen a cave this vast. Its almost like an underground, secret, tiny world full of wonders. Weve been to many dungeons, but I dont think Ive ever been in one that fits the fantasy word as well as this one. Look at those giant mushrooms! Some of them are as tall as a house! And those smaller, glowing ones, with various shapes and colors! They not only provide enough light to light up this enormous cave but also help bring everything to life. While observing the scenery, something moves, catching my attention. I immediately turn my head to it, not expecting to find a yellow gummy-like gecko staring at me, standing still on a rock right next to me. Hey there, little fella I extend my hand towards it, but it runs away. It quickly moves in a zigzag, twisting its body between mushrooms until it finds a crack to hide in. ... never mind. I shrug. Pfft! Ahaha! So pathetic. Berta mocks me, shaking her head. To think you cant even catch it I turn in her direction, ready to retort. But when I see shes holding a bunch of geckos in each of her hands, the surprise makes me stop. She squishes them, making their heads bulge as if they were going to explode. Then she stops exerting force and they return to normal. What!? When did she have enough time to catch so many!? ...whatever. I shrug, ignoring her stupid laughter and returning to observe the cave. Now that I take a closer look, there are other creatures too. There are some red flies? Theres a sheep too. And is that a turtle? Will they be as interesting as what weve seen so far? Im looking forward to it. My eyes stop on the underground lake. Unlike the rest of the cave, which is illuminated by the glowing mushrooms, the lake has a mysterious purple glow. It looks as if the light came from the water itself. The lake splits everything into two roughly equal parts, but I can see some places to cross it. Thats good. We wont need to waste time going back and forth if we decide to explore every corner. From this single spot, I can see the caverns walls in all directions, though with a slight difficulty. Im sure that the cliffs, the various obstacles, and the lake will make it very hard for us to traverse. The giant mushrooms, apart from looking awesome, hinder our vision and create lots of hidden spots. Im sure you can walk over them, turning them into the perfect sniping platforms. But it wont work against us! Because we can fly! Flying is so good! This, plus the dragon breath is why dragonborn are so op! Finally, there are traces of human-made structures. Like those weird rock formations on top of that cliff, the stairs over there, or that hole drilled into the rock. Everythings so weird. It looks amazing and the fantasy element is undeniable, but if you examine anything, one by one, it all looks unnatural. As if a mad scientist created everything. While exploring dungeons, weve been in cemeteries, forests, canyons, temples, towns and cities, caves, underground fortresses, wastelands, factories, and a whole lot more. But this is the first time weve been in a mad scientists lair! A new experience with my friends! Well, with Matta and that, that fool. And talking about Matta, where did he go? Ignoring Berta, who laughs like a maniac every time she squishes the poor geckos, I go looking for Matta. He disappeared somewhere while I was distracted. Luckily, it doesnt take long to find him. He was a few meters away, inspecting a weird rock formation, very similar to the one I saw on top of the cliff. Hey, I call, did you find anything interesting? Hmm not really. He shakes his head. I was curious about this, but there doesnt seem to be anything here. No traps or monsters, just a few rocks. I see I nod, not interested in a few random rocks. Theres something more important to discuss. The map warned about mushrooms, but it doesnt say anything about these, right? I ask Matta, pointing at the nearest one. They shouldnt be dangerous, right? If they went to the point of warning about mushrooms, they should warn about these too if they were dangerous, dont you think? So I guess they arent. All right I exhale, relieved. My biggest concern right now was this one: if the mushrooms in this dungeon are dangerous, what should we do about this room, thats filled with them? But Mattas usually right. If he says they arent dangerous, it means they arent. Do we start exploring? I ask, itching to start. I dont see why we shouldnt Wait, wheres Berta? Shes What should I tell him? That shes acting like a fool? Ah, here she comes. She flies in our direction, her hands still filled with those gummy geckos. Is it me, or does she have more than before? Heyaa! Did you find anything interesting? She asks. I sure did. Take a look, Matta. Theyre so funny! This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. She gives a black one to Matta before looking at me and making a smug face. Matta feels the geckos texture, then squishes it a bit. Hehe, so squishy Is it made out of jelly? I didnt know the game had monsters like this one. I observe everything with a blank look on my face. When Berta watches my expression, she reluctantly adds. All, right Ill give you one too... But only one, ok!? And you have to thank me for being so magnanimous! Umm thanks? See? A child. Both in aspect and mentality.
The arrow flies past my head and strikes Matta on his back. Ambush! He shouts. Then, he looks around and jumps behind the closest rock he finds. Berta and I react slightly later and imitate him. I hide behind the same rock as him, but she ends up taking cover on the other side of the path. Can you see the attacker? He whispers. I shake my head. No, I cant see shit from here. We wait, but no attacks follow the first one. No enemy shows up, either. Do you think they ran awC whats she doing now? I stop in the middle when I see Berta frantically waving at us from the other side of the path. When she gets my attention, she makes a posture as if she were shooting with a bow, then points at something. She repeats the same gestures a few times. I follow her finger and see the cap of a giant mushroom. An archer? It must be, right? I say. Matta and I exchange a glance. We nod. Immediately after, I start flying to that mushroom. As soon as I do, two more attacks come at me from that direction. I avoid them with a somersault. When I get high enough, I see a small, two-headed creature aiming a bow at me. Only one enemy! I shout. Ill deal with it. Before the monster can release another arrow, I use my dragons breath and reduce it to ashes to a corpse, because the game always leaves behind the corpse, regardless of the cause of death. I land on the mushrooms cap and watch everything from above. I cant see more enemies Anyway, lets do what must be done. I push the monsters corpse, making it fall to the ground. Matta and Berta come out from their hiding places at my signal and run to where it fell. When I land next to them, I can hear Matta talking to himself. A mix of Goblin and Imp, he inspects the corpse. Hmm from how it attacked us, its an ambusher. It being so weak must mean there are a lot more of them. Keep your eyes open for more ambushes. Heeee? I dont like ambushes. Berta crosses her arms. I pat my chest. Dont worry, Ill protect you. A shiver crosses my spine when she glares at me with a sticky gaze, so I add something more. No child will be left behind! Im not a child! Im older than you! Youre older, but still behave like a child I shrug. Are you talking about yourself? Ah, how lame, to talk about yourself in the third person Ahahaha! I swC Oh, look at that! She flies away before I can retort. I follow her figure with my eyes until she lands right next to a cat? No, a cat with tentacles? What the hells that thing!? She comes back, holding in in her small hands. Isnt it cuuute? She rubs her cheek on the weird creature. I wont share it with you even if you ask. No, Im fine, I dont need you to share that thing with me. But this doesnt mean Im not curious. I bring my head closer and Matta does the same. From head to tail, its undeniably a cat. It has the same pointy ears, whiskers, shiny fur, slender body, and long tail. But instead of legs, it has eight tentacles. But they arent disgusting or slimy because theyre covered by fur. It looks weird, but at the same time, weirdly cute too. Ehehehe Berta laughs foolishly. Its at this moment that something buzzes past my ear, and I reflexively clap my hands together. *Swooosh!* The fly I just killed explodes in a burst of fire, burning all of us. Luckily, we dont take too much damage from it. What? Matta is surprised and falls to his butt. What was that? He asks. I just killed a fly, I answer. A very weird fly. He smiles. A fly that explodes, after a cat with tentacles? Hooo I wonder what else well see today. You, you, you, YOU! Like a broken record, Berta keeps repeating the same word. You, you, you You killed Mishy! Brute! Murderer! It seems that the monstrous cat died after the explosion. No, wait! You named it!? I scratch my cheek. Im sorry, ok? It was a reflex act. It wasnt my intentiC Bugooh! She throws the dead cat at my face. Ignoring us, Matta takes out her map again. We can go this way, then cross the lake and come through that path well cover most of this area. Yes, lets do it.
We find a few more of those Goblin and Imps monsters, but as I already predicted, with this much room for us to fly, they cant effectively use the cover against us or hide on top of the mushrooms; so we easily kill them and continue moving. Are you done, Matta? I ask. Were now on top of a cliff, where we saw one of those weird rock formations. Matta wanted to investigate it after the failure with the first one, and since it was right next to the path, we had no reason to say no. ...hmmm yes. Nothing again. He lowers his head in shame. Maybe Im not good enough? Maybe there isnt anything, I say to cheer him up. Youre right. They should be decorations. Ahahaha! Everything looks so small from here! Berta swings her legs, sitting on the cliffs edge. Those giant mushrooms look so small. For a while, she kept pestering and blaming me for everything. She only calmed down when she found another one of those cats. Now, shes protecting it as if her life depended on it. She doesnt allow me to get closer than five meters. I leave them both behind and go explore the surrounding area. Come on, weird creatures. Surprise me with something exciting! When I turn to the right and look behind the colossal stalagmite, as if answering my prayers, I find the weirdest creature Ive ever seen. Its a shrub with lots of eyes. Its exactly like a desiccated shrub you could find in any wasteland, but it has eyes instead of leaves. Lots of them. I feel observed. Haha! I joke, slightly intimidated by so many eyes looking at me. Distracted by the extremely creepy shrub, it takes a while until I notice the other monster, only a few more meters away. The monster slowly turns around, the turtles head pointing in my direction. Dark skin, with purple dots on its skin and shell. And talking about a shell, its so thick it must be impenetrable. They looked so small from afar, but it turns out these turtles are quite big At least two meters and the mushroom on their back is even taller. I thought the mushrooms were part of the environment, but it turns out they grow on the turtles back. The turtle opens her mouth wide and light starts converging. It looks dangerous. I need to avoid this! I try moving to the right to avoid the attack, but my Champion doesnt respond. Why cant I move? I cant talk!? Im paralyzed! When did I get paralyzed? And how!? This isnt good, I cant evade the attack! A light beam engulfs me and the weird shrub with lots of eyes.
DONT LOOK, IGNORE IT! If you feel your skin being prickled by the stare of a hundred eyes, dont turn around, ignore it. As with most of the stuff in this damned dungeon, you better stay ignorant than suffer the consequences. - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 151 - There’s nothing I can do about it My sight returns when the light disperses. I look at my status screen. Hmmm. I couldnt avoid it, but it didnt deal that much damage. Still, I cant keep receiving attacks for free. But why cant I move? For how long am I going to remain paralyzed? I resign myself and watch the turtle open its mouth again, shooting another light beam in my direction. ...fuck! For how long am IC huh? I can talk again. And move too? Finally! Hahaha! Im going to take revenge now for the humiliation. Do you like fire? I dont know what caused the paralysis, but Ill deal with the turtle first. Imitating the turtles actions, I also open my mouth wide and use my Dragons Breath, sending the flames in its direction.
Dragons Breath - Fire (Activated skill)
Cost: 300 EP, 300 MP
Deal (50 + 2 * SPI) fire damage to every unit in a 5-meter cone in front of you.
Simple but powerful, the flames scorch the giant turtle. If we werent inside a game, I would hear the sizzling sound of the burning flesh and smell the smoke filling the air. I check the turtles HP bar, confident to have dealt a big blow, but Resilient, aint ya? Ill do it the slow way, then. I unsheathe my precious katana and rush at it. Die, you motherfucker! *Clink!* The sword makes a metallic sound when it hits the shell. I swear, I never expected a shell to make this kind of noise, regardless of its thickness. Another look at the turtles HP reveals it did take damage, just not as much as I expected. This is going to take longer than I wanted Matta, Berta, come help me with this! I shout. Quickly! I can and would defeat it alone, but Ive seen a few more turtles roaming around. Itd be troublesome if they clumped together and attacked with their beams from different positions. Or those laughing and annoying Goblin and Imp monsters. They could show up unexpectedly at any moment. The turtle tries to bite me, but Im faster and smaller. Its easy to avoid the attacks as long as Im not distracted or paralyzed. Matta and Berta arrive when the turtles HP falls under half. Is this one of those turtles? I thought they would be smaller. Comments Matta, raising its stick and getting ready for combat. Ahaha, so pathetic! To need our help against a single monster Berta laughs at me. Dont worry, Ill save you, blockhead. She uses her staff to cast a fire arrow. But, contrary to everyones expectations, the turtles shell flashes, and the spell is fired back at her. Surprised, she cant avoid it on time and takes it right in the middle of her face. I burst out laughing. Hey, is this how youre supposed to save anyone? Also, I can defeat it by myself. I just didnt want to waste timC Whooooaa! Right when I step to the right to avoid the turtles bite, another light beam crosses the space I was occupying an instant ago. It passes right next to my head. I didnt avoid it on purpose, I was lucky to move out of its path without knowing. Another turtle? I turn around, and sure enough, another turtle points its open mouth in our direction. We didnt kill the first one, but theres a second one attacking us, what bad luck. Until now, the turtles were roaming around without purpose or logic, but as soon as I started fighting against one, a second one attacked us. I cant understand why, but I feel bad about this Instead of focusing on the fight, I open my wings and move up. My field of view opens up and soon I can see most of our surroundings. What!? Why is this happening? The turtles, who until now were roaming the area randomly, are all coming in our direction. Theyre slow, and the terrain isnt easy, but given their long range it wont take long for them to surround us. Some humanoid monsters are hiding in the shadows too, waiting for a chance to strike us. Did they get attracted to the light beams or is it a coincidence? Below me, Matta and Berta are still fighting against the turtle. Since receiving the spell back, Berta has been too scared to use her magic to attack, so shes using her staff instead. The problem is her Strenght sucks. Although any damage is better than nothing, she can barely put a dent in it. I fly back. This is bad. We must run away. As soon as I land, I use a second Dragons Breath to finish the turtle once and for all. Why? Are you scared of a single turtle? Taunts Berta. She imitates my voice. Oh, Im so stupid that I must run from a single enemy Ahahaha! Is it serious? Matta first hides behind the closest rock to prevent the second turtle from attacking him. Only then does he try to engage in conversation. He always does this. He must have learned to act this way the hard way, after being killed a lot of times for using such a weak Champion. I nod I think so. When I scanned the area, all the surrounding monsters were coming our way Aah, dangerous! Light accumulates near the second turtles mouth, warning of an incoming light beam. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I quickly move to hide next to Matta, but then I notice that Berta is still laughing, oblivious to her surroundings. So I grab her leg and pull her with me. CW-wha? Release me! She shouts. What do you think youre doC The bright light blinds her and she shuts up. ...um ah thank you, Carles She stutters. Youre welcome. I release her and turn to Matta. I know its tempting to kill the second turtle since its standing alone, but by the time we come close and defeat it, well be surrounded. We should stay hidden for now. Hmm All right. Matta thinks for a while before nodding. Hes the one who knows the best that great explorers dont need to defeat every single monster they encounter. Its fine to enjoy a battle or plan how to defeat an enemy, but facing every obstacle head-on is foolish. Why should you risk dying when you can ignore the danger and move undetected? I think so too, Says Berta. Ill be the best shadow, completely undetected by our enemies! If they detect us, Im sure itll be your fault, blockhead. How unusual. She must have gained some humility after almost being hit by that last light beam. Shes right. With her Champion, its easy to be extremely stealthy. Being able to fly without making noise, having the innate skill to turn temporarily invisible, and with such a small size, she can be very hard to detect. But I''m not going to let that insult go. Im sure we can rely on you, Berta. Youll be our invisible, child-like chopping board, slicing any unsuspecting monster into tiny bits! Hahaha! What did you say!? She tries to grab my horns once again, but Im ready this time and avoid her hands by turning my head on time. You wont catch me by surprise anymore. I taunt her. Well see! Bring it on! She rushes at me, clenching and unclenching her fingers in a weirdly disgusting way. Observing us, Matta starts laughing. Hihihi! Love is in the air No! Whod like this blockhead!? Youre wrong, I dont like children. We say at the same time.
*Thump, thump* The turtle moves past our hiding place, slow but steady. This is the third one we encountered since we started hiding ourselves. Berta whispers right next to my ear, afraid to make too much noise and alert the surrounding monsters. You were right, Carles. They all came after us. How many do you think there are? I wait until the turtle is a few meters away before answering. I saw five but there might be more. Its five without including the first one we killed. She gulps. After the first encounter, we tested their AI by starting a fight against one of them. They never move close to each other, but as soon as they see a light beam, they start walking to that position. Were now hiding after our little test. To think theyll be so hard to play against Mutters Matta. They counter us, dont they? The only one who can fight properly against them is you. He points at me. I send him a dubious gaze. He knows, right? He knows that half the reason we cant kill them fast enough is that hes so stubborn he wont use a stronger Champion, right? The other half is Berta, whos too afraid of having the spells reflected and also sucks at melee range. I-its not my fault, ok? He covers his face with one hand. I never expected to face monsters who reduce damage by a flat amount. I didnt know that skill existed! I love the challenge of slowly chipping at the monsters HP while avoiding all attacks, its the best way to show your skills. Its not my fault the turtles counter me! I spin my eyes around. I didnt say anything, did I? In fact, Im surprised you can usually keep up with us with your Goblin ...youre right. Im amazing, hihihihi! He returns to his usual smile and starts laughing. His fat gut trembles and shakes around as he does so. If anything Im more worried about our other teammate I take a glance at Berta. ...whos too scared to face them. D-dont lie! Im not scared at all! Is that so? Then why are your legs trembling? They arent! Hmph! She crosses her arms and turns around. Now that the turtle is gone, Ill scout the area and find a safe path. Youll see! Im more useful than you! Yes. Go and be useful. I answer, waving my hand to tell her to go away. Wait! Before you go Matta takes out the map. Were around here, and we want to go in that direction, towards the lake. Try to find a path in that direction. I watch him move his finger over the paper. We came from the entrance, which is situated on the southwestern edge of this cave system. The multiple caves connect with each other, creating a single wide-open area and the lake roughly splits everything in two halves. We chose the left path because we wanted to see the rock formations on top of the cliff. We had to climb up a steep slope to reach it. Then, we fought the first turtles and retreated further north, to the edge of the cave. From here, we moved east and are now close to the lakes cliff. Now we want to see if theres something on the small island and then use the bridge to cross to the right side. Alright! She enthusiastically nods. Then, she stays in the same place, completely immobile. Not even her wings are moving. Shes floating there, motionless. Ill never get used to this My hand passes through her and appears on the other side. This is the effect of her Trickster skill. She turns invisible and leaves an illusion of herself in the spot where she activated the skill. Matta sticks his face right next to mine and starts laughing. He hides his face with a hand and whispers. Hihihi! What are you doing, moving your hand like that while inside her? Are you thinking of something perverted? What!? No! I quickly take my hand back. Matta continues laughing. Hihihi! You didnt need to deny it so hard. You know what they say, that the more you deny it, the truer it is Why are you always saying this kind of stuff? I grab his belly and start moving it around. Are you envious because nobody likes you? Its too much you for anyone He strikes back by grabbing my horns and twisting them around, making my head follow his movements. Hey, at least Im not using the game to make myself look stupidly handsome. Do you have a complex in real life? Is this why you made your champion so handsome? We dont realize Berta is back until we hear her voice. ...uh, guys? What the hell are you doing? She stares at us with a furrow. Shit I should have noticed she was going back when her illusion disappeared. We freeze before turning around to look at her. Nothing! We say at the same time, hiding our hands behind our backs. Yeah, and Im stupid so Ill believe you. She shrugs. Not like I care. Theres no more enemies ahead, we can safely go. Then, lets go! To adventure! Says Matta after making a fake cough. To adventure! I repeat.
Its possible to get your perfect counter when you enter another dungeon. In those cases, I recommend you run away instead of fighting. This is a perfectly normal course of action, and you shouldnt be ashamed. What if it happens in Dungeon Battles? When you prepare for a Dungeon Battle you should take your possible counters into account. So if you didnt prepare anything to deal with them, its your fault. This is why I always have several options to choose from, depending on the Champion I want to use, and the faction Im playing against. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 152 - Missed opportunity, or lucky decision? Found anything? I ask Matta, whos inspecting the stones. Like the previous two times, nine stones surround a bigger one placed in the center. Um, no, theres nothing here either. There was nothing the first two times, what made you think there would be anything this time? I dont know, I feel they hide something Must be my imagination. He shrugs. Lets cross to the right side. We safely reached the island in the lake. We had to take a detour to evade another turtle that Berta didnt see, but other than that, we didnt find any trouble. Now that most turtles have gathered on the left half of the cave, we should have an easier time moving forward, as were aiming for the opposite side. The first one to cross the bridge is Matta, as usual. Berta might be the best one at hiding, but Matta is the only one who knows how to spot hidden traps and enemies. He says he can feel somethings wrong when theyre close, like a sixth sense. No game skill works like that, so, if what he says is true, Im sure its yet another skill he developed by obsessively playing with his Goblin Champion. Being weak and fearing death all the time sure is a good recipe to polish your skills, it seems. Not that I want to try it. You can come. Matta waves at us from the other side. Theres nothing here. There wont be a hidden turtle, right? I dont want to be eaten alive Berta hides behind me as we walk. Shes been like this since the turtle she missed tried to bite her whole. I dont think the turtle could truly swallow her, you need a skill for it, but since Bertas so small and the turtles are so big, she felt it was possible. The stupid part is that it wouldnt have happened if she were looking ahead instead of taunting me. She turned the corner while looking behind The turtle just opened its mouth and she almost flew inside. Luckily for her, I was ready and saved her on time. I grabbed one of her arms and pulled her away from the turtle. Really What would she do without me? We follow the path between the giant mushrooms. After a while, I can confirm my theory: there are no turtles here. Im sure they all moved to the left side after our two encounters with them. Their AI must make them go towards the light beams when they see one. Im sure they will scatter after a while, dispersing through the whole cave once again We wont be here when it happens. We do find a few groups of those Goblin and Imp monstrosities, but their hiding and stalking behaviors are useless against Mattas supernatural sense and our flying abilities. We dispatch them quickly and move on. Matta stops when the path and takes out the map. If we go right well go back to the entrance or return to the left side of the cave. We can take this path or this other one He points with his finger as he talks. ...if we take this one, well reach the next area very soon. What do you think? Let me see I get closer to him to inspect the map. As he pointed out, were at a crossroads right now. Sort of. If we go right (west) well find a bridge to the left side and a path to the entrance. If we go forward, we can go to the next area after a downward slope, or take the roundabout path above the cliff. We can also go left (east) and take the shortest path to the last tunnel that leads to the next area. I dont think we need to take the long path around the cliff, I say, pointing at it on the map. Since we cant fight the turtles, I dont think theres any reason to stay longer than needed. But theres no need to leave yet, we canC Why cant we leave this place already? Berta interrupts me, still hiding behind my back even after more than ten minutes without seeing a single turtle. I dont want them to come back Shush, stay quiet while the adults talk, I cut her. Im not a child! She puffs and pouts, but this time she doesnt touch my horns. She doesnt want me to run away and be left alone, without protection. Im her sacrificial shield to use in case of emergency, and she doesnt want her shield to run away. Whatever I turn to Matta. What do you say? The turtles wont catch up if we go west. Maybe we can find something interesting. Matta quickly agrees to my proposal. Youre right. We came to explore the unknown! Itd be lame to leave an area unvisited when theres no risk involved. Lets go west. To adventure! To adventure! I repeat. I just want to leave this place Berta grumbles and follows after us.
Hey, look there! Matta enthusiastically points at another of those rock formations. Do you mind if we go there? I want to check if theres something hidden in this one. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. This time, the rock formation is placed very close to the cliff, almost hanging over the lake. Given the uneven terrain and obstacles, itll take us some time to reach it and come back. Berta flies in front of him. Wait a moment! What are you thinking, you fool? She says in a stern tone. Dont you know we dont have time to waste? What do you think will happen if the turtles catch up? And what if its a trap, and we have to fight whatever is there plus the turtles at the same time? Are you crazy? Do you want to kill us!? No, but we came to discover the unknown, we cant miss this opportunity No buts! Even if we survive, what do you think will happen if the turtles follow us into the next area? Isnt it filled with narrow tunnels? We wont be able to avoid the light beams once inside. Youre right, but Matta lowers his head, downcast. Dont worry, Matta, I pat his shoulder. There was nothing the first three times, Im sure this is yet another fluke. Were sure to find something interesting in the next area. He nods but doesnt say anything. But man, what a surprise! I make a nasty grin and approach Berta. She raises her guard but doesnt run away. Nice reasoning, Berta. I put my hand on her head and tousle her hair. Ow, our cute baby is growing up Hahaha! She glares at me. When are you going to stop treating me like a child? When you grow up. Her face contorts in anger and pushes my hand away from her. Then, she makes a weird shout and rushes in my direction. Aaagyeaaaaa! Wait, it was a joke. A joke! I run away, following the path, and she chases after me. Not my horns! I hate it! Aaaaamngyeeeaaaa! Shit. Matta, do something! Matta sends one last glance at the rock formation before turning around and following after us. I can always come another day It isnt the end of the world. He shrugs. Berta, calm down. Lets talk it, like proper adults. Ah, so you treat me like an adult only when its advantageous to you, huh? Im older than you, Ill have to discipline you as a real adult! No! Not my horns! I get dizzy every time you move my head like that! Repent for your crimes! Aaaaargh My life flashes before my eyes as she angrily twists my head around. Why do I keep picking on her like that? Ah, yes its because its too funny to see her reactions. Shes got a complex because of her flatness and short stature in real life, and every time I point out that her Champion is like her real self, she gets really angry. But she always smiles when she punishes me, so maybe she doesnt hate it? Now that I think about it, most female players who are obsessed with their looks would never pick a fairy as their Champion. They''ll pick an elf or a demon because they can make them as beautiful and sexy as they want. Or an angel, I almost forgot about them. But certainly not a fairy, which all look like kids. If you have a complex about your lack of chest, picking a child-like Champion isnt going to solve it any time soon. This is why I never expected Berta to like this one. Dwarves are too short and orcs are too muscular. The undead have parts of their skin and meat rotting or falling off, not a very pleasant sight. Humans can also be sexy and beautiful, but since most of their units wear heavy armor, its hard to notice when they wear their helmets and thick breastplates. Then there are the animal-like characters like the werebeast, the dragonborn, and the mermaids. They can be beautiful and sexy if you want, but if you get attracted by their animal parts you have another kind of problem. As for the other factions, dont get me started on stuff like the Abyss or the Amorphous. They barely qualify as humanoids! So yes. Im surprised Berta doesnt want to play as one of the three beautiful races instead of using a fairy. As I muse to myself while being tormented by her, we reach the entrance to the next area. A natural hole in the wall, surely excavated by water a long time ago. Berta, stop! I shout. Weve reached the entrance. We must focus now. Alright She reluctantly releases my horns and stands on my side. Where does this purple light come from? From the walls themselves? See this? Shes trying very hard to hide her smile. Is she doing everything on purpose? To feign having a complex so she can punish me later? Who knows? I shrug. This is a dungeon, so its possible. Mine too has parts with ambient light. Heee heee Matta pants as he comes closer. Why did you run so fast? I had trouble keeping up Berta sends his fat belly a pitying look. Dont be rude, lady! You didnt move a finger either, as you were latched on my horns the whole time. If you had to fly that fast all the time, you too would be panting like him! Matta takes a long breath before taking his map out. This part is extremely convoluted. I hope we dont get lost Keep an eye on the map, Matta, I say. Berta and I will take charge of everything else. Yes, leave it all to me, the oldest one! Ill keep an eye on our surroundings and on the blockhead. Annoyed, I knock on her head. In response, she sticks her tongue out and smiles at me. Why? Did I say a lie? This girl I clench my fist one more time, but shes quick and hides behind Matta. This is where we are now, so this means we can go this way Before we continue, I interrupt his thoughts. Matta, you wanted to find something interesting, right? This is where there were those warnings about mushrooms, right? We can start by solving this mystery. Youre right! He exclaims. Then, the shortest path to one of those signals is This way! Lets go, team! To adventure! Oooh! To adventure! I repeat. We start walking in the direction he points. Berta waits for us to get a few steps away until we cant see or hear her anymore. Then, she says, with a face distorted by shame. ... to adventure!
It isnt a wise decision to explore every single corner of a dungeon the first time you go inside it. Unless you dont fear death and dont mind being screwed over a bad decision, the first time you go into any dungeon you should keep to the path and fight your way through the normal encounters. Then, after clearing it once, go back into it and search for every possible secret. If its a good dungeon, youll be amazed at how different it feels. And since its the second time you go inside it, you wont have to worry about the basic monsters and traps, or the dungeon layout. Youll be free to explore as you wish. - Tip from an experienced DMA player to newer players.
Ch 153 - Mushrooms Following Mattas guidance, reaching the first skull mark on the map doesn''t take too long. It was very close to the entry point. Here are the mushrooms. Says Matta. I nod. I know, I can see them. But why is the map warning about them? Maybe theyll explode when you get close? Adds Berta. You go in and then, BOOOM! Hey, hey, she pokes me with her finger, do you want to try it, Carles? I want to see your face when it happens, ahahaha! I ignore the flying bugs provocation and glance at Matta. Shes right in that if anything happens, shes the only one who can save us because she has healing spells. This means she shouldnt be the one to go inside to test what happens. But since Matta is so weak and can be easily killed, this leaves me as the only option. Alright Im going in Before I leave, Matta grabs my arm and says. Be careful, I smell danger. I know, I wasnt going to rush ahead blindly. If the mushrooms are going to explode, Id rather be as far as possible from the center of that explosion. Well then, lets solve the mystery Do your best, Carles! And dont die! I dont want to have to use Resurrection on you so early! She enthusiastically waves goodbye while retreating. They both take some distance from the mushrooms, to make sure theyre out of range of whatever happens. Lets go I gulp. I step into the mushroom grove. I wait, but nothing happens, so I make another step. Theres nothing happC I fall to the ground, incapable of finishing my sentence. Huh? Whats going on? Why did ...I fall to the ground? Ah, I can talk again! Theres a greenish cloud surrounding me, is this what caused me to fall? Come back! Shouts Matta. Dont stand in there, its a poison cloud! Theres no reason to keep taking damage now that I know whats going on. But why did I fall? Did you see what happened from here? I say while retreating. I think it wasC Bertas annoying laughter cuts Matta in the middle of his sentence. Ahahahaha! Whats wrong with you, Carles? Do you love the ground so much that you wanted to kiss it? Ahahaha! If you find it so funny, why dont you try going there? Im sure youll find whats going on without any trouble. Ah, no, I Her eyes start to swim around, not sure what to say. Matta ignores our banting and resumes his explanation. As I was saying, there must be some other kind of mushrooms mixed with the poison ones. Check your combat log to know whats going on. Ah, right. I forgot about it. I dont usually use it, so I tend to forget it exists. It was Sleep. I was afflicted by sleep. I see Matta nods. It makes sense. When youre afflicted by Sleep, your Champion falls to the ground and youre incapable of doing anything until its duration expires or until you take damage. Then, the game creates a phantasmal version of you that nobody can see or interact with so that players dont panic and can assess the situation. But I didnt stay in that state for long because the poison damage snapped me out of Sleep as soon as it triggered, I didnt notice the change of perspective. Hey, Carles Im sorry to ask you, but do you mind Dont worry, buddy. I pat Matta on the shoulder, not allowing him to finish. I too want to know whats going on. They wouldnt warn about the mushrooms if sleep and poison were the only thing they did. Nice! But keep track of your HP. Come back if you take too much damage. Were both on the same page here. We know its dangerous, but we want to discover why the other players fear these mushrooms so much. And since he cant go, I must be the one to do it. Youre going again? Did you like the taste of the ground so much? Berta snickers. Do you mind if I film everything? Hm only if you come with me. Lets go, Berta! To adventure! Hahaha! I try to grab her arm, but she runs away. ...you can do it, Carles! Ill be cheering you from here, ok? Go, go! Youre the best! So easy Once again, I carefully tread into the mushroom grove. As the first time, nothing happens with the first step. Then, a green cloud pops up from a nearby mushroom on the second, but theres no sleep this time. Maybe they only trigger onceC I fall to the ground at the same time a bluish cloud pops out of one of the mushrooms. Ok, maybe they dont. Its just that I didnt reach the same point yet. I struggle to move forward, advancing inside the poisonous cloud while constantly falling to the ground. After standing and falling so many times, I start crawling instead of walking. Its faster this way. Meanwhile, I can hear a bugs laughter coming from outside the grove. Then, a cloud of a different color appears. This time, its a red one. Soon after, my body stands up and turns to my companions. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Huh? Why did I stand up? Matta and Berta observe me with interest, but as soon as I turn around, Matta exclaims Oh! and runs away. Berta, on the other hand, stays there, tilting her head. Why are your eyes red, Carles? She asks. Red? They should be golden. Its the first time they changed color A-and why are you coming in my direction? Im not moving No, Im wrong, my body is indeed running in her direction. Why? Why is my body moving on its own? I cant control what I do! I shout, alarmed. What!? She backs away, but Im faster than her. D-dont come. Stop! W-why are you so fast? You werent this fast before. I have no idea I truly have no idea whats going on, so I take a look at my status screen. Frenzy? Did that red cloud inflict Frenzy on me? Then, it means Ill spend the next 8 seconds, it says?... chasing the closest unit, regardless of enemy or ally. It just happens the closest one is Berta. Oh, no, Ill have to attack Berta until the Frenzy debuff expires. What a shame, to attack my ally My precious ally, whos been taunting and laughing at me since I made the first step into the mushroom grove. What a shame I have to stand back and watch the show of her running around, with tears dripping from her eyes and snot from her nose. The true shame is this is a game and I cant see those two things. But I can at least enjoy her panic. Kyaaaaah! She shouts when I slash with my katana. What are you doing? Stop! Im your ally! Nooo! I dont want to dieeee! She screams, making her best effort to avoid all my attacks. I cant. Im frenzied. I say in a flat tone. Aaah, why do I have to attack my precious teammate? Please, anything but this This is the greatest shame for a samurai What samurai!? And why are you smiling!? Oops, I almost revealed my true thoughts. What a slip. I make sure to put on a poker face before answering. Smiling? Nah, it must be your imagination. My sword passes right by her nose, making her scream one more time. Kyaaaaah! Aaah, some stress relief This is so good. My body keeps chasing after Berta for as long as the Frenzy debuff controls me. If she were thinking properly, she could have dispelled it and saved herself some trouble. But she didnt, so I had some laughs thanks to her. She drops to the ground, exhausted. Haaah, I thought I was going to die My bad, it wasnt on purpose hahaha I make a fake laugh while scratching my head. Im not lying. The fact that I enjoyed it doesnt mean I was doing it on purpose. We hear steps coming closer. Its Matta, who, knowing what was going to happen, was hidden since the beginning. Hihihi, he laughs, Im sorry, Berta, but I had to run away. I knew you would survive, but one or two lucky strikes would have killed me. I couldnt fight back, either, since hes our ally. So you had to take him on. He makes an apology that, to me, doesnt sound like one. You could have warned me instead of running away! She complains. I didnt know what was going on until he attacked me! You didnt know? Didnt you see the red eyes? Of course I did! But I didnt know what they meant. Its your fault! She punches him, causing ripples to appear on his tummy before crossing her arms. Umm Im sorry? I clap my hands to get their attention. Why dont we forget what happened and focus on the future, huh? Alright She reluctantly agrees. Matta looks happy to change the topic. How did you see it? He asks. We only saw a part of it because we were far away. Wait a moment I was too focused on my HP bar and on my surroundings to keep track of the battle log. I had to check for traps and hidden enemies while my vision kept shifting due to falling asleep, so I dont know everything that happened. And talking about my HP its almost at half. I only reached the halfway point before the frenzy debuff affected me, and I took so much damage Its ridiculous! Alright, so I start reading the log. Poison, lots of it. And lots of sleep too. Then, some fire and ice damage a resisted fear effect, and finally, the frenzy one. I didnt see any traps or hidden monsters, but it doesnt mean there arent any. So many? I now understand why do they warn about the mushroom areas in the map Mystery solved. Matta comments as he takes out his map yet again. There are a few more skulls, well find a few more areas like this one. Do you think its doable? I shake my head. No. We should avoid them. Its too dangerous. Berta can heal me and Ill be back at full HP. But if we all three go through the mushroom grove, shell have to spend too much MP. Its not worth it. And this is assuming we wont find anything nastier in our way. Its possible were all afflicted with Frenzy at the same time and start fighting in the middle Matta starts planning our route taking it into account. If we avoid the skulls but want to see most of this dungeon, we can go this way, then turn left We cant see everything because itll take all day, but we can at least go through a big chunk of it Hey, hey! Whats this? Berta points at the map. Why is it colored differently than the rest of the map? I take a closer look and shes right. There are a few small rooms in between the passages, and some of them are painted with a different color. Im curious too. It says theyre safe areas. But theres the forbidden signal next to the name. Why is it? Matta tilts his head, not sure whats going on. Theres one very close. Why dont we go and check it out? All right. I shrug. What could be the worst that can happen? Dont say this! Berta flies and stands right in front of me, pointing her finger at me. Dont you know everything turns for the worst after saying this!? Are you an idiot!? Berta Im sorry. I say, patting her head. Good luck then, youll need it. What? Good luck? Why? She doesnt understand why, but she starts trembling. Why do I need good luck? Well I was the one to risk my life the last time, so this time its your time to do it. What!? NO! I never agreed to it! She tries to fly away, but she cant because Im grabbing her leg. My champions way stronger than hers, theres no way she can get free. Release me! Blockhead! Im getting angry! ...wheres that safe zone? I ask Matta. Were going to test it. Its this way. Follow me. Lets go. To adventure! To adventure! No, shit! Release me! I dont want to do this! Im sorry for laughing at you, ok? I wont do it agaaaain!
Regardless of how many changes the Evil Mastermind made to The Mad Rats Lab, there was always at least one path to reach the laboratory area without having to cross a single one of the mushroom groves. The problem was that, depending on what path the players took, they had to take a huge detour to avoid all the mushroom areas. So, sometimes, they decided to try their luck. Most of those players never made it through.
Ch 154 - Undying legion We go back a short distance and turn left. A few mushrooms are growing here and there, though most of the tunnel is formed by naturally carved stone and sand. Since leaving the enormous cavern, we havent seen any sign of life except for the sporadic mushrooms, the deadly mushroom grove, and the cries echoing in the empty passages. Now that we know how dangerous this area can be, were on edge about whatll come next. These tunnels cant be empty, can they? If the mushroom grove has any correlation with the rest of the stuff here I dont want to imagine what monsters roam this place. The stone tunnel opens up into a medium-sized cavern. We passed by this place when searching for the place with the skull mark, but I didnt pay attention. Here we are. Says Matta while folding the map. This should be the safe area. Nooo! Stop! Release me! Alright In you go! I throw the struggling Berta into the room. Kyaaaa! She flies for two meters until she stabilizes herself in the middle of the flight. She then glares at me and gives me the middle finger. I ignore her actions and start inspecting the area from outside. Do your job properly, I tell her. Like the tunnel were in, purplish light coming from nowhere illuminates the room. There are quite a lot of mushrooms inside, though not as many as in the mushroom grove. There are also blue particles of an unknown origin suspended in the air, like motes of dust. They remind me of the poison clouds, but at the same time, they look quite different. What are they? There are no monsters or traps! Shouts Berta while pointing her finger at me. Ahahaha! You thought you were punishing me, but nothing is threatening my life! Ahahaha! You dont even know how toC In the middle of talking bullshit, she suddenly falls to the ground. There was no warning. Did she die? I ask Matta. Hmm I dont know It doesnt seem like she did, her HP bar is full. Is that so? Then does this mean shes feigning it? Is she acting like this to make us behave like fools? Lets check it out. Oooi! Are you alright, little kid? Do you need an adults help? She doesnt react, to what I say. Maybe shes holding back her anger, lets try something else. What are you doing, Berta? Practicing for when somebody wants to chop veggies on your chest? Ah, so she isnt feigning it. Im sure she would have exploded in anger by now. Matta laughs from my side. Hihihi. Do you think shes unconscious? A problem with the game? No. I didnt think about it at the start, but can you see the flying blue particles? They look similar to those in the mushroom grove. Im sure shes afflicted by a status effect. Its probably Sleep. After falling asleep because of the mushrooms so many times in such a short time, Im now an expert at identifying it. Ah it makes sense He nods before making an anxious face. Then, how are we going to awaken her without stepping into the cave? We dont have ranged attacks... Dont worry, Ive got this. Why is he saying weve got no ranged attacks? Did he forget about my Dragons Breath? I push Matta to a side and open my mouth. A torrent of fire comes out, burning everything in its path; which, in this case, its only Berta. Aaah! You brute! Are you trying to kill me!? Berta screams when the fire breaks the Sleep status effect. Blockhead! You should treat ladies a lot better! She flies in our direction, trying to get out of the room before she falls asleep another time. What lady? I dont see any I look around in an exaggerated gesture ...theres only a fat goblin and a winged bug. Again!? Carles did you think I couldnt hear you while asleep? I heard everything you said This young lady will have to punish you for your bad behavior. N-no! Not my horns again! Ahahaha!
Ah, shit! It got away another time. I exclaim when my katana slashes the air. There was a monster here a second ago, but it disappeared when I attacked. You suck at this, Carles, ahahaha! Berta laughs at my useless effort while casting spells. Watch this and learn from me! Several purple projectiles pop out from her hand and chase after another one of the monsters, taking away a large HP chunk. See? Easy! Ahahaha! ...Tsk! This is so annoying. Of course, youre dealing damage youre using cheats! If I didnt have to get close to them to attack and my attacks had an autotargeting system, it would be easy to kill them for me too! Its so unfair When we fight against other monsters, Ill make sure she eats her own words. A few meters away, Matta is fighting another one of the flesh monsters. Unlike me, he avoids the monsters lounge and strikes back with his stick, but the monsters HP bar barely changes. Hihihi! This is so interesting! He laughs. What a challenge! This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I must admit hes better than me: I havent landed a single strike yet. First, avoid. Then, counterattack. Ill try to imitate him next time. I watch my surroundings with my katana ready. Where will the next monster come from? They keep appearing and disappearing without warning. Is it a teleport? Or something else? If its teleport, how can they teleport through walls? I thought it was impossible. I notice a change on my right side and immediately turn around. There it is, a grotesque meat bag with four legs, sprinting in my direction. Here it comes! Im ready this time. I convince myself. This time, Ill first avoid and then counterattack. At least, Ill try it. Its hard to predict their movements when they can vanish and appear somewhere else in an instant. The headless fleshy dog zigzags as it runs. It pounces at me. Im ready to act, but it disappears. Where did it go? Left, right? No! Its behind! I dodge to the side and slash with my katana at the same time. This time, my sword passes through the monsters flesh and the damage particle effects pop off. With this single strike, I reduced the monsters HP by a fourth. Yes! I did it! I pump my fist. I knew I could do it! Then, lets finish it! For the first time in the whole fight, its me who takes the initiative. I rush at the monster and manage to land a second hit. But before the third attack lands, it vanishes into thin air. I look around. There are two of those monsters corpses on the floor. Im sure its Bertas doing. Meanwhile, Matta continues to exchange blows with a third. How many are there in total? Maybe four? Five? I have no idea Watch out! Berta shouts at the same time something hits me on my back. I fall to the ground. I try to stand up but for some reason, I cant. The monster uses this chance to continue attacking. Stunned? They can stun, too!? Luckily, its a short one. I hear several impact sounds when Bertas Magic Missiles hit the monster thats attacking me. I stand up. ...thanks, Berta, I say. ...Hmph! She snorts. Then, her expression turns into a grin. Are you a damsel in distress that needs saving? How pathetic! Ahahaha! Oh, so this is what you want, huh!? Two can play this game. Well if Im a damsel, then it means theres at least one lady in this party I shrug while smiling. ...and here I was thinking this was an all-male party What are you implying!? No, Im not implying anything at all I spin my eyes around. Stop flirting and get ready. More monsters are coming! Matta cuts us off and points to the end of the tunnel. I hear steps coming from that direction. Get ready for battle. Were not flirting! We both say at the same time. Is that so? Hihihihi! He starts laughing. Right on time, from the end of the tunnel, a group of enemies appears. Theyre running in our direction. Fast! Theyre really fast! Theyll get here in mere seconds. They look very weird. Theyre monsters with half of their bodies a lot taller than the other half. Its to the extent they have to walk at a 45o angle so that both their feet touch the ground at the same time. Its so ridiculous And they have two heads. One with pointy ears and the other with an impressive beard. Theres no doubt why the two halves have such a height difference. Ill take care of them, you deal with the fleshy monsters. I proudly proclaim. Heh, they look weak, and theyre numerous. This is the perfect opponent for me! Ill burn them all to a crisp and then Ill show off! Hahaha! Come at me, weaklings! As soon as theyre in range, I use my Dragons Breath. Fire bursts forth from my mouth and floods the narrow tunnel, burning every monster. I couldnt use it against the flesh monsters because its a waste against a single enemy, and Matta and Berta were too close. But against a group of tightly packed enemies, Dragons Breath is the best skill in the whole game! The fire disperses and the tunnel becomes visible again. Hey there, charred corpses of my victims or not. The monsters continue their march as if they were unaffected by the fire at all. Theyre now covered by a dark film. They look like demons out of a fairy tale. Is this some kind of demonic skill that negates damage? No, Im wrong. Their HP bars are gone! How are they alive if they have no HP left!? Whats going on? Surprised, I stay there, watching them as they get closer. They quickly surround me and start swinging their limbs at me. But, now that theyre closer, I can see that their HP bars arent empty: theres a teeny, tiny bit remaining. 1 HP? They didnt die and survive with 1 HP? Then I just need to hit them one more time and theyll die! I excitedly swing my katana at a random monster. As expected, it dies as soon as the blade touches it. So easy! And to think I was about to despair But all my excitement fades away when the next monster survives my attack. Again? Lets try this. If normal attacks dont work properly against them, Ill use another skill instead. I slam my foot hard and a wave extends from me, affecting everything in my vicinity. This is the Shockwave skill, a perfect skill for when youre surrounded.
Shockwave (Activated skill)
Cost: 150 EP
Deal (10 + STR) physical damage to every unit in a 5-meter radius around yourself, and push them 3 meters away.
All right, this should be the end. I raise my head and watch in terror as the monsters are still alive. They charge at me from all sides, and the assault resumes. Why!? Why wont you die!? I start using everything in my arsenal. Skills, normal attacks nothing works properly! I dont know how it works, but theyre not completely immortal as they die from time to time. But the real problem is that the more of them that are dead, the more damage I take! Ill die at this rate My HP is almost at a third of its maximum value. Why wont they die? And why do they grow stronger!? Matta, Berta! Ill need your help here! Im going to die! Theres no other option. Ill have to use my last resort here. Im using Aegis!
Aegis (Activated skill)
Cost: 200 EP, 100 MP
You ignore all damage and status effects for the next 10 seconds. You cant move, attack, or use skills during this time. You cant use this skill more than three times per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Heee... didnt you say youd deal with them? Ahahaha! See, this is why youre a blockhead. You dont know what you can and cant do Not now, Berta! These monsters are abnormal!
Whats the monster I hate the most in The Mad Rats Lab? Umm can I pick more than one? - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 155 - Fortuitous encounter I sheathe my katana when the last monster falls to the ground. Haaa I almost died I say. I never expected them to be this hard Only 50 HP remains. The monsters started to hit extremely hard by the end I got lucky to avoid a few of their attacks, or Id be dead right now. In the middle, another group of those four-legged flesh monsters came and the fight made a turn for the worse. But compared to the undying black-covered monsters they were nothing. Right now, they should be all dead. Either this, or they ran away. It doesnt matter which one it is. To reach this point when fighting two basic monsters slapped together Tsk, tsk, tsk! Berta clicks her tongue while shaking her head. We realized the elf-dwarf monsters were a mix of the basic units from the two factions in the middle of the fight. Shes right when she says two basic monsters slapped together, but this name doesnt justify how awful they were. Furthermore, shes so annoying I wont let it slide. You have no right to say this! I got their aggro and they never attacked you. If you had to deal with them, Im sure youd be dead! Says the one who was cowering, supplicating them to stop attacking She puffs out her nonexistent chest. Oh, right, you couldnt see my gallant figure, who was bringing death from above, because you were running away What gallant figure? I only saw a child flying around. What!? Youre saying this again!? Ill teach you how to respect your seniors! Come here! She flies in my direction while making weird gestures with her hands. Its as if she were grabbing something and then twisting it around. Stop it. Come here and watch this. Matta interrupts us, signaling us to come closer. I believe I know what happened. Carles, you were lucky and unlucky at the same time. I furrow my brows. Both? How is this possible? Of course, hes talking about how lucky you were to survive. Ahaha! Shut up, Berta Stop it for now. Matta forces us to stop one more time. Inspect this corpse and youll see what I mean. Inspecting the monsters corpse, huh? Its hard to do during combat because you need to focus on it, so the best time to do it is when theyre dead. Alright, lets do it. I inspect the corpse, and the first thing that I read is the monsters name. Unless you deactivate it in the settings, it always appears on top of the monster, so I already knew it, but I was too preoccupied with staying alive to remember it. Demonic Swarmers A truly fitting name, I shiver as I remember the experience of being surrounded by them on all sides. They wouldnt die and were covered in a dark film, like demons out of a nightmare. The next thing under the name is the stats, followed by the skills. I dont care about the former, so I skip to the latter. Demonic Revenge and Death Shield. Aha! So this was the reason they wouldnt die and were growing stronger! After each death, the rest would receive a shield nullifying the next damage while getting a stat boost! Now it all makes sense! But what a nasty combination. Whos the crazy player who had such a nasty idea? They also have the Dash skill, making them extremely fast as long as they have EP Now I understand why they were so tricky to deal with, I say. But I still dont understand what you meant, Matta. Both lucky and unlucky? Why? As Ive said before, youre lucky because you didnt die. Ahaha! Berta proudly puffs out her chest once again. How many times do I have to tell you? If you dont have, dont puff it like this. Youre only going to make a fool of yourself and make the others laugh at you. Sigh She never learns. Hes indeed lucky to have survived, Matta nods. Hey! Not you too! But Im not talking about this. I knew it! I knew youd never betray me, my friend. Im talking about the initial Dragons Breath. My first Dragons Breath? You mean the one I used at the start? It still doesnt make sense to me. Whats up with it? Yes, that one. When you used it, thanks to the dwarfs damage resistance, the monsters didnt take enough damage to die. You left them near the doors death and got their aggro for the rest of the fight, so Berta and I could kill them without having to worry about anything. I dont see any good part in all this I retort. It isnt simple. Matta continues his explanation. You were lucky because your first attack didnt deal enough damage to kill them, so they were left with very little HP. But unlucky because you got their aggro. It would have been better if they just died with the first attack Wrong, Carles. If you had done enough damage to kill them, only the first one would have died, and the rest of the damage would have been prevented. You only survived because the rest of them had so little HP that as long as they didnt have the shield, any attack could kill them. Do you understand now? Aaah, now I understand. Its all thanks to me that we survived Hahaha! Dragons Breath for the win! But then it means its all thanks to the upgrade I got the other day. If not for that upgrade, it wouldnt have worked like this.
Dragons Breath - Fire - LV 2 (Activated skill)
Skills that need MP to be casted deal 30% more damage and the chance to inflict status effects is doubled. When using those skills, 10% of the MP amount used is also reduced from the current HP. This skill can kill you.
Deal (50 + 2 * SPI) fire damage to every unit in a 5-meter cone in front of you.
Upgrades
Double Burn: Increases the damage by 10%. The damage is now divided into two bursts separated by 0,5 seconds.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Dragons Breath is one of the most amazing skills in the game because of how many available upgrades it has. Its one of those skills that youll never regret investing extra skill points to upgrade it. They say that a Dragons Breath upgraded more than ten times is so powerful that even top rankers fear finding a monster with it. The upgrade I got is amazing too. Its a free 10% damage increase and it also goes around all those pesky one-time invulnerability skills. Its only drawback is it deals less damage to those monsters with a skill that reduces the damage they take by a flat amount, but there arent that many units that have such a skill. So, what Mattas saying is that the first damage of the Dragons Breath reduced every monster to very little HP, and the second one killed one of them and triggered both the Demonic Revenge and Death Shield of the rest. This means its all thanks to me we didnt all die! Do you understand now, Berta? I make a smug face. If it werent for me, wed all be dead. And you were laughing at me such an idiot Idiot? Youre the idiot! No, well Matta makes a weird face as I and Berta grab each others hands to prevent the other from attacking. ...youre right we survived because of you, but Itd have been a lot easier if we just killed one and ran away from the rest. Theyd all die to their own Demonic Revenge after a while What!? Is there such a method!? Then why did I have to struggle so much!? Ahahaha! Carles, your face! You look like an idiot! Ahahaha! Dont move, Ill take a screenshot! Dont fuck with me, you little I stop before grabbing her head for punishment. Didnt Matta say theres a better method? We just need to kill one of them if we find another group, right? And it just so happens Berta is the only one with ranged attacks in our party. How convenient. ...hey, Berta, come here. I have a great idea I make a nasty smile and get closer to her. No, wait! She covers her chest and private parts. I-Im not ready! Im not ready for something indecent yet! Dont worry, dear Berta. I have something better on my mind. Yeah, something a lot more entertaining.
Kyaaaah! Bertas shout reaches Matta and I. Do something, guys! Shes currently running away from a new pack of Demonic Swarmers. We found them after turning a corner and, as the only one with ranged attacks, the responsibility of killing the closest one fell on her. She got their aggro and is now being chased by the whole group while we watch everything from afar. Dont worry, youve got this! I cheer her with a smile on my face. Aaah, this is so good moments like this are what I live for. Turn left at the next crossroads. All right, boss! Soon, the path splits in two and I choose the left one, as Matta told me. Kyaaaah! Leave me alone! Although the one with the most trouble is Berta, we arent free to laze around. We have to run away from Berta because shes coming after us with everything shes got. We dont want to get dragged into the demonic mob, so were forced to run away. Sigh I told her to go another way, but she wont listen. Stay on this tunnel until I tell you. This area is tricky. Alright. I follow his instructions and ignore the other passages. Since its impossible to look at the map and run at full speed, Im carrying him in a princess carry while he keeps track of where we are. I dont know if its because this is a game or because of his small size, but his fat champion is weirdly comfortable to the touch. Stop running away! Come here, save me! She shouts, surrounded by the angry mob. The monsters are faster than us, its impossible to evade them. The low ceiling forces her to evade their attacks, something shes not used to doing. Dont try to drag us into your mess, I say, tired of her shouting. Its your fault theyre not dying yet! If I had known, I wouldnt have done it that way. This isnt fair! Help me, please! No. The monsters attacks rain upon her from all sides. She barely manages to evade on time, but the next wave of attacks is already upon her. I hope she survives, or well miss our healer. Its her fault for flaunting her spells. We told her to kill one of the monsters so that the skill that gives them the extra stats triggers, and they die on their own. But she had to go and use her Magic Missiles on multiple targets instead. The result? She killed quite a few of them because of the multiple hits, and the duration of the buff ended up being a lot longer than we wanted, forcing her to run away. And us too, as a consequence. The only saving grace is Im faster than her, so shell never catch up to us and the monsters will ignore us. Now, turn right! Matta points to a certain passage and I quickly jump into it. It shouldnt take too long for them to die now+ I hope so. I dont want to keep running in this place. Who knows what well find if were not careful? Save me Ive said! Carleeeees! The cries and annoying AaAaAaAa shouts from the monsters suddenly disappear, leaving only Bertas voice. Huh? They all died? Finally! Ahahaha! Im the bestC But I stop listening when I bump into something hard. Huh? I fall to the ground and drop Matta. He groans. Urgh! Hey, be more careful Whats this? A new monster? I raise my head, curious. Hes right, we just bumped into a pitch-black monster. So dark it looks as if the light is now dimmer. The monster slowly turns around, but instead of attacking it stays still, staring at us. A gigantic wolf head. Two long, menacing arms. And the worst of it all, a giant eye in its stomach. I can almost feel my soul being sucked into it. W-whats this? I manage to say after some effort. Is this a nightmare? I dont know Matta says from my side. ...but, it doesnt look good for us. Ah, here you are! For a moment I thought I was lost W-whats this!? I can hear Berta gulping from a few meters away. I want to take a look at her, but my eyes are glued to the monster. I mean literally. As much as I want to turn my head, the game doesnt allow me to do it. We stay there, in silence, for what seems like an eternity. Until the wolf-like monster releases a deafening howl. I run away. This is Fear! I cant control my Champion, theres no use struggling. Matta, Berta! If youre ok, chase after me! We shouldnt split up! Weve only been in this place for thirty minutes and so much bad stuff has happened already! Whats wrong with these tunnels? What twisted, player created all this stuff? And why do players like coming here so much!? Only bad stuff is happening to us! Affected by the Fear status, my Champion randomly turns left and right, until I end in the middle of another mushroom grove. Fuck my bad luck I drag myself outside the mushroom area. I fall asleep and am afflicted with a multitude of status effects, but I finally reach a safe area. Then, I look around. Theres no sign of Matta or Berta. Matta? Berta? I shout. I wait for a long time, but theres no answer. Yeah, I Im screwed. I have no map, no healing, and I have no idea where I am. How am I supposed to survive? The only thing I can do is stand up, start moving, and hope for the best. Lets go! To adventure! I shout to motivate myself. Its the same shout, but it doesnt contain as much energy as before.
NEVER split up. Splitting up means fewer chances to survive. Splitting up means youll have to fight alone. Splitting up means you wont have your team to support you. There are times you wont be able to avoid it, and there are several traps and monsters thatll force you to split up. But when allowed to choose, dont do it. Never try to save time by going to separate areas alone, or even worse, tackle multiple fights at the same time! SPLITTING. UP. MEANS. DEATH! I warned you, so dont complain later on. - Extract from the Chapter Relearning exploration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 156 - Not everything’s lost Can you hear me? I prick my ear so I dont miss any sounds. ...where are you? I wait, but theres no answer. I dont think I can survive alone when I have no idea where I am. I wont stop calling for them. Matta? Berta? The silence is only broken by the sporadic cries from some monsters. Theres no sign of my teammates. Wait, this! Suddenly, a thunderous sound pops out of nowhere. It grows closer and at an extraordinary speed. I have no idea what kind of monster or trap it is, but it''s coming in my direction. I gulp. Shit! Maybe I should have stayed quiet Can I do it alone? It depends on what kind of monster, but Its so loud. It must be something huge, right? I dont think its a good idea to face it when Matta and Berta arent here. I look around. There are only a few mushrooms and rocks in this tunnel. This place is quite dark, if I hide, its possible the monsters wont see me, so I quickly hide behind one of the biggest rocks. Maybe I can survive like this The noise gets closer. I couldnt hear it properly because of the tunnels echo, but now that its closer I can finally hear it properly. Its the noise of hundreds of legs stomping on the ground at irregular intervals. ...is it a giant centipede? I pop my head from behind the rock to look in the direction the sound is coming from. I cant see the monster yet, but I notice something else. Uah, those two rocks are so close to the wall should I go there? The rocks are placed in such a way that itll be impossible for any monster to see me if I hide there. But its a little bit far away. Will I have enough time to go there before the monster appears? Do I go? Will I have enough time? Im tempted to go, but I dont dare to. The noise is so loud that the monster could show up at any moment now. Also, Matta always says that when it comes to survival, the first idea you have is usually the best one. Yes, Ill follow his lead this time. Im staying here because I believe in him and not because Im too scared to move out of my hiding place I convince myself. Finally, the monster shows up. Its a pale, deformed humanoid, made of body parts from several species. Its running in my direction at an absurd speed, one that defies its uncoordinated and wonky movements. Then, from behind the monster, another one appears. And second, a third, a fourth An unending stream of monsters pours from the other side of the tunnel. Theres a mix of monsters from different races, but most of them are either deformed humanoids like the first one, or humans. Completely uncoordinated, they push each other and walk over their fallen teammates, trying to reach the pale humanoid at the front. They never dare to overcome it, but they dont care about whats in their way to come as close as possible. What the fuck? Are there tens of enemies? Maybe hundreds!? Theres no end to their numbers as they flood the tunnel, leaving almost no space unoccupied. I grab my legs and make myself as small as possible. The first monster passes close to where I am but doesnt see me. The same is true for the rest, but I dont dare tempt my luck. Dont make any noise, Carles. Dont move. Dont breathe. Dont blink I stay immobile like a statue. The thundering noise and the ground vibrations are enough to tell me the monsters are still coming, theres no end to them. The monster horde continues, and continues, and continues *Pop!* I almost scream at the noise of something compressed being released. Alarmed, look in that direction and see a part of the wall on the other side of the tunnel dropping to the ground. From the hole, a new monster soon drops to the ground and joins the horde. *Pop! Pop! Pop!* More hidden compartments bust open and monsters come out from the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. I watch horrified as a monster appears from behind the rocks I discovered a while ago. There was a hidden monster there!? It looked like the perfect hiding place because there was a monster hiding there!? Omg, I was so lucky to stay here! If I had changed the place I was hiding Matta, my best friend. From now on, Ill believe everything you say. Ill follow whatever you say when it comes to survival, I swear. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the last monsters pass where I am and the noise starts to get away from me. I dont dare to move a single muscle until the silence returns to the tunnel. What, the, fuck was that? I shiver. I dont think I could run away, they were faster than me. Had they found me, I would have been shredded into a gory mess by the ravenous horde. I cant imagine a worse way to die. I send a reluctant glance in the direction the horde disappeared. Then, I turn in the opposite direction. To get away from them theres only one way I can go. I dont think about it a second time and start walking. Lets hope I dont find them a second time This dungeon Matta told us players consider it a dungeon with high difficulty, that you rely on luck and skill to clear it. Then, why did it turn into a horror dungeon? When did it switch genres?
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. How annoying! How many times does it make this? I stopped counting long ago. For the umpteenth time, I defeat a group of Goblimps. They never stopped appearing since the cave with the turtles, but at least theyre weak. Id rather fight them than a group of those teleporting flesh-dogs. I inspect the area to make sure none of them survive. That green, fat belly Id recognize it anywhere! Matta, its you, right? But why are you lying on the ground I get closer. Ah, hes dead. This is why. It all makes sense now. What to do what to do I ponder. There are no visible traps in the surroundings. If hes dead, it must mean he encountered some powerful enemy If only he could tell me what it was But he cant tell me anything as long as hes dead. The game wont allow him to write to me either. The most he can do is log out of the game, but even then he wont be able to talk to us until I or Berta beat the dungeon or surrender. His corpse is still here, so he must be in his phantasmal form. Im sure that hes observing my every action with a smirk on his face. There are two actions I can take. I can leave him here and abandon all hope for him to come back, or bring him with me and hope we can meet Berta. She has the Resurrection skill, so she can bring him back to life. Id like to reunite if possible, but is it possible? I have no idea where Berta might be. His Champion is a fat goblin, which makes it harder to move. But at the same time is a Goblin, which is a lot smaller than an adult I can always bring his corpse with me and toss it to the ground when I have to fight, cant I? Youre lucky, Buddy, I say after deciding what Ill do. If we find Berta, you might be able to come back! Hahaha! Youll owe me one for this! I grab him like a sack of potatoes and resume walking. He isnt as heavy as I expected. Now I only need to find our child teammate A few minutes later, I hear a shout. *...Kyaaaaaaah!* This cry it must be her. But why does it sound muffled? The wall bursts in an explosion and a giant worm appears, occupying most of the tunnel with its enormous body. ...Kyaaaaaah! The shout continues. As if in response, the worm starts thrashing around. I make a few steps backward to avoid being dragged into whatevers happening. But it doesnt make any sense. The worm has 0 HP, so why is it still moving? Kyaaah! Aaaagh, so disgusting! Kyaaaaaah! The worm spasms yet another time. Its movement coincides with Bertas cry. Is she inside the worm? Then, something small drops out from the dead worms mouth. That something starts moving in a weirdly fascinating dance. Its like a newborn coming out of its mother, covered in disgusting fluids I dont want to know the origin of. Uaaah I want to die Save me, Carles She starts crying. Where are you? She stands up and turns in my direction. She freezes when she sees me staring at her. Uh, hey. Hello, Berta How have you been? Kyaaah! She hides her body, still covered in that disgusting fluid. Did you did you see? She asks, her voice fading away as she talks. ... See what? Her current aspect? Or when she was shouting while struggling inside the worm? Is this one of those trap questions? What should I answer? In fact, is there any answer I can give her that wont put me in danger? She starts sobbing. Uaaah, it was so horrible, snif! I didnt know where I was, and then the tunnel closed, and I was inside the monster, and now Im covered in this sticky fluid Carles, Im so glad youre here She walks in my direction. ...I dont want to be alone anymore I take a step back. ...hey, Berta. Stop. Dont come any closer ...why? Didnt you miss me too? She cutely tilts her head to the side and asks me. The problem is shes still sticky, and I dont want to touch that stuff at all. Stop! ...why? She keeps getting closer with her arms open, asking for a hug. I can only solve this one way, and that way is Kyaaah! What are you doing!? I throw Mattas corpse and pin her under it. Thats the only solution. At least, its the most cost-efficient one. The next step is to change topics so she forgets about what I did. I found Mattas corpse lying around some time ago. Can you use Resurrection on him? Im curious about what killed him. ...huh? She takes a moment to realize that the thing thats pinning her is Mattas corpse. ...ah, huh alright, Ill do it. Bright green light converges around Mattas body as she uses her skill and it is then absorbed into his body.
Resurrection (Activated skill)
Cost: 300 MP
You return a dead allied unit to 10% of its maximum HP. The resurrected unit will have all their stats reduced by 20% for the rest of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. After using this skill, your MP and SOU will be reduced by 10% for the rest of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
When the light disappears, Matta releases a grunt and stands up. You know he says, ...I dont mind going away if you need some time alone, you lovebirds. What bullshit is he saying as soon as he wakes up? What did you say!? Berta, who still hasnt fully recovered from her awful experience, snaps at him. Is this what you have to say? Why dont you say thanks first!? Stop, hihihi! Youre going to kill me again! Wheew, looks like she will leave me alone and I wont have to touch that weird fluid I exhale, relieved. So how did you die? I ask. What monster killed you? Berta stops chasing after him. Yes, its weird. You dont usually die. If anything, youre more resilient than a cockroach Well, you see he makes a weird laugh and scratches his cheek. Do you remember that monster that inflicted fear on us? Didnt you notice? While running, we were taking damage. So I died because of it. ... He continues talking after noticing we arent saying anything. Hihihi, you know, since my champions so weak, such unavoidable damage was lethal Im not misunderstanding him, right? Hes admitting he did nothing at all since we split up, right? I had to explore, face dangers, and fear for my life while he was resting comfortably, waiting for us to rescue him. I even had to drag him with me so we could resurrect him, and Berta even got eaten by a giant worm! Berta Carles We exchange a look and nod at the same time. Hey, guys? Matta steps back. Why are you grinning? Noooooo, stooooop! He starts squealing like a pig. Dont do it! Release me! Arent we friends? We lift him as he struggles. Where are you dragging me? Why are you doing this? Were finally reunited, we should take this chance to clear the dungeon! I have the map, remember? You wont be able to clear this if Im dead! Ahahaha We ignore his struggles as our sinister laughter fills the tunnels.
Real friendships will never break under any circumstances. It doesnt matter what dungeon you go or what situation you find yourself in, they will always stay strong. - Ramblings of a random crazy DMA player.
Ch 157 - A change of pace I observe with dead eyes as the natural rocky terrain slowly transitions into a mix of polished rock and metal. Weve finally reached the end of this treacherous area, filled with monsters, traps, and deadly ambushes. I dont feel like celebrating, though. Aaah Im so happy! Berta drops to her knees and kisses the ground. Never again! She sounds happy, but her face says she wants to cry. Dont be like this, hihihi! Matta laughs cheerfully. Didnt you find it interesting? Monsters that can teleport through walls, deadly mushroom groves, a naturally-formed monster train so much stuff we never saw before What more can you ask for? Instead of answering, I send him a killing glare and he shuts up. Yeah, sure. Youre happy because you got out scot-free! Id like to see what you would say if you had to experience the same stuff as me. Or worse, the same as Berta. And talking about her Shes hugging the ground now. She looks so relieved to get out of there that she doesnt mind what Matta is saying. We had no other choice but to let him go because he threatened us with deleting the map if we forced him into some horrible experience. If he deleted it, we would have had no choice other than to roam the tunnels randomly, suffering all the time, so We released him and followed his instructions to reach leave the area as quickly as possible. What a shame. We only wanted to share our joy with him After all, I do want to see what comes next, I just dont want to suffer anymore. Leaving then, due to having no map, would leave me with a bad aftertaste. As for Berta, the reason she gave is she wants to see if theres another cute monster like that cat-octopus in the dungeon. I didnt notice it at first, but she lost the one she was fervently protecting at some point. Was it when the turtle almost ate her? Im not sure. I slap my cheeks two times. All right! Lets see what comes next! I hope it isnt as terrifying as the previous area Yes, lets go! To adventure! Says Matta. The area looks like a laboratory. Im sure itll be filled with interesting stuff. Theres a door blocking our way. It reminds me of one of those high-security doors in biological laboratories, used to keep something out or in. Lets hope is the former. Matta takes the lead, opens the sealed door that blocks our way, and starts inspecting the interior. I take a peek from behind him. The room isnt big or small, but what a mess There are machines Ive never seen before randomly distributed through the room. There are tables filled with papers and mysterious objects, glowing capsules filled with liquids of various colors, as well as cables on the ground and hanging between the machines. In the middle of all this mess, theres a humanoid monster taking notes, standing next to one of the machines. It doesnt seem its doing anything noteworthy except standing there. Why does it have such short arms and legs? Is it a child or an adult? I ask Matta. I I dont know? I want to see it too! Let me see the monster! Berta, who until now was resting on the floor, quickly flies in our direction. She ends up sitting on top of my head. Pfft! Ahahaha! Its so funny! Its an adult with a beard, but the arms and legs are so short! Ahahaha! Oi, you. Do you think Im a vantage point or something? Go somewhere else! I push her away and turn to Matta. The monster is alone. Do you think itll be strong? Im tired of tricky monsters He thinks for a while before answering. It doesnt look like its a boss, but I dont know. Then, theres only one way of knowing for sure. Ill go first. I walk inside the room. As soon as I step inside, the monster turns around and makes a jump in my direction. Too bad. You wont get me this way! I fly away to avoid the shockwave created when it lands and immediately retaliate with my sword. Haha! Lets see how good you are! We start exchanging blows. The monster isnt that strong, only slightly resilient. Why is everything in this dungeon so hard to kill? Soon, Matta and Berta join the fight. They join me in melee and start casting spells from a distance, respectively. It turns out it wasnt that strong, says Matta with a smile on his face. With the three of us, theres no way we canC Run! Run? Why? At the same time as Matta starts running away, an ice wave appears around the monster, quickly expanding in all directions. Ah, I see now I react too late, and the ice immobilizes me. The monster takes this chance to launch several attacks and my HP bar takes a huge blow. But I dont care that much, if my HP reaches a dangerous level, Berta will heal me. Matta, who evaded the ice wave by a hairs breadth, tries to take the monsters attention off me by attacking repeatedly, but the monster ignores him completely. Yeah, I understand. Why would anybody care about a sneaky, powerless goblin that will run away as soon as you turn around when you have an immobilized dragonborn in front of you? The ice thaws a short while later. I reposition myself and the combat returns to the same state as it was before anything ice-related happened. Its at this time that I notice the monster is covered by a fire aura, which means were taking damage by staying close to it. Then, it means this monster has at least double the stats Matta has, or he would be dead by now. Its thanks to his Dauntless, Foolhardy, and Blood Sucker skill combination, which allows him to fight stronger enemies with a chance at survival as long as he doesnt get hit by any strong attack, that is. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Dauntless (Passive skill)
When facing an enemy with at least 20% higher average stats than you, increase all damage you deal by 20%.
Daredevil (Passive skill)
Your damage isnt reduced against units with at least double your average stats.
Blood Sucker (Triggered skill)
Your basic attacks steal 0,5% Max HP from your target. This skill can only trigger against units with at least double your average stats.
Hes like a mosquito, slowly draining the enemys HP as he does his best to stay alive. And, same as a mosquito, a single slap from a strong monster will kill him. Thats why, if the ice nova had hit him he would have died, but the fire aura isnt enough to kill him. Ahahaha! Eat this! Berta laughs like a crazy lady. Ill finish you! Here it comes. Her crazy attack. The thing she does when the combat drags out and she wants to move to the next thing. Also, the reason why a lot of times our fights end up being a lot harder than they should; as she tends to get the monsters aggro as a result. Its the same as she did against the Demonic Swarmers, but she did it at the start of combat at that time. From her hand, multiple purple projectiles are launched at the monster. They hit it at the same time and a chunk of its HP vanishes. And another ice nova is released. And Im frozen still once again. Luckily for him, Matta started running as soon as she declared her attack, so he didnt die this time either. He didnt have to run as fast as before because he was warned ahead of time. Ahahaha! Carles, youre so lame! You got hit by it both times! Dont you know how to run away? Ahahaha! The nerve. Its her fault, but she still laughs at me. Shut up! I say. Its your fault, and you know it. What are you, a child? Laughing at someone elses disgrace!? She flinches when I call her a child, but I dont allow her to make a comeback. Now, come here and heal me. And fix your childish attitude once and for all. Youre the childish one! Now I dont wanna! She crosses her arms and turns around. Meanwhile, the monster keeps attacking me with his pencil. After the two ice novas and the repeated, unavoidable attacks, my HP is reaching a dangerous level. Will I die because of her childishness? Come on, Berta! Im going to die! She takes a peek in my direction. She struggles between helping me or not until she finally starts healing me. Urgh fine. But only because Im magnanimous! Im sure she looked at my HP bar and decided to heal me only because I was going to die soon; and only because the Resurrection skill makes her lose 10% of her maximum MP every time she uses it. After the ice disappears, there are no more surprises and the fight ends when the monster dies. A single mistake when the ice novas or too much damage from the fire aura and Id be dead right now! So much fun! I live on the edge! Hihihi! His belly starts shaking as he laughs. Youre right, I nod. It wasnt as dangerous or tricky as previous battles. Finally, we won without trouble! If only a certain somebody didnt complicate everything I glare at Berta and she flinches. I didnt do anything wrong. The nerve. Lets provoke her a little. Huh? Why did you think I was talking about you? I didnt say your name I grin. Did you think I was talking about you? Why might this be? Maybe you actually did something wrong, after all? Shut up, she mutters. I didnt do anything wrong. Hmph! Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. Lets leave the kid sulking in the corner and talk about important topics. I approach Matta, who just took out the map. Where do we go next? There are four doors in this room, one on each wall. We came from that one, and I refuse to go back to that horrible place. But that still leaves three choices. The laboratory continues in that direction. He points to the opposite door to the one we come from. As for the other two, they lead to optional areas. Id like to take a look at the right one, or well completely miss it unless we go back. It looks like an open area, maybe its similar to the big cave? Theres no need to take the left path because well find another entrance later. Where does that area connect? I say, pointing to the right door. To the entrance? To the tunnels? The idea of going back sends shivers down my spine. No, it connects to the big cave with the turtles. I see Then we can take a peek and come back here. Itll be fast. I start walking to the door on the right side when Matta stops me. Wait! He says. Let me look at what awaits us in the other laboratory room. Im curious. Fine, go ahead. As long as theres no instant death trap, it should be ok. He opens the door and tells us what he sees. Theres another monster like the one in this room, and a few more humanoid monsters running around. Its hard to tell exactly how many because of the clutter. They dont seem to react to the door opening The same monster? Now that we know how it works, itll be an easy fight. I shrug my shoulders. If youve finished we can now check the right door Wait, Ill do it! Berta flies to the door and reaches for the lever. Im opening it! Then, without waiting for us to get ready, she pulls it and the door starts opening. Fuck! The light coming from the other side blinds me. Even if the laboratory is well-lit, theres a high contrast with the sunlight, so I cover my eyes with one hand. Wow Exclaims Berta. ...bunnies! I never expected to find something so normal inside this dungeon. Comments Matta from my side as he furrows his brows. But I have a bad feeling about this. It looks too normal. Normal? Define normal. Because in this dungeon where everythings weird, this area looks the least normal to me. I retort. ...youre right Theres a lush valley on the other side of the door. Theres a lot of sunlight and grass everywhere. And bunnies. Lots of bunnies. ...huh? Wheres Berta? Matta points ahead, to a small dot in the distance. She rushed ahead as soon as she saw the rabbits. Hes right, shes there! Shes so small I almost cant see her! I walk into the valley. The soft grass meets my feet and gets squished underneath. Now that Im closer, I can see Berta properly. Right now, shes holding a bunny-octopus in her right hand, which reminds me of the cat-octopus shes holding in her left hand Wait! Left hand!? Where did she get that cat-octopus from!? I could swear she didnt have it a minute ago, and there are only bunnies in here! I take another look at her just in time to watch the rabbit shes patting transform into a tree-like monster. What the hell!? Whats normal about that!?
Dont bring your friends to The Mad Rats Lab'' if they like to cuddle cute things. They might get a trauma. This was a message from a player who wanted to prevent other players from having bad experiences. As you might expect, the achieved result was the opposite of the intended one.
Ch 158 - They aren’t cute at all Help! Shouts Berta. I run in her direction and use my Dragons Breath as soon as I get close enough. Ah, what a shame. Berta took the damage too how bad. If only I had thought about this before Nooooo! She shouts when she realizes what happened. She then flies closer and punches me in the face. You killed them again! Killed? Does she mean the monster? Of course, I killed it ah, I know! Shes talking about the octopus hybrids! Im sorry? But if you killed the monster instead of panicking, they would be alive right now and youd have saved yourself some damage, but it seems you dont care about this last part. Its your fault! She doesnt listen and continues to punch me, this time on my chest. She''s even more childish than usual when it comes to stuff like this. Dont worry, Im sure well find another one soon, I say flatly. You promise? ... huh I do? I have no idea what well find, so what do you expect me to say? But luckily for me, she calms down at my words and stops her tantrum. Now that I take a closer look at the monster, its not a tree but a bush, about a meter and a half tall. The most astonishing part about this monster is that it has rabbit ears, and they dont look out of place. Dont ask me how is that possible, Im not the one who created that monstrosity. Are you finished with your lovers quarrel? Hihihihi! Matta comes closer while nervously examining his surroundings. Then, can we start moving? I have a bad feeling about this area, so Id like to move fast and leave as soon as possible. Fine by me, I nod. We need to go that way, right? Theres a hole in the mountainside. The tunnel is bright and light comes from the other side, so Im sure theres another valley like this one. Me first! Berta rushes into the hole and disappears from our view one more time, leaving us no other choice but to follow after her. Do you think shell end up in trouble? I ask. Hmm most surely. Im sure that tree-rabbit wasnt the only hidden monster in this place. Well, lets hope she doesnt die, I shrug my shoulders, itd be a pain to lose our healer like this. Shouldnt you care about her a little bit more? Why? ... never mind. The tunnel is little more than a hole in the mountain. It isnt that long either, no more than ten meters. There are small holes on both sides, which must be the burrows of those rabbits we saw. When we reach the other side our vision field widens and a vast valley appears in front of us. It could be because this place has no ceiling, but it appears to be almost as big as the giant cavern with the turtles. Sure enough, we find Berta entangled with another one of those tree-like monsters. But this time she remembers to use her skills and manages to get free on her own. Do you never learn? I taunt her. Leave me alone! She pouts. Not all of them are dangerous, ok? Fine, do whatever you want. But dont come cryC A rabbit-eared angel swoops in and grabs Berta. Its so unexpected that nobody can react on time. The monster flies away at top speed. When it reaches a dangerous height, the monster drops her and she starts falling. The monster then disappears somewhere. Uaaaah! Shouts Berta. Saaaave meeee! Did she forget how to fly? I observe her falling. I might as well go and save her Yeah, go and make her fall in love with you. Matta snickers and elbows me. Shut up! And stop with the love stuff already! I unfurl my wings and start flying. I wont let any child die on my watch! Its a shame shes too scared to pay attention to what I say. Id love to see her reaction. Save meeeee! Ill dieeeee! Im coming. I swoop in, but right before I grab her, she remembers she has wings and stabilizes herself. The thing is she does it as such a bad moment that the hand that was ready to grab her ends in a certain area of hers. Huh, its flat. And hard Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. What are you doing, pervert! She slaps my hand and struggles to get free. No, theres nothing to be ashamed of, Berta. Theres, literally, nothing. I made the effort to save you and you react like that Next time you ask for help, Ill let you die. Realizing what I mean, she stops struggling. Then, her eyes start to swim around. Um, huh Thank, you Her voice fades off. What are you doing? Are you shy now? Ashamed of your actions? ... I taunt her with a grin on my face, but she stares at the ground instead of answering. An awkward moment follows. After a few seconds, I make a fake cough and fly back to the ground level. She follows me, and we wait until Matta reaches us. Why are you so quiet? He asks. Its nothing. So what do you want to do next? I quickly change the topic. I want to pat more rabbits! And find another octopus rabbit! Whats wrong with her head? I massage my temples and try to dissuade her. You see, Berta I dont think its a good idea. Didnt they get you three times already? I know, but still! Matta, too, thinks like me. It was me who wanted to explore every zone, but I have the feeling we should get out of here before its too late. If we move any further in, I dont think well make it back. I take a look around. There are tons of rabbits munching on the grass. If all of them were to turn into monsters and attack us at the same time, wed be in big trouble. I too think we should go back. No! I dont wanna! Berta points her finger at me. Its your fault theyre dead! Come on, I didnt do it on purpose I only wanted to roast you with the monster, I never considered their presence. Im sorry, ok? Hmph! Fine We can go back. Matta starts going back. Berta follows after him while crossing her arms in a signal of defiance. I take one last look at the scenery before following after them. But then, as if the beautiful landscape and innocent rabbits were all a dream, everything changes as soon as I take the first step forward. A shiver runs down my spine. I turn around just in time to see a bunny-eared orc slashing at me with his claw. My body feels the tremendous impact of the attack, which can only mean one thing: this attack was very strong. WHAT!? 70% of my HP gone with one attack!? If it were Matta or Berta, theyd be dead right now! Fuck! Aegis! I immediately activate Aegis and start shouting. Matta, Berta! Come back! Im in a pinch! They come running and engage the monster in combat. Matta distracts it while Berta attacks. It only takes two Magic Missile barrages to kill it. The typical glass cannon, I comment. It was very close... Ahahaha! We always have to save you, Carles. Why are you so useless? I raise my eyebrow. Do I need to remind you of what happened a while ago? Berta shuts up and turns around to avoid my gaze. See? I knew it was dangerous. Lets quickly go back! Matta pushes our backs in the direction we came from. I can feel the dark, empty eyes of the little critters on my skin. Theyre like black holes, containing all the evil in the world. And to think I thought they were normal rabbits at the start! Around us, several rabbits start to transform into the same rabbit-orcs as the one that attacked me. Two rabbit-angels start circling above our heads, waiting for an opportunity. Run! I shout. Theyre coming! We increase our speed to the maximum, but the monsters chase us at an even faster speed. Why are they so fast!? Theyll catch up! Lets fly over the mountain. Suggests Matta. Theyll have to take the long path through the tunnel. We should be safe this way. All right. Matta, Ill pick you up. Thanks, buddy. The monster mob hesitates to follow after us when their path is interrupted by the mountain. They wait for us to come back, but when we reach the other side, they start running in the direction of the tunnel. Theyre so freaking fast! What SPD do you need to move as fast as that? I have SPD 7, and it cant be compared to them. On the other side, the angels dont dare approach us. They instead use their faster speed to circle above us. Are they waiting for us to split up? No chance thats happening! The door to the laboratory enters our sight. Why is it so far? Berta, speed up! Theyre about to catch up! The orc monsters start pouring out of this side of the tunnel. At this speed, theyll catch up with us before we reach the door. Im flying as fast as I can! It isnt enough! I grab her and increase my speed to my maximum. Kyaaaah! Dont grab me there! Im sorry, but theres no time to waste. I grabbed whatever I could. At my maximum speed, I reach the door before the monsters do. I drop both of them to the ground and give instructions. Ill prevent them from coming in, you close the damn door! I put myself in front of the door and Matta goes to pull the lever. I-it isnt working? His panicked voice reaches me, but Im too focused on the orc horde to pay any attention. Ah, now! Its working! It took a while to react. The door starts closing as the orcs get close. From this distance, I can almost smell their foul breaths. I gulp. The door takes forever to close. I get ready to use Aegis in case one or two manage to slip by before the door closes. But luckily for us, the door finishes closing before they get in. Exhausted, I drop to the ground. "It was too close We stay silent for a while. Were too exhausted and relieved to say anything. Its Berta the one to break the silence. These rabbits They arent cute at all. I nod. Yeah, I completely agree Hihihi, it was fun and exciting! I was right when I said it was dangerous! I take a look at my status screen. Oh my god, I almost died! My HP is at 10% right now. If not for the Aegis, Id be dead for sure. This skill is so amazing, it always saves me in dangerous situations, but now theres only one use remaining. Wait! Why is my MP so low? I dont think I overused my Dragons Breath that much. Its a mystery. I didnt notice until now, but I almost died. Says Matta. I have no MP and my SOU is almost at zero. WHAT!?
DMA players assigned every famous dungeon a rating from 1 to 10, depending on how hard it was to clear. Among many other things, the rating took into account the level required to fight the bosses, the danger from the traps, and how unpredictable the dungeon was. At its peak, The Mad Rats Lab was the one leading the ranking. It achieved the astonishing rating of 12, reduced to 11 if you had Champions that could fly. No other dungeon ever reached the same rank.
Ch 159 - Mistakes were made Matta has been examining the door barring our way for a while now. Tired of waiting, I ask him. Did you find why the door isnt opening? Im not sure He points at four light bulbs next to the door. There must be a connection between those and the door, but who knows. He shrugs. Were stuck? After leaving the rabbit area, we continued our dungeon invasion and entered the second laboratory room. Then, we fought another one of those guys in a lab coat. It was a lot easier this time because we already knew its attack patterns. The additional lighting rods blasting us with electricity made things more difficult, but nothing compared to not knowing about the ice novas. We defeated it, but for some reason, the door wont open. Matta furrows his brows. There were slime humanoids inside the first time I looked But they werent here when we came back. Maybe we have to find and kill them? Monsters that ran away? He did tell us about more than one monster, didnt he? If they ran away, and we didnt see them in the rabbit area, this must mean they are I cant finish the sentence as a shiver runs down my spine. If they ran away, they could only be in the tunnels. Id rather surrender and leave the Dungeon Invasion than go back there. I gulp. Didnt you say there was another path? Yes, and Id like to see it too. Its just He sends a glance in Bertas direction. I dont think shell be fine in there. Taking a peek is one thing, but having to go through an area like that is on another whole level. What do you mean? You know something about that area, dont you? I glare at him. Didnt we agree we wouldnt use any guide? Why are you breaking our rules? He shakes his head. Dont accuse me of such a thing! Of course I didnt! He brings out the map and puts it right in front of my face. Look here. It clearly says Warning: Gore. And we both know how much she hates that kind of stuff. As he says so, we both turn to look at Berta. She disappeared somewhere after the fight and didnt say anything while we were inspecting the door to try and find a way forward. Noticing our gazes, she smiles and chuckles. Everythings going to be ok, dont worry. Aint I right, Gap? She rubs her cheek on one of those cat-octopus critters. You named it!? I retort. And where the heck did you find it!? I found it resting on top of that table after our fight. She points at a distant operating table. It has so much dried blood and rust on it that its more red than brown. Aint I right, cutie? She hugs the cat-octopus. I stay silent while looking at the monster in her arms. Theres so much to retort I dont know where to start. But she takes my silence in a completely different way. When she notices Im staring at the cat, she reluctantly brings it closer. Umm Fine... You can pet it too. I shouldnt have asked When I step back to take some distance from the crazy girl, I notice Matta is looking at me. Why are you making that stupid face? Hihihi! Its funny watching you flirt like that. Were not flirting!! Fine, fine whatever you say. He shakes his head, shrugs, and returns to the current topic. If she doesnt matter, we can take that area. But I tell you, if we have to take into account the mushroom warning as a reference, it wont be easy for you, Berta. Its fine! What could go wrong? I just need to look at Gap once in a while and Im sure everything will be fine! Hes so cute! Yeah, sure whatever. I shrug. Matta, lets go. To adventure! To adventure! To find more cute critters! About that I dont think youll find anything cute in a place that has a warning about gore. Its a good thing theres an optional route, I say on our way to the optional path. I still remember that time we wasted two hours searching for a key we missed near that dungeons entrance Ah, yes. Matta nods. It wasnt as dangerous as this dungeon, so we didnt have any trouble, but it turned out to be so boring. If only we had a map! Behind that door there was nothing but the dungeon core, we could have left and wouldnt have missed anything! Yes what a waste of time. I remember too! Adds Berta. There were no cute animals at all. I like this one a lot better. Aint I right, Gap? Is that your criteria for evaluating dungeons? Theyre good if they have cute animals. If they dont, theyre bad. Really!? Alright! Get ready for some action! Says Matta while rubbing his hands together. Im opening the door! He pulls the lever. Shortly after, the metallic door starts to rise and release fog. No, it isnt normal fog. This is the same that happens when you open a refrigerated container in the summer. Its condensed water because of the thermal difference. Wow! Did you bring your coats? Jokes Matta. I play along with him. Ah, shit, I forgot mine. But you dont have to worry, Matta. Youve got your natural coat here that will protect you from the coldest of climates. I grab his tummy and make it shake like a tsunami. Hihihi! Youre right! Im cold-proof! Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. We all know the cold wont affect us at all, since were inside the game. At most, there might be a permanent debuff applied to the whole area. Those debuffs usually affect everyone, ally and enemy alike, so we dont have to worry too much about it. Gap, stick close to me. Ill heat you. Berta continues with her childish behavior. When will she get tired? Uh, yeah, she wont. The door continues to rise and finally reveals whats inside. Its a dark passage, covered by frost. And by dark I dont mean poorly illuminated. Theres a dark, partially frozen substance covering most of the ground, walls, and also part of the ceiling; mixed with bits of solid substance of various sizes. What those bits are I have no idea, and I dont think I want to know. A disgusting smell fills my nostrils. The smells in the game arent as pronounced as in real life for player comfort, so it isnt very strong. But if this were in real life, Im sure Id be puking right now. Ugh what is this place? I complain. Do we actually have to go through this place? Isnt there, I dont know, a third path or something? Matta shakes his head. According to the map, there isnt. Are you scared of this place and want to go back? Hihihi! Itll take a lot more to scare me. Bring it on! I can take anything! Hihihi! Alright. Lets go then! Matta takes the first step into the disgusting passage. When I try to follow, something tugs on my sleeve, preventing me from moving forward. I turn my head, and it turns out its Berta. Shes staring at the ground without saying anything but doesnt let go of my sleeve even when I pull it away. Whats wrong with you? Umm I She raises her head and looks at my face. I What? Are you scared? I taunt her. Is our dear child scared of the monsters? Hahaha! Im not scared! Its just that I I you know I dont like disgusting stuff like that. Can I ride you while were inside so I can keep my eyes closed? Do you think Im your pet!? N-no! She pleads with her eyes. Please? I spin my eyes around. ...fine. But youll help when were in combat, ok? Otherwise, Ill stop carrying you. She smiles and starts talking very fast. Sure, when you tell me, Ill use my spells and shoot them in the direction you tell me! You just have to grab my hand and point it in the direction of the enemies and Ill use my most powerful spell! Ahahaha! No, you have to open your eyes. Theres no need! You just need to point my hand in theC Open. Your. Eyes. I repeat. She bites her lip and looks at my face, trying to find a way out. It takes a while for her to surrender and reluctantly agree. Ugh fine Then, she sits on my shoulders and buries her face into the cat-octopus shes still holding. Since this is a game, you dont have to worry, Carles. I wont puke. She says. An extremely disgusting image crosses my mind at this moment. Shes right. Since this is a game, theres no need to worry about it. If it were reality, I wouldnt allow her to do this. Not again. The cats fluffy fur distracts me from the awful image. Its really fluffy So fluffy No, stop! Dont allow yourself to be corrupted! Ignore the fluffy feeling on the back of your head and focus on the dungeon! I enter the passage, following Matta. The ground is soft, and it makes a disgusting squelch with every step I take. And then, when I raise my foot, it sticks to the ground, making it harder than it should be. This passage is too small for me to fly I complain. I envy your small size so much right now I dont know what you mean because I cant see or hear anything! Says Berta. Then, how do you know I was talking? ... So you stay quiet now, huh? Well, I dont care. Ill ignore her for now and continue advancing. The passage leads to a wider room. There, I find Matta inspecting the mountain of corpses that occupies most of the room. He raises his sight from the corpses. Hows she doing? Shes doing better than I expected, I answer. Shes fooling around and playing deaf, so shes doing ok. Im not playing deaf! I see Matta trails off as he turns around. Other than what you can see, I didnt find anything of interest. This what I can see is quite enough, Id say. Youre right, hihihihi! Any doubts I had vanished as soon as I entered this room. The sticky substance and tiny bits? Im sure theyre the blood and other body fluids of the mountain of corpses. The low temperatures? This room is completely covered in ice. The ice is so thick in some parts that a few of the corpses are completely encased in it. But, as far as I can see, there are no monsters. What kind of monstersC I start a question, but Matta signals for me to shut up. Well discover it soon. He says while pointing at another passage connecting to this room. From there, we can hear footsteps. We hide behind the corpse mountain and wait until a group of four monsters comes into our sight. They remind me of those monsters I found in the tunnels but didnt fight, those that looked like they were created by using the body parts of several humanoids. But they dont look as dangerous. Theyre extremely slow, and theyre way less numerous. They look weak. Matta points out. They do. But I wouldnt rely on first impressions in this dungeon. Yes, I agree. Hihihi! I leave Matta laughing alone and poke the freeloader sitting on my shoulders. We might not need her help if theyre as weak as they look, but its time for her to get ready. Berta, its time for combat. I cant hear anything, I have my ears closed. She sticks to my head as if her life depended on it. Open your eyes, Berta! No! This damn girl If she resists, she doesnt leave me any choice but to force her. I said open your eyes! I start pulling her away from my head. She grabs my horns and resists the best she can, but Im stronger. After some struggle, her hand slips and loosens her grip. The change is so sudden that the flies a few meters away from me as a result. Kyaaaaah! She stabilizes in mid-air. But we made so much noise there was no way the monsters wouldnt notice us. Since shes closer, they approach her. D-dont come! Leave me alone! The stupid girl doesnt open her eyes even now, so she has no idea whats around her. She tries to fly away from the monsters, but she instead runs head-first into the mountain of corpses. Whats worse, as soon as she comes close enough, one of them bursts into an explosion, covering the area in a grotesque substance, a mix of body fluids and flesh bits. Kyaaaaah! She shouts one more time. Disoriented, she falls to the ground. Then, the corpses of the monsters, who all got affected by the explosion too because they were chasing after her, fall on top of her, burying her. Will she be ok, buried under those monsters after suffering that explosion, and being covered by those disgusting fluids and meat bits? Noooo! Gap! Not you too! Why did you have to leave me alone? ... Matta and I exchange a nod. Shes doing fine.
There are experiences you can only experience inside DMA. Not all of them are good, though. - Common say between DMA players, from an anonymous origin.
Ch 160 - Scrub the filth away Are you okay? I ask as I walk closer to Berta. Gap, Ill miss you Sniff! As soon as I come close enough, she raises her head and glares at me. Its always your fault, Carles! You killed him yet again! Hey, dont blame me! It was you who ran into that exploding corpse. It isnt my fault this time. I smile. But man, our child sure is growing up. You are more worried about your little pet than about your surroundings I said it to distract her from the current situation, but contrary to my expectations, when she hears me, she starts looking around in a panic. The pile of corpses surrounding her enters her vision, as well as the disgusting substance covering the ground. Her lower lip starts trembling. Exploding, corpse you said? Slowly, she brings her hands close to her face. When she sees the sticky goo covering them, she immediately feels the rest of her body, which is in a similar state. She starts trembling, and with a Kyaaah! shout, her eyes roll back and her body falls lifelessly to the ground. ...Matta. She left us. He tilts his head to the side. She died? But she was shouting until now Was it poison? ...she didnt die. She fainted. I explain while scratching my cheek. In fact It surprises me it took her so long. Do you remember the last time? Ah, yes. Then, she should connect back after a while. We should continue on our own or shell faint again if were still here. Do you mind carrying her? Hihihi! If you faint, the game disconnects you for safety purposes. If you have allies, when you recover consciousness in real life, you can come back if your champion is still alive. If you dont have allies, the Dungeon Invasion immediately counts as a failure. We discovered how it works the last time she fainted. I furrow my brows. Fine Just just, let me clean her a little bit first. Shes quite small, so it isnt that hard for me to bring her with me. Its a minor nuisance. But theres no way Im touching her while covered by those gross substances. Something to clean her I look around. Theres nothing? All around us, there are only disgusting things. What isnt affected by the liquids released when the corpse exploded is covered in the same substance that covers the ground. Everything, except I guess I have no other choice, I shrug. I pick her Champion by one of her wings, which happens to be the least tainted area and slam her into the wall. I push her with the sole of my foot, and start moving her up and down, left and right, until shes clean. All the fluids are now sticking to the layer of frost covering the wall instead of Berta. It felt like grating cheese. Woah, you brute! Exclaims Matta. Couldnt you think of something a little less aggressive? Did you want to clean her instead? ... Instead of giving me an answer, he turns around and makes a fake cough. Hes right. I cant imagine how painful having your whole body scrubbed on an irregular layer of ice can be. But this is a game and Berta is unconscious. As long as there are no special traps or terrain rules, you can drag your ass scraping the ground from the dungeon entrance to the core and you wont take a single point of damage. In short, I managed to clean her in the most brutal and efficient way possible. Just dont tell her and itll be fine, I add. Keep it a secret? Sure. I dont want to die because of your stupid actions. Stupid actions? Are you volunteering for the cleaning job next time? Again, he turns his head away when I suggest this option. What? Are you scared? Do you hate this stuff as much as Berta? I make an evil smile. Oh, some of that stuff remains on my hand. Allow me to clean it on your enormous belly! Hahaha! Haa! Stop! He jumps when my hand touches him. Would you dare sully this piece of art? This beautiful curve? Piece of art my ass. Come here! Like this, and while dragging Bertas Champion, we continue our invasion into this dungeon.
How long until we leave this place? I ask. Matta inspects the map on his hand before giving me an answer. One more room. Hey, dont you think it was easy? This area isnt nearly as dangerous as the previous ones, dont you thiC *Splosh!* Right in the middle of his sentence, another corpse explodes right next to him, covering my friend in the usual disgusting fluid and flesh bits. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Hahaha! I laugh. Didnt you say you wouldnt fall for any more of them? How many does this make? Shut up. I was unlucky. Yeah, unlucky as with the other ten times or so. Matta ignores me and makes his map disappear and pop in front of him again. After this blink, the map looks as good as the first time, unlike Matta himself. If only we could do the same with our Champions The problem with those traps isnt about the in-game damage they deal, but with the psychological trauma. Believe me when I say it isnt a good experience when you look way worse than a zombie in a film. But as Matta was saying, this area isnt nearly as dangerous as the previous ones: the monsters are weak and the traps dont deal much damage. Even he, with his weak goblin Champion, can survive both with ease. Youre right its easier, but I wished wed never come. Me too He nods. I want to take a bath Only one? Ill spend all the afternoon inside the bath. Hihihi! I have filth everywhere. Both of us are covered from head to toe with disgusting body fluids. Its good that Berta hasnt returned yet, or she would faint immediately. Here they come again, warns Matta. From the end of the passage, I can hear the usual stepping noises. Its yet another pack of those disfigured humanoid monsters. Ill deal with them quickly. I want to leave this place as fast as possible. Sure, go ahead. He nods and lowers his stick. I prepare my Dragons Breath and release it as soon as the monsters show up. Its a waste of EP and MP to use it against such weak monsters, but I dont mind anymore. I want to leave this place as soon as possible. The monsters die as soon as the fire touches them, and we continue our exploration. One more fight later, we reach a sealed door that should allow us to leave this disgusting area. Here we are. Matta examines his map as he gets closer to the lever. Im opening it now. We can rest on the other side and call Berta to come back. Sure. The door starts rising, and the scenery on the other side becomes visible. Its a dark passage. If this area was dark because of the color of the ground and walls, the passage on the other side of the door is dark because theres almost no light. Theres a brown-green material covering parts of the ceiling and walls, but it isnt half as disgusting as the scenery on this side. It reminds me of moss. The passage has tiles on the floor, and lights on the walls and ceiling, though most of them are broken. As far as I can see, the ground is covered by a thin film of water. Overall, it reminds me of those asylums in terror films. There are cell doors on both sides of the passage, too. Alright, lets go! Wait a moment. Matta is about to go inside the new area, but I grab his shoulder. Shouldnt we clean ourselves a little first? I dont know you, but I dont want to be covered by this all the time. Um, yeah good idea. We start looking around, searching for anything we can use. But, as expected, theres nothing we can use. In the end, our eyes naturally flow to a certain area of the room: the ice-covered wall. We both gulp. Then, we exchange a look and nod at the same time. Ill clean Berta first, I say. Well go later. Theres no need to hurry Similar to me, he doesnt look too convinced. But we dont have any other choice. I start by rubbing Berta on the wall like the first time. We ended up covered by the disgusting fluids while traversing the rooms filled with corpses. It was a waste of time to clean up every time, so we decided wed ignore them until the end. After cleaning her Champion, I throw her on the other side of the door so she doesnt get sullied again. She falls on the water-covered floor with a splash. Ill send her a message saying she can come back, I say. We can clean ourselves meanwhile. I send the message. Then, I turn to Matta. I swap between staring at him and the wall for a while. He does the same. Um Ill go first. I break the silence. We cant waste time. I press myself to the wall and Matta applies more force. At the same time, he moves me to the side, to leave all the stuff sticking to me on the ice wall. Oh, whats this? Since the game gives us reduced sensations, this isnt painful at all. It feels nice? Like when you have an itch and you scratch it too much: it hurts, but at the same time, it feels incredibly good. Aaah, yes! I moan. Do it harder! Harder! I can feel my body being cleansed. The filth disappears and new, unblemished skin is born. It feels amazing! Put more force into it, Matta! Hihihihi! Okay! He puts as much force as he can with his weak body. Did you know? It sounds like were doing something naughty. I dont care! It feels amazing! Aaaah, Im being purified! Hihihihi! He continues applying pressure until there isnt a single speck of the disgusting substance on me. Its Mattas turn now. Hihihihi! He starts laughing as soon as I press his fat on the wall. It tickles! Stoooop! Hihihihi! Stop struggling. I cant clean you like this! But its too much! Aaaah, aaaah! Stop it! Its already hard to do this because of your belly. If you struggle so much, I wont be able to clean you properly Hey, what are you doing? Why are you moaning like that? Bertas voice makes us freeze on the spot. Like unoiled robots, we slowly turn our heads to the door. There, we see Berta, whos looking in our direction with a weird expression on her face. N-nothing! Were doing nothing! I immediately release Matta and put my hands behind my back. Right, my friend? Y-yes! W-we werent doing anything at all! Hihihihi! Hmmm She doesnt look convinced but turns around anyway and observes the passage in front of her. Is this the next area? Isnt it kind of spooky? It sure is, I agree. But itll be better for you, dont you agree? Sure. I dont like gross things, but scary is ok. Then, lets go! To adventure! Shouts Matta. To adventure! I repeat. To adventure Berta waits for us to walk ahead before opening her mouth again. *Sigh!* Did you think I didnt see you? Why were you touching each other like that? I hope you were just fooling around Did she say something? But my thoughts get interrupted by an unexpected sound, coming from somewhere inside this asylum-like area. *Blip!* What was that? I ask. Did you touch anything, Matta? I didnt, but well find what it is soon, I hope.
My favorite pastime? Isnt everyones favorite pastime the same? To go inside The Mad Rats Lab and dive into the Freezer. Why are you asking such an obvious question? Are you crazy? - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player. The interviewer regretted interviewing that person for the rest of his life.
Ch 161 - Imposed silence Tiptoeing, Matta inspects the interior of the confinement chamber. There must be something inside because he furrows his eyebrows. But contrary to my expectations, he signals us to wait and uses the broken door to go inside. Is it an enemy? Berta asks while hiding beside me, to which I shrug my shoulders. I have no idea. Then, less than ten seconds later, Mattas head emerges. He makes sure no new enemies showed up while he was inside before walking in our direction. There are no monsters inside, he says, but I found this card on the ground. It might be important, so I picked it up. A card? Let me take a look. I pick up the card hes holding. Its slightly bigger than a credit card and has a drawing on one side. Is this a mouse head? Its hard to see with so little light. Let me see! What are you doing? Berta snatches the card from my hand and brings it closer to the single working wall light in the whole passage. Then, she turns it around, scratches the surface with her nails, and tries all sorts of weird things, like biting it and checking the marks left. What the hell is she doing? Did she go crazy? Crazyer? After finishing inspecting the card, she finally comes back to us. It doesnt look fake. And it isnt a mouse, its a rat! A rat with lightning. How can you be so blind to mistake a rat for a mouse? She clicks her tongue and sends me a pitying gaze as she approaches. How annoying And is there a difference between rats and mice? Dont their heads look the same? Oh, Im sorry, Miss Perfect, for not having enough light to identify it properly. I spin my eyes around. Its time to make her regret her words and actions. But since youre so interested in the card, Im sure youll keep it safe, right? Berta grabs the card with her all and brings it to her chest. Of course! As the older one, Ill take care of it! I smile. Then, I can rest assured. Im sure our reliable Berta will never forget the card anywhere, or leave it behind when running away in a panic And even if this happens, shes so reliable that shell go back to where she dropped it. By herself, of course! Hahaha! I keenly observe the changes in her face as I speak. The proud smile she was wearing slowly turns into apprehension, and finally to fear. No, well, I her eyes start to swim around. After a moment of hesitation, she extends the card to me. If you want, you can have it back I dont mind who has it Matta observes our exchange without saying anything. I can see him struggling to stop the laughter from escaping his lips, but she doesnt notice because shes too flustered. Thanks, Berta! But you know what? Ill leave this honor to our little child, whos all grown up now. Hahaha! I uh, well After some more struggling, she realizes Ive been messing with her all along and explodes in anger. Stop treating me like a child! She leaves us behind and flies away. Ignoring her, I shrug my shoulders and turn to my friend. Lets go, Matta? Yes, lets go. Hihihi!
...and this is why youre still a chiC I cant finish the sentence as something falls on top of my head. My vision is filled with a murky liquid. I said Im not a child! When will you stop I can hear Bertas muffled voice through whatever is covering my head, but I cant talk. But why is it? Unlike real life, being underwater doesnt stop players from talking. I struggle the best I can, grabbing the sticky substance. I pull in all directions, but it doesnt let go of my face. Good thing theres no need to breathe inside the game, or Id die very soon. You dont want to release my face? Then, Ill burn you to ashes! I use Dragons Breath, but nothing happens. I cant use skills!? I check my status screen. It says Im silenced, this is why I cant talk or use skills. But this isnt all: Im also taking damage. Is this a new trap? Or is it a monster? I have no idea! Since I dont know whats going on, I can only seek help. I stumble around with my hands extended, hoping to grab one of my companions. But Matta is too far away and I cant see properly because of the liquid in my eyes my only hope is to somehow catch the stupid bugs attention; who, by the way, is still complaining about calling her a child but hasnt realized Im in trouble yet. I wave my hands around in the direction of her voice. Kyaaaah! She shouts when I grab her. Pervert! Why are you touching me there!? Now that Ive got her attention, I retreat my hand and pray for her to help me. Lets hope she doesnt do anything stupid. Carles? W-why do you look like this? Whats on your face? Finally, she noticed! I gesticulate, doing my best to ask for help. But, for some reason, Berta starts retreating, so I follow after her. Matta! Carles got infected by something and is now attacking me! Help! This dumb child! I anxiously point at my face, then at her. I repeat the gesture a few times while running after her. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. You leave me no choice! She shouts. Eat this, evil creature! After her shout, several purple projectiles appear near her palm and fly in my direction. Shit. The Magic Missiles hit me. I stop moving after the impact, astonished at what happened. Did she try to kill me? At the same time, the substance covering my head falls to the ground. Was it a monster? It makes sense if it was because several missiles hit my face This means the monster died after the attack. But, more importantly, I almost did, too! You dumb bitch, are you trying to kill me!? I was asking for help! I release my pent-up stress with a shout. Then, I raise my head to look at her. But instead of seeing her stupid mug laughing at me, as I expected, I see her whole upper body covered by the same liquid that was sticking to my face before. The liquid blob looks the same size as the one that attacked me, but since shes smaller, it covers half her body instead of only the face. Hahahaha! You got what you deserved! The flying bug, upon listening to my voice, turns in my direction and starts approaching. She frantically moves her arms about and points to the thing sticking to her head and torso. It seems shes asking for help, but Ah, what to do? Should I help? Or should I exact revenge? Hmm its such a hard decision Not. Dragons Breath! When in case of doubt, you do both. The fire engulfs both Berta and the monster sticking to her face. After the fire clears out, the dead monster falls to the ground, and an angry Berta runs at me. Couldnt you think of a better way!? She complains. I could have died! Look, only 20% HP remaining! Hahaha! Im sorry? I couldnt think of anything else I use the first lie that comes to mind before changing the topic. Lets forget about this and look for Matta first, ok? He might be in danger. Ugh fine! But well talk about this later! Sure, sure. Whatever you say. I wave her off. We find Matta engaged against a flying slime. It looks the same as the blobs that attacked us, but it has bat-like wings. It seems he managed to avoid its first attack and is now fighting it with his stick. Oh so this is their real appearance I had that thing attached to my beautiful face? Disgusting! Not only your face but your whole upper body. But if I told her it was because of her child-like size, shed get angry. I better stay silent. We were lucky there were only three of them. If there were more and attacked us at the same time, weC My vision is filled with the murky liquid a second time. There was a fourth!? I wave my hands around to catch Bertas attention. Shes right by my side this time, so she notices the emergency immediately. Another monster? Dont worry, Carles. Ill save you, ahahaha! Magic Missiles! No! Stooooop! Are you trying to kill me!?
Haaa So many weird monsters Matta laughs at my complaint. Hihihi! What did you expect? Arent we in a place that screams abandoned laboratory? What did you expect to find? I dont know! Something more normal? He smiles and shrugs. But didnt you find them interesting and unique? I cant deny that. The monsters in this place are the most unique Ive seen yet, more unique than those in the rest of the dungeon. The biggest problem is the inconsistency. Some of the monsters we encountered were utterly useless, like those animals with a human head that spout bullshit all the time. But then there are ones extremely dangerous or resilient, like that group of monsters that exploded, blowing everything, themselves included, as soon as Matta opened the door. Didnt you find it interesting? Matta chuckles and pats my shoulder. He has to stand on his tiptoes to reach, so the situation looks ridiculous. Ahahaha! Are you ashamed because you met your clones? Berta takes this chance to spout more of her bullshit. You know, those human-headed sheep and pigs. Theyre not my clones! Ah, sorry. I was wrong. After all, your clones were those rats that laughed and cast lightning everywhere, right!? Ahahaha! This little kid I cant allow her to humiliate me. Two can play this game. Oh, but wasnt it you who started to cry like a baby when one of them caught you and tried to bite your head? N-no! Dont lie! I didnt c-cry! I was I was asking for help! Yes, asking for help. Is that so? Then, who was the one saying this? I imitate her voice and make false sobbing noises. Uaaaah, Carles, saveee meee! I dont want to be eaten again! Please, saC Nooo! Shut up! She forces my mouth shut so I cant continue. But when I stare at her, she avoids my gaze. ...Its another one of your lies. She says while crossing her arms. Yeah, sure. Whatever you say You two, stop! Matta, who until now was watching us with a smile on his face, suddenly puts his hand on his lips. Listen. Following his indications, we stop our argument. Since we left the frozen meat grinder, there were cries of monsters echoing in the tunnels. And from time to time, we can hear other noises, like the *Blip!* sounds when one of the doors to a cell or containment unit randomly opens. But now, apart from the noises weve grown used to, theres another one. Its the sound of steps. Heavy, slow but steady. With each one, theres the following sound of water splashing on the ground. And theyre growing closer. W-what are we going to do? Asks Berta, panic written on her face. Though Im sure she wont admit it, shes too proud. Are we going to fight? Its clear she wants us to deny her and flee. But Im not so sure about it, because Matta is making the exact opposite reaction: his eyes are glowing with expectation. We must take a peek! He says. It must be a boss monster! Im curious about what a boss monster in this dungeon will be like! Then, they both turn to me, expecting me to break the tie. This is funny, their expressions couldnt be more different right now. Im sorry, Berta, but Im curious too. Lets go take a peek. If we find it feasible, we can fight the boss too Yes! Matta jumps in glee. Lets go! To adventure! He starts walking in the direction of the steps, and Berta and I closely follow. Were only taking a peek, right? Just a peek. As soon as we see the monster, we can go back, right? Theres no need to take risks, right? Berta you should surrender to your fate.
... And Im sure youve heard about the sandbox mode. But just in case, Ill explain it to you anyway. When you start a Dungeon Invasion, you can choose to do it in this sandbox mode. Its official name is another one, but players call it sandbox because its easier to remember. So, in this sandbox, your Champion is immune to death and all limited-use skills are allowed to be used any number of times. The same is true for your support mobs and friends. But not everything is good, because the game also gives you no rewards at all. No cp, no special resources, nothing! Can you imagine? What a waste of time! Though thats not completely true, because the true purpose of the sandbox mode is build testing. The game matches you with a random dungeon from a similar recommended level to the one you choose, and then you have the chance to test your build, support mobs, etc. in a random environment. The monsters will act and behave the same they always do, and youll take damage and use EP and MP as usual. The only real difference is that you cant die, so you can test without worries. The game pairs you with less-known, highly-rated dungeons, so this sandbox is a good option for discovering hidden games. Players tried to abuse the sandbox mode to gain information on the dungeons they wanted to invade, so the developers changed the algorithm to work this way. At the start, you could choose which dungeon you wanted to invade! Can you imagine? - Some after-class knowledge drilling done by Ricard.
Ch 162 - Lost and afraid I didnt understand why this abandoned asylum, filled with monsters, needed such a high ceiling. Or why the passages were so wide. But, now, I know. Uaah! I exclaim, impressed by the sight in front of us. You were right, this must be a boss monster. Now that weve seen it, can we go back? Shush, stay quiet. Berta pulls on my sleeve. She doesnt want to be here any longer than needed, but I dont care and instead continue looking at the monster. The lack of light makes it difficult to see the details, so Im sure Im missing something. But even considering the lack of light, the monster is impossible to miss. With at least twice my height and four times my width, its colossal frame makes the passage look small. Matta, whos as interested as I am, analyzes the monster. A troll no, the head is too small. A troll and an orc? The head has the same green tone. It also has lumps all around the body, what might they be? That mouth in its belly reminds me of some monster I met before, but I cant remember which one. Im sure its from some nasty monster, I say. Why are you so sure? Because every single monster in this dungeon is nasty. ... it makes sense. But how strong is it? He looks like a child with a new toy. Do you think we can deal with it? Since it has a trolls body, Im sure its a tank-like boss, one of those that takes a lot of time and effort to bring down. But what else will it have? Can we go closer? I want toC Suddenly and without any warning, Matta falls to the ground. His body, heavy for a goblin because of all the fat, falls onto the passage with the boss monster and makes a loud splash. Is he dead? What killed him? But theres no time to check, as the giant boss monster turns in our direction, attracted by the sound and movement. Oh, no What are we going to do now!? What are we going to do now!? Berta spins around me while shouting. Were all going to dieeeee! Kyaaaaah! Stop it, you moron! Youre going to get its attention ROOOAAAAH! The monster roars. Then, it starts moving again, this time in our direction. Bertas shouts caught its attention. If she stayed silent, maybe it would have ignored Mattas corpse, but now we cant avoid conflict. I grab Mattas dead Champion and push it behind me. At the same time, I prepare to use Dragons Breath. What are you doing!? We should run away while we can! The flying bug starts pulling on my sleeve one more time, panic written on her face. Stop it! I shake her off. Let me check how strong it is first! If its weak, we can defeat it and theres no need to run away. She calms down and stops screaming. She then moves to Mattas corpse, getting ready to resurrect him. At the same time, I release a burst of fire from my mouth, filling the whole passage, and drowning the monster in flames. Two seconds later, the boss monster emerges as if nothing happened. A chunk of its HP bar is gone, but its quickly getting healed by the trolls Regeneration. My strongest skill only did that much damage!? How much HP does that boss have!? Tsk! I dont think we can do this, Berta. Lets run! Run? She raises her head to look at me. Her hands are glowing green right now, a signal shes getting ready to use Resurrection. We dont have time for this. Come on! But Matta Are we leaving him behind? No. I grab his corpse and put it over my shoulder. Im bringing it with us. Now, lets go! Its almost here! I take the lead and start running first. My actions are so sudden that Berta is left behind, staring at my back. When she finally reacts, the monster is so close to her that she starts screaming like a madman. Kyaaaah! She shouts, flying after me. Why did you leave me behind!? I almost dieeeeed! Its your fault for standing still. Dumbass! Idiot! Blockhead! Why did you leave me behind when youre faster? You only care about Matta but not me? Did you never hear the phrase ladies and children first!? I turn my head around as I run to stick my tongue out. Oh, yes. Now that you say it Im sorry, Berta. I forgot children should take preference in emergencies. Youre a jeeeeeerk! Kyaaaah! Oh, no! Im being chased by two monsters now. One small, flying bug; and a giant, monstrous troll. Kyaaaaah! And the one I fear the most is the first. We continue running through the dark passages, chased by the unrelenting boss monster. Luckily for us, its slower. But I dont know the layout and oftentimes end up running in loops, so we cant shake it off. Fuck this! I exclaim when the boss monster appears in front of me after turning a corner. I thought we left it behind this time. Uaagh! As I suddenly stopped, Berta ended up hitting my back. Couldnt you give me a warning? Im sorry, my lady. I mock her with a reverence. No, uh, I She doesnt know how to respond. But theres no time, so I grab her and start running one more time. Kyaaah! Dont grab meC *Baaam!* She shuts up when a giant fist slams the place we were standing a second ago. My body was hiding the monster from her, so she didnt know how dangerous it was. I release her and ask. Do you remember the dungeon map Matta showed us? Do you know where the exit is? Uh no As we always do, the one who had the map was Matta. Hes the weakest, as well as the only one who knows how to detect danger, so its the perfect role distribution. The problem is that since we always rely on him, we never have a map of our own. Its rare to split up in Dungeon Invasions, so we never got into trouble. At most, we only needed to resurrect him first. But it seems this dungeon is special even in this regard. I facepalm. Fuck this Then we have to go around randomly until we find the stairs The only thing I remember from the map, and only because Matta pointed it out, is that we must find the stairs to get out of this place. Stairs? I saw them a while ago. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Why didnt you tell me when you saw them!? I grab her shoulders and start shaking. R-release-e-e me-e-e! I-i didnt kno-ow you-u-u were lo-o-oking fo-o-or the-e-em! I-i-i wa-as fo-o-ollowing you-u-u! I release her. Fine But do you remember in what direction they are? Um I She looks away. So you dont. Perfect This means we have to continue this chase, risking our lives. You at least have the two key cards we found, right? You didnt lose them while running away, right? We found a second key card in a random room. We couldnt find any difference between the two and have no idea what theyll be used for, so were keeping them both until theyre useful. O-of course! Who do you take me for? She proudly sticks her chest out and shows me the two cards with the rats head with the lightning logo. Im the most responsible of our group! Yeah, sure. Responsible my ass! Arent you the one whos been shouting all the time, getting the boss attention every time we managed to lose it? And arent you the one who has been wasting her mana by casting spells on the boss, calling it poking, when all damage was healed immediately by its regeneration? Berta crashes into my back when I suddenly stop after seeing movement in front of us. Theres something big hiding in the shadows. Ugaah! Sssht! Stay quiet, Berta. Fine She nods while rubbing her nose. Come on, you didnt hit me that hard. Whats in front of us? I hope it isnt a strong monster. The boss is chasing us, we dont have time to waste. The shadow grows bigger as it gets closer. After a short moment of waiting, I recognize the monsters appearance. Its a two-meter-tall spider with a mushroom on its back. It reminds me of the turtles in the giant cave because it has the same purple dots. Were retreating, I say. But theres the boss behind us! I know, but there are multiple paths. Whats the chance well choose the one the boss is using? Also we dont have the time to fight that one. It took a long time to kill the first of those spiders. Theyre designed for stalling for time, and time its what we have the least right now. Alright lets go back. We retreat until the passage splits up. With the noise created by the spider chasing after us, I cant hear the boss steps. Ive been listening to them for evasion, but now its useless. Shit Do you remember which way we came from? I ask. Im not sure. Was it the right passage? Maybe? Any guess is as good as another. Alright. Lets go left then. Id like to avoid being sandwiched between them. We follow the left passage, chased by the spider. We turn around at a corner, and there, we find the worst possible scenario. ROOOAAAAH! My eyebrow starts twitching. Hey, Berta. Didnt you say we came from the right? If so whys the boss in front of us, huh? Do you think this is funny!? N-no! I-I didnt do it on purpose, I swear! I I didnt remember which way we came, so I said one at random Tehe! She sticks out her tongue and makes a silly face. But when I glare at her, she panics and stops fooling around. I ignore her and analyze the situation. In front of us, the boss monster. Coming from behind, the spider one Were fucked. Not everythings lost yet. Well try to distract the boss and pass through it, leaving both monsters behind. Ill take the lead, follow closely. I prepare myself for the craziest action Ive ever taken inside the game. Are you crazy!? ...maybe. If we stay here, well have to fight both monsters. Well die. If we go back, well find the spider. The boss will chase after us. I know the spider has an entangling skill. If we fail to run away and get entangled, were done for. Our only chance to survive is to move through the boss and reach the other side. Itll be hard because it fills most of the passage, and we have no idea what skills it has, but it should be doable. After all, its better to try this than accept our doom. Here I goooo! After unsheathing my katana, I strike the giant troll-like monster. It retaliates with a fist of its own, which I dont bother to try and avoid. Now! Go and reach the other side while I got its attenC Whats that!? I stop in the middle when the monsters belly mouth opens and comes at me. Im so close to the wall that its impossible to avoid. Carles, watch out! Shit I have an extremely bad feeling about this. Aegis! The last charge of my skill vanishes as an almost invisible film covers my whole body. At the same time, a disgusting crunch sound comes from it, created by the mouth and teeth that are about to eat me. Generally speaking, the stronger attacks in DMA have high noise or flashy visual effects. Its to help players identify which attacks are dangerous and which ones arent. Given how loud the crunching noise was, and how many sparks were released when the teeth touched the Aegis barrier, this was an attack on a similar level to the pro players ultimate attacks. That bite was no joke Without Aegis, Id be dead right now Uah, that was close... The problem is I wont be able to move for the next ten seconds. Quickly, Berta, you need to distract the spider for the duration of my skill. Dont let it get close! We cant hope to run away if we have to avoid the boss while at the same time making sure we arent entangled when turning around. F-fine, but what am I supposed to do? Dont ask me, its your job! I dont know, just fly around it like an annoying bug. Im not a bug! Then, as an annoying little flying girl! Fine She reluctantly flies back towards the spider monster. But why do you have to add annoying all the time? She mutters something as she flies away, but I cant hear it properly because of the crashing noises coming from the trolls fists on my barrier. Eight seconds remaining. I observe her tiny figure as she flounders around, doing her best to avoid the spiders attacks. Then I watch as the spider releases something and Berta falls to the ground. Shit, she got entangled! But just a second later, she starts flying around like an annoying bug one more time. Ah, yes, I forgot. She can cleanse abnormal status effects I knew she was the best for this job. The best at being annoying, hahahaha! Four seconds remaining. The boss monster continues to pummel me with its useless attacks. I stare at him with a smile on my face, as if mocking it. Three seconds. The clock ticks down. Two seconds. Come back! Its almost time! Berta comes flying at her maximum speed. As usual, she keeps shouting. Carles, Im back! I almost died, but I did my job perfectly. Did you miss me? I take a look just in case, but she only lost half her HP in that fight. Whys she so melodramatic? My Aegis disappears, and my combat with the boss resumes. I wait for her to fly over the monster. She makes a disgusted face when doing so because the ceiling is so close to its head that shes forced to fly near it, but I ignore her actions and focus on my situation. Im safe, Carles! Ive checked the monsters patterns, and seen how it moves around. Every five strikes, it takes a step back and makes enough room to move between its massive body and the wall and reach the other side. But Ill only have a single chance before the spider reaches me. Itd be a lot easier if I didnt have to take Mattas corpse into account. Its ridiculously oversized for a goblin, really. The boss continues its assault. I receive every hit without moving, concentrating on its actions. My HP is reaching a dangerous level, but I dont care. Then, at the fourth fist attack, I start running. Its now or neveeeer! I run as if my life depends on it. Which it does. The troll misses its attack and roars in response. I take this chance to sneak between its colossal leg and the wall. Everythings going perfectly fine until Mattas corpse hits the wall, making me lose balance. Its so stupidly fat! I almost drop him, but manage to grab his ankle in a desperate attempt. This makes him dangle behind me as I run at maximum speed. You did it! Berta comes flying as soon as I reach the other side. She opens her arms wide to celebrate with a hug, but I push her away. Not now. We have to run! Run, you fool! Yes! We resume our chase, this time with two monsters in our tracks. Luckily for us, both are slower than us and have bigger bodies, making them have a hard time keeping up. The stairs! Carles, its the stairs! Berta shouts and I stop. It was close, I almost missed them again. Nice job, Berta! Lets climb them immediately. Yes! We leave the flooded asylum-like area filled with scattered corpses C most of them created by us as we killed the monsters inside C and start climbing the stairs. Theyre slippery, dark, and covered by the same green substance that covered the walls and ceilings. Also, theres no light coming from the top. But, they feel so safe Its the first time in my whole life Im so glad I can climb some stairs.
Nowadays, if you want to experience terror yourself, there are a few things you can do. But my favorite, and by far, is to go into DMA and enter a scary dungeon. If you need some recommendations, these are the two I liked the most: Ten things you wished you never knew, and Demomores Night. But sometimes, the most impactful experiences come when you least expect them. Ill always remember that time at The Mad Rats Lab being chased by the boss monster in the failed experiments area, for example. - Excerpt of an interview with a famous content creator.
Ch 163 - Everything must come to an end Dont make any noise. As we climb the dark stairs, I warn Berta to stay quiet. But instead of following my orders, she makes a cheeky smile and replies. Saying dont make any noise is making noise, ahahaha! Shut up! We couldnt shake the boss off because of your constant blabbering. The last thing I want is for it to chase us up the stairs! Fine She spins her eyes around before returning to her cheeky smile. But Im sure your lack of orientation played the biggest role... My lack of orientation? Wasnt it you who said we came from the right and it turned out the boss was waiting for us on the left one!? Also, I said shut up! No, you shut up! This annoying flying pest if it werent for Mattas corpse, which hinders my movement, she would be tasting my fury right now! I turn my head and look at the bottom of the stairs. I cant see any monster, much less the boss. I exhale, relieved. We managed to get away. Now we just need to reach the top and leave this place. We continue climbing until the end of the stairs. What awaits us at the top is a crumbling door blocked by wooden planks. It makes sense this whole area is sealed off, to prevent the monsters inside from invading the rest of the dungeon, doubly so for the boss. But then, why was there no blockade on the other door we used? Maybe theres no need? When we went back there while running away from the boss monster, we couldnt find any lever to open it. It also looked like a normal wall, impossible to detect unless you knew the door was there. Maybe this is why? It cant be seen nor opened from inside, so theres no need to block it? It makes sense? Alright, leave this to me, I say. Ill open the path. I drop Matta to the ground and start kicking the boards blocking the way with all my strength. They were nailed from the other side. Itll be harder to break them from here, but it isnt impossible. Ahahaha! Good work, Carles! Have you finally learned how to properly treat a lady? Its unusual for you to take the hard work upon yourself. Lady? What lady? Whats she talking about? Its evident Im the one who must do this. Otherwise, what could you do with your meager, baby-like strength? Complain all day about how hard they are to break? Well, maybe they will crumble on their own out of boredom? Im not a baby! She shouts and jumps at me, grabbing my horns. S-stop it! Not my horns! I try to get her off me, but she doesnt let go. In the end, I end up tripping and we both fall on the barricade, smashing through after being weakened by my kicks, and falling on the other side. Oww I stand up. When will you stop doing this? When you stop calling me a child. Hmph! She pouts and turns her head away. I bring Mattas corpse into this new room and look around. Were in some kind of storage area. There are racks with boxes and laboratory equipment filling my entire view. Theres no musty smell here, but I can hear the distant sound of running water. If Im right, this should be the room connecting to the two laboratories. The one behind the door that wouldnt open regardless of what we did, and forced us to enter that bloody, icy hell filled with corpses. Aaah it feels great in here! I exhale. Theres no signal of danger and the air isnt stale. This room is huuuuuge! It looks like a labyrinth from above! While I wasnt looking, Berta flew over the racks and is now looking around with an excited face. Theres something flying in the distance! What is she doing? What if thats a dangerous monster and it comes our way because of her recklessness? Berta! Come here first. You have to resurrect Matta. Ah, right! I forgot! Ahahaha! She quickly comes and starts channeling the skill. Itll take a while to finish. So pathetic, to die twice in a row when he usually doesnt die a single time Have you two switched roles? Its usually you the one who dies. And whos fault it is? Almost every time I die is while trying to protect you after you do something stupid! Im not stupid! While arguing, we forget about her Resurrection skill. We only remember when we hear Mattas voice. You know I wouldnt mind staying dead for a while longer and watching you two flirt. Hihihi! We arent flirting! After denying his words, we both shut up. Matta stands up, his flabby belly jiggling around as he does so. But man, that was surprising to think Id die because my SOU reached zero Its almost as if we were inside an Abyss dungeon. Abyss monsters, you say? I frown. But I didnt see any. Yes, this is the weirdest part, hihihi! I didnt see anything and suddenly died. Was it an area effect? Or an invisible monster? Invisible monster It isnt impossible, but its hard to imagine. Except for a few innately invisible monsters and those that can use optical camouflage C most of them are weak C its hard to hide a monster for long. This is because the skills that hide your body cost a lot to keep activated. Ahahaha! Matta, youre like Carles, going out of MP all the time! But this time, you actually went and died! Ahahaha! Berta starts rolling in the air. Its like rolling on the floor, but while flying. So pathetic! This is why you shouldnt use such a weak champion, a single misstep can cause you to die. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Yes, I agree. I nod. Oh, come on! Its precisely because of this that its so funny to play with a goblin! It doesnt matter how many times we talk about this, hes a lost cause. We both know its a waste of time and effort, so she quickly returns to making fun of him instead. But still, ahahaha! So weak! Look at this, thanks to my enormous MP pool, Im always ready foC Berta opens her status screen and starts screaming. Aaaaaaah! Where did all my MP go to!? My precious MP! With only this much left, I can only use Magic Missiles, one, two three times. Only three times!? Aaaaaaahh! My precious MP! My precious Magic Missiles! It isnt the end of the world, Berta, I say to calm her down. Its something that happens naturally Im not like you! I always keep track of how much I use so I never run out! Its a shame for a spellcaster to run out of MP! Aaaah, how could this happen to me? As she drops to the floor and continues to despair, Matta and I exchange a look and shrug our shoulders. Two out of three. He says. Are you the only one that wasnt affected? No, well Im used to being out of MP, so I tend to abuse my Dragons Breath a lot, so I always run out of MP. It isnt critical for me because most of my skills need EP anyway. Its just that today was worse than usual. Ah, yeah. Indeed, you always run out hihihi! While chuckling to himself Matta takes his map out. Oh, that map! Ive missed it so much while chased by the boss monster! Ill make sure to bring a copy with me in our next Dungeon Invasion. So Im sure were right here, he says while pointing at the exit of the sealed area. This place is like a labyrinth, its easy to get lost. But with the map, it will be easy. I like having a map so much Hihihi! I saw you struggling because you lacked one while I was dead. You cant imagine I would have gladly given Berta away for a chance to get a map of my own when we were chased by that monster. So whats our plan? Straight to the end? This is the last room, so why not? Theres nothing more to see. We ignore Berta, whos currently clawing at her face in despair because she has almost no MP remaining, and decide our course of action between ourselves. Alright! Matta folds the map. Lets go, to adventure! To adventure! I just hope it isnt as exciting as the last area. Hihihi! My MP My precious MP! Like this, we set out to explore the last room in this dangerous, treacherous dungeon filled with unexpected dangers.
*Bzzzzt!* Lightning hits me from my right. Another trap! I turn to that direction. Hidden behind two boxes, a lightning rod pops out its head. It releases sparks before releasing another burst in my direction. How many does this make? So annoying I unsheathe the katana and slash at it until it breaks. At least they arent that strong. Now that the problem is solved, Berta approaches me while laughing. Ahahaha! You always fall for them! Cant you learn from Matta and avoid their attacks? Do you want to go in front? I snap back. I dont mind if you take the lead, you know? She flinches and turns around. ...nah, Im fine in the back She can be so annoying! I wouldnt mind going first, you know? Matta says. Its usually my job, after all. Nonononono! We cant risk you dying again. I quickly refuse. We cant risk losing our map, and Berta doesnt have enough MP to resurrect you again. Keep acting as the guide and stay, perfectly protected, in the middle. Ok. Hihihi, its as if I were a VIP. You are a VIP indeed. You are our Very Important maP. I havent finished my third step when I hear the sound of broken glass and a foul substance falls on top of me. Acid, again!? Why are there so many traps here!? Matta ponders before answering. To put us on edge, maybe? If so, theyre doing a great job. Its been about five minutes since we started exploring the last room but weve already encountered more traps than in the rest of the dungeon. Theyre more annoying than dangerous, but my HP has been decreasing slowly but steadily. The biggest problem is theyre almost impossible to spot, theres so much clutter everywhere! How am I supposed to differentiate a normal glass container from one that will explode when I get close when there are a hundred of them!? The key is to feel the danger with your sixth sense. Comments Matta from behind. Does he know what Im thinking about? When you feel the danger, it means theres a monster or trap nearby. How am I supposed to do that!? I dont have your sixth sense! ... Knowing this conversation wont lead anywhere, I stay silent and focus on the front. After turning left, we find a water canal in front of us. Thanks to our flying ability, we dont have to wait for the bridge to pop out before we cross, but we still have to be careful. The area doesnt have anywhere to hide, and theres a flying monster somewhere. It can spot us easily while were crossing to the other side. I dont see the monster, I announce after popping my head out of the hiding place. We should have enough time to cross to the other side. Then lets go before it comes. I grab Matta and we start crossing the water canal. But when were right in the middle, flying over the water, Matta suddenly shouts. Watch out! Startled, I look right and left, but theres nothing. From the top! WhaC Something hits me hard and sends me flying. I lose track of everything around me and involuntarily release Matta. Uaaah! He shouts as he falls. He makes a loud splash when he falls into the water because of his fat body. Shit! Goblins dont know how to swim! It isnt time to fool around! Also, assuming it was the truth, you would stay afloat anyway with such a large floater in your belly! The biggest problem, though, is that the strong current quickly drags him away. We might never see him again in this Dungeon Invasion. Goodbye, my friend! I turn to look at the perpetrator of such a disgrace. Its a child-like minotaur with a crown on its head. It looks strong, but at the same time doesnt. The monster doesnt give me time to think as it quickly rushes at me one more time. We engage in melee combat. Im strong, but the monster is stronger than I am. If only I were in a decent condition If I have to die, lets make one last joke. I think this is my end. Berta, lets meet on the other side. Live strong and grow into a beautiful lady, ok? Dont worry, Carles!snip Ill assist you! Still clutching the soon-to-be useless cards, Berta launches her precious Magic Missiles to assist me, but before they can reach the monster, a game message pops in front of me.
You have died!
This is it, huh? I took too much damage from the traps... I watch in my phantasmal form the fight between Berta and the flying minotaur. But since shes out of MP, the monster quickly overpowers her and she soon joins me. We meet again with Matta not long after, when the three of us have died. Matta is the one to break the silence. Im sure theres a lot of things weve missed, so When do you want to come back? Berta and I make the same incredulous expression upon hearing his words. Is he crazy? We just came back from all that stuff, and he wants to go back already!? What are you scared of? Itll be fun, hihihihi! At this point, Im not so sure of what Im scared about. It might as well be you.
Its always a pleasure to die in a fight against a strong foe. - Famous last words from a certain DMA player.
Ch 164 - I have a present for you Fufufu! Hahaha! My laughter fills the laboratory as I make my epic laughing pose. I pull the lever. Lightning flows from the cable into the body resting on the operating table. The monsters fingers twitch as it opens its eyes. The time has come! The time to take revenge upon the one who caused my suffering! Fufufu! Hahaha! Omg, you have no idea how awful that day was. That day the day I went into the Mad Cultists church was like hell. No, it was worse. Ive been in hell C not literally because it was inside the game, but Ill count it anyway C and it was like a walk in your neighborhood park compared to dealing with those lunatics for a whole afternoon. Their glistening eyes filled with madness. The outrageous passion for their so-called religion. Their obsession with my persona and copying everything I did Every time I recall it, it gives me the shivers. Maybe somebody else would have enjoyed so much dedication to themselves, but I dont. It was as if I were their god! The trauma I got was so bad that I had to stay at home the following days, missing Mondays classes. And it didnt have anything to do with me wanting to skip class, I swear. Well, you got me. Maybe a little. But Im digressing. The monster stands up. It stays immobile in front of me with a blank stare. Why do all monsters look so stupid when doing nothing? I cant understand. I know this one is quite intelligent because Ive personally modified its AI to suit my needs, but it looks as stupid as a Stitched when standing like this. I snap out of my thoughts and cackle maniacally. Fufufu! Hahaha! This is it! Now, everythings ready for my revenge! Ill bring you the worst experience you can imagine. Specially designed for you, my dear invader. You, whos always showing off how strong you are. You, who proclaimed yourself the The Mad Rats Lab all-knowing expert. You, who werent there the ONE SINGLE TIME I NEEDED YOU! Im sure we all know who Im talking about, right? Its that damned orc player. If only he had come to my dungeon that day, I wouldnt have had to suffer that much. It isnt a sure fact, but I believe he could have beaten the Mad Cultists. Damn you, fucking orc player! Ill make you as miserable as I! Fufufu! Hahaha! This is why Im here right now, enjoying the birth of my newest creation. In fact, its the birth of my two newest creations, its just that since I only had one table to create them, the other one was created a long time ago. Look, its standing there, staring at the wall with glazed eyes. Just you wait! My revenge will be LEGENDARY! Nothing will stand in the way of my beautiful, sweet revenge! And I repeat: NOTHING! Fufufu! Hahaha! *Piriring!* *Piriring!* Ah, yeah. I almost forgot I was too busy planning my revenge, so I was ignoring the game notifications that have been ringing for a while. I open the game menu and see there are several messages from my dear little sister. Whats wrong with her? The dinner is ready. What are you doing that you arent coming? If you dont come right now, mom will get angry. Mom says that if you dont come in five minutes she will cut your internet connection Wait, what!? My internet connection!? I quickly check the timestamp of that message. It was four minutes ago. Shit, my whole vengeance plan is on the line! I start pulling at my hair with one hand while I open the dungeon menu to search for the logout button with the other. Tuesdays are when the orc player comes to my dungeon! If I waste this chance, Ill have to wait until the next week! Who knows if Ill be as angry as I am right now? I might not enjoy the vengeance as much as I would today! Its been a while since the orc started coming weekly on Tuesdays. I dont know if theres a meaning behind it or not, but thanks to it, its easy to predict his actions. Come on, game. Take me out of here. Quickly. I know. I know what I said, but huh, well my revenge plans will have to wait a little longer.
Aw, man, that was too close When I got to the dining room, everybody was seated and waiting for me. My mother reprimanded me while Marta sent me a gleeful smile. She was hoping for me to be late and get punished. I thought she might have put some trap on the way to make me waste time, but she didnt. If mom got angry at both because of it, she might have been included in the internet ban too. Im sure it isnt that she didnt want to but that she didnt dare to. Anyway! Alls well that ends well. Ill put an alarm next time. So where was I? Ah, yes. Revenge. My revenge plans. For starters, I put my two new monsters side by side. Theyre strong, but they arent boss-level strong. Though coming from three units each makes them a force to reckon with. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Yes, youre right. Theyre two Amalgalms, the humanoid units that use three other humanoids and get their innate skills. I wont go into much detail now because youll soon see them in action, but theres something I must tell you now. Roleplay-wise, theres been a thing that has been missing since the creation of my dungeon. The Mad Rats Lab is a secret laboratory inside a cave system, thats filled with monsters C monsters in the truest of senses, not as in game enemies you must defeat. The laboratory is owned by the Mad Rat, the mad scientist who fills it with its crazy experiments. So far it includes a few areas with some monsters and mushrooms, the rabbit zone, and then a few laboratory rooms. All this is fine, but can you see whats missing? Something indispensable. Something every secret laboratory must have both in fantasy and in real life. Can you guess it? No? Then Ill tell you right now. What every secret laboratory must have is security. Security to prevent intruders from getting the stuff and data from inside or to prevent the stuff inside from getting out. In my case both apply, but doubly so for the latter. The two monsters I just created will be the first two members of the security squad. I like to call them The Hunters because theyll hunt the players throughout the whole dungeon. I havent decided how they will act in the future yet. Maybe theyll roam the dungeon randomly and chase the invaders after they see the first signs of defeated monsters. Maybe theyll stand guard somewhere and start roaming the dungeon after an alarm detects the players. Who knows. For now, Ive only settled on two things. The first is that theyll be allowed anywhere inside the dungeon. Unlike every other single monster and boss, The Hunters can, and will, appear anywhere except for right next to the dungeon portal. So anywhere inside the actual dungeon. Surprise ambush with the Goblimps? Check. Playtime with some rabbits? Check. In the middle of nowhere? Check. When running away from The Tunnels Nightmare? Check. In the middle of a boss fight? Hell, yes! Check! The second is that theyll give one hell of an awful experience to that damn traitor orc player today. And if Im sure of one of the two, its the second. Theyre also perfect for the orc player. Hes always complaining about how sneaky and gimmicky most of my monsters are and about how they dont fight fair. Well, he wont have anything to complain about the hunters. He wanted strong opponents, right? Then he cant complain if he gets crushed by those monsters he wanted. Since the two hunters are quite strong, Ive created a new template for each one. This means the two come from different units, and have different skills. Though as Ive said before, I wont disclose them yet. Youll see them in action soon enough. Now theres just one thing to do, my dear hunters! Lets wait for our esteemed guest. We must make sure he has an unforgettable experience! Fufufu! Hahaha! The hunters follow after me as I walk to the secret room with the multiple screens. I sit on the comfy chair and start patting the Octocat. By the way, it isnt a coincidence I always have an Octocat near the chair. The Octocat is always here. Its so I can copy the typical villain who observes the poor, innocent fools through the screen while laughing maniacally. Come on, orc player I know youre coming, so dont make me wait for too long I open the dungeon menu and go to the list of current invasions. Here, I soon hope to find the nickname ImAnOrc. When it pops up, itll mean the orc player came to my dungeon for one of his usual dungeon training seasons. He usually comes to overcome his previous failures and create new ones. New failures, I mean. Then, he updates his little dungeon guide for the players who want to invade my dungeon. ...I have an amazing present for you Fufufu! Hahaha! The laughing shadow created by the screens light is projected on the other side. Dont you think this setup is amazing? Ill never get tired of this.
Is this everything you got? Such a weakling! Huh, huh, huh! I step on the Lab Assistants corpse as I flex my amazing muscles. To think I struggled against this monster the first time I fought against it. Its a stain on my orc pride, but it also proves my growth. Ive lost count of how many times Ive come to this dungeon since the first time. Ive reached the end a few times, but it isnt enough. I can still grow stronger! Ill train here until Im able to crush everything in my way, like in all the other dungeons out there close to my level! And then, Ill recover my lost orc pride and show off to every player who ever came to this damned dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! I can feel it. Today, something great is going to happen. My muscles have been twitching nonstop since I took the first step into the cave. Theyre telling me something. It must be todays the day I clear this dungeon one more time, but this time, after defeating all the enemies inside. Yes, it must be it. But I dont know why, I have this feeling of being observed. It started in the tunnel area. I feel someone looking at me, but every time I turn around, theres nothing. How weird. Does it have to do with my muscles twitching? Lets go, brothers! I smack my chest. I then turn to my goblins and orcs and point at the door in front of us. Its time to crush some weaklings skulls! Huh, huh, huh! I proudly walk to the door and pull the lever, revealing the scenery on the other side of the door. The usual laboratory meets me. But theres no trace of the other Lab Assistant or those humanoid slimes that are always running around. Another change? Uh I hate new stuff I scratch my head. Is this what my muscles were warning me from? The number one thing you need to worry about when inside this damn dungeon is unexpected, new or unknown stuff. Like new monsters, traps, or areas. Or changes in their behaviors and skills. This is bad I take a step back. Should I retreat? No, I cant surrender! I must go on until the end! For my orc pride! For all the players who rely on my guide! I stomp into the room, followed by my support mobs. Then the door closes behind me. This shouldnt happen. It never happened before. Silence ensues. As I wait for what will happen, I feel a shiver run down my spine. Then, from everywhere and nowhere in particular at the same time, I hear someone laughing. Fufufu! Hahaha! This laughter! Theres only one player who can make me shiver like this with its laughter. This must mean hes here. No, nonononono! Anything but this! The door that never opens until you kill the four running weaklings opens and a figure comes inside. There are two more that come after him, but my eyes are automatically drawn to the laughing man-rat. Fufufu! Hahaha! Welcome! Welcome to The Mad Rats Lab, my dear friend! He opens his clawed arms wide. I was waiting for you. Ive prepared a huge surprise, you know? What do you say? Do you want to have some fun with me? Fufufu! Hahaha! I want to take back my words. The ABSOLUTELY WORST THING in this DAMNED DUNGEON isnt to find something new. Its when the EVIL MASTERMIND HIMSELF comes to greet you when bringing one of his newest creations. It means the monsters youre going to face are completely new. It means youre going to be a test subject for his evil, completely unpredictable plans. It means youre going to suffer and then die. Noooooo! My muscles, you betrayed me once again!
This day marked the beginning of the end. The end of relying on sheer luck to clear The Mad Rats Lab. After The Hunters were introduced into the dungeon, luck wasnt enough to clear the dungeon as, sooner or later, the invaders would have to fight against them. They might be lucky to find them when there were no more monsters around, but this wouldnt help those players if they werent strong enough.
Ch 165 - Who said I was playing dirty? The orc player stares at me with wide-open eyes after my introduction. Theyre filled with fear. He then punches his face to snap out of it. I I wont fall for any more of your tricks, damn Mad Rat! He points at me with his giant battleaxe as he shouts. Youll see, this time Ill be the one to beat you! Ill give back all the humiliation Ive suffered a thousand times! Immediately after, he launches his axe in my direction. Well, not the axe itself but a phantasmal version of it. Shit, I didnt expect this! Its too fast! The only thing I can do is I activate Rat Transformation and turn into a rat. I quickly run behind the closest machine before returning to my original shape. The orc follows up by running to where I was standing a moment ago. But when he sees nothing, he starts shouting again. Where did you go!? Coward, come back here! Hahaha, so pathetic! It was all so fast and theres so much clutter everywhere inside the laboratory that Im sure he thinks I dropped to the ground to avoid the attack. Im sure he mistook the transformation effects for it. Fufufu! Hahaha! I pop out in front of him, laughing. Did you think itd be so easy? Nah, it cant be. After all, youre my esteemed guest. You should know by now that its useless to resist. Uaaaah! He runs at me one more time. You made a huge mistake coming back! Ill make you regret it! Huh, huh, huh! Unperturbed, I wait for him to come closer, a smile on my face. He flinches. He didnt expect me to stand still. But he continues running anyway. Come on, brothers! Its time to take our revenge! Huh, huh, huh! He raises his axe overhead and slashes at me. Right at this moment, I stomp on the ground to activate the springtrap Im standing on. I dont resist as it launches me high up in the air. I avoid his attack and end up on top of the metal platform. Hahaha! He fell for it. To think my plan would work this well hes too easy to predict. I send him a mocking smile as I observe his incredulous expression from above. I rest my elbow on the railing and my chin on my hand. Tsk, tsk, tsk When did I say I was the one whod be playing with you? I dont remember it Fufufu! Hahaha! Come back, you fucker! He explodes in anger, launching the same attack as before. But this time, a barrier appears in front of my face, preventing all the damage. I knew this would happen, so I preemptively created an invisible barrier all over the platform to prevent attacks. The only hole is the one I used to come inside, but since the springtrap has been used already, he cant hope to reach me anymore. Seeing as the first attack did nothing to me, he launches a second. And a third. Hahaha, dont you get tired of wasting your time? I smile at him. Then I quickly change the mood by spreading open my arms and returning to the reason Im here. But my purpose isnt to play with you, its to watch you playing with my new monsters, you know? Fufufu! Hahaha! The audience is waiting anxiously Oh, I almost forgot! The audience! I make an exaggerated gesture as I press a button behind me. Theres a sound of something moving on the ceiling, and several Stitched drop from above onto the platform that surrounds the whole room. Theyre in the same one as I am, which is about four meters higher than the floor, but none of them are close to me for comfort reasons. Theyre too ugly. Upon realizing the change, the orc starts looking around. Hes searching for an exit, but theres none. Both the entrance door and the exit one will be closed until I or my two surprises die. Ladieeeees and gentlemaaaan! And various abominations too. I welcome you to the 5th edition of the Mad Rats Show. Today, we have our most esteemed guest, sir ImAnOrc with us! Lets give him a big round of applause, please! At my orders, the surrounding Stitched start to clumsily smack their hands together. Does it sound like applause? Hell no. But visually, it doesnt look too different. N-no. Im tired of this! Whys it always me!? Lets ignore his complaints for now. So, as I was saying, we have a big surprise for you today, dear viewers! Dont ignore me and come back here, you coward. What is it? Are you afraid of my strength? I thought he would start attacking my two new monsters as soon as I got out of his reach, but I was wrong. Since I used the springtrap, he has been only looking at me. My two hunters are still waiting, unperturbed, right next to the door. Well, who cares about his actions? As long as I enjoy myself, nobody cares about his mental health. Whats that surprise, you ask? Its the introduction of the security forces! Dont you like them a lot? Hahaha! Wooow, amazing! Finally, Ive been waiting for them to appear! Quickly. Tell us what skills they have. I change the tone and pitch of my voice as if there were multiple people in the audience. At the same time, the orc finally turns to look at the two monsters near the door. He watches them with a cautious look on his face. Is he afraid of them? Dont know, dont care. No, its better if he is. This way I can enjoy this a lot more. Yes, yes. I know. I nod while making a smug smile. I know youre all excited about them. So, without further delay, lets watch them in action. Subject number one, please, make a step forward and face the intruder. The orc gives me the middle finger, thinking Im talking to him. But Im not, Im talking to the first hunter. Lets taunt him a little bit more. Why are you looking at me like that? Didnt you always complain that theres not a single enemy you can have a fair fight against in this damned dungeon? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Thats because its true! Hahaha! Can you see how happy our esteemed guest is? See how excited he is, that his whole body is trembling? Im sure he cant wait anymore. Subject number one, go! Its your time to shine! Ding, ding, ding! After giving the signal, I make a bell sound and the hunter makes a step forward. The orc player will be the first player to have a taste of my latest creation. I called it The Mountain. Why? Its because it has all the traits mountains have. Theyre resilient, immovable, and if you punch them youre usually the one who gets hurt. The Mountain has everything a mountain has, except for its size. yes, the monster is pretty short. But what did you want me to do about it? The Mountain uses a dwarf body as its base, and dwarves are short. More importantly, dwarves like to live in the mountains. I couldnt not make The Mountain look like a dwarf. The orc observes The Mountain as it walks forward. To get ready for combat he kisses his biceps, then punches himself in the face. Hahaha! How many times has it been already? Its funny to see him so lost that he has to smack himself to recover. All right, come here. Im fine with this. He sounds confident, but his legs are shaking. Lets see what youre made of. The dwarf takes another step forward. Its beard, made of branches and leaves, shakes as if it were alive. Which it is. All its body is made of vegetation. It has the shape of a dwarf, but its made out of leaves, roots, bark, and vines. It kind of reminds me of my sisters champion, but less disgusting. A lot less disgusting. Ah, its also purple. The leaves, vines, etc are all different shades of purple. Alright, you got me. The Mountain looks weird. But its because I wanted to make it clear which units I used to create it. It might be difficult to know where the purple color comes from, but the other two are pretty much self-explanatory: a dwarf and a dryad. To be more precise, the three units used are the Artificer, a dwarf that costs 180 cp; the Dryad, the standard frontline unit from the elf faction, which costs 200 cp; and the Allurer, one of the demons with the deadly sin skills, which costs 310 cp. Its innate skills are as follows.
Stoneskin (Innate passive skill)
Reduce all damage received by 15%.
Take Root (Innate active skill)
Cost: -
You take root. While rooted, you cant be moved by any effect and the EP and MP cost of all attacks and skills is reduced by 20%.
Lust (Innate triggered skill)
When a unit that can see you deals damage to you, it takes (5 * level) psychic damage. This damage isnt increased or reduced by having higher or lower stats.
Im sure you already know about Stoneskin. Take Root is simple to understand: it comes from a tree-like creature, so it takes root and uses the nutrients in the ground to power its attacks. As for the last one the demons of lust make you so horny that you take mental damage every time you attack the object of your desire? I know I know it is weird. But regardless, one thing is for granted: this skill is nasty. Its a skill worthy of the demons. The demons are filled with skills that, the first time you read them make you think Is that all?. But then, when you face them in a real battle, your previous thought turns into Oh, shit. I wished I had paid more attention to the skills description. I dare you to come and apply a DoT effect on The Mountain. Come on, dont be shy! Feel free to join the orc in his despairing session. Anyway, Im derailing too much. The important part is that The Mountain is resilient, immovable, and if you punch it you take damage; as I promised you at the beginning of my rambling. Uaaaah! Eat this! After his shout, the orc engages The Mountain in melee combat. He swings his giant axe at the same time my minion spreads out a vine. The vine tries to entangle the orc, but he blocks it with the wide section of the axes blade and strikes back. Is this all youve got? Huh, huh, huh! They start exchanging blows. Or should I say the orc starts beating my poor minion without it having a chance to strike back? Hes good though not as good as my sister. I calmly observe the fight with a smile on my face. Its a shame he didnt notice yet. Lets make sure he does. Hey, orc! Why are you so carefree? Fufufu! Are you scared now? Huh, huh, huh! I suppose youd be after watching me beat your pathetic monster like this! Hmm, no, its just I feign being concerned about his safety. ...I think you should take a look at your status screen just in case? You know, to check everythings alright. The orc takes some distance and opens his status screen. At least, this is what it seems hes doing. I cant say for sure because its something only he can see. Some players dont like to have the HP, EP, and MP bars on the corner of their eyes all the time, so they remove them. I must agree it helps improve the immersion, but then you might lose track of important stuff. Stuff like Aaagh! Why is my HP so low!? I avoided all the attacks, I should be at full HP! What did you do, Mad Rat!? No, its my fault You never play fair, why did I expect you to play fair today? stuff like that. His attacks arent weak but The Mountain is too resilient, and every attack he lands makes him take some damage. Against the Lust skill, the best are single, strong attacks instead of quick, melee ones. Though I wont put up with his bullshit. Lies? Dirty play? I swear, I didnt do anything. Dear viewers, Im sure you know, but what hes saying is a lie. Indeed, I didnt do anything. Not yet, at least. Tsk, tsk, tsk! But since youre blaming me for not playing fair, lets make it true. Dont blame me for whats to happen, its your fault. Subject number two, please, step forward and join the battle. Its time to show our esteemed guest what unfair play means. Fufufu! Hahaha! Following my orders, the second hunter takes its first step forward since he came inside the room. Go, my dear experimental subjects! Go and crush this ungrateful invader, who has the unique and incredible opportunity to act as your first opponent, the might of your two powers combined! Fufufu! Hahaha! I never asked you to do this! Fuck you, Mad Rat. Brothers, to arms! Lets crush him today. Todays the day we reclaim our lost honor and push our worst enemy into the grave he dug for himself. Huh, huh, huh! Dig my own grave? Whats he talking about? The only one whos going to die is you. As I laugh, in my usual epic laughing pose, I start channeling electricity and sneakily put my hand near the hole in the barrier. Ill strike when he least expects it. He said I wasnt playing fair. Lets make it true, shall we? Fufufu! Hahaha!
The Mad Rats Show was the name Andreu used every time he decided to do something crazy and stream it to the viewers in real time. Although he wasnt the only guest invited to the show, the orc player was indeed the one who made the most appearances other than the host, the Mad Rat himself. The Mad Rats Show was also the first TV show to achieve a 100% audience ever if you only take into account a certain group of fanatical people, of course.
Ch 166 - Unexpected outcome Go forth, my perfect, abominable creations! Go and smash the invaders to smithereens! Fufufu! Hahaha! As the orc calls his minions to join the battle, The Mountain calmly observes his moves. Then, my second monster starts walking forward. Or should I say it starts slithering towards the orc. Yep, slithering, you didnt hear it wrong. But wasnt it an Amalgam, made from humanoid units? And didnt you say long ago that humanoid units always have two legs and arms? Yes and yes. Youre right. Its just that there are some exceptions. Similar to how the werebeasts can transform into their animal shapes so that they dont lose their main appeal, which is transforming into animals C though the game recommends you do it as little as possibleC, there are a few other units that break the rule. Like the mermaids, tritons, and nagas from the Deep Seas faction. But those from the Deep Seas faction dont work any differently from the other humanoid units, the change only affects how they look. So how does this work? Its easy to understand. When you control your Champion, you walk on two legs, only that theyre completely invisible and intangible, and the game creates a fake tail that follows all your movements. You dont control the tail, it works autonomously. The tail is also tangible and any attack that hits it makes you take damage. They say you feel the hit on your legs as if you were using a normal champion, but I havent tried it. The game staff did it like this because, unlike the werebeasts, the players would be in the non-humanoid shape all the time and without any option to disable them. Any health problems would appear immediately and the Deep Seas faction would be unplayable. Theres also an option to remove the tails and use normal legs too. You retain the scales, gills, and any other animal parts. However, most players dont like it because it breaks the immersion. When they play as a mermaid, they want to look like a mermaid and not like a normal human with fish parts. I agree with them. For now, this is something that has only been implemented for the Deep Seas because all their units are aquatic. And, you know, aquatic creatures dont usually have humanoid shapes, much less human legs. There are players constantly asking for similar stuff for the centaurs and the like, but it isnt relevant right now. Anyway! As I was saying, the second hunter slithers on the ground. The Nagas pure white tail twists and makes a unique sound as it scrapes the laboratory floor. After creating The Mountain, I thought this: Why dont I base every security guard on a natural element? Wouldnt it be quite funny if done well? So I decided to go with it. Then, the next natural element that came to mind was a river. And what creature pairs with a river better than a snake? Snakes and rivers have similar shapes and lots of snakes live near water. More importantly, I had this Naga inside a stasis chamber I didnt know what to do with it, so I might as well use it for something. And what better chance than to use that Naga for my next awesome unit? Hahaha! The next step was to think about what skills I wanted The River to have. If I had to choose one word to define a river itd be unstoppable. Like any water mass, the most you can do is to divert it somewhere else. Also, itll eventually wear out whatever you put to stop its flow. This is why I looked for units that give The River the perfect skills to make it unstoppable. For starters, its the Nagas Venomous Bite.
Venomous Bite (Innate active skill)
Cost: 130 EP
Deal (10 + 1,5 * STR) physical damage to a single unit. For the next 5 seconds, that unit takes an extra (2 + 0,2 * CON) poison damage each second and is slowed by 30%.
Once bitten, theres no getting away from it. This is why the usual approach when inside a Deep Seas dungeon is to kill any Naga first. Otherwise, with the reduced speed from being underwater added to the slowness, theres no hope of evading the rest of the monsters attacks. Next, is the Stalker from the Dream Vestiges. This monster appears in your dreams and you can never get away from it. This is why it has the Unstoppable skill.
Unstoppable (Innate passive skill)
You cant be affected by slowing effects or effects that make you immobile.
And finally, the Elitist. The demon of Pride is the strongest unit from the first tier of demons of sin. The Pride skill is what makes The River truly unstoppable: itll eventually defeat any enemy as long as its alive. It pairs perfectly with the Nagas skill too.
Pride (Innate passive skill)
The damage you deal is increased by 1% for each previous time you dealt damage to the same unit. This bonus resets after one minute from the last time that unit took damage from you.
Funny fact about The River: Nagas are amphibious, so they can move at the same speed in water and land. To compensate, the game gives them a slower speed than most units. But since this is an Amalgam, this doesnt matter. The speed will always be that of the unit with the highest one, but itll retain the amphibious trait. This is perfect for The River. My dungeon is mostly land, but it also has a few areas with water. Fufufu! Hahaha! The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As for how it looks, it has a Nagas pure white, snake tail, fangs, and tongue; the body and head are from the Elitist, which looks like a normal human with large ram horns on top of its head; and it has the disproportionately long and thin arms, with hands that look like claws, from the Stalker. And with this, the set of my first two security guards is finished! Fufufu! Hahaha! On one side, theres The Mountain, the unmovable obstacle you cant hope to overcome; and on the other, theres The River, who you cant hope to stop and will chase you until you die. Its perfect for the puny orc! Hell have the pleasure of being the first one to feel their pain, and from both of them at the same time at that! Fufufu! Hahaha! As I laugh, the orc launches a phantasmal weapon of his axe. This time, it passes through The Mountain and hits The River on the back. Uaaaah! Dieeee! Huh, huh, huh! How do you like it? My two monsters look at him impassively. Ill have to be the one to answer him. Its fine you have a ranged attack, but youre outclassed in that department. I calmly say. Now its your time to avoid! Hahaha! Immediately after, The Mountain creates a large boulder on his hand and throws it at him. The boulder soars through the sky, obscuring everything below it. W-wha..? Everyone, avoid! The orc shouts just before it strikes. Thanks to him, his minions didnt take any damage. But he wasnt as lucky. *Crash!* The boulder hits him and smashes onto the ground, squashing him below. If this wasnt a game, he would be orc porridge by now. Luckily for him, were indeed in a game. The only thing that happens to him is that his HP bar is reduced by a chunk. Ugh! He groans. Theres a stun too? Oh, youre quite the unlucky one, arent ya? Or is it that you enjoy it so much you always fall for all the status effects on purpose? Shut up! He roars in anger. Id love to see his green face turn red in anger. Its a shame it isnt possible. Im not a masochist! Im not as mentally ill as those guys! I wonder who is he talking about Oh, yeah. This was the Boulder Throw skill. As for what it does well, here it is.
Boulder Throw (Active skill)
Cost: 150 EP, 50 MP
Create and throw a 1-meter radius boulder that deals (5 + 1,5 * STR) physical damage to every unit it hits. Theres a 20% chance to stun those units for 2 seconds.
This is a good skill to give to a melee unit when you want it to deal damage from a certain range. Its cost is high for how much damage it deals because its designed for melee users that dont have any other ranged option. But since all costs are reduced when The Mountain is rooted, who cares if its expensive? I certainly dont! Distracted by the boulder, the orc loses track of the other monster. He only notices its movement after he hears the dying noises of one of his goblins. Hyaaah The goblin is bitten to death. My brother! Fuck! The orc glares at me. Its always you! Why are you attacking my brothers instead of me!? Me? It was you who ordered your minions to join the combat. But it was because you turned this into a 2vs1 fight. It was you who forced me to do it! Tsk, tsk, tsk! I make sure to annoy him as much as possible with my tone and actions. I only did because you told me I wasnt playing fair, so I had to turn it into reality I shrug. Aaagh I hate you so much! Oh, my! Thanks! I love you too. I can spend all day like this. But as we talk, The River is killing your other goblins, you know? You should pay more attention to the battle. The orc finally realizes the danger his units are in and decides to change tactics. Do it now. I permit you to use it, so blast those monsters away! Following his orders, a robed goblin starts channeling a spell. The air around it trembles as a giant fire sphere condenses over its head. It starts shining. Its almost like a second sun. ...whats that? I start panicking. Im safe thanks to the shield, but I cant say the same for my monsters. H-how can a mere goblin use such a strong spell? Shit, evade! Try your best to surviC *Booooom!* The ball of fire explodes, blasting the robed goblin and the two closest orcs; and immediately killing the three. ... ... We stay still, observing the corpses of the three greenskins. ... I huh what was that? I ask. The orc player snaps out of his trance when he hears my voice. He then falls to his knees and starts pounding the ground. Nooooo! Why did it have to happen right now? Its always at the worst possible moment My goblin shaman A goblin shaman a goblin using magic Ah! I think I know what happened! Im sure it was the Goblin Magic skill!
Goblin Magic (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
The next skill you use that spends MP deals double the normal damage and ignores defense, but theres a 50% chance that skill will target you instead of your original target.
The Savage Horde is well known for their aggressive melee style. Though it isnt that they dont have any ranged units. They do have some archers and mages. The problem is that, to compensate for their lack of power, most of them have powerful abilities with negative side effects or high risk. Goblin Magic is one of those faction-exclusive skills. Ladies and gentlemen, learn from him and be responsible! Whatever you do, never rely on Goblin Magic to save you. Its one of those skills thats going to blow up in your face when you least expect it. Like right now. Ahahahahaha! I burst out laughing. Is this how you usually play? You order your minions to blow themselves up, and then you blame me for everything? Hahahaha! And to think there was no need for me to do anything at all He stands up and glares at me. No I wont fall for your taunting anymore. Oww, what a shame I wanted to play with him some more This is it. Im getting serious now. He says hes getting serious. Is he trying to fool me? Me, of all people!? Hes such a bad liar Get serious, he says. As if he wasnt serious from the start of the fight! Hah, what are you going to do? Cry and beg for forgiveness? Did you expect me to beliC huh? His green skin starts turning red. His atmosphere changes. He feels different. Is this a skill unique to the Savage Horde? Its the first time Ive seen it. The orc exhales. He then runs to The River and starts attacking. So fast! The area around The River is now a steel tornado. His axe is moving so fast that its hard to properly see its shape. Is this all youve got? Huh, huh, huh! Now, youll die! The situation turns for the worse when The River strikes back, the orcs HP falls below half, and its innate skill kicks in. The steel barrage continues and my monsters HP bar quickly falls. Ok, Ill admit it He might be a little bit stronger than I expected.
After a certain level, every player should have at least one of what I like to call ultimate skills. A last resort of sorts to use when in danger. Theyre necessary for when you need one last push, or when fighting stronger enemies. Powerful skills that can be used only one or two times can be an example, as well as self-destruct ones. But at the same time, its hard to justify having more than one ultimate skill. Since their use is limited or their drawbacks are drastic, they cant sustain your build by themselves. Theyll take valuable skill points away from more useful and reliable skills, and you wont be able to explore dungeons properly. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 167 - Aww, you were so close…! Huh, huh, huh! Is this all your oh-so-mighty newest creation has to offer? The orcs onslaught continues as he talks. Ill crush all your plans. This time, Ill be the absolute winner! I snicker but remain silent while calmly observing the HP bar of my monster. Its below the half-mark right now. Its true he turned out to be stronger than I anticipated, but hes following everything I planned. Im sure he thinks otherwise, but everything that happened so far was within my expectations. Do you remember why Im doing this? Its to inflict as much pain on him as possible. Its his fault I had to suffer their madness, after all. But, and this is a very big but, a normal defeat wouldnt do. True despair is only achieved after all hope is lost, and this is why I prepared so much for today. The first step was to incite him into action. Declare a 1vs1 and make him angry because of cheating. The amazing thing is I didnt need to cheat here, he reached this point on his own, which saved me some time and effort. This was the most important step, as I didnt want him to run away, surrender, or even worse, leave the dungeon. Now that hes this angry and expecting to win, itll be easy to control him. The second step is to drive him to the limit. So far, he used his minions special skills to overcome the situation, failed horrendously, and was forced to use his trump card. To complete this step, he needs one last push. Dont mind if I do it. Fufufu! Hahaha! Win? Crush all my plans? You have no idea what youre talking about! Look, your minions are all dying! He turns his head and watches his last goblin dying to The Mountains retribution damage. Noo! My brothers! He refocuses on his own fight but continues screaming. What did you do now, Mad Rat!? Me? I didnt do anything Hahaha, so foolish! He allowed his minions to run amok without supervision. And since he was fighting The River so ferociously, they ganged upon the only remaining opponent. It was like watching eggs throwing themselves onto a rock, hoping to break it. Hahaha! Poor goblins, they choose the wrong opponent. Now only two of his orc minions remain. But theyll soon join their friends in the afterlife, theyre almost dead already. Dont fuck with me! Ill pay you back for everything youve done to me! But I havent done anything yet. Im not lying. I havent ever messed with him directly yet. So far, it was always the minions I brought with me, the traps I manually opened, or the monsters I reallocated in the middle of his dungeon exploration. I havent directly attacked or even touched him a single time. I know! I say in excitement. Ill attack you right now so that theres something you can make me pay for, alright? Hahaha! Here Im coming! I see him shuddering, but he continues swinging his axe around. I cant allow him to kill The River. For him to feel the maximum despair, he must be completely defeated. If he kills my monster, itd be a partial victory instead and I dont want it. Its time to put the last nail in his coffin. Its time to finish step two of my plan. The lightning I was channeling all along disperses as a more disturbing, unpredictable energy condenses around my hand. You can even call that energy, Chaotic. Hahaha! Orc, for the crime of lying, I sentence you to a painful existence! Eat this! Divineeee Retribution! I shout the first random name that comes to mind. But instead of divine light, what comes out of my palm is a chaotic mix of energy of several colors, each one mixing and intertwining with the others. The beam comes out of my palm and passes through the single hole in the barrier. He jumps to the side, but my beam still hits him on the back. This beam is too fast to evade like that. My older sister could have done it, but he isnt as good as her. Now theres only one thing remaining: to pray that the beam applies one of the nastiest status debuffs. The orc stops moving. Did it work? Huh, huh, huh! He starts laughing and looks in my direction. Is this all youve got? I thought for a moment that I was done for, but Did you actually do anything? It felt like a mosquito bite to me. Huh, huh, huh! So it didnt work but he did take the damage. Feel my wrath! Ill beat your minion to a pulp. Take this, abomination! He raises his axe up high and slashes downwards. The thing is why the hell is he swinging it at nothing? The River is two steps to the right, you know!? Are you blindC Ah, I see hes blinded but pretending he isnt. Fufufu! Hahaha! I burst out laughing. Fool! Youre a fool! You say you didnt feel anything, but youre blinded! He flinches. N-no, Im not. Tsk, tsk, tsk Cant you see theres nothing in front of you? Ah, yeah. You cant. Because youre blinded. Hahaha! ...so what!? What if Im doing this on purpose? ... What is he, a little kid? Whos he trying to deceive? Well I dont care. Its funnier the sillier he acts. The audience C not the Stitched, the real one watching this in real-time C will also like it better. ...even I am ashamed of your actions, orc, I say while shaking my head. You know what? Fine, Ill allow you to touch my great persona. Lets have a 1vs1, ok? My minions, stop fighting right now! I make a fake cough before continuing. Its the moment everyone has been waiting for! The undefeated champion will make an appearance. Its the Mad Rat! The craziest scientist! The great manipulator! The creator of life! The bringer of despair! Its eveeeeeeeeryones faaaaavorite! I jump through the hole in the barrier and fall to the ground with a thump. Immediately after, the surrounding audience, the Stitched, start clamoring with their dull and agonizing voices. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Oooowaaaaa! Haaaaaaa! Uuuuuuuuooooo! Its more like a chorus of zombies than an actual clamoring, but Ill take it anyway. You have to do what you can with what you have. Here I am. Come get me if you can. Fufufu! Hahaha! I make a come here gesture with my hand, taunting him. By now, the blinding effect should have ended so Im sure he can see me properly. His skin has also returned to its original green tone. Now that hes all battered, close to dying, and about to surrender; now that he went to the extent of feigning being able to see to trick me; now that he made a fool of himself and reached the deepest point Now, its time for the third step: give him hope. Hope to defeat me. Hope he can recover his lost orc pride... whatever thats supposed to mean. Dont ask me, this is something hes always saying when diving into my dungeon. Huh, huh, huh! Huh, hah, hah, hah, hah! He starts laughing. His guttural laughter fills the now silent chamber. If we exclude the audience, theres only me, him, and my two monsters here. All his minions are dead. You fell for it. Huh, huh, huh! He grins like a fool. It was all an act, and you fell for it, huh, huh, huh! You came down when you thought you had won, but its all a farce. Ive beat you at your own game, Evil Mastermind. You beat me at what? Wow. Youre so wrong. Im not going to spoil your fun because I need you to act like this for my plan, but oh, man, youre sooooooo wrong. All those schemes and plans, for nothing! All those traps and gimmicks. All those tricky monsters and rooms. Do you know how much Ive had to suffer because of you!? Huh, huh, huh! But, this time, I am the winner! Haaaaa! He rushes at me with his all. As he comes closer, his skin turns red one more time. So it wasnt a single-use skill? Oh, well, who cares? Its still within my expectations. I start talking with the flattest voice I can. Oh, no. What am I going to do now? You got me there. Im going to die now Not. I open my hands and make a surprised expression. Run if you dont want to die! Hahaha! I wont be fooled! Eat this! His axe strikes the top of my head. If this were reality, now Id have two heads instead of one. Its a shame it didnt happen since this is a game. Its an even bigger shame C for him, not for me C that I take absolutely no damage since Im in the invulnerability phase of my Grand Finale right now. This is also the third part of my plan. Or should I say fourth? Maybe three and a half? Anyway, the complete version goes like this: give him hope, so that I can crush it immediately after, bringing him as much despair as possible. I smile at him. Tick, tock, tick, tock Every time, my smile grows bigger, until it almost reaches my ears. He finally realizes whats going on when light starts to accumulate around me. Shit! He starts running away. ...Boom! *Booom!* The light from the explosion fills half the laboratory. Did he die? I hope not. I need him to live for a lot longer as now comes the last and best part of my plan. Enjoy his suffering. Ugh, that was close. I lowered my guard and he almost got me with one of his tricks I hear the orcs voice coming from the farthest end of the room. Was I worried about him? Hes fine. Fufufu! Hahaha! Nice job, esteemed guest! Nice job evading the explosion! Fuck you, Mad Rat! He glares at me. His skin returned to its green color somewhere in the middle. I swear Im going to kill you today, even if its the last thing I do. Oh, so enthusiastic. Dont you agree, audience? Oooouuu! Uuuaaaaa! Mamnangan! whats wrong with the last one? Well, I dont care. Since youre so stubborn with killing me, how about one last little game? As you know, Im weak after the explosion. So, lets see how about this? I wont move from my spot. If you can reach me and kill me, you win. If you die, I win. But dont expect it to be easy, Ill use everything at my disposal to defend myself. Do you agree? Or are you too scared? I make sure to put on my most irritating smile. Im no orc if I go back after all this humiliation. Lets do it. Ill beat you once and for all, Mad Rat! Huh, huh, huh! Then, without further addoooooooo.! Let, the, games Begiiiin! Fufufu! Hahaha! Haaaaaaaaa! Oooooyoooooo! Bantranamaaa! seriously, whats wrong with the last Stitched!? At my signal, my two monsters get ready for battle. The Mountain summons one of his boulders, and The River runs toward the orc. I wont fall for their tricks anymore. He declares. If I beat you, its over. Theres no need to fight them at all. Oho? Is that so? I make a surprised face. Are you sure about it? Hahaha! He looks at me anxiously for a few seconds, intimidated by my words. But then, as if to shake all his doubts, he kisses his biceps and puts on a serious face. The kind of face you see in films when they resolve themselves to death. Oh, yes. I like this so much! Come on, suffer more! Nothing will stop me! My muscles and I are invincible! Huh, huh, huh! Here I gooooo! He starts running in my direction. Something pops out from the ground close to him and zaps him with electricity. At the same time, from several spots around the laboratory, more lightning rods C the ones that usually appear in this room, plus a few more extra ones C pop out and start charging electricity. The orc furrows his brows but says nothing. He ignores the traps and resumes his charge. Go, go! You can do it! Go, go! Youre the best player! Fufufu! Hahaha! I cheer him. At the same time, I press a secret button on the floor. Holes open in the ceiling and a glob of something falls right in front of the orc, forcing him to stop to avoid it. *Shhshshhh* Theres the faint sizzling sound of something melting coming from the acid coming from the ceiling. Tch! The orc clenches his teeth and looks around, searching for a safe path to reach me. Not finding any, he decides to take the shortest path instead: the straight one. Well, the straightest path he can find while avoiding both of my monsters. Try your best or youll die! Are you going to fall like this? Such a pathetic death, void of honor The worst death for a warrior like you. Are you going to allow such a thing? Fufufu! Hahaha! I keep switching between taunting him and cheering for him to make him angrier. The acid blobs continue to fall from random places, the lightning rods zap him if he gets close to them, The Mountain keeps throwing boulders at him, and The River relentlessly chases after him in the middle of this chaos. The orc does his best to reach me, filled with a mix of despair and anger. Come on, youre almost here One, no, two more steps and youll win I signal for him to get closer and I even extend my hand to make it easier for him. But then, suddenly, the floor springs up and hes launched far away. U-uaah! ...hahaha! As if! Better luck next time! The last springtrap, the one I prepared for this exact moment, activated when he stepped on it, throwing him away from me. Aw, he was so close! How bad for him I had everything ready Hahaha! As he lands, the orc looks around, confused. W-what? then, he finally realizes the fact that his HP is almost at zero right now. Whats this? Whys my HP? the FUCKING BUTTERFC!? *Plof!* The orcs corpse falls to the ground. Ding, ding, ding! Youre right! It was the butterfly that killed you! I cheerfully laugh. But wooow, what a shame. Our dear contestant, you died. So you lose the game I shake my head in shame. Fufufu! Hahaha! Well, this is all, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you enjoyed this episode of The Mad Rats Show. See you in the next episode! Aaaah, I feel so refreshed. Hmm why was I doing this again? Im sure there was a reason behind everything, something I wanted to forget Then, it means it worked! Yay! Im free from whatever horrible things I experienced! Everything went according to plan!
Dear diary, Today, I went into my brothers dungeon after asking him if I could help him modify his dungeon. I sneakily took a few monsters with me and changed their voice patterns so that they produced weird sounds. Im looking forward to his reaction when he finds out. - Extract from a certain girls diary.
Ch 168 - Don’t fix it Hmm What should I do? I tilt my head to the side in thought, analyzing yesterdays show. It isnt like my plan was a failure or that I didnt enjoy myself but my hunters didnt shine as much as I wanted. Making the orc regret being born was nice. Exhilarating, even. But it wasnt my only purpose. Besides my personal enjoyment, it was also the first time I could test my newly created monsters, and they they didnt achieve as much as I wanted. Dont misunderstand, it isnt that theyre useless. Its because I gave them as few skills as possible that they ended up not shining as much as they should. To create random monsters, watch them fight, and improve them over time! This is how true mad scientists work! Improving after watching the results, thats the best philosophy! dont look at me with those accusing eyes! Fine, you got me I was lazy and didnt plan everything beforehand, so I left most of the work for later. But, now that Ive seen their flaws, its time to finish them. So, as I was saying ...what should I do? Identifying the flaws is easy. The real problem is to think about how to solve them. The Hunters are supposed to be my security guards. As security guards, they should be strong enough to fend for themselves in almost any situation. In consequence, I must give them skills that prevent them from being completely useless against tactics that counter them. Whats with Aha! I know your weakness! Now, die!? I must prevent this kind of bullshit at all costs! Lets start with The Mountain. Its strong point is easy to identify, as I created it with a certain image in mind. The Mountain is an insurmountable obstacle. Thats it. Very easy to understand, dont you agree? But its flaws became more apparent as the fight against the orc went on; especially at the end, when the orc ignored everything else to focus on me. Before this moment, The Mountain performed decently thanks to the orc and his minions focussing its attacks on it; but from that point onwards, it was completely useless. The orc only needed to avoid the boulders to completely nullify The Mountains participation in the battle. What use does an insurmountable obstacle have when you can sidestep it? The Mountain isnt an actual mountain. Its size is relatively small, so it cant fully block the path. It is quite slow, too, so it cant easily catch up with the enemies. If you ignore it and focus somewhere else What use does such an obstacle have? Can you call it an obstacle at all!? Shame on you! Shame on your creator! ah, wait, Im the creator Shame on the orc for ignoring you, then! Its always his fault! Its always him! I pull on the fur on my head before calming down. I know what youre thinking right now. If the problem is that The Mountain can be ignored, so why dont I make it faster? Why dont I give it a movement skill? To this question, I must answer you with a single word: NOOB. Youre a noob, a total noob. If I did such a thing, it would break the whole concept. It would turn The Mountain into a random mob you can find anywhere! Also where have you seen a mountain that moves around? Discarded! Wrong! Error! Nai-nai! Absolutely never! You were wrong, so Im sure youre confused now. After all, what else can I do to fix The Mountain, other than making it faster? Aaaaaaand youre wrong again. You must change how you think and start the other way around instead. Whats The Mountains strongest point? This is what you must ask first. In my opinion, The Mountains strongest point is precisely its immovable nature. Or, to be more precise, the skill that makes it immobile: Take Root. Of course, the other two innate skills are important too, but they rely on the enemies actions to be important. Damage reduction and damage return mean nothing if nobody is attacking, so lets focus on the only one The Mountain can control by itself. Take Root reduces EP and MP costs, which means The Mountain can use skills without worrying about running dry. Which means I dont have to worry about the cost of the skills I give it. Which means Fufufu! Hahaha! I start laughing, imagining the crazy things I can do. ...ok. Lets start with the basics. First of all, it must have a skill of each of the three types. As with any other monster, The Mountain must have an active, triggered, and passive skill before I can give it more attacks, or before I can upgrade any skill. Since it already has the Boulder Throw skill, which I dont plan on removing, I only need to find fitting triggered and passive skills. Triggered skills triggered skills not this one, not that one Rocky Retribution? Its the same as the Frosty Retribution from my Lab Assistants but with rocks instead of ice. Hmmm but it wont help with the current problem, so it is discarded for now. I keep reading the list, searching for the perfect skill. I need a skill that will prevent players from ignoring The Mountain. Or at least, a skill that will make it more difficult. Taunt and similar skills would work, but the time they''re effective against Champions is very short. I need something better. I cant find anything I like I hold my head, annoyed. Aagh, it can be so difficult sometimes! Its been, like one minute already and I didnt find anything useful! This cant be, I cant keep wasting time like this. ...why dont I look at it from another angle? What If I search for a skill that will make the players want to pay attention to The Mountain? Instead of forcing them to pay attention, a skill that will make them want to pay attention. Huh, I like the idea! With renewed enthusiasm, I open the list one more time and start searching for the perfect skill. This time it doesnt take too long to discover it.
Persecute (Triggered skill)
If a unit you attacked in the last 10 seconds runs away, your next attack or skill against it deals an extra 20% damage.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. In battle, you always keep track of your enemy, so this skill is considered useless and theres almost no player who takes it for themselves or their mobs. The only exceptions to this rule are assassins, invisible units, and similar stuff. But who says I cant use it for the exact opposite purpose? With this skill, players will want to pay attention to The Mountain all the time, or itll deal more damage. Want to ignore my monster? Fine, take some extra damage! It isnt guaranteed itll work as I intend and make players focus on The Mountain, but I have high hopes for it! After all, who likes taking extra damage? Now for the passive skill. If I want to go with a similar approach, I have the perfect skill in mind: Shared Pain.
Shared Pain (Passive skill)
20% of all damage dealt to allied units within 10 meters is dealt to you instead.
Shared Pain is so perfect! This is a very useful skill. Unlike most of the skills I pick for my units, this one is used by lots of players, though its only when it comes to tanky, support monsters. Thanks to it, those monsters can soak damage for their allies, helping them to stay alive for longer fights. Monsters with this skill usually work hand-in-hand with weak or glass cannon monsters. But Im not interested in all that stuff. As a security guard, The Mountain will roam freely through my dungeon. This means itll always have other monsters nearby. This means that, during the fight, every time the players hit one of the other monsters, The Mountain will take some of that damage instead. The best part is that that damage will be reduced by Stoneskin, and then the player will take damage from Lust! Its like killing three birds with one stone! And can you imagine this against an area DoT skill, like Hellfire? Every single damage tick will make the player take damage from Lust, once for every one of my monsters present. Im sure more than one player will kill themselves by accident. Im looking forward to it Fufufu! Hahaha! So now that the passive and triggered skills are finished, its time to move to the bulk of the matter: the other active skills that will be supported by Take Root. And talking about Take Root lets upgrade it first!
Take Root - Lv 2 (Innate active skill)
Cost: -
You take root. While rooted, you cant be moved by any effect and the EP and MP cost of all attacks and skills is reduced by 20%.
Upgrades
Deep Roots: The cost reduction is increased to 40%. It takes longer to root and unroot.
Who cares if The Mountain takes five seconds to root and unroot, or twenty seconds instead? Is there any difference? For me, it might as well be the same time. As long as it doesnt take ten minutes, which would be enough for the players to use another path to go around The Mountain, it doesnt matter at all how long it takes. Instead, what you get is a 40% decrease in all skill costs! This is so ridiculous! Maybe, the next time I evolve my Champion I should No, no! Stop, Andreu, stop! Focus on the current task! Fine Ill focus. Um, where was I? ah, yes, the upgraded Take Root. Twenty seconds to root and unroot is a lot for a player. It is a very easy and fast way to die. Really, you can try it if you want. Stand still inside a dungeon for a total of forty seconds, counting both the time to root and unroot, and see what happens. But its different for monsters. If they die, it isnt the end of the Dungeon Invasion. Also, in this particular case, The Mountains build is designed with resilience in mind. Taking damage is actually preferred, so being unable to move for at least a minute means nothing. I think I have the perfect active skill for The Mountain. Its the extremely famous, the eternally powerful, the most picked skill of all! Iiiiiiiits Tadandandan Its Maaaaagic Missiles! with the auto-targeting upgrade. Do you know whats the best way to get a players attention? Its to continuously blast them with an unending stream of autotargetting Magic Missiles! Something only possible because The Mountain has a 40% reduction to all skills as long as its rooted! Fufufu! Hahaha!
Magic Missiles - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 10 MP, 5 MP per missile
You launch up to 10 magic missiles against any number of units. Each missile deals (2 + 0,2 * SPI) arcane damage.
Upgrades
Targeted Missiles: Add tracking to each missile, making them very difficult to evade.
The boulder is nice and all, especially against groups of clumped enemies, and the stun chance can be very useful depending on the situation. But nothing will ever beat Magic Missiles when it comes to targeted damage. Unavoidable damage? Sign me in! Well it isnt impossible to avoid or block the Magic Missiles, but when ten of them come at you at the same time it is very difficult to avoid them all. Now theres one more skill I want to give to it. It wont help with the damage output, but Im sure itll make The Mountain extremely annoying when there are more monsters around. What skill is it? Its the almost as famous Magic Missiles: Entangle, one of the best CC skills in the game.
Entangle (Active skill)
Cost: 50 MP, 10 MP per second
Immobilize every unit in a 10-meter radius for up to 5 seconds. The duration is reduced against units with higher average stats than you.
With this skill, itll be extremely hard for the players to ignore The Mountain during combat, Id say. But if they fight it, then the damage return will trigger good luck invaders! Hahaha! Good luck fighting my security forces! With the upgrades and new skills, The Mountain is now at level 7. Theres no need to raise its level any higher, cp isnt easy to accumulate. And with this, my job heres doneC Ah, right! I still have to modify The River!
... Do you know whats lame? If you make your monster the same as all the other monsters! Thats extremely lame! Since my monster is weak, Ill increase its strength. !? My orc lacks MP, so Ill give it an MP-boosting skill. !? Are you stupid!? Never, ever, destroy the essence of your monster like that! Work on your monsters strengths instead of their weaknesses. Think about how can you turn them around instead of fixing them. Is your monster strong but cant catch up with your enemies? Give it a skill that can forcibly pull the players closer instead of trying to make your monster faster. Is your monster too weak and it dies to any attack? Give it a movement skill thatll make your invaders cry trying to hit it! Is your monsters accuracy too low? Put traps or make the passage narrower, so that the players cant avoid the attacks so easily. For hells sake! Dont fix your monsters, improve them! - Fragment from What You Should Never Do, one part of The Dark Teachings series.
Ch 169 - Ready for action The River this ones a bit trickier than The Mountain In the fight against the orc, I found two big problems with The Rivers current build lack of build. After all, I didnt give it a single skill yet. First, it was too slow to chase the orc when he was running away. It isnt that my monster is slow but that it has 5 SPD, the average speed. Average isnt bad for the usual stuff, but for an unstoppable monster, its kind of lame. Whats the use of being immune to slows and immobilization effects if you cant catch up? It means nothing! The second is that it sucked against multiple enemies though I expected this one. Without area attacks, the monster cant easily deal with lots of weak enemies. The thing is how am I going to solve those two problems? In particular, the first one. There are two ways I can go about it, and I cant decide which one I like best. I can either give it a flat speed bonus or a mobility skill. Both are good, but I cant imagine a river teleporting or jumping around, so I think I will go with the passive one: Sprinter. It also synergizes quite well with the Unstoppable skill and solves the problem of choosing a passive skill for The River. This is what I call efficiency! Hahaha! But increasing the speed by one isnt enough, I want it to be even faster! Ill upgrade Sprinter as soon as I choose the first active and triggered skills. This is how itll look after the upgrade.
Sprinter - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Increases the units Speed stat by 1.
Upgrades
Proficient: Triple this skills bonus stats.
Nice, dont you agree? What!? Youre saying its a waste of two skill points to make it just a little bit faster!? That Im a noob that doesnt know how to create proper monsters!? I disagree. Having three extra speed points makes a huge difference. A one-point difference is enough to avoid getting caught up in flat terrain or to easily catch up if youre the chaser. Two points allow you to safely run away as long as you arent slowed, regardless of the situation. This is why I, as a mage with 7 SPD, dont have trouble staying out of the enemys reach. Usually when I dont mess it up. But at three, the difference gets so big that its almost impossible to overcome. Just to give you an example, the Not A Rabbit C that has the Wererabbit with speed 9 as a base, one of the fastest units in the entire game C is so fast that almost no player has ever managed to escape them. And those that did escape, it was because they could fly and used the terrain to their advantage. Its also the reason why the Stitched, with SPD 3, are so hopelessly useless. Unless the players allow them to get closer, theyll never catch up. Alright! First problem solved! Lets go for the second! Now that The River has been upgraded from a slow, meandering river to a fast, aggressive one; its time to solve the other issue: the lack of area attacks. And theres this skill that I really, really, really, really, reallyreallyreallyreallyreallyreally, REALLY, want to give to The River. A skill thatll deal area damage while at the same time helping by stacking Prides extra damage. A skill that synergizes with the build so well that theres no way Im not picking it. As Im sure youve guessed by now, Im talking about Ice Aura. It deals damage in an area, and it slowly builds up the Pride stacks over time. Its also cheap at 1 MP per second. The only drawback is that its a passive skill, so I cant give it to The River yet. I first have to choose an active and a triggered one. Well, this and that it deals damage to allied units too. Which is much more relevant than you might think. The River will be allowed to go anywhere inside the dungeon. This means that, unlike most monsters with skills like this one, its impossible to predict if there will be monsters nearby when a fight occurs, or where itll happen. So my monsters are going to take damage, and that damage is going to grow. Not good. Definitely not good! The Hunters are my wardens! They shouldnt go around killing the monsters theyre supposed to protect and supervise! But I have a trick up my sleeve! Its called: spending a skill point to upgrade the skill! This is how Ice Aura will look in the future, after I give The River the remaining two skills Im postponing for one or another reason.
Ice Aura - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
Cost: 1 MP per second (cannot be deactivated during combat)
Deal (2 + 0,1 * SPI) ice damage to every other unit within 5 meters each second.
Upgrades
Selective Freeze: Allied units arent affected by this skill.
With this upgrade, I wont have to worry anymore. The cost? Its only a single skill point! Who cares about a single skill point!? Well all decent players do But I dont! This means Im better than everyone else! Fufufu! Hahaha! Or is it? No, Andreu, dont get distracted by foolish thoughts! You shouldnt care about what other people think! Focus lets focus already So, where was I? Ah, yes, the triggered and active skills. Id love a triggered skill that works with movement. Like the Pounce skill I gave to the Hauntlings, only more generic. I dont like the requirement to run in a straight line for The River. Skills related to movement Kinetic punch! No, this one is an active skill. Pounce is discarded Momentum? Never seen this one before.
Momentum (Triggered skill)
If youre moving faster than your target when attacking, your attack deals 30% more damage.
Aha, aha. Aha Now I understand why Ive never seen this one before. Because its too restrictive! A 30% damage increase is nothing to scoff at. But this damage bonus comes with a significant condition: moving faster than the target. It might seem easy to pull off, but it isnt. To move faster means that: One, you must be moving, you cant stand still when attacking to receive this bonus. Two, youre faster than the target. Three, you arent affected by slowing or immobilizing effects. The thing is that you usually only have control over the first one, and thats assuming the dungeon layout allows you to move freely during combat. But what if what if my unit isnt affected by the third at all, and the second is almost guaranteed? And what if I modify the AI to never stop running during combat? A player would get dizzy when moving around too much, but the AI wont care at all. Its perfect! AI is perfect! perfect as in it can achieve feats humans cant. Because if we start talking about how stupid they are, and how difficult it is to program them so they do what you expect them to do, we can keep at it until we die of old age. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Momentum, I choose you! I say, upgrading The River to the next level so I can give it the skill. I dont know why the hell I shouted that. It came out of my mouth by itself, I swear it! Now I must choose an active skill. So far, itll be two skill points each for Sprinter and Ice Aura plus one for Momentum. This makes The River level 5, level 6 if I the active skill into account. If I want it to have the same level as The Mountain, then it can have two more skills or a single one plus another upgrade. Hmmm The active skill comes first, so I quickly open the skill list. I want some damage over time skill if possible. So far, Ice Aura is an area, and the Nagas Venomous Bite has melee range. So a ranged single-target skill? Poison and ice. Hmm What else is related to rivers? I dont want all skills to have the same damage types to avoid a counter if possible. Acid? Does acid make sense for The River? I dont see why not. If I go with acid DoT damage, something cheap that can be spammed will be the best. Something like Acid Bubble. The upgraded version of the skill, I mean.
Acid Bubble - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * SPI) acid damage to a single enemy. There is a 10% chance that the acid sticks to the enemy, dealing an extra (0,1 * SPI) acid damage each second for 3 seconds.
Upgrades
Dissolve: Raises the chance of sticking to 100% but halves the damage.
Man, I love it when the game gives you the perfect upgrade to your skill. Half the damage dealt? I dont care! I only care about the dealing damage part, not about how much! As long as its more than zero, itll eventually grow until its lethal! Hahaha! I shiver in excitement. It feels incredible when everything goes smoothly. So, with this, my two hunters are finished! The two are at level 7. Now I just need to make sure their AI is perfect and place them somewhere! I start with The River since I have the Template opened. During combat, itll continuously move around. It wont stop under any circumstance as long as the place where the fight occurs makes it impossible. This will ensure Momentum is always active. Itll also make it look like an actual flowing river thanks to its white tail. At least, I hope so. Itll prefer targeting Champions as long as theyre within acceptable range. Otherwise, itll attack whichever enemy is closer. Its funny because this change is one of the easiest you can make as long as the unit has at least 5 INT. You only have to set the preferred target to Champions. Super easy! You select the preferred target mode and then select Champions as the object, and the game does everything else for you! And it only consumes one of the AI changes you can do! ...If only I had this option for the Stitched My life would have been so easier at the start But the interesting part of The Hunters, and the reason theyre the wardens of my dungeon comes next. They are in charge of laboratory security, so their behavior outside of combat is as important, if not more important, than the in-combat one. Outside combat, The River will move around randomly until it meets the invaders, or finds a dead monster. Either one of mine or an enemy''s corpse will do. Then, itll start tracking the corpse trail until it finds the invaders. To avoid stupid AI actions, I make it so that, if it reaches the cave entrance when following the track, itll go back and move toward the dungeon core instead of coming out of the dungeon. Yeah who knows what would the AI do otherwise? It might get stuck there, standing still and doing nothing! Honestly, I wouldnt be surprised if it did. The Mountain will behave the same when outside combat, but its actions during combat will be completely different. During the last fight, it stayed immobile in the middle of the room while rooted because the room was small and Boulder Trow could reach everywhere. But from now on, itll take root and stay there for the duration of the battle, or until the players run away. If they do, then The Mountain will unroot itself and give chase. The same is true if they start using attacks from outside its Magic Missile range. And the most important part. If one hunter meets the other during the tracking phase, they will both start tracking the invaders together. Yeah you heard it properly. TOGETHER. If the invaders take too long to clear my dungeon or are simply unlucky, therell be a high chance theyll have to fight the two of them at the same time. Plus any other monster that might be roaming around! Fufufu! Hahaha! It feels so good to work with advanced AI. Used to monsters with braindead AIs, this is heaven. I can achieve anything I want! The results arent always as predicted, but still I save the last changes and make them spawn randomly in the dungeon. One will spawn somewhere inside the laboratory areas and the other in the tunnels. Tweaking the dungeon layout, I also make them unable to enter the sealed area. Both for balance reasons C the area is too dangerous already, and I dont want to kill every single invader that ends up fighting them inside it C as well as for roleplay reasons. Roleplay? You say you dont understand? Sight allow me to explain, then. If theyre my wardens/security forces, why would they ever go inside a sealed area? Its sealed because it isnt used anymore, theres no need to make sure everything inside is ok! Fufufu! Hahaha! Shiver in fear, poor invaders! For now, you arent alone anymore! My new creations will give you company, chasing after you as soon as they get a sniff of your presence. For they are The Hunters! Im looking forward to the players reactions. How will they adapt to their presence? Protect my laboratory, my minions! Make sure to bring their bodies to me, so I can use them for my next experiment! Fufufu! Hahaha! Oh, yeah. Before I forget. Here are the monsters stats.
The Mountain (Lv 7)
HP 1312 (820) STA 84 (54) SOU 121 (76)
EP 912 (570) MP 1264 (790)
STR 81 (51) CON 99 (62) AGI 67 (42)
SPI 115 (72) WIL 131 (82) DEX 92 (58)
SPD 5 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Boulder Throw, Entangle, Magic Missiles - Lv 2 (Targeted Missiles), Take Root - Lv 2 (Deep Roots) (Innate). Triggered: Persecute, Lust (Innate). Passive: Shared Pain, Stoneskin (Innate).
The River (Lv 7)
HP 1168 (730) STA 108 (68) SOU 104 (65)
EP 1008 (630) MP 992 (620)
STR 68 (43) CON 81 (51) AGI 96 (60)
SPI 107 (67) WIL 96 (60) DEX 75 (47)
SPD 8 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Acid Bubble - Lv 2 (Dissolve), Venomous Bite (Innate). Triggered: Momentum. Passive: Ice Aura - Lv 2 (Selective Freeze), Sprinter - Lv 2 (Proficient), Pride (Innate), Unstoppable (Innate).
I love how the game forces you to give each monster one active, triggered, and passive skill before you can start giving them more skills or upgrade the existing ones. It not only makes each monster trickier to deal with but it also enhances their personality and fighting style if done properly. Because of how each skill type synergizes with the others, the possibilities are near infinite! - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 170 - Fool me twice As soon as the light from the teleport disappears, I prepare for the dungeon exploration. I examine my surroundings. Is he here today? My muscles dont twitch. Im sure he isnt watching me. Huh, huh, huh! Ive outsmarted you this time, Evil Mastermind! I heartily laugh. You never expected me to come so soon, only two days later. Much less on a day I usually dont come! Today, I will be able to dive into your dungeon without interference! Huh, huh, huh! It feels so good not having to deal with him! He makes me feel impotent and I hate it. From my experience, every time he makes me fight his new monsters, they appear in the dungeon soon after. Im sure Ill find them today. What did he call them? Was it subjects or abominations toys? Like usual? Ugh, Im sure he gave them a special name but I was too furious to pay attention. Ah, wardens. Im sure he called them wardens. As if your security forces will be able to stop me! Now that I know how they act and what skills they have, I wont be defeated! This time Ill take revenge for sure. I pump myself up by flexing and kissing my biceps. Todays the day Ill humiliate you by easily clearing your damn dungeon! Huh, huh, huh! Im sure there wont be anything else new. The only new stuff should be the wardens. There have been a few exceptions, but generally, after one of his new creation shows, there are a few days where no new stuff shows up in the dungeon. But not today! He was too proud. Im sure he only added those two monsters. Evil Mastermind Youre so annoying Usually, I dont come so soon after my defeat. I have other stuff to do other than playing DMA. But not today! I made an exception today so I can beat the crap out of your monsters and show off to you after the other days humiliation! Huh, huh, huh! I laugh for a while. Then, after calming down, I turn to my orcs and goblins to give the start signal. Lets go, brothers! Lets crush some skulls! My glorious epic tale starts now! I wont be defeated! Ill recover my lost orc pride and show off to everyone!
I clench and unclench my fist, watching as the red skin gives way to my usual green tone. Haah Im finally starting to get used to this. The effect is so strong, that not even I can easily adapt to it. But Im getting close, huh, huh, huh! The beam turtle that gave me so much trouble a few weeks ago fell to my attacks pretty quickly. Its all thanks to this skill that makes me turn red. The Frenzy skill, a skill unique to the Savage Horde. It solidifies the image of brutal combat and drives the user mad for combat. Its one of the most powerful skills in the whole game, and Ill soon be able to wield its true power!
Frenzy (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP, 2 EP per second
Increase your SPD by 2 and double your attack speed and damage. You cant activate any other skills while active. If this skill lasts more than 10 seconds, your Max HP starts reducing by 1% each second. This skill has a 5-minute cooldown.
Behold! Its the mighty Frenzy! Once you turn red, your attacks get stronger and faster. You can move faster too. The change is so huge that its hard to get used to it. The problem isnt in the accelerated attacks and movements in itself but in the difference between the normal and frenzied state: getting used to one or the other is easy, the problem is getting used to swapping between them. The players who master Frenzy, are considered the best of the best! And Im close to reaching that point! Huh, huh, huh! Im awesome, aint I? I had to train a lot to get to this point. It was worth it. When I turn around, I find my mobs slaughtering another turtle. They wont be defeated as long as they avoid the light beam. But we dont have time to waste. Hit harder! Attack with more emphasis! Imagine the turtle is the head of the player you want to kill! We cant waste time or the other turtles will come. ...Ill help them. The standard method to clear this huge cave is to avoid unnecessary confrontations. The turtles are slow and easy to avoid as long as you take cover and avoid being spotted. Once they fire their beam, the other turtles will be attracted, and being surrounded by them is bad. So if it comes to combat, its best to run away unless you can kill them fast. Im not running away! NEVER! So I must kill them fast. Tsk! The cooldown is too long Ill have to upgrade it when I have the chance. The exhilaration I feel when frenzied is addictive. I want more! But the skill is designed in a way that it cant be abused, like all ultimate skills. But, right when I start running towards the giant turtle, something hits me on my back. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. FUCKING GOBLIMPS! Im going to EXTERMINATE all of you! Ill kill, and kill, and KILL, until you never appear in front of me again! Aaaahhh! I shout, running in the direction of the attack. The fight will take longer than I wanted, but I MUST do this or Ill EXPLODE.
The first sign of the monsters presence is a barrage of purple projectiles falling on our group. Startled, I look around. There was never a monster with Magic Missiles in this damned dungeon. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!? Are you kidding me? Shouldnt the only new monsters be the two wardens? Im not scared at the attack or angry at the fact one of my goblins died. Im scared and angry because I fell for another one of the Evil Masterminds plans! What did you do this time? Why can you leave me ALONE!? I wait for an answer. A maddening laughter. A provocative monologue. A dramatic entrance. But nothing happens. Whats going on? Was it all an illusion? Is he playing mental tricks on me now? ...no, but I saw the empty HP bar, so my goblin is truly dead As if to interrupt my thoughts, another purple barrage falls on us. This time I put myself in front of my goblins so that they dont die. Show yourself! Are you a coward!? From one tunnel, a familiar figure appears. A humanoid with goat horns, way too long arms, and a white snake tail. Its the second monster the Evil Mastermind displayed the other day. This one is dangerous when the combat drags on, but only against a single target. It wasnt that good against my group of goblins. It didnt have ranged attacks either, so it makes sense if the Evil Mastermind gave it Magic Missiles, a good option for ranged attacks. The monster runs in our direction. I dont remember it being so fast the other day. It might be because the room was too cluttered. Huh, huh, huh! Come, lets dance! Lets dance the dance of death! I enthusiastically raise my battleaxe and prepare for combat, running in its direction. This is it! This is what I like! What I crave! A straight fight without traps or tricky skills! A fight or pure skill and strength! We clash in the middle. I swing my weapon, predicting the monsters path. But, contrary to what I expected, the monster avoids my attack and passes by my left side. It uses its spider fangs to bite at me, but I parry it with the flat part of my axe. But instead of following it with another try, the monster continues moving forward and attacks the orc behind me. Wow. Never expected a simple monster to avoid my attack like that. This is exciting! Finally, a monster worthy of making me go serious! How long has it been since I found a new monster who could evade or resist my attacks? Its been forever! I chase after the white tail, swinging my axe as if to chop it. This time, the monster takes the hit and glares at me. Then, it changes its direction and lunges at me with its fangs. Huh, huh, huh! Yes! This is it! Bring it on! We exchange blows. Then, like it did before, the monster leaves me behind to attack one of my minions. The contrast between the white tail and the dark ground gives me the impression the monster leaves a trail behind it. An undulating, smooth trail. Hey, come back and fight me! The monster is faster. But I as the player have superior skill. Plus my minions help me by standing in the path, making it easy for me to catch up. As the fight continues, my desire for battle grows. This is so exciting! But all my excitement disappears when I notice somethings wrong with my monsters. As if snapping out of a dream, my senses return to normal and the corpses of my minions fill up my vision. W-what!? But I was keeping the monster in check Is it the FUCKING, STUPID, WEAK, AND ANNOYING GOBLIMPS!? Is it them AGAIN!? Im so tired of them sneaking behind and massacring my poor support mobs! From a side tunnel, another purple barrage comes at me. It comes from the same direction as the first two attacks and not from the snake-like bastard. Ugh! After taking the attack, I squint and notice a small, tree-like humanoid almost hidden behind a mushroom. Its the other one! The one that returns the damage when attacked! Fuck! Fuck my luck! Now that I finally got a decent fight, and it turns out it was all a trap! A trap designed to make me feel comfortable so they could strike when I least expected it! Aah, shit. Now that most of my minions are dead, the dungeon invasion is certain to fail I scratch my head in thought. Ill have to start another one if I want to clear it to show my amazingness The snake bastard takes this chance to bite me. Cant you give me time to think abouC A swarm of purple projectiles flies in my direction. I try to avoid them, but they turn around and hit me anyway. FUUUUUUUUUCK! Fuck this shit! Im going to KILL you all! Ill turn your skulls into cups and pour wine in them! Dieeee! I rush at the perpetrator of my minions massacre, the tree-like bastard. Eat this! And this! AND THIS! My battleaxe strikes again and again. The monster has no intention to run away or avoid my strikes at all. I activate Frenzy to make sure this bastard dies. But, even with the doubled damage and attack speed, it doesnt die easily. My Bloodlust skill triggers and my attacks become even faster and quicker. It must be because of this bastards damage return, as I didnt take much damage when fighting the other one. The snake-like bastard soon joins the melee, forcing me into a 2vs1. But its just two monsters! What could go wrong? I avoid a punch from the tree and slam my battleaxe in its head. Then, I jump away to avoid a flying bubble of acid, deactivate Frenzy because the first ten seconds have passed, and throw my Phantasmal Weapon. Thanks to my prediction, the axe passes through the tree-like bastard and hits the snake-like bastard standing behind it. Huh, huh, huh! Now that the Evil Mastermind isnt around, this is so easy. I grin and lower my guard. Taking this chance, vines sprout from the ground and grab me. I cant move. The snake takes this chance to bite and poison me. This is bad, but Ill break from the vines soon as I have higher stats than them thanks to the Champions buff. Also, a little bit of poison wont kill me. When I break free IllC
You have died!
N-no Why? HOW!? I quickly check the combat log to see what happened, a basic procedure in this damned dungeon. H-how? How did the poison deal so much damage? I drop to the floor, exhausted from always failing. I, ugh I died again my orc pride, shattered. When will I be able to recover my orc pride? I stand up after some time. I wont allow this to end like it did today. Fuck you, Evil Mastermind! One day, Im going to make you pay! I raise my fists in anger. One day for sure, Ill make you pay for everything youve made me suffer! Just wait and see! Huh, huh, huh!
You know when you act confident, and end up having to eat your own words and actions? Yeah I hate it when it happens to me too.
Ex Ch 16 - Who’s that? Hmmm I observe my teacher as he strokes his long, well-trimmed beard. Hes reading the screen in front of him. Ho, this is interesting Confused, I tilt my head to the side. Its rare for anything to catch my teachers attention. Unless its related to her. What is it? Is it about that bitch? I ask. What has she done now? That fucking bitch considers herself the strongest DMA player and crushes everything with her strength and skill alone. But when it comes to intellect, she doesnt hold a candle to my teacher. The two are always competing, and the fans always look forward to their matches. Intellect against strength. Traps and tricky monsters against pure skill. My teacher considers her a worthy opponent, but for me, her mere presence is an offense to him. Bitch? Ah, you mean her Please, dont call her like that, she didnt do anything to deserve it. No, no. This is completely unrelated. He waves his hand, dismissively. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I furrow my brows. So it isnt that bitch? It isnt Anthemia? Then, who could it be? Theres been a lot of talk about a rookie. They like to call him Evil Mastermind; this is why I got curious. Dont you find it interesting that both our nicknames are somewhat similar? Huhuhu. He chuckles. Maybe well share the top spot in the future. Its going to be interesting! Furrowing my brows and trembling in anger, I come closer to take a peek at the screen in front of him. There, I can see a portrait of a certain players champion. Hah! Look at that stupid mug. Look at his ugly face, and the saliva dropping from his mouth like a demented. Is this the player whos supposed to reach the same level as my teacher? It seems Ill have to teach that guy a lesson.
Incognita, the player who created one of the top DMA dungeons, The Great Labyrinth. Known for its high difficulty, it was a dungeon that required more than simple strength to clear. It seemed that his self-proclaimed disciple wasnt keen on a certain players increase in popularity.
Ch 171 - Please… kill, me… Ill go with you. You know you cant. But I want to go with you anyway! Im an adult already, our parents cant say no! Clara pouts and makes puppy eyes. Hah! Im immune to puppy eyes! Im immune because I cant make this decision by myself, so you wont be able to sway me like that! I wish it were always this easy Please, dont be so stubborn, Clara. I had enough with Ricard. You know our parents arent the issue here. I massage my temples. How long is she going to argue? Everyone will be from our class, the only ones youll know will be me, Laura, and Ricard. You wont enjoy it anyway, so why are you so stubborn? And Ricard comes only because I forcefully dragged him with us Muu. fine! But I wont talk to you anymore! She pouts one last time and slams the door of her bedroom. I hate you now! I can hear her shouting from inside. Yeah, sure. If you say so How long did the last time last for? Was it half an hour? Im sure youre curious about what were talking about. The answer is easy. Were talking about a mountain trip with my college companions. At first, they wanted to go for another barbeque party, to celebrate the end of the exams. But then a few members said we were always doing that, and that we should do something else. Then, somebody said something about sitting in front of the computer for too long and not having enough exercise It ended with a mountain trek. We leave on Saturday morning and spend the day climbing the mountain. We will sleep in tents and then go back home on Sunday. The typical full weekend trip, I suppose? I dont know. Ive never done this before. So evidently, I, as a proper gamer, was against it at the beginning. Im against a full weekend without playing DMA! Who cares about exercise? I only care about playing my game and enjoying the cries of the invaders! But then, Laura insisted she wanted to go with me and almost threatened me into going. I had no choice but to agree. So, since I had no other choice, I did the only thing any proper adult would do in this case: drag something who was against going with me, so I wasnt the only one to suffer. Ricard had the honor to be my sacrificial lamb. I asked him, and he said no. I tried to persuade him without success. I pressured him to never play with him ever again, and he ignored me. So I resorted to violence C aka saying Ill drag him with me if it was necessary. He then cried and begged, threatening to chain himself to his computer and that wed have to drag him all the way like that. But then I reminded him he wouldnt get the chance to play anyway because he had to study for the exam he failed, and not a second later, he was asking when were we leaving. Though he first demanded the next time we played together we had to go into a human dungeon. To which I had no choice but to agree Humans, yaaay! Im looking forward to it. Im sure itll be the best Dungeon Invasion ever. Please, note the sarcasm. Anyway! I clap my hands, having solved the problem called Clara. Lets prepare the bag.
Ugh, ah Ricard pants as if he were going to die. A-andreu how long, till we stop? I turn around and observe him for a while, surprised. While sweating buckets, hes slowly dragging himself to the rest of our group, leaning all his weight on a branch he found who knows where. Hes using the branch like a walking stick, but its trembling so much that I wouldnt be surprised if it snapped soon. Ricard how pathetic are you? I mean, Im starting to get tired too, but your state is truly unique. Tsk. How weak are you? Why are you like this when it isnt fifteen minutes yet since we started climbing? But, huff But you have, huh, to count the time, hah, since we left, huff, the cars huff I watch him spout bullshit with a trembling eyebrow. What do you mean left the cars? It wasnt that far away, and it was flat terrain! But, it still, counts as, walking huff, huff Yeah, sure. If you say so I roll my eyes. How pathetic, Ricard. Im sure the only time you exercise your body is when you have to raise your arms to put the helmet on your head so you can play DMA. This is why youre huffing and puffing as if you were going to die! I can still see the cars from here! They arent that far. How pathetic are you? A-and, Im not, the only one, huff, thats struggling. Youre, sweating, buckets too, Andreu huff, hah This damn gamer physique I quickly turn around and swipe my sweat away before the others can notice. W-what are you talking about? Dont be foolish. Its my skin, that naturally glows under the sun. Huff, huh Luckily, hes too tired to retort. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Ahaha, its all going according to my plan! If you lack muscle, you better use your brain! Learn from my example, ladies and gentlemen! If youre afraid to make a fool of yourself, make sure to bring somebody wholl do it before you do! This way, I have the perfect excuse to walk slowly and take extra pauses. It isnt that Im tired, but that Ricard is tired. I, as the good friend I am, am walking slowly and taking breaks so that Ricard isnt left alone. When the other guys realize were lagging behind, they turn around and start making fun at Ricard, who, by now, has almost fallen to the ground even with the support of his stick. How can you be so tired already? We havent started yet! Hahaha! Your legs shake more than a newborn foal, Ricard! Smile for the camera! Come on, Ricard! Arent you ashamed of yourself? The ladies are stronger than you! Hah, huff leave me, alone Ricard sits on the first rock he finds thats big enough for his ass and starts drinking from his water bottle. At this rate, he will finish it before were half an hour in. This is why I didnt want to come He glares at me. Im too old for this Too old my ass! Youre nineteen! I retort. Too old is too old, regardless of age. He makes a smug expression as if he just told something amazing. But with his red face what he achieves is the opposite and everyone starts laughing. Then, after a while of waiting and talking between themselves, they turn to me. They know Ricard isnt in a state to have a proper conversation. Hey, Andreu. We came here to do some exercise, so were going first. Well take the long path to the lakes, okay? Will you come with us, or are you staying with him? This is Oscar, the one who provided his house for the last barbeque. I send Ricard a pitying gaze before replying. Yes, Ill wait for him. Well come together and wait where well sleep. Fine. He nods before turning to everyone else. Hey, guys! Those who want to go to the lake, come with me. The rest of you, wait for Ricard to recover. Lets go! Lets go! The group starts moving one more time, leaving us behind. From the start, the plan was to reach the place where wed sleep first. Then, those who wanted to trek some more would keep climbing until they reached the lakes near the top of the mountain before coming back. But now, it seems were splitting here. The ones with athletic bodies will go directly to the lakes before meeting us in the sleeping place. Well, were in the computer science degree... Except for one or two, most of us arent what can be called athletic exactly... However, the only one with such a pathetic resilience is Ricard. Most of the group continues walking, leaving me, Ricard, Laura, Maria (the only other girl in this group), and two more guys with us. Huhuhu! Hahaha! This is amazing! I have the perfect excuse to skip the extra trip! And its all thanks to Ricard! See? All according to the plan.
Ugh Umm, argh I cant sleep. Shit. My body is tired. I feel like I should fall asleep immediately, almost as if I suddenly died. But the ground is uneven and theres this rock that sticks to my back, regardless of how I twist my body. Never again. I wont ever go hiking again. And even less, spend the night in a tent. Aaah, I miss my bed so much Fucking stupid rock! I want to sleep! Why are you digging your way into my sore body all the time!? I twist and move. I try moving the sleeping bag, but regardless of what I do, theres at least one rock driving into my body. Uuuh, fuck Finally, tired of turning around, I decide to get out of the sleeping sack and leave the tent. If I cant sleep, I might as well go breathe some clean air. The tents smell isnt the best after Ricards whole day sweating session. He was sweating like a pig, I swear. I fumble around due to the lack of light. Theres no need to turn on the flashlight to find the zipper. After turning around so much, I know where everything in the tent is. I stumbled upon the zipper a few times and surprised myself with the unexpected texture every single time. Aaaah I can feel the fresh air in my lungs. It feels good. I can feel my lungs being cleansed of that foul smell. But now now what? My whole body hurts, but I cant sleep I want to sleep, but I cant because of the stupid terrain. I knew I would hate this Why did I have to agree to come? Can somebody explain it to me? I cant understand how Ricard can snore like that. How can he sleep in this place? Dragging my tired body, I walk a few meters until I reach a small patch of grass. I then lay my body on top of it. This feels great. It prickles my skin, but compared to those rocks, this feels like heaven. How good I want to sleep here Why did we have to set up our tents in that hellish place instead of here, again? They said something about flooding, wasnt it? I dont care about flooding. I only care for my comfort! I sprawl on top of the grass and close my eyes. I shouldnt sleep here, but You couldnt sleep either? I open my eyes to a flashlight pointing directly at my face. Blinded, I cant see the other person, but this voice Laura? I ask. Yes, I couldnt sleep. The ground is too uneven, right? I couldnt sleep because of it. Yeah Its the same for me. She sits right next to me. We stay quiet, listening to the bugs. After a while, she too lies on the grass and starts talking. Did you know, Andreu? When were far from the city, you can see a lot more stars. Ah! I suddenly open my eyes. I almost fell asleep! Stars, you say? I manage to say while cleaning the almost dripping drool. Yeah, Ive heard about it I was so focused on my beaten body that I forgot it. Theyre so beautiful! They remind me of when I was a kid and spent the summer holidays at my grandfathers. He lived in a remote village. This sure brings back memories Hmm. I didnt know you liked the stars so much. Yes She pauses. Im sure shes recalling her past. I also know a lot about their names and origins. For example, those ones As I listen, she starts explaining everything she knows, until we fall asleep. Somewhere in the middle, she tries to grab my hand. Im too tired to resist, so I allow her to do as she pleases. Maybe. Maybe, this excursion wasnt that bad, after all. Only maybe.
A-achoo! Ugh, shit I hate this I throw the tissue into the closest bin before continuing my arduous journey to the university. All my body is sore and I got a cold on top of it Laura and I fell asleep outside the tent. We were stupid and as the temperature plummeted our bodies got too cold. Now my nose is raging, and my whole body hurts. Not only this. Theres also the muscle soreness from all that exercise Im not used to And today, Monday, I had to wake up early because we had classes I didnt think this through... I regret it so much A, a-achooo! Fuck this. The excursion was indeed bad, after all.
After that trip, Ricard earned a few new nicknames. He didnt enjoy them at all, though.
Ch 172 - Boring Yeeeees! Lets go! Lets crush them all! Humans, humans, humans! Its time to feed on some tasty souls! Hahaha! I ignore Ricard, whos excitedly jumping around and shouting annoying stuff, and observe our surroundings. Clara and Laura are making similar faces to me while observing him. Im not sure if theyre as annoyed as I am or not, but they sure dont look that happy. Right now, were standing in front of a human fortress. A boring stone wall with a fortified door. Boring ramparts filled with boring, useless humans pointing at us with their boring bows. Boring trebuchets and cannons being dragged around so they can aim them at us. Wheres the fantasy? Wheres the fun!? This looks like a real-life medieval castle instead of a fantasy game! Give me back my money! From what Ive seen so far, which is only the entrance, this dungeon can be described in one word. Boring. Thats the word. Haaa I exhale. We havent taken the first step yet and Im already tired. I turn to my support mobs and observe their bored faces. If you ask why theyre showing emotions well, they arent. Theyre making this expression because I changed their faces before coming here. Just so theres no doubt this is boring. This time, I only brought my Good Followers with me. I left Cyam at home. Theres no need to bring him over, as I dont want to capture a single one of those boring and useless humans. Theres no need to purposely clutter my stasis capsules with them, itll only force me to waste cp to create monsters I dont particularly enjoy. If only this was a high-level dungeon, there might be a few griffins or even one or two dragons! But no, Ricard demanded to go into a low-tier dungeon so that he could find as many humans as possible. More humans mean more souls; more souls means he can achieve a higher efficiency. Yeah, hes still obsessed with that bullshit. Haaaa I knew nothing good came out of that mountain trip. I was ill, had to suffer from muscle pain, and now I have to delve into a human dungeon. It went from bad to worse! Haaa lets stop thinking about the past and focus on the present. Baldy, Im glad youre happy, but can we get going? The faster we move, the faster well leave this boring place. He furrows his brows. Boring? How can you call a human dungeon boring? As he talks, he starts smiling like a fool. Cant you feel a shiver down your spine at the excitement? Were playing DMA together! And were in a human dungeon! What could be better than this? I say silent, watching him with my mouth closed. yes, I can. I can feel the shiver. But it isnt because of the humans. Well its technically because of a human, but since said human acts like a crazy undead, it doesnt count. Finally, after a while of holding his gaze, I open my mouth. ...Im sure you know humans are the most useless units for me, right? For me, its a waste of time coming here because I cant use anything to advance my dungeon except the cp we obtain by defeating enemies. Ah, youre right. Youre right, my ass! You know about it because Ive told you a lot of times! You were too engrossed at the prospect of fighting humans to consider anything else. ...fine, whatever. Lets start moving already. Defeated, I signal Laura and Clara to start moving. They havent said anything so far, was it because theyre scared of Ricard? Or maybe theyre as bored as I am? Who knows. Im going first! Clara says and swings her arm around. First? Whats your plan? I ask with a raised brow. She hesitates, her voice trailing off as she answers. Ugh, I I charge ahead by myself and kill them all? Khm! I see two valid options. We can either bring the door down or climb the walls. Its Laura who analyzes the situation. As usual, we can rely on our tactician when it comes to the strategy we must follow. Me? Nah. Today my brain is shut off. Disconnected. Dead. I decided I wouldnt use it since I heard the word human. Ill keep acting as the leader, but I will leave all non-critical decisions to my team. Laura continues her analysis. I think itll be easier to break through the fortified door. I know there are lots of knights protecting it, and well be attacked from the walls, but I think itll be easier than crossing the moat and reaching the ramparts. The distance is too great. Shes right. The wall is at least ten meters tall, and theres the moat to take into consideration too. Unless you can fly, theres no way to reach it with a jump or skill. Wait, fly Baldy, cant your specters fly? Before coming, he warned us to bring elite units instead of weak ones. Quality over quantity. This is because inside the castle the passages are narrow and theres little space. Its better to have fewer but stronger units because of the limited space. It didnt affect me because the Good Followers are already elite-ish units, but it did affect the rest of my team. This is why Ricard only brought two Specters and one Death Knight with him, Laura brought the Glutton and one Succubus instead of the usual Imps, and Clara brought my sister brought You know what? I dont want to look in that direction. I hope you dont mind a little bit of mystery. You only need to know there are only two of them. It doesnt have anything to do with fear, I swear. Ricard finally calms down after my question. He looks at me and starts explaining which just happens to be his second most favorite thing after feeding on human souls. They can. Why do you ask? They should be able to carry us one at a time. Theyre weak to magic, though, and wont survive if theyre targetted by the enemies. He points at several humans on the ramparts. Those that dont wield bows, to be more precise. We can safely assume theyre mages. But they should be able to bring at least one of us to the top of the walls, right? To my question, he shrugs. This must mean hes not sure. I grin. Well I have a crazy idea. Do you want to hear it? After hearing my words, Laura facepalms. Im sure she believes Im going to say something stupid. To be honest, I am. Ricard, on the other side, tilts his head to the side, curious about what Im going to say next. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. But the one with the most exaggerated reaction is Clara. She grabs my arm and starts shaking it with glittering eyes. Tell me, tell me! Alright, so why dont we
Im flying! Look at me, brother! Im flying! Hehehe! My sister shakes her tentacles around as if they were wings as she rises from the ground. Of course, her actions have little significance, the actual reason shes flying is the two specters that are holding her. Come on, look at me! Yeah, good job, Lemon. Youre flying like a pro. Noooo, you arent looking! Look at me, brother! Dont blame me. Theres nothing I can do about it, its disgusting. Your Champion is. When Clara reaches ten meters high, the specters start moving forward, in the direction of the wall. The plan is for them to drop my sister on top of the wall if possible. Otherwise, they should bring her close enough so she can extend her tentacles C which can extend up to five meters C to grab one of the humans on top and use it as a rope to climb up. Laura comes closer and asks. So do you expect your plan to work or not? Whats the percentage? Hmm I think for a while before answering. Id say its 80%? Yes, about 80%. Oho! It isnt as bad as I expected. If I take into account your previous plans, they usually have at most a fifty-fifty chance. Fufufu! ...its 80% that it fails. 20% to succeed. She stares at me with an incredulous expression. 20%!? Are you crazy!? Well, maybe? But it isnt as bad as it sounds! Even if the plan fails, shell simply fall to the moat and then we can rescue her! At most, one or two of Baldys specters will die. This time its Ricard who gets angry. Hey! You only say this because it isnt one of your monsters thatll die for nothing. Youre right. You got me there. I only agreed because I thought we were going to succeed! Were changing the plan now. What!? Change the plan? Theres no way I can accept it! I must see my plan through to the end! Oh, come on! It was you who decided to come to this damn dungeon, Baldy. Let me have some fun in this boring dungeon! Come back, Lemon! He starts shouting. Were changing the plan. Were charging through the main door. No way! Dont listen to him, Lemon! I start shouting too. Were sticking to the plan! Observing us, Laura shakes her head. Im sure she doesnt know what to do right now. Hes always like that, I shouldnt be surprised anymore Whos she talking about? Im sure its Ricard. Hes incorrigible. Im flying! Hehehe! Lets go, specters! Lets fly to our victory! Yes! As I expected, shes ignoring Ricard completely and sticking to my plan. Though Im not sure if shes doing this because she doesnt want to come back or because she wants to follow my plan, the only thing that matters is that she continues flying toward the wall while avoiding the arrows and spells raining on them. Go, Lemon! Use your specters to reach the wall! Specters, lets fly faster. Were almost there. Under the heavy rain of magic, the specters are starting to take a considerable amount of damage. At this rate, they might not reach the wall before they die. Ricard takes a long breath and, with an incredibly loud voice and dark tone, orders his specters to come back. Specters! As your creator and owner, I order you to come back. You, mere remnants of your past selves dont have a say in this! Come back immediately, before I destroy and eat your souls and feed them to my legions! Oh, no! I forgot hes the actual owner of those specters! It doesnt matter what I or Clara say, theyll ultimately follow his orders. I cant allow this to happen! Before they turn back, I must make sure the plan works! Lemon, do it now! Dont wait anymore! Otherwise, the specters will go back! Clara, upon hearing my order, immediately takes action. She gets free from the specters trying to drag her back and extends one of her tentacle-arms at the same time. Uh, ah! Right! Abyss Grasp, go! Please, reach it! Her tentacle stretches as far as possible. When it seems shell miss and fall into the water, it finally latches onto a random human. Brother, I got itC *Plof!* The sound of something soft hitting something hard reaches us in the distance. Its the sound that my sister made upon contact with the wall while latched to the human on top of it. Owww, that must hurt I comment. Will she be ok? Brother, Im fine, dont worry! Or so she says. But her HP bar isnt full, and all that damage didnt come from the arrows and spells. She starts crawling up with the help of her tentacles. Ugh I quickly look away. Its like a cockroach, but more disgusting. After all, cockroaches dont have tentacles wiggling around as if they had a life of their own. You can do it, Lemon! I believe in you! I say while staring at the ground to avoid looking at her horrifying visage. I know my little sister can achieve whatever she tries to! I wont let you down, brother. When she reaches the top of the wall, she quickly climbs on top of it and turns to look at me. Im ready! Your living lightning rod is ready, so do it now! I stretch and twist my neck. All right. My shining time has come. Chain Lighting! As Im sure you expect by now, as she just revealed the name of my plan, my lightning crosses the moat, climbs the wall, and lands on my sister. Then, it starts spreading through the tens of humans stacked behind the ramparts. My sister observes the spectacle on the other side of the wall before turning around in my direction. Do it again, brother. A few of them are still doing fine! Ok! I prepare another Chain Lightning and release it, making sure it hits my sister whos standing on top of the wall before spreading to our enemies. Its fine now. Theyre all down. After the second Chain Lightning spreads, Clara tells us the combat has ended. The tightly packed humans couldnt stand against my Chain Lightning combo! Fufufu! Hahaha! The problem with the rampart is that it makes it hard for us to hit them from here. Even with Chain Lighting, I need to hit something before it can start spreading. Hitting the wall does nothing. So I came up with this solution: use my sister as a lightning pole. You see Chain Lighting only spreads to enemies, but Ive never said it cant target allies with the first strike. If I cant reach the enemies directly, I only need to find something to make a bridge. In this case, my sister. Easy, dont you agree? Fufufu! Hahaha! Ahh this feels so good. It feels amazing when plans go this smoothly. No. However you look at it, it was sheer luck, says Laura. A plan with an 80% failure chance isnt reliable at all. Ricards specters almost died and your sister was very close to falling to the moat. The outcome is the only thing that matters. I make a mysterious smile. Or at least, I hope it does look mysterious. Plus, who said I wasnt lying about the chance to fail Fufufu! Hahaha! Fine, whatever you say She shakes her head as if to say Youre unbelievable. But she cant hide that smile from me. Since there are no more archers or mages on the ramparts, Ricards specters start bringing us on top of the walls one at a time. Meanwhile, Clara finishes off the humans on the other side. Theyre stunned and at 1 HP, its a job anyone can do. As soon as they drop me on top of the rampart, I open my arms and proclaim. And like this, we conquered the first obstacle! How did I do it, brother? I was good, right? Clara runs closer and slightly lowers her head so I can pat her. Uugh disgusting Yes, you were perfect. Hehehe This is troublesome. I dont know where to touch to make her happy. But it sure was a short battle. All the humans had a similar strength and there was nothing like a trap, boss monster, or surprising stuff. If not for my plan, this would have been a prolonged and uneventful fight. I knew it. In this dungeon, even the battles C which usually are the most interesting part of the game C are dull. Now we can move on, clear the rest of the dungeon, and leave this boring dungeon once and for all I dont think itll be that easy. Laura points out my error. Ill take a long time for him to calm down At the end of Lauras finger, theres a crazy undead standing on top of a pile of human corpses. Oh, no, where did that guy come from? I thought this was a human dungeon. Ah, yes it came with us Hahahaha! Look at this mountain of corpses! This is so good! Tasty, tasty human souls to feed my legions! Hahahaha! ... Lets ignore the crazy undead, shall we?
Spice your fights with something different. Maybe an unexpected monster, maybe a trap or area effect. You dont want the players to feel like every single fight is the same as the previous ones, only with new monsters. You can achieve this by changing the formations, creating synergies between monsters, or anything you can imagine. Feel free to experiment until you find one that suits your tastes. - Fourth point from 10 things to do to improve your dungeon.
Ch 173 - No griffin for me Hahaha! More, feed me more! Ricard laughs on top of a human mountain of corpses. Well, as big a mountain as it can fit on top of the wall, which isnt too big. Wait a moment since when was there a mountain of corpses? I could swear they were strewn about after dying. Im sure its his work. Im sure he did it so he could laugh on a literal mountain of corpses. I dont care anymore. But its time to snap him out of it: I want to leave this boring place as soon as possible. Hey, Baldy. Stop acting like that and start moving. Whats more, you didnt kill a single one of them. Lemon and I did all the work. Huh? He looks at me, confused. He takes a while to understand my words. Um do you, perhaps, want some humans too? Is he for real? Ugh, no thanks. You can keep all the humans for yourself. Their souls, their bodies I dont care as long as they dont get anywhere near my dungeon. Humans? Who would ever want humans? Theyre disgusting and useless! Though they arent as disgusting and useless as the Stitched But this and that are two separate things. I wont ever admit humans in my dungeon, keep them out of my sight! Theyre the worst faction in the game because they dont have innate skills! Then, more souls for me! Hahaha! Tasty, easy to acquire souls! Hahaha! Yeah, sure say whatever you want. As long as you help with the next fight Look there. I point with my finger to the stairs. Since were now on top of the walls, the knights protecting the gate are now climbing to fight the intruders. The next batch of humans is coming our way. Oooh, more souls for my legions! Yes, come to me. Come to your future lord! ... Youre right, hes a lost cause. But, at least, I wont have to deal with humans for a while. Not directly, at least. Because like in a real defensive fortification, they dont have a single layer of defense. Immediately after taking the outer wall, the enemies have been shooting arrows at us from the arrow slits in the castle. Luckily, there arent many. There are only so many arrow slits you can create in a castle. Not so luckily, we have no way to strike back: our spells dont work when the hole is so small that we cant see the target. Its even worse for Ricard and Clara as they barely have any ranged attacks. Im so glad this is a game. In real life, a single arrow can kill you, but here, we only take a slight bit of damage. I hide behind the Glutton, the biggest unit in our squad, to avoid the arrows. I need to save my HP. Every time I use my spells I take damage, I wouldnt want to kill myself later because I took useless damage now. Meanwhile, Ricard starts making his way through the horde of knights trying to reach us. Laura decides to hide behind the Glutton with me. In situations like this, your minions passive healing does wonders. She says. Yes. The Vitality Aura works wonders over a long time. She then makes a signal in Ricards direction. Shouldnt we help him deal with the humans? No, its better to reserve our MP and EP for future battles. Let Baldy, who heals by killing enemies, deal with them for now. I give a proper excuse. Helping Ricard deal with the humans? Hell no! It was he who wanted to come, so let him take care of the bothersome situations by himself. Also, the undead dont grow old or get tired, nor do they need to sleep or eat. Dont you agree they are the ones best suited for boring, repetitive tasks? Im sure Ricard would agree. Especially now that hes in character. Yes! Keep coming! I wont ever get tired of killing you. Ill feast on your souls, so I can keep going until none of you remains! See? I was right. Youre right his skill only works on the undead She then makes a nasty smile, one only a demon could produce. Its fun to watch others work so hard. Fufufu! Keep going, Baldy! Make them tremble in fear at your amazing display of skill! Clara cheers for him while using a human corpse as cover. Like us, she doesnt seem to have any intention to help him. Uooooo! Nothing can stop me! Its a critical hit! It takes close to five minutes for Ricard and his minions to clear the way to the door to the castle. Finally, we can take cover from the archers. But no archers doesnt mean were free of obstructions. The narrow corridor, which barely allows two of us to stand side by side, is filled with enemy soldiers trying to stop us. Its time to regroup and talk about how to approach the next battles. Alright, team. Now that were here, we can take a rest. One of us can block the front, while the othersC Ricard interrupts me. Yes. Yes! I can feel new power, slowly accumulating in me. We must go forth. To make sure the cycle of life and death continues! Uh fine? Lets gooo! Without waiting for us, he starts running ahead, followed by his minions. I exchange a glance with my sister and Laura before shrugging. Well, as long as I dont have to do anything Lets leave it to him, then. Fufufu! Go, go! Baldy, I believe in you! Hehehe! They quickly agree with me. Note to my future self. Never, ever, follow Ricard into a human dungeon if it can be avoided. First of all, because its boring. Secondly, because its boring. But thirdly and more importantly, because his crazy mode turns on and makes him impossible to control. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It isnt like I dont enjoy leaving the work to others, but itd be so much better if that work wasnt related to humans. Or even better, if I didnt have to listen to Ricards weird bullshit. Slowly, but steadily, stepping on the human corpses littering the floor, we advance. I know it sounds disgusting, but you get used to this kind of thing after playing DMA. Ricard goes first, followed by his minions, then Laura, I, and finally Clara. Whats this? Whys there a door? Im curious. Why is there a door in this passage? And why didnt my teammates notice it? Is there something interesting inside? Not sure what to expect, I open it. And what I find as soon as I open is A stick to my face! Uah! That surprised me! I jump back too late to avoid it. Unluckily for my attacker, I have the Lightning Shield skill, which releases a blast of electricity. The electricity then starts bouncing around as usual. Hm A bunch of humans are inside? I finish opening the door and observe the paralyzed humans on the ground. Theyre farmers! Hahaha! They were just a bunch of farmers! I didnt need to do anything at all, they practically killed themselves. I only need to finish them off, so I do what anybody else would: shove one Good Follower inside and let him do it for me. I like it when I feel so strong. I think I start to understand Baldy Nooooooo! Stop! Stop immediately, Andreu! Dont get corrupted by the nasty undead! In response, I immediately smack my head. Ugh, ah! Thanks! I almost lost myself there Youre welcome. What are you doing? Laura looks at me with a weird face. Why did you smack your face like that? ...nothing. It was it was a mosquito. She raises one eyebrow. A mosquito? Inside a game? Ugh yes? ... She turns around after a while of staring at my face without saying anything. Is that a smile Ive seen on her lips?
Finally! Fresh air! I exclaim, stretching my arms. That passage was too narrow. You didnt do anything at all, dont act like that. Retorts Laura. I didnt do anything? How dare she say this? I was cheering for Ricard the whole time! Quietly, while thinking about other stuff But I was cheering for him! Tsk, tsk, tsk Too narrow is too narrow. Clara runs off to the ramparts and calls for me. Brother, watch this! The view is amazing here! Were almost at the top of the castle, of course, the view would be amazing I reluctantly go in her direction and look at the wall below. If not for the hundreds of human corpses, the view would be amazing indeed. Its kind of romantic, dont you agree? Hmm when did Laura get so close? Did she use Blink? When I turn around, I notice Ricard anxiously looking around. Where are the humans? Why are there no humans here? If I dont ask, Ill explode. Didnt you get enough? Most people would say a few hundred should be enough No! I need more! Theres never enough souls to feed my evergrowing legions! Alright Were now in some kind of plaza between two castle towers. The castle is built on the mountain, and the space between the two main towers is like a small, flat valley. One side of this plaza ends in a wall with a rampart, and the other is excavated on the mountain itself. Im not sure what purpose this place serves, but there are no humans here. Maybe a training ground? But it sure feels refreshing! The clear sky, with no walls nearby wait, whats that dot? Is that a bird? W-wait! Why is that bird so freaking big!? I squint my eyes. No, it isnt a bird. Its a freaking Griffin! Ooooh, yes! Finally, something interesting! A Griffin! Its the first time Ive seen one because they pertain to the human faction! Fucking humans, theyre so useless! But Griffin arent. Though they still dont have innate skills, they at least look cool and can fly. Plus theyre strong. Maybe I can capture a Griffin and use it for something interesting! Experimental subjeC huh, I mean Enemies! Were getting attacked! Following the first dot, a second one soon appears. At the speed they fly, it doesnt take long for them to reach us. There are humans with big lances riding them. The first to react, excited at the prospect of fighting more humans, is Ricard. More humans? No, theyre Griffin. Tsk, what a shame. The first Griffin swoops in as he speaks. Be careful, dont let them grab you. If they fly up and drop youC Brotheeeeeer! Save meeeee! Ricards warning is too late. Excited at the new enemy, my sister allowed it to get close. Now, shes dangling between the griffins claws as it flies away. I dont want to die like thiiiiis! She keeps shouting. Oh my god. Thank god its her and not one of us. Shes the only one who can turn this situation into something good. You fool! I shout so she can hear me. You just need to grab it with your tentacles! Arent you the Tentacle Queen? The Horrifying Embrace? The Younger Sister of the Apocalypse? Dont ask me, these are nicknames she created for herself. How can you allow yourself to be dropped when the enemy voluntarily presented itself to you? Ah! Youre right! Hehehe! With a silly laugh, she extends her tentacles to grab both the Griffin and the knight sitting on top of it. Their HP bars start falling at a considerable speed. When they reach a sufficient height, the griffin opens its claws to release her, but its too late for them, the leach has latched at them like glue. They wont shake her off that easily. The other griffin swoops in and catches one of my good followers. Ricard forcefully brings it next to him before it can fly away with Dark Grab and uses Taunt to force it to attack him. Oooh! Its rare to see Ricard acting like a proper tank! Is it because were fighting humans? Claras griffin starts flying around randomly, trying to shake her off. The problem is that, even if she isnt falling yet, she will when it dies. And she cant deactivate all her DoT effects. Lemon, if the griffin flies close to the ground, release it and jump! Or youll die! And then, Ill use Chain Lightning and capture it! Okay! Uaaaah, its moving too much! Hahaha! Shes such a good sister. Sometimes when she feels like it. I cast Chaos Blast at the other griffin. It takes some damage but not enough to take the aggro from Ricard. Laura hits it with her whip too. Meanwhile, our support mobs are doing their best. AI isnt the best at predicting enemy paths. Against attack patterns as complex as those from these griffins, they tend to suck. Brotheeeeeer, I-Im cooooming! At her shout, I look up, just in time to see her fly over my head, maybe two meters above ground. She releases the griffin and falls to the ground. I quickly cast Chain Lightning. The lighting soars through the sky, hits the griffin, and leaves it at 1 HP, paralyzed. Its all thanks to Claras constant damage that my plan worked as planned. Then, the griffin falls to the ground. And it dies upon contact. Yeah I didnt think this through. I didnt take the falling damage into account. This is why flying enemies are so annoying to capture. Dont get me started on how much I suffered when capturing a Fairy Queen, which can fly AND turn invisible. What a shame. I couldnt do anything to save that Griffin from its horrible fate and give it another, yet even worse fate. Uh, yeah, well Whatever. I turn my head to the other griffin. I have a second chance. I wont fail this one. This time Ill immobilize it with Cold Blast before its HP gets too low, then Ill quickly capture it before the immobilization runs off I start casting the spell when the griffin swoops in, trying to grab Ricard. He dodges to the side in time, avoiding the claws. Then, in a miraculous stroke of luck, the Grutton, which so far has missed all its attacks due to its slow movement, chomps on the griffin before it can fly away. *Chomp!* The griffin dies. Noooooooooo! I shout. Why did the freaking monster have to land that attack right now!? Couldnt it miss, like always!? Shit. No griffin for me today.
Its possible to use another unit as a mount as long as that unit is significantly larger and it has the mount tag. Its also possible to make units stand on top of another unit if youre ingenious, even if they dont have the mount tag, but the results wont be as good as the default ones and can be quite unpredictable. - Basic DMA knowledge every player should know.
Ch 174 - Phyrric Victory At the top of the spiral staircase, the cramped tower opens up into a majestic entrance. With torches on both sides and a door engraved with golden decorations, were clearly in front of the dungeons last boss. Or at least it looks like it. If it isnt, Im going to be extremely disappointed, due to the betrayal of expectations and because this boring dungeon is longer than I expected. We should be almost there, right, Baldy? I ask, hoping to hear a positive answer. Youre right, Mad Rat. This should be the last room, according to the info I got before coming here. They clearly said the dungeon core was on top of the highest tower. Nice. I try to make an indifferent expression, but Im not sure Im hiding my happiness well enough. After all, Im really looking forward to leaving this dungeon where I cant capture a single unit. a single useful unit, I mean. Brother, are we going to fight a strong monster? I guess so? Nice! Ive been looking forward to being useful. There were no strong enemies so far. Clara says, filled with enthusiasm. She starts spinning her arms around, but, since theyre in fact tentacles, the spectacle has more of a horrifying vibe than the cuteness you would expect. Ugh, please dont come near me To avoid an uncomfortable situation, I quickly start giving orders. Well go as usual. Baldy, you go first. Once he gets the boss aggro, you start dealing damage, Lemon. Avoid getting its attention if possible. Lily and I will provide support and damage where needed and take charge of the adds, if there are any. As usual, everyone will take charge of their support mobs. They all nod and Ricard proceeds to open the last door. We go inside. Yes! Follow me, follow my lead. The Mad Rat will guide you to victory! Together, well conquer the world and exterminate all humans! Hahaha! The first thing that catches my attention is the size of the room. It isnt as big as I expected. Instead of the grandiose, imposing throne room that I anticipated, what we find is a circular room about ten meters in diameter. There are intricately carved columns all around, with windows in between. No, they arent windows. Theyre stained glass windows. Each one depicts a different character. The light pours in from the outside, illuminating the room with a myriad of colors. But this isnt the most impressive thing in this room. Right at the center, theres an unusually big circular table surrounded by finely dressed knights. One knight for each stained glass window. I can only assume theyre discussing something important, as they ignore us for now. I say it like this because, even when they open their mouths, I cant hear anything. Oh, my This isnt going to be easy Am I dreaming? Why is Ricard scared? Shouldnt he, I dont know, be acting crazy and shouting about acquiring souls like usual? You know, the tasty human souls thing. Who are you, and what did you do with my friend!? Nonono, I should get serious too. There must be a reason hes acting like this. I hope its nothing serious, like having to go to the bathroom. Whats wrong, Baldy? I ask. He gestures for us to come closer with a finger on his lips. He starts explaining once we get close enough. Did you see the furthest knight from our position, the one opposite to the entrance? The one with the golden armor. The one with the golden armor? Uaah, holy shit! I got distracted by the windows and whatnot, but how did that stupidly expensive armor elude me? If I had to guess, an armor like that, in the medieval ages, should be enough to buy several villages by itself! How wealthy, or important, must you be to wear something like that!? Its at this exact moment that the human wearing the golden armor raises his head and glares at me. I shiver. What the fuck!? How did a fucking monster intimidate me with a single glare!? Not even that time I decided to fuck with a dragon did I get this intimidated! though it might be because I was prepared to die, and die I did. The golden armor is the symbol of the Royal Guard. He continues. Theyre very strong units for our level that cost 1.000 cp. If we assume its also a Boss, we have no hope of defeating it in a 1vs1, regardless of the Champions buff or not The Royal Guard raises his hand, and all the other knights stop talking. He then points at us and all of them turn to look in our direction at the same time. Ricard, explain faster! We dont have time! ...the thing is that wed have a high chance if we were to fight it alone, but with the support of the other knights, itll be extremely hard to do. You must know that all Royal Guards get the Leadership skill by default. Dont think those knights will be as easy to deal with as the ones we fought so far. Think of them as stronger, improved units. Leadership, leadership Ah! I think I remember!
Leadership (Passive skill)
Allied units under your command have an increase of 20% in all their stats. This skill cant raise another units stats over yours.
This is one of those skills that would be completely broken if Champions could have it. Because players are intelligent and the AI isnt. If players could use this skill, since all the support mobs are technically under your command, all your mobs would have a 20% stat increase as long as theyre weaker than you, which would be broken. On the other side, since the AI is stupid and hard to control, giving orders to other units might actually make them act worse. However, I dont think itll be a problem here, as the attack command isnt that hard to understand. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. This makes one wonder why the I in AI is Intelligence Shouldnt it be AS, as in Artificial Stupidity? But no, dont get distracted! This isnt important right now! The important part is that with the status bonus and the knights innate (read as automatically acquired upon creation but not exclusive) skill, Dauntless, they will have almost a 50% increased damage against us! There are twenty of them, for fucks sake! Oh, no this is bad Im a mage, not a tank! Im squishy! Ill pop faster than a balloon smacked against a needle. Melt faster than an ice cube in summer. Be caught faster than a Stitched playing tag Alright, alright. You know what I mean so Ill stop. Thank you for the explanation, Baldy. I talk as if I had everything under control when Im sure Im the one panicking the most right now. We must strike first. Lily, follow me with an area attack trying to deal as much damage. Baldy will get the boss attention and Lemon will follow the original plan. Throw your minions under the bus, sacrifice them if needed to save yourselves and Im sureC In the middle of my speech, the Royal Guard presses a button on top of the table. With the sound of shattering glass, an almost invisible dome covering the table quickly disperses in the air. I thought we wasted our chance to strike first but we couldnt do anything against that barrier anyway Then, the knights shout, unsheathing their swords, and come at us all at the same time. Oh, shit, shit shit! I dont want to die! Not to a bunch of boring and useless humans! I cover behind the closest Good Follower while preparing to cast Chain Lightning. Strategy? To hell with it! Were going to die if we dont do something! As soon as the spell is finished, I cast it against the closest enemy. The effect isnt as I expected. Due to their relatively high stats and the fact that they split up into several groups, the lightning only strikes three of them. What a waste of MP Ill have to use Chaos Beam instead. As I cast it, I take a look around. Chaos. Its pure chaos. Ricard is entangled with the boss on the other side of the room. Clara cant reach him because a group of six knights is surrounding her. Laura is doing her best healing and helping everywhere, but she cant keep up. She cant help him either. I turn my head at a disgusting crunch. The Glutton just ate a knight. Our largest monster is stuck in a corner, surrounded by knights. One of them just died. But they deal so much freaking damage that Gods Intervention will trigger soon and itll inevitably join its victim. At this rate, Ricard will die. Hes taking too much damage and cant deal enough to keep up. If he dies and the boss still has more than half HP, were done for. But the only one that can reach him is me, and Im not suited against a single enemy. I should be helping with the knights. Good Followers, go and help Baldy. Attack the boss! I order, signaling with my finger in the direction they must go so they understand. Leave these knights to me. I took them with this purpose: to help me with single-target damage. Their poisonous attacks should help deal with the boss. Following my orders, the two remaining Good Followers C one died a moment ago C start running in that direction. But the knights they were fighting wont allow this unless I get their aggro, so I do by casting Chain Lightning. The problem is theyve been protecting me so far. Now that I dont have my meatshields, Im in deep trouble. You stupid knights, leave me alone! I say while running around. Cant you see my scraggy body and falling fur? Im an elderly! You should respect your elderly instead of chasing after them with pointy, metal sticks! Auch! As expected, it didnt work. But I had to try, dont you agree? The battle continues as Im chased by four knights. I keep casting Chain Lighting to get rid of them, but by the time they fall paralyzed to the ground, the battle has reached a dangerous point. Ricard is about to die. Even with the help of my Good Followers, he has less than 10% HP, and Laura cant heal him fast enough. Most of our support mobs are dead, too. And Im not that far from joining them in their eternal rest. Whats worse, Ive already used my Indomitable Will and Im out of MP. I can cast one more spell at most. But the worst isnt that. The worst is that most of the knights are still doing fine. Sure, their HP bars arent full, but as long as theyre not dead, they deal the same damage as if they were at full HP. If only I could do my job properly why did the knights have to split into groups and keep enough distance that my Chain Lightning was useless? It was even worse for Laura, whose AoE hits everybody. Not a good idea in a melee like this one. Ah, shit this is bad. Extremely bad The only one whos doing fine is Clara. She cant kill lots of enemies quickly, but she can at least heal enough so that she doesnt die. Shes currently the only one in the room, enemies included, that has more than 60% HP. Hmm at this rate, I only see one way out I must use IT. Having decided what to do, I quickly start giving orders. Lily, stop everything youre doing and start healing Lemon. Also, cast Hellfire on the middle of the room. ...what? Why? Shes the one with the most HP! Shouldnt I heal Baldy instead? No, its no use. Just do as I said, quickly! Its Ricards turn now. Baldy, meet me at the center of the room. Ok. Are you going to save me? Hahaha, as if! Im going to kill you! Hahaha! What!? Regardless of his scream, he still comes to the middle. We meet on top of the round table, and the boss soon joins us. Wow, scary. Ive been far away until now, but it sure is imposing. I feel like a weakling. Now what? Asks Ricard. How are we going to win this? Now, I kill you. I start laughing at the dumbfounded face he makes. What did you expect? I never lie. NEVER. If I said I was going to kill you, it means I would. ...But then what about the dungeon invasion I ignore him and start casting my last spell. My ultimate spell: Grand Finale. Given the size of this room, with me in the middle, it should hit literally everyone inside. Which means Ill kill Ricard. Ill also kill all the knights. Also Laura and our remaining mobs. And, the boss too, if it doesnt have a skill to resist death. I really hope he doesn''t Alright! Here I go! Grand Finale! The three seconds of charge have passed and light fills the whole room. Did you think a pentakill was impressive? Thats bullshit. I just killed more than ten! Its a decakill! Eat this, you noobs! I anxiously await for the light to fade. Somehow, I miraculously didnt kill myself this time. But it was so close! My current HP is 13. Any hit might kill me. Tsk, tsk, tsk and to think a Royal Guard would fall like that Pathetic! You should learn from me. Im unstoppable! The next time you fight, you, should, take I stutter. As the light clears up, an imposing figure covered in golden armor shows up in front of me. Aaah, shit A steel flash later, and a message pops in front of me.
You have died!
Yeah, well I was expecting it. The boss did have a skill to survive lethal damage, after all. I stand up in my phantasmal form and watch as the Royal Guard starts advancing in the direction of our last surviving member: Clara. I was hoping she would survive if she had enough HP, and it turned out I was right. Brotheeeeer! She shouts. How dare you kill my brother, you ugly monster? Ill take revenge. Feel the wrath of The Queen of Huh, it died? True to her words, the boss just fell to the ground, dead. Hahahaha! I start laughing like a maniac. Eat this, boring and useless human! Blame the player who created you! Hahahaha! Skills that prevent lethal damage a single time do nothing against poison! Fufufu! Hahaha! He died, to my Good Followers poison. I dont know if it had a healing skill or not. If he did, he didnt get enough time to activate it. We won. But at what price? I observe the room. There are corpses everywhere. I also happen to see the ghosts of Ricard and Laura, who, like me, are looking around, observing the chaos. The only survivor is my little sister. Then, as if to mock my efforts, the dungeon core falls from the ceiling and lands on top of my corpse. whatever.
Mutual assured destruction. Ah, how nice it is!
Ch 175 - How (not) to make friends Tsk! And here I was hoping for something interesting to happen I shake my head while observing the purple crystal representing the dungeon core. Even here, at the most important part of the dungeon, that fool only put a falling corpse trap. What did he expect to achieve? To kill an unsuspecting invader? Hah! Such a lame plan. Right when I stepped in front of the core, a corpse fell from the ceiling. It surprised me, but it was the only thing it achieved. Still, I dont understand how the author of this guide didnt say anything about this trap. Is it a new one? No, given how weak it is, it doesnt feel like a recent addition. Then did the author leave it out on purpose? Hmm It could be. It wouldnt be the first time a player intentionally hides information to make the others suffer the same fate as they did. Its weird if we take into account the details about the other areas, but only the author knows. I shrug. Still, the guide was pretty useful. Its thanks to it that I was able to clear this dungeon so fast. Preparation is key to success. Know yourself, know your enemy, and youll win any battle. Only fools go into a dungeon without prior knowledge of what theyll find. Doubly so if your objective is to analyze the players thinking patterns and prepare a strategy against them. Author of How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab, thank you very much for your help. Ill remember you and the tips you give in your guide. Though I must say its weird he sounds crazy in the guide, something that contradicts the title itself. He must be doing it on purpose, to catch the readers attention. Alright! I dust my hands. My job heres finished. Now it''s time to make it clear to everyone that hes not worthy of the Evil Mastermind nickname. It should be me, not him, the only one allowed to wear such a title! Ive been working so hard to follow my teachers steps how dare he steal my place? I know luck is important, that must be why hes the one getting famous. But luck isnt everything. If I beat him in a battle of wits, Im sure everyone will forget about him and start praising me instead. There are rumors hes related to that bitch Anthemia Just recalling her stupid face gives me a headache. That stupid, brain-for-muscle barbarian I hate it so much when they compare her to my esteemed teacher! I calm down my breathing and trembling fists. My bloodshot eyes gradually refocus on the dungeon core in front of me. No, believing in rumors is worthless. He might not have anything to do with her at all. I can ask him directly when we meet. If the rumors are true itll give me a second reason to humiliate him. Regardless of the truth, what I have to do is the same. I crush the dungeon core and the win message appears in front of me. You exclusively rely on luck and surprises. Your plans arent evil, theyre unexpected at best. Any pain you inflict on the invaders is purely a bonus. Ill show you what real strategy and planning are, so-called Evil Mastermind. Unconsciously, the last two words come out filled with venom. As I disappear from the dungeon, I start thinking about the message Ill send him. Ill make sure he doesnt suspect a thing until its too late Hahaha! Get ready, because Im coming. Everythings within my grasp, as it always is.
I dont want to, but I have to Aaaagh! Why is life so difficult sometimes? I hate this, just thinking about it gives me a headache. But I know its something I have to do, so I should stop making excuses. ...but I dont want to! Shit. I dont have a way to avoid it, so I should stop wasting time and start. You can do it, Andreu! Im cheering for you! Thanks. I extend my trembling finger and bring it close to the dungeon menu. There, a dreaded icon is flashing, trying to get my attention. Its the message system. Im sure youre surprised right now. The message system? Why do I fear the message system? The answer is simple: Im not. What Im scared of is the number right next to the icon. 150+, it says. Also, and more importantly I know where most of those messages come from and dont want to read a single one of them. Aaah, shit Why did I have to accept to go there in person? Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. From that day I went to their cathedral, theres been a constant influx of messages, the content of which I dont want to know. When will my life return to normal? Will it ever return to when I didnt have to worry about receiving an avalanche of messages every day? from crazy players, at least. If youre asking why I didnt complain before this before, its because I have been postponing the inevitable until now. The thing is I must check every single message because theres some important stuff mixed in there. Like messages from my friends, from unknown people who ask stuff about my videos, or people crying about how hard my dungeon is. I especially dont want to miss the latter. Alright, lets do this the sooner I start, the sooner Ill finish. With a trembling hand, I slowly bring my finger closer and closer to the dreaded button. Of course, as any normal adult would, Im hiding my face with the other and peeking between the gap of my fingers. Lets ignore the subjects and skip directly to the text inside. My head will explode otherwise When most titles contain fanatic ways to call me, its better to skip them. The first one is: Oh dear Mad Rat, our greatest This one goes to the blacklist. Next! Lets see. To our distinguished god to the blacklist too. All Shall, blacklist. Like this, I continue adding more and more players to the blacklist. Reporting them for this would achieve nothing, they havent violated any rules. But this way, the game will prevent their messages from reaching me. The only way to circumvent it is to create a new account with a different nickname and start from scratch, something no normal player would do. but they might. Theyre crazy after all, so who knows how theyll act if they discover Im blocking their messages. At least, by putting them on the blacklist, I should reduce the number of messages I receive. Ah, this one is from Ricard. Hes asking if I want to play with him I awkwardly scratch my head. Its from the past week, so it might be too late to answer now. Though, to be honest, he might as well be inside the game and will agree to play right now if I give him a positive answer. But I must finish this before I do anything else. Now that Im in the middle, I must see it to the end. Mostly because I wont ever come back if I leave now. Ill leave Ricards message for now. The next one I see aha, aha to the blacklist it goes! One message leads to the other and, after what seems like an eternity, I finish reading the messages. When I raise my head to check the time, it turns out its only been fifteen minutes since I started, but to me, it seemed waaaaaaaay longer. My brain is like mush. I guess this is what happens when you read five words per message on average, that it takes a short time to read them all. I shrug. I wouldnt do it any other way, though. If five words per message are enough to crush my spirit, reading everything would kill me. After a few messages, I decided it was better to classify all the messages first. With my advanced reading technique, I classified all messages into blacklist and non-blacklist. Now its time to read those that dont come from the madmen. Well, maybe theyre crazy too, who knows. But they shouldnt bring me as much of a headache as them. I take one last glance at the blacklist. Oh my god. Ive never seen such a long blacklist before I gladly close the window and decide to stop thinking about them so I will soon, hopefully, forget about them. Hopefully. After Ricards message, there was one from my sister saying something about the voices of my monsters I wonder what she was talking about. The next one is Ah! A crying player! I love these! I laugh at the message before continuing. From the 150+ messages, the list has been reduced to a meager thirteen. The last message, though, piques my interest. Its from a player called Brainiac. Im not going to comment on his nickname. Its too easy a joke. [Brainiac]
Hello, Disguised Koala. Or do you prefer Mad Rat? Ive been impressed by your dungeon. Ive recently invaded it, and the monsters you created surprised me quite a lot. I heard about you from the forums, and I now understand why the players love to go into your dungeon so much. I myself have an interest in tricky and dangerous traps. I love driving my invaders to the brink, forcing them to exhaust their resources until they die, exhausted and feeling useless. Do you want to have a Dungeon Battle with me? Im sure we can learn from each other so we can improve at the same time. What do you say? Are you in? Or will you chicken out? Hahaha!
It is indeed an interesting proposal, I stroke my chin as I think. Its been a while since I last had a PvP battle. As he says, its in PvP when the best ideas tend to pop up. Its also a good place to learn dirty tricks and tactics, as players use all their means to win The only thing that matters in PvP is victory. Players dont start a Dungeon Battle expecting to delve into a nice, heartwarming dungeon; they start a Dungeon Battle to show theyre better players. This is why they think of all sorts of cheating the game to their advantage, planning impossible traps, extremely dangerous monsters, or almost unsolvable puzzles. Everything they can to try and win. And, as the amazing player I am, I benefit from it. Although I dont participate in a lot of PvP battles, some of my best ideas come from them. Like the Tunnel Mimic, which I created when I was battling Laura before knowing it was her; or the Panicky Spitters, which I created after having to run after a key monster for five minutes to open the next door. Ive decided! Ill accept his challenge! After writing that message, I hope he doesnt disappoint. I hope I can steal I mean, take one or two ideas back with me. Ill accept the challenge, Brainiac Hahaha! Such a lame name. I thought Ricard was the one with the worst naming sense I might have found somebody worse than him.
Three things related to DMA I wished never happened? Hmm The first one is that time I tripped into a lava pool right before the dungeon core. That slip cost me the finals. The second is when I forgot to turn off the camera and everyone heard my conversation with my sister. Since then, there has been no end to the mocking. And the third one Does it have to be about me? No? Alright. Then, the third one was the day the Evil Mastermind met Brainiac. If only they never met each other, things would have been a lot different. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 176 - Dreamshift Im sorry, Clara. Yesterday I received a message from a guy asking for a match. I cant play with you today. Muu this isnt fair! Ea, ea Its alright. Well have lots of chances during the summer. I pat her head as she pouts. Its Monday morning and for once, I dont have to go to class today! No awful teacher today! Hahaha! Why? Because its summer. Holidays! No class or homework! We can spend all the time fooling around and doing whatever we want! Like playing games, playing DMA, or playing DMA with friends, for example. The three examples are the same? Nah, youre wrong. So, since we dont have classes anymore, I can take my time having breakfast, and the same is true for my two sisters. Since they dont have holidays like us, our parents woke up earlier and were left to our own devices. There isnt any difference from the usual, as they always woke up before us even when we had to go to class. Clara is enthusiastically chatting with me, nagging me to spend time together, while Marta is eating silently, glaring at me from time to time. But you dont need all day for just one Dungeon Battle, we can play before or after. Clara keeps pushing. Well youre right about that, but I also need to plan and design a dungeon capable of beating him. He bragged about being good at designing dangerous traps and such stuff, I must make him eat his own words Oh, what a surprise, comments Marta, I never expected you to take anything this seriously. Excuse me? I always take everything seriously! When it comes to beating the crap out of other players and making them cry, I always do. But, as much as I hate to admit it, hes right about this, Clara. If he wants to create a specific dungeon or monsters to deal with the opponent, he must spend some time planning and creating what he needs. Is it just me, or do you also feel weird when Marta agrees with me without any insult? At our older sisters explanation, Clara reluctantly agrees. ...fine. But youll owe me one. Owe you one? For what, exactly? After pouting for a while, Clara asks me. So, whats that players name? She lowers her head and, in a lower voice, adds something else. Ill have to make him regret it for the rest of his life I cant hear what shes saying but, for one reason or another, it sends a shiver down my spine. Dangerous Ahaha, the name. I dont think Ill ever forget it because of how bad it is. It reminds me of Ricards awful naming sense ...yeah, I understand another reason to punish him, then Our eyes glaze over at remembering the frustration of having to use Ricards name for our group during the tournament. The problem is that, since we reached the semifinals, we got somewhat famous, and that awful name stuck to us like glue. You mean the League of Evil? Asks Marta. Believe me when I say Ive seen way worse names She stops when we both glare at her. ...why are you staring at me like that? A-anyway! So whats his name? Its Brainiac. Hahaha, so stupid. Hehehe. Clara and I chuckle at that guys name. But contrary to what I expected, Marta furrows her brows instead of doing the same. Brainiac I know that name, she says. I think yes, its the name of the guy who follows Incognita everywhere. He acts like a snob and is extremely rude to everyone else. Wow. I never thought Id see the day Marta called somebody else extremely rude. How rude must he be for this to happen? But its weird, he didnt sound rude in the message he sent me. He always looks at me with disdain and calls me bitch. Aaaah, now I understand. Question solved. She said Incognita, right? If Im right, hes Martas rival, isnt he? Well, not Martas but Anthemias. Hehehe Brainiac, huh? Target acquired Hehehe Clara starts smiling while muttering something. Though her eyes arent smiling. Yeah I dont want to know the meaning behind that smile. Not a chance. Alright! Having finished my breakfast, I stand up. Im sorry, my ladies, but I must go first. I have work to do. Work as in devising heinous schemes, preparing deadly traps, and inflicting as much pain on my opponent as possible. Good luck, Andreu! ...you better dont lose, or Ill have you train with me for another week. Now that everyone knows youre related to me, I cant have the guy who follows my rival be better than you. Ooooh, shit! Now I have a reason why I must win! Ill die if I have to train with Marta for another week! I quickly go to my room and start grinning like a fool. Alright! Its time to think about what nasty stuff I can put into my dungeon. Fufufu! Hahaha!
Dungeon Battle Start!
Flesh Monstrosities vs Dream Vestiges
The Mad Rats Lab Utopia
Disguised Koala Brainiac
Hmm, Dream Vestiges. This will surely be a tricky match. Its nothing new, I knew from the start itd be a tricky match. Its only that the Dream Vestiges are especially tricky because of the status effects they apply. While the demons are tricky because of their skills and the fact they like to apply status effects to make the best use of their damage output, and the fairies are tricky because they play hide-and-seek with you and your units; the Dream Vestigess status effects are more powerful than any other factions. Lower your guard a single time, and you might soon find yourself dead. Not because of a powerful monster or attack but because you cant avoid whats coming next. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Just take a look at the innate skill some of their good dreams units have: Sweet Dreams.
Sweet Dreams (Innate active skill)
Cost: 50 EP, 10 EP per second
Inflicts Sleep on the target unit. As long as that unit remains asleep, it heals 1% of its maximum HP, EP, and MP each second. This skill can only apply Sleep to the same unit once every 5 minutes. The timer starts after the Sleep effect ends.
Of course, the first thing you think about Sweet Dreams is that its a very good support skill. If you can stay out of combat, you can achieve a complete recovery in a short time. But thats naive. Extremely naive. The true power of Sweet Dreams is to force the opponent to sleep and then prepare an ambush while it cant move or defend itself. One moment youre fine, and the next you can only tremble in horror, in your phantasmal form, as you watch the enemy surround your sleeping Champion Sometimes, the line between a good and a bad dream is blurry. For this match, we went with the following rules: everything is allowed, and the total cost is 10.000 cp. We both agree that the objective of this match is to show our ingenuity. For this, we can use anything at our disposal. But at the same time, theres no need to spend lots of cp to achieve it. Fewer but better is the objective. Were also playing in the Total Victory mode. Usually, the one who survives the longer or the first to break the opponents dungeon core wins the Dungeon Battle, but the Total Victory mode is different. To win, you must survive, and the opponent must die. Anything else, like both dying or both reaching the core turns into a draw. To achieve total victory means you win in every possible way and the opponent loses in every aspect, after all. First, lets see what were up against. I start looking around. Everythings white. The ground has bumps and is squishy. Bright blue sky... Its clear. Were standing on a cloud. I never thought Id be able to experience this dream-like bullshit in real life. Well, its inside a game, but you know what I mean. Further ahead, theres a small fence, and five sheep are jumping over it. They jump over the fence from the right side and disappear into the cloud on the left side before reappearing from the right side to repeat the cycle. Hah, how clich! Sheeps jumping a fence! And theres even a number on top that looks as if it were made of clouds, counting their jumps. But why is the number going backward? It started at 20 and is decreasing instead of going up Shouldnt it be the other way around? A countdown means something will happen when it reaches zero. Maybe a trap, or a powerful monster. Or both at the same time. Maybe the sheep will turn into monsters and attack me. Or the trap will activate if I kill the sheep to stop the countdown. Its also possible the countdown itself is a trap so that I lower my guard and fall for the actual trap A psychological trap from the start? I like it! Bring it on, sheep! Contrary to my words, I start to look around anxiously, trying to anticipate whats going to happen. But the only thing I see is clouds everywhere. That, and my support mobs. Today I only brought one of my Good Followers with me. Theyre quite expensive, and I didnt want to spend most of my cp budget on them instead of my carefully crafted traps. Other than the Good Follower, I only have my newest experiment with me. Before coming, I was facing a dilemma: how am I going to check out for traps? I dont have too much experience when Im the one facing them, so I generally use other units as trap finders. Trap finders have the incredibly important and safe job of exploring ahead of me, activating all traps that dont target Champions exclusively, before I reach that place. The problem is that trap finders tend to die easily, and I cant risk my only Good Followers life for this job. Dont misunderstand, Im not against using them as trap finders. Is just that today, I only have one, and losing it will mean Ill have trouble fighting against any single, powerful enemy Brainiac might have prepared for me. So I cant take the risk. Instead, I created the most pathetic creature I could think of. One thats utterly useless in combat, but wont die regardless of what happens to it. Instant death, fire, electricity, poison, status effects Nothing can kill this guy! Not even an infinite abyss or teleport to the other side of the dungeon will tear us apart! Hahaha, are you curious? All right, Ill tell you. This is a Monstrous Hybrid that uses a certain short, sneaky humanoid and an almost unkillable furry little critter. Youre right! Im talking about Goblins and Sacred Cats! This little critter has both the Slippery skill, which can negate damage if its higher than a percentage of its health, as well as the Nine Lives, which prevents it from dying the first eight times it should. But even with all those skills, I was still worried about being split and losing my trap finder, so I also gave it the Recall skill with the first skill point it gets upon creation!
Recall (Active skill)
Cost: 80 EP
After a short delay, you teleport to the closest allied Champion. This skill cant be used during combat and has a 5-minute cooldown.
This skill is useless except for support mobs, or for when you play with other players. who am I trying to fool? This skill is useless, period. A whole skill point invested in this is a waste. That is unless youre more worried about missing the monster than keeping it alive. Which happens to be my worry, because with Slippery and Nine Lives, I dont fear itll be killed anytime soon. Or anytime at all. Not before I die, anyway. As for how this monster looks, imagine a centaur. Now change the horses body for a cats, and the human torso for a goblins. Make sure the goblin is ugly, as they all are. Then make it smaller, until it barely reaches a meter in height. Congratulations, you have my monster! I was too lazy to name it properly, so I gave it this name: Unkillable Scouting Unit For Exploring Traps. Or Usufet, to keep it short. As I observe the cooldown reach three, I quickly give it an order. Usufet, go and check for traps! I say, pointing at the sheep in front of us. When Usufet reaches the fence, the sheep that is about to jump pauses, looks at it, snorts, and makes the jump. And here I was hoping something will happen uh, wha? The surroundings start shifting when the cooldown reaches zero. Soon, instead of the cloud and bright blue sky, what fills my vision is a dark room. I, my Good Follower, and Usufet are all here. ...I hate Dreamshifts so much Whats a Dreamshift? Its a special feature of the Dream Vestiges. When a certain condition is met, all enemy units C and sometimes allied units too C will be teleported to another part of the dungeon without any warning. For roleplay purposes, is as if you were shifting from one dream to the next. The condition for this to happen was for the countdown to reach zero. And I did nothing to stop it. The only distinct feature in this dark room is a pedestal with an owl on standing on top. An owl? Aaaah, shit! I know this one! I must give orders to my Goo My vision briefly shifts to a lower point of view before returning to normal. ...ood Follower before Its too late. Shit! In my phantasmal form, I observe the body of my Champion sleeping on the ground. Aaaah, I hate those owls so much! They can fly and stand in unreachable places, and can also use the Sweet Dreams skill! *Click!* Shortly after an activation sound, the noise of rumbling machinery fills the room, and the ceiling starts to slowly fall. Aaaaah, I dont want to die like this! I must show my superiority!
... And since were talking about the Dream Vestiges, did you know they dont have a special resource like other factions do? They have two instead! Since the whole faction is based on the duality of good dreams versus nightmares, they have one resource for each one. If they inflict good status effects like buffs, temporary shields or use the Sweet Dreams skill, they get Good Dream points. On the contrary, if they inflict fear, madness, or any other negative status effect, they get Bad Dream points. As you might expect, those points are then used to unlock and create new monsters from that type. This means the players can focus on a single one of the two paths, or create a mixed dungeon and use both. In general, its best to go both paths at the same time so that you can achieve better results; but efficiency is best when you focus on a single one, so Im not sure whats best. Of course, in terms of efficiency, nothing can beat my undead when I go into a human dungeon. Humans have it so easy to obtain new farmers and tend to use such high numbers to compensate for the lack of innate skills, that theyre the perfect targets! - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard the first time they invaded a Dream Vestige dungeon together.
Ch 177 - Choose wisely Straight passage. Clean and polished walls, excavated on the rock or constructed with metal, wood, and stone. There are no visible signs of traps. The first thing you must do when entering an unknown dungeon is to investigate the surroundings. In Dungeon Battles theres no restriction on traps and monsters, you can put them right next to the entrance. Its a widely abused tactic. The place I find myself in is a perfectly regular underground passage. Parts of the walls are covered in wood and metal plates; the rest is either directly excavated on the bedrock or constructed with polished stones, similar to bricks. This passage resembles parts of my opponents dungeon, The Mad Rats Lab. They look the same as some of the areas there. Overall, it gives me the feeling theres something wrong with the construction of this place. Its disorganized, chaotic even. Everyone has their quirks. I should focus on the traps and tricks instead, though there seem to be none. I can only move forward. At the end of the passage, theres a door blocking my vision. Its one of those sliding metal doors that require you to press a button to open. He put a door, hes capable of this much, at least. He would disappoint me if he allowed me to see whats inside beforehand. Itd make this too easy. I want to show him whos the best, fighting against a noob would make this worthless. I carefully open the door and look inside before stepping into the room. ...no danger in sight. The room is similar to the passage, except it is as wide as it is long. About five meters. On the other side of the room, theres an identical door to the one on this side, except it has no button to open it. Instead, theres a writing on the left side and three one-meter-tall columns in the middle of the room. Theres also something written on them. The text next to the door says Choose wisely. The text on the columns goes like this, from left to right. Poison. No poison. More poison. Is this some puzzle? I must figure out how to proceed. Given the random nature I saw when I went into his dungeon, Im sure this is a trap. Its annoying theres no clue. I know this is a Dungeon Battle and the objective is to defeat the opponent, but still were here to show off our intellect and superiority. What does he intend to achieve with such random crap? Even if I die here, it wont bring him any good. But before I touch anything, lets take a look at how hes doing. The sheep countdown should have ended by now. Did he fail to prevent it, or did he succeed? On the screen that pops up, I see his pathetic and stupid face as he sleeps on the floor. Meanwhile, the ceiling keeps falling. Soon, hell be turned into mush. Hahaha! So pathetic! How could he fall for such a simple trap? He allowed the Dreamshift to happen, and now he can only watch in despair as the ceiling squashes his champion. How does he dare call himself the Evil Mastermind when hes so easy to fool? He only needed to kill the sheep to prevent the countdown. He could also leave the area to prevent the teleport. There were so many ways to avoid this simple trap but he failed to achieve any. Tsk! It wasnt worth my effort. I shake my head and close the window displaying my opponents fate. Regardless, Ill clear his pathetic attempt to imitate my teacher, completely crushing him and his dungeon. So, returning to the door in front of me. Im sure itll open after I press the buttons on top of the columns. The problem is which one. But first Guys, its time to work! I clap my hands. Its time to find me some traps. At my order, the small furry balls that have been following me since I entered this dungeon scatter. As they start inspecting for traps, they keep a distance between themselves so that if one triggers a trap, the others dont get affected. When dealing with traps, numbers are what matters. It doesnt matter how strong the unit used to investigate them is because theres always a chance of dying instantly. This is why its best to use critters for this role. I wait for a while as they wander around randomly, bumping into everything on their way. After being sure there arent traps nearby, I start moving towards the three columns. Yes. As expected, theres a button on top of each. Then, one of the three should open the door. Lets think about this. Which one makes more sense to try first? If I had to guess, Id say the one that says No poison, right? I grab one of the furry balls and put it on top of the middle column. I then order everyone to come to me and move back to the entrance door. Press the button. My minion stands on the button, making a click sound. For a second, nothing happens. But then, the column, my minion, as well as the surrounding terrain, suddenly collapse and disappear below. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Wrong choice. Curious, I get closer to the edge and look below. There, the Unina C Unina is the name of this unit type C is looking at me with its adorable and enormous eyes. It jumps with its small paws, but cant reach where I am because theres a height difference thats more than four meters. Poor guy. Hell have to spend the rest of the dungeon exploration there. I have no means to rescue it. I say while shaking my head. Thank god it wasnt me. Itd be an awfully lame way to lose. The door remains closed, so it wasnt the No poison button. The More poison sounds dangerous, so Ill try with the Poison one next. Like the first time, I put one of the Unina on top of the waist-height column and move back to the entrance with the rest of my support mobs. After the Unina jumps on the button, theres a puff sound. Then, the area around it is painted with a green gas that quickly disappears, only leaving my monsters corpse on top of the column. Im sure that was toxic gas, it truly fits the Poison warning. It wasnt this one either, I shrug my shoulders. Theres only one remaining, so it must be it. These things happen when you rely on chance. There was no way to know which one was the right button because there was no clue anywhere. Poison, no poison, and more poison. How are those supposed to help you find the correct answer? I hate it when players think theyre smart when they create riddles that are impossible to solve, either because of a lack of information or because they have no solution at all. Riddles should have a solution, puzzles must have enough clues to solve them, and traps must be possible to avoid. Otherwise, you dont test the players skill and intelligence. You test their luck. Lets finish this and move on With no other option left, I put a third guy on top of the last column and step back. This time, after the click, the entrance door suddenly closes. Then, the same green gas as the one emitted from the Poison column starts spreading from a hole on top of it. Everyone, run! Evading the hole in the middle of the room caused by the columns collapse, I run to the other side of the room. Shit! I cant allow that gas to reach my monsters or theyll all die! It isnt common to find such wide-area traps, I didnt expect this to happen! I must agree, the poison cloud truly fits the More poison warning. But what am I supposed to do now? Were trapped here, and the gas keeps spreading. Maybe I missed something? In front of me, theres the door that should allow us to continue. There has been no change since we came in. Aaagh, come on, open up! I stomp my feet in anger. Am I going to be defeated like this? Betrayed by an opponent who supposedly created this trap to show off his ingenuity? Bullshit! What a load of crap! This is just random stuff! Something. I must do something! There must be a way out or the game wouldnt have allowed him to create this room! As a last resort, I put my fingers on the crevice between the door and the frame and start pulling. Without much resistance, the door slips to the side, opening the way forward. What!? Why did it open? Dont tell me please, dont tell me it was open since the beginning. Please, dont tell me I overthought the whole thing and wasted my time and minions for nothing. It was as easy as ignoring the message and buttons? Are you kidding me!? Im starting to understand why he puts Evil at the start of the nickname. I close the door when all of us cross it, but the poison seeps through the gaps. On the other side, the passage, with a similar look to the previous one, branches off in three directions. Then, every one of the three paths branches again. Now its a labyrinth Why now of all times A labyrinth is easy if you have time to think. But I dont because I dont want all my minions to die. Just move, I cant stop. I just hope I dont reach a dead end. I choose a random path and start running, followed by my minions. Theres no time to check for traps. If I move faster than the poison cloud advances, Ill have the option to backtrack a certain distance. If only I didnt press the last button I wont allow you to defeat me like this, Mad Rat! At least, Ill make sure you die first! Talking about his death. He should be squashed by the falling ceiling right now. I open the window a second time. There, I find him leisurely walking while watching something invisible in front of him and laughing maniacally. How did he manage to survive that? And hes watching me? Shit! He had to see me act like a fool Why! Why did he have to watch me falling for his trick! Ashamed, I continue running. I reach two dead ends, but thanks to my higher speed, I manage to avoid the poisonous cloud. Haaa I cant find the exit. Should I follow the arrows? There are arrows painted on the walls. Ive been purposely ignoring them because its clear theyre a trap, but theres nothing else to do but follow them. Otherwise, the poisonous cloud will surely eat us and my minions will die. Ill survive longer, but Ill eventually succumb. Alright, Ill follow them Following the arrows, I reach a door. This time, its open, as if calling us in. The fog is upon us, so I quickly go inside, hoping to escape it. The interior looks quite different from what Ive seen so far. It isnt half-assed, with wooden boards and metal plates filling the gaps. Instead, theres a large wall filled with screens and what looks like a giant console with thousands of buttons. There are three buttons, though which immediately stand out to me. Theyre absurdly big for normal buttons, theyre red, and have something written right next to them. Its evident those are the only working ones. The text is written in the same font as the one on the columns, which gives me the chills. Not this again! I shout, but I dont have time to waste as the poisonous cloud is about to enter the room. A solution comes first, Ill complain later. I scan the buttons. The text on them goes like this: Close the door, Open the door, Self-destruct. Self-destruct? Who would put such a button on their lair!? No. Safety comes first. Without thinking twice about it, I quickly press the Close the door button. I hope it all goes well
Which button would have you chosen if you were in my situation? It isnt so easy to answer, right?
Ch 178 - About to be crushed I cant die like this! I must find a way out! I desperately look around for anything I can use to escape my current predicament. Theres nothing I lower my head in defeat. The thing about traps is that their cost depends on their effects and how hard they are to evade. For example, a trap like the Falling Corpse one, which deals a little damage to a single unit, is very cheap because its easy to evade and the damage it deals isnt great. This is why instant death traps tend to be extremely expensive. But it doesnt apply to all of them. Right now, Im inside a room with a Falling Ceiling trap. Since the time it takes to crush you is very long, its cost is reduced. Also, the room has no door, so nothing prevents you from leaving it and avoiding the trap altogether. In short, this trap, even if its an instant death one, is cheap because its effortless to avoid. Unless youre asleep and cant move at all, that is. Like I am. I must find a way to snap out of the sleep any damage will do. Good Follower, hit me with a basic attack! As expected, my minion doesnt follow my orders. Im in the phantasmal form, nobody can hear me right now. Its useless. Am I going to die like this? Such a pathetic death If I cant break the sleep by taking damage, theres only one other way I can think of to save myself: to kill the one who put me to sleep. As soon as the owl dies, the spell will break and Ill be free to run away from this room! The problem is I observe Usufet. Its liking his hand like a cat would. I modified its AI to avoid combat as much as possible, to prevent it from wasting its extra lives. Theres no way itll attack the owl. Then I turn to my other minion, the Good Follower. Since I generally set it to guard mode, it wont attack the enemy first. Unless I give the order, it takes damage or the enemy gets too close, itll stay behind me, too far from the owl to start combat. Haaa I can only wait until I get crushed, or surrender beforC eeeh? A surprised exclamation leaves my mouth when the Good Follower takes a step to the side. Whats going on? Why did it move? It should stay still until I move again I observe it as it takes a second, and then a third, step to the side, circling my sleeping Champion. Wait, it cant be, can it? This shouldnt happen, unless Did its AI break? No, no. Its keeping the usual distance from my Champion. Then, I can only think of one possibility. Did it lose the sense of direction since Im on the floor? Maybe, the AI isnt sure which is the back, so it started walking around me? The Good Follower makes another step to the side, slowly getting closer to the owl. But then, it steps in the opposite direction. No! Keep going, dont go back! My minion keeps moving forward and backward as it takes steps to the side in random directions, as if bugged. This can be good! I might be able to survive! Since, by default, I make it stand one meter away from me, if it completes half a circle, it will get closer to the owl by two meters. Two meters should be enough for it to detect and engage the owl! Two meters is the difference between me living or turning into paste! Come on, you can do it! I believe in your bugged brain! I bite my nails as I anxiously watch my minions erratic actions. Meanwhile, the ceiling keeps getting lower and lower. Two meters remaining. Soon, my Good Follower will be forced to hunch its back, as it has an orcs height. Its now that I realize how well-designed this room and enemy are. The owl doesnt move from the pedestal at all. If it engaged in combat, any damage would break the sleep and Id be able to escape. Similarly, if it ran away, the spell would break at a certain distance. So the owl is doing the best thing it can do to make sure I die: nothing. Also, the pedestal its standing on is far enough that most passive area effects wont reach, and the elevation makes it avoid any skill that affects the ground level. Furthermore, theres a hole in the ceiling right on top of it. Without that hole, the owl would die before I did, invalidating the trap. Itll also prevent the Good Follower from damaging it if the ceiling falls too low, as itll be completely covered by stone on all sides. What about the line of sight, you ask? Line of sight doesnt matter after the skills activation. Otherwise, you would only need to take cover after being hit to negate skills that work over time, like DoTs. Come on, one more step to the right No! I said right! Then, two more to the right Its all right, dont panic. Three steps to the right The orc and dwarf hybrids bugged dance is driving me mad. This is killing me. Literally. Finally, the Good Follower completes the half circle and detects the owl as an enemy, shouting something as it engages in combat. Agaranyama! Ive been thinking this lately, and I couldnt find any reason for it to happen, but Arent my monsters doing weird shouts and saying weird stuff lately? It was the same with that Stitched during the orcs punishment game. Dont misunderstand, I dont mind it. Its just Its just that I dont understand why theyre doing it. Are they bugged? I dont remember changing their voices like that. Do I sleep-play DMA? You know, like sleepwalking, but playing the game. My minion and the owl clash. At first, the owls HP decreases slowly, but the speed it falls starts increasing as the poison from my Good Follower stacks. Im sure it has some kind of resistance skill. Otherwise, it wouldnt take so long. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Please, let it die before I do, I mean. But, as the ceiling keeps falling, it makes it harder for my monster to attack: crouching, it wields its weapons the best it can. But before the owl dies, the ceiling covers it as it enters the hole. Between the indestructible ceiling and pedestal, the owl is now invulnerable. Aaah, its so close! The owls HP is very low. Maybe, the poison will kill it, or maybe it wont. God, if you could give me a hand, Id really, really, really appreciate it. I know Ive said this before, but this time I swear, if you help me, Im going to start praying to you daily. This time, it wont be like the previous hundred times Ive said it. I pray with my hands clenched together. When the ceiling is less than a meter from the ground, my vision changes and find myself on the floors level. The sleep has disappeared, the owl must have died to the poison. Hahaha! Yes! Yeeeeeees! I win! Hahahaha! Noooo! Stop wasting time and start running, you fool! Ah, right. Lets run, you fools! I shout to my minions before starting to crawl on the floor the fastest I can towards the door. I dont look back. Are my minions following nicely? I have no idea. But if I look back, I might die, so fuck them. Im more important, after all. Half a meter. The ceiling is so close to the floor that I have trouble moving forward. My crawling speed drops to almost nothing. The short distance remaining seems to never end. In the middle of my struggle, Usufet passes next to me at a higher speed. Since its shorter, it has less difficulty moving through smaller places. I at least wont have to worry about it surviving. Haaa, please. I must get out of here. Please let me make it! Ah, I know! In a stroke of genius, I start rolling on the floor, moving faster than when I was crawling. I dont know why didnt I think about this before. Must be because in real life this would hurt like hell. Ugh, ah! The ceiling is so close that my hands and feet touch it when spinning. I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, almost literally in this case, since the room was quite dark. Hahahaha! Yes, yes! I made it! I survived! I jump around, having accomplished the impossible. Then, I look around. Usufet is waiting next to me, licking its hand while staring at me with its ugly goblin face. Theres no sign of the Good Follower. Did it not make it? Well, it isnt weird because its bigger than me I put my head on the ground level. Right then, before the ceiling and the floor meet, a green hand pops out, grasping around. Aaah! That scared me! Its the Good Followers hand. The rest of its body I dont want to imagine. Thank god this is a game, otherwise I wouldnt stand the sight. Rest in pieces, my Good Follower. Thank you for giving away your life to save me. Ill never forget your sacrifice. Until I do, which will be about five seconds later. Alright! We did it, Usufet! We have to celebrate! Fufufu! Hahaha! And what better way to celebrate than to watch my opponent suffer? I quickly open the screen that shows my opponent. There, I see him running through the labyrinth while ignoring the arrows painted on the walls. Hahaha! So foolish! He unleashed the poison, without knowing the secret behind it Its so fun, watching him run around like that. Didnt he say he was so good with plans and traps? Then, why cant he avoid mine? Fufufu! Hahaha! After laughing for a while, I refocus on the dungeon exploration. Regardless of what he does, I must clear this dungeon to achieve a perfect victory.
After I press the Close the door button, theres a soft mechanic buzz and the door closes, as it said on the label. So it did work as expected, huh? Now I have to be sure the poison wont come inside through a gap. I wait. A few seconds later, through the glass on the door, I can see the poisonous cloud fill the corridor. No gas seeps in. Finally, something that works properly. Seriously, whats wrong with this dungeon? Now what should I do? I managed to save my minions and get to a safe place. But theres no exit other than the door I used to come inside. Were trapped. This looks like a control room. Maybe theres a lever or button hidden somewhere Theres only one way to find out. I clap my hands. Guys, its time to work! I wait for my minions to search every nook and cranny for traps. When they finish, I start looking for hidden passages or levers. Hmm there are no traps, or anything else. The only ones are My gaze returns to the three big, red buttons. Those three are the only ones. Taking into account that all labels were correct so far, it should mean that the Open the door button will do exactly that. Then, by all accounts, the Self-destruct button I wont ever consider pressing that one. Think, Brainiac. There must be a way out. Otherwise, the game wouldnt have allowed him to create this dungeon. I can only think of one solution. There must be something in the labyrinth I missed. Theres no choice but to go back. I must open the door and accept that my Unina will all die. I wont have any support mobs to test for traps moving further. Without any choice left, I press the Open the door button. With a metallic rumble, the door opens and the poisonous cloud comes in. At least I should survive for a while. I should have time to go and explore the labyrinth for the hidden piece. I wont lose like this! Not to such pathetic traps, reliant on luck exclusively. I step forward, keeping an eye on my status screen. I must know how much damage I take to calculate how much time Ill have. Lets see. The damage is Is is zero? Why am I taking no damage? Just in case, I observe my minions, but theyre doing fine too. How weird. This means the cloud is harmless. Ive been running around like a fool, trying to escape a nonexistent danger I clench my fists hard. This is unacceptable! How could I fall for such a stupid trap, no, what am I saying? It wasnt a trap, because its harmless! Aagh, I hate this. How could I allow him to fool me like that? I am better, I rely on logic! I shouldnt fall for such lame tricks! But everything has its good sides. My minions are alive, and Im starting to understand how he thinks. The arrows, the buttons to close and open the door. Everything was to lead me here, so Im sure the last button is a trap. ...No. This is what he wants me to think, to make me waste time. Im sure this time it isnt like the last. The Self-destruct button must open the door to the next area. Without a shred of doubt, I press the last button. ...huh? Nothings happeC *BOOOOOOM!*
WHY are you STILL reading the messages inside this damn dungeon? Didnt I tell you A LOT of times thats the best way to get yourself killed? For fucks sake, ignore them! Do as if they didnt exist! If you fail and die, let it be because youre unlucky and not because doing whatever you THOUGHT was best. DONT THINK, theres no best here! The best you can expect is to survive, so FUCKING. IGNORE. THE. FUCKING. MESSAGES! - Extract from the Chapter When everything is lost from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 179 - Pop the clown Hey, Usufet. Do you know the way? After the falling ceiling room, there was a straight passage filled with traps. Usufet did a great job spotting (activating) them for me. At the end of that passage, I had to climb a long staircase, at the end of which we found a door. The thing is that, on the other side of this door Im sure youve seen this before. A room with platforms everywhere, including the ceiling; with stairs in impossible directions, even upside down; and lots of archways that teleport you to another one. I know this last one because I tried it. And everything has the same color: blue. The color per se isnt important. Whats important is that everything is the same color, making it very hard to distinguish anything. Currently, Im standing in the middle of a platform, trying to make sense of the layout. The gravity changes according to the ground, so Im not sure, but I could swear Im hanging upside-down right now. The entrance is that one. I used that path, then came through that arch Turned left, right, straight, left, left, left I scratch my cheek. Hmm yeah. I have no idea which parts I tried or not. I turn to my minion and ask again. So, Usufet. Do you know the way or not? Usufet stares back with a devoid gaze on its ugly face. As expected, its no use. Urgh, what am I going to do now? I dont have the pressure of being the first to reach the opponents dungeon core, but theres a time limit of two hours. I cant stay here indefinitely. I guess I can only do this. I manipulate the games menu and make something pop in front of me. Its a coin with my symbol, the one with my heads silhouette and lightning, on one side and a cross on the other. Alright, here I go. Heads, I take the right path. Tails, I toss the coin again. What? Youre saying theres something wrong with how Im doing it? Leave me alone! I can do it however I want! *Clink!* The coin makes a metallic sound when I flip it. But before I can catch it, I hear creepy laughter right next to my ear. *Huhahahaha!* W-what the fuck!? I instinctively turn around at the same time I jump away. Just in time, because a blue fist strikes the place I was a second ago. I thought there were no monsters here! I didnt see any monsters. Only blue stairs, blue platforms, and blue archways and a blue monster in front of me, the same color as everything else. When I say blue I mean completely blue: the face, the clothes, even the white of the eyes. Ok. I think I get it now. The blue clown? It sure looks like one. The blue clown starts attacking with its fists as it keeps laughing. Its very tall at over two meters, forcing it to hunch over to pass under the archways. This doesnt prevent it from being a danger to me, though. If I lose sight of it even for a moment, Im sure Ill lose track of it. I can assure you: being lost in this place with a huge clown stalking me isnt a comfortable position to be in. Usufet, do something! Help your master, your creator! After my monster ignores me, I start to regret not bringing more mobs with me. If only my Good Follower was alive I suck against single, strong enemies I now have the Chaotic Beam, so Im not as utterly useless as I was before. Still, Im not sure I want to waste so much MP for just a clown. I truly miss the Champions buff With it, everything is so much easier With no other options, I start running away, chased by the blue clown. Usufet follows from a certain distance away, staying out of harms way. Of course, I could try to get rid of the clown by running away, but I dont think this is a good idea. If I do so, I wont know where it is anymore. *Clink! Clink!* I dont forget to use the coin flips to decide where I should go. Okay, next is Tails! Then, IC Ouch! Distracted by the coin toss, I receive an attack from the clown, which triggers my Lightning Shield, forcing it to take damage. When I look at my stats and compare it to the clowns HP bar, I notice I took less damage than it did. Aha! I know how to get rid of it now! Since it takes more damage than I do, I can just let it hit me instead of wasting MP! I just need to wait for the skills cooldown to end. Aint I smart? Fufufu! Hahaha! Having decided what to do, I immediately apply my new tactic. I run away a certain distance, wait for the clown to come close, and then receive the first attack head-on before running away again. It takes a while, but finally, the clowns HP falls to a critical level. Haa this is getting boring. Its safe but incredibly boring. Lets end this quickly. Chaotic Beam! With my spell, its remaining HP disappears, and the clown drops dead to the floor Or not. Instead of falling to the floor, its body starts convulsing and undulating, slowly expanding like a balloon. ...Usufet? Whats going on now? Only the usual silence follows my question. Alright, I guess I can only assume things on my own, as usual. I shake my head while activating the inspection tool. Clown Explosion is the innate skill? Never heard of it before The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Death Burst C Clown Explosion (Innate triggered skill)
After dying, explode and release 10 smaller copies of this unit. Each copy has the same looks, skills, and AI, but only receives 10% of the originals maximum stats. Units created this way lose this skill.
I nod. ...right. The usual thing, isnt it? Every clown explodes on death, releasing smaller clones to continue harassing the poor children Im sure they do in dreams. I start hitting my head on the wall with each word I say. Why, didnt, I, inspect, the, damn, clown, before, I, killed, it! The clown keeps expanding until it reaches three meters. Then, with a popping sound, it bursts. *Pop!* A multitude of blue clowns are created and launched in all directions. They fly away until they hit something or gravity pulls them into the ground. When I say gravity I dont mean downwards. They fall towards the closest platform C regardless of whether said platform is horizontal, vertical, or upside down C scattering throughout the whole labyrinth. It doesnt take long for me to lose track of all but the one that landed in front of me. Ugh, well Here goes my hopes of having an easy time after killing that clown I say, scratching my head. This is a perfect situation for me: lots of weak enemies! Or it would, if they were close together; and, more importantly, if I knew where the fuck they are! Shit.
Cough, cough! I stand up after the explosion that shook the whole room. I made a mistake pressing that button Cough, cough! I take a look around. The previously immaculate room is now covered by scorched marks everywhere. All the screens are broken, and the corpses of my minions are scattered everywhere. On the opposite side of the entrance door, there wall has collapsed, leaving a gaping hole inviting me in. From my position, I can see a passage on the other side of the hole. No This shouldnt be possible Unless I missed it somehow Ignoring the green cloud, which I now know its harmless, I quickly run out of the room and start looking around. Sure enough, I find an arrow painted on the wall, close to the entrance of the control room. Its pointing in another direction. In the rush to get to somewhere safe, I didnt see it before coming inside. Following that arrow, I soon reach another door. On the other side, theres a passage with a hole in one side. Tell me its a lie I mutter, trying to deny the truth. Everything becomes clear when I see the control room connecting to the hole. ... I had assumed the arrows were pointing to the control room, it never crossed my mind the control room was on the way to my actual destination. I got got. I shake my head. I lost my minions because of an error. The green cloud wasnt poisonous, but the button did cause an explosion, and I was in the wrong room The only saving grace is that Im still alive. It was all a trick, and I fell for it. Haaa I rub my face with one hand. I need to focus or Ill lose. This dungeon isnt as easy as I expected. Right now, Im sure hes struggling against my clowns. Id love to watch his stupid face as he struggles, but I cant allow myself to get distracted anymore. At the end of the newly discovered passage, the wood and metal plates disappear completely as the passage gives way to a natural cave. Theres nothing in here, except for bluish dust suspended in the air. Hah, nice try. I wont fall for this. Not after my previous blunder. This cave looks identical to one of those resting areas in his dungeon. Im sure its the same. The problem with those sleeping traps is that it doesnt matter if you know them or not, theyre equally dangerous. Knowing there was a high chance Id find something like this, I came prepared. I cast my own poisonous cloud covering the whole cave. It might be another trick, the dust might be harmless. But I cant take the risk. I move as fast as possible while checking for traps. When I reach the other side of the cave and make sure theres no more bluish dust, I deactivate my skill. The tunnel has returned to the aspect it had near the laboratory area. Hmm. My MP took a large hit, and my HP is below half. It could be worse. I shrug my shoulders. A blunder of that magnitude would have cost me my life if I were inside my dungeon, so I cant complain. I should be close to the dungeon core by now, Id say one or two more rooms at most Ups, that was close. I step back just in time. An arrow passes grazing my nose. Poison arrows, maybe? Its a classic. Classics are classics because they work. Otherwise, people would have stopped using them long ago. I wont ever criticize anyone for relying on the classics. But before I can take another step, another arrow passes by my side. ...another one? This angle I look in the direction the arrow came from and notice a small hole in the ceiling. Then I notice a whole lot more on the sides, ceiling, and even the floor. Isnt this a little bit too excessive? I mean, its still a classic, but My thoughts are interrupted by a metallic sound coming from behind. When I turn around, I see that the passage has been blocked by a giant ballista. It is slowly rising from the ground, and the string is being pulled, getting ready to shoot in my direction. I quickly look around. A straight passage, filled with tiny holes, and a giant ballista on one end. Then, theres a closed door on the other side, so far away the door looks tiny. Why didnt I notice it before? Its the perfect place for this kind of trap. I must run away! I dont want to have a taste of that giant arrow. Everybody, run! In the panic, I forget Im the only one alive. We must ah, right. Im alone. I start running, ignoring the small arrows that start flying everywhere as soon as I come near the holes. Almost there! But before I reach the door, the mechanical sounds coming from the ballista stop. Theres a second of silence before the string is released. The giant bolt flies in my direction. Shit! I put all my strength into pulling the door open before hurrying inside. I crash into the doors frame and fall to the ground. I squirm around to pull it close, slamming the door behind me. Immediately after, theres a dull thud coming from the other side. If this wasnt a game, Im sure the door would have been destroyed. That was close Before standing up, I inspect the new room. I would never enter into an unknown room on purpose, but I had no choice today. The first thing I see are a few statues, evenly distributed around the perimeter, illuminated by purple light. Theres a text written in a column in the middle, right at my current eye level. It says: Choose wisely. Do you have no more ideas, or are you doing this on purpose!? Aargh, how annoying!
You cant use a trap as a required mechanism to proceed further into the dungeon. What you can do, is put them right next to the door the invaders will have to unlock, or in the only passage that leads to the dungeon core. Regardless of what you do, a trap should be possible to avoid and its activation cant be required to beat your dungeon. - General knowledge every DMA player should know.
Ch 180 - Elemental riddle No, please! Stop! Leave me alone! I barely avoid the attack from the clown chasing after me, using the nearest archway to leave it behind; only to find two more clowns ready for action. Stop it! Fuck! Is there no exit in this place!? How long has it been? I have no idea After the first two-meter-tall clown exploded, I encountered at least two more. Im not sure if there are even more hidden somewhere, but Im sure there were three at minimum. How am I so sure? Its because they gave me no option left but to kill them, and they flooded the labyrinth with their smaller clones. The clowns are relentless, they chase me without end. And theyre stupidly hard to see in this place, so I cant relax for a second. I go back to avoid the clowns blocking my way. There was an archway in that direction I hope I can cross it safely. But there are three tiny clowns blocking the path on the other side of the archway. Ah, shit. More clowns this way too! The archways work as portals. They arent the typical portal with a light film that covers it, though. From one side of the archway, you can see whats on the other. Since they show the other side, its as if space is distorted. Sometimes, the linked pairs are close enough that you can see an infinite loop, similar to what happens if you put two mirrors, one in front of the other. It isnt a nice experience to watch infinite copies of yourself if a creepy clown is smiling behind you at that exact moment. Ugh that was awful I shudder, remembering that horrifying sight. The three clowns I was running away from catch up. They surround me, three in front and three in the back. I have no option left but to fight them. And here I was trying my best to avoid combat My HP is in tatters. My EP has long reached the bottom, from so much running around. Usually, my MP would be fine as long as I dont cast too many spells, but since I ran out of EP long ago, my Mana Core cant spend it to regenerate mana. Now, I can cast Chain Lightning one more time at most. The small clowns are persistent and numerous, but theyre weak. Any spell except for Cold Blast is enough to get rid of them! It should be easy, right? But since I cant kill them with my Lightning Shield nor Chain Lighting on the rare occasions they clump up, they come back again, and again, and again forcing me to spend more MP or engage them in melee C and take damage in return. You know what? Fuck you all! Die, you fuckers! Chain Lighting! Now that theyve surrounded me, theyre close enough for my spell to hit them all. As expected, the lightning jumps from one to the next, leaving them all stunned at 1 HP. Haap! Haap! Haap! Haap! Haap! Haap! Six shouts later, with the corresponding head smashes, the six clowns lay dead. Got rid of them! Yes! Fufufu! Hahaha! Nothing can stop me... I drop to the ground. Now Im little more than a punching bag. Im so exhausted C and with this I mean my EP and MP are C that I cant defend myself if another enemy shows up. Nor can I run away. If youre wondering why Im not saying anything about Usufet, its because it died long ago. It can survive lethal traps. It can fall to the abyss, be teleported to the other side of the dungeon, or be eaten by another monster, and Usufet will be ok. What it cant do, though, is survive the constant assault of at least thirty clowns that can camouflage with the environment and attack from any angle when you least expect it. My unkillable mob died before I did how ironic, dont you agree? I smile. Its understandable because Usufet wasnt designed for combat. Generally, it wouldnt be a problem to keep it alive when the time comes, but it isnt so easy to accomplish when Im alone and the enemy is numerous and sneaky. I sit on the ground for a while, enjoying the rare lull. Then, about ten seconds after I killed the last clown, the labyrinth starts to change. Its the archways. First, the previous blue slowly turns into purple. And then, a light film appears on them, preventing me from seeing whats on the other side. Is this it? I had to kill all the clowns to leave this place? I drop my head in defeat. ...it only took my everything If I had known, it would have been a lot easier. I wasted so much time and effort trying to leave by the conventional means. Haa lets forget about this and move on. I hope theres no more combat remaining, or Ill surely die. With shaking legs, I stand up. I inspect the closest portal before putting my hand inside. After making sure its safe, I cross to the other side. Yes, you heard it right: theres no better way to test if something is safe or not than to touch it first. Youre saying I would have died if it was a trap? It wasnt so its fine, right? Alright, here I go.. The portal disappears as soon as I cross it. Theres nothing. Well, not nothing, but there are no walls, ceiling, or floor. Only empty, dark space. Then, standing proud in the middle of the void, theres a rectangular object. This is weird. Theres no light, but I can properly see myself and that square thing. Stolen story; please report. When I get closer, I notice the object is made of stone. Its an altar, decorated with engravings. Theyre creepy. Diabolic. There are skulls, grinning at me, and black rivers of a sticky substance flowing over the stone surface. I also have the feeling that something is observing me from the darkness. Is it just my imagination? I hope it is. So are we done with the happy stuff, and its time for the nightmares to show up? Not like the clowns werent creepy, though. I shrug. Theres no clue how to proceed. What do I do? As if in response to my question, the engravings start to shift around. On three distinct points, the surface rises until three bowls are created. The flowing murkiness starts to flow from the base of the leftmost one to the right, creating arrows along its path. Alright, thanks. But this isnt enouC I shut up when words appear on the altars surface. Four circles are drawn, with an arrow linking each one with the next. Inside the circles, from left to right, there are the names of the four classical elements: Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water. Before I open my mouth again to complain theres not enough information, I notice something approaching my location from the darkness. Was my intuition right and theres a hidden enemy? I quickly prepare for combat, raising my trembling staff. I dont have MP nor EP, but Ill resist to the end! My actions fall flat when the assailants get close enough. Theyre four bowls similar to the ones that sprouted from the altar. Inside each of them, theres an object of different color and shape. Andreu, will you ever get tired of always being mistaken? Never! The four bowls then settle in a perfect circular formation around the altar, slowly circling us. Im lucky! It seems like a puzzle. No combat means I can beat the shit out of my opponent! Hahaha! When I believe everything is ready, theres evil laughter coming from everywhere at the same time. Soon after, from above the altar, a dark fissure opens in the middle of the air. A dark substance drips from it. If I dont stop it, itll eventually fall into one of the bowls on top of the altar. The first thing I try is to grab the dripping dark substance to prevent it from falling onto the bowls. Its useless, it slips right through my fingers like a shadow. In the text, it says the names of the four classic elements. Darkness isnt included. Which means I have a time limit to solve this. Im sure if that dark substance falls onto the bowl, itll be a death sentence for me. Alright, everythings fine. I can do it! Its a riddle, nothing impossible! Im sure the arrows point to the order in which I must put each element, so I cant make a stupid mistake like that. Believe me when I say this is important; it is common to fail a riddle or puzzle because you got the order wrong. The only problem is Why the fuck are there four bowls orbiting around and four elements, but there are only three fucking bowls on the altar!? The numbers dont match! Have you ever tried to fit four when there are only three slots? It doesnt work! What am I supposed to do!? ...I should take a look at the four bowls for now. Maybe itll solve all my questions? I take a close look at every one of the four orbiting bowls. Inside the first, theres a brown clump of something hard. This is a rock, so here goes Earth. The second contains an extremely detailed and semi-transparent depiction of Fire. On the third, theres a figurine of a white hurricane. This one is Wind. And as expected, the last one is Water, a cataract sculpted in ice. So we got the four elements. But the question is still the same, how am I supposed to fit four into three bowls? Ah, I know! Lets see if this works When logic doesnt make sense, what do you do? You brute force it! Hahaha! I grab the earth and fire and try to put them in the same bowl. But the bowl is too small. Regardless of how I place them, the second one falls off. ...Brute force doesnt work What a shame. It was expected, but its still a shame. Fire, wind, earth, and water. Those are the names written on the altar. Fire, wind, earth, and water Fire, wind, earth, and water Aaaagh! It makes no sense! ...how much time do I have remaining? I raise my head from the text written on the altar to look at the falling darkness. Twenty centimeters remaining. Im running short of time, I must do something. I can always try my luck, cant I? I grab three random elements and put one each on the three bowls. Three seconds later, my vision turns dark, and the same laughter as before echoes everywhere. Pain fills my whole body. When my vision returns, the four elements are on the corresponding floating bowls as if nothing happened. Even the dripping darkness remains the same. But something did happen. Fuck. 100 HP for a single failure? Im dead if I fail another time. I start thinking very hard while keeping an eye on the dripping darkness. There must be something Im missing, otherwise the game wouldnt have allowed my opponent to use such a riddle. But what is it? Why are there four elements but only three bowls? Ten centimeters until the darkness touches the bowls. Does it have to do with how the elements are ordered in the bowls? In the text is fire, wind, earth, and water; but in the floating bowls theyre in another order. Starting with the same fire; its fire, water, air, and earth. Five centimeters. Is it the substance theyre made of? No, only two of them are made of a substance that represents their element. Two isnt three either. Two centimeters. Aaaagh, I dont know! I start pulling the fur on my head. This cant be! I cant die like this! One centimeter. I must do something! Anything! Since Ill die anyway, I should at least try it! With no other options or time to think, I pick up the elements corresponding to the single idea I had in mind and quickly move them onto the bowls. ...Its all or nothing. Please, let me be right, I need to win this fight. I must show my opponent Im not some noob he can defeat easily. He was polite when asking for a fight, but this doesnt mean I should go easy on him.
It took me a while to find the correct answer to that riddle. What about you? Do you know the answer?
Ex Ch 17 - Jackpot A disfigured humanoid is kneeling, his hands clasped together as if praying. From his rat mouth, although very low, is possible to hear him muttering something. Oh, please, gods of luck and monsters. Today, your most devoted follower asks for your compassion. I dont ask much, the only thing I ask of you is to help me achieve my dream. Please, grant me the jackpot. For once, I want to win! I cant keep accepting such losses, but I cant stop playing, either! Having finished his prayers, the man stands up. In front of him, there are several capsules, the contents of which are unknown, even to him. He walks to the leftmost capsule. Please, jackpot. Jackpot, or at least not a complete failure While hesitating, he pulls the lever to open it. Fog pours out, blinding him for a moment. Sigh A complete failure yet again. He lowers his head and shakes it. Only once! Ill be satisfied with one! Im not asking much, I just want one Stitched with an amazing skill! The camera shifts to show the empty contents of the capsule. A few organic remains clumped at the bottom are the single clue as to what it once contained. The man proceeds to open the rest of the containers, one by one. But every time he pulls the lever, his expression contorts into a frown. By the fifth, he starts screaming. Come on, this isnt fair! Ive watched videos and most players get at least one success every ten tries! How am I so unlucky that Ive only got a single Stitched with Echolocation so far? It should be impossible! While denying reality and the fact that chance games always make people believe all the odds are against them, the man resigns himself to pull the last lever. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Im not expecting anything Not anymore He mutters. But unlike all the previous pulls, this time, when the fog clears up, the man can see a disgusting humanoid resting inside the machine. Huh? No way A second success, finally!? Hell yeah! Its a success! A success! He jumps around, swinging his arms around uncoordinately. I must know what skill it got, quickly! Theres a moment of silence as the man manipulates the game menu. His eyes open wide in surprise as a grin starts growing on his face. This This is No way, this cant be true, I must be dreaming He slams his head on the wall to make sure he isnt. Ouch, it hurts. But this means Fufufu! Hahaha! He prostrates on the ground and starts praying. Oh, thank you gods of fortune and monsters! From now on, Ill make sure to pray every single day to you! He adds in a lower voice. If I remember to do it The man stands back up. He gets close to the only successful experiment. With a trembling hand, disgust mixed with affection, he caresses the humanoid. I was saying it as a joke, I never imagined a Stitched to actually get this skill! Oh my god, this is amazing! Ill have to find a way so the Stitched can use it, by raising their EP and MP, but for now The man turns his head to the other side of the room. There, there are two machines with a clear distinct shape to the ones he was using until now. Machines he built but never got to use. Its time to do some cloning. Fufufu! Hahaha! The man cackles. Nobodys going to expect this! Itll be LEGENDARY!
In the game, the only sign of a successful pull was the fact that there was some monster inside the Mutation Vat. But when editing the video, which he called Jackpot! Its a Jackpot!, Andreu made sure to add a light show and sounds, followed by the clinking noise of hundreds of coins.
Ch 181 - The power of petrification Calm down, me. I cant allow my opponent to humiliate me like this. Hes using the same trick again, using the Choose wisely to provoke me? Im better than this. I should stand up and proceed carefully, without letting my emotions dominate my actions. Hmm. What a weird room. I dust my clothes after standing up. Its like a a mad scientist lair? More like an alien zoo, perhaps? The statues distributed in a circle on the edge of the room werent statues. Theyre specimens inside transparent glass capsules, floating in some liquid. Theyre disgusting, to say the least. Every single one of them gives me the creeps. Humanoids made out of parts of other humanoids? Ugh! As for the rest of the room, it has the same construction method as the rooms before. However, in this one, all the laboratory equipment and cables are on the outside, leaving an open area in the center. Right at the center of the open area, theres some kind of console with instructions, the only part readable from this distance being the words Choose wisely. Ill have to get closer to read the rest. Its clear he intentionally exclusively wrote those two words in larger letters. To remind me of my previous error, assuming I would fail the first room. I wont fall for it this time. Ill check the exit door first. I start walking, very carefully so as not to trigger any trap. It''s time to find some monsters, itd be weird if there were none in the whole dungeon. This means I turn my head to the glass capsules, containing the disgusting monsters, ...theres a high chance its those. Regardless, the first is to check the exit door. As I come closer to the closed door, I notice theres a gap between the floor tiles on the floor. A pressure plate the door is trapped. If I want to get close to the door, to check if its open or not, Ill have to step on the pressure plate. It could also be a fake trap I cant say its impossible. Ive been deceived twice so far. Assuming this is an actual trap, I cant check the door without triggering it. Itd be another thing if I could fly, but I cant. Since the game forbids the use of traps that cant be avoided, there are only two options here. The first is that the trap is real and the door will open when I complete whatever is written on the console. When the door opens, I can jump over it, making it possible to avoid and thus a viable trap. The second is that the trap is fake. In this case, the door might or might not be locked. Theres a chance it is the same as in the first room...but I dont think it is, itd be too easy. After all, if I survive the trap and the door is open, its GG for him. Im convinced. The safest choice is to follow the instructions written next to the console. The door will open after that. I cant make any more errors. I can risk it with the pressure plate. Who knows what might happen I decisively go back, while continuing to check for traps. On top of a table stained with a suspicious dark substance that reminds me of dried blood, theres an old screen with a few buttons below it. The screen has nothing written on it, while each button has a number on it. They go from 1 to 10, though the eighth one is smashed and doesnt seem itll work anymore. Ten buttons. Its the same as the amount of glass capsules surrounding me. Hanging from the side of the table, low enough that it was on my eye level when I fell to the ground, escaping the giant ballista, there are the instructions. I bend down my knees to read it properly. The poor, unlucky player finally reached this room. His next task was to fight the monsters in the capsules. But, since Im so generous, I allowed him to pick the five he wanted to fight. Then, below the text, there are the dreaded Choose wisely words, in significantly larger letters. As I expected, its a fight. I nod and observe the capsules containing the monsters. Each one has a small plaque with a number near the bottom. From one to ten, each capsule contains a single monster. The eighth one, though, doesnt. Similar to the button with the same number, its as if something smashed it to pieces. Taking into account how the metal is bent and the fact that the glass fragments are scattered outside the container, it doesnt seem to be an external attack. But it has nothing to do with me. The important ones are the other nine. Choose wisely, huh? I have to choose which monsters I want to fight, right? I cant think of it in any other way. For now, I carefully observe each monster, to assess how strong they might be. There are quite a few I dont recognize No, most of them I dont recognize. I do recognize the Stitched, the Flesh Monstrosities basic units. This is why I dont like playing against the Flesh Monstrosities, as they can create their own units Its worse than with other factions with similar customization options, as theirs is way too versatile. I can at least guess whats up with the golems and other stuff, but its hard to identify one of their monsters unless Im sure which units are used to create them. The problem is that the capsules prevent me from inspecting the monsters, I can only guess what they are. Regardless, I circle the room as I inspect every single one of them. A total of three Stitched. Then, theres a Goblimp and a Lab Assistant, which I recognize from when I invaded my opponents dungeon. Theres a Fleshling too, but I have no idea if its a Hauntling or not because they all look the same. Inside the number five, theres a single rabbit. From all those monsters that could transform into rabbits, I have no idea which it might be. It could range from a useless critter to the dangerous Not A Rabbit. As for the remaining two Ive never seen them before. One is like an orc mixed with a dwarf, and the last one looks like a normal human, which makes no sense. Why would he use two human units to create a monster? Dont all Flesh Monstrosities players hate them because they have no innate skills? Why would he use not one, but two of them? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Confusion fills me. I have no idea what he was thinking when capturing human units. It doesnt help that Ive been betrayed by my logical assumptions twice before in this dungeon and Im not sure what to do. In any other dungeon, Id have a clear idea of how to proceed, but I dont want to fall for their antics another time. Hmm I start thinking. The easy choice is to assume everything will work perfectly and Ill fight those I choose. Itd be foolish to think everything will go so smoothly, so I should pick very carefully. Given what Ive seen so far, my opponent likes to play mental tricks. Ill assume theres a high chance Ill have to fight those I dont pick. This means I must divide the monsters into two equally difficult groups. I start by splitting them into hard and easy monsters. The Stitched go to the easy group, followed by the Goblimp and the Fleshling. The Fleshlings skills may be dangerous, and I dont know what they are, but as a 200 cp cost monster, its stats are pretty low. The Lab Assistant goes to the difficult group. Same with the Not A Rabbit. Since I dont know which monster it actually is, I must assume the worst. Those were the easy ones. Its harder to decide where to put the last two monsters since I dont know what they are, though I can make assumptions. The orc one looks dangerous: orc plus dwarf make for a very nasty melee combination. I guess Ill put it on the hard group. On the other side, the human looks weak. Also, I dont expect him to have wasted too many resources on a useless unit, as all Flesh Monstrosities like to call the humans. Ill put it on the easy group. After thinking about it for a while I decide to divide the groups. In the console, Ill press the buttons for the Lab Assistant, the rabbit, Fleshling, Goblimp, and the human; leaving the orc and three Stitched free. There are two reasons for doing it like this. The first is that I prefer knowing about my enemies, so Id rather face two stronger monsters I know about than a single one I dont. The second reason is that I believe theres a higher chance everything is another lie and Ill have to fight those I dont choose. If Im right, Ill have an easier fight since Ill have to fight a single strong monster. I smile. It feels good to have everything under control, as it should always be. Furthermore, I havent used my special move. With it, Im sure Ill win the incoming fight. Hahaha, I outsmarted you this time, Evil Mastermind. Watch as I crush all your plans! Id love to see his face when he realizes Im smarter than he expected. Slowly, making sure I press the correct numbers, I introduce the numbers on the capsules containing the monsters. The previously empty screen starts changing, displaying my choices. And the last one is the nine After pressing the last button, the fifth digit appears on the screen, followed by a congratulatory sound coming from who knows where. Then, the screen flickers and the numbers disappear. The screen doesnt remain empty for long, though. Soon, letters start to appear, as if somebody was writing. Youre right! The monsters he chose to fight were the 1, 3, 4, 5, and 9. And since he fought them, this means they were defeated a long time ago. Good luck with the rest! Hahaha! As the last words appear on the screen, theres a mechanical buzz coming from all around me. The capsules with the numbers I chose start to emit sparks, followed by smoke. The previously transparent liquid turns green, and the monsters inside them start to dissolve. Following the disgusting spectacle, the remaining four containers start buzzing. The glass breaks, liberating the monsters inside. I knew it! Finally, something that goes according to what I expected! I prepare for battle. Three Stitched and one orc-dwarf hybrid. Given how weak the former are, this is going to be extremely easy. With my staff raised, I start casting my first spell. I wont allow you to get close. Ill win this flawlesslyC My words get interrupted when the Stitched, having just emerged from the containers, all open their mouth at the same time. Fire bursts out, flooding my surroundings in a fiery embrace. When the fire clears up, I see the Stitcheds corpses on the ground. W-what!? Wasnt that the Dragons Breath? How can mere Stitched use it? I quickly snap out of my surprise, being used to similar situations. This isnt enough to stop me. Thank god their stats arent up to par or theyd have killed me. The saving grace is that there are three fewer enemies to worry about. Only the orc remains now. I cast Entangle to immobilize it, followed by Poison Cloud. Before the orc gets free of the vines, I cast Ice Prison and cancel Entangle. It is more efficient than the former since its a single-target skill, but its also harder to land. Casting one after the other makes this irrelevant.
Ice Prison (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP, 5 MP per second
Immobilize one unit for up to 10 seconds. The duration is reduced against units with higher average stats than you. This skill can only immobilize the same unit once every minute, The timer resets after the effect ends.
You know whats the best way to defeat enemies? Its to never allow them to fight back. Immobilize them, put them to sleep, inflict slows, stun them, make them run away in fear, paralyze them, or, in extreme cases, teleport them away. Whatever you do, if they cant fight back, the fight is won before it starts. Heh, so easy. And now, to finish this off, a little bit of fear I try to raise my staff to cast my last spell, but I cant. ...Why cant I move? I try to look around in a panic. I cant turn my head. I cant move my arms or talk. I cant use skills, either. But Im not in my phantasmal form, and my body didnt fall to the ground, so Im not paralyzed Ah, I know whats going on! Together with charm, this is one of the two least common status effects: petrify. But when? And how? Theres only one monster in front of me, and it''s clear the orc didnt do it. Its then that I notice something is moving close to the ceiling. Protruding from the wall, theres a worm with chicken features. A worm the same size as the hole in container number eight, the one that was disabled since the beginning. The last monster wasnt dead, but escaped! I made a huge mistake assuming I didnt have to worry about it! Noooooo! I lowered my guard and allowed him to fool me again! I try to shout, but nothing comes out.
... You told me you have already used the Blood Power skill, and Im sure you know it can kill the unit using it. But do you know how it works exactly? No? Then allow me to explain! As you already know, this skill allows you to spend HP instead of EP or MP when using skills. And if the HP required to use the skill is higher than your current HP, you die. This allows you to cast spells that cost more than your current HP, even if it kills you. But did you know theres a cap on how much HP you can spend? For example, if the skill costs 200 MP but you have no MP, you must have at least 150 HP to cast it. Yes, youre right! The maximum cost of the skill you want to cast has to be at most 50 over your current HP! Otherwise, it wont activate! Hahaha, Im amazed at how much thought the developers put into DMA sometimes. As Im sure you suspect by now, this limit was implemented to prevent players from abusing it on weak mobs. So that they cant use skills that cost absurd amounts of EP or MP easily. Though theres the option to give them the MP Boost skill and raise their level to upgrade it, so that they can use that skill, itll cost you enough cp that its generally not worth the effort. - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard. Nobody asked him, but he explained it anyway.
Ch 182 - I want a rematch I bring the two elements I chose to their respective bowls. Only two? But arent there three bowls, you ask? Youre right, but I thought about it for a while, and I can come up with a single solution. And that solution requires two of the elements, not three. Fire, wind, earth, and water. Inside the spinning bowls, there are representations of the four, but this doesnt mean the actual element is in there. I dont want to brag about my superior intellect, but theres no way I can mistake a crystal figurine of a bonfire for Fire, even if it has the same colors and glow. Its the same for Wind, the tornado, which is made of a solid white substance. On the other side, both Earth and Water contain actual earth and water. The former is a clump of clay, and the latter is carved on ice. But this leaves me with only two elements, right? Wrong! I dont know about the fire. Maybe, creating fire with a skill would work and identify it as Fire... Not that I have a skill that can create fire anyway, so I dont know nor do I care. But I do know about Wind, or air to be more precise. Air is transparent. Air is everywhere. Air fills the whole room. Which means The bowls have contained Wind since the start, I didnt need to do anything at all! Im sure the answer to this riddle is to fill the bowls with the remaining earth and water, in the order written on the altar: fire, wind, earth, and water. Since fire is out of the equation, I must leave the first bowl empty, aka wind; and put the clay and the ice in the other two, in this order. Hahaha! In the end, I surpassed you. After talking so much about how good you are at riddles and tricky stuff, I beat you at your own game Fufufu! Hahaha! While laughing, I put the clay inside the central bowl. Then, I extend my hand to put the ice inside the last one, but before I can drop it, the lights turn off and the same laughter as before fills the room. When my vision returns, I can see the altar in front of me, as well as the four bowls circling us. At first, I thought I had succeeded, that it went well, but then I notice the central bowl is filled with something dark. When I look down, I see my Champions body on the ground as well as my translucid legs. Noooooo! I was so close! Im sure I got the correct answer, so why did I have to run out of time!? I pull my fur. This isnt fair, I should have won this match! I had the correct answer If only I wasted less time thinking or laughing after I realized the correct answer Its now that I realize theres a familiar message in front of me.
You have died!
...shit! Theres no victory or defeat screen, though. There wont be until both of us die, or until my opponent destroys my dungeon core. I havent lost yet, its possible to achieve a draw. Thank god we went with the Total Victory mode The advantage of the Total Victory mode is that it doesnt matter if you die first, as long as the opponent dies too. Taking into account the surprise I prepared for him in the last room, I would say the chances hell die are quite high. Since Im already dead and have to wait until the match is decided, I sit on the ground and do what any normal person would: open the screen to watch my opponents progress and hope for their death. Fufufu! Hahaha! This cant be true! Immediately after the screen shows Brainiacs progress, I start laughing. I was so worried here, without knowing hes done for, hahaha! On the screen, Brainiac remains completely immobile. Popping its head from the wall, I can see my Spitter, staring in his direction. Hes petrified, and he will remain like that until the Spitter looks away, which it wont, or the maximum petrification time passes. But by then itll be too late, as the Good Follower will be upon him. Enjoy your last moments, Brainiac. Youre done for, hahaha! I take out my imaginary popcorn to enjoy the show thats sure to follow, relieved I can avoid total defeat.
Oh, no! This is bad The weird worm with chicken parts squirms, sticking its head sticking out of the wall. It opens its mouth and spews a mouthful of a green substance at me. I would easily avoid it if I could move, but I cant. While petrified, I cant attack, move, or use skills; and the game wouldnt allow me to talk with my teammates, if I had any. Champions have a natural resistance to this kind of effect, so the petrification will disappear soon. The problem is that itll be too late by then. Status effects are king. This is why I love them, and why I abuse them as much as I can. This is also why I picked the Dream Vestiges faction, which is the faction that uses them the best thanks to so many monsters having innate skills that have status effects. Its so easy to break the game with them! But everything has its drawbacks. Status effects are very powerful, but they all fall into one of three categories. One, they are either easy to break or very difficult to apply. Two, they have a limited amount of time they can affect their victims before a cooldown period. Three, they work on everyone, regardless of ally or enemy. Theyre difficult to use because of the limitations, but when you learn how to work with them, theyre amazing. This is why I beat the crap out of anyone who dares fight against me! At least, this is how it should have been Who could imagine I would fall for a status effect at the worst moment? Is it luck? Is it a stratagem? How could I know there was a hidden enemy, or that it had petrification in its arsenal? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. You never know what to expect when you fight the Flesh Monstrosities, this is why I hate them so much. Id even say about half their victories are just because the opponent didnt know what they were up against! Aagh, this is so unfair! I had this game! Im sure theres nothing after this room! If only I didnt lower my guard And whats up with those Stitched that could use Dragons Breath!? I didnt know it was possible! Ill have to investigate it after this match finishes, I wont fall two times for the same trick. Returning to the fight, I can only watch as the Ice Prison immobilization wears off and the orc-dwarf monster comes closer. By the time the petrification effect wears off, itll be in melee range. By then, itll be too late for me. I wont be able to use Ice Prison to stop it, and if I use Entangle or Poison Cloud, they will affect me too. Not even Sweet Dreams will do, as Im against not one but two enemies. Itll be a waste of MP, and the only thing Ill achieve is to heal my opponent. If not for the fire damage I took a while ago I could fight back and achieve victory, but Im too low for it to matter. Furthermore, I have no idea if, or when, that petrification skill will affect me a second time. The orc starts to attack me. Im done ... for. Oh, the petrification wore off, its shorter than I expected. But its too late anyway My HP falls below 50. Ah, Im poisoned too? Not like it makes any difference. But I wont allow myself to be defeated like this. I dodge and strike back, waiting for when Ice Prison will come out of cooldown, to immobilize the orc and escape my fate. But fate isnt always so kind.
You have died!
Hmm I guess that seals it. Im not happy with this result. I should have won! I had the better plans, I had the better strategy! But my opponent played mental tricks on me, and I fell for them
Dungeon Battle Challenge (Total Victory)
The Mad Rats Lab - Disguised Koala - Defeated
Utopia - Brainiac - Defeated
Nobody achieved Total Victory, its a DRAW!
The message appears shortly after I die. Hahaha, my dungeon proved to be good enough to defeat him. I wasnt expecting any less than this, this is the bare minimum. A draw is acceptable, taking into account his despicable methods and my lack of luck. Luck is also a skill. I wont complain anymore, since I didnt lose. A draw means Im at least as good as he is, if not better. Its time to reflect on what happened. Analyze my failures, watch the replay to see how he moved through my dungeon, and prepare for the next match. Because Im sure there will be a next match. Ill make sure there is one. Otherwise, how am I going to show everyone Im better than him, and that it''s me, not him, who deserves all that praise, as well as the title Evil Mastermind? Next time, Ill be ready. Ill surely win the next match. With superior intellect and tactics.
After the initial excitement of watching my opponent die, I calm down. Its a draw, huh? I stroke my nonexistent beard while reading the window in front of me. Its a shame I was one second late Otherwise, itd have been my victory. Im sure of it. Id cry if I lost because of running out of time, but a draw is acceptable. And more importantly, I got to enjoy his last moments! Hahaha! To think hed resist to the bitter end, knowing it was all worthless! The best thing I did while preparing the dungeon was to predict hed choose the Stitched to fight. This is why I put the new, improved, not-so-worthless, and extremely powerful version of Stitched inside the capsules. I mean powerful for a Stitched. Theyre still weak, slow, ugly, braindead, and kinda useless; but they arent AS useless as the rest. To think Id get so lucky with the mutation pulls... I always wanted the Stitched to get a powerful skill. I joked about them getting Dragons Breath, but they got it! After more than thirty pulls, I had two successes: one Stitched with Echolocation, utterly and completely useless; and one Stitched with the most powerful innate attack of the whole game! It would have been perfect if the Stitched had enough EP and MP to cast the skill, which by the way, they dont and by a large amount at that. They have 50 EP and 30 MP, and Dragons Breath requires 300 of each. So I did the only logical thing a mad scientist can do: I ignored all advice against spending useless amounts of cp on a weak mob. I raised their levels, gave them skills to upgrade their EP and MP to a ridiculous amount, and even gave them the Blood Power skill. And after all that, they can use the skill a single time before killing themselves! Hahaha! How pathetic are they? But it was worth it! Can you imagine the surprise the enemies will get when they find out a random Stitched can use the same attack as a dragon? They deal far less damage, but the visuals are the same, so they wont know at first glance! Aaah, Im looking forward to releasing them in my dungeon Or maybe not. Today I discovered its a nice boon to have unknown monsters ready to use in PvP. Like the Spitter, which I somehow forgot to add to my dungeon since a long time ago. It did a great job in both this match and the one I was playing with Laura, and Im sure a great part of it was the fact that my opponents didnt know about its existence. So maybe maybe I should keep the fire-breathing Stitched hidden too? Nah, who am I trying to convince? A Stitched with the same skill as a dragon is too good to not use. Theyre kind of useless anyway, I was lucky they performed as well as they did today. Itll be better to put them in my dungeon, with all the rabble. And with rabble I mean the other Stitched. Now its time to leave the game or my parents will get angry at me for being late for dinner. It was a fun match, and I had the chance to beat that Brainiac guy at his own game, hahaha! To think he was boasting so much, but died to my tricks. On top of that, I was so close to achieving victory One or two seconds faster, and The in-game sound for a received message interrupts my thoughts. Its from Brainiac. Hes taunting me, saying I relied on luck and petty tricks to kill him, and showing off for killing me. How dare he? I grin at his bullshit. How dare he expose my secret techniques like that? Petty tricks? Theyre not so easy to come up with, you know? And to divulge them like they were against all fair play Which they are, but this and that are two separate things. I write a message in response, saying that Id be happy to oblige. If he wants a rematch, a rematch he shall have. But not now, nor any time soon. I need time to prepare. This time it was kind of abrupt and I didnt have much time to get ready, but for the next time Get ready, Brainiac. For Ill have something ready for you. Something youll never forget I swear on my honor. Fufufu! Hahaha!
Petty tricks? This is the name the losers give to the awesome tactics used by the winners. Everythings fair in love and war. Use your imagination to come up with traps, monsters, and rooms your invaders will love to hate. Force them into danger. Put their skills and wits to the test. Have them try their best or die trying. For those who succeed, there wont be a greater satisfaction. For those who dont, theyll cry in shame and come back for more, for they will have to bear the taunts from all the players who succeeded before them. - Fragment from Strike Hard Where It Hurts, one part of The Dark Teachings series. What Andreu didnt know at that time, was that a certain person took the love part quite literally. He was in for an unexpected outcome.
Ch 183 - To burn in paradise Fufufu! Hahaha! I laugh alone, standing proudly in the middle of the Freezer. Nobody will expect this, Im sure of it. Aaah, Im so looking forward to watching the invaders reactions You should be expecting it by now, and Im sure youre right. What I just did was to add five Braindead Flamethrowers C the name I gave to the Stitched with the dragons innate skill C inside the Freezer. Theyll be randomly assigned to the Braindead Leaders at dungeon instancing so that each squad maintains the same number of monsters, an unknown amount of which will be Braindead Flamethrowers. Not wanting to waste any time, I raise a hand and shout, To the control room! before leaving the place. I sit on my comfy chair. As usual, an Octocat is resting on the armchair. But this time, theres an Octobbit on the opposite side. Dont ask me why, ask Clara. Alright. I rub my hands together. Its time for the show to start! Fufufu! Hahaha!
Boss, what shall we do now? The man referred to as boss raises one of his thick eyebrows and sends his subordinate a killing glare. ...why do you ask? Obviously, were pressing forward. But weve just lost two of our units in the last battle. Shouldnt we consider taking a break to recover, or even retreat? Ive said were pressing forward. Repeats the man, a speck of anger in his voice. Were not wasting this chance. But we didnt know about those monsters! What if we find more of the ones who can spew fire? Dont you agree that, the, best The subordinates voice trails off as he realizes the warping expression on his superiors face. Hmph! This is why you should rely on your strength and not on your minions, Jonah. ... He stays silent. Knowing his boss temperament, he knows it isnt time to complain. Otherwise, hell be kicked from the group. The boss stops polishing his weapon and starts walking. With almost a meter in length and a barrel wide enough to fit a whole arm inside, the monstrous weapon would make anyone scream and run away in fear if pointed at them. This is a hand cannon, a very expensive and strong weapon exclusive to one of the games factions. The man himself, though, isnt much taller than the weapon. Stout, well-built, and sturdy. His body makes anyone who sees him believe a rock could land on him and he wouldnt feel it. In fact, the rock might break first. Thick eyebrows and muscular body. A beard so long it almost touches the ground, braided into several strands, with metal decorations holding them in place. Armor covers his whole body, leaving just enough space for him to see and a cigar to hang in his mouth. This boss is the perfect dwarf. He even has the temperament to go with it. While the subordinate, a normal-looking human, is taller than the boss, he wouldnt dare go against his opinion ever. Not against the Bulldozer, known for being as stubborn as he is strong. A group of disfigured humanoids pops out of the corner. Be careful, there might be one of them mixed in the group, we must The subordinate tries to protect him from the enemies, but he pushes him out of the way before pulling the trigger. A large projectile flies to the first enemy and explodes upon contact. When the smoke clears, the monsters are gone. Tsk. The boss clicks his tongue. More nuisances. Are those the guys you were scared of? Pathetic! He grumbles. And whose fault it is we had to deviate from our path, huh? It was my fault Im sorry. The human lowers his head in shame. I let those guys escape, giving us no option but to go this way. Hmph! At least you understand it. Left behind by the grumbling dwarf, the subordinate mutters in a low voice. Not everything can be solved with a bigger gun... He always thinks hes enough, but having a few dead units will hinder our progress What did you say!? The dwarfs shout surprises the subordinate. N-no, nothing. I didnt say anything at all. ...Thought so. They continue advancing, blasting every enemy that comes their way with the hand cannon. Boss, the way is clear. Weve reached the door to the next area. Suddenly, a cloaked shadow pops right next to the dwarf. There was no sign of them until the voice was heard. Follow me, Ill guide you there. Other than the black cloak, the only visible part of this new individual is the two glowing blue orbs where the eyes should be. Good job. The dwarf turns to his human subordinate. See this? This is how you should act! Stop acting like a sissy and man up, Jonah! This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Yes, sir Shadow, theres no need to guide us. We know the way. Instead, tell Brugnor to get ready. Were going to clear the sealed area in one fell swoop. Dont hesitate to use everything at your disposal. Sure thing. The cloaked figure banishes, leaving these words behind. The only remaining players, the human and the dwarf, keep advancing without hesitation. Behind them, theres a group of five armed soldiers, two of whom are holding bows. The dwarfs laughter echoes on the frozen walls, creating a phantasmagorical effect. Hahahaha! Even after your mistake, were making good progress, Jonah! Im sure of it now. Today well achieve the shortest time to clear The Mad Rats Lab since the last layout changes! We have the best scout, the best tank, and the best ranged attacker. He pats his weapon. Even you have your uses. Were sure to achieve the speedrun record! Hahaha! Im not so sure about that all our healers died a minute ago Did you say anything!? N-no, sir! I didnt! ...Thought so.
Here we go again I sigh as the more than familiar scenery fills my view. A forest path surrounded by plants with a slight red tone, leading to a cave entrance. Inside the rocky mouth, equal amounts of despair and surprise await us. Fuhahaha! Im back! Its time to play! My dear teacher, Im back. Allow me to learn a lot from you today too. Thanks a lot! Smash, kill, pain! Hehe! Do you think well meet him today? I want to introduce myself to him Aaah, I got wet thinking about him How many times has it been? Why dont they ever get tired of this? I furrow my brows at the actions of my two comrades. To be more specific, at the stuff they say. If only I didnt have to come here I came once out of curiosity and since then, the responsibility to get information has always fallen upon me. Alright, lets go! Ana, Spy, follow me. Lets gogogoooo! ... The crazy duo raise their fists in excitement while I observe them. Im sure my furrow gets deeper every time I have to play with them. Soon, itll be so deep itll pop out from the other side of my head. When he realizes I stay silent, Bil turns around and kindly asks. Are you okay, Spy? You look like you have to visit the bathroom N-no, dont worry. Im fine I quickly answer. You sure? Okay. Then, lets goo! Lets gogogooo! Actually my insides twist when I remember I have to spend the next one or two hours with Bil and Ana. It doesnt have anything to do with me having to go take a shit, though. Its all that stupid speedrun contest! Aaagh, I hate it so much! I must learn everything they know about the traps and monsters, so my team can win it. But it happens that they are the group that knows this dungeon the best so I have no choice but to follow them. For some reason I cant comprehend, when I indirectly ask them what I want to know, they tell me I should experience it by myself, leaving me no choice but to follow them and hope theyll expose their secrets. Lets say it works. When they enjoy the dungeon, they talk a lot about what they like and whats the best, giving me valuable information. They creep me out at the same time. But the worst is that I dont want to admit it, but, slowly Im starting to enjoy it Aaaaaaaah! I shout to forget my worries. Lets goooo! So far, it went as expected. Ana and Bil first competed for who would dare to taunt more turtles and survive. Then they got eaten by the tunneling worms twice twice each, I mean. They played tag with the Panicky Spitters, and when they finally killed them all, they decided they wanted to take the long route through the Freezer, where we are right now. The only thing I learned so far? That if you can manage to move behind a wall or column, you can avoid The Tunnels Nightmares forced eye-catching feature and successfully escape, avoiding the fear attack completely. Was it worth the trouble? Im not sure. Im excited to see what will he create in the future, comments Ana, walking side by side with Bil. Its been a while since the last time he created a new dungeon area C Ouch! Bil bumps her head. Dont dare question his actions, Ana. Hes always right and makes no errors. Whatevers going on in his head must surely be aimed at our enjoyment. If theres something new he wants to show us, we have to wait until he decides to illuminate us with the truth! Youre right, Im sorry She rubs the place he hit with a pouty face. But arent you curious? Of course I am. Who wouldnt? Me, me! Here! Here is someone who doesnt care! But if I say it, theyll expel me from the Mad Rats Cult and wont be able to obtain any more information, so I stay silent. So this is why you should give thanks to him every day when you wake up andC Bills monologue gets interrupted by a wave of fire pouring out from his right. The fire comes like a wave, engulfing the three of us. Wha, what was that? I ask. I dont know. Bil starts looking around, trying to find the origin of that attack. There comes a group of Braindead. But they shouldnt be able to use fire. It must be It must be something new. His eyes start shining. When Ana hears what he says, hers too. Something new? Its amazing! So were in one of these situations everyone dreads in the forums when something new appears and obliterates everyones plans and previous assumptions. It doesnt apply to the madmen in front of me, but everyone else prays they arent the first to find those changes. Its the unknown! Ana, Spy, rejoice! My teacher hasnt forgotten me and has allowed me to be the first to enjoy his blessings. To learn his teachings! Fufufu! Hahaha! Bask me in fire, so I can reach paradise! Hit me hard, with fiery passion. Give me your love! They start running around, trying to find the origin of that fire wave. They leave me behind, alone. My head feels like its about to explode. Im fed up with their craziness! But maybe maybe I should try it too? Its only a possibility, but maybe the fire will cleanse all my worries so that I can forget all about Ana, Bil, and their group, returning to the day I didnt know anything about them. Aaah, fire! Burning, purifying fire! Incinerate all my worries so I can emerge anew from the ashes!
Nobody expected the havoc the Stitched with the Dragons Breath skill would cause. Even when considering their lack of SPI, the base damage of Dragons Breath was quite high at 50 base damage. Adding to this the fact the damage was dealt in an area of effect, one or two hits were enough to cripple most low-level parties. Since there was no visual difference between them and the other Braindead units, the players had to assume the possibility any number of Stitched they found could be Braindead Flamethrowers. This made their progress very slow, as they had to inspect each monster or tread cautiously; or very dangerous, if they disregarded everything and decided to test their luck.
Ch 184 - More than an assistant Aaaa, uuum what to do I sit upside down on my comfy chair, trying to decide what to do next. What means Im sitting upside down? Its easy, you put your legs on the part where the head should be, and the head where the legs go. Something that would hurt like hell in real life but in the game is just mildly annoying, with the upside-down view and all that. I want to start with the next dungeon area, but at the same time, I dont feel like doing it. Its so much effort to go hunting for each and every monster I need This is, by far, the worst part of this faction. Aaaagh I dont wanna go! I just want to create the monsters, not collect the bodies! For now, I open the dungeon menu and fiddle with it to see what bodies I have in my stasis capsules. Lets hope theres something useful. Lets see, lets see I have a unit called Remraf Remraf? Its the first time Ive read this name, where the hell did it come from? When I select it, the dungeon menu shows me its statistics, as well as the 3D model of that unit. Theres an upside-down human. Ah, I get it. Its a Farmer, written in reverse. I took into account that the letters are upside-down, but I forgot theyre written from right to left too. Fucking humans, I hate them so much. At least dont give me false hopes! For a moment I thought I had an interesting catch, but it turned out it was a Farmer, who not only happens to be a human but its also the weakest of the useless garbage. Then, I start to scroll down the list, carefully checking each unit so that I dont commit more mistakes. Doing so, I realize an incredible, astonishing, and painful truth. Its the apocalypse! The end of the world! ...why are half my stasis capsules filled with humans again? I despair. What did I do to you, god, that you forsake me like this? Why do you bring me so much pain? I must find a way to end this plague But thats a problem for the future me. Future me, good luck! Hahaha! So, since I dont want to go capture monsters right now, theres only one thing I can do. Its procrastination time! As everybody knows, the best way to finish the current task is to do something else until you find the drive to work on it. You say Im wrong? Nah, it cant be. It just so happens theres something Ive been planning and postponing since a long time ago. An idea that came up after I created the first Lab Assistant, a very long, long time ago. Then, I completely forgot about it, until until I went to a Wild Feral dungeon the other day and found a Werecat C which I captured, by the way. Let me ask you a question: what are the two things every mad scientist must have? The first is, obviously, some kind of lackey or assistant to do all the jobs he doesnt want to do. Like standing still for a long time, waiting for the time to create a monster to finish. Im sure you know who Im talking about right now. As for the other one, its a need created after watching disgusting stuff all the time. Like the Stitched, the weird abominations, the gory bits and pieces, the Stitched, or the disfigured monsters made of parts of other units. Also did I mention the Stitched? To cleanse the sight from all that horrible stuff, I require something beautiful. Something that alleviates my weary eyes from the vile units I create. Something to restore my sanity and even give it a boost. Hmm, hmm. I nod. Yep, youre right. Im talking about a sexy secretary. It couldnt be any other way, the sexy secretary must use two of the most common troupes: a succubus, and an animal-eared woman like the werecat. Youre right. Werecats dont really fit the animal-eared theme. They have a full cats head, not only the ears. They also have a furry body, claws, and cat-like legs, making them more cat than human while maintaining a humanoid body shape. But, did you forget? I can use parts of the units, theres no need for me to use the whole body! I can keep the cat parts to the minimum, leaving only the cat ears and tail. How was it called nekomimi, was it? Well, regardless of what is it called, its a common trope, and Im going to use a succubus as the base, so its doubly good! Ah, look at the time! I should stop wasting time and do something productive already. I fiddle with the dungeon menu and create a new Template, choose the Hybrid unit, and select the single Succubus and Werecat units I have captured. Since it''s kind of a joke unit, I dont want to spend too much resources on this one. Also, it was supposed to be added to the dungeon a long time ago when I didnt have access to more advanced units, so Im fine with it being weak. This time I start with the units looks, as Ive already decided upon it beforehand. Using the succubus as the base means that my sexy secretary will have a great figure and horns on her head. I dont want the horns to get too much attention, so I make them small and pointy, slightly bigger than a thumb. I then remove the ears and replace them with the werecats. Finally, I add the tail, long and thin. Both cat parts have pitch-black fur, which means that when it uses the Cat Transformation skill, itll turn into a black cat. Oh, and her pupils have a pink color. Players can change their color if they wish to, but by default, succubus have pink eyes. Now comes the difficult part. What skills can I give it so that my joke isnt a complete waste of resources and cp? Shell heal my eyes from all the horrible stuff, so healing and support skills? Itll have the Charming Eyes innate skill, they will synergize quite well. Yes, lets go with that. The first skill that comes to mind is Revitalize. Why? Its because its the healing spell Laura, who just happens to play as a succubus too, uses. Heals over time are more powerful than instant heals because, by the time the healing works, its possible its too late and the target is dead. But I think its fine. I dont really expect my sexy secretary to be of any use in a fight. In fact, I plan to make her avoid combat if possible, so a heal over time is good enough. And, obviously, it doesnt have anything to do with the fact I dont want to search for another skill Obviously. I repeat it to make sure you understand. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Stop looking at me like that! I swear, its the truth. Im not lying! Resurrection would be nice too But it wont have enough MP to use it, so I better dont give it to her. As for other skills Itd be fun to give her Too Gross to Look At, but it wouldnt make any sense... After all, I think shes the first humanoid Ive created that isnt disgusting or disfigured in some way. The Good Followers might be the closest ones to normal, but regardless of how you edit them, a mix of orc and dwarf can never be handsome. Believe me, I tried it out of curiosity, and it didnt work. It turned out to be creepier than I thought could be possible. Maybe Presence Detection? This way she can avoid enemies quite well Argh, I cant come up with any good ideas! Do you know what happens when you focus too much on the looks but dont care about anything else? This is what happens! That you dont know how to make it work! I was so focused on the sexy secretary that heals my heart, that I forgot to plan what said secretary is supposed to do. Use the Presence Detection as an example: a skill used for aggressive monsters, so that players cant avoid them. I was thinking of using it defensively so that she would avoid combat. Why am I thinking of keeping her alive instead of being useful? Its a monster in a game, for gods sake! Wait a moment! My inner monologue gave me a crazy idea. Yes, this is it! Why should I make her run away, when I can make her harass the invaders? Fufufu! Hahaha! I love the idea of a sexy secretary assailing my enemies, forcing them into dangerous situations while assisting the monsters inside my dungeon! Even if she is weak, it wont matter, because Charming Eyes is overpowered. My little, black cat assassin-support. A sensual woman wearing tight black leC Khm! Lets stop the delusions. I refocus on the task at hand and open the skill list. If I give her this skill and that one, then increase her MP with MP Boost and I chuckle to myself, selecting the perfect kit for her to annoy the hell out of any invader who happens to encounter her. ...this is going to be so much fun! Hahaha!
Sexy Secretary (Lv 6)
HP 600 (400) STA 42 (28) SOU 39 (26)
EP 450 (300) MP 615 (410)
STR 55 (37) CON 43 (29) AGI 60 (40)
SPI 57 (38) WIL 49 (33) DEX 45 (30)
SPD 7 INT 5 COM 1
Skills
Active: Invisibility, Revitalize, Charming Eyes (Innate), Cat Transformation (Innate). Triggered: Fast Recovery. Passive: Presence Detection, MP Boost - LV 2 (Proficient).
Now that I take a proper look at her stats, she isnt as weak as I thought shed be. Compared to the crazy monsters that use three other units, shes weak, but compared to the other hybrids, she isnt. Her base stats are about double those of my Good Followers! But enough about this, lets go the the relevant bits. You see cats are small and quite agile. If theyre black, they can be pretty hard to spot, too. This means that, in her cat form, the Sexy Secretary will be able to stealthily move around undetected, stalking the invaders. Then, she can transform and use Charming Eyes at the worst moment. The worst moment means right before a powerful skill or trap hits the players. Do you know whats worse than having a monster thats about to explode right next to you? The same, but when you are incapable of moving. I change her AI so that she doesnt use Charming Eyes for more than one or two seconds, to save as much MP as possible. My objective isnt to render other players incapable of defending themselves but to make them fail at the worst moment. Youre about to pop your defensive skill before the blow? Guess what? Not anymore! Hahaha! Can you imagine it? Right before the Tunnel Mimic eats you, youre about to jump out of its mouth, but your legs dont work. Or even better, when the Minitaur Queen charges at you while you have a water canal behind you. You try to dodge to the side, but you cant. Aaah, I tremble in excitement! Im sure shell cause so many deaths! Then theres the Fast Recovery skill so she heals and recovers her MP faster while out of combat. This will allow her to run away and re-engage the invaders at full strength. With the Presence Detection, itll be hard for her to lose track of her prey. And last but not least, the upgraded MP Boost skill. This isnt required, but itll give her a lot more MP to work with, as well a larger pool to refill with Fast Recovery. Ah, I almost forgot about the most important skill, Invisibility! Invisibility is the most important because, thanks to it, shell be able to stay hidden in plain sight. You could say this is the inferior version of the Trickster skill that fairies get, but unlike that one, Invisibility doesnt have a maximum time duration, so it is better in certain situations.
Invisibility (Active skill)
Cost: 20 MP, 10 MP per second
You turn invisible. If you attack or use a skill during this time, the effect of this skill ends. The skill also ends if you take damage after 2 seconds of turning invisible. This skill has a 1 minute cooldown.
Furthermore, while invisible, she can turn into a cat. Its hard to find someone when that someone has transformed into a cat. The last step is setting up her AI. As I already mentioned, I make her hide from the enemies, chasing after them while remaining hidden. Like a shadow. Shell then use Revitalize to heal my monsters during combat while staying hidden, or Charming Eyes at the worst possible moment C worst for the invaders, of course. If she gets spotted and the players attack her, shell then use any means necessary to run away before coming back, ready to take revenge! Fufufu! Hahaha! And with this, I have finished everything I had to do today! No, wait a moment I could swear there was something else What was it Ah, yes! The new dungeon area! Shit. I have to go capture lots of monsters, but I dont want to. Maybe I can use someones help The last time I asked Ricard, I had to go to a human dungeon, so hes out of the question. I dont know why, but I have a bad feeling about asking Laura. This leaves me with my sister. Im sure shell immediately agree. Lets make her do all the hard work while I limit myself to capture the units I like. Yeah! Sounds like a great plan! As always, Mad Rat takes the win! Fufufu! Hahaha!
My sister forbid me from having a Sexy Secretary in cat form resting on the armrest of my usual comfy chair, saying itd give me weird ideas. Im not sure what kind of ideas she was talking about How can a sexy succubus with cat ears and tail give me weird ideas?
Ch 185 - This isn’t a walk in the park The rumbling sound gets closer as I stick my body to the wall. The hard protrusions prick my skin and make it uncomfortable, but I can only press my body closer and closer as if wanting to become one with the wall. I dont know why, but my instinct tells me that if I dont, Ill die. This thundering reminds me of the film I saw yesterday, where an elephant stampede crushed a whole village. Is this a stampede? If so, why is a stampede happening inside a tunnel? It makes no sense. Nothing in this dungeon makes sense. After a while of waiting anxiously, from the end of the corridor, I see movement. Its a horde of monsters. With their disjointed footsteps, they advance at an incredibly high speed. Its hard to see because theres not much light, but although theyre all humanoid, all of them have different shapes and sizes. What are those creatures? Why is there no end to their numbers? I send a glance at Muribelle, trembling next to me while taking cover behind the largest rock she could find. I dont have the confidence we can deal with all of them. The creatures come from the right, running in our direction. I thought the best option was to hide, but it turns out there are so many of them that they fill the tunnel. We should have run away instead. Im tempted to do it now, to run away, hoping to outrun them. But luckily, before I take the first step, they leave through another passage on the left. Thank god they arent coming here Sshht! Muribelle signals for me to shut up. I dont think theyll hear us with the noise theyre creating when running; but shes right, its best to not test our luck. Its the first time Ive been using the Danger Detection skill. At first, I ignored the warnings it gave me because the sound produced by the monster horde was too far away. But when I told Muribelle, she asked me to hide and wait. If we didnt, we would have met the horde head-on.
Danger Detection (Passive skill)
Youll hear an intermittent buzz when theres danger near you. The intensity will change according to the strength of the danger.
Ive never been as happy with any skill as I am right now. Danger Detection has been the most useful skill since we entered this dungeon. Most players consider this a dead skill because it doesnt tell you the direction, distance, or type of danger. Theyre wrong. As with any Champion-exclusive, theres a reason for it to exist, and I found it today. This skill warned me when the giant turtles were coming at us from all sides so we could run away. It warned me when we found that nightmarish wolf, though it was too late by then and our party ended up scattered as a result. Thank god I met Muribelle not long after that. Im the support Champion and cant properly fight on my own. It warned me of the monster horde, as Ive already mentioned. In fact, since a long time ago, it has been giving me a constant warning. Since then, my HP has been depleting continuously, though I dont know why. When I checked the battle log, it was filled with Your HP has been reduced by 2 messages. Im the only one affected for now. I would have died when we split up if I couldnt heal myself. Its good Im the one affected and not someone else. The thundering footsteps continue for a while. Is there no end to the monster horde? Just when I think so, the last of the monsters disappear from our sight, leaving this place through the left tunnel. At the same time, my Danger Detection skill stops the intense buzzing, returning to the continuous low-intensity warning. I leave my hiding place, if you can call sticking to the wall a hiding place, and look at my companion. Thank god they didnt see us Sshht! Oh, come on. They went away, theres no need toC Sshhh! Sigh! Fine I shake my head at her insistence. I understand her cautiousness because the last time we lowered our guard in this dungeon we were forcefully split up, but this is too much. Muribelle stays hidden behind the rock for ten more seconds until she finally stands up. Ill never get used to this weird sight. Shes a young girl with a translucent red body. Its as if somebody sculpted a human out of red gelly, and then gave it life. She has defined facial features and intricate hair strands, which youd think impossible from something made out of a gelatinous substance. But its fine because this is fantasy. Though Im not one to talk, as my champion is weirder than hers. Tiny green scales cover my whole body, similar to those of a lizard. Long tail, zygodactylous feet and hands, and big, bulging eyes. The Werechamaleon is one of the weirdest Champions out there. The Werechamaleon is one of the Wild Ferals units that cant turn into an animal. Instead, it has the Optic Camouflage skill, which is why I only needed to stick to the wall to hide. However, it isnt an infallible trick. When the monsters filled the whole tunnel, leaving no gap, they would have surely bumped into me, detecting my presence. They would have swarmed me without any doubt. Even taking into account the useful skill and the fact we can climb walls and stick to the ceiling, the characters appearance is so weird most players avoid using Werechamaleon as a Champion unless they have no other choice. They find them disgusting. Muribelle walks to the tunnel the monster horde used and cautiously peeks inside. She releases her breath, relieved. They went away. I know. I smile at her. My Danger Detection skill stopped warning me some time ago. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. She frowns. That skill Youve been boasting about it since those turtles. But I still think its a waste of a skill point. Okay. I shrug my shoulders. Ive tried to explain to her, but she wont understand. Its a waste of time to keep trying. So what do we do next? We run in the opposite direction of that monster horde, of course! She proudly declares. We cant risk dying a worthless death! I raise one eyebrow, grinning. Run? You, running? Her gelatinous body trembles in a mix of rage and shame when she realizes what Im implying. S-shut up! You know what I meant, dont laugh at me. Hahaha, sorry. Its funny when youre the one to say it. You always avoid the topicC I said shut uuuuup! She punches me. When her fist hits my body, theres a sizzling sound, followed by an itchy feeling. If this wasnt a game, it would hurt like hell. Its the effect of Scorching Body, the Fire Slimes innate skill.
Scorching Body (Innate triggered skill)
When you make a melee attack, deal an extra (5 + 0,3 * CON) fire damage over the next 3 seconds. Other units that touch you receive (2 + 0,2 * CON) fire damage each second. This skill doesnt work on units that have this same skill.
Ouch! Are you trying to kill me? I check my status to make sure Im not in danger. A-ah, right! A-are you She hesitates. She knows my HP has been falling constantly since a long time ago. ...Im sorry. Howre you doing? Are you fine? Well Im not sure I scratch my head. Im starting to run out of MP to heal myself She makes a worried face. Can I help you somehow? Oh, yes, you can. I nod. She gets closer and pays attention to what Im saying. If you stop hitting me, Ill be fine! Hahaha! She menacingly raises her fist. So youre saying its my fault now? Do you need another taste? I watch her fist come closer in a panic. I was joking, but not at the same time. If she hits me a few more times, I might end up dying! I decide to run away from her. N-no, I was joking! Joking! After widening the distance between us, I stop, turn around, and watch her slowly come closer to me. Not like youre ever going to catch me Hahaha! Come back here and Ill show you how I treat jerks like you! With her abysmally low Speed, she cant hope to catch anyone. This is the problem with slimes: they dont have limbs, so they have to crawl at a slow speed. Even if theyre turned into Champions with a humanoid shape, they keep their original Speed. When Muribelle runs, she moves at half my walking speed. Youll eventually lower your guard, and then Ill get you! Not happening! Hahaha!
Muribelle steps into a narrow tunnel when my Danger Detection skill warns me of danger. Stop, its dangerous! W-whaaa? Surprised, she exclaims when I grab her waist and pull her back. She struggles to get free, wildly swinging her feet and arms around. Release me! Dont you understand I might kill you if you touch me? My skill warned me so IC Again with your skill? Cant you see theres nothing Her voice fades away when the mouth of the tunnel closes, transforming into a giant worm. ... thanks, Succo. Her whole body trembles in disgust. But then she realizes Im touching her and twists around, trying to get away from me. I wasnt ready for her sudden action. My foot slips and we fall to the ground, one on top of the other. She stays there, not moving at all while observing my face from close up. The sizzling sound of my burning skin fills my ears. The weird thing is that, even though Im dying, the constant buzz that Ive been hearing since long ago has stopped. It makes no sense. I groan. Okay I know it was me who grabbed you, but, do you mind it? Im going to die at this rate. Ah, sure, yes. I-Im sorry. She quickly moves away. Succo, your HP! Its fine, its fine I wave my hand. Heal! See? Its fine now.
Heal (Active skill)
Cost: 50 MP
Heal yourself or another unit for (10 + 0,5 * SPI) HP.
My HP took a real hit just now. Scorching Body is a really scary skill, even for their allies. Huh? Wait a moment I check it two more times, to make sure. Look at this, Muribelle! Im not taking constant damage! Of course you arent. Im not touching you anymore. She shakes her head, looking at me as if I were crazy. Im not talking about you. Im talking about those Your HP has been reduced by 2 messages. She opens her eyes wide and starts looking around. Is she searching for a clue? I observe her slow movements as she inspects the surrounding area. Was this here before? Do you think this is the cause? She says, pointing at a dead butterfly, resting where she fell on top of me. Lets see I inspect the butterfly to make sure. A butterfly with Optic Camouflage!? And it deals damage upon contact I understand now. The camouflaging Werechameleon (me) had a camouflaged enemy sticking to him the whole time. How ironic. I knew it wasnt a game bug! You didnt listen to me, because I was the single one affected, but I knew it was a trap or monster! It died as soon as it touched you, this is why you didnt get it. Then what about BigHat and Odomiru? They didnt get one of those either. BigHat has an aura skill, and your AoE attacks constantly hit Odomiru. Ah, youre right! Poor Odomiru, hehehe She takes this as a joke, but Odomiru doesnt think the same. He doesnt find it funny at all. If she didnt hit him so many times, our dungeon invasions would be a lot easier. My train of thought gets interrupted by the sound of steps. This time its a single entity. We exchange a nod and get ready for combat. Soon, the entity shows itself. Its a red blob, with a vaguely humanoid shape. It stops when it sees us, blocking the way forward. Panicked, it stops, spits at Muribelle, and runs away in the same direction it came from. Hey, Muribelle. I didnt know you had a brother. I say, grinning. Dont compare me to that stupid red blob! She angrily swipes the spit away. Catch it! Ill teach it to pay respect to its kind! Alright. I shrug and shoot off after the red monster. Left behind due to her slow speed, Muribelle shouts. Succoooooo! Wait for meeeeee! Fuck! How can a slime run so fast!? Shes right. How can this be possible? How can a slime be faster than me? Are you sure you and your brother are of the same species? Shut up! Thats not my brother!
Choose your allies wisely. Depending on how they act, they can deal more damage to your party than the most fearsome of enemies. - Basic knowledge every DMA player should learn before its too late.
Ch 186 - Ice and fire vs ice vs fire After our encounter with the mysterious humanoid red blob that ran away, we went through a few rooms that contained quite a lot of water. Some had puddles blocking the path and some were filled to the brim, with the water reaching up to knee-high. We had to cross an underground river, too. Now, the irregular rock terrain slowly gives way to metal and wood surfaces, intermixed with polished stone and tiles. We carefully walk to a door that appears in front of us. Its open, so we take a peek inside while staying hidden. Battle sounds are coming from the other side of the door, but the sounds are muffled and distorted. The battle must be taking place somewhere else, far away. Shht, I hear something. I roll my eyes at Muribelles obvious remark. I know, I hear it too. I said, shhht! Why? Are you scared that your brother will find us andC oumf, mmmf! She glares at me, stuffing her hand in my mouth so I cant talk. Ok, fine do whatever you want. I dont have anything to say anyway With her hand on my face, and my HP steadily decreasing, I observe the room filled with machines and cables. From time to time, lightning courses from one side of the room to the other, flowing through them, splitting and rejoining at the multiple intersections. The room is disorganized while maintaining a weird sense of cohesion. It reminds me of a mad scientist laboratory. After a minute of observing and listening to the battle noises, I still havent seen any movement. Are there no monsters inside? Lets go inside. I dont think theres any danger. ... Muribelle turns to me, but when she realizes she still has her hand stuffed inside my mouth, her eyes tremble slightly, alternating between her fist and steadily diminishing HP bar. She quickly turns her head away, retrieving her hand. ...Sorry. I was distracted by the scenery and forgot about it Her voice gets lower and lower until I can''t hear it anymore. But then, she suddenly shakes her head and glares at me. Why didnt you say anything!? If I were in danger, I would have moved away. I grin. Also, your squishy body is refreshing, and you taste like cherry. The taste sense is dulled in the game, to start with; but slimes dont taste at all. Its like eating a jelly with water flavor. But Im sure she doesnt know. You know I wouldnt mind having another taste I add, raising my eyebrows suggestively. Y-you Jerk! She punches me another time before running away, escaping into the laboratory. O-ouch! I fall on my but, surprised by the strength behind that punch. You didnt have to wait, is that a cat? Before I can stand up, a black cat passes in front of me, passing through the same door as Muribelle and into the laboratory. An actual cat? Whats a cat doing here? From the screaming mushrooms that gave me the creeps to Muribelles slime brother, passing through the giant turtles with mushrooms on their backs and the two-headed green and red goblin-imp abominations, every single monster weve encountered so far was, lets say, peculiar. The sight of the black cat catches my attention, compared to any monster I could have seen because its unexpected. But I thought all Flesh Monstrosities monsters had to use parts of two units, and that they had to be identifiable at first sight. That cat looked like one you could find in real life, so it shouldnt be possible, unless Cat Transformation, from a Werecat. Thats the only logical explanation. Turning into a cat will hide the traits of any other unit, or units in plural if there is more than one. This means an enemy just slipped behind Muribelle, and we might be in danger. No, I dont know what Im worrying about. Im sure everything will be ok. Where have you seen a dungeon monster that doesnt attack the invaders? Other than critters, the only times I have seen one is when the players deactivate the combat for that monster so that it never attacks. Given the nature of this dungeon, I wouldnt be surprised if the owner created a useless monster just so that it turns into a cat and remains that way all the time. This way, itll cleanse their eyes from all the horrifying and disgusting stuff that fills the rest of the dungeon. I would do it too. If I take into account that this is the first time Ive seen a monster ignore us in this dungeon, Im sure that must be it. Everything will be alright. I shrug off my remaining doubts and step into the laboratory, following after Muribelle. I find her examining the corpse of a monster, one thats wearing a white lab coat. Elf plus dwarf? I say, taking into account the extremely short but muscular limbs. Looks like it. She makes a smug smile and adds, pointing at the opposite side of the room from where we came from. BigHat or Odomiru must have passed through here. Maybe both. Im sure theyre the origin of the battle noises. Yeah good job, Miss Detective. It must be nice to have such a privileged mind. Huh? She tilts her head, not understanding what I mean. I smile and taunt her in the most annoying tone I can. If not BigHat or Odomiru, who else could be fighting the monsters inside this place? Did you forget were the only ones here, Miss Detective? We agreed to come the four of us, alone, to train for the next DMA event. Unless the monsters start to fight between themselves, its clear that any battle noises must come from one of us. S-shut up! I flinch back, ready for her usual angry fist coming my way. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Come, lets meet with them, quickly! I dont want to fight unknown monsters when youre the only one present. Seeing my reaction, she grins and runs in the direction of the sound, waving at me. Heee, what are you afraid of? Did you think Id punch you? ... Shes so annoying! I follow after her, recalling the reason why were here. When looking for a dungeon to train, BigHat proposed this one: The Mad Rats Lab. He stumbled upon that name by chance while browsing the forums. Apparently, there was some kind of competition not long ago, with a prize at the stake. But after that matter was settled, the players started to argue about others being lucky, that they were better and should have won. One thing led to the other and they decided to start a new competition on their own: the one who clears the dungeon faster wins. A speedrun of sorts. So we decided to come and take a look for ourselves. Id say its quite unique so far. But I dont understand some of the things the other players said about this dungeon. I havent seen anything too dangerous, tricky, or annoying until now. Maybe they expect all the dungeons to be easy? Move faster, Succo! Theyre in the middle of combat! Muribelle urges, waving her hand in my direction from the doorway. She jumps inside. Im going first. Alright, alright Again, a black blur catches my attention. This time, though, it was faster than before, and with the laboratory clutter, I almost missed it. Is the werecat chasing after us? How cute, hahaha. As a fan of cats, and having the Werecat as the favorite unit from the whole game, I couldnt be happier if thats so. Maybe the owner set it to always move after the closest player? It makes sense if he did. I shrug and chase after Muribelle. The first thing that catches my attention when I come inside the new room is the fire and ice animations filling a part of the room. BigHat uses an ice aura, so Im sure theyre the visual effects of the fight between him and the enemy. The room, although still looks similar to the previous one, is larger and has a few glass cylinder tubs that go from the floor to the ceiling. Theyre filled with liquids of various colors, and some of them contain monsters inside. Or should I say bodies? I believe this is what theyre officially called. Following the fire and ice animations, I notice metal scraps and rests of metal rods strewn around the room. Its a trace of destroyed traps. Now that Im closer, I can see that the enemy looks the same as the dead monster we found in the previous room. It wears the same lab coat, is holding the same pencil and notebook, and has the same body shape. BigHat, Im here! Muribelle runs in the direction of the fire and ice effects. Succo is with me. Wheres Odomiru? Oh, hey there. What took you so long? Did you get lost? He makes a wry smile at her murderous glare. Hahaha, Im kidding, Im kidding. Odomiru is resting over there, hes low on HP. He then turns to look in my direction, pointing to the rooms corner with his white hand. Hes over there, go and heal him, Succo. Okay. Making sure to stay away from him, I walk in the direction he pointed. Its dangerous to stay close to him because of his ice auras. BigHat doesnt care about taking ice damage because hes an ice elemental and has resistance to it. I dont remember the exact name of his skills, nor that of the unit he uses as a champion, but thanks to his innate resistance, he can use both the normal ice aura and the one that deals damage to himself continuously, creating a death area five meters in every direction. Hes the perfect weapon against hordes of weak enemies or against his own teammates, depending on the situation. Hiding behind one of the glass cylinders, I find Odomiru. He must be staying here in hopes the enemy, and BigHat, stay away. Dont worry, buddy! I say, patting his back. Ive got you. Ill heal you immediately! ...thanks. As taciturn as ever. I start casting Heal. Meanwhile, I observe the ongoing battle. BigHat is fighting with his sword against the monsters pencil. Yeah, I know. Its weird that it uses a pencil as a weapon, but the game allows it, so They exchange blows one after the other, and their fire and ice auras fill the area around them. In general, auras arent strong against a single opponent, but that monster also has the resistance of a dwarf, so theyre even less effective. Im not surprised the fight lasted for so long that Muribelle and I could waste our time and still make it on time. When we play together, Odomiru takes the front while BigHat and Muribelle take turns dealing damage and I take the support role. But now that Odomiru had to hide, BigHat is struggling to avoid the enemys attacks and cant focus on damage. Only his auras are working properly, but they arent enough. It doesnt help that he now has to focus on avoiding Muribelles attacks too. A role that usually falls upon Odomiru. Fuhahaha! Eat this! Fireball! Fireball, fireball, fireball! Hahahaha! One after the other, with a short interval in between, several fire projectiles are launched from Muribelles hand, exploding upon contact. Are you trying to kill me!? Cant you use single-target spells!? At least come and fight it in melee! No, I dont want to take damage from your ice auras. Firebaaaaaaaall! Fuhahaha! So its fine for me to take your attacks head-on, then!? Another fireball explodes near him, forcing him to jump away. Stoooop it! Odomiru and I observe everything with a weird expression on our faces. Shes truly unique. Right then, the monsters HP falls to one-third, and ice sprouts around it, flowing in all directions. Due to his previous forced jump, BigHat cant avoid it on time and is immobilized, encased in ice. He didnt take much damage from it, but being an ice elemental doesnt prevent him from being encased in ice. The monster takes this chance to jump at him, smashing with his notepad this time. Theres a loud impact noise, followed by BigHats shout. Muribelle, its your fault! Do something! Okay! Fireball! Right after, she shoots another Fireball at the monster, which just happens to be right next to him. Nooo, not like this, are you stupC *Boooom!* The fire engulfs him and the monster, dealing a large amount of damage to both. BigHat might be resistant to ice, but the same cant be said of fire. When the smoke clears out, I see that the monster, unperturbed by the explosion, continues to pummel BigHat. He might die at this rate Im coming, dont die yet, BigHat! I start running in his direction to heal him before its too late. But before I can reach him, theres a pink flash that fills my vision and my body suddenly stops. W-what is this? And why did it have to happen just now? Ugh Succo! Save meee! I know, and I want to! But I cant. Why!?
Youre asking me how to get stronger? Thats easy, you just need to start playing as the Divine Blood, hahaha! Im sorry, Im sorry, that was a joke. But you cant blame me because theyre kinda broken. The easier way to get stronger is to play to your strengths. An example thats easy to understand comes from the elementals, some of which get resistances to a certain type of damage. If you use one of those champions, its easy to get skills that deal that type of damage too, using them on your enemies and yourself at the same time. Youll take so little damage compared to the enemies that itll be easy to defeat them. Recognize those things you can do but your enemies cant, and youll know how to improve. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 187 - Charmed BigHat comes at me with quick steps and bloodshot eyes. Hey, Succo, why didnt you heal me? I almost died there! Uh, I I stutter, not sure how to answer. ...I tried, I swear! But for some reason, I couldnt move. I swear, it isnt my fault. There must be a trap nearby, or maybe a monster In the battle log, it says Ive been charmed A trap? We examine the area around us, but we find nothing. The only sign of life other than us four is the black cat, hiding behind a machine in a corner of the laboratory. Thinking Im making a fool of him, BigHats eyebrows start twitching. Do you think Im stupid? Theres nothing, stop making excuses. You didnt want to waste your MP saving me, admit it! Its the same as with the bug you were talking about before we split up. But it was true! We found it later with Muribelle. It was an invisible butterfly that slowly took away my HP! And why did it only affect you, then? Because you and Muribelle are always dealing damage to everything around you, and Odomiru is always caught in between. Yeah, sure He can be so stubborn. He always thinks of himself as the central figure of our group, and everyone must follow his orders. Hes always right, and were always wrong. Hes the player with the highest skill in our group, but this doesnt allow him to treat us as inferior. Whats worst is that I wasnt the one who put him in danger, so why is he taking it out on me? Is it because he likes Muribelle and doesnt want her to dislike him? Also also, why are you blaming me? It was Muribelle who hit you, not me. Yes, its her fault, not mine. If it werent for her, BigHat wouldnt have had to focus on evading her attacks and he wouldnt have fallen for the ice nova. Its also because of her fireballs that he almost died. BigHat remains silent. Muribelle, on the other hand, looks at me with a bewildered expression, the word betrayal written on it. A-are you talking about me? W-what did I d-d-do? She points at herself. I was doing my job BigHat finally explodes. He was holding back because it was her, but it seems his pride is more important. Hah, your job, you say! I didnt know your job was to get me killed. Muribelle looks away. I I did my best, okay? Its your fault I couldnt help properly, you know? My fault? It was you who shot those fireballs at me. Uh guys? Can you stop Odomiru tries to interrupt their argument, but his calm voice is drowned by the Muribelles. Yes! Its your fault! I tried my best to get the monsters aggro, but because of your stupid auras, there was no way to get it! I didnt have any option left but to use my most powerful attacks to force it to hit me, but even that didnt work. My ice auras have nothing to do with you attacking me! This is going to take some time Were in real need to improve our teamwork. If we continue like this, theres no way well achieve anything in the next game event. Is it our lack of coordination, or that our skills dont match? Or maybe its because of our personalities? Its my first time playing with a team, so Im not sure about it. Not wanting to listen to their argument anymore and mildly angry because they dont believe what I said, I turn in the direction I last saw the black cat. When I find it, I try to make it come closer, but regardless of what I do, it wont come. If I get closer to it, it just runs away and hides behind the closest machine, pile of metal scrap, or whatever it finds. Why is this werecat following us if it doesnt want me to get close? It makes no sense.
*Boooom! Booom! Booom!* Succo, Ill need a heal Fast. This is chaos, utter chaos. A group of suicide bombers just blew everything near them. Odomiru, who happened to be close to them, took the hit, and now hes asking for my help. Thank god I was far away because, without his tanking skills, I would have died for sure. But I cant go help him right now, theres a giant spider with a mushroom on its back blocking my way. I know they can use their threads to immobilize me if Im not careful, and trying to sneak away to help him would spell my doom. Fuhahaha! Im invincible! Look at this, Succo! Theyre killing themselves, I dont need to do anything! Meanwhile, our red slime companion is entangled with a group of plant-infested humans. Theyre clumped together and their vines and roots are squishing her body in all directions, obscuring her body. As she says, theyre killing themselves by merely touching her but, as long as she stays there, she cant help us at all. Furthermore, she makes it sound like its the perfect situation, but her HP is falling at a similar speed as that of the monsters entangling her, just at a slightly slower speed. Theres lightning flying everywhere, hitting both ally and foe alike. Its because of those rat-headed madmen, who maniacally cackle in between their spell attacks. There are also bat-like slimes falling from the ceiling that can silence us, a trap or monster that constantly drains our MP, and a group of human-headed animals saying perturbing things everywhere. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Guess whos on the menu today! I beeeeeeg you for forgiveness. Leeeeeave me alive, pleeeeeeease! I was once like you. Will you join us today? Buhehe! They havent done anything but roam around, saying random phrases, but the psychological damage isnt negligible. But this isnt everything. No, if this were all, itd be still doable. The real problem is that giant monster fighting BigHat. The monster, some kind of orc or troll given its green skin and tusks and covered in disgusting fat clumps, has been fighting against us since a long time ago. And it wont die. It doesnt matter how hard we attack or how long the fight takes. The big monster, which I assume is the boss of this abandoned area, wont die. With a big effort, we managed to reduce it to half HP, and the only thing we achieved was to enrage it, making it deal more damage. Thank god it returned to its normal attack speed when we allowed it to heal a bit. Furthermore, as we kept fighting, more and more monsters came from the surrounding areas. Im not sure if its related or not, but there has been an intermittent *Blip!* sound now and then. We saw sealed rooms before fighting the giant monster, so I assume every blip we hear means one of those doors has opened. We wanted to run away as soon as we saw this, but BigHat refused. He said there must be a way to kill the boss, that we only need to wait for it to exhaust its EP and MP, and told us to fight the monsters while he kept it busy. By following his order, the only thing we achieved was to get into this chaotic situation. Fufufu! Hahaha! Following the laughter, lighting fills my vision. It hits the spider Im fighting and jumps at me. Immediately after, the spider opens its fangs and bites me. I try to dodge, but the paralyzing spores have taken effect yet another time and I cant evade in time. ...Shit! Im not a fighter, Im a support! This is why I said to run away I complain after removing the paralyzing effect. While paralyzed you can only use skills on yourself, which happens to be perfect to remove the paralyzing effect, assuming you have the skill to do it. Im the only one who can use skills to remove status effects, so Im the only one who can fight the spider without the risk of dying. The role of keeping the spider at bay fell upon me, but Im not a fighter! I have no magical attacks because all my MP is dedicated to healing and support skills. The other skills I have are Danger Detection C which has been warning me non-stop since we came inside this area C and other miscellaneous ones that arent suited for combat. Im the scout and healbot, not a fighter! My only means of dealing damage are basic attacks, which arent very effective when the enemy has resistance to physical damage. Wont you die already!? My dagger hits the spiders head. The change in its HP bar is hard to see, assuming theres any at all. Tsk! If only Muribelle was here shes the one with the burst magical damage. Id gladly switch places with her. From the corner of my eye, I can see a glob of plant-infested humanoids. The only sign of her presence is a tiny red dot, visible in between the vines. Her previous gleeful shouts are muffled, making it impossible to hear what shes saying. I take it back. I wouldnt take her place even if I could. Odomiru! I shout. Are you free now? Can you take my place? But what about the paralyzing spoC Dont worry about them! Ill heal you if needed, but I cant do my job like this! ...fine. Reluctantly, Odomiru comes my way. It only takes him two hits to get the spiders aggro, as my damage capabilities arent exactly what youd call great. Thanks! ... Now that I can finally do my job, I quickly move near the mob surrounding Muribelle. At this rate, shell die before the monsters do. ...I heal. Succo heal! die please I listen to Muribelles muffled voice. Alright, alright, here I go Heal! From the gaps, a green light pours out and her HP bar fills up. I then take a step back, expecting shell do something crazy. Shortly after, theres a fire explosion in the middle of the monster clump, blasting everything within five meters. Fuhahaha! Muribelle drags herself out of the mountain of dead monsters. She makes a victory pose. They had no chance against me! Fuhahaha! Yep. As expected, shes as crazy as ever. ...why didnt you use Fireball before? If you cast it at the start, it would have been a lot easier. I cross my arms and adopt a serious posture. I I thought they would kill themselves and I had to do nothing at all. By the time I realized Id die first, it was too late to use Fireball or Id have killed myself too Hehehe She dares to laugh in this situation. Umm Succo After the last fireball, I have less than 10% HP. Can you heal me again? Pretty please? She begs me. Although shes a fire slime, unlike BigHat, she doesnt have resistance to fire damage, so she took the same damage as the monsters did from her own Fireball. Sigh Fine, come out of that corpse pile. Ill heal you. Alrighty! Hehehe After healing her, I turn around, leaving her giggling like a fool. I heal Odomirus paralyzation before he can get hit by the spiders web. Muribelle, go help Odomiru. Ill make sure BigHat doesnt die. Alrighty! The big monster is doing as fine as ever. Im not sure what BigHat wants to achieve, taking the monsters resilience into account, but I hope he doesnt get us killed. BigHat, now that weve dealt with most of the monsters, lets run away before more can come. Oooi, can you hear me? I say while casting Heal on him. I hear you! We arent running away! Were going to defeat this monster. Im sure I can do it! What the hell is he saying? Do what, exactly? Cant you see youre doing nothing to it? The monster is back at full HP now that the only one fighting it is BigHat. Its a waste of time. Shut up! If I said were killing it, were doing it! I shake my head. Its useless to argue with him. Its right at this moment that the boss opens his stomach mouth wide. Is this a finishing move of sorts? BigHat, evade! But right at this moment, theres a pink flash and BigHat doesnt react, allowing the monster to bite him. *Crunch!* With a disgusting sound, BigHats HP falls to zero and dies. Ah He died. He should have the Aegis skill to prevent death in situations like that. If he couldnt evade on time, he just had to activate it, so What happened? Why did he die? Slipping through the boss legs, I see the silhouette of the black cat. I didnt notice it followed us all this time.
Losing BigHat might have been the best thing that could happen to us. After being forced to play without him, we discovered our teamwork improved, and we didnt have to plan everything according to his permanent ice auras. We ditched him and searched for another fourth member. We never came back to that dungeon and did our best to forget everything about it. Still, I sometimes find myself contemplating about the mystery behind the charm and the black cat.
Ch 188 - Green Gang Welcome to I take a small pause to give it suspense. I then make a flexing pose before continuing. the Green Gang! Green gang! I prickle my ear. Did you say anything? Say it louder! Put more enthusiasm into it! GREEN GANG! This time, they shouted loudly enough to deafen me, as I wanted. They also took beautiful poses, showing off their muscles. Better, huh, huh, huh. This is great. Today Im sure itll be a great day, huh, huh, huh. I feel it on my muscles. Todays the day Ill achieve everything Ive been looking forward to. Im sure of it. I wait for them to return to their normal postures before continuing. Brothers, today is a great day. The day were creating our Green Gang. After planning for so long, I, your leader, will surely teach you how to fight. How to survive. How to shine and show your orc pride to everyone! Huh, huh, huh! Yeaaaaah! Youre the best, ImAnOrc! Umm The third player, a skinny goblin, timidly raises his hand. ... Im not an orc Ugh! Huh, huh, huh! He hunches over when I pat her back. Did I put too much force into it? Dont worry, um what was your name again? M-Miuzcogdiq, sir. Its Miuzcogdiq. I know its hard to remember, but I like it a lot hahaha I watch as he scratches his head. But its too long and hard to pronounce so from now on, Ill call you Diq. Yes, Diq sounds good. Wow! I got a nickname from the great ImAnOrc. Im so happy Thank you very much! He looks at me with sparkling eyes. I dont think its such a great nickname, Diq is just the end of his real player name Well, as long as hes happy, it doesnt matter. Huh, huh, huh! Youre welcome, Diq. I chuckle at the envious gazes the two other players Krut and Mhah, who do use an orc Champion, send him. Diq, Krut, and Mhah are the first three players who applied to join the Green Gang, a group created to learn how to play better. The main objective is to learn combat tricks and skills while delving into the most treacherous and difficult dungeon Ive ever delved into: The Mad Rats Lab. Ill show them around, teach them everything I know, and when they go back, theyll spread the word of how amazing and strong I am! Its the perfect plan. Im a genius, huh, huh, huh! I calmly assess my new brothers. The first one, Krut, uses a Chief as his champion, the same as me. He also looks similar to my champion, maybe because he got inspired by me. Though Im more handsome. As for the support units he brought with him, there are two Goblin archers and two orc Hunters. He knows the basics well. The other orc, Mhah, uses a more advanced orc champion, the Warlord. He must have a higher player level than me because I havent unlocked them yet. The main difference between our champions, other than the stats, is the body tattoos covering his whole body. As for his support mobs, he only brought one Troll with him. I was surprised when I first saw him, as I expected everyone to have a lower level than me, but it turns out hes one of my fans. He admires my courage and perseverance and wants to learn from my battle experience. I dont want to brag, but Im the one who has come to this damn dungeon the most times without losing his sanity in the process. The last one, the Goblin Shaman Diq, is the single mage of our entire group. He brings two Chief bodyguards with him, a formation Ive seen other players adopt quite a lot of times. And trust me when I say that a goblin mage needs protection. If they dont blow themselves up, theyre the first to die when an enemy gets close to them. Though, in my opinion, its a shame he won''t be able to feel the joys of melee combat. The exhilaration produced by swinging a weapon around and watching the enemies cries as you plow through hordes of them! The adrenaline rush that comes when you fight a monster thats twice your size in close quarters! Its a shame, but I respect him regardless. He chose the best faction, the Savage Horde. If only for the fact that its the faction with the fewer and the worst ranged options, he deserves praise. Also, hell be able to enjoy the battle together with his sworn brothers; something most players will never be able to do! Huh, huh, huh! Alright! Everyone, lets go! My three new brothers eagerly follow after me.
Krut! Evade, then attack. Dont try to do both at the same time. I shake my head, watching Krut fighting against the first laser turtle weve found. Dont let it take the lead, youre the one who has to make it move as you wish. Step to the right! Now, strike! I give instructions and he does his best to follow them. Thanks to me, he evades the turtles bite and attacks in retaliation. Good job. Now, hide behind a rock. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. W-what? Hide, why? Just do it! I glare at him. Why are you questioning me? Okay, ImC Before Krut can finish his sentence, a light beam comes from who knows where landing squarely on his chest. His HP bar takes a large hit because of it. See? This is why I told you to hide behind a rock. If I tell you to do something, you do it, alright? No questions asked! A-alright He lowers his head, ashamed of his blunder. What are you doing? Are you a fool? Always keep an eye on the enemy! My warning reaches him too late. The turtle bites his arm and another chunk of his HP disappears. Man these noob players Im ashamed of being from the same faction huh, huh, huh. I shake my head. The trick to fight against the turtles beams is to take into account that they consume a lot of their MP: they cant use them continuously. It doesnt seem like that because the rate at which they spend their MP is higher when youre close; but when a turtle detects your presence and fires at you from the other side of the cave, it only fires one time before coming in your direction. It only uses its light beam again when it gets closer. If you know how long it has been since they fired the first light beam, youll have an idea of when and when the others will come. And talking about other turtles coming here That was the second beam, so it means that theres one close by. Mhah, get ready. Ill be your turn soon. Alright! Ill do my best! Mhah smacks his chest with pride. I have high expectations of him because he has been playing the game for a lot longer than Krut. Remember to follow everything I said and itll be fine. I kindly remind him. Then, I turn to the last remaining member of the Green Gang: Diq. Hes watching everything with glittering eyes, itching for some action. But I have bad news for him. Diq, you wont fight against the turtles. Diq furrows his brows and asks, pinching his scrawny arm. Why? Is it because Im weak? Huh, huh, huh! No, this isnt why. I shake my head. Why do most players only think about being strong or weak? It isnt because youre weak, its a problem of compatibility. Compatibility? Yes, compatibility. You might not know this, but the turtles can reflect your magic attacks if youre unlucky. You we wouldnt want you to die to your own spells, right? Theres no need to tempt our luck by adding even more variables to the already unreliable Goblin Magic. So unless I say otherwise, stay here and wait for the others to defeat the turtles. He fidgets. B-but but I want to do something too! Tsk, tsk, tsk! Diq! He jumps in fright at my sudden shout. Didnt you learn this when you read my guide? Lesson number one: pick the fights you can win. A-ah! Right! I-I remember! Good for you. I pat his back. Of course, there are times when you must disregard everything for your orc pride goblin pride in your case, I suppose. But otherwise, you have to choose the fights you can win and run from those you cant. What good is it to die miserably when you could have easily avoided that shame? Survive, grow stronger, and then come back for a rematch! This is how to grow strong! Huh, huh, huh! Diq nods enthusiastically. Yes! Ill do my best. Just wait for when were fighting against multiple enemies, Im sure youll have the chance to shine then. I leave the excited Diq to his own devices and look at Krut just in time to see him take another light beam. Ups, my bad. I should have told him to hide before it happened. Well, I can always give him an excuse if he asks why I didnt warn him in time. The culprit behind that attack is popping its head from behind a giant mushroom. Mhah, go get that turtle before it kills Krut, will you? Sure thing. Im going. He might be the most reliable of the three.
I was wrong. What did I tell you? I stomp my feet in anger in a rhythmic fashion. To not read that plaque aloud. And what did you do? I I read it aloud Right. Why the fuck did you read that aloud, Mhah? Didnt you learn it from my guide? Inside this dungeon, never touch, read, or even watch anything that catches your attention. So why did you read that plaque, even after I expressly told you to not do it!? Prostrated in front of me, Mhahs eyes swim around, trying to find a way to appease me. Uh, I I thought you were exaggerating Exaggerating? I raise one eyebrow and wave my head around. Does this look like an exaggeration to you? He follows my gesture with his eyes, then lowers his head again. No, it doesnt. The ground around us is littered with corpses. Most of them are enemies, but theres one that has green skin. If youre wondering what happened well, lets say Mhah had the great idea to read the text aloud, awakening the secret boss of this cave area, after I told him to not read it. As a result, we had to fight that boss and its aids, as they had us surrounded. One of Kruts goblins died, and the Troll, the one who took the brunt of the adds attacks, took a severe amount of damage. Itll be ok thanks to his Regeneration skill, but itll soon run out of EP at this rate. If not because I kept the boss occupied, Im sure everyone would have died, starting with our weakest brother, the Goblin Shaman Diq. Hah lets forget about it, ok? Just dont do it ever again, Mhah. Understood? Y-yes! Ill listen to everything you say from now on. They have so much to learn I shake my head. But this is what keeps things interesting. By the way. I turn to our goblin mage. Good job, Diq. See? I was right. Huh, huh, huh! The right person for the right job. Its thanks to your spells that we took so little damage. Your area attacks were incredibly useful against the adds. Yes! I did my best! Thank you very much for your praise! Diq starts skipping around, making a happy face because I praised him. Which, given his lower stature and skinny body, makes me feel like Im watching a kid. Alright, kids. Lets go! More dangers and fights await us! ...why are you calling us kids? Diq stops jumping around and looks at me with his furrowed brows. Because youre like kids to me. Why else? Huh, huh, huh! I laugh, ruffling his head. Maybe theyre actual kids? I have no idea because the only thing I know about them are their nicknames. However, it wouldnt surprise me, given their reactions.
Green Gang, the first time the writer of the famous How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab guide decided to coach other players to improve their skills. It was the starting point of his fame, which continued to grow along said dungeon. Players started to regard him as an amazing player until they read his guide and found out about his writing style. What most of his students didnt know, though, was that he had another purpose for training them. A not-so-harmless purpose. But this is a story for another time. Or is it?
Ch 189 - A dream come true Alright, kids, here we are. I clap my hands to get their attention. The dreaded tunnels, the place where most players lives, as well as the players themselves, get lost. Where dreams and hopes are forgotten. Um are you going to treat us as kids for the rest of the dungeon? We arent kids Well I furrow my eyebrows in a thoughtful expression, acting as if Im annoyed by Kruts question. After a pause, I say in a stern tone. Fine. Since you asked for this, Ill stop acting like a guide. From now on, youre on your own. Ill follow after you and help you if I feel its required, but otherwise, youre the ones making the decisions. Ill only actively assist you during combat, to help you improve your skills. How about it? Huh, huh, huh! As I talk, Kruts face turns to one of incredulity. Diq, on the other hand, looks afraid. The last one, Mhah, tries to make an indifferent face, but I can see his shining eyes, delighted at the chance to show off in front of me. This is fun. Watching their expressions change as they realize the meaning of what Im saying is amusing. Ah, man. I was looking forward to this. The main reason I created the Green Gang was to help other players improve while boosting my reputation, and Im going to do it, but this isnt all. Asking me to stop treating them like kids was what Ive been waiting for all along. Are you sure we can do it on our own? Players say awful things about this dungeon Asks Diq, his voice shaking slightly. You all read my guide, right? The three of them nod. Then itll be fine, huh, huh, huh! Will it really be fine? Who knows, well have to see. But I wouldnt bet on it. Alright! Well do our best! Right, Mhah and Krut? Yes! Sure Just dont fall into a trap and die, Diq. Ugh! Dont treat me like a weakling just because you have the strongest champion. Im strong too, just in a different way than you. The three kids continue their banter, entering the poorly illuminated tunnel. As usual, the light comes from nowhere in particular; ambient light, its called. I leisurely follow after them, my arm lifted, and hands behind my head. Huh, huh, huh I mutter, low enough that they cant hear me. Yes, work for me, my minions Do my job, explore everything inside this dungeon so that I dont have to do it myself. Do everything you can so I can show off afterward. This is amazing! Who could predict there would be a day Id come to this dungeon without having to suffer at all? Leaving the difficult parts to the other players, using them as bait to catch my prey, and not having to worry about traps, ambushes, or the worst of them all: new stuff. Its almost like a dream come true! How long its been? About twenty minutes at most, I believe, and Ive already defeated the giant stone bear, the secret boss of the cave area. If we continue like this, Im sure today Ill be able to defeat a bunch more of the secret or dangerous monsters, like The Tunnels Nightmare or the Monster Train. The Minitaur Queen, too. Maybe, even the boss of the sealed area! Can you imagine? Beating the unkillable monster? I believe nobody under level 15 has achieved it yet! Ill be the first! And all this is thanks to the kids taking care of everything else! Aaah, my muscles are trembling in excitement Ill kill all the monsters in this damn dungeon today. Today... Todays the day Ill finally recover my lost orc pride! Huh, huh, huh! I kiss my biceps to try and calm down.
Um sir Orc, is that t-the Nightmare? T-the mo-monster that inflicts f-f-fear? H-how do w-w-we f-fight it? I look ahead at Diqs question. A tall wolf, dark as if absorbing all surrounding light, quickly catches my attention. Immediately after, taking advantage of being at the rear, I find the closest rock to hide behind. Once the forced look-at skill breaks, I immediately move away and get ready for the incoming howl. Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes! We found it! The Tunnels Nightmare is here! S-sir Orc? O-oh, yes. Khm! I cough as I walk backward. Umm you should brace yourselves. Brace ourselves? Yes. To be more specific, prepare to be scattered. Youll soon find yourselves alone, somewhere in the tunnels. Its hard to repress my smiling face. Its all going according to the plan. They did bait The Tunnels Nightmare! But didnt you say youd save us!? I did, but theres nothing I can do about it, sorry. Good luck, Diq. Ill go and look for you, so try to stay alive. W-wait a moment! I didnt sign up for this! Meanwhile, the other two kids decide to take action. Krut, lets strike first! We might be able to kill it before it howls. Fine we might as well try. If were lucky, we might save ourselves a lot of trouble I dont think so. Theres almost no time before it howls. Diq, help us! S-sure! Im coming! The three start fighting The Tunnels Nightmare. Instead of bracing for the fear status effect, they throw all caution away and start combat. I shake my head. When you know something bad is coming, the worst you can do is waste time and resources on combat. If the fear effect works on them in the middle of combat, especially a long fear effect like the one that the monster applies, itll make them lose track of whats going on. Suddenly losing control of your Champion when youre in the middle of a fight brings quite a bit of confusion. If theyre not used to it, itll take them a long time to recover from the surprise. Instead, the ideal action is to stay put and try to memorize the surroundings, as well as the path they take when the fear makes them move randomly; so they can come back once the fear effect ends. I know what Im talking about. It happened to me quite a few times. I had to learn the hard way. They have so much to learn, huh, huh, huh! *Awooooooo!* The deafening wolfs howl fills the tunnel. From here, I can see the three of the kids stiffening, a signal that it has worked on them. Although not all of them, most of the support mobs show signs of being affected too. The fear effect of the howl didnt reach me, thanks to moving away as soon as I spotted it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Then, all the kids, as well as the affected support units, start running around in random directions. S-sir Orc! Save us! Shouts Diq, running past me. Try to stay alive! And dont wander around too much once the fear disappears; who knows if Ill be able to help you if you do! I shout. S-sure. Ok! Ill wait for you, sir Orc! Ill come back on my own, sir Orc. Krut declares proudly, striking his chest with a closed fist. Though he doesnt sound too reliable, walking diagonally against a wall. He then steps into a hole and drops to the passage below. Hell have to find another path to come here, something I dont expect him to be able to do. Mhah doesnt reply. Is he trying to show off again? Did he not learn anything from the fight against the secret boss? Im grateful to him because I wouldnt have had a reason to fight it otherwise, but Im still supposed to teach him. I must scold him when he does stupid things. I wait until the three of them disappear from my vision. I grip my battleaxe with strength and point it at The Tunnels Nightmare. Alright! Its time for some action! Huh, huh, huh! Its the first time Ive got a shot at this. Until now either The Tunnels Nightmare got me by surprise, forcing me to run away, or I didnt encounter it. But today, the ones who had to flee were the kids, not me. I wont waste this chance. Hyaaah! I swing my axe, striking the disgusting eye in the monsters stomach. You never fight, always making me run away. Lets see how strong you are! The monster, which until now had always remained still, ignoring me as I ran away, retaliates. It swings its massive black claws at me. They twist and extend freely as if the monster had no joints. Ive only seen this on slimes, which can manipulate their pseudopods as they wish. Tsk! I take a step back to avoid the attack. Youre trickier than I expected. But Ill win! Huh, huh, huh! I duck to avoid the monsters claw, and quickly strike back with a sweeping slash. The sticky substance it throws sticks to the arm I used to cover my face. I ignore the damage I take from that substance and continue attacking. This is it! The exhilaration produced by a difficult fight! The wolf slashes with its claws. I strike back with my battleaxe. Its hard to avoid the monsters unpredictable attacks, so instead of wasting time evading, I strike back. The monsters HP doesnt seem to fall at the speed it should, it must have the same Eternal Pain as a lot of monsters in this dungeon do. If I dont kill him fast, it might use the howl again, I must find a way, somehow Huh, huh, huh! Lets see how you evade thisC What!? Suddenly, my Champion starts to run away from the monster, making me miss my attack. Why am I affected by fear? The monster didnt howl! Nooooooo, it cant end like this! My epic victory! Its slipping away from me! I check the status screen. As expected, it shows Im affected by Fear. But the time is shorter than usual. Aha! So the howl was working upon something else, I knew it! But the fight is over N-no, dont panic, dont panic. I can still do it! I can run back and finish it off! As I run, I make sure to memorize every turn I take. I hope I dont fall into a hole like Krut did, or I wont be able to go back. Three seconds, two seconds It seems like a few seconds isnt very long, but it is. A few seconds of running at maximum speed in a random direction is enough to make anyone lose track of the path they took, or where they are. I dare anyone to say the opposite. Come on Now! As soon as the fear effect ends, I activate my ultimate skill. My skin turns red and my speed increases, allowing me to backtrack in a short time. I must reach it in time before the monster leaves the place Faster! I turn the last corner just in time to see the black monster going inside a tunnel on the left. I almost missed it But I didnt! Now, dieeeeeeee! The monsters HP is lower than when I left. But I dont have any damage over time skills Ah! I know! I finally understand whats going on! The skill that reduces the damage the monsters take doesnt actually reduce the damage but instead delays it. Everything makes sense now! I cant count the number of times nothing made sense in this dungeon, but this thing in particular was particularly bothersome. Until now, Ive fought every monster in a do-or-die fashion, which made it difficult to perceive. I knew something was going on, like when the monsters died right before my axe hit them, but never actually understood how it worked. I thought it was a bug. And no, Ill never inspect the monsters after theyre dead because it takes away the fun of battle. I only do it under extreme circumstances that require me to do it. Like when I inspected those Bombers, to see if I could kill them safely. The answer is no, they cant be killed safely unless you use ranged attacks. Theyre the bane of my existence. Although they arent as annoying as the Goblimps. Fucking Goblimps, I wished they all disappeared once and for all. My HP is taking a hit from the Frenzy skill, but its worth it. As long as I defeat it, nothing else matters. Huh, huh, huh! Is this all? Dont you have more hidden tricks!? In a last-ditch effort, the monster starts to inhale air, getting ready for another howl. But before it can use the skill, I activate one of my skills to increase the damage of my next attack The Tunnels Nightmare HP reaches zero and it falls to the ground, dead. Huh, I I did it. I I did it! Finally, I killed this monster! I make a victory pose by flexing my muscles. I knew today was the day I could achieve everything! I knew it! Huh, huh, huh! I laugh, standing alone next to the monsters corpse for a while. I still cant believe I defeated my nemesis. Due to my bad luck, the fear effect always worked on me. Its not that I couldnt defeat it, but that I couldnt fight it at all. Yes, yes, yes! Oh, fucking yes! Im going to boast so much in the forums after this Eat this, Evil Mastermind! I defeated the monster you created to make sure I never recovered my orc pride. Now, Im this close to getting it back. Huh, huh, huh! Its a dream come true! I cant believe I achieved it! Its its amazing! It takes a while for me to calm down. When I do, the first thing that comes to my mind, are my companions. Oh, yeah I was supposed to go and find the kids that got scattered everywhere I awkwardly scratch my head. I dont regret anything. Ill do it a hundred times over if I could, but now, I should go searching for them. I should be responsible and do what I said I would do. But how am I supposed to find them in these labyrinthic tunnels? I can only hope for the best I shrug and start walking in the direction I last saw Diq when he was afflicted by the fear effect. Ill try to find him first. I might need his help against the Monster Train, if I do happen to encounter it. The problem with the Monster Train, like the Tunnels Nightmare, is that it can appear at any moment. But unlike the latter, it can move anywhere inside the dungeon except the entrance area. Maybe the laboratory areas too? Im not sure. Anyway, the important part is that its harder to find. As for the danger they pose Now that Ive defeated The Tunnels Nightmare, I can safely proclaim that The Monster Train is way worse. I have to deviate from my path to avoid an Eternal Resting Area. Did he continue moving after the fear effect ended? If so, who knows where he is right now My thoughts are interrupted when I turn around a corner and find a monster right in front of me. Its a dark wolf, standing on two legs, with a glowing orange eye in the stomach area. I blink, not wanting to believe what I see. Just in case, I try to turn around, pretending nothing happened, but as expected, the game prevents me from looking in any direction other than the monster. Nooooooooooooooo! It cant be, I just killed it! Im sure of it. I shout, staring incredulously at the monster in front of me. I must be dreaming! Yes, this is the only possible option. *Awooooooo!* I start running again, affected by Fear. Fuck this damn dungeon!
So you read this guide and think you know everything you need to know, right? That everything will go smoothly once you dive into this damned dungeon, right? WRONG! YOURE WRONG! I cant express how WRONG you are. Theres ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in this damn dungeon that stays the same for a long time. Expect things to change. That passage you knew was safe? Now has a deadly trap. That single, powerful monster? Now there are a few more of them. Those monsters were weak? Bad luck, not anymore! Believe me when I say: YOULL. NEVER. KNOW. WHATS. TO. COME. If you take this into account, you MIGHT survive. Good luck surviving in this DAMN DUNGEON. - Last words written in How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab. Some players blamed the author for discouraging players from going inside, while others praised him for the same fact. Regardless, the dungeons popularity never stopped growing.
Ch 190 - Meeting of hordes Hah I hate it when my knowledge fails me. Will I ever be able to come to this dungeon without any surprises? There were two. Two! That monster, which inflicts terror upon the players, turns out wasnt alone. There are two The Tunnels Nightmare. Who could have expected it? I swear there was only one before. I hate it so much when the dungeon changes in unexpected ways. Ah, well I defeated one. Its a victory. I flex to forget about the humiliation following the encounter with the first. Huh, huh, huh. Ill never get tired of this. My muscles are so amazing! I guess I should start looking for the rest of the Green Gang now. A victory is a victory. Defeating a monster I always had to run away from is a victory for me, regardless of what happened after. It doesnt matter that theres a second one, nor that I had to run away from it. Im going to boast so much in the forums! It isnt every day that someone manages to kill The Tunnels Nightmare, huh, huh, huh! When I start to look for the rest of the party, the first orcs I find are Diqs two bodyguards. They were about to enter one of the Eternal Resting Areas, but when I got close enough, they turned around, coming in my direction. By default, the AI makes all support mobs follow their owner when invading a dungeon. If for some reason the owner isnt near, or its dead, then they follow the closest allied player or the closest allied AI-controlled monster. This is why its common to find a group of your support mobs clumped together after being split up by some effect, like what happens with The Tunnels Nightmare fear. Theres another way this can work. If the owner gives the support mobs to follow another player, then that player becomes the one who they follow, and he can give them orders. But this is rarely used, because any order given by the original owner will take precedence; something that can cause unexpected situations in the middle of combat. Mhah, Krut, and Diq. Where are you? Its hard to find anyone in the tunnels. Its worse if they decide to move around instead of standing in the same place. Though, if I had to guess, Id say at least one of them is dead by now.
The current tunnel intersects with another at a different height. I look below, and to my surprise, I see a green-skinned humanoid hiding behind a stalagmite. Isnt that Krut? Oi, Krut, what are you doing! I shout to get his attention. Hes still alive. What a surprise. Of the three kids, hes the greenest one. I expected him to be the first to kick the bucket. Krut looks around, startled. When he spots me, he puts a finger on his mouth, telling me to shut up. He then switches between pointing at his ear and the closest tunnel entrance. When I pay attention, I hear the unmistakable thundering rumble caused by the Monster Train. The Monster Train Hiding like that wont work, Krut. Ignoring his warning, I jump to the lower tunnel with Diqs orcs. We take fall damage, but its negligible when the height is so low. Jumping down is easy, the problem is climbing. When it comes to the Monster Train you must run away or accept death. Its hard to hide when they fill the whole tunnel, youll be very lucky if they dont spot you. It never worked when I tried it Images of all the times Ive died to the Monster Train come back to me. I swore one day Id bring them down, but I need someone who can handle area attacks, and Diq isnt here right now. Theyre coming in this direction. Do we run away? Ive read in the forums theres no way to survive an encounter with them! Lets see Now that Im closer, Im sure of it. Hes right, the Monster Train is coming this way. I get excited at the prospect of defeating them, but given our situation, I quickly return to normal. I dont think we can deal with them Shit! Do I have to run away again? If only Diq was here My thoughts come to an abrupt end when I hear someones shout, intermixed with the increasing rumbling coming from the Monster Train. ... help sir Orc die This must be Diqs voice. If I still had it, Id bet my orc pride on it, but I cant because I lost it. Lets go, Krut. Were going to save our brother. And hopefully, achieve one of my goals, but he doesnt need to know that part. But were going to die! I glare at him. And abandon our brother? If you dont want to come, Im leaving you here. Fine, Ill follow you Huh, huh, huh! My muscles twitch in excitement. This is going to be awesome! If I save Diq from the Monster Train, taking into account they move so fast and that we wont be able to run away, Ill have the perfect excuse to fight them. If we do defeat the Monster Train, Id have achieved two of the impossible kills in a single dungeon invasion! I can finally see the light at the end of this dark tunnel called The Mad Rats Lab. Lets run! We must save our esteemed brother! and secure the chance to defeat the Monster Train. Sir Orc, save me! Im going to die like this! Theyre too fast, theyre going to catch up with me anytime now! Diqs shouts become clear as we get closer. Hes shouting so loud that we can hear him over the deafening noise created by hundreds of monsters running together. Its amazing in its way. Diq, were here! Follow my voice! I shout back. T-thank god! Im saved! Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Diq appears from one small tunnel on the right. He almost hits the wall in front of him, but he manages to stop on time. He then looks around, and when he sees us, he starts running in our direction. Im saved! His crying face is funny. But how are we going to survive? Wont you be killed too? Huh, huh, huh! I smack his back, laughing. Calm down. Theres no need to run. We cant outrun them anyway. But were all going to die! Theres no way we three alone can fight so many monsters without a break. You even came to rescue me, but its all in vain I said calm down, theres no need to panicC I try to calm him down, but before I can finish my sentence, the first monster pops out from the same tunnel as Diq did a moment ago. Then, following it, an unending stream of monsters pours into the tunnel. They come in our direction. If this werent a game, Im sure there would be a dust cloud partially obscuring the horde, except for those in the front; making it impossible to know how many monsters there are. Come here. Were fighting them on our own terms. I drag everyone to the narrowest point in this tunnel, which, thankfully, isnt far ahead. Krut, help me block them so they cant reach Diq. Diq, order your two orcs to stay close to you and kill any monster that manages to pass through us and use every skill you have to attack them. Were going to kill them all! Huh, huh, huh! The first wave of monsters crashes upon our impromptu formation as if trying to swallow us whole. However, we manage to hold the initial push and I start killing every single one of the monsters that dares to come close. I swing my axe around. The battle frenzy starts to build up as I release all the accumulated stress upon the unending horde. Youre pathetic! Lets see how many of you it takes to take me down. Huh, huh, huh! Trying to hold the Monster Train is a suicide act unless youre as skilled as I am. As long as Im not surrounded, Ill never fall to such pathetic monsters. The only problem is that, regardless of how good I am, my EP and MP will eventually deplete, and then Ill be done for. But thats also the best part. The Monster Train is an all-you-can-kill buffet! They present themselves for me to end their pathetic lives! A fight to the death, to put endurance to the test! Huh, huh, huh! W-whah! There are too many of them, I cant hold them back. The only problem here is Krut. If he falls, well fall with him. I cant block the whole tunnel by myself, and once they reach Diq, our chances of surviving will fall to zero. Diq, help Krut hold the numbers back. Thin them as much as you can before they reach us. Use Goblin Magic if needed. Ill help him. But are you sure? If it f-f-fails I might blow you up instead. Do you think I care? Just use it if required. Were done for anyway if you dont, so we might as well try. O-okay Theres no end to the Monster Train. I swing my battleaxe left and right, killing a monster every two or three strikes; and a new, fresh monster immediately fills the empty space. Aah this is glory. I feel like I ascended to heaven. Huh, huh, huh! I smile. I generally prefer a fight against a single powerful monster, but fighting such a horde of enemies has a certain appeal to it. It makes me feel invincible. The fight drags on like this. From time to time, Diq releases a powerful Fireball onto the monster horde, killing at least a dozen of them and severely hurting the rest. Ah, the classic Fireball. Im not into magic, but Ill never get bored of watching its visual effects. It surprises me that after every explosion, there are a few monsters that are completely unharmed and covered by a red fire-like film. It must be a resistance skill. I I cant anymore! Theyre too much. Its fine, you can take a rest. Ill take over. By the time Krut runs out of fuel, there are so many monster corpses that theyre partially blocking the tunnel. I can hold the remaining gap alone. Diq, support me now. It wont take long. Weve killed so many already. There cant be too many remaining, can there? S-sure. By the time the tunnel is almost clogged with corpses, the last remaining Stitched falls to my axe. It took so long But we did it! Huh, huh, huh! We accomplished the impossible! We killed the Monster Train! I flex and show off my muscles as I laugh. Diq, Krut, you did a great job. Im sure everyone will be envious of you. Y-yes! Ill save the replay and show it to everyone. Im sure theyll recognize the Goblin Shamans as a strong champion after this. Im not so sure about that, but I nod at him. Today, he showed me how powerful Goblin Shamans can be if they dont blow themselves up. But that if is so big A single mistimed Goblin Magic can be the difference between a successful and a failed dungeon invasion. I dont care anymore I just dont want to do this ever again Krut complains while slumped on the ground. I spent all my EP, Ill be useless the rest of the dungeon Huh, huh, huh! Rest and recover your EP, you deserve it. Yes! Yes! Yes! I did it! I achieved it! I finally beat the crap out of the Monster Train! With three out of five achievements completed, only the Minitaur Queen and the Overgorger remain. I knew today would be a great day, but I never expected to find and have a chance to fight the two most elusive monsters in this damn dungeon. We defeated the secret boss as a nice bonus. Im so lucky! Ive never been this lucky before. We decide to take a break. Now that the Monster Train is no more and one of The Tunnels Nightmares is dead, there shouldnt be anything we need to worry about. What a great day Arent you happy? Were making history! Huh, huh, huh! Wait, that! Something moves in the dark, catching my attention. Fucking Goblimps! They never allow me to enjoy my sweet victory. Do you think youd be able to hide from me? Youre wrong! I shot off after the shadow. The poor fool just entered a dead end, huh, huh, huh. Youre done, for But theres nothing in front of me. Am I seeing things? Well, at least we can rest peacefully I shrug and go back, only to find a green slime-like humanoid in front of me after turning the corner. Almost instinctively, I swing my axe at it. After the first hit, the green humanoid spits at me and runs away, but Im faster. I use Phantasmal Weapon to kill it before it can leave my range. What is a Panicky Spitter doing here? I can only think of one reason. Is Mhah ignoring everything I said and going deeper into the dungeon? Aaah, this is bad. I didnt want to go through the Freezer if possible If the Panicky Spitters escaped, we wont have another choice but to go through the Freezer. Itd take too long to find and kill the other three. The thing is there have been rumors about dangerous Stitched appearing there. I wouldnt mind any other day, but today, when Im finally on a lucky streak, I dont want to face the unknown I want to achieve a full clear! Kill all bosses and deadly monsters. The worst thing that can happen is to find something I dont know about. I know I brought the kids with me because of this reason, but I dont want to throw all the progress away just to get some information. Right now, were quite close to the laboratory areas. If were lucky, Mhah would have killed the other three. But otherwise, theres a chance the Panicky Spitters havent scattered through the dungeon yet. We must hurry, I signal for the two members of the Green Gang to stand up. we must reach the next area as soon as possible. The two look at me with a question mark written on their faces but dont dare say anything and follow after me. We run through the labyrinthic tunnels until the rocky terrain gives way to wood and metal plaques, intermixed with stone blocks. But when I enter the first laboratory room, I freeze at what I see. No way Krut, Diq. Please. Please tell me Im seeing things. I gulp.
Never lower your guard. Its when you lower it that the worst happens. Every single second is as important as the previous, even if theres no enemy presence or signs of traps. You dont believe me? Its fine. Well see how long it takes for you to realize Im right. I dont think itll take long. - Tip from a veteran DMA player to a new player.
Ch 191 - I’ll skin him alive The unbelievable sight in front of me cools down all my excitement. My face hardens and my twitching muscles, itching for battle until a second ago, turn soft like jelly and start trembling like the legs of a newborn foal. Please tell me Im seeing things. I look at my two brothers, Diq and Krut, expecting them to deny my words. They turn their heads away instead of giving me an answer, but the action itself is the answer I was waiting for. Why? Just WHY!? Why the fuck did Mhah have to complicate everything so much!? Laying on its back, theres the corpse of the Laboratory Assistant, a signal that Mhah has come here and defeated it. This would be enough to make me angry, especially after admonishing him after his first blunder with the secret boss in the turtle cave. I might have forgiven him if he decided to push forward and tried to defeat the monsters in the next room, as I might have done the same in his position. This would explain why we found the escaped Panicky Spitter in the tunnels. But what he did was way worse than any of this. He had to fucking go and open the three gates connecting to this room! Only players can open and close doors when invading the dungeon, so Im sure it was Mhah who did it. Fucking Mhah If he doesnt die before I find him, Im going to skin him alive. I tighten the grip on my battleaxe. If hes dead, Ill have to find another way to release the anger filling my whole body. Maybe mutilate the cadaver? Until we find him, I have time to decide how Ill murder him. Haa this is bad. Its so bad I cant put it into words. Not only the gate to the second laboratory, the one with the Laboratory Assistant and the Panicky spitters is open, but the doors to the Rabbit Paradise and the Freezer also are. To prevent something worse from happening, I quickly close the doors to the two other areas. This way, no monsters can escape to those areas, or come in and surprise us. Then we go to the second laboratory area to check how much damage Mhah did to this dungeon invasion. As I expected, we find the corpse of the second Laboratory Assistant there, but theres no trace of the Panicky Spitters. This means the shortest path to the Minitaur Queen, the one I was planning to take to keep the streak of victories going, is closed until we find and kill all the Panicky Spitters. But who knows where they ran to, with the three doors open? They could be anywhere all the doors were open! I shake my head. Mhah didnt you learn anything at all? And here I was, giving my best for your sake, to help you improve D-dont worry, sir Orc! Im sure we can find him and fix everything. Me and Krut will help you, right, Krut? Uh? Sure. See? Everything will be fine, sir Orc. Huh, huh, huh! With Kruts high-pitched voice and lower stature, hes like a cute puppy wagging its tail, trying to cheer his owner. Unexpectedly, he did manage to improve my mood. Yeah youre right. Nothing can stop me! Huh, huh, huh! I flex to forget about my troubles. Who are we? Were the Green Gang! Nothing can stop us, this is but a minor setback! Well find our lost brother, save him from himself, and then trample over any monster who dares to show up! Huh, huh, huh! Lets go, Green Gang! Green Gang! Green Gang! I smile and shout but, deep inside, I start thinking about how to solve this terrible situation. Diq and Krut might not know this yet, but when things go south in The Mad Rats Lab, they go REALLY bad. Not like your usual I messed this up, lets try harder kind of bad but the were all going to die kind of bad. Was all my luck spent fighting and defeating the Monster Train and The Tunnels Nightmare? It seems were back to the usual hard mode, where we dont know what will happen next. Here go my dreams of clearing everything without much trouble. I go back to the first room followed by Diq and Krut and stare at the two closed doors on opposite walls. One leads to the Freezer and the other to the Rabbit Paradise. Theres no good option, both are bad. But which one is the less bad? I struggle to decide for a while, as both are equally dangerous now that there are rumors of fire-breathing monsters in the Freezer. In the end, taking into account precisely this, I decide its better to try our luck with the rabbits. I should know everything about them. If hes there, our chances to find Mhah and survive will be higher. If he went to the Freezer instead good luck, I guess? Alright, Ive decided. Were going to theC Again? Ill get you this time! Fucking Goblimps, Im so tired of them! ... What!? Where did it go? Am I hallucinating? Similar to the time in the tunnels, I see a dark shadow move and hide behind a machine; but like the first time, when I reach that place, theres nothing. Are you looking for the black cat? Asks Krut. It has been following us since a long time ago. Black cat? I furrow my eyebrows. Are you sure? Yes, a black cat. It caught my attention because it has purple eyes. But when I tried to get closer, it suddenly disappeared like just now. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Y-yes! Ive seen it too, sir Orc. I glare at the two. And you didnt warn me? How many times do I have to teach you the basics of this dungeon? Diq fidgets and stares at the ground to avoid my gaze before answering. I-Im sorry, sir Orc since it did nothing but follow us, I thought it was harmless I-is it a dangerous monster? Harmless? A fucking monster of this fucking damned dungeon, is harmless? HARMLES!? You must be joking. Haaaa I exhale. ...its fine. I must act like I know everything even though I never heard of such a monster. Im sure its nothing, huh, huh, huh! I hope its nothing. Well be fine. I hope we dont die. There has never been any report about a black cat in this damned dungeon, which means this is something new. And they say it has been following us for a long time? This is bad. Its way worse than Mhahs blunder. We could have died a hundred times over, were lucky nothing happened yet. No, what am I saying? Didnt I bring the kids with me precisely because of such situations? I just need to use them as bait. I can just give vague guidance, let them do their best, and take all the credit for discovering what that cat monster does. If you see the black cat, tell me immediately, ok? I wait for them to nod before shaking my head and walking to the door leading to the Rabbit Paradies. I pull the lever to open it. Weve wasted enough time already. Lets go and find our lost brotherC Ooooh, the door is open! I thought I was going to die! Mhahs shout interrupts me. Help me, brothers! Theyre chasing after me! There are too many of them and theyre too fast! Before the door completely opens, we can see Mhah being chased by a group of green-skinned monsters with rabbit ears. Ooh, here he comes! Huh, huh, huh! My guttural laughter fills the whole room, louder than Mhahs shout. Run, Mhah, run! Or youll die! He got entangled with the Not A Rabbits and now hes running for his life in this direction, asking for us to help him. Serves you right, Mhah. You got what you deserved. Hmm Should I help him, or let him die? I can pull the lever back to close the door and itll help me release some stress while teaching him a lesson about what not to do inside a dungeon, especially not inside one like this one No, I have better plans for him. Ill try and save him because he can still be useful as bait. Now that I know about this black cat monster, I have the perfect task ready for him. Save meeeeeee! I ignore Mhahs shouts and turn to the rest of our team. Ill save him, but I want to suffer some more first. Diq and his two orc bodyguards, Krut and one of his two goblins, and Mhahs troll. We found the last two on our way to the laboratory area. Green Gang members. Mhah deserves punishment because of what he did. But hes still our brother, so we must save him from those abominations that defile the honor of all greenskins. Lets show them who are the best warriors! I raise my battleaxe high. For honor and glory! Lets go. Waaaaaaaah! Waaaah! Krut immediately follows after me. I-Ill do my best, sir Orc! With such a high number of players and support units, we wont have any trouble fighting the orc-rabbit monstrosities. Bring it on, lame imitations. You cant beat the real deal, huh, huh, huh! I always enjoy a fight against strong enemies.
Haa haa Im saved I thought Id die. I ignore Mhahs complaining and take a look around. This is weird. Theres no trace of that black cat monster anywhere. I was sure itd attack or do whatever it had to do when we were fighting the Not A Rabbits but it didnt show up. Is it harmless, as Diq and Krut said? It is at this time, looking around the mountain valley filled with innocent-looking rabbits grazing on the grass, that I see it: a huge structure on top of a flat part of the mountain, larger than a football stadium. Its hard to see and I have to squint my eyes because the sunlight reflects on its glass surface, but there are plants inside. Since when has this building been here? Ive never seen it before. I was so focused on the battle that I didnt notice it until now. Aaah something new. Again. Why is there so much new stuff recently? I come here every week, but I can never feel truly safe. It isnt fair! Although the greenhouse is situated a lot higher than the valleys ground level, it is right on top of the door leading to the laboratory areas. Im sure connects to them somewhere. More new stuff I say in a low voice so that the kids cant hear. ... I hate this so much. Fuck! Now that I take a closer look, there was a cliff on this side of the mountain, but now theres a slope instead. The slope goes over the tunnel that divides the valley into two and reaches the same level as the greenhouse. There must be an entrance if we follow that path. Otherwise, why bother changing the terrain into a slope? Im scared of what might come next, but its also a great chance. Since nobody said anything about a greenhouse yet, it means nobody found it yet. I can be the first one! I can hog all the glory to myself and boast to everyone about being the first! The best part is that I can leave all the dangers to the three kids but take the credit! Huh, huh, huh! Furthermore, there must be another entrance that connects to the laboratory areas, so Im sure we can skip the locked door without going through the Freezer. Ill have to go to the Freezer eventually, to record the new fire-breathing monsters everyone is talking about; but for now, I can skip it and go to this unknown area. But everything will be new which means danger and death I shiver. Aaaagh, screw it! Were going there! Theres no pride in running away! Were going to be the first to go to the new area. Well clear it, and show off. And then, well go defeat the Minitaur Queen and Overgorger for a full run. Itll be the best dungeon invasion ever! Huh, huh, huh! I knew today would be a great day!
There are NO harmless monsters in this damn dungeon. As Ive said multiple times, its best to stay ignorant and dont poke anything that doesnt come and hurt you. But theres a BIG EXCEPTION: when the monster chases after you. Like with the Goblimps, you should NEVER allow them to stay hidden, because theyll attack when you CANT DO ANYTHING about it. For your own sake, dont ignore a monster just because it hasnt done anything yet or because it looks harmless. If its chasing after you, KILL IT as soon as you can Or youll be the one getting killed. After all, whats the worst that can happen, that it EXPLODES when you kill it? THATS NOTHING! Nothing new in this damn dungeon. Even if the explosion kills your monsters, its better than it exploding in a worse situation. - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 192 - Show me how much you’ve learned Attention, please! I say, clapping my hands. When Im sure the three kids are paying attention, I continue. Now that the Green Gang has reunited, except for a few of the support mobs, who knows where they might be, its time to take this dungeon invasion seriously. So Ive decided to take you somewhere no player knows about. Look behind you, I point at the glass greenhouse. W-wow! Is that a giant warehouse? But it seems there are trees inside, so is it a greenhouse? A greenhouse? If its something new, I can finally show my worth. Lets go! Diqs reaction is what I expected. He exclaims with surprise and hope, looking at me with glistening eyes. Mhah on the other hand says something that makes me worry. Did he forget all his previous mistakes? Id usually get angry, but if he thinks he can clear the new mysteries by himself Umm he can show off as much as he wants. All he will achieve is to be the first one to die, and Im fine with it. As for Krut, he just observes the greenhouse silently with his mouth wide open. Is he surprised, or is he slow? I dont know B-but, sir Orc. Are you sure? D-didnt you write in your guide its a bad idea to seek whats new in this dungeon? Tsk. Is my plan going to fail before it starts? I must distract him so he forgets about the warnings in my guide. Of course, Diq. Youre right. Nice job remembering it. I pat him on the back. But the guide is for noob players. It doesnt apply to me or my students, right? Of course! Were better than any n-n-noob player Nice! I lower my voice so that only he cant hear me. The truth is, I didnt plan on going there yet because I was scared you werent ready. But since were so close and youre so eager, we might as well go, dont you agree? Its a nice chance to improve, and you want to improve, right? Y-yes! I-I want to learn e-everything from you, sir Orc. L-lets g-g-g-go, to, to, t-to the n-new, a-a-area Diq shakes and stammers more than usual. Heh! Hes afraid, and rightfully so. Alright, its settled then! Krut, Mhah, you dont have anything against going to the greenhouse, right? Of course I dont! Im itching to go! Mhah waves his arms around to show me how eager he is. Its my time to shine! I ignore him and start walking. Follow me. As I expected, the slope that was previously a cliff is now walkable. Thank god I was right. After saying all that, pretending to know whats going on with that greenhouse, only to miserably fail a few seconds later The shame would have killed me. Theres no defined path, but we keep climbing. There are no traps I can see, but rabbits are looking at us with their empty black pupils. Like gazing at the abyss, it gives me the creeps. Unless we attack them, its impossible to differentiate between the ones that are critters and the ones that are waiting for us to lower our guard before striking, so we ignore them and continue climbing. The path goes over the tunnel that connects the two valleys. The layout has been changed and now the tunnel isnt the only path to go from one side to the other. Im not sure this is a good thing, though. Before, it was possible to escape the Not A Rabbit swarm because they were forced to use the tunnel, but now they can go over the mountain, taking a shorter path. I look below. The rabbits grazing on the grass look like tiny white dots from this distance. On the contrary, as we get closer to the greenhouse, we get to appreciate its immensity. Isnt it bigger than the village inside my dungeon? I might have to focus less on dungeon invasions and improve my dungeon a little bit more The path is mostly clear. The grass grows in patches, with bare soil and rocks everywhere the grass doesnt grow. There are a few bushes and a tree here and there. Except for a single rabbit, which I suspect its one of the critters that curse you because it didnt react when we got close, theres no sign of intelligent life As we get closer to the greenhouse, a feeling of dread overcomes me. My muscles start twitching like crazy, warning of the incoming danger. But I stop myself from showing any external signs of my worries. Im the one who decided to use them as testing pawns, I cant go back now. Finally, we reach the greenhouse. With the warm sunlight passing through the grass, it looks inviting and peaceful. But I know theres something hidden behind the dense foliage. Something dreadful nobody knows anything about yet. Diq speaks my worries aloud. A-are you sure about t-t-this? Shouldnt we go b-b-back? I feel danger ahead of us. We can always go back Hes more perceptive than the others. Were screwed. I dont know how yet, but Im sure were screwed. Well, they are. Im sure Ill be fine as long as I hide behind my students. Dont worry, everything will be fine. Huh, huh, huh! I lie, acting like the cool and strong leader they expect me to be. After this, well go and clear the rest of the dungeon. Our prowess will be the talk in the forums for a long time to come. Huh, huh, huh! I hope there will be an after this... We search for a door to enter the greenhouse, which we find without much trouble. Im happy there was a door here because I acted as if there was one, my reputation would take a hit otherwise. But at the same time, I really hoped there wouldnt be one. Now that weve found it, theres no way out of this. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. From now on, I wont give you any tips even if you ask, I warn the kids. I dont know anything about whats inside, but they dont need to know this fact. An important part of your training is to learn how to face the unknown. I hope you learned from my guidance because youll need it. A-a-alright. Itll be f-fine. I can, d-do it Diq tries to convince himself, but hes trembling in fear. Sure, bring it on! Ill show you how good I am. Im starting to suspect that Mhah didnt come to learn anything but to show how good of a player he is to me. But he didnt detect the danger like Diq did, so Ill give him a failing grade. Ill do my best, teacher. Krut strikes his chest, his face showing a mix of fear and excitement. Talking about grades, he might be my best pupil. Then, get ready because here we go I gulp and open the metallic door. Immediately after, the smell of plants and moist soil reaches me. Sigh Here goes nothing.
Today has been a great day. It all started two days ago when the community suddenly exploded. They were talking about a great chance, and how unfair it was that only Savage Horde players could take it so I had to check it. The racket was about a message from ImAnOrc, the single player who has repeatedly defeated one of the most recently emerging dungeons without relying on luck or raw stats; without turning crazy like a bunch of other players do. Hes also considered one of the best players in his level range. He was looking for Savage Horde players to go into that dungeon, The Mad Rats Lab, and help them improve. ImAnOrc has been my idol since long ago, so I immediately applied. It turns out he was looking for two frontlines and one rearguard, and since I was the rare goblin mage he was looking for, he instantly accepted me. Ive always liked goblins and orcs, and when I started playing the game I immediately chose the Savage Horde faction. But the game is too realistic and Im scared of fighting monsters up close, so I chose to play as a ranged Goblin. Then, I swapped to the world-wide famous Goblin Shaman (famous for sometimes blasting themselves instead of the enemy with their spells). It turns out it was the best decision, as I got the chance to play with the player I admire the most. Diq, dont fall behind, sir Orc warns me. There are roots and vines everywhere, watch out where you step. It isnt Diq, its Miuzcogdiq I know, I know. I cant complain because my full name is long and difficult to pronounce. But Id love it if sir Orc called me Miuzcogdiq instead of Diq At the same time, Im happy he gave me a nickname. S-sure! Ill look where I step andC Suddenly, something grabs my leg and I fall to the ground. Cuaaah! S-save meeee! The rest of my team turns around, ready for battle. But when they see me sprawled on the ground, they furrow their brows and look at me in disbelief. Why arent they helping me? Didnt a monster just attack me? Maybe maybe theres no monster? When I look at my feet I realize its trapped under a root. Uh, ah Ahaha! And you just warned me Im sorry. I apologize. Youre pathetic, Diq. Goblin Shamans have always been useless, but you take it to a whole other level! Hahaha! I glare at Mhah, who has been making fun of me since the start of the dungeon invasion. Shut up. Sir Orc stops our dispute before it can start. Then he hits Mhah on his head. Don''t make unnecessary noise, you fool. Do you want to get every monsters attention, huh? I look at Mhah with a grin on my face. He acts smug and laughs at me, but hes the one causing the most trouble. Ive seen sir Orc looking at him with disdain more than once. If Im lucky, he will kick Mhah from the party after this dungeon invasion and I wont have to see him ever again. Krut, on the other hand, doesnt like to talk unless required. But hes reliable. I wouldnt mind if he stayed in the Green Gang for a long time. I stand up and dust my robe as per custom. I know it makes no sense inside the game, but I feel dirty if I dont do it. Everyone starts moving again, with Krut and Mhah in the front, with sir Orc in the middle and I at the rear. Sir Orc said it was required for us to gain experience and Mhah quickly agreed, saying it was an honor to be in the most dangerous position. In my opinion, hes wrong. The most dangerous position in any formation, except when it comes to traps, is the rear. Because you cant look at your back. The rear is the easiest target for ambushes, the most exposed to a sudden attack. But with my two bodyguards protecting my back, I dont have to fear anything. Ah, I forgot to thank sir Orc for finding them! S-sir Orc, I didnt say anything before, but I want toC Auff? Distracted by my thoughts, I end up crashing into sir Orcs back when he suddenly stops. Stop. He raises one hand and says to the two in front. And listen. We do as he orders and take a close formation. Surrounded by trees and leaves, its hard to see anything from a certain distance. When I pay attention, I can hear the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. Wait. Wind inside a greenhouse? It shouldnt be possible *Hahaha!* *Hehehe!* Like soothing chimes, child-like laughter comes from the right. Then from the back. It comes from one direction before suddenly changing to another, gradually but slowly getting closer. A cold shiver goes down my spine. I notice that sir Orc is gripping his axe tightly. His arms twitch as he looks around with a grimace. He must be ready to pounce at the first signal of an enemy. Is it the Goblimps again? But the laughter sounds different I hear him mutter something, but I cant understand it. Then, I see movement and immediately look in that direction. Its a tiny green humanoid. It makes a surprised face before hiding behind the closest tree trunk. A pixie? As if my words were some kind of secret trigger, the surroundings come alive. From all directions, vines and sharp thorns shot out at our group. Vines and roots sprout from the ground, grabbing our legs. As I do my best to avoid the attacks, I instinctively look at sir Orc, looking for help. I know he said he would leave everything to us, so I dont expect much, but even a simple hint is better than nothing. But what I see is him crossing his arms with a relieved look on his face. He plans to do nothing at all. Sir Orc! You arent going to help us!? I want to shout out, but now isnt the time for it.
Fear of the unknown is part of the basic human instinct. But you must adapt and learn to overcome it if you want to be a good DMA player. - A tip from a veteran DMA player to newer players.
Ch 193 - Fireworks Yesterday, I had the privilege to rediscover how tremendously annoying the fairies can be. I talk to myself with a pained face. Their trickery, illusions, and deceptions can be so annoying when the player who creates the dungeon knows how to make good use of them A shiver goes down my spine as I remember what happened. ... Imagine being in a dreamy forest illuminated by the moonlight, covered by fog. A gentle wind blows from time to time, rustling the leaves and making the white fog swirl. Then, you start hearing child-like voices coming from nowhere in particular. Fear creeps in. The voices grow louder, and louder, until You realize youre surrounded by enemies! I move the lantern below my face to make my face look like a ghost. Im not sure what it looks like with a rat face like mine, and theres nobody else who can tell me, but Im sure its scary. Battle starts. Not long after, you realize the enemy isnt as strong as you expected, as theyre mostly Pixies. But then, things start going south. Your allies dont respond to the attacks, all the work is left to you. You do your best, but youre outnumbered. And the enemies are tricky, as they hide then you look at them, but are quick to strike if you show them your back. I pause to add more drama to the story. Who am I doing it for, if theres nobody except for me, you ask? Im doing it for myself, obviously! The battle lasts until youre in your last breath. You drop to the ground. You feel the cold fog seep into your bones as the enemy gives you the finishing blow when you realize it was all a dream! Except it wasnt and now youre dead! Hahahaha! You didnt see it coming, did you? And I know this is a real story and not a made-up one because I was there all along It happened to me yesterday, after all. Hahaha! I laugh for a while before remembering what I have come to do today. Ok, Andreu lets stop fooling around and start what must be done. What am I talking about? Its the new dungeon area, of course! The new dungeon area is going to be a greenhouse filled with trees and other plants. There will be plant monsters, of course, but there will be other monsters too. Animal-based monsters most of them. The idea was that unlike in other areas where the dangers are either extremely well-hidden or they dont try to hide at all, most monsters in the greenhouse will hide in plain sight. Trees, plants, flowers any of them could be a monster. Itll be similar for the non-plant monsters too. Right now, Im sure youre asking why the hell was I talking about Pixies a second ago. What I just said about the greenhouse was the initial idea before I met those Pixies. Now things have changed a little. Only a little tiny bit, I swear. You see when I went to that Secret Grove dungeon, I was looking for ingredients to use. But I was tormented to death by those Pixies in the middle, forcing me to retreat (die) and come back for revenge. So I decided to do what any normal person would do: capture a few Pixies and create an improved version of the situation I found myself in. This way all the players invading my dungeon can feel the same joy as I did. Im a good boy. I just want to share the joy I felt with everyone. The most annoying part about the Pixies C now that I think about it, about any Dungeon Grove unit, because the fairies, myconids, and other monsters I know are extremely annoying too C is their innate skill: It Wasnt Me.
It Wasnt Me (Innate passive skill)
When you deal damage to a non-Champion, non-Boss unit, that unit doesnt consider you as the attacker. The aggro generated is transferred to the closest ally without this skill. If there is no valid ally nearby to get the aggro, no aggro is created.
Pixies are tiny, adorable little humanoids that like to laugh and play pranks. When they get caught, they do what kids do: shift the blame to someone else. But the real problem with this skill isnt the part about shifting the aggro created by their attacks. The problem is that if theres no one to receive the aggro, the AI-controlled monsters dont react at all! Its a skill completely useless against players, but it can be devastating when it comes to support monsters! If the Pixies stay away and hide after their attacks, as long as they dont enter the engagement range, the support monsters will allow them to kill them without reacting at all! Which is what happened to me, by the way. The Good Followers didnt do anything to protect me while we were attacked from all sides at the same time. Also, and this might be my fault, but its only a possibility and it isnt clear it was the cause of my demise at all But the thing is, I forgot to give them the order to attack. Yep, I forgot. But as Ive said, it isnt clear it was the cause of my defeat. There could have been lots of valid reasons, Im sure of it. It isnt clear I was defeated because I forgot to give the order. No, in fact, Im sure it cant be my fault. Its impossible. Its never my fault. Khm! Lets forget about that. I make a fake cough and wave my hand. Where was I Ah, yes! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. So, as I was saying, I decided to replicate that encounter with the Pixies inside my dungeon. But using simple Pixies wouldnt be enough, I had to improve them somehow. I thought for a while about how to make them even more annoying until, as if it were a divine revelation, it finally came to me. Do you remember the last PvP battle with Brainiac? The one with the clowns that exploded into tiny clowns upon death? The ones that made me waste a large amount of time and almost killed me? Yeah, just imagine it pixies that burst into more pixies, even tinier ones, upon death Fufufu! Hahahahaha!
Sir Orc isnt going to help us we must do this alone Tree roots and vines grab my legs, completely immobilizing me. Even if I struggle, I wont get free, so I dont. Krut and Mhah are struggling to get free. As long as they cant move, they wont be able to fight. E-entangle is useless against a mage like me. I c-can still fight! I shake off my fear and prepare to cast a spell. But which one? Fireball wont be very effective because the Pixies are far apart, but the other spells I have are all single-target Magic Missiles would be nice in this situation, but I didnt pick it because its too cliche and I wanted to focus on destruction instead of precision. What to do I glance at sir Orc in hopes of receiving some tip, but hes standing still like before, covered in plants. Not a single part of his body is now visible because he doesnt resist the plants advance. Screw it! Its time to show how useful goblin mages can be! Its time for Goblin Magic!
Goblin Magic (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
The next skill you use that spends MP deals double the normal damage and ignores defense, but theres a 50% chance that skill will target you instead of your original target.
The biggest advantage of Goblin Magic is the double damage for a meager extra 30 MP. For weak spells, it isnt worth it, but for stronger ones like Fireball, its completely broken. The visual effects when using Goblin Magic are more impressive, the area of effect is slightly bigger C or at least it does seem to be to me. Furthermore, the fact that it ignores defense means it doesnt matter if the enemy is stronger, has damage-reducing skills, or is hiding behind an obstacle: the damage will be dealt anyway. Goblin Magic isnt an innate skill but it is a skill unique to the Savage Horde faction. Not many people know because almost all goblin casters use it, but the innate skill of the Goblin Shaman is the same as all goblins: Slippery. Slippery is a powerful skill that helps with survival against strong attacks, as theres a decent chance to avoid the attack, receiving no damage.
Slippery (Innate passive skill)
You have a 20% chance to avoid attacks that deal enough damage to kill you. Only works if the attack deals more damage than 30% of your maximum HP.
Ironically, Slippery can save your ass when Goblin Magic goes haywire and you hit yourself with the magic. They synergize perfectly well together. I-its time to show my w-w-worth! N-no! What are you doing, are you crazy? Theres no need to show off, you stupid goblin! Are you trying to kill us all!? Mhah shouts profanities at me as soon as the visual effects of Goblin Magic appear around me, but I ignore him and proceed with the casting of the strongest Fireball. ...Epic Fireball! Hahaha! The huge ball of fire shoots off from my staff. When it hits a tree, it explodes, surging like a tide and engulfing the surrounding area in fire. With this, Im sure all the Pixies in that area are dead. Only the ones on the opposite side remain. *Pop, pop, pop pop, pop!* Like popcorn, the Pixies that should have died start expanding before exploding one after the other. When they pop, theres a burst of light and a bunch of tiny objects are shot in all directions. It doesnt take long for those tiny objects to start flying around like a swarm, releasing more of those sharp thorns that have been pelting us since the start of the fight. W-what the h-h-hell is that? I stutter. W-what are we going to do now, sir Orc!? Nothing in this dungeon is what it seems to be at the start, huh, huh, huh. I told you I would leave everything to you. Do your best, Diq. Huh, huh, huh! From within the tangled mess of roots and vines, sir Orc extends his arm, giving me a thumbs-up. Im surprised he can see whats going on while fully covered in plants. A-anyway! If one time isnt enough, I just have to repeat it, right? E-e-epic Firebaaaall! Diq! Are you trying to kill us again!? You were lucky the first time, theres no need to try it the second time! After the second explosion, there are more popping noises and more Pixies spawn. Theres a swarm of them now, swirling between the trees like bees that continuously shoot their pointy stings at us. And they sting! Alright, it worked a second time. But dont try your luck again, Diq! Wait until we can move, please Mhahs tone has changed after the second Fireball. Is he that afraid of being hit by my attack? Its the first time he has shown respect since the start of the dungeon invasion. Fine Luckily, I only have to wait for one or two seconds at most. The roots and vines release us, and Mhah quickly rushes at the pixie swarm. Or is he running away from me? Its fine if he is. A-a-and here comes the third! Epic F-f-fireball! *Boooom!* *Pop, pop, pop!* After each explosion, there are a few more tiny explosions. Its like fireworks, hahaha!
One of the things I like the most in DMA is the visual effects of the spells. Theyre so realistic it makes you believe its real instead of a game. Though it isnt always a good thing. I will always remember that time when our group was swallowed by a dark vortex inside an Abyss dungeon I still have nightmares of that day. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 194 - Run, you fools Huh, huh, huh! Im such a genius! I internally chuckle while maintaining a serious expression. Thanks to my plan, I didnt have to do anything after entering the recently added greenhouse. Mhah saved me some trouble by asking to go first, so I had the perfect excuse to stay in the middle of the formation, the safest position in any formation. And when the Pixies showed up, I just had to cross my arms and put on an indifferent face and they understood I was leaving everything to them. I dont need to find any excuse, theyll do everything and I just need to reap the benefits! Huh, huh, huh! But not having to worry about the new monsters doesnt mean I shouldnt do my job. I pay attention to the ongoing fight, checking and analyzing how Mhah, Krut, and Diq fight. After this dungeon invasion ends Ill advise them on how to improve. Lets face it, the odds well survive this new area are slim. The end of this epic adventure is near. The first adventure where I managed to kill not one but two of the most difficult monsters in this damn dungeon is coming to a close. And we were so close to the Minitaur Queen and Overgorger! I could have achieved a full clear today if not for Mhahs stupid actions. He threw away the only chance I ever got to recover my orc pride and pay back the Evil Mastermind for everything he has done to me. after this, Ill kick him from the group, huh, huh, huh. Talking about him, Mhah is swinging his double axes with passion and dexterity. It shows hes the kid with the most experience in this game, but even though he has even more experience than me, he doesnt understand the basics of combat. He recklessly rushes ahead and ends up isolated and surrounded. Ive tried to teach him how to play, but he doesnt listen. He doesnt listen at all. Not to my advice, not to my warnings and worse, not to my orders. I cant stand the sight of his stupid, albeit handsome, orc face. Orc players dont betray their sworn brothers during battle, nor do they abandon each other during battle. Thats why Im not kicking him yet. But when we go back, itll be time to settle some grudges, huh, huh, huh! My muscles, griefing at the not-yet discernable but sure-to-come defeat, start tingling in excitement. Ill have the last laugh, Mhah! Contrary to Mhah, who only brings me disappointment, theres Krut, who is steadily improving. Hes fighting right next to Diq, protecting him from the swarm of Pixies. Krut still has a lot to learn. His attacks are clumsy, his positioning isnt the best, and he hasnt learned yet how to pace his EP and MP usage but he LISTENS to me. I dont think itll take long for him to surpass Mhah at this rate. Im surprised he isnt afraid of Diqs self-destructive Goblin Magic, though. I wouldnt want to stay so close to him. Not when he could bring me down with him at any moment. What I didnt expect was that Diq would transform like this when he started using Goblin Magic. He went from his usual scaredy-cat behavior to pyromaniac-crazy in such a short lapse of time that Im surprised. During the dungeon invasion, Ive seen a lot of him running away from the enemies. I didnt have high hopes for him. But now, I have to reconsider it. Diq might have a brighter future than I first thought. Is it because hes playing as a goblin? It isnt the first time Ive seen a goblin player act like this. They tend to be scared of everything until they suddenly go batshit crazy and start blowing everything up. Is it the thrill of not knowing when youre going to blow yourself up? I mentally shrug. I guess Ill never know. But it sure is nice to have everything done for you. While I observe the swarm of Pixies, some the regular size and some of them the size of a thumb, I shudder at the thought of having to face them by myself. Their small size makes it really hard to hit with my battleaxe, and their ridiculous numbers make it even worse. Their thorn attacks dont deal a lot of damage, but when they come from lots of them, the damage quickly adds up. Good job, everyone, huh, huh, huh! Continue like this and youll be alright. I cheer them up while walking away. I dont want to be near Diq when he inevitably blows up. Eeeeepic Firebaaaaaall! *Boooom!* And right on time, because half of Diqs and Kruts HP bars disappear like this. Aaah, uh I-Im dying Sir Orc, save us Nah, youll be fine, dont worry. Just stop using Goblin Magic for now. I continue walking away just in case it happens again. Since I havent attacked them at all, the swarming Pixies are more of a nuisance than an actual danger: they focus all their attacks on the kids, leaving me alone. I stand against the trunk of a nearby tree and suspire. The Pixies cant be all the dangers in this place, there must be something more. But what could it be? HyaC What the fuck? Suddenly, a Pixie appears right next to my head and attacks me. I thought it was a leaf! Thank god I stopped myself from making a pathetic scream. Itd have been too shameful with the kids right next to me. Scram! Leave me alone! I swing my axe at it. It makes a popping sound and explodes into tinier pixies. Fuck this shit! Aaaagh! I hate this kind of annoying stuff so much! Bring me a strong monster or two and leave the weak and tricky monsters for someone else. I cant get excited against such pathetic monsters! Without any options left, Im forced to engage the group of about ten tiny Pixies. I swing my battleaxe at them, but like flies, theyre so small and move so erratically that theyre very hard to hit. Its worse than it should be because I dont have any Area of Effect skills. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Shit! Can you fucking die already!? My HP bar slowly trickles down with their attacks. I must write about this in my guide later on About how annoying they are, and that you must bring mosquito repellent or AoE attacks when coming to the greenhouse. Argh! Leave me alone and focus on the kids! I want to shout. Arent they more annoying than the Goblimps? Hmm no. The Goblimps are worse. Because you can find them everywhere. Fucking Goblimps! How much I wish theyd simply disappear!
It takes about twenty minutes for the kids to fully clear the swarm of Pixies since they first appeared. Meanwhile, Ive been relaxing and observing them. Huh, huh, huh. It feels great when everything goes as planned Lets forget about the one Pixie who surprised me and how long it took for me to kill the tiny ones. ...but now, its time to move forward. I wonder what well find next. I dont look forward to it, but I cant say Im not curious. After all, its important to fill my guide. Furthermore, today I have the kids to deal with anything thats too bothersome. *Clap, clap, clap!* I clap to get their attention. Lets pretend I know whats going on. Good job everyone, you managed to survive the pixie swarm. I commend your strength, huh, huh, huh! When I scan them, I find all their HP bars at about 1/4th of their maximum. Im sure their EP and MP are almost exhausted too. Especially Diq, who went a little bit overboard with his Goblin Magic. From the support mobs, the only one who remains alive its the Troll, and only because it has the Regeneration skill. Heh Thats a battle of attrition if Ive ever seen one. Now its time to give them the feedback. I put on a stern tone. I must say, though, that Im surprised you didnt die. Did you think Id save you if you required it? I told you I wouldnt help you from now on. Thats a lie. Im not ready to abandon my sacrificial subjects yet. If they were in danger Id try to save them, but they dont need to know this. Their expressions turn sour. Diq lowers his head in shame. How do you plan to improve without teamwork? Every single one of you was doing what thought was best without communicating with the rest. Yeah, its because you were casting spells with Goblin Magic that we couldnt work as a team. If you had helped meC Shut up, Mhah. You were the worst one. I cut him. You were so reckless that you went in alone and allowed them to completely surround you. How would you have survived if you were against stronger monsters, huh? Thats not my faultC I said shut up. I then turn to our goblin brother. And Diq. Why did you use Goblin Magic? Didnt you realize they were so weak theyd die without the damage boost? B-but sir Orc, they were hiding behind the trees I-I had to, um, f-f-find a way to hit them He has regressed to his usual scared behavior after the fight. Then you should pick up a spell for these situations instead of using Fireball all the time. The first one that comes to mind is the Chain Lightning, but Id rather have him pick something else if possible. Because its the spell he always uses. I do my best to stop the shiver running down my spine from betraying my inner thoughts. To distract me and the kids, I turn to Krut. And Krut you were at least trying to protect Diq during this fight, but Was there really a need to do so? The Pixies were weak, they posed no real danger. Plus Diq was using his Goblin Magic, putting himself and you, since you were so close, in danger. If a situation like this happens again, you shouldC The ground starts shaking, interrupting me. Something huge is approaching from the side, making the ground and the surrounding vegetation crumble under its strength. W-whats going on, sir Orc? W-whats t-this? I maintain a neutral expression to pretend to know, but Im as surprised as he is. Did we spend so much time with the Pixies that we got the attention of this areas boss? Thats weird. So far, the Evil Mastermind has never added the boss of the areas he creates until some time has passed since he added them. My muscles start twitching in excitement. The incoming monster must be huge, and surely very strong. I want to fight it! Maybe this new area exploration wasnt as bad as I thought. Huh, huh, huh! So youve shown yourself, huh? I continue the farce of knowing whats going on. Come! Lets have a match! Huh, huh, huh! I grip my axe with strength, put on a serious expression, and walk in front of the group. B-but sir Orc, didnt you tell us youd leave e-e-everything to us? Yeah I was hoping to show my skills against a strong opponent like that one Shut up. Before Diq or Mhah can say something I cant argue against, I cut them. This isnt a monster you can deal with. Stand behind me. I start grinning. My excitement grows exponentially as the shaking grows closer. But before the monster shows up, it stops right outside our view. Theres a short pause where the only things that can be heard are Diqs quivering legs and Kruts rough breath. Swift like a snake, a gigantic mouth, big enough to swallow the four of us and the Troll at the same time, shoots out of the vegetation in my direction. I react by instinct, shoving my body to the ground and using the battleaxe to force it upwards, passing under the mouth. The monster bites the ground. If this werent a game, it would have left a crater. Wow, that was close! I could have died before the combat started. The monster retreats its head and stares at me with its vertically slit orange eyes. It looks angry. *Rooaaar!* The ground splits when the monster roars. Fire bursts through the gap. Like meteors, fragments of melted rock fall from the sky, incinerating everything they touch. But when they touch the monster''s skin, it releases a reddish glow, and most of the damage is prevented. U-uaah! W-were in danger! Tsk! Its stronger than I thought ... The three kids struggle to avoid the incoming projectiles. Assuming I can defeat this monster, Ill need them as sacrificial pawns for later, so I cant let them die like this. Run, you fools! I shout. And dont expect me to come back from this! Huh, huh, huh! Leave me alone and allow me to enjoy this fight. I want to discover by myself how strong this monster is, and I dont want you to see my defeat in case I die. Bring it on! Lets have some fun! Huh, huh, huh! As if in response to my taunting, two more heads, identical to the first one, show up. They glare at me with their orange eyes. As usual, taunting the Evil Mastermind or his creations isnt a good idea, but I dont mind it this time. This time, itll make this fight more enjoyable. Huh, huh, huh!
You MUST bring AoE skills with you if youre going into this dungeon. Or else, when you encounter the pixies inside the greenhouse, and believe me when I say you WILL encounter them, youll suffer more than you can imagine. Pixies are weak and arent dangerous. Hah! Youre ST***D! Have you ever thought how itd feel to be attacked by a swarm of bees? THERES NO NEED TO KEEP GUESSING! Go find some pixies, and youll find out! - Extract from the Chapter Unexpected dangers from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 195 - Not what I expected The three monsters come at me at the same time. Despite their enormous size, they coordinate their attacks perfectly, avoiding collisions and forcing me to avoid them. You wont get me like this. I swing my axe to deflect the first attack. Then, I jump to the side to avoid the second and hide behind it to avoid the third attack. I roll on the ground and quickly stand up before swinging my battleaxe. Better luck next time, huh, huh, huh! The three monsters roar in response, and the ground below me breaks apart. Another fire eruption must be incoming. I run away. *Fwoosh! Bam, bam, bam!* Several molten rock fragments fall from above, destroying everything in their path. I cant evade on time this time, and two of them hit me. My HP falls by a quarter of its maximum. A few lands on the monsters too, but like before, a reddish film appears upon contact and most of the damage is negated. Hey! It isnt fair if we dont both take damage! I uselessly complain. I thought we would have a straight fight. Fight me without tricks. The monsters glare at me with their reptilian orange eyes. I ran quite far trying to avoid the meteorites and the monsters cant reach me from this distance. The ground starts shaking again, a signal that the monsters have started to move. The trees break under their weight, revealing the monsters body. Wait, what!? Why do they have a single body? But each one clearly has an HP bar on top of its head! I usually pay more attention to the monsters behavior and combat skills than to their aspect, but this time I must make sure Im not imagining things. Itd be horrible if something unexpected happened when I least expected it due to not having examined the monster Im fighting. The monster has three giant green mouths that easily blend with the surroundings when immobile. When they attack, they split up, revealing the red interior. Their shape and traits remind me of a flytrap, but instead of the hardened leaf parts that make their tooth, the monster has a row of white and curved fangs. Like saliva, green poison drips from their tips. There are two orange reptilian eyes on each head, and parts of the green skin have scales. I remember those eyes, Ive seen them before on another monster, but I cant remember where it was. A thin neck extends from each head. Theyre thin like stems but are as flexible as a snakes body. They too are covered by scales that blend with the background. The three necks connect to a single four-meter-tall lizard body. Its vibrant red scales shine mysteriously. This should make it easy to see the monster from afar, but their intricate patterns and the fact that theyre mixed with green tones make them look like flowers. When the first head appeared, I thought the monster was hiding. It turns out I could actually see it, but I thought it was part of the environment. The monster has finally revealed itself, and I can confidently say its a giant flytrap-like hydra. I wasnt mistaken, its a hydra with three heads. But it makes no sense why does it have three HP bars? Nothing in this damned dungeon ever makes sense! Im tired of it! Why cant a single monster be exactly what it looks like? Why must they all have stupid gimmicks that make everything difficult!? Fuck you Evil Mastermind! Id love to shout, but I dont because dare to. I dont want to make things harder for myself by provoking him. I will survive! I will defeat this monster and achieve a full clear! Todays the day I will recover my lost orc pride! Huh, huh, huh! Or Ill die trying. Waaaaaaah, Ill kill you and emerge victorious! With a shout, I raise my weapon and run at the enemy. I clash with the central head as the other two try to swallow me whole. When youre as experienced as I am its easy to know the difference between a normal attack and one that tries to swallow you. In the case of the former, the attack aims at you; but if the monster is trying to swallow you in one bite, the attack must aim at a point a short distance behind you. Otherwise, they would bite you instead. Being capable of identifying these things is what makes you shine in combat. I drop to the ground to avoid the simultaneous attack from the two side heads. They were trying to sandwich me between them, but I reacted on time to avoid it. While Im rolling on the ground and the two side heads are disoriented by the clash, the central head takes this chance to strike. I feel an enormous presence getting close, its shadow stopping all the light. I simultaneously stand up and jump to the side, but Im not fast enough and the monsters teeth graze my leg. I immediately check the status screen, something indispensable in this damned dungeon. Id ignore it in any other dungeon, but not here. Ah, shit I got poisoned. This poison not only deals damage but also slows. But at least I avoided being swallowed. As if laughing at me, the three heads retreat and stare at me with their orange eyes. It feels like being stared at by a predator thats playing with the food in front of it. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Huh, huh, huh! Ill get serious. I wont allow it to treat me like a plaything. My skin turns red. My speed increases, and my damage and attack speed double. Its the Frenzy skill, the strongest skill for any orc player. I cant use any other skills while its active, but it doesnt matter. I dont need them to deal with this monster. Thanks to Frenzy, the monster cant keep up with my speed. Now I have no trouble avoiding its attacks and striking back. I focus all my attacks on the central head, hoping to kill it before the drawbacks of using Frenzy show up. Huh, huh, huh! Cant keep up? Then, die! My muscles twitch in excitement. Its exhilarating to feel this power coursing through my veins. Its an addictive feeling. A flurry of strikes land on the central head, its HP quickly falling. When the monster realizes it cant do anything against me now, it roars and the ground splits up. With a thundering noise, another meteor shower falls to the ground. I avoid the gap created by the skill and ignore the molten rock fragments. You must focus on dealing with the monster while Frenzy is active. The difference between dealing with three and two enemies is significant; if I eliminate one of them, the fight will be a lot easier. In the middle of our intense fight, theres one of those Pixies that comes close to us, attracted by the noise. But before I can complain, the central flytrap-like mouth eats it whole. It stops attacking and keeps the mouth closed. Soon after, its HP starts to recover. Fuck! Not this! I thought itd be bad to have an annoying Pixie join the fight, but this is worse. I must stop the healing somehow! I cant keep Frenzy up for long! The central head retreats from the fight, leaving the other two to prevent me from getting close. But now that there are two of them, its even easier to avoid their attacks. I use the left head as a scaffolding to reach the central one. In a do-or-die effort, I land on top of its head and start attacking it. The other heads try to shake me off, but I grab one of its teeth, continuing my flurry of blows. Finally, the central head dies. The stem connecting it to the main body breaks and we start falling. I deactivate Frenzy in the middle of the fall. Ive lost 10% of my maximum HP because of it, I cant afford to lose any more if I want to fight the remaining bosses. But then, as if waiting for this exact moment when I cant move properly because of the fall and the shock of losing the extra speed from Frenzy, the right head takes this chance to strike. I observe in terror as the gigantic mouth comes closer. Theres nothing I can do to avoid it. Everything turns dark. Im inside the monster now. Digestive juices fill the dark cavern and my remaining HP starts to fall like crazy. Nooooooo! Not like this! Today was supposed to be the day I achieved a full clear! I stop resisting. Even if I get out, Id be in no shape to face the remaining bosses. This isnt fair its not my fault Fuck you Mhah, its all your fault. If you didnt go on your own and open all the doors, I would have killed the Minitaur Queen and the Overgorger by now. Orc brothers dont fight when in the middle of enemy territory. They solve their problems when theyre back in their villages. Im so looking forward to it. Huh, huh, huh!
Haaah, haah A-are we far enough? My voice shakes due to the tension. Sir Orc sacrificed himself to allow us to run away. Now, we must act worthy of his teachings and achieve a full clear of this dungeon in his name. ...why? Are you scared? Mhah looks at me with superiority. What are you going to do now that your precious sir Orc isnt here? Are you going to cry? Waaah, waaah! Why is he so annoying all the time? Does he need to feel superior to the others? Is this why hes constantly bullying me? S-shut up! Its your fault were in this situation. Mhahs face warps. My fault? How dare youC Stop! Krut interrupts us. Now isnt time to fight. Look there. He points behind Mhah. We turn our heads and look in that direction, but the only thing behind Mhah is a tree. Are you scared of a tree now? And I thought the weak one was Diq. It turns out youre worse than him. Sigh! Must I do everything? Shut up. Its the first time Ive seen Krut angry. Dont blame others for your own stupidity. We must go, right now. Are you running away? Ahahaha! Cluck, cluck, cluck! Hahaha! Krut ignores Mhahs taunting and grabs my hand. He starts pulling. Lets go, Diq. If he doesnt want to come, he can do whatever he wants. O-okay? I allow him to drag me away. Yeah, run away! Its the only thing you can do. At least I tried to progress this dungeon. The only thing you did was run away and search for your sir Orc! Noobs! I want to say something, but Krut puts a hand on my mouth before I can open it. Mmmfh? Ssht. Dont talk. He warns me. As we get further away from Mhah, I can finally see what Krut was talking about. Theres something hiding in the vegetation. It slowly moves, inching closer and closer to Mhah and his Troll. No, not something but a lot of something. I can see movement all around him. It doesnt matter, Ill do better without them. Its you and me again, Troll. Lets go and achieve everything ImAnOrc couldnt, right? HahahC Ugh w-whats this!? The monsters hiding in the vegetation suddenly attack Mhah from all sides. They undo their camouflage, revealing purple skin, a ferocious mouth, and lots of tentacles. They were copying the surrounding vegetation, thats why they were so difficult to see. Theyre tentacled raptors. Like a dinosaur, but with many tentacles instead of the tiny hands they always have. Though they are only about a meter tall, they look dangerous. And there are at least ten of them! They attack Mhah with a mix of bites and tentacle punches or swings. You fuckers! Dont leave me alone! Hahahaha! You deserve it, Mhah! Now that sir Orc isnt with us, theres no need to put up with your stupidity anymore! Enjoy your new friends, Mhah! Hahahahahaha! My laugh reaches him, and he shouts back. Come back! Cowards! Ugh fuck! I hope this is the last time I hear him swear. Or hear him at all.
Haaah, haaaah! Cant you feel it? The amazing feeling of being devoured whole and digested inside the monster? No? How cant you not enjoy such an incredible experience? Are you crazy!? - Famous words from No, I dont think you want to know any more about this.
Ch 196 - Botanical Garden K-krut? W-where are you? S-sir Orc? Anyone? Aah, this is bad Hmmm Mhah? In a quiet voice, I call the names of my missing comrades. I dont dare raise my volume to prevent the monsters from knowing where I am. Krut and I split up when the raptors attacked us. I suppose they dealt with Mhah and decided to chase after us. Like a pack of hungry hyenas, they relentlessly chased us for a while. Krut said we would have a higher chance of surviving if we split up, so we did. The raptors chased after him, and now Im alone. I look around. Trees, bushes, and flowers are everywhere. Theres no sign of animal life, but after the Pixie ambush and the camouflaged raptors, I cant be sure anymore. Anything could turn out to be a monster. Is that flower a real flower, or a flower? And that tree, will it attack me if I get close? What about those leaves? Is there a Pixie swarm hidden in plain view? When the leaves move, I cant be sure if its because of the wind, or because the raptors found me. Ahaha, haha, haha Laughter leaves my mouth. ...am I turning crazy? I wouldnt be surprised after all Ive gone through. I hear something and quickly turn around, but I see nothing. I, I must find sir Orc. Yes! Im s-s-sure hes still alive. If I find him, everything will be alright ahaha, haha, haha My solitary journey continues for a while. Any sound puts me on edge, and I dont dare get close to anything that looks remotely dangerous. Trees, flowers, and leaves included. My careful approach makes my journey very hard and slow, as the path between the two edges of the forest is narrow. I have no idea where I am. The barely visible sun shining through the tree canopy doesnt help either. Shining from above, it makes the shadows as small as possible, which helps with visibility but doesnt give me any clue of where the north is. Ooh, that I-I recognize, t-that! Aha, haha, hahaha The last time I saw it was near the place where sir Orc fought that monster! H-he must b-b-be, nearby! What I see is a patch of beautiful red flowers. From this distance, I have no idea what kind of flowers they are, but they were close at that time. Im sure of it because I havent seen such a striking color since then. I gulp and start walking in that direction, making sure there are no enemies on the way. S-sir Orc P-please, give me support and guidance. Im lost and scared The leaves shift with the weak wind, putting me on edge. My whole body trembles at the prospect of an invisible enemy watching me fall into its trap. But I continue forward regardless. My only hope is to find sir Orc. T-this must b-b-be, where he f-fought the mo-mo-monster. Theres no mistake, as the fallen trees are a clear giveaway. S-sir Orc must be, near I hope so I cautiously step into the devastated clearing. There was no clearing here before. The piled-up fallen trees and plant remains are a testimony of the fierce fight that occurred not too long ago. S-sir Orc? I call him. A-are you here? Theres no response. Did he leave this place? But there are no corpses. I cant see his corpse, nor that of the monster he was fighting. They must have moved somewhere else to finish their fight. Maybe the monster fled because sir Orc was too strong, or maybe he chose to move to a better place to fight the monster. Fiuuu! I release the breath I was holding. A-at least Im s-s-safe. For now, at least But I cant relax yet. I must find a clue of what happened here and go find sir Orc, wherever he is. Until then, I wont feel safe. Alright, I-I-I can d-do it I pick up what little courage scraps I can find and continue moving toward the red flower patch. There must be something there. S-sir Orc? Can you, hear m-mC uaaah!? W-whats go-going on!? Suddenly, the ground starts moving. A wall rises from the ground, surrounding me. When it reaches a certain height, the wall starts to come together, completely enclosing me. N-no! This isnt a wall! I-its its a MOUTH! Everything turns dark, and a disgusting smell fills my nostrils. When I realize it, my body has been submerged up to the knees. That liquid is the cause of that smell. Uaah! Nononono! This cant beee! In a panic, I start fumbling around. I dont want to die like this! S-sir Orc, s-save, mC A chill runs down my spine when I feel something hard hit my leg. It floats, bumping onto my body repeatedly with the monsters movements. S-sir Orc? Is this you? I feel the bodys shape with my fingers, as theres no light inside the monster. T-these muscles, those protruding tusks Id recognize you anywhere! Sir Orc, we finally meet again! S-stop joking and lets defeat this monster together! I know we can do it! Ahahahahaha! You told me, right? With enough will, you can achieve anything, right? RIGHT!? Ahahahaha! I found sir Orc at last. But but why isnt he answering? If he plays dead, we wont be able to defeat this monster.
Alright, alright, I know I know Ive been postponing this for too long But the day has finally come! The day when I create the new dungeon area: the botanical garden! *Clap, clap, clap!* I applaud myself. I act as the imaginary audience. Finally! I was looking forward to it! Im sure its going to be amazing. I cant wait. It was time already. Youve been bragging for so long about how amazing it will be, but youve yet to actually lift a finger ...Hey! Who was the last one, huh? Who was it!? I angrily look around, but nobody dares to raise his hand. WHO WAS IT, I asked!? I shout. Again, no one raises the hand. Id be more surprised if there were, as I am currently alone. Because I am alone I am, right? So, where was I I awkwardly scratch my head. Ah, yes! The new dungeon area. As all of you already know, the new dungeon area will be a botanical garden. Or an area inspired by one, to be more precise. A normal botanical garden would be too lame for my dungeon. It requires something more. But for now, lets start with the location and the building itself. I can come up with monster and trap ideas later on, once the botanical garden has been created and populated with plants. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Yep, youre right. I havent gone to capture any of the monsters yet, except for the very few monsters Im 100% sure I want to add Hahaha Okay you got me. I didnt go to capture most of the monsters because Im too lazy. So Ill add only three monster types for now. But Im sure youll be impressed when you see them! Khm! Anyway, lets start. I quickly move to the place where Im going to create the botanical garden. The idea behind this area is that this is where I, the Mad Rat, keep all the plant samples required for my experiments. In the botanical garden, I breed, experiment, and mutate plants to fit my needs. And as it couldnt be in any other way, its also the perfect place to test some of my experiments, particularly those that relate to plants and those that like to use them as a hunting ground. I intend to keep humanoids inside this place at the absolute minimum and use animals and other monsters to fill it instead. So Sitched are forbidden. The same goes for Goblimps, Demonic Swarmers, Lab Assistants, etc. Even the Monster Train wont be allowed to come inside. For now, the only exceptions to this rule will be the Hunters and the Sexy Secretary. For obvious reasons. But even with this, I had a huge dilemma: where should I put it? Obviously, not connected to the Sealed Area, as they have nothing in common: one is supposed to be off-limits and the other is used constantly. But other than this, I had three options. The first was to incorporate it next to the tunnels filled with mushrooms and make it look as natural as possible. As if I had taken a naturally occurring plant paradise and modified it to suit my purposes. But I wasnt too convinced, because, for some reason, I couldnt stop imagining it filled with mushrooms instead of plants. Itd also need direct sunlight for it to make sense, which would make it a headache to create. And for those of you who dont know, plants and fungi are completely different. Theyre as different as plants and animals, if not more. So yeah. I immediately discarded that option. The second option was to create a laboratory area created specifically for breeding plants. Imagine hundreds of high-tech pots placed in perfect lines, each one with a different kind of plant growing in them. Transparent tubes filled with water running through the walls and ceiling, watering the plants as needed. For the light needed for the plants to grow, I could create an advanced lighting system, with enormous light panels on the ceiling, maybe the walls too. I got really excited at the idea until I realized something. You see, in the future, I plan to create a lot more laboratory areas. But too many of them will make my dungeon boring. Ive already got the Sealed Area; the miscellaneous rooms occupied by the Lab Assistants, which connect the diverse dungeon areas; and the gigantic storing area guarded by the Minitaur Queen. And in the future I plan on creating more, like the stasis capsule area, where all the captured monsters will be; the central control where I and the Hunters will control everything; the testing arena, where I make monsters fight to test their prowess; the disposal area where the waste generated by all the experiments goes to There are even more I have thought of, and adding yet another one, only this time filled with plants instead of other stuff, would make it too repetitive. So I discarded the second idea, which left me with the last one. The last and third idea can be described with a single word: greenhouse. A glass-covered dome filled with plants, with the sun shining from above. And what better place to put it than outside, right next to the Rabbit Paradise? Ive been trying to break the dungeons linearity since a long time ago, and this was a perfect chance to do it. Until now, the Rabbit Paradise was used as a shortcut to the laboratory areas in case the players didnt want to go through the Tunnels, but This area is so risky that most players avoid it if possible. But what if what if there was another reason to go there? Like another way to reach the dungeon core when the Panicky Spitters escape? Or another way to try and hope to avoid the Minitaur Queen? If I put the greenhouse on the side of the mountain, right on top of the laboratory areas, it can serve as a connection between the Rabbit Paradise and the laboratory areas, giving players another reason to discover how fun it can be to play with rabbits. Im sure Clara will be happy to hear this. Lets start with the construction. I roll up my sleeves. This is going to take some time. The first part is adapting the Rabbit Paradise. Since the last dungeon reform, the Rabbit Paradise has been split into two valleys separated by a sharp mountainside, a cliff on each side. Theres a tunnel connecting the two valleys, the place where the Not A Rabbits and the rest of their comrades have their burrows. I leave the burrows alone and start by smoothing the mountainside. I then create a path that starts from the valley and goes up the mountainside. The last step is to create a flat terrain, where Ill place the greenhouse. Hmm it looks decent. I change the 3D view of the dungeon to a top view to see it better. Maybe Ill increase the flat area. I want the greenhouse to be very big... Having finished with the terrain, I start the greenhouses construction. I create several metal strips. They start at the ground and bend upwards. They meet in the middle, creating a hemispherical dome. The size of the dome? Im not sure about it, but its at least twice the size of a football stadium. I create glass panels filling the gaps between the metal stripes as well as several other decorations. Finally, I add a door near the path coming from the Rabbit Paradise. Once the exterior is done, I move to the center and create a spiral staircase that connects to the room with the Minitaur Queen. To be precise, to the opposite wall to the one that has the entrance to the Sealed Area. I then create a double-door system to ensure no specimen escapes to the laboratory when visiting the botanical garden. Alright I swipe the non-existent sweat off my forehead. ...this was a lot of work. I didnt expect it to take so long. I furrow, looking at the clock. I must finish the next step fast. Without wasting time, I move to the last part of this monumental project: filling everything with plants. How am I going to fill this absurdly big space with plants, you ask? More importantly, how am I going to ensure they look good? Ah, my friend. This is a nice question. A question to which I can confidently answer this: I wont. I open the dungeon menu and go into the decorative plants area. From there, I pick a random one, sprinkle a few of them here and there, pick a second one and do the same, then a third Like this, I randomly fill every single spot inside the greenhouse with plants. I make sure to put the tallest trees near the center, where they have the most space to grow, but other than this, its all up to luck and my mood. Once the whole place is filled with randomly distributed plant life, I plan the layout of this place. I start carving dirt paths between the vegetation, moving the plants or deleting them as needed. I want the paths to be wide enough for two people to walk side by side, while still looking as if overgrown. To achieve this effect, I carve a two-meter wide path, but only remove the plants that are in the middle, leaving at most a meter to walk through. Some dungeon elements, like trees, can be set to be indestructible or breakable, depending on the dungeon design. For a more dynamic environment, theyre generally set to breakable, but they arent always. When its needed for aesthetic reasons or when the trees must work as obstacles, they arent. In my case, I leave all the plants as breakable, because I want the environment to feel realistic. When I finish, I pause and observe my work. It feels like being inside a weird and extravagant jungle, surrounded by dense vegetation everywhere. Hahaha the more I look at it, the more I like it! This is so amazing! The randomly distributed plants give this place a surreal vibe. Having tropical plants right next to tundra flowers, growing in perfect harmony, makes it quite fascinating. But at the same time, it makes you think somethings wrong. Well, now its time for the next stage! The monsters! But I make a dramatic pause and put a serious tone. ...To be continued in the next episode. Fufufu! Hahaha! I burst out laughing. What did you expect? I told you I didnt have time today. I wink to the non-existent public. See you another day! Hahaha!
... Every faction has its own set of decorative elements they can use when creating the dungeon. Though, and Im sure you already know about it, theres a basic set that can be used by almost any faction at the same time. Basic plants and such things, for example. But the interesting part is when it comes to faction-specific decorations, dont you agree? The easiest example Im sure you know about is the fact that your faction has access to electric devices that most other factions dont. I believe the only other faction that can is the Magic Engineers. Hmm or maybe not? Im not sure now, Ill have to check when I go back home. Then there are the Sylvans with their colossal trees; the dwarves with their astonishing stone carving; the undead with their spooky, skeletal structures; or the gooey, gelatin-like stuff from the Amorphous faction. Ah, and what about the demons? Did you know they can - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard. Andreu regretted asking him for advice, doubly so when he decided to place the plants randomly. He could have saved himself a headache.
Ch 197 - Give me a Beexie or a hundred Its time for some crazy monsters Fufufu! I rub my hands excitedly, ready to start filling the new botanical garden. Right now, I havent updated the dungeon with the new area because its empty. When I introduce the first monsters today, Ill make sure its added so that everyone can enjoy it. For starters it must be the pixie-clown. I already told you what I planned to do with them, so theres no need to delay it further. I open the Template menu and create a new Hybrid. As for the monsters Im using, its the Pixie, one of the weakest units from the Secret Grove, the fairy faction; and the Clown, from the Dream Vestiges faction. You already know both innate skills, so Ill skip this part and move to the actual skills. I want the pixie-clowns to be a nuisance to fight. For this, I plan on giving them two plant-themed skills: Entangle and Thorn Spray.
Entangle (Active skill)
Cost: 50 MP, 10 MP per second
Immobilize every unit in a 10-meter radius for up to 5 seconds. The duration is reduced against units with higher average stats than you.
You all know the famous and universally acclaimed Entangle. One of the most versatile and powerful crowd-control skills if you time it properly and avoid hitting your allies with it, of course. When you expect the monsters to be weaker than the invaders, you cant expect Entangle to last for a long time. But I dont mind it because Ill change their AI later to make them fight in groups. When theres a group using Entangle alternatively, it doesnt matter if the immobilization breaks in a short time. You just need to apply it one more time.
Thorn Spray (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
Launch several thorns in a small cone, dealing (1 + 0,1 * SPI) physical damage for each thorn that hits a unit.
As for Thorn Spray, it isnt a widely used skill. This is because while the area of effect makes this skill hard to avoid, the damage it deals is extremely low. Most players wouldnt even consider this skill as a valid option at all. But I disagree. Because the important part of this skill isnt the damage it does but the fact that its hard to avoid. Every single damage point counts and, when there are a whole lot of monsters dealing damage at the same time, it quickly adds up. And believe me when I say there will be a lot of pixies using this skill at the same time. So with this, I have the two active skills I want to give them. Now I must give them at least one triggered and one passive skill. And I already know which one will be the triggered one: Focus.
Focus (Triggered skill)
When using an active skill, you receive a Focus stack. When using the same active skill as the last one, its cost is reduced by 10% for each Focus stack, up to 50%. The cost of all the other active skills is increased by 20% for each Focus stack, and using them will make you lose all Focus stacks. All Focus stacks are lost after 5 minutes. The timer is refreshed when obtaining a new stack.
Yep, youre right. Its the one-trick pony skill. The perfect skill for those who only want to have one skill! Fufufu! Hahaha! No, seriously. A 50% cost reduction for any skill is ridiculous. Weak or strong, expensive or low-cost, half the cost is amazing. This applies to EP and MP, but it also affects HP or any other cost a skill may have. But being ridiculous or not doesnt mean its a good thing. Being limited to one skill, regardless of how powerful and versatile it is, is the easiest way to set yourself up for failure. There will always be that monster, trap, gimmick, etc. that you cant do anything against with that single skill. In short: youll die. It isnt as common when it comes to players below level 10, the so-called low-level players, but higher-level players tend to put monsters that work as skill checks in their dungeons. A few examples are monsters that cant be defeated with fire, groups of swarm monsters that force you to use AoE skills, or stealthy monsters that require detection skills. Of course, the kings of this are the Primordials and their innate elemental skills, but it can be successfully done with any faction, it just requires more effort to achieve the same result. If you cant use the required skills because you only have one, or because the Focus skill has too many stacks, youre done for. This is why no player would ever pick Focus for themselves, or for any support mob they plan to bring with them to a dungeon. Unless theyre crazy yes, I know a few who do and constantly invade my dungeon, but I dont want to be reminded about them right now. Khm! Where was I? Ah, yes. The Focus skill. By the way, did you realize when reading the description? It says the cost of the skill can never be under 50%, so no free skills, but it doesnt say anything about the maximum increase. If you have Focus and use the same skill five times in a row, when you want to use another skill, itll cost twice as much. If you use it ten times, itll cost three times as much. After a certain point, itll be impossible to use any other skill at all! Unless you take a 5-minute break, that is But if it catches you in the middle of combat, youll be dead by then. Five minutes is veeeery long. When you have to wait, five minutes feels like an eternity. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So why am I giving my cute pixie-clowns this absolutely horrendous skill? A skill no sane player would ever pick? Thats because I dont care about any of the drawbacks! Theyre going to use Entangle a single time before casting Thorn Spray and never look back! Ah, the passive skill Ill give them is Plant Vision.
Plant Vision (Passive skill)
You can see through decorative plants.
Nice and simple. A skill not allowed to Players for obvious reasons, but that can come in handy in very niche situations like this one. Ill explain to you why shortly. With this, Im ready to move to the monsters aspect. But first Fufufu! Hahaha! Tremble and fear the unending stream of thorns flying your way, invaders! Theyll never run out of juice! Hahaha! OK, Im done. Lets move on. The units Im using are the Pixie and the Clown. Im sure you all know what Pixies look like. As for the Clown, they look like old clowns with baggy clothes, a cone hat, and a big red nose. You know, the classical chich that usually appears in horror films. I use the Pixie as the base, keeping its small size and child-like appearance, but use the Clowns clothes and nose. I then make everything green. From the skin, to the nose, to the clothes. Everything is different tones of green, which will help my monsters hide in plain sight. Now that Ive finished, they remind me of those green camo suits. Theyre cute tiny camo flying child-like clowns, hahaha. Their tiny size and funny outfits make me laugh every time I look at the 3D image displayed in front of me. But Im sure the invaders will react differently when they have to face a swarm of them. After all, every time one dies, itll explode into ten more monsters. Theyll be like a swarm of bees, continuously launching thorns at the invaders. Which brings me to the name Ill give them. Beexie: a pixie that turns into a swarm of angry pixies if poked, continuously stinging the invaders until they leave... Or die. Cause of death? Too many stings! Hahaha! As I laugh at my lame joke, I open the AI screen and start the modifications. This time there are a lot of changes I want to make. Where should I start? I suppose its the call to action, right? My idea is that the Beexies will be the caretakers of the botanical garden. Roleplaying-wise, theyll help me maintain the plants that inhabit it. Gameplay-wise, theyll try to chase the invaders out. This is why they need the Plant Vision skill. With it, no invader will be able to hide from them while, on the contrary, they can easily do so thanks to their tiny size and flying capabilities. No player will be safe from them unless they hide behind a monster; but then, theyll have other troubles to worry about. When they spot an enemy, theyll call for the others. Theyll do so by laughing like children in a sinister way. When a lot of them, at least ten, have gathered, theyll all attack at the same time while keeping the distance between them. Theyll use Entangle one time at different intervals to maximize the time the invaders are immobilized, and then start casting Thorn Spray until they run out of MP. Finally, when they start dying and the tiny pixies appear, theyll form swarms of at least ten individuals and harass the invaders in groups. I make so many changes and make them communicate between them so much that I run out of COM points and have to give the Beexies the Commander skill to raise their COM by one. I believe I havent done so many AI changes since the first Stitched I scratch my cheek. ...no. The Tunnel Mimic required quite a lot too, as well as the Hunters. The Sexy Secretary too and the Goblimps Now that I think about it, arent the Good Followers the only monsters I have that I didnt touch the AI? No, maybe some of the critters. But otherwise I shiver at all the extra work Ive put into my dungeon. Between the AI changes and the fact that I must capture every monster I want to use, I must have spent at least ten times the time other players have the same level as I have spent to create their dungeons. Well, theres nothing I can do about it. Id do it again if I had to. I enjoy creating the perfect monsters too much. Fufufu! Hahaha! Before saving the Template, I check the Beexies status. And thank god I did, because I realize something horrifying: after they explode and multiply, they wont have enough MP to cast Thorn Spray! Not even a single time! So I quickly go back, raise their levels two times, give them the upgraded MP Boost skill, and feign everything went as planned. The best part about status-raising skills is that they work after calculating the Clown Explosions status. Now, every Beexie will have enough MP to cast Thorn Spray three times at full price, even after multiplying. Error? What mistake? I didnt see any. I finally save the template and admire the work of art. The Beexies will be the first inhabitants, and possibly the only humanoids, of the newly created Botanical Garden. Now Ill have to go capture more Clowns and Pixies, to fill the numbers with the amount Id like to have. But this is a problem for the future.
Beexie (Lv 7)
HP 368 (230) STA 30 (19) SOU 32 (20)
EP 352 (220) MP 512 (320)
STR 35 (22) CON 35 (22) AGI 30 (19)
SPI 33 (21) WIL 35 (22) DEX 30 (19)
SPD 5 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Entangle, Thorn Spray. Triggered: Focus, Death Burst - Clown Explosion (Innate), It Wasnt Me (Innate). Passive: Commander, MP Boost - LV 2 (Proficient), Plant Vision.
Arent I giving MP Boost to too many monsters? I know its OP, but if I keep it like this, all monsters will look the same Yeah, I should stop. I say, but five seconds later, when planning the next monster, the first skill I think about is MP Boost. Fuck!
Not all skills are equal. Some are more powerful, some are more versatile and some are useless. If you want to check the full list, please go to this.isafakeling.com. There, I have listed every single skill, including those exclusive to certain factions, and rated them according to how good or bad they are. - It wasnt uncommon for players to ask which skills were better than others, to maximize their power.
Ch 198 - Patch & New Faction Ladies and gentlemen! For the next monster, Im going to use a unit most players havent seen yet. Its nothing else than the already extinct but brought back to life. One of our mighty ancestors, the rulers of the past, the Dinosaurs! Ueeeee! Olololo! A mighty T-Rex! I want to see a mighty T-Rex fused with a Cthulhu monster! I shiver at the comments of the audience. I dont want to imagine such aberration. If I do, Im sure itll haunt my dreams for a month, bringing me constant nightmares. Dinosaurs? I didnt know there were dinosaurs in DMA. Tsk, tsk, tsk I click my tongue and put on my serious professor expression. Not sure how it looks with my rat face, but I dont care. Im alone anyway. Do you know nothing? Why do I always have to explain everything to you? The audience stays silent. Because theres no audience. Sigh, alright I have no choice, I guess. I shake my head and start explaining. Mentally. Theres no need to do it aloud when theres no one listening. Yesterday, right after I saved the greenhouse so I could update the dungeon later, after the creation of the first monsters, the game warned me of the new game content being released. Theyve been announcing for a while now, and the players were excitedly looking forward to the content. And as you might expect, with the new content came a bunch of changes and reworks. Until now, most patches didnt affect me or my faction. Or at least, I didnt notice. But this time, they hit the Flesh Monstrosities. And they hit us HARD. The thing with the Flesh Monstrosities is that is one of the newest factions, so it makes sense there were things they eventually had to fix. But being so new, added to the fact our faction requires a lot more investment to create the monsters, and the fact that the competitive players rarely switch factions after they get used to their champions and playstyle, delayed this quite a bit. But now, after the first Flesh Monstrosities reached the highest rankings, the DMA developers finally realized that the fact that we can stack innate skills is cracked. no, Im sure they knew from the start. They must, as innate skills can be easily abused. They knew it was an overpowered mechanic but didnt want to take away the factions main trait, so decided to wait and see what happened. What happened, then? That they broke the PvP environment and everyone started to complain. You see when it comes to PvE C or Dungeon Invasions if you like it best C it doesnt really matter. Players can create any monsters they want, put as many traps as they can afford, and make the dungeon as difficult as they desire. Making your dungeon harder isnt necessarily a good thing, though. Most players dont enjoy being beaten to death repeatedly while trying to clear a dungeon. But if you want to make an impossible dungeon, you can do it with any faction, it doesnt matter if the Flesh Monstrosities monsters are stronger or not. But the same cant be said of PvP. In PvP C or Dungeon Battles C the two teams must be balanced in strength. Skill should be the determining factor. Innate skills are very powerful, so if one side has monsters with more than one innate skill the balance immediately shifts in its favor. It doesnt mean theyll necessarily win, it just makes it harder for the other team to achieve victory. Furthermore, and I didnt know about this because I havent reached that level yet, the stats at higher levels are also a problem. Remember when I said that the cp cost of a unit and its stats when added together are balanced? Well I was wrong. Very wrong. Until around the 500 cp cost and up to 1.000 cp at maximum, that remains more or less true. But go any higher than this, and everything starts going downhill. Thats because the stats keep increasing linearly but the cost increases a lot more. Units in the 10.000 cp range have higher stats than those in the 5.000 cp range, but theyre not twice as high. If I were to create a unit with 10.000 cp cost by using two 5.000 cp units, Id get a unit way stronger than any 10.000 cp unit from another faction; giving me a clear advantage on any PvP match. If I use three instead of two units, then it will not only have thrice the amount of innate skills but the stats will also be higher Im sure you know where Im trying to go with this. So, what did they do to fix this problem? They increased the cp value of all Flesh Monstrosities units according to a formula. The higher the basic cp cost of the unit C the cost to create it, without including the levels C the higher the extra cp value. A percentual increase. Units below 200 cp will remain the same. Theyre the weakest rabble, only used by low-level players, so they left them as they are right now. Over 200 cp, theyll cost 10% extra. The cost will keep increasing, reaching 20% at 1.000 cp, and so on. In short, every unit except the weakest will now cost more to deploy in PvP matches. However, you wont need to calculate how much itll increase as the game will give the exact final value. Thank god. They saved us a lot of trouble. And thank god too that the patch didnt touch anything other than the monster cost. Traps, environmental effects, and everything else remains the same. Otherwise, Id cry. But why didnt they give us a solution for the extra bodies? They nerfed us, and Im fine with that, but why couldnt they give something else in return!? What am I going to do with all the human rabble!? I punch the wall until my hand hurts. Well, it doesnt because this is a game, but you know what I mean. Ahaha Alright, lets stop my rambling. Im sorry, I got too excited with the patch that forgot to explain what the new content is Finally, the reason everyone was so excited about this patch and why there was so much buzz about the new content. Something the players have been asking for a long time, complaining it made no sense they didnt appear in such an amazing fantasy game yet. Its none other than the dinosaurs! DINOSAURS! and to a lesser extent, lizardmen. They go hand-in-hand in a pack, and you can find them in your nearest store Uh I mean, you can find them in the newly introduced dinosaur faction, the Lost World. Life-like dinosaurs, and you can interact with them! Of course, this is a game, but everything is so realistic that you can feel theyre alive. So, are the dinosaurs realistic? I know lots of people complain that they should have feathers, or that they should look completely different from the vision most people have of them. My answer to this question is: I dont know. I dont care. The dinosaurs Ive seen so far dont have feathers and look like those from the famous dinosaur movies. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Its too early to know how strong this faction will be, but the trailers were amazing. Plus they didnt come alone, they came with the lizardmen: humanoids that tame and interact with them! As you might expect, humanoid dinosaurs would be too weird, so they settled for lizardmen. Not like they arent amazing by themselves, but theyll never reach the same heights as dinosaurs do. So, to celebrate the introduction of this new faction, I decided to go into a Lost World dungeon and capture a few to put into my dungeon. I didnt go as well as I planned. The faction is so new there were barely any dungeons created, and all of them were full of weak dinosaurs, the first two or three unlocked units. Which makes sense, if you think about it; but the disappointment was huge. Can you imagine? No triceratops, no brachiosaurus, no stegosaurus not even a single T-Rex! A dinosaur dungeon without a T-Rex isnt a dinosaur dungeon! I internally scream. Khm so, anyway. I decided to celebrate the new patch by capturing whatever dinosaur I could get my hands upon, as weak-ass as it might be. And I got a few of these babies. In front of me, the game displays a 3D model of the dinosaur in question. On top of it, the name Velociraptor is displayed. Yep, its a velociraptor, one of the most famous dinosaurs. Since they cost 100 cp, theyre one of the weakest units but they have an interesting innate skill Id love to abuse. Its called Pack Tactics.
Pack Tactics (Innate triggered skill)
When you make a melee attack, increase its damage by 10% for every allied unit within melee range of your target that has this same skill.
The more units with Pack Tactics attacking the same target, the more damage they take from each. I wont complicate this monster too much, because abusing Pack Tactics is very easy: you just need to create lots of monsters with that skill and, if possible, increase the maximum number of monsters that can attack the same enemy at one given time. After all, the more monsters with the same skill, the higher the damage. But every unit has a collision box, making it impossible for more than a certain number to attack the same target, right? How can you improve it? For other factions, I dont know if its possible unless they find a way to enlarge or reduce the monsters body. But for me For me, its pretty easy. I just need to fuse them with another unit that has a wider attack range. Like, I dont know something with tentacles? Its pretty simple for me to do it. No, dont look at me like that. Its obvious Im not going to use an Abyss unit. Im planning on using the Giant Octopus, from the Deep Seas faction. Thanks to the Giant Octopus, Ill solve two problems at the same time. The first one is, as Ive just said, the attack range. With the tentacles, theyll be able to use melee attacks from a further distance. This will increase the maximum amount of monsters attacking the same enemy simultaneously. The second one is the hide in plain sight I want to achieve with most, if not all, of the monsters Ill put in the botanical garden. The Optic Camouflage innate skill is perfect for this. I want to keep the Velociraptor as the base. Then, Ill add the tentacles here and there Using the game menu, I change how the monsters will look. I add tentacles on the sides and where the Velociraptors claws C tiny hands? Umm whatever theyre called C should be. Four on each side. I also make the monster bigger without changing its proportions, until it reaches a meter high. I can do this thanks to the fact that the Giant Octopus is a meter tall. When I finish, the monster looks quite terrifying. At a single glance, its clear this is a dangerous monster. Oh, and Ive already settled on a name: Mimeoraptor. Fufufu hahaha! With their nearly permanent pseudo-invisibility and their high range to abuse the Pack Tactics skill, Im sure theyll quickly kill any invader they find. As for the AI, I leave it as it comes by default except for two small changes. One, theyll spawn in groups and stay in groups when moving around. Itd make no sense otherwise, as the Velociraptors innate skill kind of requires it. Two, theyll target the enemies one by one, concentrating all the attacks on the same target until it dies before they move to the next. Aaah, what a perfect work. A highly aggressive ambusher that will kill the invaders one by one, until all of them are dead Furthermore, nobody will expect a dinosaur in my dungeon when there are almost no dinosaur dungeons yet. Im sure itll help my dungeon grow in popularity. Alright, Ill show you. Here are the Mimeoraptors stats.
Mimeoraptor (Lv 2)
HP 209 (190) STA 22 (20) SOU 17 (16)
EP 231 (210) MP 220 (200)
STR 23 (21) CON 22 (20) AGI 27 (25)
SPI 14 (13) WIL 19 (18) DEX 20 (19)
SPD 8 INT 3 COM 1
Skills
Active: Bleeding Strike. Triggered: Pack Tactics (Innate). Passive: Dauntless, Eternal Pain (Innate), Optic Camouflage (Innate).
Its a Basic Chimera and both units cost 100 cp, so itll cost me 220 cp for each unit I create. And I want a lot! But itll take me a while I first have to wait until the Beexies are created before I can see the first Mimeoraptor come out. The Velociraptors are very fast, thats why it has 8 SPD. They arent as fast as the Wererabbits, which focus almost exclusively on it, but it is a crazy number anyway. Most units that are considered fast dont exceed the 7 SPD, after all. Oh, yeah. As for the skills, I decided to keep it simple for now. The only two skills I gave them are Bleeding Strike, to further increases the damage they deal, and Dauntless, which increases the damage against stronger units. In case you dont remember, here are the skills descriptions:
Bleeding Strike (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP
Your next attack makes the target bleed. Bleed inflicts an extra 20% of the damage dealt with the attack as HP loss during 5 seconds.
Dauntless (Passive skill)
When facing an enemy with at least 20% higher average stats than you, increase all damage you deal by 20%.
And now that Ive finished the Mimeoraptors Now, its finally time for todays main dish! The terror of the botanical garden! The (non-official) boss of this new area! The master of ambushes and instant-kills, the To be continued in the next episode. Hahahaha! I laugh. You always fall for it, dont you? Fufufu! Hahaha!
Hey, do you want to fight some dinosaurs? Then go to The Mad Rats Lab and enter the new area: the greenhouse. There, youll find some. Im sure youll enjoy them, hahaha! I wish you good luck! - It was unusual that one of the first dungeons known for having dinosaurs wasnt a Lost World dungeon but a Flesh Monstrosities one.
Ch 199 - It’s a three-for-one like the supermarket offers Lets start with the terror of the botanical garden, the possibly strongest monster Ill ever put in this area! Hahaha! I evilly rub my hands as I laugh. How do you rub your hands evilly? You just need to make sure you look slightly crazy when doing so, with a grin on your face and unique laughter. This is how you do it. The reason Im starting with the strongest monster Ive planned, other than the Beexies and Mimeoraptors is easy: its easier to capture three bodies, even if they are from stronger monsters than it is to capture tens, or even hundreds, of weaker ones. Hundreds!? Isnt that crazy!? Well yes. But Ive done that before, though it was for critters and not normal monsters. So, thanks to it being one single, powerful monster, Ill use three bodies, which I captured not long ago. Yep, youre right. Its tree bodies. Im going to create a Chimera instead of a Basic Chimera. Other than the Pixies and Clowns, which I had a personal vendetta against and had personal reasons to go into dungeons to find them, so I took advantage of this to capture them; and the Velociraptors, which I captured while exploring the dungeons of the new Lost World faction This time, I only had to go capture the Giant Octopuses and the three monsters Ill soon introduce. An easy and short work is always appreciated. This might be the first time I didnt have to spend too much time to create so many monsters. Aaah, life is great! I always complain about how much time it takes to create any monster, but this time it didnt feel like a chore. I had to spend the same amount of time as usual, but I didnt feel like I was forcing myself. Maybe this is how youre supposed to play the faction? To go where you please, capture whatever you can, and make do with what you got? I stroke my nonexistent beard in thought. Naaah, that cant be. I shake my head to deny it. I cant afford to accept Ive been playing this faction wrong this whole time, so I wont. So, as I was saying, its time to create a Chimera! My first Chimera! Ive created units that use three bodies already, but this will be the first one where I use non-humanoid units. In the Template menu, I create a new one and select Chimera. Its always exciting to do something new. Unlocking the Chimeras was the hardest part this time So many resources! Now my (cp) bank is empty and Ive got no other basic resources I shiver at the lack of digits in the cp section. Did you notice I left the Mimeoraptors at level 2? That was in part because I dont know what skills to give them yet, I want to see them in action first. But the actual reason is this one: Ive got no cp to upgrade them. If I did, I wouldnt have enough to create the pseudo-boss monster. And Id rather die than have to wait! So why did you raise the Beexies levels to level 7 then? Why didnt you spend the cp so that they were both in similar levels? My conscience emerges at the worst moment, as always. S-shut up! I I didnt think it at that time, ok!? I just went with the flow. Aha tell me more I said shut up! Alright, alright Lets calm down everyone Never! I said shut up! Ugh! This is giving me a headache I decide to ignore everything happening inside my head and proceed with the monster creation. Obviously, Im making everything up. It isnt like Im hearing voices and imagining things. Obviously. I say it twice to make it clear. I start selecting the three units Im going to use. For this monster, I handpicked the most awesome combination I could think of while sticking to the rules I set for myself when it comes to the monsters that will appear inside the botanical garden: that they can hide in plain sight, and if possible, a plant-based theme or appearance. To solve the plant theme, Im going to use the Giant Flytrap, one of the plant monsters available to the Sylvans, as well as some other factions, I believe. The Giant Flytrap, as Im sure you can imagine given its name, is a two-meter-tall Venus Flytrap. Its mouths are equally big, so big that can fit a whole rabbit, cat, or anything of a similar size. They arent limited to flies anymore, hahaha. The reason Im using the Giant Flytrap is obviously because thanks to it, itll be easy for me to camouflage the monster in plain sight if I use it as the base. But its even more important their innate skill: Carnivorous Plant.
Carnivorous Plant (Innate active skill)
Cost: 50 EP, plus 10 EP per second
You engulf one unit in melee range. While engulfed, the unit takes (10 + 0,5 * CON) acid damage each second. This damage isnt increased or reduced by having higher or lower stats. The engulfed unit must be significantly smaller than you, and you can only engulf one unit at a time. If the engulfed unit dies, you heal 100% of your maximum HP during the next minute. While a unit is engulfed or the healing is in process, you cant move, attack, or use any other skill.
You can say that Carnivorous Plant is the innate, upgraded version of the common Engulf, the skill I gave to the Tunnel Mimics. But unlike that one, Carnivorous Plant has its unique flavor. It works as a self-healing tool while rendering the monster incapable of doing anything else than digesting the food it captured. Like a real carnivorous plant, if you ask me. The only caveat to this amazing skill is that it requires the enemy to be small, small enough to fit inside the mouth of the flytrap. Well, this and that the monster cant do anything meanwhile Youll see how Im going to solve the two later. Before I introduce the second unit, let me ask you a question: whats the weakness often seen in plant monsters? Tick, tock, the time is running! Yes! Yes, youre right! Its the fire damage! In most games, plants are weak to fire damage. It isnt like in DMA theyre weak to fire damage, as they take the same damage as any other monster. But unlike some units from certain factions, there isnt a single plant monster that has an innate skill to resist it. So most players assume fire attacks will work against them. But what if what if I gave my pseudo-boss plant monster resistance to fire? In particular, what if I give it the strongest innate skill against fire damage? Youre right, Im talking about Fire Elemental. Behold! The mighty Fire Salamander! I shout, pointing at the 3D model in front of me. One of the most common monsters in any fantasy world when it comes to fire elementals! As much as I love how badass the Fire Salamander looks, with its eye-catching crimson and black scales drawing a pattern in its enormous body, covered entirely with fire, I chose it for another reason. Of all the fire elementals available to me, I chose it because of its stats. If I want to create a pseudo-boss monster, I must use units with high stats. But the Giant Flytrap isnt that strong, it only costs 210 cp. So Ill compensate with the Fire Salamanders 850 cp stats. With such a high cp cost, its base stats will be close to those of my other bosses after they receive the boss buff. When I was planning this monster, after I decided on the first two, the third one became clear to me. But if I introduce it to you right now, you wont understand because youre missing one tiny bit of information. After unlocking the Chimeras, I discovered I could research and unlock a new skill exclusive to the Flesh Monstrosities. A skill called Fused Monstrosity, which I quickly unlocked. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Fused Monstrosity (Passive skill)
This unit was created by fusing several units into one. Each unit used in the creation process acts independently of the others while sharing the same body, stats, and skills. When one of the units is defeated, the stats of the remaining ones are reduced by 20%.
This is, by far, the weirdest skill Ive seen in my whole DMA gaming career. Which isnt long by any means, but it doesnt make this skill any less weird. Ill try to explain the best I can because the skills description isnt enough by itself. For starters, this is the first skill Ive seen that has a variable skill point cost. It costs one sp (skill point) for each body used to create the monster, and can only be assigned in the Template screen before the final monster is created. This means that, since Im using three monsters, the skill will cost a whopping 3 sp. To put you in perspective, 3 sp is the bonus you receive when you create a Champion or Boss. In those cases, the 3 sp is usually enough to push you to a new height, making the difference between strong units and superior units. This means having 3 sp less has equally severe consequences, only that this time theyre negative. Then, for each unit used, you can assign a unique AI C Im not going to do it because itll take too long C and each of them will have their own HP bar, as well as their EP and MP. Its like having three units for the price of one! Like the supermarket offers! Amazing, dont you agree!? Except those units grow weaker when you defeat one, and they must always move together, making them extremely vulnerable to AoE skills. Plus the extra sp expenditure Furthermore, this skill can only be used on units that already have the option of having multiple heads or similar features. So no humanoid units like the Hybrid or Amalgam. As for what happens when one of the units dies, it depends on what you choose. What Ill do, for example, is make it fall off. But regardless of how many drawbacks it has, I want to use Fused Monstrosity anyway! Three units, fused in a single body. Three units three heads one body Im sure you know where Im going. Dont you immediately think of a Hydra? But if I use a venus flytrap and a salamander as the base, theres a trait that Im missing. Where are the scales? And fangs? ...wheres the reptile? As much as people tend to confuse them, salamanders arent reptiles. Theyre amphibians. They dont have scales, nor do they use fangs. Real Hydras are way too expensive for me to use right now, so I had to use something else. Something with fangs, scales, and a long neck Something like a As Ive said before, there was a creature that immediately came to mind: a snake. To be more precise, a Giant Snake. Dont you agree with me? Isnt a snake what you first thought of? The Giant Snake has the same skill as the Nagas: Venomous Bite. It might be one of the most common innate skills, but a poison attack with an added slow effect isnt anything to scoff at. Whats more important, the Giant Snake will give me the fangs, scales, and long necks I was missing. Alright! Lets do this! I rub my hands together in excitement. Lets create this beauty! I first focus on the three heads. I use the flytraps mouths as the base, keeping the green exterior and red interior. I turn each of the teeth of the flytraps mouth into an actual snake fang, dripping a greenish substance from the tip. Is it poison or is it drool? Youll never know. After all, I dont know and Im the creator, hahaha! It doesnt matter anyway because its only aesthetic. Finally, on top of each mouth, I add two intimidating snake eyes. They glow orange, which is the Fire Salamanders eye color. I then connect each head to the main body with a thin stem-like neck covered by scales. For the main body, I use the salamanders, but I cover it completely in scales and change its pattern and colors. Instead of black, I use the same green used in the heads. As for the pattern, I make it look like crimson flowers blooming in the middle of the forest. Its all thanks to the salamanders vibrant red, so intense that feels like its glowing by itself. I keep the AI simple. The three heads will have the same AI: wait for an enemy to come close. If possible, surprise it by eating it whole. Otherwise, move closer and coordinate the attacks to whittle it down. If one of the heads manages to eat an enemy whole, the others will cover and protect it until it fully heals. Aaah, my beauty is ready to be created! My custom hydra! I wipe the tears falling from my dry eyes. Im so happy! I wont bother you with too much skill explanation. First, Ill show you the full stat screen of my monster. I baptized it as the Hydra Mantrap, youll understand why soon.
Hydra Mantrap (Lv 8)
HP 2.261 (1330) STA 200 (118) SOU 198 (117)
EP 1.581 (930) MP 1.564 (920)
STR 159 (94) CON 166 (98) AGI 132 (78)
SPI 129 (76) WIL 168 (99) DEX 32 (19)
SPD 5 INT 4 COM 2
Skills
Active: Eruption, Poison Cloud, Carnivorous Plant (Innate), Venomous Bite (Innate). Triggered: Isolation. Passive: Burrow, Enlarge, Fused Monstrosity, Eternal Pain (Innate), Fire Elemental (Innate).
As you can see, the Hydra Mantrap has not one, not two, but four innate skills, the fourth of which comes from being a Chimera. Hahaha! Im sure youre envious. Ill quickly go over the skills now. First of all, the most important one: Enlarge. With it, the Hydra Mantrap can now eat other units of up to two and a half meters tall. Its all thanks to the Fire Salamanders original size, with a height of up to three meters. This made even bigger with Enlarge, has made the heads big enough to eat humans. This is why I called it Mantrap. Isolation increases the damage when there are no allies nearby, perfect for ambushes. And talking about ambushes, theres Burrow.
Burrow (Passive skill)
You can burrow into impassable terrain. It takes 5 seconds to do so and you cant move once burrowed.
Do you know whats worse than a monster eating you whole? The same, but when you dont see it coming. With Burrow, the Hydra Mantrap can disappear into the ground, but I set it so only the heads do so. The body, with its vibrant flower patterns, will work as bait for the invaders. And when they least expect it Bam! The ground will split and theyll be eaten whole! Fufufu! Hahaha! I dont think Poison Cloud needs an explanation. On the other hand, Eruption
Eruption (Active skill)
Cost: 150 MP
The ground splits up, randomly throwing 10 magma projectiles into the air. When they fall, they deal (20 + 1,2 SPI) fire damage to every unit they hit.
Eruption is one of those high-risk high-reward skills. Since you cant control the meteors, they may fall in such a way that you deal no damage at all. Or even worse, hit yourself or your allies with all of them. But cant you just cast it far away, when there are no allied units nearby, you ask? Well sure. You can cast it when there are no allied units nearby. But youll always be inside the affected area because the range is extremely short. No luck for you this time, hahaha. The Hydra Mantrap, on the other hand, doesnt care at all if it hits itself with the meteors. Because the damage will be halved thanks to the Fire Elemental skill. As long as the invaders take more damage than the Hydra does, its fine. Thats all folks! This is all for today! And for a few days to come at least. See you the next time I want to create something crazy! Fufufu! Hahaha! Right before I close the game, after saving the dungeon changes, I check the currently ongoing dungeon invasions. There, I see a familiar name. But this time, instead of coming alone, he came with some friends. I stop, take a look at the clock, and start moving to the control room. Ummm where did I leave my virtual popcorn again?
Youre asking why high-ranking players dont use weak monsters in their matches, right? It isnt that they dont use them at all, but its a matter of efficiency. When it comes to PvP matches, learning how to efficiently use your cp budget is one of the most important skills. The problem with weak monsters is that their level-ups cost as much as any other monster. Higher stats mean better use of those same skills, so if the cost to level them up is the same, wasting cp budget on weak monsters is a waste of potential. This is why its weird to see weak monsters in high-level PvP. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 200 - Dinosaur Chasers According to the map, were almost there now. Are you excited, viewers? Were about to meet the dinosaurs you wanted to see. [Oooh, finally] [Are they any good? So far it was pretty lame] [Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs! Lets chase some dinosaurs!] Haha, I have no idea. I know as much as you do. We came because you asked us. There werent enough dinosaurs in the other dungeons so you wanted to see the monsters in this dungeon. [Whats this? Everything looks weird. Dungeon? Is this a game?] [Lol, you missed so much] [Hahaha, too late. You missed the best part] [What did I miss? Jack, tell us!] Before the chat explodes, I decide to intervene. Calm down everyone. For those who connected late, were inside a game called Dungeon Masters Arena, where players create dungeons and invade the other players. As you know from yesterdays video, a new faction based on dinosaurs was just released and we had to check it out. But since there were so few dinosaurs in the ones we went to, you asked us for more. And here we are now, about to reach the part of this dungeon where monstrous dinosaurs appear. Well upload the full video in a few days. Youll be able to see everything there, including Bens death. [Ah. I was wondering why Ben wasnt there] [Hi Jack, hi Mary. Nice to see you again] [Lololol. Bens death was so epic. He was like Nooo! I dont want to die! when Jack and Mary left him behind] [Yeah. It was his fault though] [He went and challenged a monster train head-on. He was asking for death] Hahaha youre right. I scratch my head at the comments. Can you hear me, Ben? Wherever you are, rest in pieces, buddy. Better luck next time, hahaha! [RIP] [Rest In Pieces buddy] [Hahaha, Jack youre too brutal] [But if this is a game, why do you look almost like you do in real life?] Oh, this one is a good question. The games customization is excellent. We decided to create Champions as close to our real appearances as possible so that you could identify us easily. Dont you think so too, Mary? Mary, with her identical glasses as the ones she uses in real life, nods. The game isnt quite the same as reality, but her Champion is so similar that its hard for me to tell the difference. In fact, the part where it differs more from reality is the clothes were using. Youre right She turns to the camera and starts talking to the audience. Ben got what he deserved, you dont have to feel bad about him. If only he could grow a little! [Hahaha!] [Youre a kid to me, boy. Hahaha] [Ben you failed as a man again] [RIP] [Can somebody explain?] [Nope] At the top of the slope, we find a colossal glass greenhouse. Theres a side door close to our current location. Were here, everyone. This is where the dinosaurs should be. I make a signal with my hand, pointing at the door. Mary? Do you want to do the honors? Sure. Mary nods and checks the door. Its unlocked. We can go in. As expected, its unlocked. The map weve been following as well as the comments from the viewers told us beforehand. Alright. Lets go. As we move inside, I talk to the viewers. DMA has a feature to allows us to stream the match in real time. Everyone, arent you happy? Youll finally get a chance to see dinosaurs other than velociraptors and hatchlings. Well, they wont be proper dinosaurs, according to what weve heard, but Im sure they wont be boring. You cant say a dinosaur hybrid is a proper dinosaur, but its better than watching the same two types all the time. In the first dungeon, I felt like I was in a dream, surrounded by dinosaurs. I could die happy. But the glow was lost on the second dungeon, which looked the same as the first. Then the third, and the fourth Thats why were here today. Maybe its too soon for the dinosaur faction. Im sure itll be amazing given enough time. Im looking forward to the more than ten-meter height dinosaurs! I love the brachiosaurus and their long necks. Theyre by far my favorite! They appeared in the trailers, so Im sure well be able to find them in the future! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. its a shame I dont have enough time to play the game and create a Lost World dungeon of my own. Regarding DMA, we created our accounts and played the minimum to get used to the mechanics and to get used to it for the dinosaur release. Im not sure if Mary or Ben will continue playing after this, but I cant. I continue my explanation. As all of you who have been watching us from the start know, since weve come to this dungeon, weve faced giant turtles that fired laser beams at us, a few humanoids with two heads, caves filled with dangerous mushrooms, rabbits that turned into monsters And lets not forget the monster train that caught Ben. And all of this is by taking the shortest path. So What do you think well find here? Will it be plant monsters? Animals that turn into humans? Maybe the whole greenhouse is, in fact, a single colossal monster? [That caught Ben. Hahaha! As if it wasnt you who said to leave him behind] [Well never forgive his valiant sacrifice! Hahaha!] [RIP] [RIP] [Ahahaha! Yeah, well never forget that sight. The sight of Ben acting like a fool and provoking them, I mean] [RIP Ben] [Monsters? Do you mean as in a fantasy story? Orcs and the like?] [Nah, something way worse] [How worse?] [You have to see it to understand] As usual, the chat is flooded with comments about both related and unrelated stuff. On the other side of the door, we find a forest. No, there are too many kinds of plants clumped together to resemble a forest. Pines next to cacti. A sequoia surrounded by mangroves. At least twenty types of flowers grow in the same square meter. Theres also moss growing on giant tree leaves! Its a mess. An absolute, although unexpectedly captivating, mess. Oh, look at that joshua tree! It reminds me of the one near my house when I was a child [Here we go again] [Jack: I miss my home so much!] [Not this again, please] [Mary, save us from this! Youre our only hope!] Shut up! I wont talk about it now, ok? So stop complaining. Why are they always like this? I cant make a single comment about my past. [Hahaha missed the bullet... For now] [For now lol] I ignore the messages and clear my throat. Khm! So as you can see, this is a surreal place where all kinds of plants grow together. Nothing unexpected here. From what weve seen from this dungeon until now, there wasnt a single normal place. What do you say, Mary? Not hearing a response, I turn my head in her direction. Shes smelling a big white lilly, so I come closer and touch her shoulder. Ah! Mary jumps, startled. Uh umm I was checking the smell. It is faint, but they smell like the ones in real life. Its amazing how good this game is. Let me see Wow, its true! Viewers, you must play this game at least once if possible. I swear, you wont regret it. [Free sponsorship? No way. Our Jack never does anything for free] [How much did they pay you, Jack?] [But Mary never lies] [Youre right] [Maybe its true, then] What a bunch of jerks. As we delve further into the forest, the number of plants keeps growing and the trees grow taller. The only guidance we have is the tiny trail, almost completely overgrown by the plants. Suddenly, Mary raises her arm to block the way. Were surrounded. ...Huh? But I dont see anything Wait, I saw something moving? No, was it my imagination? I thought I saw movement, but when I pay attention, theres nothing there. But Mary has a skill to detect danger, so she must be right. Shht! Mary signals me to shut up. [Yeah, shut up Jack] [Follow Marys advice or Ill punch you. Remember we know where you used to live, as you remind us every week] [Dont be like Jack, be like Mary] [Our beautiful and serious Mary is always right] Jerks. Why are they so against me all the time? What wrong did I do to them for them to act like this? We wait, standing still in the middle of the path. If there are monsters close by, Im sure they must have detected us by now. But for now, Ill do as Mary says. It doesnt take long for the monsters to show themselves up. Revealing themselves from all around us, purple-skinned velociraptors jump at us at the same time. I know I should try to run away, or at least try to fight them off, but I cant. I cant because theyre dinosaurs! Its dinosaurs! I shout. Look at this, viewers! This is what we were looking for! Its the mutated velociraptors! I excitedly grab the closest one and start inspecting its body. Meanwhile, they keep attacking me from all sides, but I dont care. Ahaha! This is amazing. The tentacles blend with the velociraptors body so perfectly, that youd say they were originally like this. And those fluid movements! Wow, it was worth the effort to come here! Hahaha! Jack are you sure youre fine? Mary looks at me with a surprised face. Seems like the tentacled velociraptors are leaving her alone for now and are focussing on me exclusively. I caress the velociraptors skin, feeling every bump and crevice. I check the hardness of the tentacles, the texture of the scales, and even put my hands in its mouth to open it and see how it looks inside. Yeah. I nod. I couldnt feel better. [*punch punch* Dont worry, Im fine *punch punch punch*] [This is Jack trying his best to impress Mary] [I, ugh, I dont feel, ugh, the pain By Jack] Well, as you can all see, I dont think Ill last for long. And there are way too many dinosaurs for us to kill. So Heres all for today, dear viewers, this is the end of DMAs special featuring life-like dinosaurs! I hope you enjoyed todays stream. See you next week in the next episode of Chasing Dinosaurs, where we comment and analyze everything related to dinosaurs. In the future, well make another DMA special, but well wait until we find a decent dungeon first. See you! Hahaha! [RIP Jack] [RIP] [He and Ben will soon have a party] Jack? What am I supposed to do now? Mary raises her sight from the notepad she was writing on until now and observes as my HP reaches critical levels. I dont know. You can continue the dungeon invasion or go back. Ill keep the stream on until you leave, though. Ugh okay?
The visual realism of DMA was so spectacular that, more than once, people unrelated to the videogame industry used it as a stage for their projects. It wasnt weird for fantasy or mythological fans to play and record everything they saw, either.
Ch 201 - Will you play with me? One, two, three, and four! And with this, I won! Hehehe! This cant be and I was so sure I was going to win this time Hmm Marta puts her hands on her head and complains. Shes as competitive as ever. Meanwhile, I impassively observe the game board in front of me. It makes no sense. How can this be possible? Well, I at least got close to winning, unlike him. How can you be so pathetic, Andreu? Hahaha! Hmmm Yeah, it definitely makes no sense. How come Clara finished the game already and Marta has a single piece left, but all my pieces have yet to leave home? It makes no sense at all! Every time I managed to get a piece out, it was instantly killed! How can I be so unlucky? He-hey, Andreu! Are you fine? You look as if your soul left your body. Clara shakes me to get a response from me. Are you alive? Or did the shock kill you? Hmmm I continue to observe the game board without giving her a proper answer. I cant understand. Weve played three games! Not one, not two, but THREE! And not only did Clara win all of them, but I still have to reach the end with a single one of my pieces! It makes no sense! How can she be so lucky? Every single time I managed to get one of my pieces into the board, it was killed the next turn by Clara! There must be something behind it, it cant be all because of luck. Yeah Im sure of it. She must be cheating. It makes no sense otherwise. But how? I didnt see anything wrong with her actions. I even asked her to swap our dice between each game, switched seats and colors, and prayed to god but nothing worked. I alternate between staring at Claras face and the board for a while. I then pick the dice she was using and roll them. Its two ones. Nooo! It makes no senseeee! A-are you okay, Andreu? ... Claras shaking intensifies, but I continue to ignore her. It isnt until Marta pulls her off me that the shaking stops. Leave him be. Sooner or later, he will return to normal. Like a cockroach, its extremely difficult to get rid of him. Hey! There was no need to say this! I internally shout, momentarily distracted by her words. But I quickly return to the important matter at hand: how could I lose so pathetically at one of the simplest games ever conceived? Parchs, Ludo, Uckers however you want to call it, this game for four players, each one playing as one of the usual green, red, blue, or yellow colors, is a game every kid has played at least once in their lives. A game that requires little skill, most of it relying on luck. So, the question is why did I lose so pathetically? And not one, but three consecutive times!? ...there must be some conspiracy I must find why huhu, hahaha Come, Clara. Lets leave him alone for now, hes lost it. We should continue cleaning up. Alright. Leaving me to my delusions, they pick up a broom and a rag and continue what we started this morning: cleaning the house. So werent we playing until now? Why do I say we were cleaning, then, you ask? The answer is an extremely easy one. We were cleaning, until we found this old game we played when we were kids. As you might expect, the only reasonable thing we could do at that moment was to start playing to reminisce the old days, leaving all the work for later. But I wasnt like this back then! I never lost so pathetically when we were kids! Clara indeed tended to win, taking advantage of the continuous fights between Marta and me, but I never lost so pathetically! There must be something else at work. Is it karmic retribution? But what did I do to anger the gods? Actually I can think of a few things. But do they deserve such a punishment? It isnt like I go around killing random children and eating their guts or anything similar. Alright, lets forget about this I slap my cheeks hard, forcing myself to stop thinking. I then pick up another broom and resume cleaning. What board game? What are you talking about? Ive been cleaning the whole time. Theres absolutely no chance Id ever stop working to play a game. Who did you take me for, huh? So are you going to participate in next weeks Mystery Event? I ask after a while of cleaning. Since were in the summer break, I was planning on participating. Yes! Lets participate together, Andreu! You and me! Ah! Um Marta can join too if she wants, of course, hehe. She sticks her tongue out and corrects her verbal slip. I raise one eyebrow. Im sure you know this, but the rules wont be disclosed until the same day. Theres a high chance we wont be able to participate together, you know? I Its fine! You just need to play with me if the opportunity arises. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Sure why not I make a laugh dry while stroking her head. This is usually the fastest way to calm her down when she gets too excited. Observing us, Marta smiles with her mouth but not with her eyes. Her lip slightly trembles. Is it just me, or does it look like shes about to slam the broom on my head? For once, hes right. Of course, Im right. Im always right. It isnt clear if youd be able to participate together or not, so you shouldnt get too excited about it. FurthermoreI cant participate. I have other stuff to do that day. She finishes her sentence by looking away from us. Um Is that regret I see written on her face? I walk to her and pat her head in a similar way I do to Clara. Dont think too much about it. Well be able to play together another day. Hahaha, I never thought youd react like Clara when it comes to this kind of stuff Are you missing me that much? Hahaha! M-missing who!? Also, dont touch me without warning! *Bam!* Ouch! Yep. I was right. That broom was aimed at my head. Hey! Why did you do that!? Uh, ah! Are you okay? She panics. I-Im sorry! Marta runs away with her face beet red. Did she run away? Like this? Why? It was me who got hurt! Well, she hit with the hollow tube, so it made a loud sound but there was no strength behind it. But in any case, if somebody were to run away, it should be me and not her. I dont think Ill ever understand her No, wait a moment. Didnt she just run away in the middle of cleaning? Dont we have to do her part now, too? I was going to complain and act like it hurt a lot so I could skip it, but now I mustnt get extra work, so solving this comes first. Crying can come later. H-hey! Marta! I forgive you, okay? It didnt hurt at all. Now, come back and help us finish this! I shout, but theres no response, so I shrug. Clara exchanges a look with me. Im going to check on her. It isnt normal for her to act like that Uh, sure I nod. Do whatever you please. Im as surprised as she is, after all. Clara leaves the room, running after Marta. But then I realize a crucial fact. Didnt she leave all the work to me? Now Im the only one remaining. I take a look around in hopes of finding I dont know. A phantom? Someone who could help me. But, obviously, theres nobody. Not you too I want to cry when I look at the unfinished work. Shit. Aaagh, here goes my plan to finish with this early so I could spend the rest of the afternoon playing DMA. Even if I wait for them to come back so I dont have to do everything by myself, who knows how long theyll take? I might as well get going so Ill have some time even if they dont come back. If I had known this would happen, I wouldnt have suggested playing the three games before. We should have stuck to cleaning first. *Sigh* Theres no use in regretting past decisions, so I resume cleaning.
Aah, yes. This is life! Comfortably sitting on my usual chair, I scroll through the DMA menu while watching several concurrent players invade my dungeon. In particular, I chose those that were struggling the most. Ahaha, look at that guy. Hes trying my abyss-proved technique of not looking where you go! Too bad for him its useless in my dungeon, as most of the monsters dont care if youre looking at them or not when they try to kill you. How can he be so stupid? Maybe hes a new player? But it still makes no sense A message sound interrupts my thoughts. When I read it, it turns out its Ricard. Hes asking me if I want to play with him to train for the incoming Mystery Event. Im not against it, but Id like to enjoy this for a while longer, so I send him a message saying that Ill do so tomorrow and continue watching the show. Oh my god. Is that one serious? Who in their sane mind would run towards a Stitched, hug it, and start kissing it!? Uugh! I tremble in repulsion at the sight, so I quickly turn that display off, making one of the screens turn black. Argh, I shiver, I might have nightmares about this What the hell is wrong with that player!? I could understand if it was the Sexy Secretary. I maybe could understand if the player had some weird kink that made it like some of my hybrids But a Stitched? A STITCHED of all things!? Objectively speaking, one of the most disgusting mobs in the whole game, more disgusting than zombies because, while zombies are created from a rotting dead body, theyre at least made from a single dead body unlike the Stitched, which are made from several dead bodies mashed together. And he went and KISSED it!? I need something to forget about what I just saw Right on time, I notice that the number of players inside my dungeon, aka the number of instances created, suddenly skyrockets. Huh? Whats going on? I quickly open one of them randomly, hoping to forget about the disgusting image. Um but why do I have a bad feeling about this? One of the black screens turns on, displaying the image of the invaders. I turn on the sound and listen to what they say. You must be glad, apprentices. Youve got the wonderful chance to come with me to His dungeon accompanied by none other than His 3rd Apostle! This way of talking... the shining eyes, madness hidden behind them plus 3rd Apostle It cant be, right? Todays session will work as your initiation as well as training for the incoming Mystery Event. If youre lucky, you might even catch His attention and be acknowledged with the title of Apostle by none other than Himself! Oh, please, Great Mad Rat! Bless me and these initiates with the greatest despair! For all shall despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! All shall despair! All shall despair! I dont know you! Its the first time I see your name or your face! Why are you proclaiming yourself as an Apostle if I didnt know you existed!? No, stop, Andreu! What am I doing, going with the flow and acknowledging I have anything to do with them? Its all their delusions! I never did anything to deserve their crazy adoration. I never acknowledged their cult, nor did I ever teach anything to any of them! ... Suddenly, two flashes of memories come to me. The first is from the first tournament we participated. During the match with the madmen, I acted like I was the teacher of one of them so I could survive. The second is the construction of my statue in their underground cathedral. I did I gulp, ...I did give them my acknowledgment in the two Did I bring this upon myself? No way In denial, I turn off the reproduction and switch to another of the newcomers. But regardless of how many times I switch, I can only hear the same three words: All shall despair! All shall despair! All shall despair! All shall despair! What the fuck are they doing, coming in droves into my dungeon and spouting nonsense like that!? After a shout, I turn off all the screens. I then open back the first one I closed, where the same guy is now kissing that Stitched. The only difference is that the Stitched is now dead. Ah, yes this is it this is what I was looking for... I can feel my sanity slowly recovering.
Like every previous Mystery Event that DMA created, the rules werent revealed until right before the competition started. This was to ensure the mystery but also to make sure that players couldnt prepare for it. This was the only way to make sure everyone would start on equal footing.
Ch 202 - Under the sea Are you rea what the hell are you doing? Imagine my surprise when I turn around to ask Ricard if hes ready and find him stretching. It shouldnt be unexpected given the current situation, but thats only if he didnt look like a drunken chicken dancing around. Me? Stretching. Cant you see? I know, its just youve never done this before, right? Why are you doing it today? Ive never seen you doing exercise. Ever. What!? I do exercise! sometimes Ahaha, look at him squirming around. If we werent inside the game, he would be sweating buckets right now. Dont you mean you exercised? In past tense. For example when you were forced to, in PE class? Ugh, I yes Contrary to what I expected, he quickly recovers from the shame. ...but it doesnt matter! Because Ive spent all my free time in games, learning everything youd ever want to know! Hahaha! Ask me any question about DMA, and Ill give you the perfect answer. Yeah Im not so sure you should be so proud about that. Also, no thanks. Id rather die than give you a reason to start one of your knowledge drilling sessions. I turn to the dungeon awaiting us. Lets go. I dont want to waste time like this. Come on, ask me, Mad Rat! Are you ashamed of your lack of knowledge? If so, you just need to ask me to be your teacher and Ill treat you as my most precious student! No thanks. Did you make the changes we talked about? I ask, switching to another topic. Since this is about DMA, Im sure itll work. Did you remove all auras from your Champion? Of course! Who do you take me for? Id never make a single mistake regarding a build I have designed! Hahaha! I removed all auras and turned them into ice skills requiring activation. Good job, I nod. And dont worry, Ill carry you through this dungeon the best I can! Its finally time to show the effects of all my training! by the way, when are you going to ask your sister to teach me? Ah, I forgot to tell you. I asked her and she said she was too busy. Alright what a shame... I believe thats an excuse she gave me to avoid being put into a bothersome situation, but Im not going to say it. After all, if I were in her shoes, Id have done the same thing. So where did you take me today? Is this dungeon any good? I hope you didnt take me to a human dungeon, did you? Of course not! Although Id rather prefer it if possible He stops talking when I glare at him. ... forget it. Khm! The dungeon I chose today has excellent ratings and its pretty famous. This is because it works completely different to any other dungeon youve seen so far. Different? How? Dont all dungeons have the same design? Fight monsters, discover traps, beat bosses, and finally destroy the dungeon core? You know that all dungeons follow more or less the same pattern, right? But not this one. Here, the main focus of the dungeon invasion is to escape and survive. Escape and survive? Like when the monsters are too strong but you dont want to die and look a way around them or wait until youre healed? Ive done that before. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Ricard annoys me with his tongue clicking. Im not talking about that. Didnt I tell you that this dungeon is different? ... can you please explain? I hope Im not going to regret this. Alright! Ill illuminate the poor you with my unending knowledge! Hahaha! Im regretting it already. Did I tell you that this dungeon has a recommended player level of under level ten? The reason behind that is that this dungeons main feature is a single, absurdly powerful boss. If you were to bring high-level characters, itd ruin the experience. Thats why it has a level recommendation. Aha And? This powerful boss will chase you during the dungeon invasion. But since its so strong, you cant hope to defeat it, leaving you no option but to escape. This dungeon is so different from any other youve seen because you must keep track of the monster at all times, escaping and moving through terrain where it cant reach you! Meanwhile, the other monsters will make the journey difficult for you. Some of them can even tell the boss your current position! Now that he has explained it, it does sound different. It isnt unusual for special dungeons to appear from time to time. Environmental dungeons, with no monsters, which you go into for the scenery; roleplaying dungeons where you must complete a quest or series of objectives; arena dungeons, with a single room where monsters constantly pour into Those are a few that come to mind. But this is the first time Ive heard of a survive the giant monster dungeon. My gaze wanders from the pristine beach in front of us to the endless ocean. Right next to the horizon, theres something glowing purple. It must be the dungeon core. Well be chased by a sea monster, then? Or is it a giant whale that eats you whole if it gets to you? Tired of waiting for an answer, I look at Ricard. Unlike his usual self, hes staying quiet instead of quickly denying what I said and showing off how much he knows. ...It isnt funny when you guess it right He mutters. I see. So thats why hes like that. He looks like an abandoned puppy. Lets try this to cheer him up. But if you can fly, cant you skip the whole thing? I ask, knowing that hell quickly explain why Im wrong. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Of course, you cant! Theres an invisible barrier a meter over the sea level that prevents players from playing dirty. But why would anyone do it, anyway? Isnt it more fun to play by the rules? Why would anyone come here to skip it instead of enjoying it? ... I remain silent to keep him unaware of the truth. Hes so innocent sometimes. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Meanwhile, my mind wanders off to my dungeon. Ive seen that a lot of times: players who try to skip everything and then brag about their achievements. What a shame for them that these kinds of tricks dont work in my dungeon and they end up dead instead. A shadow moving under the water catches my attention, snapping out of my thoughts. No way is that it cant be, right? Were lucky! Well be able to see the boss before it gets dangerous! Hahaha! The shadow keeps getting larger and larger. When it seems it cant grow anymore, the water starts rising, giving way to the monsters body. Soon, a white island is created in the middle of the ocean. I gulp at the ridiculous size of that monster. Theres a short pause. Then, an enormous water geyser sprouts from the island, reaching a ridiculous height. The sheer amount of water expelled makes me shiver. Here it is, Ricard says solemnly, The Great White Whale. Thats the name of the monster we must avoid. Dont you think its exciting? But dont worry, with my extensive knowledge about the game and all the information I recollected, itll be easy peasy, hahaha! Is that the monster were supposed to fight against!? How are you supposed to fight something so huge!? Ricard grins at my reaction. Calm down, Mad Rat. We arent going to fight it. Were going to avoid it. I know, you said it before. But still If I had to make a comparison, that monster is as big as the whole Rabbit Paradise in my dungeon. And thats just the part we can see! The ocean is vast. There will be plenty of space to hide. Lets go, lets go under the sea! He cheerily swings his arms around as his feet touch the water, signaling for me to follow. With his Revenant Champion, it looks ridiculous, but my mind is preoccupied with something else. I never thought Id say this, but Sometimes, he can be somewhat reliable. Somewhat, and only sometimes. I repeat it because its important. As we move further under the sea, the sea life takes over. Fish and coral of every color you can imagine. Even the sunlight seems to glow in multiple colors, illuminating the seafloor in a myriad of colors as the waves move. This is what you would expect from a Deep Seas dungeon. Its been some time since the last time I entered one, but this is a first. Ive never seen one with so much detail yet. The happy scenery doesnt last for long, though. The ground keeps going lower and lower until theres enough water over us for the huge whale to freely swim. Were in dangerous territory now. I know in real life all light would disappear after a certain point, but this is a game and it doesnt happen. Do we go straight to the end? I ask. From this point on, we could be attacked at any time. You can try swimming in a straight line if you want. I wouldnt recommend it, though. Its the fastest way to become food for the boss. Then what? Lets keep following this path. Well reach a forest soon. Path? What path is he talking aboC ah, I see it now. Its hard to see, but theres something resembling a path where corals dont grow. I took it for granted, but theres no easy path anywhere else. Wait. Didnt he say forest? A forest under the sea? Im curious now. Why is there a forest under the sea? What kind of forest are you talking about? Hahaha! Just wait a moment. Well soon be there. Aaargh, hes so irritating! Why is he behaving like this? Hes usually so eager to explain everything up to the tiniest of details! So why is he leaving me filled with intrigue now!? I look around, looking for the forest. Other than the coral and fish weve seen since a while ago, theres just rocks and sand. Ah, look at that algae. How weird. It grows straight up and continuously undulates as if dragged by the waves, but the waves are way above our heads. Its kind of funny, though. Flat, wavy and long. It looks squishy. As we follow the path, more and more of those algae appear. They grow taller, too. Is this what Ricard was talking about? Short answer: it wasnt. Soon, the ground disappears. Or it seems to, due to the viewpoint. In fact, theres a pronounced slope that makes it look like the ground disappeared. Below, theres an authentic sea of algae. The same funny algae that caught my attention. Theyre as tall as trees and very close to one another. So this is the forest you were talking about. It is. Its best to see it for yourself, right? I didnt want to spoil the surprise, hahaha! Well yes. I reluctantly agree. This doesnt make his behavior any less annoying, though. Is there any other surprise youre saving for later? Id rather not die to one of them. At least this time it wasnt dangerous. No. Not really. Lets go! Ill explain everything you need to know! Follow me! Hahaha! Oh, and dont get away from me. The visibility should be pretty bad down there. When we enter the algae forest, the visibility drops to almost zero. No, Im not kidding. Its so bad that I can barely see Ricard or his floating specters, which are just a meter away. Pretty bad was an overestimation. This reminds me of a cornfield. Once youre inside, its very hard to see anything other than the plants surrounding you, if not outright impossible. Ricard, I know youre the tank and should go first, plus youre the one who knows about this dungeon. But please, walk slower. Its hard to keep up. Fine Ill do it for my dear follower. Shut up! Im nobodys follower! You arent? But arent you asking everything to me? Im the one who knows, and youre the one who follows what I say. So youre my follower, hahaha! What kind of logic is that? Now that were in the algae forest, you must be aware of the mermaids. Theyll attack us unexpectedly, taking advantage of the poor visibility. Thats why its important to stay close to each other. And then I leave Ricard to his delusions and look around. Algae. Algae. Even more algae. Everything looks the same. Huh? Whats that? Something reflecting the sunlight, partially buried under the sand, catches my attention. I dig it up out of curiosity. Is this some sort of shell? What I have in my hand is an immaculate white shell, about the size of my hand. Its hard undulating surface perfectly imitates the waves of the sea. Hey, Baldy. Look here. You say that you know everything, right? Then Is this something important? I show the shell to him, but right at that moment, it starts glowing with a bright white light. Ah, shit! Shouts Ricard. Quickly release that and run! Without hesitation, I throw the shell away and follow after him. I dont know how I do it with the lack of visibility, but I somehow manage to keep track of him. At the same time, a huge shadow starts approaching. It grows larger until all the sunlight is blocked. W-why is the whale here!? I ask. Is it because of the shell? Ricard, his voice faltering due to running, answers me. Yes! The shell makes the whale come. Then why didnt you warn me!? I I forgot to tell you. Even the wisest of sages can forget to warn people sometimes. But you didnt forget about the freaking mermaids! Dont you think this is more important!? I well When everything is covered by the enormous shadow, the only light remaining is that of the shell I touched. Like a falling meteor, the colossal monster falls and crashes into the ground. The shockwave makes us fall to the ground. Thank god we could get away in time I struggle to get up. Ahahaha! It was close! Did you see that, Mad Rat? The size of that monster, and the force behind that crash? Its amazing! One day, Ill create an undead as imposing as that one. No, one thats even bigger and stronger! Ill become the strongest undead player! Hahaha! The whale, having missed its target, lifts up from the ground and starts circling the algae forest, searching for us. I get closer to the point of impact. Theres nothing left. Where the algae forest used to be, theres now a giant crater. Not even the ground remains. Alright no more touching shells from now on. I gulp. Ricards reaction is the opposite of mine. Destructible ground and plants, huh? You cant see this everywhere. Ricard comments, slightly excited at the spectacle. Only players over level fifteen can create destructible terrain! This isnt time to get excited I retort. We almost died.
There was always heavy competition between DMA players for who had the most original dungeon. This drove them to try and discover new ways to abuse the game systems, which was an equally pleasurable and headache-inducing situation for the DMA developers.
Ch 203 - Kidnapped Nooooo! My cute little baby, dont run away from me! Dont run away from your father, your creator, the guy who feeds you! I shout while chasing after my Good Follower. I promise you. If you return, I wont ever subject you to painful experiments or mistreat you. Not anymore! I swear on the mental health of my dungeons invaders! Mad Rat, can you please stop shouting? What if the whale hears you? Closely chasing after me, Ricard warns me of the impending danger. The whale has indeed been circling above us for a while now. Understandably, he wants to be cautious. Dont worry, I gesture with my hand, dismissing his worries, as I continue chasing after the Good Follower. It looks close because of its sheer size, but it is quite far from us. Theres no chance it can hear us. None at all. This is more important right now. I know, but still Fine. Lets save your minion. But theres no need to shout to do it. Who said theres no need? Ill shout if I want to! But youll catch the attention of the other mermaids. It isnt wise to do so when we arent prepared to fight them while chasing after one of them. ... I observe him for a while, not sure how to respond. Is he for real? ...humans, I say, lots of humans packed together. Do I need to continue? ... No. He lowers his head in shame. Yeah, good. Youre the last person I want to hear about acting stupid in front of the enemies. Furthermore, youre the one whos the hardest to stop when you start roleplaying. I dont want you to complain when Im simply shouting stupid things, not when Im doing what we should do anyway. Ricard finally shuts up and allows me to continue what I must do. Hey, come back, Good Follower! Is this how are you going to pay me for all the attention and care Ive given you? By running away with the first kidnapper that caught your attention!? In case you dont understand whats going on, allow me to explain. Its pretty simple. After the whale created the crater, we resumed our dungeon exploration but soon found the first enemy. Well to be more precise, it found us and not the other way around. The mermaid used the algae to hide and caught the first unit that got close before running away with it. Having to drag a unit slows it down, which allows us to keep up with its faster speed. There must be some skill that prevents the Good Follower from resisting, as it has remained immobile all along. Fine then! Were doing this the hard way then! Chaotic Beam! The beam, composed of light from multiple colors hits the mermaid. I hit it! Yeaaah! Ive fired it multiple times but missed all of them because of a lack of visibility. With so many leaves blocking our view, its hard to hit anything. Now lets pray for it to work. Why pray? Because the status effects it can apply arent guaranteed. Furthermore, theyre random. But this time luck is on my side. The mermaid stops moving shortly after and we can catch up. It must be the effects of the Paralyze status effect. How do I know its Paralyze and not something else? I dont. Im just assuming things. Hahaha! Yes, stop and allow yourself to be surrounded. Now, dieeeee! I swing my staff with all the strength I can, but the monsters HP doesnt decrease too much. Alright. Go, my minions! Go and take revenge for me! Fufufu! Hahaha! When you can do it alone, ask for help. Or better yet, order your subordinates to do the work for you. Its even better if they arent paid and are forced to work for free. Like this, our very precious minion is rescued. We can now continue with our dungeon exploration. Hey, Mad Rat Look there. Ricards words break my self-inflicted illusion. Weve got company. They must have come because of your screaming. When I look in the direction hes pointing, I see a group of mermaids. Theyre coming closer and look ready for battle, swimming between the algae agilely. But unlike when there was a single one, their numbers stop them from hiding effectively. Ah, uh Im sorry? Ricard laughs at my apology. Hahaha, dont worry. Everythings fine. Who would complain about the food coming to you and knocking on your door? Lets feast on some souls! Hahaha! The battle starts with my Chain Lightning, which neutralizes one of them before it can do anything. The rest of the mermaids start attacking immediately. Ill cover the front! Make sure the one with the staff doesnt finish its spell or well be in trouble, okay? Sure thing. I dont know why he says this, but I follow Ricards instructions. I focus my attention on the mermaid wielding a staff. Its protected by two warriors, but no amount of bodyguards will protect it from my Chain Lightning! Hahaha! Are you trying to call the great whale? Not a chance! Chain Lightning! My lightning zaps through the chaos of the battle and lands on one of the bodyguards before jumping to the other two mermaids. This, added to the damage they took from the first spell makes their HP reach one and become paralyzed. But now Im out of MP. I look around. The battle continues. Mermaids are swimming around our group, exploiting every weakness they find. Ricard is fighting against one that looks significantly stronger than the rest. Meanwhile, our minions are doing their best to fight off the enemies. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Ive temporarily dealt with the mage, but this is bad. How bad is it? Well have you ever fought with a blindfold? You know there are enemies and cant feel when they hit you, but you have no idea where they are. This kind of bad. I decide its best to make sure the mage is dead, so I do my best crossing the battlefield to reach the place where it fell to the ground. I must thank my sisters hellish training. If not for it, Id be in a lot of trouble right now. I kill the mage with a swing of my staff. I dealt with it. Now what? When I look back, I see that one of my Good Followers has been caught by one of the mermaids. Its the same as before. Not this again Ricard is taking care of that side, so Im the only one who can save it. Haa I guess I have no choice. I start running after the kidnapper, but my foot bumps into something hard and I fall to the ground. Why is there a fucking stone here? I havent seen any stone so far, so why is there one right here I come to a halt when I see the stone. It isnt a stone. Its a freaking white shell! I stare at the shell to make sure its safe, and that I didnt activate it by accident. The shell stares back. The worst comes true when the shell starts to brighten up, releasing white light. Oh, shit I forget about everything else and start running immediately towards Ricard. R-run, Ricard! If you want to survive, RUN! Good Followers, come with me! The imminent danger puts so much pressure on me that I forget to call him by his nickname. The immense shadow swimming above our heads starts to get closer one more time. What? Didnt you deal with the mage? I did! But but I activated another shite shell. I shout, assuming hell follow me. I didnt do it on purpose this time! I swear! Fuck! Mermaids, our minions nothing matters as long as I survive. Ricard too, but he isnt indispensable. I did my best to warn them and give orders to follow after me, so it isnt my fault whatever happens next. The sound of another loud crash comes from our back, followed by a huge shockwave.
Whew. Were finally out of that algae forest. I make a powerful sigh. I was tired of not seeing anything. When we come out of the algae forest, I gleefully spin around. I couldnt do it inside the algae forest. Indeed. Ricard nods. Hes currently making one of his sage poses, with his hand on his chin and all that. If only he would stop doing that It gets pretty annoying when he does it every. single. time. It was the perfect place to hide from The Great White Whale. But the density of the algae makes it quite difficult to do anything else than hiding. Yeah And we lost so many Fucking mermaids! From my support mobs, we lost Usufet and that Good Follower I couldnt save because I activated the second shell. From Ricards side, weve lost one of the specters and three of his skeletons. If we take into account we found a single group of mermaids, it makes things even worse. All of Ricards units died swallowed by the whale in the second attack and not because of the mermaids. I feel bad about it Just a tiny bit, though. After all, it wasnt my fault I tripped over one of those white shells. Hahaha! We did lose a few of our minions. But as long as Im here, you dont have anything to worry about. Ill lead us to victory! I guarantee it! Im not so sure about that. Sure, you knew what the white shell did, and you knew the mermaids would try to kidnap our monsters. But did you tell me before it happened? No, you didnt. As long as you keep explaining everything when its already too late, I cant rely on you. Anyway. I try my best to forget about his actions. On our backs, the vast algae forest continues undulating as if swayed by the waves. In front, we can now see an open space without a place to hide. Well, not exactly. There are a few scattered pillar-like structures filled with holes that resemble termite mounds. And thousands of luminescent floating jellyfish from any color you can imagine, floating from side to side in large swarms, allowing the currents to drag them around. It looks amazing. But it has a fatal flaw Ive already mentioned: theres nowhere to hide. Except for those termite mounds, which are too far apart from each other to provide proper cover, theres nowhere to hide. Um arent we screwed? I ask. How are we supposed to cross the distance without getting caught? Remember we move at half speed. I cant stop myself from turning to look at the whale still circling above the algae forest. It doesnt seem like its fast because of its stupidly large size, but Im sure it can swim at least twice as fast as we do. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Here we go again You know nothing, Mad Rat. He chuckles. Hahaha, Ive always wanted to say this. Khm, sorry. I got too excited. Yeah, I can see that too. So, as I was saying, it would make no sense for this dungeon to be so popular if it was impossible to clear. And? I urge him. Oh, I know! Do we have to cross that area before the whale notices? If its still circling on top of the algae forest, we can make it easily. No, that wont work. How are you so sure? Youve read a lot about this dungeon, but youve never come before, right? Ricard makes a silly smile. Im sure he wants to look interesting, but it isnt working. Because can you see those sponge-like things floating everywhere? They arent as eye-catching as the jellyfish, so you might have missed them. Now that he says it theres indeed something else floating around the pillars. It looks like rocks from this distance. Those will start glowing as soon as we get anywhere near. Like a chain, as long as one detects us, theyll propagate the light, turning the whole place into a giant glowing area. Ive read that it looks amazing when it happens. The combination of the jellyfish and the glowing sponges creates a fantastical view you cant find anywhere in real life. But as you might expect, theres no way The Great White Whale will miss it. Your plan is bound to fail. Then then what are we supposed to do? If the hiding plan cant work, and the sneaking plan cant work either arent we screwed? Hahaha Its the jellyfish. The jellyfish. Im seriously tempted to smash my fist into his face right now. Whats wrong with his tone? Why can he be so insufferable? The jellyfish are the key. They swim from one pillar to the next in set patterns. We cant hope to outrun the whale. But we can do something else. The key is to time our movements to the jellyfishs, using them to hide ourselves from the whale and, at the same time, use them as transport. Transport? Yes. The player who created this dungeon did a great job with them! If you touch their tentacles, youre in for a world of pain; but you can safely grab their heads. This way, theyll drag you with them. I see yeah, I understand. I dont know why I didnt think about it immediately. I mean, isnt it like this always? The first thing that comes to mind when you see a jellyfish is to grab it, sit on top of it, and use it as a buoyant transport. Or am I the crazy one? But we cant spend too much time on top of them. The longer, the higher the chance something will go wrong and the whale will spot us. The best is to use them to jump from one pillar to the next, and hide in the holes there while we wait for the next bus. Sure, why not. I dont care anymore. Nothing makes sense Lets go then. Im curious how itll feel to ride a jellyfish.
Sometimes, the best approach is clear to anyone. Sometimes, you have to think and work to get there. One thing is for sure: any dungeon that rose to the top ranks or got famous is possible to clear. There can be incredibly hard puzzles or difficult fights ahead, but if you persevere, youll eventually reach the end. Just keep trying and improving.
Ch 204 - Jellyfish ride As Ricard warned, as soon as we get close to one of those sponges, it starts glowing. In a chain effect, the closest ones start glowing too. The light propagates further and further, as far as I can see Stop gawking and run. Were in danger here. Startled at his warning, I look around. Were in danger What danger? I dont see any? Its then that I see the giant shadow approaching at a ridiculous speed. Oh, yeah! The giant whale! Baldy! Dont leave me behind! We run towards the closest mound-like pillar of rock. Id love to stop and watch the scenery but Im too busy running. The only thing I can see right now is the approaching colossal shadow. In the middle, I realize the whale hasnt spotted us yet, as it isnt coming straight towards us. Instead, it swims further ahead, where the majority of the luminous sponges are located, attracted by them. This is good because were safe for now, but itll be a problem later when we inevitably have to go near it. The rock pillar, which looked grey from a distance, turned out to be indeed gray. Gray rock, smooth as if polished, but rough to the touch. How can it be both rough and smooth? Arent they opposites? Well if it has no protrusions and the surface is perfectly flat, you call it smooth. If it has a coarse texture that hurts your hand when you press on it, you say its rough. So yes, its both rough and smooth. Like cement, dont you agree? I thought it would be dark inside, but theres a tenue white ambient light illuminating the interior. I know it makes no sense in real life, but its indispensable for the game. Players dont enjoy darkness unless its part of the intended experience. This light is why we could perfectly see the holes in the pillar from outside the algae forest. Otherwise, itd have been impossible to distinguish them from the dark gray rock surface. Theres also light coming from the shining sponges, which helps quite a bit too. But that light didnt exist when I first looked at them. Is this supposed to be created by a sea creature? I ask. It doesnt look natural. Hmm Ricard struggles to answer for a while. Im sure hes looking for the perfect answer, to show off his (self-proclaimed) amazing knowledge that surpasses the heavens... but he cant find any. In the end, he lowers his head in shame, admitting defeat. It must be Im sure it is Ugh I, I dont know. Hahaha. Didnt you take into account that they might be part of the setting? That there might not be any reason behind them? That theyre here just for aesthetic purposes? Thats true but Im sure there was something behind them After our brief conversation, we start climbing to get to a better viewing point. The tower, not more than ten meters wide, is filled with tunnels from one to two meters wide. They connect, creating easy paths to each hole that leads to the exterior. It reminds me of those places for kids to play. It takes us about two minutes to reach the top. Wow, I exclaim, taking in the surroundings. I never expected it to look like this. Are you sure were in a Deep Seas dungeon? Ricard stands proudly next to me, puffing his chest, but says nothing. Hes acting as if he were the one who designed this dungeon. Like stars shining in a deep blue sky, the white sponges float still in this wide space. To this, you have to add the streams of jellyfish from all colors being dragged by the water currents, moving from one dark pillar to the next incessantly. Youd imagine the dark mounds would look sinister and ruin the view, but instead of ruining it, they contribute a necessary contrast to the light and colors, perfectly complementing everything. But what gets my attention is the humongous white whale, completely visible for the first time, swimming relentlessly between the stone pillars. The scars covering its skin are a testament to its aggressive and warlike behavior. Its like being in a dream. The whale, though, turns it into a nightmare. This is why, to me, this dungeon appears to fit the Dream Vestiges faction more than the Deep Seas. So After looking at the jellyfish moving around for a while with my mouth wide open, I realize theres a big setback for our plan. ...how are we supposed to do this? I Im not sure. Yes, this is the problem. Ricard said were supposed to jump on the jellyfish and use them to get to the next pillar. But since we reached the top, not a single one has come close to the pillar were in. Do we have to swim to reach them? I suppose its fine. But what about our support mobs? You dont expect them to ride the jellyfish without touching their tentacles, do you? Itd be a miracle if it worked. Youre right. Ricard nods. We should leave them behind. Theres no need to take the risk of bringing them with us. If they dont die to the tentacles, they might get the whales attention. And thats assuming they dont start combat with the jellyfish This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Wait a moment! What did he say? The whales attention? Fufufu! Hahaha! I start laughing. Then, I grab his shoulder while making a serious expression. Baldy, my friend. Do you want to do something stupid with me? Something stupid? He makes a face that says What crazy plan did you come up with?. Hes right. I came up with one of my crazy plans. But before I tell him, theres something I must check. Do you think your specters will be fine swimming between the jellyfish and remain hidden from the white whale? I think so. Ive played for a long time with them and modified their AI to the best of my ability. As long as Im the one giving orders, they should be able to do anything I desire. Why are you asking? Well, you see I drag my words to add tension and to annoy him as payback for his behavior so far. But mostly for the latter. ...you said we have to cross this place by riding the jellyfish, right? Yes? Also, our support mobs would be a hindrance to our plan. So we should leave them behind. Thats right. Im considering leaving everyone behind, even the specters, to avoid unexpected consequences. I put on my best evil smile before continuing. What do you think about this? Why dont we
Mr. Cyam. We wont need your services anymore. This is our formal goodbye. See you in future campaigns, our best kidnapper. I make a military salute towards one of the best monsters Ive ever created. Cyam isnt the best because of its strength; nor is it the best because of how dangerous, annoying, or distracting it is. Cyam is the best because it has saved me a lot of time by capturing everything Ive ever wanted before I even had to ask him. Next, I turn to the two Good Followers. Good Follower number 1, Good Follower number 3. You too are dismissed. I make another military salute. Number 2 is the one who got kidnapped earlier. If youre wondering how I distinguish between them, the answer is simple: I dont. I make up the names on the fly. ...cant you do it faster? Why are you wasting time with something this stupid? From somewhere behind me, a voice from a man I vaguely know, whose name starts with R if Im not wrong, reaches me. Since that man isnt relevant, I decide to ignore him and continue. Comrades. We have but one last job for you. I said I dismissed them, but Im giving them another job? Please, dont swear about the minor details. From now on, youre going to put your lives at risk so that I and that annoying man over there survive. Hey! At least call me by my name, TheGreatBaldSage! Yeah no thanks. You all know what must be done. Thank you for your valiant sacrifice. I wipe the nonexistent tear threatening to fall from my eye. Do your best to survive, comrades. Having finished saying goodbye, I turn around and make a surprised face. Oh, Baldy. Are you finished? Were you waiting for me? I didnt notice. ... He stays silent and glares at me. Ok, Ill admit it. This is getting awkward. Alright, alright. Im sorry. I couldnt stop myself from doing it. When it comes to Ricard, the best way to calm his anger is to switch the topic to something he likes. So are you ready? Were going to be the first players to clear this area in under a minute! O-oh! Yes! Were ready. Lets show everyone were the best! Hahaha! As I expected, as soon as it came to talk about showing how good he was, he immediately cheered up. I look at the specters floating around Ricard. Like all phantom-like undead, they are half transparent. They also glow slightly, which makes them easy to spot in dark places. But once we go outside, the bright light from the sponges and the glowing jellyfish should make them almost impossible to see. Alright! Lets go! This undead will stop at nothing! Well fool The Great White Whale and break the record! Hahahaha! Im glad hes so motivated. What were going to do is quite stupid, to be honest. Id rather have him behave like a crazy undead than be scared to death. Haha sorry for the lame joke. We wait for a jellyfish swarm to come as close as possible before leaving our hiding place. We swim at our maximum speed C which isnt high by any means, as we move at half the speed C to reach them before they move away. From afar, they looked small. But now that were close, I realize theyre half the size of a car. They look tiny when close to the white whale, which serves to prove how massive that creature is. Freakish monster! The jellyfish''s size makes them extremely disgusting and dangerous, but at the same time it makes them perfect for riding. I choose a red one because it looks cooler, and Ricard settles for a green one. As for the specters We discussed it thoroughly, and our first plan was sure to fail. They wouldnt be able to keep up with the jellyfishs speed, so we had to think of something else. The plan we came up with was for them to stick as close to Ricard as possible to prevent them from doing anything foolish. To keep it short: Ricard is now wearing a spectral coat. Given the specters nature and the jellyfishs color, it seems as if they were a single creature: a monstrous jellyfish eating Ricard whole from the top of its bell. Well, as long as hes fine and its not me I shiver. Lets gogogo! I shout, pointing forward. Onwards, on the jellyfish express! Fufufu! Hahaha! As if in response to my shout, from the mound-like pillar we were in, all our remaining minions start swimming in every possible direction. Theyre the bait for our pursuer. The bait to catch the giant whale, so that it leaves the more important package (us) alone. Theyre going to swim in the direction of one of the stone pillars and circle it, making sure to stay visible all the time. I really hope they buy us enough time. Otherwise I gulp at the sight of the colossal whale turning around and looking in the direction of poor Cyam. ...were done for.
Thinking out of the box can bring huge benefits in DMA. Unlike in reality, there are game constraints. If you manage to abuse them and turn them in your favor, any situation can be solved easily. - Comment from an unknown player.
Ch 205 - Close call *Crash!* I turn my head in time to watch one of the rock pillars collapse, releasing a large amount of dust and sand into the water. Slowly, the fragments fall to the ground, revealing the perpetrator of that calamity: The Great White Whale. Its the fourth time already I gulp. ... can we make it? Since we started riding the jellyfish, the white whale has found and killed some of our bait units, as well destroying the pillars they were swimming around. Given how hard it is to control the AI properly without our constant supervision, we assigned a pillar to each one. We ordered them to split up, go there, and circle around it to get the whales attention. Our idea was to check how many of our mobs died by keeping track of the whales movements, but it turns out its way easier than we expected. We just need to count the number of destroyed mound-like pillars. Four are already gone. Cyam, one of my Good Followers, two of the skeleton archers Assuming we continue at this rate, itll take aboutC W-wha? My thoughts freeze when the white whale starts swimming in our direction. Is it our turn? Did it spot us already!? N-no! This cant be! Im too young to die! Hehe, I always wanted to say this. Baldy, what are we going to do? I shout as the whale comes closer. I can feel its murderous intent directed at us I also wanted to say this since long ago. I then put on a serious face and say one last thing. Something that, like the two previous sentences, Ive wanted to say for a long time. Its been nice to know you, my friend. See you on the other sideC but, again, my thoughts stop in the middle of talking. This time is because the whale, instead of swallowing us as I expected, passes right under the jellyfish swarm. If I were to hang upside-down from the jellyfishs tentacles, I could touch it. Not like Im going to try it. But where is it going? Ah, never mind. Theres my last Good Follower over there. I watch, horrified, as the whale swims toward my cute baby. My last baby! Without any sign of stopping, the whale opens its mouth and crashes into the pillar, destroying it into tiny bits. Its the same as all the previous times. *Crash!* This is the fifth time I comment. Why is this taking so long? Why arent we there yet!? Were quite unlucky, arent we? Hahaha! Laughs Ricard. But Im sure your plan will work. I hope so What are we talking about? Well you see My perfect, infallible, and completely foolproof plan turned out to have a tiny, insignificant problem: we had no idea where the jellyfish swarm we took would go. So instead of going straight to the last pillar and leaving the area, weve been on a tour to visit a few of the middle stone pillars. Sure, we could have analyzed the patterns of all the jellyfish swarms and chosen the best one to reach the other side of this area if we had enough time and patience but theres no way wed do that. Planning things is for losers. Well, at least the jellyfish are properly doing their most important job: to hide us from the boss. Otherwise, it would have eaten us already. Come on! Faster! Yiipie yee! Fly at the speed of light, little jellyfish! I spur the red jellyfish Im riding with my feet. As expected, it doesnt react. Ugh it doesnt work What did you expect? Still covered in a greenish phantasmal coat, Ricard laughs. These jellyfish cant move on their own, and theres no way you can speed up the water currents! Hahaha! I know but I dont lose anything by trying. The colorful streams of jellyfish, driven by the water currents are as impressive as always. With the shining sponges in the background, I feel like Im in a dream. Driving my jellyfish-shaped rocket through the Milky Way, surrounded by cute creatures and whatever you can call Ricard and his specters If only I could forget about the giant whale smashing everything in its wake. If only I could! I say it twice because its important. Our unlucky trip continues for the next five minutes. From time to time, theres a loud crash, created when the white whale slams its body into one of the stone pillars. Every time it comes close to us, I shake in fear and pray that it doesnt see us. Hey, Baldy. Your idea wasnt as great as you said. I complain. Its taking too long. At this rate, were going to run out of baits and were going to be discovered. What are you saying? It was your idea! Nuh huh, I shake my head, my ideas never fail. So its clear it was your idea Me? I, TheGreatBaldSage!? Make a mistake!? Can you please take into account all Ive done for the good of this world before you blame me for your own mistakes I was reluctant to this from the start, but you were so insistent that I had no choice but to follow youC I stop listening to him and return my attention to our surroundings. Theres no reason to listen to him right now. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Right at this moment, the jellyfish train passes next to one of the pillars and changes direction. We start moving towards the last pillar. Ooh, yes! Yes! I dance. Were finally going to reach the end! Fufufu! Hahaha! I knew my plan would work! Mad Rat always wins! But didnt you just sayC I interrupt Ricard before he can say anything stupid. It was my plan all along. Didnt you say it too just now? ... Excited one and dumbfounded the other, we dont notice that one of the jellyfish swimming around us, due to the sudden change in direction, drifts to a side. The jellyfish bumps into the one swimming on top of Ricard, making it shake. Its tentacles swing around with such bad luck that one of them touches Ricards specter coat and one of the specters is thrown away, affected by the impact. N-no way! Come back, you cant stay alone! Aah, my perfect plan! This is bad! We shout at the same time. But its too late. The specter, suffering from a status effect, is incapable of reacting and is expelled from the jellyfish swarm into the surrounding dark blue waters. Do you remember when I said that the specters glow? Just a little, but they glow. And that they werent visible thanks to the colorful jellyfish, which also glow? Well it doesnt apply when the specter is drifting in the dark waters, alone. Like a beacon, its greenish light immediately catches the attention of The Great White Whale. At a ridiculous speed, the whale starts swimming in our direction. This is very bad It hasnt spotted us yet, but who knows what will happen when it gets close. Baldy, should we swim away? If the AI of that whale is implemented properly, it should follow the trail of the jellyfish swarm where the specter popped out, the one were raiding, in search of more intruders. No way! Ricard dissuades me. If we leave now, were sure to die. We must stay here. At the speed were moving, we should reach the last stone pillar before the whale does. A-are you sure? It looks quite far from here Dont worry. My calculations are always perfect. Hahaha! I look at him with an incredulous look. Are you sure? Then, why did you fail the last examC S-shut up! This and that have nothing to do! He quickly cuts me. Youll see. Well be fine. Alright We continue our way, leaving the floating specter behind. The whale, which looked small because of how far it was, grows larger as it approaches. It grows, it grows, it continues growing Aagh! Will it ever stop growing!? When it seems it cant grow anymore, it opens its mouth and swallows Ricards specter. Theres no chewing or swallowing. As if falling into an endless abyss, the specter simply disappears into the dark mouth. The whale closes its mouth, stops, and stares ahead. For a moment I think were safe, but then it resumes swimming in our direction. Ah, no, shit! Were done for! My plan has gone to shit because of your stupid mistake, Baldy! What do all responsible adults do when things dont go the way they expected? Blame someone else, as Im doing right now. If only you took good care of your units! Ricard ignores my comments and watches the white whale anxiously. If this were real life, Im sure he would be sweating buckets right now. Uh, Mad Rat maybe my estimations were wrong. Its faster than I predicted What!? Didnt you say we would be safe!? Well, even a great sage like me can make mistakes, ahaha I think Im leaving No! If you leave now, youll die for sure! We cant swim as fast as the jellyfish, and youll be exposed! Its a suicide! But if were going to die anyway why not take the risk? As we continue arguing, the whale grows closer. Safety is almost here I can smell it! The smell of wet rock, the indistinguishable scent of the dark holes filled withC Ricard sends me a questioning look. ...what? Cant I fool around before we die? No, its just never mind. Get ready to jump, were almost there. Finally! The jellyfish swarm starts to turn to the right, a signal that they wont get any closer to our destination. We jump from the jellyfish we were riding and start swimming. This is the most dangerous part yet. Well be completely exposed for a while, the whale is right behind us, and it is a lot faster. Quickly! Ricard urges me. Theres no time to waste. I know, I know Take a glance behind us. The whale has spotted us and is starting to open its mouth in anticipation. Its so huge that it takes a while to open and close, so it must do it ahead of time. The sight of the large abyss reminds me of the specters fate and makes me shiver. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I swim at maximum speed. Nobody warned me about this! Im not sure if Im imagining things, but I swear I can feel its breath on my skin. Right behind Ricard, I slip into the hole and gasp for air. Haa haaa I thought I would die Were safe now. Safe? Ricard raises one eyebrow. If you dont want to die, follow me! Immediately after, he jumps into a hole in the ground. I didnt notice yet there was this hole here Unlike in the first rock pillar, theres a vertical hole that connects to all the others. Well, might as well do as he says I shrug and jump down. But why is he in a hurry? We reached the end, so we should be safe, am I right? *Crash!* Following the sound, everything around me breaks into pieces and starts falling. Surrounded by debris, I remember that all the previous pillars were destructible, so why should the last one be different? Uaaah! I forgot about this part! I shout. Luckily for me, the fall isnt too long and no debris falls on top of me. Still, the impact is strong. Im sure my HP bar took a big hit. Ugh It hurts I rub my butt, look up, and immediately regret my action. Observing me from above, theres a huge eye. The fuck? Is that the whale? Ricard smacks my head. What are you staring at? Run! He leaves me behind. Run? Again? Why do I feel like Ive been doing nothing else since long ago? Theres a blue flash of light coming from above, followed by the sound of water. Were undersea, so its not a surprise. Um wait a moment What I see when I raise my head is a water jet. It erodes the ground, turning the irregular hole, including the ruins of the rock pillar, into a perfectly circular hole. Fuck, fuck fuckfuckfuck! I start running after Ricard. Why cant you never warn me ahead of time!? Are you trying to kill me!?
I cant count the number of times Ive wanted to strangle Ricard.
Ch 206 - We’re… safe? For the past few minutes, weve been traveling a series of tunnels excavated into the seafloor. From the holes, we can see parts of the surroundings, which gives us a decent idea of how it looks from the outside. The seafloor, divided into several ridges that touch each other, is filled with holes that go deep into the rock. Those holes are the same as the ones were using as tunnels, which means this place is huge. In short, its a massive and extremely complicated labyrinth excavated into the seafloor. The passages are filled with sea snails. Their trails slow us, something thats incredibly annoying when you want to travel as fast as possible. Furthermore, when we find one, it always spits a sticky substance that further reduces our speed. If were unlucky to be affected by the two, added to the lower speed underwater, it makes us move at a snails pace. I mean it literally. But this all would be a joke and a waste of time if not for one tiny, insignificant thing Well, maybe not so tiny, and certainly not so insignificant. Yes, you guessed it right. Im talking about the white whale. It seems like The Great White Whale has decided to take this seriously. Since I almost died to the water jet, it has been using those water jets to harass us every time we get close to one of the holes on the seafloor. Im sure it has some way of detecting where we are, its just that we dont know how. Thank god the seafloor is indestructible unlike all the terrain before! How long will it take? Im tired of the snails, the water jets, and the labyrinthic layout. Hmmm Ricard thinks for a while before answering. Assuming we didnt take a wrong turn It shouldnt take too long, I believe. Lets continue then. I want to leave this place as soon as possible. We hear a high-pitched sound. After this sound, the whale will attack us, so we look around to spot it before its too late. Weve tried our best to stay in the central area of the ridges because its where you can find fewer tunnels connecting to the outside, making them safer from the whales attacks. But this doesnt mean there arent any. When I turn my head to the right, there it is: a perfectly circular tunnel that connects to the exterior. Although the rock is indestructible here, it isnt difficult to imagine who created those holes. Soon, everything outside turns dark. A huge shadow is obscuring all we can see. We jump into a side tunnel right before the place where we were is blasted by a torrent of water. An unlucky snail, caught in the whales attack, passes before us at a ridiculous speed. Im sure its the first time it reached such a speed. The first, and the last. Haha, one annoying bug less, I say. Youre right. And its one soul more for me! I didnt need to move a single finger, hahaha! Do you know whats the most dangerous thing in this place? Unlike you might think, it isnt the whales attacks. The most dangerous thing is the snails. Well, the snails slowing effects to be more precise. Its hard to avoid the water jets on time if your speed is severely reduced. We continue advancing through the tunnels. From time to time, we look outside to check were going in the correct direction. The purple glow we saw at the start has been visible all along, showing where the dungeon core is. Another snail appears, delaying our advance. But this time, before we can defeat it, we hear the whales cry. Shit! Not now! Ricard, whos usually at the front, panics. Before looking around, he pushes one of his specters forward, forcing it to take the snails spit head-on. Where is it coming from this time? Uh from there. I discover the whales shadow from one of the two tunnels connecting to the outside. We immediately run away, leaving the slowed specter and snail behind. Hey, Baldy. I saw what you did. You sacrificed your own unit. I taunt him. Arent you always talking about your undead legions and whatnot? You wont have any remaining at this rate What? He looks surprised. Ah, you mean when I used it as a shield right now Hahaha, theyre my undead legions, so of course they wouldnt mind dying if it meant Id survive. Furthermore, theyre already dead. They wouldnt mind dying a second or a third time, dont you think? Uh, well It makes kind of sense, but Im against the idea, so I stay silent. I would never treat my dear babies as disposable units! Absolutely never! except when needed. But this and that are two different matters.
It took us ten more minutes to leave that seafloor labyrinth. After that, we went through a few more areas. The first was an underwater cave. Nothing much to say about it other than it was dark and hard to see. I now understand why its important that the whale is white. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to spot it before it was too late. Let me tell you a secret. There are worse things than giant whales in the darkest places of the sea. The second one was very special. Plants floating on the water with leaves so large they looked like islands. They had equally large flowers and roots that reached the seafloor, of course. I was happy to know we would go outside the water to climb on the leaves, as we wouldnt have survived if we had to swim between the roots with the whale chasing after us. I wasnt that happy, though, when I discovered that the plants were so far apart that we had no choice but to cross the distance between them by swimming. Have you ever seen one of those movies where a shark lurks below the water, and the protagonist has to swim to climb on a boat and survive? Well this was the same. Except our predator was slightly bigger, big enough to eat us whole. Including the boat. Yeah. Better dont come here if you dont like being eaten. Furthermore, this was the first place where you could freely fly assuming you had a means to, in the first place. How do I know it? Because we were harassed by flying seagull-like monsters all the time. The last one was a ship graveyard. Im sure you can guess whos the one who caused all those ships to sink. And there were so many monsters everywhere! It was the first time since the algae forest that I didnt think the white whale was the greatest of our troubles. And now, finally, our last trial awaits in front of us. At least, thats what Ricard said. If hes lying to me, Im going to kill him later. I swear it. A massive inverted pyramid, growing out of the seafloor. Even when compared to the white whale, this one is a truly massive crystal structure. There are several flat crystals near the surface, scattered in a shape that resembles a flowers petals. Each one diffuses the sunlight, creating a spectacular sight below. There are several smaller crystals, like those at the top, growing from the central crystal structure. When the light passes through them, it changes colors, giving everything a fantastical feeling. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. When looking from afar, you can see that the further down you go, the more chaotic it turns. But at the same time, the more beautiful it looks. Why is it that all the beautiful areas in this dungeon are also the hardest? I dont know. Ricard shrugs. How are we supposed to climb this thing without getting eaten? Theres no place to hide! I complain, looking at the whale swimming around the crystal structure. Why cant it leave us alone!? Or is the core of that pyramid empty? No, theres no such a thing. Shit. I guess we can only do it the good old way: praying to god we dont die and hoping for the best. From Ricards specters, only a single one remains. The rest have been lost C or sacrificed C so that we could reach this far. Maybe the last one will make the difference between surviving and dying. Alright, lets do this. We start climbing the inverted crystal pyramid. When I say climb, I mean swim as fast as we can between the crystal platforms, trying to stay as hidden from the whales sight as possible. How long will this work before it spots us? I have no idea. But I hope itll take a while. The further we go, the easier itll be to spot us. At the bottom, the shifting light, caused by the waves near the top crystals, makes it hard to spot us. But the higher up we go, the effects will diminish. Ah, man its the same as before with the giant lotus flowers We never know when well make a mistake and die Hahaha! Follow me, and well reach the end! I know the shortest path! Im not sure why, but Im incapable of trusting Ricards words. I wonder why. Fine, Ill follow you. I agree, but only because I dont have any other option. The Great White Whale spots us when weve climbed about a fourth of the crystal pyramid. We realize weve been spotted when, suddenly, the remaining specter is whisked away by a water stream. That was close! It passed right next to my face! Shouts Ricard. Hey, didnt you say this was the shortest path!? We didnt reach the halfway mark and were already in trouble! Theres nothing I could do about it. Everyone says this is the hardest part! What!? Im shocked. The hardest part? No, but I dont see how it is any different than the previous areas I, huh Alright. I should shut up. In the middle of talking, starting from the white whale C who is looking straight in our direction, by the way C, several water streams extend from it in our direction. Like tendrils, they twist and turn, moving at a speed we cant hope to match. The crystals growing from the central structure make it impossible for the giant whale to come close to us, so it has decided to use ranged attacks instead. Until now, it was hard to see the water attacks. But in this place, where light comes from above in several colors, the water changes the trajectory of the light and makes the water jets easy to see. Furthermore, we now have more space to move than when we were in those narrow tunnels. Thats the good part, but not everything is good. The crystals, which protect us from the whales physical attacks, make it harder for us to avoid the ranged attacks. Furthermore, there are so freaking many water tendrils coming our way! And a single one is enough to kill us! well, maybe not straight-up kill us. But a single one is enough to send us flying directly into the whales mouth. The result is similar, and thats what matters. This is bad But we can do it Thanks to Martas training, I can now perfectly avoid all ranged attacks. Sometimes, if Im lucky. But when I do avoid them, I do so without taking any damage! Hahaha! You wont defeat me like that, you pathetic whale! Hey, Mad Rat! Dont call for more trouble. Ricard struggles to avoid the attacks. Huff, huff its hard to do this while our speed is reduced and we have to climb the irregular crystals His lack of exercise and coordination shows off even inside the game. I didnt expect it to be so severe. I should give him some extra motivation. Baldy, imagine those water jets are angry angels coming for all those souls youve collected. They want to bring them to heavenC I cant finish my sentence before he starts shouting. Noooooooo! Nobody will steal my precious souls! Theyre mine! Mine, and only mine! My precious, tasty human souls! Hehe, its a critical hit. Thanks to me, Ricards evasive skills suddenly improve and we continue climbing. Hah, hah this is annoying and dangerous, but it isnt as bad as I thought itd be. Baldy, didnt you say this was the worst partC uh, oh Nevermind. Realizing weve been avoiding all the attacks, the whale starts crying. Soon after, from the bottom of the sea, a horde of monsters starts swimming in our direction. Ricard and I look at each other. He looks angry. Will I ever learn to keep my mouth shut? Nah, I dont think thats possible. I-it isnt my fault, okay? It was bound to happen sooner or later. Im sure of it. I give the best excuse I can. L-lets speed up. We cant allow them to reach us! I dont know what those monsters are, but I wont stay here for them to come closer. We climb the fastest we can, avoiding the water jets. We can no longer wait for the best chance to swim between crystal platforms, so we leave it partially to luck. This is, by far, the most difficult dungeon part Ive ever seen. Not even Martas training can compare to this. Please, dont tell Marta or shell make sure to broaden my horizon. And Ill suffer. So please, dont tell her. After what looks like an eternity, we finally reach the top crystals. They look impressive up close. Each one must be the size of a football pitch. Hah, hah we did it. We did it! Fufufu! Hahahaha! I start laughing as soon as I feel the solid surface of the crystal beneath my feet. Hahaha! Were unkillable! Eat this, white whale! Hah, hah t-this, isnt, all we, must, first Ricard can barely talk. ...reach, the, dungeon, c-core Come on, buddy. Whats wrong? The whale cant reach us now that were on solid ground. N-no, we, must *Splash!* With a large splash, the whale emerges and looks in our direction. It looks furious. Hah! What are you going to do now, huh? Weve won! N-no, Mad, Rat you must, break the core before Ricard continues to talk, but Im too busy taunting The Great White Whale to care about what he says. Hahaha! Youll never reach us. We won, and now well show everyone how weve defeated you! A-ah, ah! N-no! S-stop it! I said stop it! Angry, the whale starts splashing around, creating large waves. I run away to avoid them, but Ricard is caught and dragged into the sea again. W-whaaa I-Im too, tired for this Uaaah! Those are Ricards last words before he disappears from my sight. Fiuuu! That was close. I almost got dragged intoC what the fuck is that!? Once the waves recede, the only thing I can see is a growing pillar of water coming from the direction where the whale was a moment ago. It grows and grows until it reaches the sky. It looks like the water streams the whale has been using all the time, but its a lot bigger. At least a hundred times bigger. The problem is that everything that rises must come down. And Id rather not be near when this happens. W-what the fuck!? This isnt fair! Weve already won, you should accept defeat and let us safely reach the dungeon core! I start running towards the dungeon core at the same time the water starts falling. But its too late by then. Right when the dungeon core is about a meter away, I feel a huge weight on me, squashing me into the ground.
You have died!
NOOOOOOOOOOO! I shout, dropping to the ground, in my phantasmal form. All that effort wasted! I cant accept this! Hey, buddy. Ricard, in his phantasmal form too, pats my shoulders. If youre so angry about having died, how about coming back another day? Also, there are multiple paths we can take, theres no need to repeat the same. Yeah, um how about no?
Dungeon Invasion Failed!
Rewards Obtained
CP XP Resources
... ... 1 Mermaid (capt.)
Wait a moment. When did I capture a Mermaid? Hmm was it during the first chaotic fight? Did Cyam capture a random Mermaid during the chaos? I cant think of any other possibility. Is this the consolation prize? Im not complaining, its just that isnt it too little?
All cp and xp obtained after a dungeon invasion are reduced if you died, surrendered, or came back to the entrance to leave. Special resources arent affected, though. It isnt required to reach the dungeon core if youre trying to farm for your special resources, but its recommended to do so anyway. This way, youll save time later. - Basic knowledge every player should know.
Ex Ch 18 - Kyaaah! Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? Somebody pokes my shoulder with a finger. Huh? I raise my eyes from the phone to look at him. Oh, its you, Matta. Come closer, were discussing next weeks Mystery Event. Hi, Matta. Says Berta. There are no classes because its the summer break, but we continue meeting regularly in a park near our school. Its the same as usual, but without having to worry about classes, homework, or exams. Mattas belly wiggles as he sits down. He always reminds me of his Goblin Champion. Although his height is normal, which is quite different from the goblins, his belly is as big as the one his champion shows, if not bigger. As for Berta, the resemblance between her and her champion is even higher. The size, of course, is different, but the resemblance is amazing, particularly in two areas. You know what I mean, hahaha. A shiver runs down my spine right as I think that. Oh my god! For a moment I felt as if Berta was staring at me with a murderous gaze. But it shouldnt be she shouldnt be able to read my thoughts. She cant, right? Because Im doomed otherwise. On the other side, my looks are completely different from those of my Champion. My dragonborn Champion is taller, more handsome, and has a lot more muscle. why cant my real looks resemble my Champions too!? I feel like crying. Unaware of my thoughts, Matta takes out his phone and shares a screenshot with us. Did you hear about this? They said somebody leaked information about the next Mystery Event. They said there will be special players involved. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. On the screen, theres a comment on DMAs forum speculating about the next events content. Come on, Matta. You cant believe everything you see I know, I know. He waves his hand around. But this time, the DMA staff removed the comment before five minutes could pass. Why would they do it if it were a fake comment? I see I take Mattas phone and start reading. After finishing, I pass it to Berta. So its about the top-ranked players? Assuming what is written here is the truth, how did the DMA staff manage to convince them? Are they going to pay them? Nah, I dont think so Maybe they do it to increase their fame? Could be Berta, having finished reading, makes a weird expression. Is that all, Matta? Other than talking about the top rankers, theres nothing about the Mystery Event! Its useless! Why are you getting so excited about something so useless!? This is all I could get before the comment was deleted, hahaha! Dont blame me! Matta laughs. But still Im relieved. If it involves top rankers, there shouldnt be a chance for us to fight against similar players Berta exhales. I dont want to repeat that Oh, I believe I know what shes talking about! I quickly unlock my phone to show the picture of the worm inside The Mat Rats Lab. I have it so I dont miss these chances. Why? Are you scared of this, maybe? I smile, putting the phone right in front of her face. Uuoooh, a woooorm. A wooooorm eating you whooooole! Hahaha! Kyaaaah! S-shut up, Carles! I-it isnt funny! She runs away, but before leaving, she punches me. It isnt? If so why am I laughing right now? I rub my shoulder. It hurtsbut it was worth it. Do you want me to leave you two alone? Shut up, Matta!
The players were getting ready for DMAs next event: the Mystery Event.
Ch 207 - Reading the rules Andreu, Andreu, its starting! The countdown is about to finish! I know, calm down Can you release my arm, please? I cant feel it. Ignoring my complaint, Clara continues to hug my arm with even more force than before. What do you think? Will we be able to play together? I want to be on the same team as you. I have no idea. If we can, I dont mind playing together, but as I said many times, dont cry if we cant. Uuuh She finally calms down, continuing to watch the countdown on the screen as she immobilizes my arm. Shit. At this rate, itll fall off Meanwhile, Marta observes us without saying anything. Sitting on the other side of the table, she observes us while fiddling with her phone. From the outside, she looks calm and collected, but I know her well enough to see through her facade. Also didnt she say she couldnt play with us today? What is she doing here? Shes hiding something. Lets find out what. Marta? I ask, tentatively. What do you want? N-no, nothing. Her sharp answer makes me retreat immediately. Im not that curious as to awaken the slumbering dragon. Theres no need to make her angry, Id rather stay ignorant. But this makes me even more curious. What is she hiding? Why is she staying silent, unlike her normal self? If she were behaving as usual, she would be freely talking with Clara while throwing mud at me. Not that Im complaining, though, Im not a masochist. But it makes me curious. I sneakily send glances her way while waiting for the countdown to finish. What is that countdown were talking about? Well, its almost time for the DMA staff to reveal all the info about the Mystery Event. When the countdown ends, well receive a message explaining everything we want to know. From that moment, well have an hour to enter the game and prepare what we need before the event officially starts. This is why were waiting together in our living room: we must be close to our VR machines if we want to participate. Ricard and Laura are waiting in their respective houses too. Were planning on creating a team if the Mystery Event requires us to form teams. Otherwise, well have to play on our own. Three, two, one! Clara excitedly counts down. Aaaand here it is! The screen changes and a bunch of text appears. We start reading.
Welcome to the Mystery Event!
Blah, blah, blah. Aha, huh skip. I skip the introduction and go directly to the bulk of the matter: this Mystery Events description and rules. The first is the general description of the event. This time, we will participate in teams of four players, but the game will assign the players automatically. We cant choose who we want on our team. Oh, um Clara, we wont be able to play together it seems. What? Why!? She didnt reach that part yet it seems. Well, not everyone is as fast reading (skipping) as I am, hahaha! I cant accept this! This isnt fair! Marta, you must use your top-ranking player position to pressure the games staff so we can play together! I shake my head and continue reading. The Mystery Event will play in a massive labyrinth. Each team will spawn at a random point and will receive a mission they have to achieve. The less time it takes to complete the mission, the more points the team will receive. Defeating monsters, other teams, surviving traps, and accomplishing other stuff C dont ask me what other stuff means, this is what it says C will award bonus points. If you complete the mission, youll be able to continue accumulating points until you die or the event ends. When you die, youll be expelled from the game and sent to a place where you can turn your accumulated points into xp, cp, or special resources. The player will choose how theyre transformed. Aaah, maybe Ill be able to obtain a nice unit to use in my dungeon! One thats too annoying to go and capture, or maybe one from the Abyss faction so I dont have to go inside one of their dungeons. It says that the missions can range from defeating X monsters of a certain kind, to reaching a certain area of the labyrinth, to defeating a Calamity. But what the hell are the Calamities? I raise my head for a moment in thought, just in time to see Marta flinching. Hmm suspicious. It doesnt take long for me to skip to the Calamity explanation. The DMA staff has asked several pro players and top rankers to participate as Calamities. They will roam the labyrinth and hunt any party they find. With their high skill and increased stats C it says theyll be stronger than any player C theyre going to be extremely dangerous. If we manage to defeat a Calamity, well receive bonus points, regardless of the mission we get. This means that those players who get the defeat a Calamity as a mission will get an instant bonus after completing the main mission. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. But Id rather avoid Calamities. Having to confront one of the strongest players is an easy way to get eliminated. If possible, Id like to have any other mission that doesnt require contact with a Calamity. Imagining having to confront my older sister in combat brings me shivers. I cant stop reminiscing about her training. By the way, talking about high rankers and Calamities Youre participating, arent you? Huh? Of course, I am! But I was hoping to play with you I already knew, but Im not talking to you, Clara. Marta flinches at my stare. ...y-yes. I thought so. W-what!? Youre participating, Marta!? But didnt you say you couldnt? Did you lie to me because you dont want to play with me? Buuu, and here I thought you had changed N-no, its it isnt like that. Says Marta. They asked me to participate as a Calamity. Dont lie! Im sure you did it because you didnt want toC Hmf, mmmgfh! Clara is too excited today. Before she can say something shell regret later, I cover her mouth to force her to stop. Please, continue reading and youll understand. Marta sends me a thankful look before continuing. You didnt participate in the other Mystery Events, so I thought you werent interested. If I had known you wanted to participate, I would have refused. Thats because we werent playing DMA yet! Uh When did Clara manage to get rid of my hand covering her mouth? I Im sorry. I didnt know the parties would be assigned randomly, but still, I would have loved to play with you. The next time. The next time well play together. I swear. Its always the same Its always the next time... I resume reading the rules and leave them to solve it between themselves. This is something I shouldnt intervene in. Its hard to read while trying to immobilize my little sister, but Ill do my best. After the basic explanation of the event (and more stuff I skip) comes the details of this Mystery Event. Ill try to explain them while keeping it as short as possible. All players will have to create a new Champion, which will be at level 10 for the number of skills theyll get. Then, well have to assign the stats from a pool. So every player will be as strong as all the rest. The Champion will cost nothing but will disappear after the event. The only exception is the Calamities, who will do the same but with level 20 Champions and higher stats. Regarding innate skills, every player will be able to choose a single innate skill freely from the units of the faction theyre using. This means the looks wont be enough to know what to expect from the other players skills. A note here: my faction can choose an innate skill from any faction we can create units from, so no undead or constructs. It makes sense because the Flesh Monstrosities have exactly zero innate skills of their own. The only unit that doesnt inherit its innate skills from the units used to create it is the Stitched, and they have no innate skill. This means the players from our faction will still be the most broken, although not as broken as usual because were limited to a single innate skill. We can create a Champion from zero or import the looks of an existing one. Ill do the latter and use the Mad Rat because Im lazy. There wont be Champion names. Every player will use their nickname, which means Ill have to use the Disguised Koala name. This is good because most players dont know my actual nickname and instead refer to me as Mad Rat or Evil Mastermind. Im sure Ricard will be happy about this too. Hes always complaining about how everyone calls him Baldy. All communication except for the one within the party will be blocked to prevent alliances and cheating. Players wont be forced to fight other teams, though. We can choose to ignore each other. We can also team up to fight a Calamity, but only a Calamity. If players team up against another team, theyll be disqualified and will lose all accumulated points. As for the Calamities, it seems like they will be able to create and modify the parts of the labyrinth assigned to them. I thought they would limit themselves to chase after us, but it turns out they can also establish their domain and wait for us to come. If I didnt forget (or skip) anything, these are the important bits Ah, yes! I almost forgot. During the event, we cant obtain special resources. Players wont be able to obtain any resources during the event except for the rewards at the end. This is important because it means I dont have to worry about bringing skills to incapacitate enemies at all. Alright so this means the only remaining part is my teammates. I really hope there wont be any Mad Cultists in my group I cant expect to meet none in the whole event, but I can at least hope I wont be forced to play with one. Ill immediately kill myself if it happens. And I mean it literally. When I finish reading and raise my head, I realize that the fight against my sisters is about to settle. Alright, so this is it. Regardless of what happens, youll play with me and Andreu in the next Mystery Event. Clara happily proclaims. Furthermore, when were inside the labyrinth, youll search for me and well fight! Y-yes, sure. Well look for each other and fight when we meet. Marta agrees. Yeah Im as lost as you are. Im not sure how they reached this conclusion but the part that matters is that theyre now happily smiling and nodding at each other. So its my turn to cause some trouble. Oho, is that so? And what about me? I make a sad voice. Youre leaving me alone and playing with each other Ah! Clara quickly turns around and waves her hands around. So cute. Of course, if we meet, we can fight too No, Im not really interested in that But if you want, we can team up against Marta Fufufu I make an evil smile. Yes! Lets team up, Andreu! Marta furrows her brows. Hey! It isnt fair! Why must I fight against you two instead of playing together? I want to be on your team too I grin. Well Maybe you shouldnt have chosen to play as the enemy. But I didnt know this would happen. Blah, blah, blah. Excuses! Also why are you like that? Are you scared Ill defeat you? Im not scared! Why would I ever be scared of you!? Yes, thats more like it. This is more like my older sisters usual behavior. I was starting to get worried she had been substituted by someone else. Well, forget it. I have better stuff to do than arguing against a coward. See you later! Im looking forward to your defeat. I said Im not scared! Yeah, yeah whatever you say, I say, leaving the living room. I must get ready for the Mystery Event. Hahaha! This is nice. It feels incredible being the one in the domineering position, even if its just banting. After all, I have no intention of fighting a Calamity. Not at all.
Why!? Just why? Why am I always forced to do things I dont like?
Ch 208 - Reskill Ive connected to DMA and checked a few messages. Most of them went directly to the bin. Im ready to start preparing for the Mystery Event. Nows the time to create my Champion. As Ive said before, I will copy Mad Rats aspect. I dont want to change my build too much, but Ill take out Shared Voltage because I want to be able to kill my enemies without trouble. And since Ill be level 10, I can test new skills that complement my build, planning for the future *Tiring!* After a short fanfare, a game window appears before me, interrupting my thoughts. Lets see whats going on
Reached player level 8!
- Composite bosses unlocked - Maximum boss monsters increased to 3 - Received 7 x Stasis chamber - Received 1 x Giant stasis chamber - Received 10.000 cp
...this is As I read the first line of the text, a shout escapes my mouth. ... Nooooooooooooooo! Not now, for fucks sake! Not when Im about to spend the rest of the day occupied with the Mystery Event! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why today? Why NOW? Aaah, so many ideas. So many plans. Im itching to start, but I must focus on the event This is so annoying! Why couldnt I level up yesterday? Or even better: tomorrow? I wont be able to focus at all, thinking all the time about my next boss and dungeon changes. The last time I checked, I was close to level up. But given the Mystery Event, I didnt expect a lot of players to come to my dungeon. I thought I would level up after receiving the events rewards and not right before it started. Im sure its because of those damn maniacs. The Mad Cultists! They must have been invading my dungeon as usual, completely disregarding the Mystery Event. Why are they so fixated on giving me headaches all the time!? Aaaah I grab my head and apply pressure, trying to calm down and focus. By the time I recover my usual calm state of mind C haha, as if that ever existed C and take a look at the clock, I realize I only have twenty minutes left to finish creating my Champion before the Mystery Event starts. And I havent started yet! This is all those madmens fault its always them No, no! Stop thinking and focus, Andreu! I punch my face. Where was I? Yes, copying the champion. Lets do this quickly. Copying the champion is easy. I just need to select it as the base for the new one. This way, the Champion Ill use in the Mystery Event will look the same as my usual champion. The only differences will be the skills and stats Ill have. And this brings me to a difficult decision. Which innate skill do I want? I can pick whatever skill I feel is the strongest. I can pick a dragons breath, for example. But this doesnt necessarily mean itll properly synergize with my build. For those who dont know, synergies, even when coming from weaker skills, are usually stronger. And Im not stupid enough to intentionally create a weaker Champion, so this method is discarded. Id never be so stupid as to pick a useless skill. Not for myself, at least. As for my monsters thats another matter. This leaves me with two options: to either pick one of the innate skills Im used to; or to pick one Id like to use in the future when I upgrade my Champion with a fourth unit. But Im not sure how long itll take until I can fuse my Champion again Its best to stay with what I know for now. This way I can show off during the Mystery Event. Its best to stay with what you know. From my three inmates, Rat Transformation is immediately discarded. For well, obvious reasons. This leaves Mana Attuned and Mana Core.
Mana Attuned (Innate passive skill)
Reduces MP costs by 10% and increases the damage of skills that use MP by 10%
Mana Core (Innate passive skill)
Cost: 3 EP per second (cannot be deactivated)
Recover 5% maximum MP per second. Automatically deactivated when it reaches 100% MP.
Hmm a 10% increase in damage plus 10% MP cost reduction, or straight MP recovery that costs EP? Which one is better? If you ask me, both are equally valid. Mana Core is more powerful, but its risky to have an EP drain effect active permanently. Doubly so when I expect well have to run around all the time. I may eventually find myself unable to run because my EP falls to zero. If that happens when a Calamity is near I shiver. Usually this isnt a big problem because I can take rests during Dungeon Invasions. But this isnt a valid strategy this time. So Cool and risky? Or safe but boring? You know me. Id 1.000% go with the cool and risky any day. But I cant today. It hurts me, but I cant. Not after angering Marta. I know shell be roaming the labyrinth searching for Clara, but after taunting her, shell be paying extra attention to me. If she spots me or detects my presence, shell do everything she can to beat me to a pulp. I cant take unnecessary risks today. Maybe I shouldnt have provoked her Next time Ill be more cautious I start laughing uncontrollably when I remember her angry face. Pfft! Fufufu Hahaha! Who am I trying to deceive? Id do the same a hundred times over. Furthermore, I can give myself other MP skills. Like MP Boost. Didnt you say you would stop giving every single unit you create that skill? Ugh Fine. No MP Boost. Its Mana Attuned then. This is the innate skill Ill pick. Now I must decide the other skills. Ill keep my build as close to the one Im used to as possible. The biggest differences are going to be the disappearance of Shared Voltage, the single innate skill, the stats and Grand Finale. Yep, I cant bring that skill with me either, for similar reasons to Mana Core. Aaah, this hurts so much! My heart is about to explode! A mad scientist, without a way to blow itself up!? Where are we!? Are we in reality or what!? When I check the remaining time, it says fifteen minutes. The lack of time forces me to stop complaining and focus on selecting the skills. The other skills are the same. Since the Champion will be level 10, it means I can assign a total of 12 sp Im using seven, so I have to assign the remaining five. Hmm lets see what skills I can take and try for my future build. After looking around for a while, I decide where Im going to spend the first two. One will go towards upgrading Chain Lighting, my spell of choice. My signature spell! The spell everyone relates to my Champion! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The second one Ill spend on Fireball. Dont look at me with that face! I know! I know it perfectly! Its boring. Its clich. Its the most common spell in the whole history of fantasy! Its lame! But, and this is a big BUT! But I have a very good reason to pick it. And that reason is none other than the following: if I cant explode myself, I at least demand the tools to explode the others. And what better option than the most boring and common? When I use Fireball in the future itll be like Yeah, I dont care about you. Thats why I wont bother with you and use the most boring spell to get the job done. with a disdainful look on my face. See? It all makes sense now. By the way, this is the upgrade I chose for Chain Lightning.
Chain Lightning - Lv 2 (Active skill)
Cost: 200 MP
Deal (10 + SPI) lightning damage to another unit. Then, the lightning jumps to the closest enemy within 5 meters and deals 10% less damage. The lightning continues to jump up to a total of 10 times. This skill cant damage a unit more than once.
Upgrades
Conductivity: The damage isnt reduced after each jump anymore.
It isnt common, but a few times Ive found myself in trouble because I needed to inflict damage upon a weakened enemy but I didnt have a clear line of sight to it. At those times, using Chain Lightning didnt always work because of the reduced damage. With this upgrade, it wont happen anymore, as all enemies will take the same damage. If I like it during the Mystery Event, I might upgrade my Mad Rat with it in the future. I dont want more active skills. The three remaining sp, Ill spend them on triggered or passive skills. What should I look for? Damage? Survivability? Utility? Hmm Ah, I know! Since Ive picked Indomitable Will, Ive died a lot fewer times by accidental suicide, as I like to call it. But I still find myself at low HP after fights, forcing me to take extra breaks. Of course, I could remove the Maniac skill to avoid those problems, but where would the fun be if I did it? No self-harm? Im not a saint! So Ive been thinking for a while that the Survival Instinct skill could help me solve those problems. And now is the perfect chance to test it! Furthermore, itll help me stay alive in this Mystery Event without slowing down my party.
Survival Instinct (Triggered skill)
When you have less than 30% HP, regenerate 1% HP per second.
Nice and simple. I like it! Hahaha! Its a little bit boring but itll have to do. This leaves two skill points. Theres another skill Ive been considering for a while but didnt dare pick up because it was too bland Might as well test it today. Im talking about Sniper.
Sniper (Passive skill)
Increases the range of all your ranged attacks and spells by 20%.
This is one of the most common skills for ranged players, both for archers and mages. For a very simple reason: range is everything. Even more so in PvP. Extra range against melee enemies means you have more time to attack before they can touch you. Against ranged enemies, it is even more important. If you can keep attacking the enemy from outside its range, youre bound to win. Ill reluctantly accept all those boring skills, but at least the last one, I want it to be incredible. Unexpected! Annoying! The least the enemies will expect it, the better! But which one can I pick? Ive got one candidate Ive been wanting to try for a while. Its none other than the famous Too Gross to Look At. I cant count the number of times players have despaired in my dungeon because of suddenly missed attacks. Attacks that should have hit suddenly deviated from their trajectory. Im thrilled at the possibility of this happening when another player attacks me today. But at the same time, the other day I found this stupidly overpowered skill that Id love to test: Capacitors.
Capacitors (Triggered skill)
When using an active skill, store 1 charge for each 5 MP spent. If the next active skill deals lightning damage, spend all charges and increase the damage of that skill by 1 for each charge. All charges disappear after 5 seconds.
As you can see, it only works for skills that deal lightning damage and the charges cant be accumulated. Only the charges from the last skill count. But this doesnt make this skill any less ridiculous. Can you imagine the potential behind this skill? Its limitless! LIMITLESS! Furthermore, if you apply the bonus damage to Chain Lightning, a skill that deals damage to multiple enemies, the potential extra damage is ridiculous! Lets do some numbers. Chain Lightning costs 200 MP, so itll net me 40 charges. When I have no Champions buff C I forgot to say it, but we wont have it during the Mystery Event C, my SPI is 71, so the total damage from Chain Lightning is 81. An extra 40 damage is about a 50% increase! Ridiculous! And assuming it hits all ten targets, the bonus damage rises to 400! The downside is that it requires a special setup for this to work, added to the fact that the first skill will deal normal damage. This, and my MP banishing in an instant. But lets forget about this minor inconvenience. This skill is the perfect excuse to chain Chain Lightnings. An endless lighting chain, surprising the enemy with a sudden burst of damage when they least expect it! Lightning! Lightning everywhere! Hahaha! This is hard Whats best? Extreme discomfort and despair, or unpredictable and ridiculous damage bursts? Ugh, its hard to choose After a while of delivering, when I watch the clock and realize five minutes are remaining, I end up choosing Capacitors. The reason is that Ive seen Too Gross to Look At in action a lot of times but have no idea how useful Capacitors will be. I have to test it now that I have the perfect chance. I must assign the stats quickly. I have no time to waste! When I open the character sheet, it displays a 60 on all the stats; except for HP, EP, and MP, which are multiplied by ten; and SPD, which is divided by ten. I test the limits, and I can move each one down to 20, or up to a maximum of 100. Im sure the minimum and maximum are to prevent any player from completely screwing up their Champion; while, at the same time, preventing experienced players from min-maxing the hell out of it. My dump stats are DEX and AGI, so I leave them at 20. I then raise the most important stats, SPI and MP, to the maximum of 100. I raise SPD to the usual 7 to keep it the same as Im used to. As for the rest, I balance them the best I can according to my needs. This is how my character sheet ends up looking after everything is finished.
HP 700 STA 70 SOU 80
EP 700 MP 1.000
STR 40 CON 40 AGI 20
SPI 100 WIL 40 DEX 20
SPD 7
Skills
Active Triggered Passive
Chain Lightning - Lv 2 (Conductivity) Chaotic Beam Cold Blast Fireball Capacitors Indomitable Will Lightning Shield Survival Instinct Maniac - Lv 2 (Expert) Mana Attuned (Innate) Sniper
If youre curious, the reason I dont leave STR at 20 is that I sometimes rely on my staff to fight melee enemies. A hit here and there between casts can do wonders and save a lot of MP. And save. Ok, this should be all Huh? Choose the role? After saving the Champion, another screen pops up in front of me, asking for the roles I want to take in the party. It explains they will be taken into account when assigning everyone to the parties. Im sure it was explained in the rules they published about an hour ago. I must have skipped it. Well, it isnt anything complex. I just have to choose ranged, mage, and AoE. ...here, aaaaand Done! Right before the time ends, I finish the process of creating my Champion for this Mystery Event.
The DMA developers wanted to create a game where each unit felt unique instead of being a copy of all the others, just with a different appearance. Thats why they created the Innate Skills, and also the reason they locked the stats of each unit. Given the chance to assign stats freely, every Champion would have ended up having the same stats and feel as all the others with a similar role. This way, players were forced to adapt and improve their Champions in unique ways which, in the end, created a more appealing experience. Players, especially roleplayers, loved this approach.
Ch 209 - You look familiar Please, please Whatever happens, please dont pair me with one of those madmen. Id like to enjoy this Mystery Event As I watch the last seconds trickle, before the Mystery Event starts, I pray to God, the Devil, and the Elder Gods I pray to ANYONE who might listen to my prayers. I must avoid all Mad Cultists at all costs, or Ill have to abandon the team before the event starts. Its a priority of mine to keep my sanity at the current level. If one or more of them end up in my team, Ill be forced to leave. I dont want to turn into one of them. Please, please! The teleport light surrounds me, signaling the start of the Mystery Event. When it disappears, I find myself in the same praying pose I was in. Knees on the ground and hands clasped together. The other three players, the members of my randomly assigned team, send me curious looks. They look normal? At least, not a single one of them prostrated immediately after seeing my face. Which, by the way, looks exactly the same as my Mad Rat Champion. now that I think about it, maybe I should have changed my current Champions looks a little or a lot. To avoid recognition, mostly. Though Im sure my nickname is already known by them, and since it is now displayed on top of my head, all my efforts could have been wasted anyway. Maybe the best course of action was doing nothing after all Yeah, being lazy is the best. I calmly stand up, as if my posture was completely normal, and analyze my companions. The one that catches my attention first is a red and translucent woman. Its a slime. Given the red color a fire slime, perhaps? However, since we can freely choose a skill from the faction, who knows if her innate skill and looks are related or not. Id never mistake the second teammates race anywhere. A burly and tall minotaur, standing over two meters tall. He looks strong, and the giant axe in his hands looks dangerous. He must be a tank or melee attacker. Im sure of it. As for the last one As soon as I look in her direction, the tiny and winged girl makes an Ah! sound, as if recognizing me. She looks around in panic, her eyes wide open. She quickly hides behind the red woman. But after a short sizzling sound from burning flesh, she makes a Kyaah! shout and flies behind the burly minotaur. Then, she pops her head from the top of his shoulder, glaring at me. Have you ever seen a hamster or squirrel run away to find someplace to hide when you get close, only to immediately find a place where they can look at you when they feel safe? This is the same, except with a human player. Even the size is similar. What just happened? Do you understand? Because I dont understand at all. I observe the reactions of the other two players. They arent too different from mine. Uh hello? I say, deciding to ignore the weird fairy. Nice to meet you all. Hey there, ratman. The minotaur player moves his hand to grab the fairy using him as a blocker. Whats wrong with you little one? But before he can get close to her, she flies away with another shout. Kyaaah! D-dont touch me! Are you a pervert, trying to touch a lady like this? Realizing she doesnt have any safe place to hide, she starts flying circling me, pointing at me accusatorily. And of course, I know him! Its because of him that I cant sleep properly lately! Its your fault! This is new. Its the first time Ive encountered one of my angry customers. Face to face, I mean. Because the hate messages fill the forums. Hmm what should I do? Do I ignore her, as if she didnt exist? But if I do it, itll make this Mystery Event a lot harder Mooooohahaha! The minotaur player bursts out laughing. Why is he making cow sounds? I know hes a minotaur, but its creepy. Youre an angry little fella, arent you? What did he do to you? Did he kill your parents? Moooohahaha! The red woman watches everything with gleaming eyes and a smile on her face as if watching a show. It wouldnt surprise me if she took out a cup of virtual popcorn. Hey! I dont know you. Why are you so angry at me? I feign ignorance. I didnt do anything, I swear. Assuming she is one of my angry customers C or, in other words, players who went into my dungeon and suffered a lot C I can think of quite a few possibilities. But as the saying goes, Im innocent until proven guilty. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. You didnt do anything!? Kyaaah! With another shout, the crazy fairy grabs the fur of my head and starts pulling it around. My head shakes as a result. Ill make you pay! Since that thing ate me, Ive been having nightmares! Damn Evil Mastermind! Its all your fault! That thing? Umm Two monsters can eat the invaders. But given that shes talking as if it happened quite a long time ago, she must be talking about the Tunnel Mimic. Ah, yeah I understand her now Well, I dont, but Ive seen a lot of players reacting like her. I do my best to hide my growing smile. Stop pulling my hair already, I say, in the most neutral tone I can. Its giving me a headache. Furthermore, I didnt do anything. It was you who came into my dungeon. Its your fault, not mine. As the warning at the end of my dungeons description says, Im not responsible for any lost limbs or lives, mental trauma, paranoia, or PSTD. Hehe. Im smart, Ive got it covered. Not sure how to react, the fairy player starts pulling my fur with more strength than before while making another shout. Kyaaaaaaah! Ah! My poor eardrums! Hey, hey! Is it true youre the Evil Mastermind? The red woman asks while keeping a certain distance between us. You look familiar, but I swear Ive never seen you before She must have met one of my clones. That cant be, red girl. The Evil Mastermind must look a lot smarter than this guy. Look at his squalid arms, his stupid face, and the drool falling from his mouth. He looks so stupid! Mooohahahaha! Hey! I take my image very seriously! Well Sometimes, I do. When its convenient for me. Ah! I remember now! I saw a monster that looked identical to him when I went to The Mad Rats Lab. Then, he must be one of his crazy fans! To create a Champion with the same aspect as one of the monsters in his dungeon so lame Moooohahaha! Its the other way around, ok!? I created a monster that resembles me, ok!? More importantly, shouldnt we focus on the Mystery Event? Were wasting our time. Were wasting precious time. We should introduce ourC Kyaaaaaaah! I try to redirect the conversation to the topic we should be discussing, but I cant even finish my sentence.
After a while of struggling C I swear, Ive never seen such a disorganized group since the last time I accidentally watched a fragment of a Mad Cultist group diving into my dungeon C, we have finished our introductions. Allow me to summarize everything for you. First, our Minotaur player: Moo. Dont ask me why, but he has insisted on being called like that. Moo is the tank of our group. He excels at two things: disruption and reflection. With his skills, he can disrupt enemies with a variety of status effects and forced movement skills, leaving them no option but to focus their attacks on him. And when they do, he can reflect the damage he takes back. The red slime girl is called Muribelle. Thats her actual nickname, unlike Moo. She says shes a Fire Slime as I expected, and brings a mix of skills that deal continuous or explosive damage at close range. Shes our melee damage dealer. Muribelle looks the most normal of my companions, but When she was talking about her fire skills, I noticed a dangerous glint in her eyes. Ive seen this before in Ricard when he talks about souls. She has dissimulated it well until now, but Im sure shes a crazy pyromaniac on a similar level of craziness as he. Well see it soon if Im right or not. And last but not least, the annoying Fairy thats still pulling the fur on my head: Balmy. Its her actual nickname too. Balmy has a variety of support skills as well as some attack spells. She can even use the most famous Resurrection, which Ive never seen before. But given her behavior until now, Im not sure if Im happy or not to have her on our team. From my side, I asked them to call me by my nickname. Although they wanted to call me Evil Mastermind, after much persuasion they finally agreed to call me Koala during this Mystery Event. Balmy, when will you stop pulling my hair? Never! *Sigh!* Why do I always have to find the crazy ones? No, even worse. Why do I have to play with not one but three of them!? A wild masochist, a crazy pyromaniac, and a screamer? Um weird fairy? Regardless of how you want to classify her, shes as insane as the other two. Well, at least I didnt find one of them. Thats thats something, right? It could have been worse than this. I take a look at the clock and despair. Weve already lost more than fifteen minutes, and the only thing we achieved was introducing ourselves. We must make haste. Hey, team. I clap my hands to get their attention. We must start moving. Lets read the mission we got assigned and start moving. Everyone opens the game menu to read the mission assigned to our group. This is interesting. Moooohahaha! Nice! Itll be a good opportunity to test my new skill. Im looking forward to it. Hahaha! I-it cant be worse than being eaten by that thing Im sure itll be fine. Why. Just why? Contrary to everyone elses reactions, mine is accompanied by a mix of resignation and fear. *Sigh!* Can it get any worse than this? The mission assigned to our group is as follows: Defeat a Calamity (0/1). It doesnt require any more explanation, does it?
At that time, I thought everything would go smoothly compared to the start. I was wrong.
Ch 210 - Curiosity killed the rat Defeat a Calamity... Shit. The only mission I didnt want was, of course, the one we got assigned. Is someone playing with my life, making it as miserable as possible? If you press there it opens a minimap with some markers. Do you think those are the Calamities? Moooo, Im sure of it. T-this is good, we can use the markers to avoid them until were ready. Minimap? My teammates comments awakened me from my depression. When I press the button theyre talking about a map appears in front of me. Its empty. Well, most of it is empty. Im not sure if it encompasses the whole Mystery Event or what, but the map shows an area thats at least the size of a big city. How do I know this? Because, as always, the only part thats drawn is the parts weve visited, which in this case is just the square rock room weve spawned in. Compared to the black space surrounding it, the room looks tiny: not bigger than a grain of salt on top of a black table. The rest of the map will fill in as we investigate the surroundings. No worries here. The closest area of the black map contains star markers, with an arrow next to them. There are about ten of them. I dont believe all Calamities are near us, located inside a perfect circle, it wouldnt make any sense. So Im sure it only shows the ones within a certain range of us. But they arent moving. Why? Shouldnt they be I dont know, chasing innocent players like us? Ah, here it explains it. In the mission description, it says that the current position, as well as the general direction theyre moving in, of the closest Calamities will be updated every five minutes. Balmys right. Ironically, the markers that tell us the location of our objective will be the most useful tool to avoid them. Hah! I pity the other teams, unaware of the danger theyre in ... Id swap with them anytime. I want to cry. Even if we know where they are, we cant run away all the time. We must defeat one of them if we want to get the missions rewards. And the rewards are too juicy to ignore. Man, how much I wish I dont accidentally encounter my sister After provoking her earlier, she must be fuming I shiver. I should focus on the event for now. I shake my head and start walking to the single entrance to this room Should we go, team? Weve wasted enough time. Yeah! Im ready for some action! Remember to leave me enough time to provoke the monsters we find and well be fine. Mooohahaha! Muribelle and Balmy follow silently after us. After a short passage made with the same stone as the room, we reach an underground tunnel. As soon as we come out, the entrance to the room disappears, turning into the same rock found on the outside. It was some kind of safe room as I thought so that we could organize ourselves without danger I mutter, to make myself look smart. Truth is, I didnt think about it at all. Now were in danger. Take care, everyone. Dont worry, Evil Mastermind. Leave the front to Moooo! Moo strikes his chest in enthusiasm. Didnt we agree you wouldnt call me like that? After so long, I dont mind it anymore, but Id rather avoid people recognizing me because of that name. Especially people from a certain group of totally normal players. Pay special attention to the sarcasm. Eh, ah yeah. Sorry. Koala, then. Mooohahaha! Its at this moment that Muribelle comes closer. She extends her hand towards Moo. Hey, hey. Moo. What do you think will happen if I touch you? Will I take damage? And will that damage be higher than the amount you take or lower? Do you want to try? Yes! When Muribelle touches Moo, a sizzling sound is produced. Ouch! She quickly retracts her hand, surprised. But then, she starts poking him repeatedly, producing a sizzling sound every time. So I do take damage. Hehe, its kind of funny. Dont you feel it, Moo?. This pain is nothing. Im used to it. Youll need something stronger than this. Mooohaha! Hee something stronger? Her eyes lit up in anticipation. I knew it! Shes as crazy as Ricard! Im sure shes thinking of using some crazy spell that will obliterate us all! I must stop it! Stop hurting yourselves! I put myself between the two before they do something crazy. Pairing a masochist with a pyromaniac isnt a great idea. Were a team. Even if we have a healer, we should avoid taking unnecessary damage. Dont you agree? I wait for them to nod before continuing. Lets move into the formation we talked about and start exploring. Okay. Mooooonsters, come at me! Just when it was getting interesting *Sigh!* Interesting? INTERESTING!? Hey, is there anyone who wants to swap teams? No, nobody? I knew it. As we take formation, I move to the middle of the group and leave the others to take charge of the front and back. Its the safest position, so its mine. For some reason, the annoying fairy lands on my head and uses me as a free ride. Dont do this. I slap her away, like one does with a fly. Fine Ill walk on my own. Yeah, act like a grown-up for once, Balmy.
The underground tunnel continues, branching off and connecting to others. But unlike what youd expect in this kind of labyrinth, the path changes elevation, turning this into a 3D labyrinth. Some of the tunnels go up, some go down. They connect at different elevations or cross over others. Its a true 3D labyrinth. Its similar to my dungeon in this regard. But these tunnels feel a lot more organized, are straighter and so far, we havent seen any dead ends. This layout is perfect for ranged attacks. Not so much for flyers, though. Although flying is an easy and fast way to reach the elevated tunnels and platforms, the ceiling is too low to make a huge difference. Furthermore, to benefit from it, all members of the team must be able to fly, which isnt feasible. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Unless youre alone and can fly, both at the same time. Like a certain older sister of mine. The tunnels weve found so far aren''t natural phenomena. They arent completely artificial either. I know, I know, it doesnt make much sense, but its hard to describe. Imagine how do I explain it Yes. Imagine a dwarven road constructed inside a narrow natural tunnel. Parts of it are excavated, widened, and flattened, to allow carriages to pass through it. Add columns to reinforce the structure, as well as some carvings on the walls. Stairs are carved to access other roads connecting to this one at different levels, next to amazing wooden structures, possibly elevators for the carriages themselves. But everything looks old. Crumbling. Decrepit. As if abandoned for at least a thousand years. Dust covers all the surfaces, the wooden platforms look as if they would collapse with a single touch, and the engravings are worn down. Furthermore, there are large battle signs everywhere. I Im not sure I want to imagine what happened here. Well, according to the lore, you know what I mean. Its quite an amazing atmosphere, dont you agree? I comment. I wonder whats the story behind this place. Do you think its part of the Mystery Event? Will we receive bonus points if we clear the mystery? Walking behind me, Muribelle asks a very logical question. I dont know. But I wouldnt be surprised if it were. I shrug. Im more worried about clearing our main mission than any other bonus we can get. Heeee. And I thought mister Koala would know everything because he was oh so smart. I glare at Balmy, whos orbiting around my head. Shut up, shorty. Shorty? Im not a shorty! Im tall for a fairy, ok? Heh. Dont laugh at meeeeeee! Kyaaah! And here we go, another session of fur-pulling. Im used to it by now. I do it myself when Im bored, stressed, or angry; so as long as she doesnt start shaking my head around, its just a massage to me. Koala, when will we find the first monsters? Its boring when the mooooooost interesting thing weve found is a rock. Are all melee players muscleheads? Hmm no. Ricard is brain-dead after all. It isnt exactly the same. Im sure hed be happy if I told him this, though it isnt exactly a compliment. Dont complain. Its the best when you can have an easy time. But dont we get points when defeating moooooonsters? At this rate, we wont get any. Ah, hes right! We receive bonus points when defeating monsters, according to their strength. I almost forgot about it! Thats right. We should defeat as many as possible. I look around in excitement. Monsters, where are you? Dont worry, we just want to talk Fufufu HahaC Waaaaah! Save me! Suddenly, from the ceiling, a grey tentacle appears and grabs me, pulling me up. A monster turns visible soon after, revealing a giant octopus. Its flesh is gray, and its eyes are an eerie blue, and parts of its body are missing. Its extremely disgusting. An undead octopus? What the fuck? I exclaim. Undead octopuses shouldnt exist! I struggle, but the octopus doesnt let go of me, so I resort to casting Chaotic Beam. But the status effect it randomly applies ends up being Burning. A fire film covers the octopus, making it even more terrifying. Shit! Arent you going to help me? When I look below, angry at my teammates, I discover three more of those octopuses attacking my teammates. Its utter chaos, though the culprits arent the monsters but my teammates. Its time for the Great Muribelle to show off her new skill! Tremble in fear, octopus, because Im going to burn you into ashes! Kyaaah! No! Leave me alooooone. Go attack Moo insteeeead. Moooohahaha! Yes! Hit me moooooore! I will ask again, just in case. Does somebody want to swap teams? No? Shit.
After defeating the rotten octopuses, we got 10 points for each one. The points are accumulated as a team, each player will receive the same amount of rewards once the Mystery Event ends. This means that splitting can lead to a higher reward, but that only stands true if the whole team survives. With Calamities roaming everywhere, I dont think its a good idea. Why dont we go investigate one of the Calamities? If we find one that looks weak we can defeat it, dont you agree? Asks Muribelle. I dont think its a good idea. I shake my head. We should discover more parts of the map before. In case we need to run away well need an escape route. B-but look at this one. It hasnt moved since the last update. Theres no arrow displaying where its going. Hm? Lets see In response to the voice sounding right above my head, I open the map. The map, now with a few tunnels filled, has changed since the last time. The position of all the markers around us has changed, to be more specific. All of them but one. Youre right. How weird Why isnt that Calamity chasing after players? Shouldnt it be looking for us? Ah! I suddenly exclaim, remembering a part of the rules I read. It must be settling its domain. In the rules, it explained that Calamities can alter the labyrinth and create a zone that works to their advantage. Since the Mystery Event is still in its beginning phase, they may be still working on it. This gives us an advantage. If the Calamity is distracted by modifying the surroundings, itll make it easier for us to take a look. This might be our chance to investigate without much risk. What do we do? Shall we take a look? Nobody disagrees, so we decide to go in the direction of that marker. By the way when are you going to leave my head, Balmy? B-but Im scared... She buries her face into my fur. Sigh fine. Do as you please. As we advance in the direction of the star marker, we reach a tunnel thats larger than any weve seen before. At about ten meters wide and five meters tall, this one must be one of the main roads of these old ruins. On our way, we find other bizarre creatures. Monsters like goblins resistant to elemental damage; a pack of wolves that could use the fairys Trickster skill; or an abyss-like troll, with its characteristic Regeneration skill but with lots of tentacles and eyes covering its body. Its clear the DMA developers created skins for some of the most iconic monsters of the game. It must be to prevent players from quickly identifying the monsters. Or maybe, it has to do with the background story of this place. I dont know. Can you feel it? Its getting hotter. Says Moo, as soon as were at about a hundred meters from the marker. How do I know the exact distance? I dont. Im just guessing according to the speed were moving through the map. Now that you say it I thought it was my imagination, as I got nervous about the possible fight against a pro player. But it turns out its real. ...it indeed is getting hot. Is that so? I hear Muribelle from behind. This is nothing. Allow me to demonstrate my skills and you will know what true heat means! No, stop. Were here to investigate, not to fight. Okay. She happily answers. We continue walking in silence. Finally, in silence. Its the first time the three of them have stayed quiet for more than five seconds. The previously neutral ambient light starts taking a reddish tone, and the heat keeps increasing. Since this is a game, only the feel of heat is felt. There is no sweating or health problems caused by it. The tunnel takes a sharp turn to the right. Still in silence, we stick to the wall and pop our heads out, taking a peek into a large room a few meters away. This is the largest room weve seen so far. Inside, theres a massive magma waterfall dropping into a red lake. The ground, walls, and ceiling are black. Right in the middle of the lake, there''s a majestic throne, upon which a male humanoid figure is sitting. Black wings on its back, horns on its head. I cant see it properly from this distance, but it must be a dragonborn or a demon lord. Is he reading the dungeon menu? As if to answer my question, the man turns his head and looks straight at my eyes. No way! Can it read my mind!? hahaha. I know, I know. Thats impossible. It must have been a coincidence. I believe Ive seen that guy before, fighting on equal grounds with my older sister. If we fight here, where the terrain favors him, we have no chance. And I thought we would be able to sneak inside, undetected Without standing up, the man points at us and a red circle appears next to him. Hes about to cast a spell. Retreat! I command. Quickly. Were making a strategic retreat! I want to leave this clear: we arent running away, were retreating. Theyre two very different things.
Most players didnt know yet because the Mystery Event rules didnt explain it in detail on purpose. The Calamities who settled down to create their domains didnt do so because they wanted to, but because they were requested to. They had a different role from the other Calamities. The players would discover this soon.
Ch 211 - I’m not like that Strategic retreat! At my signal, everyone starts retreating, running away from the Calamity seated on the majestic throne. Im not sure if theyre following my orders or if theyre just doing their best to stay alive. Nobody wants to die a pathetic death, after all. Kyaaah! I dont want to die yet! Is that a fire skill? Which skill is it? Im curious. This is one dangerous attack, moooohahaha! Its been confirmed. They dont give a shit about my orders. Well, as long as we survive, its all good. Since our reaction was swift we might be able to escape unscathed... As long as the Calamity doesnt give chase. After all, when we were found, we were right next to a corner in the tunnel. Most skills require line of sight to control, there arent many skills that auto-target, and I dont think an area of effect skill will have a big enough area to hit us after impacting the wall. I exhale, relieved. Haa we survived. We retreated in timC As per usual, as soon as I open my mouth, the worst ends up happening. Nobody told me about this shit! Multiple red bolts appear from the opening to the lava area, leaving fire trails behind them. Instead of hitting the wall directly as you would expect from a skill like that, they turn to the left and start chasing after us. A few of them do hit the walls, creating burning surfaces, but the rest of the fire bolts continue flying in our direction. This is a sign that the Calamity can only control them for as long as he has line-of-sight. If theres one problem, its that theres no way we can evade all the remaining bolts in this straight passage. Do something, Evil Mastermind. I thought you were famous for your impeccable plans, why are we in so much trouble, then!? The annoying Fairy shouts right next to my ear in her annoying high-pitched voice. Since Im faster than her, she has grabbed my fur and uses me as a free ride. Nothing new here. Didnt we agree youd stop calling me like that? I-it doesnt matter right now! To me, it does! Dying a horrifying and pathetic death is acceptable. Being recognized by my crazy followers isnt. The main difference? The latter can negatively affect my mental health while the former cant. Not anymore, I mean. Ive died too many pathetic deaths for it to affect me. Koala, do you think there will be mooooooore attacks to follow? I can try something but itll leave me exposed. Moo asks me a question. Hm No, I dont think so... Unless it follows after us, the Calamity shouldnt have line-of-sight to us. It shouldnt be able to target us after this. And if he does chase after us Um, good luck, I guess? Do what you can Moo, were relying on you. Finally! Finally, someone whos helpful! I was starting to lose hope in my team. Leave it to Mooooooo! He pats his chest and turns around, facing the incoming attack. Hide behind me. Uh, sure. I dont see any reason to deny him. Balmy and I hide behind his enormous back as quickly as we can. But Muribelle, mesmerized by the incoming fire, doesnt move, leaving me any option but to pull her in. Are you crazy? We all know she is. This is what experts call a rhetorical question. Come here! Sizzling sounds are produced as soon as I touch her. W-whaaaaa!? Theres a moment where only Muribelles surprised shout breaks the silence, followed by a large fire burst. Fire expands, covering the whole passage. But for some reason, it doesnt expand behind Moo. Its almost as if he were an indestructible wall. After the intense visual effects calm down, we find ourselves surrounded by a sea of fire. The only place not covered by fire is the triangular area behind Moo, where we are standing. As expected, it counted as a single attack! Moooohahaha! Moo laughs, observing his surroundings. For some reason, theres no fire sticking to him either. Everything the fire touched is now burning except for him. The only difference between now and then is that half his HP bar has vanished. Exactly half, to be more precise. How can this be possible Ah! This is this must be It must be the combination of the Impenetrable Wall and Health Trick skills. The first is indispensable to be able to block AoE attacks and skills with your body and protect your teammates.
Impenetrable Wall (Passive skill)
Reduce the damage you receive from all AoE attacks and skills by 20%. When they hit you, you stop them from expanding in the direction youre blocking.
The second, you can see here: Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Health Trick (Active skill)
Cost: 50% Current HP
The next time you get hit by an attack or skill, negate all damage and status effects it would apply. This skill has a 1-minute cooldown.
Health Trick fully negates the damage and effects of any skill, but it has two significant drawbacks: it costs 50% of your HP to activate; and can be activated a single time in the same battle, realistically speaking. Being one of the last resort skills, it requires impeccable timing to execute properly. The cost is steep but allows for recovery, and it has no limit of uses or permanent drawbacks. Its also possible to pay the activation cost beforehand if you know youll be attacked. Negating all status effects can be more important depending on the situation than the damage reduction. Hard crowd control can force you out of a fight. The two skills synergize perfectly well to protect your team. More so if your Champions body is big. As good as they are, Id never pick either of those, though. Im not a tank, and Ill never be. Good job, Moo! I knew you were reliable I pat his shoulder. ...unlike those two. I say the latter part in a low voice so they can hear me. Nobody cant convince me of the contrary. After all, Balmy is still grabbing onto my fur with her whole body. And Muribelle is shes better see for yourself. Wow. That was AMAZING! What skill was that? Can we see it again? Do you think that player will show it to me if I ask nicely? Yeah, lets go! Lets go and ask him. Come on, everyone, we mustC Mfhghft! Shut up. Are you crazy!? Again, this is a rhetorical question. I grab her and cover her mouth with my hand. I do so because shes too loud, and to prevent her from running back to that Calamity. The sizzling sound of my burning flesh reaches my ears. Why dont we familiarize ourselves with the dungeon first? I believe we should take a look around, defeat some monsters, maybe find another player team to help us and then, we can take another try at approaching a Calamity. I propose. What do you say?
Chain Lighting! Chain Lightning! The plant slime swarm succumbs to my amazing lighting show and scatters into a carpet of leaves, leaving my teammates astonished. My spells are unstoppable, fufufu. Hahaha! What is a plant slime? Its a monster that has the shape of a slime, the speed of a slime, and the behavior of a slime but is made out of leaves. As I explained before, the monsters in this Mystery Event look different from usual, making it harder to identify them. The group of plant slimes I defeated is just one of the weird monsters inhabiting this labyrinth. By the way, I was the one to give them that name. We dont know whats their actual name because monsters in this dungeon dont have anything displayed on top of their heads. It feels great to be able to kill my enemies I wipe away my nonexistent tears. ... Im so, so, so, so happy Im not exaggerating, this is how I feel. ... Its been so long since I could enjoy it so much Now that I think about it, isnt this the first time? The first time since I started playing DMA that I can kill my enemies with Chain Lightning. The upgrade I took for Chain Lighting, Conductivity, makes it so the damage isnt reduced after every jump. It is as powerful as I expected, further expanding my power against hordes of monsters. What Im not so sure about is the Capacitors skill. I was so sure itd be broken! But in fact, its a waste of MP. It forces me to use the skills consecutively, possibly wasting a lot more MP than required. The bonus damage is nice, but it isnt worth it. Its a good thing I tried before committing to it. Im sure Capacitors is one of those skills that work better on monsters, which dont have to worry if they use all their MP in one battle. After all, for them, its usually either win or die. They dont care about saving resources for the next battle. Also, from the few times Ive used Chain Lightning, I discovered I actually miss Shared Voltage. The excess damage being transferred to a close enemy is invaluable. They do say you dont know what you have until you lose it, dont they? Although missing Shared Voltage doesnt mean I cant enjoy killing my enemies with Chain Lightning, my main skill. Its the contrary. Knowing how it feels to be forced to leave all enemies alive, I appreciate it all the more. This isnt fair! You didnt allow me to show off my skills. And precisely now, that weve found monsters made out of plants, perfect for my fire spells! Scram, Muribelle! I want to savor this moment! I shoo her away with my hand. Aaah, I feel like crying this fulfilling sensation Koala. I never expected you to act like this. From laughing to crying, to behaving like a maniac Its so different from the image I have of the famous Evil Mastermind Now its time for Moo to interrupt me. And I dont want to be called like that by a masochist like you! ...I thought you would be cool, calculative. Always a step ahead of the others. What Ive seen so far couldnt be any more different. Cant one enjoy this beautiful moment? Ugh, fine I suppose I should defend myself. Youre wrong. Wrong? Yes. Thats just the image everyone gets for some reason I cant understand. Im not a mastermind, Im a mad scientist. And as a mad scientist, I roleplay like youve seen so far. Everything other players say about preparing everything so they fall to my traps, or that I anticipate their actions, or that I know everything Thats bullshit they make up. Is that so? Moo doesnt look convinced. Im in a similar position as you, I continue. I cant understand why they see me like that either I go by three words: random, unexpected, and fun. Everything else is just the invaders delusioC Balmy interrupts me with one of her usual shouts. Kyaaaah! Stop lying! Theres no way what I experienced was random! Aagh! Can you stop shouting right next to my eaC It simply cant be. I refuse to accept you werent watching us and manipulating everything from the back. But its the truth Ive never done that before except against that orc player or when Im bored and want to mess with people. Of course, I keep the last part to myself. Stop lying! Im not lying. Kyaaaaaah! Ah, here goes my eardrums. If this were reality, Im sure they would have burst.
Dont assume all you see is designed that way, especially when it comes to the bad parts. Its possible the player made a mistake when creating the dungeon and he or she didnt expect that part to be so difficult. Or that they didnt take into account the possibility of you bringing a certain type of support monster that messes up all the dungeons plans. Be lenient when it comes to evaluating the dungeons you step into. This applies unless youre inside The Mad Rats Lab. There, there are no mistakes. Everything is meticulously planned and prepared to inflict as much pain upon you as possible, both physical and psychological. The Evil Mastermind spares no one. - Tip from an anonymous DMA player.
Ch 212 - Give and take Since we started investigating this enormous labyrinth, weve encountered two groups of players. The two times we coldly stared at each other, not sure how to act, until one of the two groups decided to move on. Were in the early phases of the Mystery Event, so theres no need to take unnecessary risks by facing an unknown danger. Its better to steadily accumulate points by defeating monsters instead of taking the gamble of facing other players. Furthermore, since we cant team up with other players to defeat a third team, the risk is even higher. Why am I suddenly saying this? Well, its because *Swish, swi-swi-swish!* Several ice projectiles fall from above like rain. They clatter upon impacting the walls and floor, shattering into smaller particles before vanishing. Everyone, take cover! I shout. We scramble to hide behind the closest rocks we can find. Thanks to our immediate response, the damage we took is minimal. Is everyone okay? Did you see where the attack came from? Given my reputation, I naturally took the leadership position. Who else is going to do it as well as I? Balmy? Please, stop joking. I-I saw it! Unexpectedly, is Balmy the one to raise her hand, pointing ahead. There, hiding in the elevated platform connecting to that other tunnel. I saw someone moving. So she can be useful, huh? Who could have guessed? I thought the only thing she was good at was screaming right next to my ear. Ah, youre right! Come here and fight with us instead of hidC Mmmfh, mmmgh! I cover Muribelles mouth before things take a turn for the worst. Im already used to the sizzling sound and pain. We dont have time for this, remember? Shut up and lets go before something worse happens. I release Muribelle to avoid taking more damage and she immediately protests. We arent going to retaliate? Are you kiddC Remember? I repeat. We dont have time. Ah, right! I forgot! Lets run, everyoC Before I can finish my sentence, we hear the annoying sound of someone clicking their tongue. Tsk, tsk, tsk How lame, Evil Mastermind. And to think I prepared this welcome gift for you What a shame. A true shame indeed. The voice comes from behind the corner, right below the player who attacked us. There, we can see the shadow of a player. He slowly shows up, revealing his face. Wait. That voice! That face! I scratch my cheek in though. Yes. As I thought, I have no idea who you are. Stop joking around, Evil Mastermind! We both know you could never forget the voice of your nemesis. Ah, yeah my nemesis what was your name again? Brainiac! Im Brainiac! Why does he sound so altered? I did nothing to him. You truly know how to taunt me, as my nemesis should. Khm! Anyway. I thought I saw you from afar and I was right. Now, let us continue with our duel! The one whose team defeats the other wins and will be proclaimed the best player. Im sure youre fine with it. I lower my head. Im sorry, but were in a prickle. If you dont mind, we must leave immediately. Umm Brainiac, you said, right? I joke again with his name, but the only reaction I get is his glare. Alright, alright Ill stop fooling around. Is it the aura around Brainiac or is it the fact that theyre tense? I dont know, but the rest of my team stays silent, observing the interaction between us with great interest. Hey, Moo. Isnt he Brainiac, the one whos always following Incognita, the top ranker? I think so. Koala might be a more important player than we thought. Moohahaha! Hes still a meanie who makes fun of my height all the time! Ill never accept him, regardless of how famous he is! Hmph! Alright, maybe not so silent. But they at least stay out of our conversation, which is something. We have no time to waste, after all. Trying to run away? Asks Brainiac. Of course, youre in trouble. Youre facing me after all! Be prepared to die! Hahaha! No, I mean Were in a hurry, but not because of you. But Im sure he wont listen, so I stay silent instead of complaining. Brainiac makes a gesture with his hand and the ice storm resumes, forcing us to take cover. Right after, the rest of his team shows up. They aim their spells and weapons at us, but instead of attacking they stay put. Huh, how weird. Are they waiting for us to act first? They suppress us with ice and wait for us to come closer. But it makes no sense. Brainiac knows I excel at ranged attacks. Its a waste of MP and time to keep us here. Whats his plan? He makes another gesture and the wall behind us disappears, revealing another passage. An illusion? No, wait. Monsters!? Fuck! An avalanche of monsters pours out from the revealed hole. Theyre a mix of slimes and skeletons. And I dont mean a mix of the two groups, but literally slimes with a skeleton. How is that possible? I dont know, go and ask the DMA developers instead of me. How do you like it, Evil Mastermind? How do you like my little present? I learned this kind of trick from you. If we stay behind the cover, the monsters will surround us and well have to face both them and Brainiacs team at the same time. We cant allow this to happen or were dead. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Everyone! I shout, in panic. Were breaking through! W-what!? Are you crazy!? I hear a high-pitched noise near my ear. Agh, shut up! Dont shout near my ear! I wave my hand around to get rid of Balmy. Moo, can you take the monsters attention for a while? Keep them away from reaching us for a moment. And Balmy, make sure he doesnt die. Ill try my best, mooooohahaha! I wont follow your orders. But I guess I cant let my teammates die Ugh, fine I then say, pointing at Brainiacs group, and ignoring the little fairy. Muribelle, time your Fireball with me. Were blasting them away. Yes! Finally! Its time to burn some people! Fuhahaha! Muribelle and I start casting at the same time, aiming at Brainiacs current position. He and two of his teammates are blocking the way forward. If we want to break through, we must do something about them first. There are too many monsters to go the other way, and theres that thing chasing after us on the other passage. We cant take any other route than the one Brainiac is blocking. Yeah, struggle the best you can, Evil Mastermind. This is the only thing you can do. Feel your impotence. What is he talking about? He doesnt know how much danger we all are in, does he? *Swoosh!* Fire bursts from our hands and flies toward Brainiacs group, exploding and burning everything. To avoid taking damage, they have no choice but to move to the side, creating a narrow gap between them and the entrance. Another one. We must widen the gap. Fuhahaha! Fine by me! As soon as we finish casting the first Fireball, Muribelle and I start casting a second volley. How lame, Evil Mastermind. To waste MP pathetically like that. Youre truly unworthy of the nickname. Dont you know that when fighting other players, the most important thing is to save resources? The first to run out of EP and MP is always the loser. Brainiac looks at me with a mix of pity and envy, shaking his head. If only he knew what is coming, he might stop spouting bullshit. The second Fireball volley widens the gap, completely clearing the way forward. Now! Everyone, RUN! I give the order. I and Muribelle, side by side, start running towards the cleared path, with Balmy following closely. She keeps shouting Kyaaah! as usual. Moo is the last, followed by the monsters aggroed by him. With monsters attacking from behind, and ice falling from above, we take a significant amount of damage while running away. But this is nothing compared to dying. We take advantage of the gap created and slip through the previously sealed passage. Shouldnt we stop them? One of Brainiacs team members asks a logical question. Theres no need to. A cornered rat bites the cat. We will let them get tired first and strike when they cant resist. This way we can stay in this Mystery Event for longer and accumulate a lot more points. Oooh, it makes sense. Youre amazing, Brainiac! Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming. Me and Muribelle are the first ones to enter the new tunnel, followed closely by Balmy. Moo, though, is delayed because he has to avoid the monsters attacks while running. The monsters, aggroed by Moo, ignore Brainiacs group completely. But when they are next to Brainiacs group, I give him an order. Moo, use Shockwave! Okay. Moooooooooo! With a weirdly realistic cow sound, Moo slams the ground with his feet, creating a shockwave that throws the chasing monsters, as well as Brainiac and his two teammates, a distance away. The monsters, startled and pushed into each other, take a while to recognize whats happening, stopping for a moment. We resume running. From behind, Brainiacs voice reaches us. Do you think you can run away from us? Youre as unpredictable as youre pathetic, Evil Mastermind. Sigh and to think they consider you a better player than mC Whats that noise? A rumbling noise fills the whole labyrinth, quickly growing in intensity. Soon, we can all see it: a large wall of water. Like a tsunami, it obliterates everything in its path. Wood and rock fragments, Brainiac and his team Not even the group of momentarily confused skeleton-slimes is spared. Thank god we ran away on time and didnt reach us. The water makes a loud crash when it hits the labyrinths wall. When it clears up, the only thing we can see is Brainiacs figure sticking to the wall. This is where the water slammed him into. Heh, hes like in one of those old cartoons. Ive finally caught up. We hear a voice coming from the disaster area. Its a voice we hear for the first time. It took me a while. Youre quite good at running away, huh? Regardless, my job is to kill you all. That must be the voice of the Calamity that has been chasing after us for a while. Were not sure how he kept track of us, but in our minimap, we could see a star marker going in our direction since long ago. It was Balmy the first to realize it. If it werent for here we might have been caught unaware. Huh, this Brainiac shakes his head and looks around. When he sees the player in front of him, he furrows his brows. A Calamity? Why is a Calamity here? Evil Mastermind! I knew you were playing the fool all along! It was your plan since the start! I promise you Ill get my revenge! Next time, it will be you the one to lose! I laugh while running. Enjoy your time with that Calamity, Brainiac! Its my gift to you after the nice welcome party you prepared for us! Hahaha! Mad Rat 1 - Brainiac 0. I like how the score is turning out. And yes, our previous match was a draw, so it doesnt count. Thank you for your help, Brainiac! I lower my voice and put my hands together in prayer. Rest in pieces, my self-proclaimed archnemesis. If only you would have listened to me I shake my head. If he watches the replay of the Mystery Event and happens to hear this, Im sure hell have a heart attack. If so, serves him right! For meddling unnecessarily. We arent safe yet, I say. Lets use them as a decoy and widen the distance as much as possible. Y-yes! We arent ready to face a Calamity yet. We must find some allies first. I wanted to pay them back, but I suppose they got the end they deserved. Its a shame I couldnt burn them to death, though. Hey, Koala. Was that guy your friend? More like a nuisance instead of a friend. Send him my thanks for that heroic sacrifice, ok? Moooohahaha! They all agree to my suggestion, in their unique ways.
... Did you know theres a trick to identify which kind of slime from the Amorphous faction youre fighting against? When it comes to slimes with special innate troublesome skills, you just need to look at the color. Shade, transparency, and texture. Those three will tell you everything you need to know. Does the slime have an intense and vibrant red color? Does it look like its almost emitting light of its own? Does it have a piping-hot aura, like a metal left in the fire for too long? Thats guaranteed to be a Fire Slime. Is it black, so dark that it absorbs the surrounding light like a black hole? Thats a Terror Slime. Or is it a radiant green, and its surface is continuously bubbling like a carbonated drink? If it is, it must be a Regenerating Slime. But those are just examples from those slimes that have innate skills considered especially nasty. When it comes to other, more basic slimes like the basic Slime or the famous Spitter Slime and Splitting Slime, you need to look at something different. When creating them, the players can give them any color imaginable, but they will all be translucid, resembling slimes from most other games. So how should you distinguish between them, then? Hahaha, thats a hard question, my friend. The biggest difference between those are their sizes and skills, so unless you get close enough or wait until they use their innate skills, theres no way to know. Isnt this unfair, you ask? It isnt. Every DMA faction has its pros and cons, and the biggest advantage of the Amorphous faction is that their units are hard to identify. You might think youre facing one type just to find out you were wrong when it was already too late. But dont worry. At least, you can always run away. Theyre slow, after all. Hahaha! - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard. Andreu regretted even more than usual listening to him, as his tips were absolute garbage in this Mystery Event, where every monster looked different than usual.
Ch 213 - Calm before the storm After encountering Brainiacs group, we got rid of the Calamity chasing after us. Did Brainiac die? Im not sure, nor do I care. The important part is that we can now explore the labyrinth freely. So what do you want to do now? I ask. Can we take it easy? I want to explore and relax I want to have fun. I dont want to run away all the time... Balmy is right. After the first encounter with the calamity in the lava sea, we had an intense stare contest with two other teams, and then we were chased by a Calamity and had to break through Brainiacs ambush. Everyone agrees to investigate the labyrinth and fight normal monsters while avoiding all the Calamities displayed on the map. Hopefully, well have a peaceful time. As we move, I recall a few things Ive realized since the Mystery Event started about half an hour ago. First, there are two groups of Calamity players. The first doesnt move most of the time, staying in the same general area. The few times weve seen one of them moving must have been when they were chasing after an intruder. They must be the Calamities who created a domain. But theres something that I didnt realize until we revealed a few parts of the map. All of these Calamitys domains are situated where this labyrinths main tunnels intersect. Is it a coincidence? I dont think so. There must be something else we dont know yet. Furthermore, as if it werent suspicious enough by itself Do you remember that the tunnels have signs of battle? Collapsed walls, destroyed structures, craters on the ground, and more? Well, the closer you get to one of those domains, the more damage you can see. Its almost as if theyre trying to tell us theres something important there. Almost. Because who would be so stupid to fight a Calamity just to check it? As for the second group of Calamity players, theyre the ones chasing the players around. Like ants, they continuously move around, searching for their next meal. A thing Ive noticed is that they never get close to each other, almost as if they had a restriction that forced them to stay within a distance. Itd be nice if this were true. This way, we wouldnt have to worry about facing two or more at the same time. I shiver as my imagination runs wild. Memories of a certain training come to mind. Another thing Ive realized is that, inside this labyrinth, everything has a similar style except those areas around the immobile Calamities. Similar to the traces of battle, the closer you get to them, the more you can feel the difference. Of course, we didnt commit the same mistake we did when we found that Calamity inside the lava-filled room. We only got within fifty meters or so. It smells of mystery and secrets. Im sure of it. As a rat, I have a highly developed sense of smell Hm? Did you say anything, Koala? Asks Balmy, the closest one to me, and possibly the only one that has heard me. No, Im talking to myself. Ah, uh okay? Its weird but you do yourself. She proclaims, shrugging her shoulders. I dont want to hear this from you! You, who stick to my head and use me as a ride! Uh, where was I? Ah, yes. Mysteries. As the name of this event announces, it seems theres more than one secret in this Mystery Event. And Im sure there must be a nice reward for discovering it but if it requires dealing with Calamities, I dont mind staying ignorant. Ignorance is good. Ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is the best. Fufufu. Hahaha! And now he starts laughing by himself. This guy really is something else Balmy shakes her head as if to say he has gone crazy. Shut up!
Woaaah! This is crazy! How are we supposed to fight that!? Shit! This isnt fair! Three players run through the underground narrow corridor. They wear desperate looks on their faces as if they were about to die. They run, not daring to look behind. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Why did it have to be her? I thought it would be someone else! We have no hope against one of the top players... Shit! Somebody, help us! One of them shouts in hopes of finding another player team. If you help us, well help you with whatever mission yoC Uaaah, she got me! Save me, team! Before he can finish, a golden-eyed figure with pristine white wings swoops in, grabbing that player by the neck. The player asks for help, but his teammates continue running away instead of assisting him. They know hes a lost cause. No, I dont want to die yet I want to achieve more points! Please, Ill do anything. He pleads. But the figure in front of him looks at him impassively. She snorts. Humph! Pathetic. This isnt worth my time You just need to ask and I swear Ill do anything you askC Shut up, you pathetic worm. She cuts him. It was you who attacked me first. You cant complain about the consequences of your actions. I-Im sorry, Im sorry Im sorry, sorry, sorry I said shut up! Please, Im sorry. Im sorry, please spare me The woman, grabbing the player by the neck, grows annoyed at the constant pleading. Sigh How annoying. It isnt like this is real life and youre going to die. Please, Im sorry. Please, spare me I dont want to end like Carrie Carrie was the fourth member of the group. He was the first to attack her, and the first to fall. The woman clicks her tongue. The player shows no sign of calming down. At this rate, she wont be able to achieve her objective. Theres only one thing she can do. The winged Calamity slowly unsheathes her sword. Without giving time to react, a flurry of blows follows, reducing the players HP bar to zero in an instant. N-no! I dont want toC These are the players last words. Tsk! How annoying. Now I have to chase after the other two The Calamity unfurls her wings to propel herself in the direction of the remaining two players. It doesnt take long for her to catch up. W-we surrender. We d-dont want to fight. As soon as one of the players spots her, he raises his arms high as a signal of surrender. The other player, though, reacts too late. By the time he realizes whats happening, he finds himself on the ground, a foot on top of his chest, immobilizing him. Surrender? The player trembles when the Calamity looks at him. I dont need your surrender. You see Im in a bit of a bad mood, so shut up and answer my question. Y-yes. S-sure. The player prostrates on the ground. The Calamity observes him with a smirk on her face. You should learn to pick your fights. Why did you think it was a good idea to attack me? Did you have a death wish? Or are you one of my crazy fans who would love to be stepped to death under my feet? Once again, the player trembles. But for a different reason than before. N-no. I wouldnt d-dare. Its fine theres no need to cry. Hahaha. I was planning on asking you nicely, but since you attacked first, I had no option but to retaliate. You left me no choice. Now two of your teammates are dead and you might follow soon. It all depends on if you can answer my question satisfactorily. Otherwise The woman allows his imagination to run wild for a moment before continuing. So, tell me. Did you see a player using a Flesh Monstrosity Champion? One with a disgusting rat head, shadow-like arms and hands, and a skinny body? Dressed in mage robes with a big staff. He likes to act like a mad scientist and laughs like this: Fufufu! Hahaha! She imitates a mans voice while making a pose with her hands as if manipulating something. Her pink tongue sticks out of her mouth and her eyes point in two different directions. If the player didnt know she was imitating someone, he would have thought he turned insane. The player recalls everything that happened to him this mystery event. He and his team havent met many teams so far, but those he has met, he can remember. Theres one group that comes to his mind. The most striking players were a translucent red slime girl and a tall minotaur, but he could swear there was a rat-headed player with them. He never got to listen to his voice or hear him laugh, but now that he has received a full-body description, hes sure it must be him. It must be him or someone that looks similar. But at this point, all he can think of is giving the Calamity the answer she desires. Y-yes! Ive seen him! The man, relieved at the prospect of surviving, rapidly explains. We saw him about fifteen minutes ago! He takes out a partially filled map and points at one place. We found him and his group here. They were going in that direction. Oho, I see The womans eyes gleam in anticipation. He doesnt know what will happen to that player, but it sure wont be anything good. He doesnt care, though. He only cares about his survival. How lucky! Ive asked more than ten teams so far but this is the first decent answer I got. Thank you for the information. The woman smiles. Whats your name? B-Bologe. My names Bologe. Its an honor to meet youC Shut up. Its me who talks here. ...understood. So Bologue and his friend. She removes her foot from the other players chest, liberating him. I wont chase after you. But after the trouble youve given me, and taking into account my task is to kill you, I cant let you leave without a struggle. As the woman talks, a light orb grows in size on top of her palm. If you survive this, youre free to do what you want. Consider yourselves lucky. She makes the most benevolent smile you can imagine. But instead of calming the players, it makes them shiver. Run. The players immediately start running for their lives. They dont shout or pray for forgiveness. They know it would be useless. Your times out. The woman says, impassively. Here it comes. The orb flies at an incredible speed toward the two players, exploding upon contact with the passage walls. The world turns white. When the light fades away and everything returns to normal, only the womans voice can be heard. Ill find you. I won''t rest until I do. She clenches her fist in anger. I swear Ill make you pay for mocking me earlier. My dear brother.
A storm was brewing. Andreus time to enjoy the Mystery Event without worry was coming to an end. It was the calm before the storm.
Ch 214 - Pact with the devil I have a bad feeling. Dont ask me why, its just one of those things you cant explain The thing is I have a bad feeling, but I dont know why. I shake my head to dispel the doubts and refocus on my surroundings. Weve been investigating a peculiar domed room we found ten minutes ago. The walls are filled with drawings, as well as inscriptions that look like text, though none of us can understand them. Im unsure if this is from a real language or an invented one, though. The drawings are in an ancient style and have parts that have deteriorated over time or because of the battles that occurred in the labyrinth. In them, we can see a bunch of dwarves doing several things. How do I know theyre dwarves? They look like burly humans with long beards. If not dwarves, what else could they be? So, as I was saying, the pictures show what I can only assume to be the story of this place. Im not sure if this is the correct order or not, but after discussing it between ourselves for a while, weve all agreed that the pictures, and thus the story, must go like this. First, a bunch of dwarves are prostrated in front of a king. The king is pointing to the ground. He looks excited. In the second picture, the dwarves are excavating a tunnel. The next one shows the king holding something shiny. What it is, I have no idea, but theres something dark and blurred behind him. Something that looks ominous. In the fourth drawing, the dwarves are surrounded by weird creatures. They wield weapons and are covered by full metal armor, but its clear theyre losing the battle. After all, more than half of the dwarves lay on the ground, dead. The perturbing part of this drawing is that some of the dwarves that are still alive, as well as some of the dead, have deformed parts that look too similar to the creatures surrounding them. What''s even more perturbing is that those creatures dont look like any of DMAs units, but some of them do look like the creatures weve found during the Mystery Event. Like the slime with a skeleton that we found a while ago. Theres a fifth drawing where other humanoids, this time not dwarves, discover what happened. Theyre depicted building this room and sealing the entrance while battling against the hordes of monsters. And in the middle, in the ceiling, theres one last picture. But this one has a large gash splitting it in half. Most of the remaining parts have fallen off. From what remains, its only possible to identify something glowing, possibly what the king was holding, and what seems to be humanoid figures. By the way, in case youre curious. The pictures, starting with the one with the throne, go from left to right. So yeah, it didnt take long to figure out their order unlike I was pretending. Im sorry, I was kidding, hahaha! So a dwarf king gets obsessed with digging deeper and discovers something that should have remained hidden. Furthermore, that something brings doom to the whole dwarven empire I mutter. Is it just me or does this plot sound familiar? I could swear Ive seen this before somewhere. ...furthermore, the surrounding nations are forced to invest troops to seal the disaster. Well, at least this part is new. Then, does this mean were tomb robbers? Tomb robbers who came into a place they shouldnt be? Haha, as if tomb robbers ever go into places they should go into. Thats why they never find traps, monsters, curses, illnesses, or angry ghosts when they go inside. Balmy! I shout towards the ceiling, where our annoying Fairy is closely observing the last missing clue of the puzzle. Did you get anything else from up close? No, not really. The only difference is Balmys voice is muffled by Muribelle, who suddenly starts shouting. Who are you? Dont get any closer or Ill attack. We got here first, so scram! Huh? More players? What are they doing here? Curious, I look at the single entrance to this room. There, I can see the figures of four players. Theyre all ready for combat. The one in front, which I can only assume to be their leader, looks at Muribelle with a wary gaze because shes blocking the path forward. Please, move. We arent here to fight. And how do I know you arent lying, huh? Muribelle insists. Isnt she afraid of dying? Balmy can resurrect her if she dies, but this is a last-resort type of skill. It reduces the stats after each use. We should avoid using it if possible.
Resurrection (Activated skill)
Cost: 300 MP
You return a dead allied unit to 10% of its maximum HP. The resurrected unit will have all their stats reduced by 20% for the rest of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. After using this skill, your MP and SOU will be reduced by 10% for the rest of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
The number of players has been dwindling since the start of the Mystery Event. They might have died because of other players or because of the monsters or maybe they got tired and disconnected. But Im sure most of them were defeated by the Calamities. Anyway, any team that has died must be because of one of the following reasons: either they were extremely unlucky, stupid, or unskilled. Maybe the three. I know because Ive been facing the same obstacles as them, and the only justifiable reason for having died so far is if they encountered a Calamity and were unable to run away. There shouldnt be anyone who ran out of MP or EP and died because of it unless theyre bad at this game. The thing is that at the start we found another team every one or two minutes, but the rate at which we find them has decreased steadily. Why am I saying this? Its because its weird that, now that there are fewer players, we find a team and they want to go into this room filled with pictures and words written in an unknown language. It cant be a coincidence. They must be interested in this room and are ready to fight for it if needed. Hey, hey! Calm down, Muribelle. I intervene before the situation escalates. Im sure theyre telling the truth. Is perhaps is your mission related to this room? I guess. Its the only thing that makes sense. The leader opens its eyes wide. See? I knew it! Youre waiting here to ambush us! Hey! Dont spout bullshit so suddenly! If we wanted to ambush you, why would we be standing in plain sight? And why would Muribelle shout? If we wanted to ambush you, why didnt we hide? Cant you see it makes no sense? I shake my head. Tsk, tsk, tsk! This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Please, dont be like him. Be like me and use your brain before talking. Like I absolutely always do. We dont want to fight, I say, walking closer. In fact, we might need some help but anyway. Why are you here? Well need the help of at least another team to defeat a Calamity unless we take an all-or-nothing approach, ready to die trying. But you cant go asking Hey, do you want to risk your life with me? to someone youve just met, can you? First, we need to curry their favor, making them feel indebted, and then we can force it upon them. Its an infallible plan! Fufufu! Hahaha! I have no reason to answer you. The leader crosses his arms in a defiant mode. Now, can you let us pass? A tough nut to crack, I see Then, it leaves me no option but toC My thoughts get interrupted when another member of their team suddenly steps forward, grabs the leader, and pulls him in. His reaction looks like he just realized something important. They then hurriedly whisper to each other while the two other members nod. When they finish, the leader takes his previous position and looks in my direction. Khm! Weve talked about this and Um, how do I say this? Is it true that youre the Evil MasteC Mmfh, mmph! I jump to reach him, making us fall to the ground, and then cover his mouth. Luckily, the rest of his team doesnt take this as an attack, but they show surprise. Is he fucking crazy!? Does he want to invoke them to this place!? Shht! Dont you dare say this name in the presence of other players! What would you do if they heard you? You never know when theres one of them camouflaged as a normal player. I look around for looking around just in case they heard it. Luckily, theres no one around other than the members of our two teams. Read here, I say, pointing above my head, where my nickname is displayed. Call me Koala and forget about that name. When I stand up, I extend a hand to help him stand up. Uh sorry about that. I lost my composure. ...its fine. I I dont mind it. Hes too bewildered to get angry. As you know, it happens sometimes: you get so surprised at something that you forget you should get angry. So, before he remembers, its up to me to keep him focused on something else. Theres a reason why I dont want you to use that name, so please use Koala instead, hahaha I awkwardly scratch my head. Anyway. Yes, youre right. It is me! The great ME! Me, and the ragtag following after me. Grrr. Dont call us that! Furious, Balmy starts biting my ear. When did she come so close? Did it happen while distracted by the other team? Stop it! I automatically react, slapping her away like one swats a fly. Kyaaaah! Ugh this is one of the things I hate the most. Dont do it again, you hear me? Balmy, having been slapped away, glares at me but doesnt dare say anything. Yeah, glare as much as you can, but keep your mouth away from me and my ear. Her actions are a bit over the top, but I guess its understandable that she got angry after being called a ragtag. I have a conscience, okay? It sometimes doesnt look like I do, but I do. Khm! ...so, as I was saying These are Muribelle, Moo, and the annoying Balmy. I point at them when saying their name. Oh, right! Before you introduce yourselves, come inside. I welcome you into our humble abode. They all send me weird gazes C and yes, this all includes my own companions C but nobody says anything. Their gazes hurt. ...arent you going to introduce yourselves? Oh, uh yeah! The leader snaps out of it and starts the introductions. Of course, we can read the nicknames on top of their heads, but being able to read them doesnt mean they want to be called like that. My names Calaban. And these are Navigator, Warpoke, and Thunder Thighs. Thunder Thighs!? Are you kidding me!? Why would anybody want to be called like that!? Well, I know someone with an even more lame nickname than that Khm, Ricard, khm! Thunder Thighs!? Are you kidding!? Puhahaha! Muribelle I warn her. I dont want to start this relationship on the wrong foot. Pfft! Sorry, sorry! Ill stop laughing! The one called Thunder Thighs, which by the way is a woman, waves her hand to dismiss my worries. Dont worry, Im used to it. Most people react like that, but I like it anyway. I thought so. Itd be weird not to laugh. Before the conversation continues into something weird, I decide to return to the important topic. Calaban and the rest of the team. What brings you here? We found this room by chance when evading one of the Calamities, but it seems like you were headed this way. Is there anything of interest in this room? We Well, we came here because Calaban hesitates. He must be thinking if he should tell us the truth or not. He observes the reactions of the rest of his team. Thunder Thighs, the single woman in their team, who is using a Lamia Champion, the famous woman with a snake tail instead of legs, doesnt react. Shes too busy inspecting the pictures. Yeah, youre right. I think so too. She wants to be called Thunder Thighs but she doesnt even have thighs. It makes no sense. Its one of the mysteries of life, I guess. The typical orc, Navigator, grunts and shrugs his shoulders when Caliban looks at him. And Warpoke, the one who recognized me, one of the stupidly handsome elves, nods enthusiastically. By the way, Calaban is an undead. Which kind, Im not sure yet because he hides his body and head with a dark robe. But the glowing eerie blue fires in the eye sockets are unmistakable. Alright, Ill tell you, Calaban says. Its because of our mission. It says to investigate the areas marked on the map. This room is the first one we reached. My reputation as the Evil Mastermind precedes me, hahaha! This is why Warpoke quickly agreed to share such vital information. Heh, its a good thing that everyone believes Im such an uptight and intelligent man. Someone who can plan everything ahead of time and foresee my enemys actions. And with this I mean its good as long as it doesnt come back to bite me, I mean. You might ask why this is vital information. Well, if they had any other mission, it would be completely irrelevant. But a mission that asks to investigate the ancient texts cant be irrelevant. There must be something hidden in this labyrinth! The secret to the Mystery Event! And Im sure theres a prize for who solves this mystery! And now we not only have one of the clues to reveal it, but we also met a team that can help us find the others. We hit the FUCKING JACKPOT! Fufufu! Hahaha! I start laughing. This is perfect! Come here, Calaban, my buddy. I grab him by the shoulder and pull him closer. What are you doing? You see it just happens that we got what might be the most difficult mission, which is to kill a Calamity. He makes a surprised face but I ignore him and continue talking. The thing is that, thanks to it, we can know the location of the closest ones. What do you say? Do you want to team up? With our help, youll be able to avoid them. Well, youre right they were our biggest concern I can imagine it. Im sure we would, too, if we didnt have the star markers on our map. ...but first, I need to talk with my team. Oh, sure, sure. Talk it with your teammates. Hahaha! Well soon have our ticket to victory! Im sure theyll accept. Hey Koala. Why didnt you ask us? We all need to agree to this. I hear a nagging voice from next to my ear. How did she get here again!? Didnt I just send her flying? And I mean literally. Yeah, Im sure you have a plan and all that. But why didnt you ask for our opinion? This deserves punishment. Burning punishment. Fuhahaha! I dont mind. The mooooooooore the merrier! Mooooohahaha! Sigh it seems Ill have to convince my foolish teammates about my plan. The amazing plan of allowing the others to do all the work and then leech off of their success.
Although you should build your Champion to your strengths, never forget to have your weaknesses covered. This applies even if you plan on playing in multiplayer exclusively. The reason is simple: you dont want to be incapable of doing something if your teammates or support mobs arent there. Allow me to give you an easy example. Not all of you need healing skills that can recover your or your teammates HP, but you should have at least one skill that helps you stay alive for a longer time. Dodge, damage reduction, attacks that trigger when you take damage, invulnerability shield Whatever you choose, you should be able to stand your ground when the need arises. Otherwise, the healer will be forced to waste lots of resources on you, harming the chances your team will survive in the long run. - Excerpt of an interview with a top DMA player.
Ch 215 - Following the leader After a short while of talking, both our team and Calabans agree to cooperate. In fact, there was little to discuss as everyone benefits from this exchange. Well help them move while avoiding the Calamities and theyll help us defeat one of them after we finish their quest. One might say that this is too lopsided in their favor, that they can abandon us after we help them and they would be right. But it doesnt matter, because Im 100%, no, 1.000% sure that if we want to solve the mystery, we will have to defeat at least one of them anyway. Calamities must be related to the pictures in this room. Otherwise, itd make no sense for them to appear in this Mystery Event. So, if Calabans group wants to solve the mystery, they will have no option but to help us clear our mission. And Im sure they will. Who would waste the chance to obtain extra rewards when playing a game? Furthermore, a special event thats famous for its unpredictability, mysteries, and awesome rewards? Only stupid or noob gamers would, and they dont look that dumb. As for the team distribution and how to coordinate, we decided to keep it simple. Every team will work independently while moving together, and we will help each other if danger comes. The reason is simple: coordinating eight people is extremely complicated compared to coordinating four. It isnt just twice as hard, its way more than twice. Even more so when all members are relatively or completely new to each other. So, taking into account were somewhat used to our current members, itll be easier to move as two teams, than it would be if we were to form a single one. And for those who are wondering No, it doesnt have anything to do with friendly fire. Friendly fire is always active in DMA. But theres one last thing we must talk about. Calaban, now that weve settled how we will coordinate, its time we compare our maps. I think so too. We both open our maps, displaying them in a big size in front of us so everyone can see. Curious, Moo, Balmy, and Muribelle, as well as Calabans team members, come closer. They want to take a look too. Each of our maps has less than a tenth revealed, which shows how big this labyrinth is. But as expected, only the area close to this room overlaps. This means that between the two teams, we now know the layout equivalent to a tenth of this place. On my map, there are several star markers with arrows on their side, indicating the direction theyre moving in. Theyre the closest Calamities. Its the same as always. In Calabans map, though, there are just four star markers, one of which is greyed out, the one that points to this room. It catches my eye that all their markers are situated in the bottom right region of the map. This cant be by chance it makes no sense all the places containing the secret info are in a single part of the labyrinth. There must be some reason why theyre so close to each other. Im sure there are more places like this room distributed throughout the whole labyrinth. Ah here! Yes, I must be right! I trace back the path they took, and according to the area revealed, Calabans group spawned close to the bottom-right corner of the map. If we had the same mission as them, we might have gotten different objectives because we spawned closer to the center. I see so there is something on those places too I mutter to myself. ...I wonder what well find. Navigator the orc, the guy who first recognized me, points to one of the markers in their map. Oh, look this, Calaban. They passed close to that one. We can follow their map to get there easily. Youre right. Thats the advantage of sharing maps. What are they talking about? We passed close to one of the mission objectives and didnt notice it. How can it be? The path to this room was easy to spot, and Im sure the other places will be easy to find too. How weird Ah! Balmy exclaims. I remember! Its near to that guy on the lava throne! Lava throne? I see now. We missed it because we were too busy running away at top speed and didnt dare come closer again. Alright, Ive decided. Were going there last. The others consent? Theres no need for that. Moo and Muribelle nod, remembering that encounter. In contrast, Calabans group has question marks popping on top of their heads. What guy are you talking about? And a lava throne? Is it some kind of secret boss? Secret, Im not so sure. I agree with the boss part, though. No, its nothing like that, I shake my head. Its one of the Calamities. One of the top or pro players the DMA staff contacted with for this event. Yes! And he has created a lava waterfall, and a lava sea that fills half the cavern. He sits on a throne in the middle of it, with a few stone slabs that lead to it! Balmy breaks into the conversation with enough force to push me aside and starts explaining our encounter, followed by Muribelle. And he could use this super cool skill that released multiple fire streams in our direction! They could even turn around corners! They were like fiiiiu woooo, clash, baaaam! It was amazing! Ill investigate what skill it was, and when I level up Ill pick it up for me. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I had to use my secret skill so we could survive. If not for Balmys healing, I would have struggled for a while. That guy was seriously dangerous, moooohahaha! And with Moos intervention, the set is complete and all the members of my party have contributed to the explanation. Though their views are a little bit distorted from what I remember Anyway, what matters is that the important bits are covered, so I nod my head in agreement. Yes, theyre right. So Id suggest going there last. Theres a high chance well encounter that guy if we get close, and you wouldnt want to miss the chance to complete your mission, would you? I whisper sweet, but undeniably true, words to convince them. Is that so? But it is the closest one Caliban counters my argument. No, no, no! This wont do! We must go there last! This way, even if we discover theres no need to defeat a Calamity to discover the mystery C which would make no sense, by the way C I can trick you into fighting it anyway! No, no. Its best to leave that one for the last. Believe me, you won''t regret it. I continue my persuasion, pointing at his map. Lets go this way first. We visit this one, check that one after, and finish close to the one with the Calamity. Seeing as everyone nods their heads, I proceed with the final argument. Of course, theres a chance theres a Calamity close to the other objectives too, but as you know, its better to take the path that might or might not have a big problem than the one guaranteed to have it. Calaban and his team members look at each other for a moment, watching the others reactions. There doesnt seem to be anyone whos against my idea. Calaban, as the team leader, gives me the okay. Hmm I see. Yes, it makes sense. Alright, lets do it as you proposed. Lets follow your plan. Yes! Yesyesyes! The Mad Rat strikes again! Hahaha! Lets go then, we dont have time to waste! Muribelle, Moo, Balmy. Get into formation. Well take the lead. Wait a moment! Huh? With a stupid sound, I turn around. Calaban has his hand raised to signal us to stop. Why? Dont you want to investigate the other places too? Why waste more time here? He furrows his brows. But we havent investigated this place yet. Weve been talking with you since we got here. Ah, yeah that makes sense I awkwardly scratch my head. Yes, sure. Take your time. Well take a rest while to look around. As Calabans team scatters to look at the pictures and writings, I sit on the ground. Thunder Thighs seems very interested in those writings. Is she trying to decipher them? Because I hope she doesnt waste time on them. The DMA developers might have put random scribbles that look like writings, but theres no actual meaning behind them. The pictures are whats important, not the writings. Im sure of it.
Aaah, man. This is boring How long has it been? Five minutes, maybe? Watching others work while you laze around is fine and all, but this is only true if you can do something to keep yourself entertained. You know, like when you did your homework the day before and the teacher just gives you time to do it during the next class. Everyone is doing it while you can only watch, so bored that you could die but you cant do anything else because the teacher is watching. No? You dont know what Im talking about? Well, me neither. Im on the leave it for later club too. But Im sure its a similar situation to this one. Aaaaaah! This is bad! I jump at Balmys sudden cry. As usual, she was right next to my ear when she shouted. How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing thaC Aaaaaah, Koala! This is bad! She rudely interrupts my scolding and continues to shout. We must leave this place immediately! Oooooh, what a surprise! It turns out she was my ally all along! Nice job, Balmy. I was about to die out of boredom, and you came to solve my problem. But I must act as if I wasnt bored. Calm down first. Whats going on with you now? I make sure to emphasize the word now. For do I need to explain it? Look here! Its coming our way! She opens the map and pushes it on my face, covering my whole field of vision. But its so close to my eyes that its difficult to see. Ugh, not so close. I cant see anything. Id usually take some distance, but its hard to go take distance when youre cornered between her, the map, the ground, and the wall Im resting my back on. A-ah, yes! Here it is. When she pulls the map away, I can finally see what shes pointing at. Its a star marker with an arrow. The problem is that its pretty close to our current position and that the arrow is pointing in our direction. Its coming this way! We must run before its too late! Balmy flies around like an annoying fly, shouting and making weird noises. Ok, ok. Just shut up for now. She finally stops shouting after I order her to stop. How long has it been since the last refresh? It was just now. Then it means it isnt too late. Calaban, did you hear this? Haha, theres no way he didnt. Balmy is way too noisy. This is what you call a rhetorical question. We must get away from here. Right now. But we havent finished investigating this place! We cant leave yet! Its Thunder Thighs who answers back. Its a surprise. Its the first time she directly talks to me, unlike the other members of Calabans group. She was too busy with the pictures and writings. It doesnt matter. Theres a single entrance to this room. If the Calamity gets here, we wont be able to run. Well be forced to fight, and probably die. Furthermore, Im sure the other places will be as interesting as this one. But still She seems determined to stay here for a while longer. Calaban intervenes. Hes right. We must leave before its too late. ...fine. With a lowered head, she reluctantly leaves whatever she is doing. We organize our teams and prepare to leave the room. Everyone, remember that our team will take the lead. The Calamity is coming that way, so well move in the opposite direction. I give orders as we leave the room. And Balmy, stop shouting right next to my ear. Dont be so annoying. Dont call me annoying! Balmy pouts. Muuuu. If it werent for me, we would have missed it and we might die So unfair Sigh Okay, okay, you win. Good job Balmy. Hehehe Yeah, thats it. Praise me more! Praise me! Annoying I ignore Balmy the best I can and focus on the exploration. As Ive explained before, we will move together but each team will operate independently. The reason our team takes the lead when its Calabans team who knows where the objectives are is simple. We know where the Calamities are, which are the major danger were facing. Avoiding Calamities is our priority. As long as Calabans team guides us in the general direction, were the best equipped to avoid them. And when we get closer and precise guidance is required, theyll take the lead.
Following the leader, the leader, the leader. Following the leader, wherever he may go.
Ch 216 - Golem forge Are you sure this is the place? While looking around, I ask Calaban who is next to me. I am. The objective marker turned gray as soon as we crossed the door. Weve reached the second investigation point. I see But I didnt expect this at all. Neither did I. The reason Im asking isnt because I dont trust Calaban and his team, but because I expected to find something similar to what we found in the first objective: a domed room, with pictures and writings on the walls and ceiling. But whats in front of us couldnt be any more different. Whoaa! This place is huge! I feel liberated! Fly, little fairy! Wiiii! Youre right! With such a high ceiling and lack of walls, its perfect to test fire skills. Hey, Muribelle. Do you want to test them on me while the others are busy? Lets see whos the first to fall! Mooohahaha! Bring it on! Ill show you my skills! My teammates cross the door after us. They get excited when they see the inside. And, as expected, theyre fucking crazy. One starts flying around, curiously poking everything she finds; the other two walk away, taking some distance, and then take fighting poses. Are you crazy!? I run after them. I cant allow them to continue. Stop damaging yourselves all the time! I feel like a mom having to babysit their stupid sons so they dont kill themselves. And I mean it literally. Dont exaggerate. Balmy can heal us back. Yeah, yeah. And I want to check if Moos reflect damage is higher than my passive fire damage. For for scientific purposes, of course. What the fuck are you saying!? Are you crazy?! Well, I already knew you were crazy, but still And what will you do if she runs out of MP and cant heal you in the middle of combat because she wasted it healing you now, huh? Ugh well I didnt think about it. Dont worry, during combat, its Moo who takes the damage. I can, stay, outside of range, and... When I glare at her, her voice fades out, until she finally shuts up. You really cant allow a pyromaniac and a masochist to get together or theyll burn down the entire house. Hah Im getting old for this shit I shake my head. Just stop, okay? Yeeeees! They reply at the same time. ... Sigh! Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. The second objective. When we found the first objective, which we found by chance, it was at the end of a narrow tunnel. A path paved with white stone slabs caught our attention and we decided to follow it. At the end of it, we found a dark room. When we came inside, several torches suddenly ignited, revealing the pictures and writings. But this time, we were in a very tall and wide tunnel, one of the, if not the, biggest weve seen so far. The stone floor was worn out by the passage of carriages and other large objects, proof of the importance of this tunnel. We followed the tunnel or should I call it an underground highway? Bah, it doesnt matter. As we followed the tunnel, we realized that the wear on the ground was getting more noticeable. Because of the concentration of traffic, we thought. But we were wrong. Right where the wear was the most pronounced, a colossal wooden door awaited us. When the place was operational, Im sure most of the traffic was coming from inside. When I say colossal, I do mean colossal. About four meters tall and at least ten wide. The door, thicker than my whole arm put sideways, was reinforced by thick metal plates. I wonder how the hell the dwarves managed to open these stupidly heavy doors. By the way, when I touched it, it felt like stone instead of wood. I wonder whats it made of. But the important part wasnt this. The important part is that only half of the door remained. The other half was smashed to bits on the ground. At first, we found it weird because there were no other signs of battle nearby. But then we realized what was going on. The door was smashed but it was smashed from the inside. Yeah, the door was smashed from the inside instead of the outside. Its similar to the door in my Sealed Area, but on a completely different scale. At least twice the difference in size. Which leaves me wondering what kind of monster did this. After all, in my dungeon, theres the Overgorger, the monster who smashed the door. Why shouldnt there be an equivalent monster here? I dont want to fight that monster if possible. Once we came inside, what we found was another dark room covered in metal parts and remnants of machines. Here and there, you can see body parts made out of metal, stone, or wood. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. This must be a Golem Foundry or something similar I mutter. This must be where the dwarves built their war machines. Maybe they were deployed when they fought whatever consumed their civilization. Is this why the door was smashed, because they were in a hurry? But it makes no sense I spout some random bullshit, trying my best to sound intelligent. If they believe Im the Evil Mastermind, I must play my part, dont you agree? You think so too? As expected, similar minds think alike. W-whaaa? I exclaim, surprised at the voice suddenly interrupting my thoughts. When I turn around, I see Thunder Thighs observing me with excitement. Where did she pop up from? I didnt see her approaching, nor did I hear her footsteps. Oh, right! She doesnt have legs! She has a snake tail! Of course, there wont be footsteps, hahaha! ...You scared me. Umm Do you need anything? No, I just wanted to talk. What do you think? What do you expect to find here? I dont know. I shrug my shoulders. But its weird there were no golems in the pictures. Is it because they were a secret weapon? The ones that came after the disaster were the ones who built that room. Maybe they didnt know about the golems? My monologue gets interrupted by Balmys shouts. What is this, Koala? Shes curiously pointing at a cylindrical-shaped rock. Is it a giant worm? It looks disgusting Ugh, my trauma comes back That shape it must be Nah, dont worry. Thats just a finger. A finger!? She opens her eyes wide open. But its bigger than me! not the fairy me, but the actual me. It seems the golems were quite big, hahaha! Heee Im scared now. Can I ride your head as usual? As usual? USUAL!? What USUAL!? I never gave you permission. No! Absolutely no! Hee This isnt fair! She pulls the fur on my head. Eat this! Revenge! Kyaaaah! Okay, Ill leave you two and go take a look on my own. Thunder Thighs smiles and turns around. Nooooo! Dont leave me alone with Balmy! Im tired of working as a nanny! Sure, go ahead. I wave her goodbye. I try to put on a serious expression, but my mouth twitches uncontrollably. Good luck. Good luck to you too! Good luck, Thunder Thighs! Dont get eaten by a golem. I know how it feels, and its awful And its all your fault! Kyaaaah! Stop it! Aaaaarhg! Im going to explode at this rate! Out of rage, I mean.
After calming down Balmy and convincing Muribelle and Moo to stop fooling around, we scatter to inspect the golem forge. I walk alone, observing my surroundings. This is so fascinating In this single room, you can find everything that comes to mind when you imagine how a golem foundry would be. From the forges, to the assembly line, to the storage area. There is normal-sized equipment for things like bolts and screws, but what obviously catches your attention is the golem-sized equipment. Wow, look at the size of that smelting pot. I could swim in it. And die a horrible death, too. One thing doesnt deny the other. Although the equipment is fascinating, what interests me the most is the story behind this place. Everything is too chaotic. Tools are strewn everywhere, the equipment is smashed, some of the columns lay shattered on the ground, the metal from the smelting pots has poured onto the ground and solidified And this is without talking about the golem fragments you can find everywhere. But weirdly enough, it doesnt look like a battle took place. Its more like like the workers hurriedly left, running away. As if something huge was moving randomly, smashing everything in its path, and they had to evacuate for safety reasons. Im pretty sure thats what happened here. I nod to myself. Calaban! Can you hear me? Do you want to spend more time here or do we leave? I wait for an answer, but I dont hear any. ...did he not hear me? Koala? Calabans voice sounds very far. I think we can leave, but let me ask my teammates first. This place is huge. It takes a while for the sound to reach one end from the other. Understandably, I didnt hear his reply immediately. Okay. Lets meet near the entrance. Moo, Muribelle, Balmy! Go to the entrance! What are they doing? I dont know, and I dont want to know. I just hope they didnt kill each other or somehow got themselves killed. I calmly walk to the entrance. On the way, I notice the largest golem assembly place Ive ever seen. Just the remnants of the structure to hold it in place while being built are bigger than a house. How ominous I shiver, imagining the worst. Something has destroyed this place. Something huge. I dont know the size of that something, so I cant discard the possibility of it being this particular golem. Maybe the Calamities arent the worst in this labyrinth after all When I reach the entrance, everyone is waiting for me. Im the last one? Then, lets quickly leave this place. It gives me shivers. Balmy looks at me with contempt and a grin on her face. Why? Are you scared of some random metal parts? Hah! Talks the one who was scared of a finger. Shes so brave now that she knows theres no danger. Are you stupid? I counter. Didnt you realize there are no battle signs in this place? Everyone but Thunder Thighs looks at me with a dumbfounded face. They didnt notice!? Sigh I expected this from Balmy, but not from the others Hey! Dont sC Ouch! I flick her forehead to shut her up and start my explanation. Everywhere weve been so far, we could see battle signs. Explosions, claw marks, cracks in the rocks but here, where everything is broken, there arent any. Just here. Dont you understand? Dont you find it weird? Whatever or whoever did this was so strong they didnt even consider fighting it. They just ran away. Maybe the Calamities arent the only thing we need to be wary of. Gulping sounds fill the silence that follows my words. Hahaha! This atmosphere is amazing. Now, its time to break it. Ive enjoyed myself enough. Yeah, it was all a stratagem to put them on edge. Maybe now my teammates will behave. *Clap, clap!* I clap my hands to snap them out of their delusions. What are you all doing? Lets go! The third objective is waiting for us!
Let the pain and fear seep into you. Let them soak your body. Let them fill your soul. Only when you become one with despair will you achieve enlightenment. - Fragment of the Dark Scriptures. Forbidden texts for normal people, holy texts for some others.
Ch 217 - Did you forget about me? *Clank, clank!* *Bam!* Ouch! Thunder Thighs, be more careful! One of Thunder Thighs spells hits both the monster it aimed at and Calaban, so he complains. If youre not used to my movements, you should be more careful when aiming. But distracted for a moment, Calaban lets one of the dog-shaped jellylike ants slip by. The ant, quick on its feet, rushes at Warpoke, the one with less capabilities to defend himself. Warpoke has been using crowd control skills to keep the multiple monsters busy while the rest of the team dealt with the rest. But of course, this made him their target. Luckily for him, Navigator notices it on time and steps forward. You too, Calaban. Dont be distracted. He says, sending the ant flying with a kick. Focus on the battle first. Save the complaints for later. Navigator speaks in short phrases and without minding the others feelings, as a true warrior orc shall. Completely different from another player who constantly dives into my dungeon. Ugh, youre right Calaban apologizes. No, no! It was my fault, Im sorry! Thunder Thighs apologizes too, sticking her tongue out. Though she doesnt sound regretful at all. After this slight mishap, the battle continues in all its intensity. Meanwhile, our team observes everything from a certain distance. No. It isnt that we dont want to help them, but something we already agreed upon. As you can see, they struggle to fight properly on their own, not being used to the others fighting style. Were the same too, it isnt like they suck or anything Anyway, the thing is that if we were to join the fight, itd do more harm than help. Thats why, unless the situation needs it, we will stand by, observing their fight. They will do the same when we lead the team forward. The leading team will be the one to fight unless the monsters come from behind. Calabans team took the lead not long ago because were close to the third objective. But before we could reach it, this group of monsters found us. Like all monsters in this Mystery Event, they look very weird. They are giant ants, but they look as if they were made out of jelly. The majority of them are blue and have the size of a medium-sized dog; but there are two black ones, twice their size, which command them from behind. The black ones are nasty because they can attack from a distance with a sticky gooey substance that deals acid damage. Dont ask me what kind of monsters they are, I have no idea. The DMA developers themselves may have no idea either. As I ponder about important life stuff, like what Im going to waste my time on tomorrow or how many cookies are left in the cookie jar, Calabans team continues to fight. Their party doesnt have the most common lineup of tank, melee damage, ranged damage, and healer. Instead, they have two bruisers and two squishy backliners, with Calaban and Navigator on the frontline. Navigator specializes in a mix of raw melee output, knockbacks, and displacement. Thanks to his orc''s innate and a mix of other skills, he personifies the idea of berserker. He stays at below half health to exploit his skills the best while dealing a ridiculous amount of sustained damage. If you want to reach the backline, youll have to bring him down first and hell probably bring you down with him. Calaban, on the other side, its one of those annoyingly resilient characters you cant ever kill. Seriously, he heals so much its ridiculous! This, mixed with his skill to dodge and parry, makes him incredibly hard to take down. I wonder what innate skill he picked for the tournament. I know little about the undead faction, the Eternals, because I cant create monsters from undead. Id rather learn about those monsters I can use than those I cant. Thunder Thighs and Warpoke occupy the backline. The only woman in their team, Thunder Thighs, the lamia, is the main damage dealer of the team. As a mage, she can use multiple spells to blast everything in her sight, regardless of their numbers or singular strength. Sometimes, even her teammates, as youve seen. But thats more because shes not used to Calabans evasive movements and less because shes bad. Warpoke, on the other side, is in charge of controlling the battlefield. He cant deal too much damage and needs protection when the enemies get close but what he can do is poke at them with his bow and ensure they cant move thanks to his crowd-control skills. When the situation gets dangerous, hes the one that can solve it. All along, its a pretty well-balanced team, but they lack a dedicated role for each. Although if you think about it it makes more sense to build characters like the ones theyre using, which can handle multiple situations. All of them would do fine regardless of the team they ended up with, unlike us. I mean, in an event like this, its weirder to leave everything to a teammate you dont know anything about, dont you agree? Moo cant deal enough damage by himself to survive the attacks from the enemies he gets the aggro from. Muribelle needs someone else to take the monsters aggro for her skills to be effective. If she cant aim properly and doesnt have time to prepare her attacks, shes less than half as effective. I can survive fine by myself in the middle of combat, even in melee range, but bring me a single, powerful monster and Ill struggle. And Balmy Balmy is Balmy. What else do I need to say about her? Hahaha! Okay, Ill stop joking. She can heal, remove ailments, resurrect, and even deal some damage. But if a monster gets close to her, shell die. So, we do have the typical composition of tank, melee damage, ranged damage, and healer, but were lucky we got this team. Otherwise, we could have been doomed from the start of the tournament. Not knowing what teammates youll get implies a huge risk for such builds. Aaah, now Im starting to miss my team Ricard, Laura, and Clara And it doesnt have anything to do with the fact that my current teammates are crazy! Okay, okay, you got me. Them being crazy does have something to do with it. Ah! Now that I think about it, I have no idea what innate skills my teammates have other than Muribelle. Maybe, and only maybe, I should ask them. Before its too late, I mean. To the future me: do something useful, you slacker! Alright. Ive done what I could do. The future me is the one in trouble. Now, to enjoy the rest of the battle.
Calaban, are you sure this is the correct way? Arent we back where we came from? Confident of being right, I raise my voice so he, whos walking about twenty meters ahead of me, can listen to me. The map doesnt lie: weve indeed come back to the same place. Calaban stops and waits for me to get closer. Sssht! Dont shout in this place. Who knows what might pop up. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Alright, alright. I know. But why did we come back here? He takes out his map and points at our current location. The objective is close, slightly to the north. I wanted to avoid the underground highway as much as possible because its dangerous. So when we saw this side passage, that went to the north, I thought it would lead to our destination. But see this? Its a dead end, it only continues to the east, so we had to come back here. Aha... I understand. I nod. Why are you so scared of this wide passage? Isnt it ideal for us, so both our teams can fight simultaneously? Calaban furrows his brows. Youre right But its also easier for other teams, monsters, and Calamities to find us. But wouldnt it make more sense for an important place to be located close to the main road? I counter. ...yes. Hes right that the wider the tunnel is, the harder it is to hide, and more people might use it. Even if we can spot Calamities thanks to our map, it doesnt work against monsters and other players. Furthermore, it doesnt assure a Calamity wont approach us at maximum speed, as the passage is wide enough to use movement skills and fly, and the map updates every five minutes. Alright, I shrug my shoulders. Well follow after yoC *Thump! Thump! Thump!* I stop talking, interrupted by the sudden noise. From afar, from the direction we want to go, we hear the rhythmic sounds of something heavy striking the ground. Surprised, we all shut up. Not even Balmy dares to shout in fear. *Thump! Thump! Thump!* As the sound gets closer, we exchange looks. Both Calaban and I point at the entrance to the narrow tunnel we just came out of and quickly move inside. But I stop near the entrance and turn around to peek into the highway. Curious, the rest of my team does the same, leaving Calaban and his teammates astonished. What are you doing!? Do you want to die!? Whispers Calaban. Its fascinating how someone can whisper and shout at the same time. Arent you scared of whats coming? Evil Mastermind, do you know anything about it? Warpoke asks me. No, I dont know anything. But Im curious. And stop with that name already. Im scared one of them will hear it. I want to have a nice time at this Mystery Event, and meeting one or more of them would certainly ruin it. But I continue. I think itll be okay if we stay here. If Im wrong and its the sound of a Calamity coming closer well, we might as well consider ourselves dead. But if Im right, and I believe I am, well be alright. Is that so? Calaban looks at his team to seek their opinion. Thunder Thighs and Navigator just shrug their shoulders, while Warpoke nods enthusiastically. Well wait then. Having decided our course of action, or lack of, to be more precise, we all stay close to the entrance, peeking into the highway. *Thump! Thump! Crash! Bam! Thump! Thump!* The sound grows closer. Soon, intermingled with the thundering noise, we hear the sounds of battle, intermixed with players screams. What the fucks that thing? Its way too strong! Everyone, run! How fucking loud must that walking noise be for it to have a higher volume than the explosions and crashing sound of battle and the screams? Im starting to regret my decision. What if whatever is coming can kill us all? The figures of four players appear from the distance, followed by something massive. Something that fills the whole space and still has trouble moving about. Everything trembles when that thing moves. Every single step is like an earthquake. Each of its punches is strong enough to destroy a building. I wonder how much damage itd cause if the walls werent indestructible. Maybe the whole labyrinth would collapse? Thats freaking huge! For once, I completely agree with Balmy. I wanted a challenge, but this might be a bit mooooore than I can handle. Mooohahaha! Isnt that the perfect target? It doesnt matter if my aim is bad, Ill always land my attacks. Since theres so much noise anyway, theres no meaning in staying silent, so everyone starts saying their thoughts out loud. When the monsters silhouette becomes clear, I realize I was right all along. The massive thing chasing after the four players must be what destroyed the golem forge: a giant metal golem. Although I didnt expect it to look so bad, with part of its body falling off, rusted, or completely missing. Maybe its so deteriorated because of hundreds, maybe thousands of years, of nonstop moving and fighting? Itd make sense lore-wise. But as I expected, its so big it wont fit into the smaller tunnels, so we should be safe as long as it doesnt have some kind of magic attack. Lets pray it doesnt. D-do we have to defeat that thing? Warpoke stutters. I dont think we can No, I calm him. This is just one of the mysteries of this Mystery Event. We calmly observe the struggle of the players to stay alive. Help them? Hell no! Do you think we have a death wish? One of them is unlucky and stumbles on a rock. He falls to the ground and is soon squashed by the golems fist. Rest in pieces, my fellow player Ah, no, I cant say that. Not a single piece remains, so he cant rest in pieces. If lucky, one or two drops of blood might remain. Im sure the rest was disintegrated with the force of that hit. The only thing we can see of him is the empty HP bar floating close to where he died. Oh, no! Monsters are blocking our way! We are doomed! Monsters? Ah, I didnt realize until now, but monsters have appeared from the other side. Attracted by the noise, I guess. Theres an exit there! One of the players points towards us. Lets go! There are other players! Well leave everything to them! Hey! Dont come here! Dont bring them here! Im about to shout in protest, but by the time I realize it, it doesnt matter anymore. The golem and the monsters start fighting right in front of us. The three survivors run into us, forcefully pushing themselves through our group to leave us behind. How rude. They didnt even say hello. I comment. Hey! At least say sorry! Balmy shouts. Youre so rude! Im starting to fear something must be wrong. How come I find myself agreeing what Balmy multiple consecutive times? Shouldnt it be the other way around? I quickly forget about the rude players and focus on the battle, which has turned into a massacre. The monsters that could give us a bit of trouble are no more than annoying mosquitoes to that massive golem. Heh, the monsters are so pathetic. They barely can put a dent in the golems HP bar. It is way too close to the ceiling, so its hard to see. But I could swear it hasnt depleted at all since their fight started. Are we done here? Are you satisfied? Anxious at the prospect of the golem focussing its attention upon us when it finishes with the monsters, Calaban approaches me. Yeah, its fine. Ive seen what I wanted to see. We can wait for the golem to finish and then go our way. Calaban grimaces. ...why wait? Isnt it risky? Didnt you say we must take the highway to reach the third objective? We can only wait for the golem to go away. ...right. With nothing more to talk about, we decide to wait for the golem to finish its massacre before continuing. If there''s one thing I learned from all this, its that unless its required for us to discover the mystery of this Mystery Event, we mustnt fight that thing. Absolutely not.
...So, did you see him or not? Hes accompanied by a minotaur player. Fuck! Why did it have to be us!? We just escaped from that golem and now we run into her! Fuck, fuck this rotten luck! Answer me! The woman steps on the players head, threatening to pop it off. The remaining two players tremble in fear, not daring to run away. W-we will answer! One of them says. But please please spare us. The woman glares at him and slowly pulls away her foot from his teammates head. Nice. I cant understand why everyone tries to run away when I ask so nicely She shakes her head. So, did you see a man with a rat head accompanied by a minotaur? W-we saw him! We didnt talk, but we saw him. When? And where? N-not too long ago When the woman twists her expression, he quickly adds more details. About five minutes ago, I believe. We found him in that direction! I swear, so please spare us! The woman grins. Finally Im getting closer. Youll have a taste of my rage. The three players tremble, assuming shes talking about them. But soon they realize shes talking about somebody else, so they calm down. C-can we leave? Sure. If you survive this, that is. A glowing orb starts growing on top of the womans hand. Now, run. She signals with her hand. The players start running. But soon, the orb flies in their direction, painting everything white. The same fate as all the others who she interrogated falls upon them. Im almost there. Ill find you soon, and then She clenches her fist tight. ...youre the same as always. Another womans voice breaks the silence. Huh? When the golden-eyed, winged woman turns around, she freezes. Her imposing demeanor vanishes like smoke. She stops moving as if she were frozen. Im a little angry. Werent you supposed to look for me? Sister?
As a general guide, the larger the monster, the stronger it is. This applies to all but humanoids, so take special care when dealing with them. - Basic DMA knowledge every player should know.
Ch 218 - Reunion Marta looks at me stiffly. She didnt expect to see me, thats why she turned around like a robot after hearing my voice. But as expected of a pro player, she quickly recovers her composure. ...how did you find me? I didnt expect you to find me first. I point at the three bodies of the players she just killed. Following the trail of corpses youve left wasnt difficult. Furthermore, our team got the Defeat a Calamity mission. It helped a lot. When we found the first group of dead players, I didnt know it was Martas work. But then we found a player who saw everything. He told us how scary the Calamity was, and how she continuously asked about a rat-headed player. I realized it then. Marta was chasing after Andreu instead of looking for me. Im a little angry, you know? You broke our promise again. I pout and say in a sulky voice. Why does taking him down always take priority over spending time with me? N-no, I wasnt I was going to look for you after dealing with him. He must pay for his crimes! He cant spout whatever he wants and then run away! She pretends and puts a strong front as the pro player Anthemia, but her eyes are swimming around. Shes trying her best to hide her blunder while appeasing me. If I wasnt so angry, Im sure Id think she looks cute. The gap between her haughty persona and her current behavior is too big. Why is she always like this? Why is it so hard to spend time with her? Sigh I shake my head. It doesnt matter. Lets fight. Ill show you how much Ive improved! I proclaim, to pump myself up. Todays the day the student defeats the master! But instead of taking a fighting stance, she simply looks at me. ...Im not so sure about the beat the master thing. Marta shrugs. But are you sure? Didnt you want to play with him? Now that youre so close, why dont you go find him? And what about your teammates? Dont they want to live longer and accumulate more points? Aaagh, how frustrating! Its like talking to a wall! Ill be generous and let you go instead of chasing after you, she continues. I dont care if someone complains about it being unfair. They can all go eat shit. I want to spend time with him because you wont do it, you blockhead. What I want is to spend time with both of you, at the same time. Like the old times. A promise is a promise. We agreed to fight in the Mystery Event and well fight. You arent going to break your promise, right? Not again, right? She flinches at the mention of the word promise. And dont worry about them, I say, pointing behind me. My teammates all agreed to this. Well do our best to defeat the legendary Anthemia in a straight fight. They know the risks. They want to test their strengths against you, show off later, and enjoy the victory in the rare case we win. They only asked me if you could mention their names in your next post or video. You will, right? You dont want your little sister to feel bad and be accused of being a liar, right? I made up the last part. My teammates wouldnt dare ask for such a thing. But I know how much Marta hates to give credit to players she deems as inferior. This is payback for looking for Andreu instead of me. My teammates send me astonished and grateful looks, surprised at the unexpected bonus. Marta frowns. ...fine. Ill do it. Ill do it for my little sister. Yes! Ive been looking forward to this. Ive been waiting for the day I could have a serious fight against Marta, who taught me so many things. And most importantly, to spend time with her. Before we start, I have to make sure my teammates know what to do. Give us some time, were going to have a strategy meeting. Sure, do whatever you want. We stick our four heads close to each other and start whispering. Lemon, this is amazing! We have a chance to fight against one of the most famous players! And you convinced her to recognize us! Am I dreaming? I thought you were joking, but she called you sister too. Is that true? Can you send me her autograph? I dont know about pro players, so I dont care about Anthemia. But Ill fight anyway. Shht, calm down. Now we must focus on the fight. Lets talk about all that later. I interrupt their chatter. Remember what I told you earlier. Against my sister, dont bother using powerful single-target skills, shell just Parry them. Furthermore, its almost useless to try to apply status effects on her. Purity, a Divine Blood exclusive skill, will remove them if they even get to work in the first place.
Purity - Lv 2 (Passive skill)
You have a 30% chance to resist all status effects.
Upgrades
Restoration: You have a 30% chance to remove one status effect applied to you every second.
Parry (Active skill)
Cost: 20 EP + ? EP
If you hit an offensive attack or skill at the moment of impact, you negate it and take no damage. This skill costs 1 extra EP for every 10 damage negated. This skill can only be used if you wield a melee weapon.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Instead, use auto-targeting skills like Magic Missiles or AoE attacks. She may block or avoid them anyway, but at least theres a chance theyll be effective. Just dont hit me with them, as Ill take the central position. General tactics used against monsters controlled by AI arent as effective when dealing with players. If youre fighting one of the top players, theyre completely useless. Mani, you dont mind if I take the lead here, right? I ask our party leader. Sure. He nods. It isnt like Im confident of how to fight against Anthemia. If you werent here, Id have ordered everyone to run away at top speed. Im not suited to lead a team. I tend to get distracted and focus too much during combat. But Im confident of being the best one to lead an assault against Marta. Im the one who knows her fighting style the best! Only other pro players that fight her constantly and some of her most devout fans would be more suited than me. Alright. I start giving orders. Everyone must stay far from her. Your job is to annoy her. Look for opportunities to strike and dont let her get closer. And if you see a glowing orb growing on top of her hand, immediately scatter, look for cover, and get ready to use defensive skills. Everyone nods. We might have known each other for a short time, but everyone is experienced. Having resolved our course of action, I turn to Marta once again. Were ready. Theres no need to say anything more. Well talk the rest with our fists! Hehehe! For the first time since I spotted her figure, Marta unsheathes her sword and takes a serious fighting pose. Alright. Bring it on. I wont hold back. Show me how much youve grown. She makes a hand signal to get closer. Shes telling us to make the first move.
In a dark passage near the center of the labyrinth, a hooded player is pacing up and down the corridor. A dark indistinct robe covers him from head to toe, and the hood is big enough to hide all his facial features. Theyre late He says. For the umpteenth time, he takes a look at the game clock. Theyre more than five minutes late. Im sure theyre enjoying their time somewhere. Ill have to punish them later The man makes an eerie laugh, which echoes in the empty tunnel. But Im sure theyll enjoy it. Maybe I should ban their entrance? That would surely make them cry. A short while later, another hooded player, dressed identically to the first one, comes close to him. It moves silently through the shadows, making sure nobody sees him. Im sorry bro. I almost got caught by a Calamity on my way here. Before the waiting player can complain, he gives a plausible excuse. Theres been a lot of movement in my area, the south-east. It was hard slipping by. The first man nods in understanding. Alright, its fine. If you say it, it must be true. Any good news? Theres a lot of players leaving the southeast area. Theyre scared of the Calamity running amok there. They said some name starting with a I believe, but I cant remember it That isnt important. Whats important is to achieve our goals. Any luck there? Not really. Ah, I lost Bil somewhere. The hooded man shakes his head in annoyance. Nobody cares about him. So dont worry, Al. The second player, Al, shrugs his shoulders as if to say I dont care either. Slowly but surely, more and more hooded figures appear after the two stop talking. Similar to Al, they report their findings to the player who was waiting for them. But the more he hears, the more angry he gets. Why didnt a single one of you find anything about Him!? Were wasting our time! We came here with a single purpose. Are we going to throw everything away!? The hooded players lower their heads in shame. We must show Him how devoted we are or elseC Heeeey! Leadeeeeeer! Someones shout interrupts the Leaders scolding. Unlike the others, he has discarded all stealthiness and instead comes shouting. Im back! I, the greatest First Apostle, Bill the Wereshark, is back! Did you miss me? His behavior annoys the Leader. Shut up, Bil! Cant you see were trying to act without others noticing? Hahaha, Im sorry, Im sorry. He scratches his head. I got too excited because of the good news. Good news!? The Leader jumps at him, grabbing his robe and shaking him. Come on, spill it out already! Hahaha, sure, sure. When they both calm down, Bil, the newcomer, starts sharing information. You see when I lost sight of Al, and I promise it didnt have anything to do with me finding a dangerous-looking monster that seemed interesting So, when I lost him, I coincidentally stumbled upon a group of players running away as if possessed. Of course, I went to ask what were they running away from, for for the mission. The Leader glares at him, but he ignores it. And then, they told me there was this crazy woman chasing any player she caught sight of. They were running away before she spotted them. I thought about asking them about that player, for for the mission, of course; and they told me something I never expected! They told me that crazy woman was searching for a player with a rat head, corrupted arms, a big staff and who likes to cast lightning spells! Its the clue weve been looking forward to! The clue to find my teacher! The Leader feels a surge of happiness overwhelm him, but at the same time, theres something he must correct. ...stop calling him that. No way! He recognized me, so Ill call him teacher for as long as I wish to. ... He forces his rage inside and focuses on the important matters. He deems it too important to fight over a stupid nickname. The Leader opens his arms wide. Everyone. Have you heard this? If this crazy woman is looking for Him, she isnt any different from us. If shes so powerful that other players must run away from her, Im sure shell eventually find Him. And when she does, well be there too! He makes a dramatic pause before continuing. Its finally time to repay Him for all the effort he has put into illuminating the ignorants. For all the amazing creations he has prepared for all of us to enjoy. Today, well help him achieve as many points as possible, so he can improve the dungeon and show us more. More suffering! More happiness! More despair! For All Shall Despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair!
As with other prior events, when the game assigned the players to random groups, the DMA staff took into consideration something other than the team composition: how toxic those players were. Players reported for flaming, players who left the game and abandoned their teammates to their deaths, or players who were specially tagged for other reasons. In short, players that would likely disrupt the teams they were assigned to. They assigned those players to special teams, ensuring that regardless of what they decided to do during the Mystery Event, they wouldnt harm the rest of the players as much as they would if they were assigned to their team.
Ch 219 - Awakening Hyaaaah! With a cute shout, Clara comes at me. I said Id take them seriously and intend to do it, but letting them make the first move should be ok. It isnt like the fight will be decided in a single move. Claras teammates are all alive. This makes the fight a 4vs1, but theyre still at a disadvantage even with the numerical superiority. The stat difference, added to the vastly superior experience, means Ill most certainly win. But Clara should know my strengths and weaknesses. They could surprise me with something unexpected, snatching the win against all odds. If so, my honor as a pro player will shatter, and my sister will be happy. Maybe I should lose on purpose? No, what am I saying? Shell surely notice and itll be worse. I observe Clara get closer with calm. I wont move until they make the first attack. Most players want to use weapons in DMA because they cant in real life. Or because they look cool. After all, where else can you wield a sword and slash at monsters in a frenetic battle? But Clara doesnt. Since the first time I saw her Champion, she has been unarmed. I wont be deceived, though. I once tried a Champion similar to hers just to test it out. Thanks to the tentacles, which behave like whips when you swing your arms around, the reach of her attacks is wider than you would expect. The tentacles have the reach of a whip but can apply skills that require touch. Touch skills are among the strongest in DMA because they have the shortest reach. In general, the shorter the range, the stronger they are. High power range skills, in contrast, require higher resources to use or have significant drawbacks. The reason I use a sword instead of touch skills is because Parry is the most OP (and hard to use) skill in the game, and it requires a melee weapon. Otherwise, I might have considered going unarmed. Dont get distracted! Hyaah! I avoid Claras swing by a paper-thin margin. I never get distracted in combat. Im not like our brother. Following her attack, the mage of her party launches a bunch of Magic Missiles at me. Against Magic Missiles, you must first check if they have the auto-targeting upgrade, so I make a jump to the side. The key is to make a big enough jump to force them to turn around, but not so big as to expose oneself to other attacks. As soon as I move, they change paths. Now I know they have the tracking upgrade. Even if the Magic Missiles can track you, its possible to avoid them by using cover or evading at the last second, but their high numbers make it impossible to avoid them all by simply evading. When I jumped away, I had to move away from Clara for a moment. Her teammates take this chance to launch an Explosive Arrow and Shockwave at me, followed by a second Magic Missiles barrage. Clara did tell them how to deal with me. This is going to be an interesting fight! Their attacks are synchronized to hit at the same time, but their aim is purposely off. They do so that its impossible to avoid them all. Or it should have been. I make a backflip, using my wings to stabilize in mid-air. I move away from the Explosive Arrows area of effect and completely neutralize Shockwave by staying above ground. As for the Magic Missiles, I dodge or parry most of them while mid-air in an amazing show of skill. Magic Missiles arent that strong, I can take quite a few hits without worry. But taking useless damage goes against my philosophy, so I still do my best to avoid or parry as many as I can. She avoided all that! But we hit her! Lets continue like this! Clara shouts to raise the morale. When I land back on the ground, I notice Ive taken more damage than expected. Huh? Why? Ah! I exclaim in a low voice, in realization. Theres a pink and purple link between me and Clara. She must have used Mental Corruption on me. Unavoidable skills like Mental Corruption are my best counter because they cant be avoided, parried, or blocked by cover. But their weakness is that they dont do great damage. Claras Mental Corruption, for example, can barely keep up with my natural HP regen. Is that all youve got? I taunt them. You wont defeat me like this. W-were just warming up. Well surely defeat you. Hyaaaah! With another cute shout, Clara runs up at me, quickly closing the distance naturally created while avoiding all the attacks. Meanwhile, her teammates wait for a chance to strike. Heh not bad. And all this taking into account that theyve had less than an hour to adapt to each others battle style. As she attacks, I avoid and Parry as needed. Its unwise to spend everything from the start, especially against unknown opponents, so Im bidding my time. Once I know more about them, itll be my time to strike. Why are you avoiding all my attacks!? Clara glares at me. Let me hit you! I shrug my shoulders. I thought you wanted me to take this seriously? Muuu! This isnt fair This is nothing, Clara. When I start attacking, youll wish I never did.
The closer we get to the third objective of Calabans party, the worse everything looks. Were in a dwarven residential area, with houses excavated on the solid rock. Instead of the usual 2D planning of villages, this one is 3D. The houses are stacked on top of each other, with intricate carvings on the walls; stairs that go up and down; and archways that serve both as a tunnel and bridge, connecting the streets and houses at several levels. Furthermore, theres this decadent smell filling my nostrils. There isnt a single corpse to explain the foul smell, though. Its almost like a ghost town. And I say almost because theres an important aspect we cant neglect. The streets are filled with holes and most of the houses have crumbled. The remnants of sturdy barricades, completely shattered and left to decay, fill the streets. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! This must have been where a huge battle was fought. If Im right, according to the murals we found in that room, were either where the dwarfs made their last standing before inevitably falling or where it all began. But isnt it weird? I mean, after a battle like this, it wouldnt be unusual for at least some bones to remain, dont you agree? But there are none at all. Its as if someone thoroughly cleaned all the bodies. If you listen carefully, you can hear muffled cries from all around, but theres no signal of monsters in the streets. Whats more perturbing of it all, though, is this: the few doors that remain standing, are barred from the outside, unlike what you would expect in such a situation. This place is too eerie I shiver. Can we leave? Yeah. I dont like this place. Lets leave. Balmy answers, her voice coming from uncomfortably close. Hey, Balmy. Why are you sitting on top of my head yet again? Scram! Noooo! I shake my head and try to pull her off my head, but she resists with her all, grabbing my fur as if her life depended on it. Fuck this annoying flyrie Oh, well I shrug my shoulders while shaking my head. Ill go inside that dark and dangerous-looking house, I just wanted to save you the trouC Kyaaah, noo! Balmy quickly flies away. Bye-bye, Koala. Good luck! Hey, Moo. Do you mind if I sit on your shoulder? Heh, its a critical hit! As expected, it worked! Now she is Moos problem, hahaha! We cant leave yet, we must look around and investigate first. Thunder Thighs walks past me and answers my previous question. Do you believe well find anything here? There doesnt seem to be anything of interest. You never know until you try. She leaves those words behind and heads towards the house I was pointing at when executing the how to get rid of Balmy plan. Are you coming? No, no, I quickly shake my head. Itll be better if we split up. Ill investigate another area. Are you kidding!? Youd have to pay me to go into that creepy house! I watch her enter the creepy house, followed by her teammates. Split to investigate doesnt mean we must go alone. Itd be too dangerous when we have no idea what were up against. We too get together and start climbing some random stairs. My idea is to look at this from above. Maybe from there, well see something we cant see from ground level. Keep your voice down. There must be monsters nearby. I warn them. Wouldnt it be better to face them head-on? Muribelle bumps her fist into the other hands palm. Its best to make the first strike. I shake my head. Not when we dont know how many there are. Fine The stairs are short, connecting to a street less than three meters higher than the ground level. To continue going up, we have to keep swapping between taking stairs, crossing bridges, and walking through narrow passageways. By the time we reach the equivalent height of a fourth floor, weve spent more than ten minutes walking around. Dead ends, paths obstructed by debris, collapsed bridges This place is one of the worst labyrinths Ive ever been in! If not because we have been going around, making sure to keep track of where that creepy house was all the time, Im sure we would be lost by now. *Thump!* Kyaaaah! When passing next to one of the barred doors, something hits it from inside, making Balmy shout. Following her scream, theres a moment of silence. Then, as if awakened by the noise, the screams weve been hearing since we walked into this ghost city flood our surroundings with renewed vigor. Banging sounds soon follow. *Thump, Thump, Thump!* The door shakes as something slams into it from the inside. Youve done it now Congratulations, Balmy. Youve alerted all the nearby monsters. I shake my head, putting on a stern tone. S-sorry? B-but what are we going to do now!? Arent we screwed? We must run away right now! Not necessarily. The streets were deserted and there was no sign of recent movement. This, added to the reinforced doors makes me think that the monsters cant reach us until they somehow escape from the sealed houses. But theres no need to tell her, right? We must make bad children feel bad for their wrong actions. No. Let the moooooonsters come! I was starting to get bored! Mooohahaha! Yeah This is why I hate crazy teammates. Wait a moment! I catch Balmy before she flies away and calm Moo at the same time. Lets check this out first. Muribelle, be ready. Coordinate with me. Moo, you smash the door. Finally! Mooooooo! *Crash!* With an animal cry followed by a powerful kick, Moo breaks the door. Nooooooooo! Were all going to die! Balmy hides behind Moo as Muribelle and I get ready. From inside the dark house, a dark humanoid? Well, from the inside, something dark emerges. An extremely muscular but short humanoid, with a horse head and black skin. And by black skin, I mean night-sky black. As far as I know, there shouldnt exist a monster like that in DMA. Is that one of the corrupted dwarfs? No, it doesnt matter now. Muribelle, attack! Fireball! Fireball! Our simultaneous Fireball attack burns the humanoid to ashes. Well, the corpse remains because this is a game. But not for long. Soon, its body breaks into black smoke. It then flies away, as if moved by the wind. That was pretty weird, dont you agree? Muribelle voices out everyones thoughts. Yes I nod. Monsters usually dont disappear like that. But what do you think? Arent they about as strong as the other monsters we fought before? I dont care. Lets go find more! They can entertain us while Calabans team looks around. Moo beats his chest enthusiastically, pointing to another blocked door. Youre right. We can increase our points like this andC Interrupting our conversation, the shouts and banging noises suddenly rise in volume. Are the other monsters enraged at this ones death? *Crash! Thump! Baam!* We can hear the sounds of breaking windows and smashed wood from all around. Soon, more dark figures appear, rushing in our direction. Some have animal heads or extremities, others walk on all fours. Some even have animal heads instead of limbs. They all look different, but they all are humanoid and have black skin. We must leave this place right now! Why is it that Balmy only makes sense in situations like this? It makes one think about the mysteries of life. Shes right. Follow after me. Moo, you take the aggro of those who get too close. Balmy, since you can fly, make sure he doesnt die while we run. I move to the edge of the cliff and look below. Its too high to jump, so we must look for another path. Right at this moment, Calabans party is running out of the creepy house. Maybe it was them who made them go crazy? Yeah, Im sure of it. After all, it cant be our (my) fault. We (I) are always right. Wait for us! I shout. Well be there shortly. Going down is always easier than going up. Its thanks to something called gravity. To make our way back down, instead of looking for stairs or shortcuts, I just look for a suitable place to jump down. Not like Id know how to trace back our steps anyway, plus is faster this way. We take falling damage, but its better than dying from the monsters or doing a suicide jump from the initial height. If you break the height into several jumps, the damage you take is severely reduced. With about half our HP bars gone due to fall damage, except for Balmy who can fly, we meet up with Calabans party. The black monsters are starting to gather. If we dont leave quickly, well be surrounded and forced into a battle of attrition we cant hope to win. Did you do this? Calaban asks as soon as we get close enough. I dont know. I feign ignorance. But it doesnt matter now. We must run away before its too late. What does a normal adult do when he knows he has made a mistake? Shift the blame to someone else. And if theres no one else you can blame? Then, you shift the topic instead. Sigh alright. Lets go! Were breaking through. Koala, your team takes the lead as usual. Okay. With a combination of my and Muribelles skills and Moos occasional support, we blast through the hordes of black humanoids and open a way forward. Our objective? To leave this ghost city behind as soon as possible. Calabans party, on the other hand, struggles to keep the black horde chasing us at bay. In this situation, youd say the worst position is at the front, meeting the enemies head-on. But, funnily enough, the most dangerous area is the back because its the one with the most concentration of dark humanoids. Chain Lighting! Yes! This is where I thrive! Fufufu! Hahaha! If only I had Shared Voltage right now, itd be amazing! Leaving it out is the worst decision Ive made in a long time.
The Mystery Events secrets were slowly getting unraveled by the players. Things in the labyrinth were changing over time, unknown to most of them. But theyd soon find out.
Ch 220 - Showdown Analyze and learn, spending as little resources as possible. Do everything you can to overpower them later. Thats the way to go. Only noobs waste everything at the start of the fight. With renewed vigor, Clara and her teammates resume the assault. A second barrage of attacks falls upon me. Two consecutive volleys of Magic Missiles work as the core of the assault, followed this time by a Fireball and Phantasmal Weapon. Its nice to see theyre learning and trying new things as the match goes on. I''d be disappointed if they used Shockwave again, which I can easily nullify by flying upwards. I wait for the perfect timing to jump to the side, slipping outside the Fireballs range before it can explode, and avoiding the Phantasmal Weapon. At the same time, I twist my body and use Parry to deal with most of the Magic Missiles. But before I land on the ground, something grabs my wrist. From the dispersing fire and smoke caused by the Fireballs explosion, I see Claras dark tentacle. I didnt expect her to grab me like this. Finally got you! Hehehe! She laughs as her figure becomes clear. Now you cant fly away! I see. She took the damage from the Fireball knowing I wouldnt move more than strictly required and used it as a smokescreen to get closer. I was too busy with the other attacks to notice. Nice job, Clara. I didnt expect you to surprise me like that. Your sister is proud of you. Immediately after, lots of DoTs pour onto me and my HP starts falling. Theyre the effects of Claras on-touch skills. Alright. Its time to get serious. I cant allow her to defeat me like this. The biggest advantage of catching your opponent is that you can reduce their movement and evasion. But it is never a one-sided effect. Dont lower your guard just because you grabbed your opponent. I admonish her. Finish your job while you can or else your enemy can do this! I pull my wrist with all my strength. Shes surprised by my action, which sends her flying in my direction. Incapable of defending while in mid-air, she takes my following sword strikes and her HP falls under half. Hyaa! This isnt fair! With a panicked shout, she releases my wrist. She lands head-first on the ground, but quickly stands up. What isnt fair? I tilt my head to question her. Didnt you ask me to take this seriously? Muuu I walk in her direction, my sword ready. Her teammates try to stop me from moving forward, but I keep them in check with a few Flying Slashes.
Flying Slash (Active skill)
Cost: 30 EP
Deal (2 + 0,5 * STR) physical damage to the first unit hit in a straight line. This skill can only be used if you wield a melee weapon.
Ill take care of you later, I say to them as I close in on Clara. But another barrage of attacks falls upon me. Tired of their interruptions, after I avoid their attacks as usual, I start casting Divine Wrath. As soon as they see the growing light orb, they run away like mice chased by a cat. Theres no use wasting the spell on them. Not when theyre clearly prepared for it. You taught them well, telling them to hide as soon as I use this skill. I turn to Clara. But what are you going to do about this? I threaten her with the glowing orb instead of her teammates. I dont think youre going to survive this after my previous attacks. Clara raises her head to look at me but stays silent. Her Champion has no eyes or mouth, so I cant be sure, but I could swear shes smiling at me. Why isnt she isnt scared? Does she think I will hesitate to launch it because Im near her? Shes wrong then. Divine Wrath doesnt deal damage to allied units. This is why its one of the best AoE skills in the whole game. The Divine Blood faction does have some of the most broken stuff, and thats why I love it. Divine Wrath finishes charging, so I throw it at Clara. The orb flies at a high speed and explodes upon contact, painting everything into the white color or thats what should have happened. Because instead, everything turns black. Darkness? That must be the Darkness skill. How unexpected
Darkness (Active skill)
Cost: 150 MP, plus 50 MP per second
Engulf everything within 5 meters of you in dense darkness. Units inside cant see, and nothing can be seen from the outside. The darkness stays in the same place until you cancel this skill.
Darkness is an interesting skill because it goes around status resistance. It doesnt inflict blindness unlike other skills but it simply negates the light around. No light, no sight. But the only thing Darkness does is obstruct sight. It doesnt negate damage. Clara must have taken Divine Wrath head-on. She must still be alive, though. Otherwise, the Darkness would have disappeared immediately. Darkness can be used in very nasty ways. Ive fought pro players who like to use it to distract and obstruct, striking when you least expect it. But its useless when you know exactly where the opponent is right after activating it. Being no more than two meters away from her position before the Darkness erupts, I can reach her before she moves. I make the analysis and decision in less than half a second, swinging my sword at her. But she makes the same decision, maybe even quicker than me, as I feel her tentacle grab my waist. Hmph! To make the same mistake twice Instead of attacking, I decide to pull on her tentacle-like before. Ill pull her in, and when she flies my way, Ill finish her off with my sword. Huh!? But when I pull, I feel no resistance. As if there was nothing attached on the other end. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ah, its true! Her Champion can shed off the tentacles to latch on the enemies for a short while. Now, everyone! Attack! Use your most powerful skills! Claras voice reaches me from a distance away. So she ran away instead of fighting! I got fooled by her tentacles! If I had ignored it and followed through with my initial plan, I would have surely finished her off by now. Light Beam! Arrow Rain! Boulder Throw! I hear the shouts of Claras teammates. Its customary for players to shout the name of their skills before they activate them. This way, your teammates will know what to do before they get caught in them or something similar. Only expert players, whore used to playing with each other, as well as noob players, will omit the names. Their attacks, unlike the previous AoE barrages, are the type that is relatively easy to avoid or Parry but pack enough of a punch to be dangerous even to me. Usually, I wouldnt mind them, but being delayed by Claras tentacle, Im still inside the Darkness. I cant see their attacks, nor can I see the players using them. They dont know my exact position either, but they have a good idea. Furthermore, Claras Mental Corruption is always connecting the both of us. They must know my general position. Its good that they cant use powerful skills that require targeting, since they cant see me. If they could use them while I cant see, they could defeat me. But they cant, so theres nothing to worry about. In a situation like this, the best move is to choose a direction and run towards it instead of taking all the attacks. This way you can avoid most, if not all, of the attacks. So I decide to run in the direction I last heard Claras voice come from. Once I deal with her, the rest of her teammates shouldnt pose any problem. As I run, I feel the impact of some spells, mixed with Claras tentacle swings. Thats another one of her tentacles advantages: you can swing them widely and theyll hit your enemy as long as it is in the area youre attacking, even if you cant see them. Keep attacking! Dont worry about saving anything for later! Clara gives instructions to her teammates. Alright! Anthemia! How do you like this? Will you recognize our efforts? I hope its worth it If we fail like this itd be a shame. Clara is right. If they want to defeat me, theyll have to use everything they have. Two seconds. Two seconds is the time it takes for me to exit the area affected by Darkness. But by then, the damage Ive taken surpasses the damage Ive taken during the rest of the fight. Haaa I exhale, finally being able to see. Clara is waiting with her arms crossed in front of me. She survived all that!? One of her teammates exclaims, but I ignore him. Youve gotta try harder if you want to defeat me. I raise my sword and rush at her. Wasting time would be the most foolish thing I could do. We will see. Clara attacks me and I parry her strikes. I close the distance like this and we engage in melee combat. My sword dances between the tentacles, hitting Clara when she least expects it. Meanwhile, her teammates dont dare to attack. Any hit from them could kill Clara, their only hope to defeat me. This is the end. I lower my raised sword, going for the last hit. A powerful slash, capable of severing her in two. Light radiates from my sword. But before my sword reaches Clara, the space between us suddenly distorts. A large dark gap opens. I feel as if something huge is observing me from the other side of the abyss mouth. My swing stops. I cant move. This is Unfathomable Gaze. A skill only allowed to Champions and one of the Abyss factions exclusive skills. The most powerful crowd control skill in DMA as long as it doesnt backfire.
Unfathomable Gaze (Active skill)
Cost: 200 EP, 200 MP
Immobilize a single unit for the next 5 seconds. While immobilized like this, that unit cant attack or activate skills. This skill cant be avoided, it ignores all resistances, and cant be removed by any means. Theres a 10% chance this skill will affect you instead of your target. This skill can only be used once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Unfathomable Gaze I didnt expect you to have this skill. I say. You really wanted to use everything to defeat me, huh? You prepared even this. Clara nods. Of course I did. I was serious the whole time. Everyone, its time to kill her. This is our only chance! Her teammates come close, surrounding me. This is the first time they got so close. At the same time, the four of them start using their strongest single-target damage skills. Clara grabs me with her tentacles for the third time, knowing I have no means to defend myself. Hehehe! This is easy! If only you could stay immobile like this all the fight She isnt that scary isnt she? One of Claras teammates comments. Dont say that you fool! You dont want to make a pro player angry at you! Thanks to Unfathomable Gaze, I can only observe them as my HP drops. Unable to evade, parry, or counterattack, I feel impotent. I got you this time! It was a trap all along! Clara pats her chest, proud. You never imagined it, right? That everything we did was for this exact moment. Shes right. I never could have imagined she would prepare such a meticulous plan, making me waste time and resources in the early battle and take damage so that they could finish me off like this. I solemnly nod. Youre right. I didnt expect it. They prepared everything to counter me. It was a perfect plan that even took into account how I would react to my opponents. Hehehe! I won! The student defeated the master! Hehehe! But When I continue speaking, she shuts up. I can see, even if she doesnt have a face, the anxiety that suddenly fills her. ...but, its a shame Its a shame it wont work. What!? Im a pro player. Im the one who wrecks the rankings and smashes anyone in my path. Did you really expect youd defeat me with just this? Clara looks bewildered. But youre defeated! Well kill you before Unfathomable Gazes effect disappears! Are you sure about it? Always have a last resort skill that can save your life in a predicament. A predicament like this. As soon as my HP falls to 1, a thin light film covers my whole body. Its the effect of Gods Intervention.
Gods Intervention (Triggered skill)
If you would be killed, you are reduced to 1 HP instead and ignore all damage and status effects for the next 5 seconds. This skill can only trigger once per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Clara opens her mouth wide and points her finger at me. W-why? You never told me you had such a skill! A woman should always keep one or two secrets. I chuckle. Alright. Since you were all so kind to come close to me, Ill happily oblige. Its time for some cleanup. Right on time, the effect of Unfathomable Gaze disappears and I can move again. I dont waste any time and start the attacks against Clara and her teammates. Now that they got so close, its easy to keep them in check. I will defeat them in less than ten seconds. Noooooo! My perfect plan! Clara shouts. Less than a minute later, I stand observing the corpses of Clara and her three teammates. Haaaah I didnt expect to struggle this much against anyone in this Mystery Event Not only that. They managed to trigger Gods Intervention. I wont be able to depend on it for the rest of the Mystery Event since its a single-time use skill. Now Ill have to go to one of the domains controlled by a Calamity to heal back up. Itd take too long otherwise. Its a good thing Calamities have such a cheat option. I believe Indomitables domain is the closest one. But I dont want to see his face Maybe Ill take a detour to avoid him. Dont think Ive forgotten about you, dear brother. I might have been delayed, but Ill eventually find you and make you pay. I clench my fist and start walking.
The top ranks are called like that because theyre in a league of their own. You cant hope to match against them in equal circumstances. Hell, Ive seen a top player face ten other players at the same time and emerge victorious! - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 221 - Is that an easter egg? We managed to escape the ghost city that became flooded with black humanoids. Were now near the fourth and last objective, the one near the Calamity sitting on the throne surrounded by lava. I remember this passage. Weve been here before. Balmy states the obvious. Arent we walking in circles? Dont you remember our first conversation with Calabans party? Of course, were going back, you dumb flying pest. Dont call me thaaaat! Kyaaaah! Shit. I should stop provoking her when shes right next to my ear. I feel like my head is about to explode. Anyway. As I was saying, were back to where we found the first Calamity. There are no signs yet of the lava, nor is it getting hot, but were close. Calaban. I believe its time for your group to take the lead. Yes, I know. Also remember what we talked about? After this, were fighting that Calamity. ...I know. We stop, allowing Calabans party to take the lead. As they pass our position, Thunder Thighs and Warpoke nod in my direction, but I pay no attention and instead check my team to make sure theyre ready. Muribelle looks more excited than usual, possibly because were about to meet the player who used, in her own words, that cool and amazing fire spell Ill surely learn when I reach a higher level. Moo too looks excited at the incoming fight. Or maybe its because its almost guaranteed hell take lots of damage. I dont want to have anything to do with that. Balmy is sticking next to my head as usual. Ive finally managed to prevent her from sitting on my head, but shes persistent. She cant let go of her stupid and completely unwarranted grudge. I didnt do anything to her! Why is she so stubborn? Why does she blame me for everything that happened that single time she and her friends came into my dungeon!? It was them who came into my dungeon! I didnt force them to do it! I pity her friends for having to deal with her every day. We start following Calaban and his team. Since we had already explored part of this area, we exchanged maps so they could follow them. It shouldnt take long until we find where their last objective is.
Are you sure this is the correct path? I ask. Doesnt look like there will be anything interesting here. Calaban, tired of my repeated questions, answers without turning back. Yes. Were about to arrive at our last objective. If you say so I shrug my shoulders and continue walking. Why am asking? Because it is weird were in such a narrow and lost place, with no signs of civilization at all. The rock is bare, there are no signs or torches, the path is uneven, and Im sure nobody has taken this path for at least the last hundred years. Not even the monsters. All other objectives were near the main paths except for the first. And even that one had a stone path leading directly to it for us to find and follow. The room itself was hidden so monsters didnt find it by accident, but players like us couldnt miss it. But not this time. Have you ever been in an underground cave? Those caves that are open to the public usually have a path you should follow, the main path, and then there are the side paths that lead to the different parts of the cave, which you shouldnt explore by yourself. Finally, there are always dead ends or dangerous branching paths that you dont know where they go, and which might collapse at any time. If you go inside, you might not return. Yes were in one of the latter. Furthermore, there are parts where the ground is slippery. Something that wouldnt be a big problem if there werent cliffs and holes hidden at unexpected places. Theres not enough light to spot them properly. Navigator, who is leading Calabans party, suddenly stops. Its here. A meter or two in front of us. But I dont see anything. Calaban furrows his brows. It cant be another dead end, can it? I dont know. Navigator shrugs his shoulders and crosses his arms as if to say My job here is done. He behaves exactly as you would expect from an orc warrior, hahaha. Thunder Thighs steps up. It must be a hidden entrance. The marker is too close, it cant be on another tunnel, it must be in this one. Lets look around. The rest of the team agrees to her proposal and starts searching the surroundings, except for Navigator. He stands there, with his arms crossed, nodding to whatever they say. We dont participate in the search either because were guarding the entrance from possible monster attacks. We dont want them to die when theyre busy with something else. Calabans party tries pushing every wall protrusion and dent for hidden doors. They check behind the big rocks and even try smashing the wall with their weapons. Until, finally I cant find anything. Calaban raises his hands in defeat. Following his example, Thunder Thighs abandons the search, defeated. Me neither But it should be here! Im sure of it! But right then, Warpokes voice awakens them from their defeat. I think I found it! He shouts. Come help me with this! Curious, I look in his direction. Hes pointing at a big rock in front of him. A rock that should be too big to be moved by a few people if this were real life. But that rock is too weird. After all, why would a random rock have indents that look suspiciously similar to handles? Calaban and Thunder Thighs come close to Warpoke and examine the rock. They then try pulling the rock in different directions, using the indents as handles. At first, it doesnt move, but then they try pulling upwards and, surprisingly, one side of the rock slips up as if it were a trapdoor. After the rock is lifted, it reveals a set of stairs going deep into the ground. Theres a complex and ancient mechanism supporting the weight of that rock to make it easy to lift. And from the looks of it, its possible to lift and close it from the inside with the same ease as from the outside. This isnt some random hiding place Whoever created this wasnt a nobody. There must be something important inside. Wow! It worked! Warpoke exclaims. I didnt expect it would be hidden like that! Investigation awaits! Ill be going first. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ThunderThighs slithers down the stairs, not waiting for the rest of her team. Shes a bit too excited about exploring the unknown, dont you agree? Warpoke and Navigator soon follow after her, but Calaban, acting as the leader, turns to us instead. Are you coming? Of course we are. I nod. But taking a closer look at the entrance I dont know what we will find once we go inside, but the stairs ceiling is too low. I assume this was a dwarfs construction, and since they arent that tall, they didnt need to invest in creating a tall passage, so they didnt. The ceiling is just a bit above a meter and a half tall. Ill have to crouch to go inside. Its going to be annoying, but Ill be fine. The problem is Moo, whos more than two meters tall with his Minotaur Champion. And thats not accounting for his enormous horns. I dont think you can fit in there, I say. Moooohahaha! I dont mind, Im not interested in exploring ruins. I already knew. So you dont mind staying outside, alone? I then remember that Calaban has been waiting for us. Ah, Calaban. You can go first. Well sort this and come after you. Alright. He shrugs and goes inside. I can see light coming from inside the previously dark stairs. His teammates must have some skill to light the surroundings. Moo thinks for a moment before answering my question. Waiting here will be as boring as searching inside. Can I go find some monsters to distract myself? Its better to know he will be busy defeating monsters than not knowing what sort of bullshit hell pull off because hes bored. Furthermore, more monsters defeated means more points for our team, so I agree. But I warn him first. As long as you dont go far away or get yourself killed Dont worry, dont worry. Such weak mooooooonsters cant kill me! Mooohahaha! In truth, Im more worried about the Calamities than the monsters But with his map, he should be able to avoid them. So it should be fine. Ah, umm Muribelle raises her hand. Im not interested in exploring either, so Ill go with him. Also, he cant defeat the monsters alone, so Ill make sure he doesnt die! I wont die! I can survive until they kill themselves by attacking me! Mooohahaha! Muribelles eyes have a dangerous glint. But theres no reason to deny her, is there? ...fine. Do whatever you please. I then look at Balmy, in case I can get rid of her too, but she quickly shakes her head. Of course, Im going inside! Its exploration time! The Great Fairy Explorer will discover all the hidden mysteries! Why did she have to be the only one who sticks up with me? Fuck. See you later. And dont wander too far. Leaving those words behind, Balmy and I walk down the stairs. Yes, mom. I hear Muribelle mocking me as I lower the trapdoor rock. Now that the entrance is closed, theres no need to worry about monsters coming inside. We can focus all our attention on the mysteries that await us. Muribelle and Moo can go around and fight any monster they find. But shit. Why do I feel like a mom leaving their kids alone at home, with a bomb in their hands? A bomb they can activate by pressing a red button theyve tried to press several times before. I shake my head to shake off my thoughts and focus on the stairs. Have you ever tried to climb up or down the stairs when crouching down? Its hard. And extremely annoying. Furthermore, a single misstep can send you rolling down. Weeee! Exploration! Its the Great Fairy Explorer''s time to shine! Hahaha! Balmy, on the contrary, has no such troubles. At such a small size and being able to fly, she cheerily rushes ahead of me, excited like a kid with a new toy. Tsk! My portable and hands-free lantern just ran away New gadgets are always so unreliable But how am supposed to go down the stairs without any light? Shit! Balmy! Come back right now! I wish I never had to say this. What we find inside isnt as exciting as I expected. We dont find a super-secret fortification or laboratory. Truly, a shame. At the end of the stairs, we find ourselves in a cramped space that reminds me of a bunker. Narrow walls, ceiling so low that forces me to crouch, and even lower doorframes. Theres a single corridor connecting a bedroom with barely space for a single bed, a tiny kitchen, and an even smaller bathroom. Lastly, at the end of the corridor, theres another door from which we can hear the voices of Calabans team. This place isnt interesting at all! Balmy points her finger at me. You tricked me, Koala! Shut up. I didnt trick you because I didnt have any idea of what we would find. Also I pause to create tension, signaling for her to come closer. When she does, I whisper as if telling a secret. ...are you sure this isnt your house? Everything is so tiny! Hahaha! Im not tiny! Im a proper lady! yeah, sure. Whatever you say. I nod while waving my hand around to prevent her from pulling my fur. Youre tiny both in body size and proportions. Im about to say it out loud, but stop myself before I regret it. Id like my eardrums to survive another day. Maybe well find something more interesting in the last room. Lets go. Lets goooooo! The Great Fairy Explorer never gives up! You just did. Less than ten seconds ago, literally. I think. But again, I stay silent. Not for her, but for me. The last room is the largest of them all, but thats only when you compare it with the others. With no more than five meters by side, the room is filled with racks, tables with drawers, scattered papers and books, and random stuff you could vaguely classify as laboratory equipment. Theres barely any space to walk. With just Calaban teams four members and I, you can say its crowded. By the way, Balmy doesnt count. Shes too tiny. But what immediately catches my attention is a skeleton resting on one of the chairs. A short humanoid with wide shoulders and a thick skull. Almost guaranteed to be a dwarf. Is that a skeleton? I ask. Yeah. Were thinking the same as you. Thunder Thighs is the first to answer. There must be a reason theres a skeleton here when we didnt find any previous traces anywhere As Im sure youve realized already, its from a dwarf. But why is this the first one we found? The weirdest thing isnt that we found a skeleton, but that we only found it here. I believe Ive mentioned before, but there were no signs of corpses anywhere. Since I entered the Mystery Event, this one is the first Ive seen. No corpses in the main tunnels, near the Calamity domains, nor in the ghost city. No player corpses or dwarven ones. Not even the corpses of monsters remain, as they disperse into black particles soon after being killed. This is the first and only corpse weve found. Which means its a special one. There must be a reason why its here. Maybe I start imagining stuff. Maybe, its a dwarf that sought refuge here for some reason during the destruction of his kingdom and died here, alone but safe from the monsters roaming outside. The reason his corpse remains is that it was never exposed to whatever happened outside. I think so too. Thunder Thighs nods. Oh? Do you think so too? I was just spouting whatever bullshit came to mind. Khm! I knew youd agree with me, I feign I know whats she talking about and quickly switch the topic. So have you found anything interesting? This time its Calaban who talks in everyones name. Not really. There are lots of papers written in the same language as the one in the first objective, but we have no idea how to read them. But I thought they were random scribbles Well, maybe they are but the DMA staff wants to trick us into thinking otherwise. Do you mind if we take a look too? No, go ahead. They make way for me so I can investigate the area. As you might expect, Balmy immediately jumps to action. Ooooh, look at this box! Its sooooo beautiful! Im sure theres something good inside! The Great Fairy Explorer is about to make the greatest discovery of the millennium! Balmy gets attracted to a black box resting right next to the skeleton. It has golden patterns engraved on the sides and top, which give it a noble and dignified appearance. The box itself looks expensive, so it makes one think there must be something good inside. This is the first thing we checked too, but theres nothing insiC Ooooooooh! Its glowing! Thunder Thighs is forced to swallow her own words as soon as Balmy pulls the cover. From within, light shines for a moment, revealing two objects inside. But instead of Balmy, the one who loses his sanity first is me. It happens as soon as I read the descriptions of the two items that pop in front of me. Oh my god! I shout. Are you kidding!? Am I dreaming!? Somebody, slap me so I know Im not dreaming. *Slap!* Balmy slaps me with everything shes got. She even speeds up to ensure she can do it as hard as possible. Okay. Maybe not that hard next time, please.
The Mystery Event was set with the players cooperation in mind. Although the rules didnt state it directly, even mentioning the possibility of obtaining extra points from defeating other teams, everything was designed for cooperation. Calamities that were too powerful for a single team to defeat alone. Different quest objectives helped the players avoid danger and know where to go. A labyrinth layout choked with dead ends that naturally drove the players towards the carriage highways, which worked like hubs. Secrets players could only find with the help of other parties. The whole event was designed to award those teams who cooperated with others.
Ch 222 - Solving the mystery Even after Balmys slap, I still cant believe the description of the items that appeared inside the golden and black box. The box, lined with red velvet, has two compartments, each one containing one of the items. Wow! I never expected to find something like this! I say, rubbing my cheek. We hit the jackpot! Fufufu! Hahaha! In the left compartment, theres a yellow crystal shard. Its size perfectly fits my hand. The window displaying its information goes like this:
Buddugs Daze
When activated, stun the target unit for 10 seconds. Has a single use.
Theres only one way I can express my thoughts when reading it. It goes like this: WHAT THE FUCK!? Crowd control skills are considered the strongest in DMA because of the disadvantages they create. Not being able to defend, avoid, or attack properly is worse than any damage you could take, as long as it isnt a lethal amount. Thats why most crowd control (CC) skills have low damage output, are difficult to control, or have some type of drawback. In fact, the strongest CC in DMA is an Abyss-exclusive skill that forces another unit to stay immobile for five seconds. But even that has a chance to backfire! Furthermore, it just immobilizes, it doesnt stun! In case youre curious, when affected by either, you cant move or use skills, although you can keep using those skills that were already activated during immobilization. But the biggest difference between the two is your perception of the surroundings. When youre stunned, you cant perceive your surroundings. Thats a HUGE difference. Thats why there isnt a single stun in the game that lasts for more than one or two seconds. But this one lasts ten! During combat, ten seconds is an eternity. Most battles dont last that long. although I must admit that most battles are against weaker enemies, so maybe it isnt the best example. Fights against bosses can, and usually do, last several minutes. This item is busted! OP! And it doesnt have any drawbacks at all! Well, it isnt like you can yolo and achieve miracles with it. If this were an RPG, it wouldnt be possible to use this item to defeat the final boss when youre at level 1. It simply wouldnt work. Even if stunned for ten seconds, the boss would laugh at your pathetic attacks, which would inflict no damage to it. I salivate, imagining all the things I could do with this item. The possibilities are endless. But I dont think Ill be able to achieve any of my wild fantasies. After all, Im sure well have to use it when fighting the Calamity in the lava region. Im sure it isnt possible to bring it out of this Mystery Event anyway. All Calamities must have one or two hidden aces they use when the situation turns dire. Thats why using Buddugs Daze without a plan could be useless. Well have to put the Calamity into a situation that forces them to use their hidden ace, and then strike back with this item. If we do it properly, were sure to win! Hahaha! The other item is a bit more mysterious. Its a pure white orb, with intricate patterns not only on the surface but also on the inside. It shines when the light hits it, creating a fascinating spectacle. What captivates me the most is the material its made of. For some reason, I cant stop thinking it looks like water droplets stopped in time, intricately connected to maintain an impossible structure in three dimensions. Is it made out of ice? Im not sure. But it looks like itd break if you were to touch it. Its description is even more mysterious.
Tears of a Fallen Kingdom (Incomplete)
This item couldnt be finished because it required a special component. When you feed it the component, itll become complete and its functions will be revealed. This item will break if it takes damage. Missing component: Soul of a Calamity.
Think about it carefully. A hidden item that requires you to kill one of the strongest players in DMA for it to work, and that you have to protect because itll break if it takes damage I dont know what kind of effect it will have, but it must be something that would put Buddugs Daze to shame. Im sure of it. I can feel it in my bones. So As I was saying, weve hit the jackpot! Fufufu! Hahaha! This doesnt make any sense Thunder Thighs, whos right next to me, observing the items inside the black box, has the word impossible written on her face. There was nothing inside the box when I opened it before. Is that so? Maybe you didnt check it properly? I havent finished talking and a shiver runs down my spine. Shes glaring at me. Im joking, alright? Dont take everything I say seriously She relaxes her expression but continues to glare in my direction. Come on, Andreu! You must quickly make something up. Ah! This makes sense. No, it must be the truth. This place was hidden, right? And we got here thanks to you. But the box was empty until Balmy opened it It must be a secret piece. Something that wouldnt appear unless we, a team with the objective to Defeat a Calamity, were guided by another team into this place. Furthermore, both items have to do with Calamities, dont they? There was no way we would find this place without your help So its thanks to you too. Hmm it makes sense She nods. Fiuuu! Dodged the bullet! I look at the items inside the black box one more time and greedily extend my hand in their direction. Now, Ill secure the items. Theyll serve us well in the future, Im sure of it. Give me the OP! Its mine! Mine and only mine! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Nooooooo! Balmy puts herself between my hand and the box. I found them, so theyre mine! You mean, theyre ours. I make sure to emphasize the word ours so she understands. You were the one who opened the box, but they are for our team, not just for you. For both our teams, I mean. She struggles to find a way out. Hmm Fine. Theyre ours. But I found them, so Ill carry the box! This box is almost as big as you. You should give it to me instead. Gimme the OP! Come on! Balmy crosses her arms over her flat chest, furrowing her eyebrows. I may be small but I can do it. If I said Ill carry the box, is because I can. Oho, so you want to play this game, huh? So stubborn But I know a way to break in kids like you. I was saying it because Im worried, you know? Moo and Muribelle cant take it because theyre in melee range most of the time. What if they break it by accident? And youre too short to carry it properly. But not me. I, who stays in the back, can easily carry it, without risk of it breaking. Cant you see its the best? ... Not sure what to say to counter my argument, she continues to glare at me but doesnt say anything. Its time to bring the big guns out, it seems. Also it says it here, right? It says that it can break. Since the box is so big relative to your size, what will you do if you have to run from a monster? I make a nasty, sly grin. Will you leave the box behind? Can you ensure the safety of the items? And if they break because you were so stubborn, and we end up dead because of it, will you take responsibility? She shivers. Im sure shes imagining everyone blaming her for her mistake. It takes a while, but she ends up moving to the side. ... you can have the box. Balmy finally relents, lowering her head. But you must tell everyone I was the one who found them. Yeah, sure, sure. Ill do it. Heh! Easy. Too easy. Like stealing candy from a child. I snatch the box away before anyone can complain, keeping it safe in my robes. I put a hidden pocket precisely for this kind of stuff. OP items, acquired! Just in case, we search the rest of the room for more hidden pieces, but we find nothing of note. We can now leave this place and go fight the Calamity. With Buddugs Daze, itll be easy. Calabans party must have completed their mission. Now its time for them to keep their part of the deal. As we leave, I ask Calaban. By the way, Calaban. Whats up with your quest? Did you receive the points? Is there an extra reward, perhaps? Oh, uh The quest was completed as soon as we climbed down the stairs, he says. The reward was the one we expected. We could have left, but Thunder Thighs insisted on investigating this place, saying there must be something else It turns out she was right. Yeah Could it be there were more hidden pieces in the other places? If so, Id have loved to get one of the golems from the golem forge. They must be quite powerful, given how strong that rogue golem was. Should we try to find more parties? We can go back and search for more hidden pieces. No, I shake my head. Itd be a waste of time. Remember that the Mystery Event has a time limit. We have slightly more than an hour left now, we dont have time to retrace our steps. Though we can try to recruit more players on our way. Youre right. So how many points did you get for completing the quest? The info about the event said there would be extra points, but not how many. Wait a moment. Let me check Huh? Whats this? Calaban tilts his head with a dumbfounded look. Whats what? No, well He says, pointing at a screen I cant see. ...under our original mission, theres something else written now. Another mission? But it wasnt there when we cleared our first one Another mission? Was it unlocked when we found the items? I quickly check my mission list, but theres only one, the one that says to Defeat a Calamity. It shouldnt be because of it. I only have the original one. Yeah, me too! Adds Balmy. I just have our original one. Thats weird Calaban starts thinking about how could this happen, but I have an idea. Maybe its because you already cleared the first one. Maybe well get it after defeating a Calamity. But more importantly. What does this mission say? It it doesnt say anything? Both the title and the objectives are filled with interrogation signs. No luck here, huh? I exhale. Its a shame. And here I was, hoping to get an important clue from it. Well, we at least know that theres something more in this Mystery Event. Something we can try to solve to get more points and possibly, extra rewards.
Shhh. Dont make any noise from here on. With a finger over my lips, I order everyone to stay silent. Were getting close. Everyone nods and shuts up. We resume walking. Were right next to the lava-filled cavern. To be precise, were in the same tunnel we used to approach the Calamity the first time. Soon, the tunnel will turn to the right and well be face-to-face with him. Is that a players corpse? Its the first one Ive seen! Moo, walking in the lead, is the first one to notice. Laying in the middle of the connection to the lava-filled cave, theres a humanoid corpse. Youre right. Its the first one. Muribelle agrees in a low voice. It isnt! Counters Balmy. We found a skeleton in the last place we visited. Everyone shut up, I repeat. It doesnt matter if its the first or the hundredth. Were here for something else. Stick to the plan. Like the first time, we stick next to the cave opening and take a peek inside. The corpse is just one meter away from us now, which makes me realize something I didnt see before. The corpse, its black. No its turning black. Why is it turning black? I mutter. It reminds me of those monsters in the ghost ciC What!? Suddenly, the corpse twitches. This should be impossible. Unlike in real life, where corpses might move because of a multitude of reasons, in the game corpses never move. When I look at it, I can see in real-time how the corpses appearance changes. It grows a beastly mouth and claws. Its lower body swells up and enlarges, turning it into a grotesque being. Then, an HP bar appears on top of its head and it stands up. When it sees us, standing right next to it, it growls and jumps at us. Moo jumps back, surprised. Fuck! Aaah, dont hit me! Balmy quickly hides behind me. So thats why there are no corpses left! Because they awaken as monsters after a while. Yet another mystery solved by the great rat detective. It isnt time to congratulate myself for the discovery. Weve been discovered. More intruders? I just got rid of another group Well, I must do my job. A mans voice reaches us from inside the cave.
... Im sure you already know, but weapons, armor, and everything else you can customize your Champion with are just cosmetics. Even the different weapon types do little more than change your reach and the skills you can use. But did you know there are exceptions to this rule? For starters, there are the quest items, puzzle pieces, and similar stuff. Things that players can create for the invaders, to make the dungeon more interesting and appealing. They usually dont give extra powers unless the dungeon owner wants to. Other items do change ones performance, though theyre restricted to certain factions. The one with the most options of them all, the Stone Lords, the dwarves, can create their own weapons and armor and give them special effects. They cant raise stats with items, though, but they can give them special properties like elemental types. The most appealing of them all are firearms. They can change the barrel size, the ammunition before reloading, the fire rate The more expensive they can make a weapon, the stronger their Champions and monsters can be. Thats their biggest strength. Of course, the game balances it by adding the cp cost to create the weapons to the Champions and monsters costs. Itd be too imbalanced otherwise. - Random knowledge drilling done by Ricard.
Ch 223 - Surprise! You’re checkmated *Guaaah!* The black humanoid keeps shouting and attacking us. Meanwhile, we cant see it yet, but the Calamity, who already knows of our presence, must be getting ready to fight us. Moo, Muribelle, quickly deal with this guy, please, I say, waving in its direction. Sure. Burn quickly and leave us alone! Before I turn around, I can see Muribelle using her iconic skill: Ignite.
Ignite (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
Launch a flame that sticks to the first unit hit, dealing (2 + 0,2 * SPI) fire damage every second for 5 seconds.
Ignite is a powerful and cheap single-target skill. But unlike other skills, its relatively easy to avoid because the flame doesnt fly very fast and its very eye-catching, making it relatively easy to avoid. This time, though, Muribelle didnt have to worry about landing the attack. The monster is too stupid to evade, and its close enough that it isnt possible to miss the target. The black humanoid starts burning as fire covers it. If this black humanoid is similar to those we found in the ghost city, it shouldnt take too long. Furthermore, Muribelle is doing everything she can to kill it quickly, as she doesnt want to miss any of the Calamitys moves. Meanwhile, I look inside the cave with Balmy. The Calamity is close to the throne, walking in our direction. Other than him, I can only see two more of those black humanoids, probably the teammates of the one that surprised us. But we cant be sure. There could be something hidden, ready to strike when were busy fighting. And thats Balmys job. Now, go and do your job. She shakes her head and crosses her arms. Nuh-huh. I dont wanna. I never agreed to it, Im against it. Sigh She can be so annoying Didnt we talk about this already? You must check inside to make sure theres nothing we need to worry about except for the Calamity, of course. If its so important, why dont you go instead? As the only one who can fly freely, plus her small size, shes the one best suited to explore the cave. She needs to check there are no traps and explore the lava sea and waterfall. We must reduce the possible variables to the minimum. Just do your job already! I grab her by the wings, making sure she cant escape, and throw her inside. Kyaaaah! Noooooo! I dont want to die yeeeeeet! The Calamity is so surprised by my action and Balmys shout that he stops moving, switching between looking at me and her. Yeah I know what youre thinking. Shes one lazy lass. But this gives enough time to Balmy to find a place to hide. Alls well that ends well, as they say. Ill never forgive yooooou! I hear someones cry. I wonder who is it? Hahaha! As I was saying, it all went as planned. The Calamity was so surprised that he didnt attack us yet, giving enough time to Moo and Muribelle to finish that black humanoid. Now we just need to keep his attention on us and the plan will proceed smoothly. Ah, yes. You didnt know because I didnt tell you yet. Calabans party isnt with us. Theyll show up later. You Calamities have been terrorizing us for too long. I spout random bullshit to buy some time. Weve grown tired of it. Now its payback time! Prepare yourself, because well slay you here and now, damn demon! The Calamity, whos using a demon Champion, smirks. Dont ask me which kind of demon, because Im not sure. I just know its a demon because of his bat-like wings, horns, tail, and reptilian green eyes. Hooh, how unusual. A player who cares for others. He mocks me. Are you angry because I killed your fellow players? If so, what are you going to do about it? Do you really think you can defeat me? Huh? I I dont care about them at all. Wait a moment. Did he buy what I said? If so, I might as well keep the ball rolling. I wont allow you to harm a single more player. Fight us if you dare! In response, the Calamity makes an evil grin. A grin so evil you would only expect from an actual demon. Then He waves his hand and suddenly, something heavy falls from the ceiling. I quickly realize that that something is the fourth and last member of the party who reached this place before us. Of the three members, one must be the black humanoid we just killed. The other two are roaming somewhere inside the cave, still unaware of our presence. The Calamity says, pointing at the still-alive player. ...how about this? Ill let him go, alive, if you surrender to me. Hahaha! You wont break your moral code, will you? Huh sorry? My moral what? What is that? Is it tasty? No, seriously. I dont care shit about that player. He can do whatever he wants to him. Whats more, he wants us to surrender to save a random guy we know nothing about!? Who in their right mind would do something so stupid? Are we in some kind of lame-ass unrealistic hero story? I must have shown a stupid expression on my face because he looks dumbfounded. He furrows his brows and observes my reaction for a while, alternating between me and the captured player. Which is perfect, because I need to buy more time. Oh, no. What am I going to do? I do my best to sound concerned but ultimately fail. I cant allow him to die The Calamity raises his hand. Stop. He shakes his head. You dont care about him at all, right? Everything you said was made up. Aah and here I thought I could roleplay the villain This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. No! You should believe my bullshit for a while longer! We arent ready to fight you yet! W-what are you talking about? I was I was serious? Yeah I dont sound convincing at all. Haaaaah he slowly exhales, shaking his head. Its no use then A flame appears on his hand. He closes in on the unknown player, who, until now, has been silent. Maybe he hoped that the Calamity would get so angry at me that he would forget about him. N-no! Dont kill meC Uugh With a last struggle, the player dies, engulfed by flames. One player less. But it wasnt one of us, so its okay. This whole situation was so unexpected and ridiculous that he didnt get time to get angry. Not yet, at least. Thank god. He could have blasted me already if he were angry. Someone did die. But who cares? In the middle of all this, I can see Calabans party sneaking into the room while the Calamity is distracted. We accomplished our objective and are now ready. We just need to wait for Balmys confirmation that theres nothing hidden. Hahaha The Calamity starts chuckling. Its the first time someone played with me like that for a long time Not since I became famous, at least Why are all demon players so twisted? Does it come with the race? Do you have to pass a wicked test to get permission to use them? He smiles. Alright. Ive decided. Even if you apologize now, I wont let you escape. You came without knowing anything, hoping for an easy win and points, didnt you? All players are the same. We didnt plan on escaping, so its fine by me. Um by the way Whats your name? I ask. He sends me an incredulous look. Im Targaroth, the player currently ranked 29th in the PvP ranks. He makes another wicked smile. What? Scared? This is kind of funny. You mocked me without knowing who I am. Ill sear my name and rank into your brains so you never forget. I hope you dont regret your actions, hahaha! Ah, no, no, sorry for the confusion. I dont really care who you are. I was just getting tired of saying the Calamity in my mental conversations. Furthermore, I dont care about your rank. My sister has a higher rank, and Ive fought against her several times already. Im not scared of someone in the 29th position. I was defeated an equal amount of times too, but lets forget about this minor detail. Hey, hey, Koala. Is it true you didnt know about him? Moo asks. But arent there rumors that your sister is one of the top players too? I dont care about top rankers. I confidently say. Is that so? Moo shrugs. If I were in your position, Id ask her about cool moves and skills. Says Muribelle. She must have a few, right? Well Maybe? Do you think she can help me pick fire skills for my build? I have trouble deciding because theres so many that look good Ahaha. I scratch my head. I can try. But Im almost sure shes going to say no. Why? If you ask, she should consider it, dont you think? Our relationship isnt that nice You can test them on me! I dont mind being your practice target! Mooohahaha! Targaroths eyebrows start twitching as he grows angry. The initial shock has long passed. It could have something to do with us completely ignoring him right after his introduction. Dont worry, its just a possibility. Wow the nerve. To ignore me right after my introduction Okay, maybe it isnt just a possibility. Less talking and more fighting. He opens his wings and takes an intimidating pose. His whole body starts glowing red, sending ripples through space. And as if responding to him, the whole room starts shaking. Did you think Id be an easier target than other Calamities just because I was immobile? You have no idea. This place isnt called a Domain for nothing. The Calamities with Domains are the strongest ones in this Mystery Event, fools! Hahaha! Theres a final burst of red light from him and he returns to normal. But immediately after, we hear a huge explosion coming from above. Part of the ceiling near the waterfall collapses. Lava pours in large quantities, starting to flood the entire cavern. At the same time, we also hear a fairy-like scream. Heh. Balmy got burned by the sudden increase in lava flow. I observe in a panic as the lava level starts rising. Were lucky the ground isnt flat and itll take a while to cover it. But when it happens well be in trouble. Lava deals continuous damage upon contact, and the only one who can avoid it because he can fly is Targaroth. Well, him and Balmy. But she doesnt count as a fighting force. Following this, huge fire walls appear in all the exits, blocking the way out. Aah. So thats why that player died next to the entrance. He tried to run away. Comments Moo from my side. Seems right. This means we cant run away anymore. Its a fight to the death. You committed a grave mistake. Now its time for you to pay for it. Targaroth says, pointing at me. Me? Im innocent! Judge, please! And that payment is your suffering and death! Prepare to suffer at the hands of this Targaroth, one of theC Fufufu! Hahaha! I interrupt him with my classical loud laughter. Did you think wed come without a plan? Weve got this to defeat you, fool! I take out our secret weapon, Buddugs Daze, and show it to him. Thats crazy Targaroth quickly scans the items description. Hmph! Pathetic. Such tactics wont work on someone of my caliber. That is what he says. But contrary to his words, his expression has shifted to one of extreme caution. A ten-second stun is enough to put anyone on high alert. Why are you showing him that!? Werent we supposed to keep it a secret!? Moo starts shaking me by the shoulders. Oops, I almost dropped Buddugs Daze. Fuck! I knew you were crazy. I hope this doesnt bite us back! Muribelle swears. I hope you know what youre doing. I do. Kyaaaaaah! You fuckeeeeer! You sabotaged your own plan! And finally, our last member has come back. The first thing she does is start pulling my fur like crazy. As they say, to fool your enemies, you must fool your allies first. To make Targaroth think Im stupid and that Im just bragging, I had to fool my teammates. I told them wed hide Buddugs tears from our enemy and use them when he least expected, but that plan wouldnt work. Calamities, or more specifically pro players, tend to take the fights easy at the start and only show their true strength when things progress adequately. They take their time analyzing their opponents, to avoid making mistakes. I learned this from observing my sister for a long time. We cant allow him to do that. We cant fight him on equal grounds when he has higher stats, more experience and skills, and holds the home advantage. Furthermore, now that the lava level keeps rising, we have a time limit. Forcing him to take this seriously from the start is our best and only option. Showing him Buddugs Daze from the start was my plan all along. Knowing that we have an on-demand ten-second stun, he cant do anything but take us seriously. This way, hell think our best chance to defeat him is when we use the item. He wont imagine the possibility of there being another party aiming for the moment he lowers his guard. Only Calabans team knows the truth. Depending on our situation, I told them I might reveal Buddugs Tears to the Calamity. To make him wary. Since I cant communicate with them, I needed to make sure they followed through with our plan. I had no choice but to tell them in advance. Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Ill have you apologize for this! Write me a real-life apology letter, signed by the Evil Mastermind, ok!? What a weirdly specific request, dont you think? Sigh Fine. Ill do it. But now, shut up. Oka~y! She quickly changes her attitude. Hmm wasnt her change too fast? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
Sometimes, things go as planned. Sometimes, they dont. Anyhow, I love playing DMA. - Famous last words from a certain DMA player right before his plan inevitably failed.
Ex Ch 19 - Auctioning Alright! Its time to search for some absurdities! I rub my hands together in excitement. Once a week, I open all kinds of actioning sites in search of interesting stuff. But Im not interested in the products themselves, no. I dont want a cheap but amazing offer nor do I want to collect anything in particular. What Im interested in, is the humans stupidity. How can someone spend thousands of euros to buy a towel that a famous used once? Or half a million on a potato chip that looks like their idol? Or my favorite: the toilet used by a singer? Watching other people bet and raise the amount of money for such useless things brings me a mix of satisfaction, and shame at humanity, that I never get tired of. I know I should stop, but the feeling of superiority that grows on me at that moment is addicting. I open the first page and start browsing the auctions. Finding the good ones is hard. Most of them are hidden and hard to find, either because not many people are bidding, or because the normal bidders dont even consider taking a look at them. Lets see what we can find today I always start with the top and most popular bids. If an absurd item is there, its sure to make me laugh. There isnt any that immediately catches my attention. No toilets or food shaped like someone today. But theres one thats suspicious. Its a signature, but Ive never heard that nickname before. Letter of apology: Evil Mastermind The image shown in miniature is that of a normal paper, nothing interesting here. Not expecting much, I open the auction, even if just to know a bit more about that Evil Mastermind. The auctions description goes like this: This is a letter of apology from the player called Evil Mastermind from DMA (Dungeon Masters Arena) to the cute, intelligent, and beautiful fairy player Balmy for the horrible crimes committed in his dungeon. Its signed by the Evil Mastermind himself. Video from the moment he made the promise to apologize as proof of this not being fake: Video link You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I immediately take a look at the current bid and open my eyes wide. What the fuck!? Ive struck gold! The bid isnt very high yet, but theres a reason why the auction is in the most popular section. I can see in real-time as the bid increases, again and again, without stopping. The starting bid must have been quite low. This might be better than the toilet one! But I cant be sure yet, I must investigate a bit more. I then open the video in the link. In there, a rat-headed humanoid reluctantly promises to a fairy player that hell sign the apology. Although it looks like he does so reluctantly, it doesnt seem like hes lying. If this were a serious auction, this wouldnt serve as a valid proof, but Ive seen worse. I shrug. When it comes to fans and fanatics, its hard to understand their thought process. For example, fanatics can believe that a stain on the wall is a divine message because they found it first but then you tell them that you got an identical one in your house and they tell you its fake, that you made it yourself. But that isnt important. Anticipating that the best is yet to come, I go to the comment section of the bid and start reading the messages there. This is one of the best parts, second only to watching the bid on a stupid product rise uninterruptedly as time goes on. Mad Cultists, rejoice! Weve found our first Holy Relic! Ill get it at all costs! No, its mine! The holy relic will be mine! Stop fighting between ourselves! The church will buy it so everyone can enjoy it in person. We must unite our forces so that the Holy Relic doesnt fall into the hands of unbelievers! Oh my god. All those comments about the Holy Relic are hilarious. But mixed between them, other ones go similar to these two. Ill bet just so they dont get this. Im tired of them and their annoying behavior in the forums and the game events. Yeah, me too. Lets strike them where it hurts the most. This is too good! Id normally spend the rest of my morning searching for more hidden gems, but this is too good to move on to something else. Hahahaha! Fighting over a piece of paper and calling it a holy relic. I must see it to the end. Meanwhile, the bidding keeps rising. That lass might get rich from day to night without expecting it.
Andreu was unaware how his actions would cause a huge ripple in the future. When the ripples got to him, he got one of his most painful headaches in a while.
Ch 224 - Rising danger With his eyes glued on me, the one holding Buddugs Daze, Targaroth starts casting a spell. From the red circles forming around him, it must be the same one he used the first time we found him. Run! Everyone scatters at my command. Well, everyone but Balmy. As much as she struggles to get free, I grab her by one leg and pull her with me. Its not that I want her to die with me, no, although I wouldnt mind sacrificing her for the greater good. I grab her because I havent heard her report yet. Hiding between the rocks, I pull her close to my face. Did you see anything we need to be wary of? She crosses her arms, angry. Will you let me go, first? No. I dont want to lose you while running. Or that you run away. I wouldnt be surprised if she suddenly flew to the other side of the cave just to avoid the incoming attack. Of course, I dont say the latter part out loud. ...fine. Theres nothing. Not that I could find, at least. The only thing that caught my attention was near the lava waterfall. When I tried to get close, the lava burst at a high pressure and swept me away I thought I was going to die She pouts. I see Then it means we dont have to worry. Whatever it is that she found, its too far away. I dont think its a danger to us. Not that we could do anything if it were, because its now protected by the increased flow of the lava waterfall. *Fwooosh!* Lots of fire bolts appear and start flying everywhere. Like red snakes, they turn and search for us, chasing Moo, Muribelle, and me. I dont know if they have autotargeting or not, but one thing is clear: they dont chase after the closest player. Some of them pass near Calabans party hiding place, ignoring them. Explosions soon follow, as they hit the ground, ceiling, and walls. Lucky for us, its easier to avoid them now that were in a wide space with lots of cover than when we were in the straight tunnel. The ground shakes with the consecutive blasts. All I can see and hear are red flashes and explosions everywhere. I do my best to avoid the ones coming at me, avoiding at the last moment or hiding behind cover, but some manage to hit me. In the middle, I throw Balmy as far away as possible from me, diverting a few of the fire bolts chasing us. This way, well both take less damage. Kyaaaaah! Dont throw me like that, you brute! Lets ignore that shout. When the last fire bolts are extinguished, I realize my HP has fallen by more than 10%. To think all this was from a single skill Woaah I want to know what skill this is I hear Muribelles voice from afar. Maybe I can ask him No, stop! Dont fall to the demons temptation! But I dont have time to change her mind. A shiver runs down my spine. I immediately jump to the side, feeling something split the air next to my skin. *Bam!* When look back, theres a large stone axe embedded into the ground. An axe with a blade as big as I am. I dont want to know what would have happened if I didnt avoid it on time. Hoh, you avoided that. A masculine voice reaches my ears. Are you good, or lucky? Lets try it out again. Hahaha! Targaroth smiles wickedly, licking his lips. Fuck! Im not into that kind of stuff! If you want to play and hurt somebody, go find Moo instead of me! It makes sense he wants to deal with me first since Im the one with the item hes wary of. But this doesnt mean I want to play with him too. Targaroth opens his wings and flies at me. But then, the ground below him erupts, sending several projectiles of molten rock into the air. Most of those molten fragments land on him, whos flying right above. Nice job, Muribelle! Yeah, eat this! Nobody can beat me when it comes to fire skills! Hahahaha! Usually, Eruption is hard to land, because the projectiles are thrown at random. But if it just happens that the enemy is flying and you properly predict its path, detonating it right below them, you can make them eat most of the projectiles. Targaroth loses control and lands on the ground. Moo takes this chance to run at him. He uses Shockwave to disorient it even further, followed by a brutal charge. Moooooo! I want to partake tooooooooo! The poor Calamitys body is sent flying, slamming into one of the walls. Hes so unlucky that he lands on the rising lava. Hahaha, he fell for his own trap! Balmy starts laughing. Are you sure hes a pro player? Hmm A beam of light of multiple colors leaves my hand and hits him on the back. Its true its weird that a pro player would fall like that Stolen novel; please report. If I compare him to my sister, he isnt worthy of being a pro player. But I have a bad feeling about this Like were missing something. Targaroth stands up from the lava without any hurry. Hes covered by red flames which I immediately recognize because its one of Muribelles skills: Ignite. But as far as I know, she didnt use it during this fight no way! Did he use it on himself!? I inspect Targaroths body and notice a black and red aura starting to grow over his body. N-no. No way I stagger. Hes been playing with us Leave it to a demon player to play with their victims before eating them. Or in this case, deleting them with sheer raw power. Hahahaha! He smiles when he hears me. So youve noticed. Took you a while. Slowly but steadily, he starts walking in our direction, not minding at all that hes taking damage from the lava. Muribelle, Moo, and Balmy go near me, taking their usual positions. They look at me, not understanding whats going on. Why is he laughing? Did he go crazy? Did he hit his head too hard? Balmy says. Everyone. I gulp. Dont use any damage over time effect on him. And avoid multihits if possible. Hes got the Wrath innate skill. Wrath? She tilts her head to the side, intending to look cute. But to me, she just looks dumb.
Wrath (Innate triggered skill)
When you take damage, increase all the damage you deal by 0,5%. This skill can stack and the buff lasts until combat ends.
He has allowed us to land our hits on purpose, I explain. He has been building up his damage while we were unaware of his skill. Now that this black and red aura is visible, it means he has increased the damage bonus to at least 20%. Haa why are all the skills from the demons so obnoxious? Even if you know about them, theyre equally terrifying. Targaroth grins at us. Shall we start round two? This was a nice warm-up. This time, he doesnt even bother stepping away from the rising lava, which has already covered a quarter of the cavern floor. He might not use his wings from now on, unless he needs the extra mobility, because as long as he stays inside, his damage will keep increasing infinitely. At the same time, the lava will work as a barrier against us. The problem is that even with all our hits, the constant damage from the lava, and his own Ignite, his HP hasnt fallen under 80%. His HP bar is almost as full as mine! Mister rat-headed humanoid. What do you say? Shall we start round two? I dont mind waiting for a bit if you need to talk between yourselves. His nasty grin makes me want to vomit. You know, here, theres a pretty nice and warm bath. I dont mind relaxing inside for a while. Hahahaha! Im starting to doubt if we can beat him. I know we can do it. The problem is that we might not survive long enough for our plan to work. For the third time today, red magic circles appear all around Targaroth. Another volley of fire snakes is incoming.
A bunch of red snakes appear from the Calamity, and Koala and his team scatter and run around, doing their best to avoid them. Calaban. What do you think? Thunder Thighs whispers next to my ear. Shall we stay or try to escape? It seems like theyre struggling. Eh? Ah I snap out of my thoughts. I was too focused on Koala and his team. Uh What do you think? Me? She asks, pointing at herself. I want to see this through. I want to know more about the secret lore behind this Mystery Event. But I dont want to forcefully drag you all with me. She shrugs. It doesnt look like Koalas team can buy us enough time. Shes right If we stay here, we might die without being able to fight back. But I cant make this decision by myself. I walk closer to Navigator and Warpoke, who are busy setting our ace card. What about you two? Do you want to stay or leave? Hmph. Navigator grunts, crossing his arms. I dont mind. Weve already cleared our objective, I dont mind risking it to get extra points and maybe clear the secret mission. He then shuts up and shows no signs of walking to say anything more. As usual, a man of few words. I-I want to stay. Stutters Warpoke. I believe in the Evil Masterminds plans. The other players wouldnt call him like that if his plans failed. What about you, Calaban? I nod. The Evil Mastermind. Or as he wants to be called: Koala. He hes an interesting guy. And his plans are reckless, for lack of a better word. Weve been cooperating for about half the Mystery Event and he never fails to surprise. I didnt believe Warpoke at the start, but he insisted on following his crazy plans. Plans that are so intricate and look so random, that you would say theyre a joke. But they, somehow, end up working. Hes unpredictable. He changes the way he speaks and acts depending on the situation. But at the same time, he rarely misses anything, though he feigns to do so quite a lot. I I want to stay too. I finally say. I want to see if hes as good as everyone says. Maybe hell carry us to the end of this Mystery Event. I turn to look at Koala and his party. Theyre struggling to stay alive. They spend most of the time running away or evading attacks, while the Calamity relentlessly chases after Koala. One must say its because hes the one holding the item that can stun him for ten seconds, but, after seeing his behavior, anyone would understand that isnt the only reason. Fufufu! Hahaha! Are you looking for this? Koala takes out Buddugs Daze out of his pocket. Youre going to try harder! He waves it around, and the Calamity flinches. Oh, wait. Are you scared of it? Are you going to cry? Buaaah, buaaah. Im a pro player, but Im scared of a random nobody The Calamity, enraged, charges at him at an astonishing speed. But Koala somehow manages to avoid him. He turns around, sticks his tongue out, and provocatively moves his body, taunting the Calamity. Ooh! Nice try! Lets play catch! Lets see if you can catch me! Fufufu! Hahahaha! Im not sure if hes like that or if its all roleplaying, but one thing is for sure. He sure knows how to get someones aggro. More fire snakes appear from the Calamity, forcing him to run away at top speed. Still, Im surprised he can keep up with the Calamity. Any normal player would struggle against his sharp and tenacious attacks. I would have died a long time ago in his position. Were finished here. Warpoke interrupts my thoughts. Nice. Lets move on to the next point as quickly as possible. And make sure the Calamity doesnt spot you. The only problem that remains is the inexorably rising lava level. We didnt take it into account when making the plan. We must make haste before its too late.
This game has more stuff than one might expect. Even expert players will find or discover something new now and then. From skills you didnt know existed, to new monsters, to synergies you never thought possible, to faction mechanics you never heard of. Never think you know everything or that nothing can surprise you. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 225 - Unexpected ending Another swarm of fire bolts falls upon us. Since its the same attack as usual, its getting easier and easier to avoid, but *Bang!* Still, regardless of how good I get at evading, there are too many and one hits me on the shoulder. Fuck! I exclaim in horror, as I watch almost a quarter of my HP vanish. The damage is increasing way too fast! Swarm attacks are called like that because they have lots of projectiles, making them hard to avoid in exchange for damage. But that stupid Wrath innate is enough to make them hurt as single-target skills! Immediately after, I see a Fireball flying my way. I hide behind a rock to avoid the damage. But Targaroth has predicted my actions, because I suddenly find him in front of me, and a stone axe lands on my head, sending me flying. My HP I quickly check my status. My HP is in the danger zone! Fuck! Another hit and Im done for! Targaroth has been attacking me all the time and doesnt give me any time to rest. He sends attack after attack at me without getting close. It isnt that hes scared of me but that he respects the power of the overpowered item called Buddugs Daze. He knows he can deal with us with ranged attacks, so hes trying to force me to activate it as soon as possible. He wants me to waste it while hes inside the lava, as we wont be able to approach him while hes stunned. The situation is more or less like this: if we can make him get out of the lava before he can force us to use Buddugs Daze, we have a high chance of winning. If we cant, and he forces us to activate it while hes in the lava sea, were bound to lose. I stand up with difficulty, slightly disoriented. Even if this is a game, being launched for a few meters isnt pleasant. Targaroth looks at me. The Wraths aura, which looks like a mix of fire and shadow, has been getting more opaque. At the same time, his eyes are turning red and starting to glow. When the original aspect of his Champion cant be seen anymore, itll mean his Wrath has reached 100% bonus damage. It isnt there yet, though. When are you going to use that item, huh? Will you wait until you die? Itll be too late by then, you know? Hahaha! I know, you fucker! Then, why dont you get close? Isnt it you whos scared? Two can play this game. If youre truly that good, show it! Come at me with everything you have instead of staying in a safe place. Coward! Well, its fine. Since you dont want to come, catch me if you can! Fufufu! Hahaha! I use Chaotic Beam, surprising him at the same time I burst out laughing. Then, as you might expect, I dont wait for his reaction and start running away. I just have enough time to see him furrow his eyebrows as more red circles appear around him. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why did I have to land here of all places? I didnt realize until now, but when Targaroth sent me flying, he aimed for a place where the lava was close and there were almost no rocks. My mobility is reduced, and theres nowhere to take cover! I cant avoid the fire bolt swarm like this! With my remaining HP, if I take that attack, Ill die. I must do something Moo! I shout. Block that attack! I cant die yet! Is he close? I hope he is. If I die while holding Buddugs Daze and Targaroth gets it Itll be very bad. Mooohahaha! Ive got you covered! Moo runs to intercept the projectiles. He passes next to me at an impressive speed, and soon, I hear the multiple explosions behind me. Im sure Moo used Health Trick to block the projectiles. But instead of rejoicing at being alive, I continue running. Haaah. It feels great. Hey, demon. Why dont you play a while with me, huh? I dont mind being your plaything even outside the game yeah, I think so too. lets pretend I didnt hear anything. Balmy! Stop hiding and heal me! Wheres the healbot fairy when you need her? She has been pestering me the whole Mystery Event, but now that I need her, she isnt here. I dont want to get close because youre his target okay, Ill come Her voice comes from a certain distance up high. She must have been hiding until now. I start running in that direction. Its time for the next step of the plan. As soon as she gets close enough to cast her healing spell, I toss Buddugs Daze at her. She grabs it in mid-air, and when she realizes what it is, she looks at me with a dumbfounded look on her face. ...this is Yeah. Its the hot potato. Now you have it. Good luck! Hahaha! Having received her healing and passing the bomb, I start running away. The next step was simple: to give the item to someone else so Targaroth would leave me alone. Calaban hasnt sent me the signal, yet so we must distract Targaroth for a while longer, and Im too low on HP to be the bait. Furthermore, he already knows my moves and skills, thats why he set up a perfect situation to kill me. If Moo hadnt protected me on time, itd have worked. Targaroth, worthy of being called a pro player, immediately realizes that Balmy is the one with the item that can defeat him, so the next wave of attacks flies in her direction. But the fucking fairy, instead of flying to a hidden spot to force Targaroth to come close to her, leaving him no option but to fly out of the lava thats constantly feeding his Wrath skill, starts chasing after me. Which in turn makes Targaroth concentrate his attacks near me, putting me at risk too. Stop chasing me! Cant you see youre putting me at risk? Then take it back! Never! Ah, shit- I suddenly change my path, surprising both my chasers. But I had no option, I was running in the direction of Calabans party, and this would have revealed their presence.
We keep changing the owner of Buddugs Daze for a while. Sometimes we do it openly and sometimes we do it when Targaroth cant see us. This way he cant be sure who has it and cant focus all his attention on a single one of us. Come on, Calaban Whats taking you so long Tired of running, I take a short rest, leaning my back on the wall. But another stone axe flies my way, forcing me to avoid it. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Leave me alone! Cant one take a rest in the middle of a battle to the death with the final boss!? Hahaha, I know it makes no sense. But Im tired It happens right then. From the other side of the cave, in the opposite direction of where Targaroth is currently looking, I see Calaban making an okay sign. Its the signal that Calaban and his party are finally ready. I put on a poker face and wait for Balmy, whos currently the one in possession of Buddugs Daze, to get close to Targaroth. The activation range isnt big. Attack! At my shout, all hell breaks loose. Targaroth suddenly finds himself targeted by tens of attacks, coming from all directions. Moo, Muribelle, Balmy, and I didnt split up just to prevent him from easily targeting us. It was for this time. With the eight players attacking at the same time from all directions, even a pro player will be forced to take a defensive position. Weve tried our best to surround him since the battle started, but as expected of a pro player with higher stats and experience, we werent successful. This is why Calabans party needed to position themselves as the other half of the encirclement, while Targaroth didnt know of their existence. Hmph! Naive. Targaroth snorts and a dark purple veil appears around him, stopping all our attacks. This is the chance we were waiting for! As long as hes inside, he cant move; Its the only chance well get at this. Balmy! I know! The Great Fairy Explorer will save the day! Balmy activates Buddugs Daze. The crystal cracks, revealing an intense light coming from within. Everyone closes their eyes for a brief instant at the intense light. And then, with a plof, Balmy falls to the lava sea. *Plof!* ... I knew it! I knew he would have something hidden! If Im not mistaken, this must be the Fate Reversal skill, one of the Wicked Legions exclusive skills. I know about it because Laura told me about it when she was thinking about which skills to pick up.
Fate Reversal (Active skill)
Cost: 80 MP
For the next 2 seconds, all status effects you would suffer are nullified and reflected back to the attacker. This skill has a 30-minute cooldown.
Give it to the demons for nasty skills A skill that can reflect status effects. I shiver, imagining what I would have to suffer if it were me who activated Buddugs Daze and fell into the lava. I hope Balmy doesnt die. Well need her heals in the future. Hahaha! It took you so long! You fell for it! Now you have no chance against me Targaroth starts laughing, but when he realizes we arent surprised and instead have grins on our faces, he looks bewildered. W-what!? Yeah, I nod, I agree with you. You stole my words. Indeed, you fell for it. Everyone, keep attacking! Press on! The remaining six of us resume the previous spell barrage and Targaroth reactivates his purple veil to protect against them. I dont know which skill hes using, but powerful protective spells always have limits, have a high cost, or are difficult to use. This means Targaroth cant keep using it all the time and must eventually come out. Furthermore, while protected, he cant attack us. Targaroth must be waiting for us to run out of MP or EP first. Now that theres no Buddugs Daze and his Wrath is charged, he must be confident of his victory. His confidence will be his downfall. Dont worry about saving anything! I shout. Its either we win, or we die! The first one to run out of MP is me, closely followed by Moo, Navigator, and Calaban. Melee characters usually dont have much MP, after all. Plus Ive been fighting all the time. dont look at me with pitying eyes, as if I am pathetic. Im a mage, but my skills require a lot of MP! Except for Cold Blast, but Targaroth would laugh at me if I were to try to kill him with that one. It isnt until Thunder Thighs stops attacking, leaving Muribelle as the only one with MP left, that Targaroth pops out of his bubble. Not bad, not bad. He haughtily nods. But this is getting tiresome. Lets finish this. With his HP still over half, Targaroth seems impossible to defeat. With a smug grin on his face, he raises his two hands and summons a small sun. Woaah, whats that? Says Muribelle, fascinated. Then, from the sun, beautiful light rays split up, accurately landing on each of our torsos. Theres even one for Balmy, diving into the lava. I feel a prickly sensation where the light touches. My HP is falling at a crazy speed! Its a channeled skill! It isnt a beautiful light but a scorching ray of death! Dont let him do as he pleases! At my shout, everyone jumps into the lava and runs towards Targaroth. He just smiles as we approach, watching us struggle. Adding the lava damage to the scorching rays might not have been the brightest of the ideas Anyway. The important part is that everyone but Muribelle, who still has some MP left, unleashes their most powerful attacks on him in melee. Which, in my case, are just random hits with my staff. Targaroth defends himself and avoids as a pro should. Even with five people attacking at melee range and one at range, he continues to channel his tiny sun. Since Im the most useless in melee, I check the remaining HP of everyone. Since Balmy activated Buddugs Daze, less than ten seconds have passed. But were all about to die. As planned, I, who has the most experience when fighting pro players, sneak behind Targaroth in the middle of the fight and jump at him. His surprise lasts nothing. He grabs me and immediately throws me to the side. But this small interruption has bought enough time for Moo to use his finisher move. Moooooohahaha! Moo swings his golden-glowing axe. Targaroth cant avoid it thanks to me and a horrendous slashing sound follows. His HP takes a huge hit, as almost half of it suddenly disappears.
Counterstrike (Active skill)
Cost: ? EP
Deal physical damage equal to the damage received from your target since the battle started. This skill costs 1 EP for every 10 damage received. This skill has a 5-minute cooldown and can only be used if you wield a melee weapon.
Targaroth opens his eyes wide open. What!? Who takes this fucking skill? Its utter garbage! Ahaha, the pro player wasnt expecting anyone to have Counterstrike. Nobody sane would, as to use it, you first have to take damage. Counterstrike sounds amazing but it just returns the damage youve already taken, and in general, taking extra damage is the worst you can do in any situation. This is a skill that, generally speaking, only monsters use. But Moo doesnt care because well, hes Moo. Lesson of the day: never underestimate a masochist. Retreat! At my order, everyone, including myself, starts running away and searching for high ground to escape the lava. The only exception is Moo, who, taking advantage of Targaroths bewilderment, grabs him with all his strength so he cant escape. A meteor falls from the sky as we run. A meteor appearing inside a cave!? It makes no sense! Well, this is a game, so stuff like that can happen. Ah, youre right. Of course, I am. Im always right. Both of you, shut up! Now isnt the time for this! Youll never outdo me when it comes to fire skills! Hahaha! Muribelle laughs, delighted to have a chance to show off her ultimate skill. Release me! Targaroth shouts. Do you want to die too? Im taking you down with me. Mooohahaha! *Booooooom!* With a deafening explosion, the meteor lands where Moo and Targaroth are standing. But as I expected, Moo is alive. He used Health Trick at the last moment. Targaroth, on the other side His empty HP bar fills up in a blink, and his body starts swelling. Large muscles bulge out of his arms and legs, his wings grow to three meters, and his previously large horns seem to want to reach the ceiling. H-he isnt dead yet? Someone says. What do we need to do to kill him? Is this the second phase? I gulp. I imagine that not only his aspect has changed. His stats must have risen like crazy. This is too much even for me Moo quickly retreats. But right before Targaroth finishes his transformation, the whole cave shakes. With a rumbling sound, reverse black lightning appears from the ground. The lighting obliterates everything in its path, killing Targaroth as quickly as his transformation healed him. His HP falls to zero in a split second. This is this is the end.
Oh, yeah... Where is Balmy? I completely forgot about her.
Ch 226 - I don’t fear Calamities anymore The reverse black lightning splits the ground and sky C or ceiling, if you prefer C, destroying everything in its path. We feel something ominous coming from it. It looks as if the world is going to end. Targaroth, in the middle of his transformation, finds himself right in the path of that black lightning. Without giving him time to shout, the lighting strikes his body and his HP bar instantly disappears. Then, the black lightning disappears, leaving nothing behind, other than his corpse. Hahaha! We won! We defeated him! Everybody cheers up when Targaroths body falls into the lava, signaling the end of this battle. But then, another person appears right behind me, giving me a scare. Enemy attack!? Haa haaa Im sorry, Evil Mastermind It took me too long to activate the last one. I had to relocate in the middle because the lava reached my spot. When I recognize Warpokes voice, I relax. You did a great job, I pat his shoulder a few times. It doesnt matter that it took so long. You struck at the best possible moment. Hahaha! He couldnt even finish his transformation! Im sure Targaroth must be fuming right now! Im so happy that I decide to forgive him for calling me Evil Mastermind. But just this one time. Youre right Haha. He chuckles. Giving time for the enemy to fully transform is foolish. Why should anyone allow it? Its the most stupid thing you can do. What do you think would have happened if Targaroth released a large area attack right after transforming? With our already low HP and his crazy damage boost from the Wrath skill, we would all have been annihilated! In novels and anime, theres a trend to give time for the enemy to transform. Stupid. Simply stupid. Ah, by the way. Did you realize it? Before, I was talking about the remaining six players, obviously excluding Balmy who was paralyzed. But I never said anything about Warpoke, our last and eighth member. Thats because he was busy with something else. That dark lightning that killed Targaroth in a single strike? It was Warpokes doing. It was this skill:
Ritual of Annihilation (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP, 50 MP per magic circle
After five seconds of channeling, the target unit takes (100 + 5 * SPI) untyped damage, plus another 10% of their Max HP for each magic circle. The damage cant be avoided or prevented. You must first create at least 3 magic circles to activate this skill. To create a magic circle, you need to channel for 10 seconds uninterrupted, and they must have a distance of at least 10 meters between them. Theres no upper cap to the magic circles used when you activate this skill, but you can only create a maximum of 10 per Dungeon Battle or Dungeon Invasion. Once the ritual finishes, this skill cant be used again until 10 minutes have passed. The magic circles can be reused.
I never took an interest in the ritual type of skills because they take a long time to set up. Furthermore, like all other ultimate skills, theyre exclusive to Champions; which means that if I want to use it, I have to pick it for myself, I cant give it to a random minion. As you can see in the skills description, the ritual type of skills require quite a lot of setup. Ritual of Annihilation, the one Warpoke used, requires him to set up several magic circles before he can activate it, each one taking quite a long time to create. Rituals are rarely used by players because of the long time they require. You will never know when, or if, youll have time to set it up. Or if itll be useful at all. The only case players take ritual effects is when they are afraid of facing an enemy thats so powerful that they cant defeat it in any other way. Like well, like we just did. Im sure Warpoke chose this skill because he expected the possibility of facing a stupidly strong boss in the Mystery Event. With the Ritual of Annihilation, he would have been able to defeat it as long as his team bought him enough time. Ah, and when it says that the damage cant be avoided or prevented it means exactly that. Skills that reduce the damage taken wont work. Skills that create a shield and prevent all damage do nothing. Theres only one type of skill that can save you from Ritual of Annihilation or similar skills that say that damage cant be avoided or prevented: skills that trigger when you take lethal damage. I knew Targaroth would have some skill that would save him when he was going to die the first time I just didnt know hed turn into a massive purple demon. This is why we needed to kill him at least once before activating the Ritual of Annihilation. Otherwise, we would have had no chance to defeat him at all. As for the number of magic circles Warpoke created for this plan? Obviously, its ten. Which means he took 100% of his Max HP as damage. We couldnt take any risks here. We went with the only number that would guarantee a single-hit-kill. Thats why it took so long for Calabans party to get ready. Calabans team had to work hard to stay out of Targaroths sight while preparing the magic circles. Warpoke was the only one who could create the circles, while the others had to protect and guide him, calculate where the next circle would be, and make sure Targaroth didnt see anything. The latter was especially problematic because the distance between magic circles forced them to move through the whole caverns edge to set them up. Meanwhile, we had to keep Targaroth busy in the central area. Revealing Buddugs Daze to him was the best decision I could make. Im sure Targaroth would have suspected us if I hadnt shown him our secret (fake) weapon. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He must have thought we avoided the edges of the cave because we wanted to surprise him with it when he lowered his guard. But, in fact, we simply wanted him to stay put in the central area. If Targaroth had known this was our real plan instead of Buddugs Daze, because he accidentally spotted one of the magic circles my amazing plan would Im sorry, I dont want to think about it. Wow I never thought your plan could actually work Calaban comes close, shaking his head in astonishment. From your taunts to the coordinated assault, to Warpokes ritual You even predicted hed survive the first time we would kill him and instead grow stronger. You had that Calamity dancing on the palm of your hand, he did exactly as you predicted. Warpoke nods enthusiastically. Yes, yes! The Evil Mastermind indeed! Im so glad I could participate in one of your plans. Not only participate but be the keystone! Ill save this as a video and show everyone how we defeated Targaroth, one of the top DMA players in such a way that he couldnt even properly defend himself. We fooled him like a noob! Hahaha! Navigator, walking behind Calaban, says with a small nod. He then crosses his arms and smiles. Nice job. Ahaha I awkwardly laugh. Yeah, we were quite lucky it all went perfectly. I expected my plan to work. I planned everything according to what my older sister would do if she were the one we were fighting but planning something doesnt mean everything will go as planned. Mooooooohahahaha! Vic-to-ry! Vic-to-ry! Moooooooo! Eat this, you fake pyromancer! You were beaten by me, the actual best pyromancer in DMA. Im better than you, and youre dead! Hahaha! As Warpoke, Navigator, and Calaban talk with me, my two team members, Moo and Muribelle, start to make what you could call a victory dance. A very weird one. Moo swings his axe around, taking classical and proven poses to show off. Muribelle makes obscene gestures in the direction of Targaroths corpse. If he hadnt fallen into the lava, Im sure they would be doing something similar but right on top of his corpse. You know, the mutilate the cadaver type of things players do in online games. Meanwhile, Thunder Thighs observes them with a mysterious smile on her face. Soon, the lava waterfall dries up and the lava stops pouring into the cave. The rising lava, whose level was about to flood the whole cave, stops rising before it goes back to the original level. Then it slowly drains out. The cave returns to what I can only assume to be its original aspect, right before Targaroth turned it into his Domain. Just his throne remains where he created it. We can now clearly see the carved paths for the carriage highway, connecting several of the main paths traversing this enormous labyrinth together. This cave was a strategic point connecting some of the most important paths in this Mystery Event. Now that weve defeated the Calamity protecting this place, all players will have an easier time moving around. The cave starts to cool down, returning to the same temperature as the rest of the tunnels. Nooooooooooo! Its then that we hear a banshee-like scream coming from above. Surprised, we all turn our heads at the same time. ...a ghost? Someone says. It cant be were under attack, right? Warpoke asks me. I dont know. Dont ask me! ... I stay silent. Nooooooooooo! The scream sounds closer than before. Aaaaaaaaah! This is so unfaaaaair! Kyaaah! Ah, this is It must be, right? We can finally see the owner of those shouts. Its a tiny and winged creature. Fucking Calamity! Its all your fault! The Great Fairy Explorer was going to make a big discovery, but you messed it all with your stupid lava! Kyaaaaaah! Please, allow me to rectify my words The thing coming our way is a flat-chested and annoying winged creature. She flies from above, near the place where the lava waterfall was, with an angry look on her face. Ah, so this is where Balmy was. I was starting to get worried that she had run away before healing us first Whats going on with you now? Why did you suddenly disappear? Where the heck were you? I question. Huh? She tilts her head, trying to look cute, but to me, she just looks dumb. Ehehe, Im sorry. I was Do you remember early on, when I investigated the cave? I found a chest, but suddenly the lava washed me away, and couldnt go back there until now that the lava flow has stopped. She nods to herself before continuing. Everyone looks at her with dumbfounded looks. I was trying to monopolize the contents now that the lava is gone, but Hey, hey! You arent even trying to fool us! ...but the chest has melted away! Buaaah, my precious treasure, gone! This is so unfair! Its all his fault! Crying, she flies to the corpse of Targaroth, which emerged when the lava level fell, and starts punching it. Die! Dieeeeeeeee! I remember there was a time when I was worried about her well-being. It was a time she was submerged in lava and stunned for ten seconds Well, Im not worried anymore. I see youre fine, I say, walking closer. When youre done with with whatever youre doing, would you mind healing us? If a group of players or monsters attacks us right now, were going to die. She turns to look at me, and then, with a stupid expression, she says. ...huh? Whats that? She points at me. Looking stupid and asking weird questions is common for her, so I dont pay special attention. But when I follow her finger, I realize theres indeed something unusual going on: theres a glow coming from my pocket. I take out the other item we obtained in that dwarfs secret hideout from my pocket, which is glowing with a tenue golden light. And when I do, it flies away. It slowly moves, hovering in the air, towards the corpse of Targaroth. Oh my god, oh my god! Im as excited as a child. Its going to evolve! No, wait. This is from another game I believe Anyway. The small white orb, emitting a tenue golden glow, approaches the corpse of the Calamity, and then, like all the monsters weve seen so far, its body starts to disintegrate into black particles. The black particles then fly upwards in a spiral and get sucked into the white orb. When all the black particles are gone, the orb shines in a golden flash. When the light disappears, a new window appears in front of me.
Tears of a Fallen Kingdom
All Calamities within 30 meters have their stats reduced by 50%. This item will break if it takes damage.
Fufufu! Hahaha! With this! With this, Im unstoppable! Fear me, pro players, because Im coming for you! Fufufu! Hahaha! I take my amazing laughing pose as usual and start channeling lightning. This item will make everything so easy from now on! A 50% reduction is HUGE! Itll bring them down to our level, which means well have a chance to fight them on equal ground. As long as we stay together as a team, of course. Calaban gets close to me and asks nobody in particular. Um Is he okay? ...No. Balmy shakes her head. He was never okay. Shut up, Balmy! Youre the last one I want to hear this from!
The thing I like the most in DMA? Its the sheer variety of skills you can choose from. There are so many. The builds you can create are almost infinite! Lets use a pyromancer as an example. Do you want to focus on area damage or single-target? Maybe a bit of both? Will you self-harm with your skills to increase your damage output, or would you go the opposite way and reduce the damage you deal to yourself while attacking everyone close to you? Heal when you burn your enemies? Sacrifice accuracy to boost your firepower? Perhaps, you want your damage to scale up as your fight goes on; or the contrary, and quickly burn out in a big explosion? Or do you like rituals and like to prepare and plan everything to incinerate your enemies with a single attack? You can do all that and more! And thats just talking about a single type of mage. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 227 - Found you After the epic battle against Targaroth, we decide to take a break to heal our HP and recover the lost EP and MP. Taking breaks is important when you have to spend a long time inside a dungeon because, at first, when youve just entered the dungeon, the EP and MP recover at a fast speed. But as time goes on, the recovery slows down. Thats because the two stats that are consumed to replenish them, STA (Stamina) and SOU (Soul) start full. But as you expend them, the recovery inevitably slows down. If you dont take breaks to give time for STA and SOU to fill back up, youll end with no EP or MP recovery. What takes about one minute to fill up at the start, can take over half an hour if you dont take breaks. As we wait, we start to discuss our next actions. Did you unlock anything for the secret quest after the battle? I ask Calaban and his teammates. No, its the same as before. All interrogants. Hmm its the same for us At some point after defeating Targaroth, we got the bonus points from both the completion of the mission and defeating a Calamity. I know, I know. Our mission required us to defeat a Calamity, but this doesnt mean we cant get the same bonus all players who defeat one get. Itd be unfair if we didnt, as all missions have the same reward. And then, another mission appeared below the first. We realized we had it when we checked the mission reward but dont know exactly when it happened. Similar to Calabans party, it just shows interrogation marks. I sigh, We got no clues We now have the perfect item against Calamities, we can now go anywhere we want without having to deviate from our path just to avoid them. But its all useless if we dont know where to go. Alternatively, we could start chasing down all Calamities around us and obtain extra points But I dont want to do it. After going so far, I demand answers! I want to know the secrets of this Mystery Event! I wont be able to sleep otherwise! Maybe we can find some clue here? Or did we miss something in the other places? Thunder Thighs thinks with me. We havent checked this room properly yet, have we? Investigate this place, she says Balmy didnt find anything of note except for the burnt chest when she looked around. Furthermore, all the changes Targaroth made to create his Domain have disappeared since his death. Well, everything except for My eyes unconsciously move to Targaroths throne, the last single element that remains of his existence. Could it be? But something unexpected happens at that exact moment. Why the long faces? What are you thinking so hard about? A womans voice interrupts my thoughts, startling everyone present. Following her sudden appearance, the woman lands right in front of me. Shes about as tall as me. Her pure white wings seem to emit a light on their own. Golden eyes. Radiant blond hair and a nice figure. The woman who suddenly appears would be the perfect image of a saint if not for her restless and inquisitive eyes, as well as the large sword on her hip. For a moment, my brain shuts down. The surprise, mixed with fear, surpasses what I can handle. M-M-Mar- I stutter, my eyes wide open. Marta!? How did she find me!? I shit. I didnt make any effort to hide, did I? I should have expected her to want to punish me for taunting her earlier. She must have asked the players she met on the way if they had seen me I should have hidden myself from all the players we encountered. She closes my mouth before I can say her real name. Remember the first rule. I nod. M-my dear older sister, the greatest player in all DMA She lowers her voice and whispers into my ear so nobody else can hear. Stop. Flattery wont save you, my dear brother. A shiver runs down my spine. She sounds furious. Oh, no This is the end! Whats worse, its MY end! I somewhat calm down my beating heart and manage to say, stuttering. W-what brings you here? What could it be, indeed She grins at me and another shiver runs down my spine. ...it might have to do with what happened before the Mystery Event started Or it might not, she shrugs. But lets talk about this later. First, arent you going to introduce me to your friends? My friends? Oh, she means my teammates. Hmm why does she ask? Is she trying to annoy me and show her superiority? Or did the anger consume her sanity? No sane player, pro or not, would gladly jump into the middle of their enemies and get themselves surrounded. Nobody except for my sister, whos confident she can handle us all at the same time. The worst part is that I know her quite well, and she actually can. She prefers close-quarters combat. This range is perfect for her to show off all her skills. With the 50% stat reduction from the completed Tears of a Fallen Kingdom, we should have a chance to defeat her in normal circumstances. In normal circumstances. I say it twice because, in any way you look at it, we arent in top shape after the fight with Targaroth. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. No, forget about not being in top shape. We are in shambles. I must make everyone understand the predicament were in before she starts massacring us, starting with me. I have to buy time somehow. Ooh! How long has it been since we last time saw each other? Marta glares at me at my obvious bullshit. Yeah, I didnt expect it to work either. Hahaha Alright, Ill do the introductions. Starting with my teammates, this one here is Moo Telling your teams composition to your enemy is the worst thing you can do, you say? Youre right. But itll be worse if she suddenly decides to kill me because I stop talking. Waaah! Balmy rudely interrupts our conversation. She flies to me and starts shaking my head around. Forget about your friend or whatever, we must run away! Right now! One of the Calamities is right upon us! N-no! Its too late already! Theres a star marker on top of us! Kyaaaaah! Yeah theres no need to guess who it might be. I think, glancing at Marta. Its too late, Balmy too late I shake my head. The Calamity youre talking about the marker on our map Sigh. Shes right in front of you. Everyone looks at me, a look of surprise on their faces. I take this chance to introduce Marta to them in the most absurd and dramatic way I can think of. I do so because I know shell hate it. Will I regret it? Probably. But itll be worth it. Everyone, this is my older sister, Anthemia. Tada! You didnt expect it, did you? Shes not only one of the best DMA players but also the best sister in the whole universC Ugh! Marta hits me on the head and sends me a killing glare. Theres no use, Marta. Im used to this, you wont intimidate me like that. In fact, it only makes me want to do it more. Balmy, Moo, and the rest are sending me questioning glances, not sure if they should believe my words. I mean, who would believe Marta is a pro player after my introduction? They might believe shes my sister, but they dont look like they believe that shes the Calamity we should be wary of. I must make them believe me before she kills us all in a fit of rage a fit of rage that would probably be the consequence of my actions. Shes slightly violent and likes to show off his superiority all the time, butC Gufuh! Something hits my stomach, interrupting me yet again. The sheer force behind Martas punch makes me jump up a meter before landing on the ground like a used rag. What did you say? She asks with furrowed brows. This is abuse of power! Ill denounce you to the DMA authorities! N-nothing. I didnt say anything at all. Everyone, forget my last words. Please I beg you forget it. I stand up, rubbing my stomach and trying to protect it from further attacks. ...thats better. Her punch is so fast and sudden that nobody can see or react to it. The others look at us with wide-open eyes. Only powerful and expert players can pull off an attack without showing previous signs of it. Thanks to it, everyone realizes Im telling the truth and they immediately step away, raising their guard. Everyone but Warpoke, who might have recognized her since the start. His eyes are shining like a fan who suddenly meets his idol in the middle of the street. But unlike what you might expect from such a situation, he doesnt approach her or ask for an autograph. Instead, he has been quietly standing near us, waiting for her to notice him first. Hes a true fan indeed. He knows my sisters character well enough to understand that if he came closer to her, he would immediately regret it. Marta, knowing that her identity has been revealed, looks around, wearing a smile after seeing the reaction of the rest of my teammates and Calabans party. She gently grabs my shoulder, before making an angelical smile and asking. Say, my dear brother. Do you want to play a game with mC *Ding! Ding!* Saved by the bell, and I mean literally. The last thing anyone expected, was the tingling of a bell to sound at this exact moment. Whats going on now? I ask. As if Martas presence wasnt enough, we have to deal with something else too? But since that players corpse turned into one of those black humanoids, rising from the dead in the middle, weve got no time to rest. Its been one thing after the other. Not that Im against it, though. It might be a chance to slip away from her if she gets distracted. *Ding! Ding! Dong, Ding!* The sound of bells starts to come from several directions at once. Their sound grows in volume. I dont know whats happening, but its getting close. Then, intermixed with the sound of bells, we hear voices. No, not voices, but chants. A mysterious melody, almost hypnotic, fills the cave. At the same time, black-hooded figures appear from each one of the entrances, forming lines and slowly walking in our direction. I grab my head. I just got a massive headache. Oh, no. Oh, noooooo I know this pattern! I still have nightmares of that day! Please, somebody, tell me Im dreaming! Everyone looks at the hooded players. Some look bewildered at the spectacle. Others watch my reaction with curious looks on their faces. Marta nods to herself, muttering something in a low voice. But the biggest reaction of all, if we exclude my own, comes from Balmy. She bursts out laughing. Ahahaha! What are they doing? Is this a performance? Hahaha! They look so ridiculous! It isnt funny. Not for me, at least. The multiple groups create a perfect formation a few meters in front of us. They align into perfect rows and columns, with one single player in front of the rest. They then all drop to their knees at the same time and take a praying posture. The player in front, the only one left standing, opens his arms wide and starts shouting. Oh, Great Mad Rat! Weve finally found you! Your devoted believers have come to show you our eternal support. Weve come to help you in this dangerous Mystery Event. Just ask anything of us and wellC Hey, teacher! Ive missed you so much! I have a few questions Id love to ask you. One of the players in the front row waves at me. He interrupts the one they call leader and speaks directly at me. Shut up, Bil! Dont interrupt our sacred meeting! And didnt I prohibit you from calling him like that? But hes my teacher! Leader, cant you understand my feelings? The two start fighting while the other players remain silent, their heads low. Which only serves to increase the weirdness of this situation. The verbal fight lasts until the one called Bil stops moving completely. From the gray tone of his skin, he must have been turned into stone. Stone? Oh, yeah the Leader was using a Champion that was part Cockatrice, wasnt he? Khm! The Leader feigns a cough. Where was I? Ah, yes. Oh, Great Mad Rat, please give us the chance to show our worth and thank you for all the things youve done for us. Were at your service! I feel my head throbbing. Cant a simple man get enough time to solve his problems one by one? Why did another one pop up before I could solve Martas problem? Now Ive got not one massive problem, but two at the same time! No, no. Lets think about it positively. Maybe one problem will solve the other? It cant be impossible, right? RIGHT!? Please, somebody, tell me its possible, because otherwise Ill cry Marta, who is the only one who has managed to stay calm after watching the surreal situation in front of us, turns to look at me and asks with her usual neutral tone. Whats wrong with that guys heads? I dont know I shake my head. I have the same question. Whats wrong with them and why are they always like this? Leave me fucking alone, you weirdos!
What happened next? Chaos ensued. What else did you expect from such a situation?
Ch 228 - Chaos intensifies Whats wrong with their heads? Although Marta is the only one who remains with the same expression she had before the mad cultists appeared, she furrows her brows and asks me. Do you know them? Still, she continues to grab my shoulder. Shes making sure I cant run away. I wish I could answer no to that question but I cant I feel like my head is about to explode. ...I dont know much more than you do. Theyre always like that. Hmm She nods, pensively, and interrupts the Leaders unending monologue. Hey, all of you. Scram! Cant you see were busy? Everyone turns to look at her at the same time. Since Im right beside her, I can feel their stares all over me too. Theyre creepy I shiver. Marta, unaffected by their stares filled with madness, repeats her question. Who do you think you are, interrupting us like this? Scram before I get angry! Nobody moves. As time passes, the silence grows more and more uncomfortable. Marta glares at the madmen. They stare back at her. Sensing the growing hostilities between the two parties, my teammates and the members of Calabans party quickly take some distance from us, hiding behind whatever they can. Can you believe this? The fuckers just left me behind! Who do you think you are? The Leader is the one who breaks the silence. Hes shaking in rage. I was being considerate because you guided us to Him, but How dare you touch Him like its nothing! Take away your hand from His sacred shoulder, bitch! I cant believe it. The things he says and how he acts isnt he even crazier than the previous time I met him? no, I shouldnt waste time thinking about this. When ones madness reaches a certain level, it cant increase anymore. The only difference is how much I know about him, which makes me believe hes getting worse. You interrupt our prophetized meeting with the Great Mad Rat, our first and only savior, teacher, and guide and dare order us to go away? Youre the one whos leaving, not us! Scram, bitch! And when you go, take your brute and rude personality with you. Were tired of putting out with all your bullshit! Oh, my god! This is this is Wheres my virtual popcorn? Marta finally releases my shoulder. It seems she isnt that angry at me anymore. Theres someone who has made him angrier than I did. I look at her face, curious. Shes smiling with her mouth, but not with her eyes. You went and did it, Leader I hope you dont regret it. Step to the side. I have to take out some trash. Sure. I gladly nod. You dont have to tell me twice! Its time to run away ...And dont dare run away. Stay put and observe. Ill come for you later. Shit! She hasnt forgotten about me completely. I expected she would be so angry at them that she would forgive me and I could slip away... I was wrong. Marta opens her palm and something shiny appears. It then starts growing in size, forming a large light orb on top of her palm. Die, she says, right after releasing it. The orb flies at a fast speed and explodes upon reaching the mad cultists. Since theyre so tightly packed, the explosion affects all of them. Forming into perfect columns and rows is impressive, but it makes you an easy target. They should have spread out before provoking Marta Well, not that I care if they all die. Its one less problem to worry about. We hear shouts of surprise and anger, mixed with delightful moans of pleasure. What the fuck!? Moans!? I I cant hear anything, lalala, I delude myself, pretending everything is normal. Did you get rid of them? Thank yoC I start thanking my sister but stop in the middle. When the light from the explosion disappears, we discover that all the cultists are still alive. And not only that, but their HP bars are about three-quarters full. That light orb did less damage than I remember When I was training with her, she could delete me with a single cast of that thing. Depending on your skills, you should be able to tank such a hit, but, weirdly, all of them did Ah! Its because of the item Tears of a Fallen Kingdom! The op item that reduces the stats of all Calamities! As you all know, damage in DMA is affected both by your stats and by how high or low they are compared to those of your enemies. Reducing your stats by 50% makes you think itll reduce the damage by half, but, in fact, its a lot more. It can mean you deal less than a quarter of the original damage. The most surprised at the cultists survival is Marta, though. Im sure she expected that at least some of them would be dead, and the others would be barely hanging onto life. How did they She has her eyes wide open, checking something invisible in front of her. Marta suddenly turns to look at me, then grabs me by the throat. What did you do to me!? She demands. Thank god you cant get choked inside the game. But How does she know its me whos holding Tears of a Fallen Kingdom? Could it be that its because, historically speaking, its always me who makes a fool of her when were playing games? Yeah, I cant think of any other possibility. I smile. I d-didnt do anyC Ugh! No excuses. Explain! What did you do to me!? Shes persistent, huh? Why cant she let it slide for one time? It isnt like its hurting her oh, right. It is affecting her. But Im telling the truth, I didnt do anything! Technically, its the item and not me thats reducing her stats. STOOOOOOOOP! A powerful shout makes my whole body tremble. Its the Leader, whos shaking in anger not more than five meters away. How dare you! How DARE YOU! If this werent a game, Im sure he would be foaming and spitting everywhere as he shouts. Sacrilege! You not only dare touch him with your filthy hands but grab him by the throat and threaten him! Oh, my, my. Hes so angry he doesnt put special emphasis every time he refers to me. Not even I, his most devout follower, has gotten the honor to touch him. How dare you do it before me! You sullied his immaculate rat throat with your bloodthirsty and dirty hands. Sacrilege! Heresy! So they dont care about suddenly being attacked? Their priorities are too skewed. Normal people cant understand their thought processes Well make you pay for your transgressions The Leader starts giving orders. Al, you keep her busy, well somehow bring her down. Well make her apologize and forcefully introduce her to our beliefs. Everyone, ATTACK! Suddenly, the cultists break up their formation and split up in all directions. At the same time, they start casting all the spells they have. When they release them, an authentic avalanche of magic falls upon Marta Marta and I, who is right next to her, because I forgot to run away when she told me to. Dont look at me like that! I was too busy looking for my lost popcorn! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Its funny how they get angry when my sister grabs me by the throat, without dealing actual damage to me, but they disregard my safety when it comes to avenging me. Heh I calmly observe the spells, knowing theres no way I can evade them all. Im done for I always knew they would be my end. I feel a tug to one side when someone grabs my arm. My body starts moving at a fast speed, dragged by someone else. Marta, while grabbing onto me, manages to avoid or parry all the incoming attacks. Not a single one touches her or my body. Its impossible! How can she move like that while dragging me around? When the spell avalanche finishes, she drops me to the ground. She snorts. Hmph! Their attacks are so easy to predict. Noobs. Easy my ass! Its understandable if she calls one or two attacks easy, but not when there are more than ten at the same time! I quickly give my thanks to her. You saveC I didnt save you. I saved you for later. Well talk after I finish them off. O-okay? At the same time, a sigh of relief escapes my mouth and a shiver runs down my spine. She wont ever forget about my earlier mocking, will she? Leaving me behind, she flies towards where the majority of the crazy cultists are. She then starts a crazy melee to the death with them. All Shall Despair! Hahaha! Eat the power of my fists! You dont know what true joy means! A mix of cries reaches me. Theyre just shouting whatever comes to them, dont they? I better let it go, theres so much to retort I dont know where to start. One of the cultists, who looks like a random human, starts fighting my sister on a similar skill level. If he were by himself, he would certainly lose, but with the support of over fifteen other players, he can hold out against her. Hey, I remember that guy! From from from somewhere. As they continue their fight, I move to where my teammates are hidden. The fuckers didnt even try to save me when things turned for the worst. Are you enjoying the show? I sarcastically ask. It sure is interesting from here, huh? Dont be like that. You would have done the same if you were in our shoes. Mooohahaha! I would. Is she truly your sister? Anthemia? Can you introduce me to her later on? Muribelle asks. I can ask her I randomly answer. Im not sure how shell respond, but I can try. Haha, just kidding. I know she will say no without batting an eye. Warpoke smiles and winks at me, knowing what Im thinking. Hes the only one who understands her personality other than me. I then take a look at Balmy but quickly look away. Yeah, show them whos the boss! Go, kill them all! Hyah! Punch, kick! Kyah! Noo, behind you! Theyre coming from behind! What the hell is that fairy doing? Arent we going to interfere? Calaban, coming close to me, asks. I shake my head. No. Let the two problems solve themselves. Furthermore Were in shambles after our last fight, we wouldnt be able to do much anyway. He nods, watching the intense fight between a single player against more than fifteen players. Then, do we run away? While we can, we shouldC An image of Marta relentlessly chasing after me for the rest of the Mystery Event pops into my mind. Because lets be realistic, she will do it. No its better to know when shell come after us than to be surprised again. We wait and recover. Okay. The fight progresses in a direction nobody would expect. Despite her reduced stats and numerical disadvantage, the other group is too disorganized to properly fight against Marta. Thanks to her wings, she can fully utilize this caves size to her advantage. No. Calling them disorganized is an insult to the word. Hell, just look at those two guys! Since the moment they realized they couldnt land a single attack on her, theyve been pretending to target her when actually attacking each other! They arent even trying to hide it! It seems Marta realized it too, as she purposely manipulates the battlefield to her advantage and gives the enemies opportunities to accidentally hit each other. And meanwhile, she keeps glancing in my direction, making sure I dont run away. Scary Everything seems to be proceeding smoothly: the cultists are slowly getting wiped out while Marta is accumulating damage and wasting her precious EP and MP on them. By the time the fight ends, we should be able to defeat her. This isnt working! It looks like the Leader has recognized the situation theyre in too. Change to operation All or Nothing! The eyes of all the cultists immediately start shining upon hearing that name. Even those who were fooling around react to his order with enthusiasm. The first thing they do is cover the cavern ceiling with poison clouds, forcing Marta to descend to the ground. Isnt their MP going to deplet very fast like that? Asks Calaban. I dont think they care at all, I shrug. Theyre crazy, remember? But their next actions are completely unexpected even to me, the one whos, regrettably, most used to dealing with them. The members that are still alive run to the ones that died, and they stand back up. Mass Resurrection!? Is that even a thing!? Balmy shouts. Like zombies, those who had died, stand back up, their eyes shining with the same dangerous glow as those who were alive when the Leader shouted the name of the plan. Then, one by one, a large number of the cultists start shining with intermittent but intense light. Like a bulb that doesnt work properly. For our Great Mad Rat! All Shall Despair! Everyone opens their eyes wide when they see the spectacle. The skill theyre using is a skill all players should immediately recognize because, if they dont, they will have a high chance of instantly dying. Its also a skill nobody in their right mind would take The thing is that theyre crazy, so common sense doesnt apply. Yep, Im talking about none other than the Self-destruct skill.
Self-destruct (Active skill)
Cost: -
After five seconds, deal (10 + 0,5 * Max HP) physical damage to every other unit in a 10-meter radius area around yourself and push them 10 meters away. You die.
Self-destruct is the simple version of my Grand Finale that can also be given to monsters. In fact, most players would only give it to monsters because it kills you. The only reason Grand Finale is viable for Champions is because it leaves you crippled, but alive. When youre in a dungeon invasion, the difference between dying and surviving is everything, and you can use the skill as a final resort. But self-destruct is a whole different world. Dying means its useless for Champions. Thats why only monsters use it. Whats more, it doesnt give invulnerability, meaning you can interrupt the skill by killing the monster before it explodes. But, as Ive said before, they dont care about such a minor drawback. Run! I dont know who said it, but by the time we all start running, its too late. *Boooom! Baaaang! Boooom!* In quick succession, the lunatics start self-destructing. The problem with so many successive explosions is that they send the ones they touch flying which means the whole cavern is affected. I observe in dread as the cultists who didnt explode run to those who did and use Resurrection to bring them back to life, only to start the cycle again. Crazy. Theyre crazy! I wholeheartedly agree with whoever said this. Marta struggles to survive since AoE skills are her bane. Furthermore, shes persecuted by that human guy all the time, not leaving her a chance to take a break. When he dies, either due to Martas attacks or the explosions, his teammates raise him from the dead like with the bombers. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! One of the bomb cultists is thrown our way, blocking the escape route. We have enough time to escape his explosion radius, but this effectively makes us surrounded by bombs on all sides. With the ceiling covered by poison and the ground covered in human bombs, we have nowhere to run. Lets split up, I suggest. But well be weaker if we do Calaban counters. It doesnt matter if we all die. Together, its hard to move: were a big target. If we split up, the chances some of us will survive will increase. ...Alright. Everyone goes their way, trying to survive. Fufufu! Hahaha! Can you feel it? Can you feel the despair growing inside you as the fight goes on? Come on. Feel it! Embrace it! Accept it and make it your own! Fufufu! Hahaha! How does he dare imitate me likeC guh! N-noooooo! Distracted by the Leader making the same pose as I do when I laugh, I dont see one of the cultists flying my way. One of the bomb cultists. *Booooom!* Ugh After the explosion, I stand up, looking at my HP bar. My HP close, but fine. Thank god Balmy healed me right before Targaroths fight because I would have died otherwiC *Crack!*
The worst experience Ive had in DMA is, by far, that time I fought against a group of crazy maniacs. Regardless of how many times I killed them, they kept rising again and again, like zombies. A smile on their faces and a dangerous glimmer in their eyes, as if they treated death like a pastime. I still have nightmares from that day - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 229 - Divine punishment *Crack!* The sound of something breaking makes my heart stop beating. Were inside a game. Its impossible that the explosion broke any of my bones and, as far as I know, the terrain is indestructible. Theres only one thing that could make that sound. I ignore everything thats going on around me, focusing only on that thought. Slowly, with clunky movements like a robot, I reach out into my pocket and take out a white orb. There it is. The previously immaculate surface now has a large and irregular line running through most of it. No, no, no I poke it with my finger, wishing itd somehow repair itself. That a miracle will return it to its pristine condition But instead, it breaks into tiny fragments resembling droplets. The droplets then melt into and slip through my fingers, disappearing as they fall. No way I dont want to believe it. The OP item we just obtained, after such a long struggle against Targaroth, is gone. We didnt have time to test its effects. It was so hard to get it. We were extremely lucky to find it because it needed both our teams present at the same time. The stars aligned and we achieved the impossible! But then but then those fuckers showed up and ruined everything! They always do! Why cant they ever leave me alone? I clench the hand that was holding the broken Tears of a Fallen Kingdom. Anger surges from within. Theyve done it now... I tried to avoid confronting them head-on because it would only spell more trouble, but I cant hold back anymore. YOU FUCKEEEEERS! My shout surpasses the loud sound of the explosions and reaches everyone. The cultists all turn to look in my direction, worried looks on their faces.
Tsk. I click my tongue, annoyed. Where did all these players come from? And why do they behave like that? I heard Andreu complaining about a group of madmen obsessed with him, but I always thought he was exaggerating. He always puts importance on insignificant details, so it was a foregone conclusion. Who could have thought he was telling the truth? In all my time playing DMA, I havent found so many crazy players together, united for the same purpose. And believe me when I say Ive seen my rough share of crazy players The thing is that their teamwork isnt that bad. Their erratic and unpredictable actions somehow interact between them in a way that makes things difficult for me. Theyve cut down my flight, their self-destructions followed by resurrections are the most ingenious and extravagant way of fighting Ive ever seen in players, and the one they call Leader pushes the madmen forward as if they were his limbs. If only I could strike that Leader down, things would be much easier. But I havent had a chance to get close to him. I never expected to find a decent player mixed between them. Though hes not as good as a pro player, hes good enough to give me trouble when supported by the other seventeen players. He has been blocking all my tries to kill the Leader. Where did he come from? Ive never seen him before, nor do I recognize his fighting style. Tsk. I click my tongue yet again. The said player is standing before me after I killed him for the third time. Why dont you stay dead? Your stats are so low that you cant keep up with me anymore. He glares at me but says nothing, he doesnt want to give up on obstructing me. The man, using a human Champion, stands in my way yet another time. Annoying I spent so much time chasing after Andreu I even had to fight Clara in the middle! And now its come to this awful fight. Its a horrible experience to have your prize stolen right in front of you. Things would have been much easier if Andreu hadnt reduced my stats to half. I have no idea how he did it, but Im sure its his fault. Its him. Its always him. Since we were little, its been always him the single one who could defeat me. With his extravagant builds and impossible luck. His random plans that somehow turn into reality. I just want to beat him once, fair and square. That each of us uses everything in our arsenal to bring the other down. A fight without tricks or deceptions. I thought I could achieve this today, using the excuse that Im angry to force him into a fight; but, when I finally found him, it turned into this mess. The sound of continuous explosions keeps coming from all directions. I pay extra attention to them, to predict where the next would come from. Chain self-destruct is a tactic that you can rarely see on monsters. Self-destruct is easy to interrupt, you just have to kill the monster before it explodes; but when in a chain, every explosion sends the nearby monsters flying, making it difficult to predict where the next explosion will occur. You need to calculate the relative position of the monster thats ready to explode to the exploding one, add the push radius to that, and then calculate the explosion area at the end. To this, you must add any extra movement the monster takes or any collisions in its path when its thrown away. Its the first time Ive seen this tactic being used by players, though. I never expected anyone to be crazy enough to pull it off. Dying once usually means its GG. Resurrection should only be used as a last resort of sorts when everything else has failed because it reduces your stats. The players have been trying to strike me down with chain self-destruct to no avail. In any other situation, it shouldnt work against me, as I can fly away. But I have my mobility reduced. My HP is pretty low and has been halved, I cant afford to take extra damage from the poison clouds. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I hate to admit it, but Ive taken a few hits. The man in front of me, though, is in a way worse position than me. Blocking my path means he has been near all the explosions targetting me. I believe he has taken more damage from them than from my attacks. YOU FUCKEEEEERS! Everyone stops moving after the shout. A few of the players who had activated self-destruct before the shout are the only ones who dont, because they cant. They eventually blow up, and silence follows. Thats That was Andreus voice, I would recognize it anywhere. Whats wrong with him? You You ruined everything! Its always you. Cant you see Im not enjoying any of that bullshit? Leave me alone, you freaking weirdos! Blinded by rage, Andreu starts casting spells at any player with a dark robe in his field of vision. They, with faces of disbelief, simply stand still, letting the attacks hit them. In particular, the Leader, who Ive been eyeing since the start, is the target of most of them. He accepts the spells head-on while praying and shaking his head, before dying. Andreu has just achieved what I couldnt throughout this fight. Now that the Leader is finally dead, I wont allow them to bring him back to life. I swear on my name and honor. Thats one trouble taken care of, I comment. Now I can finally take out the rest of the trash. I send one final glance at Andreu. He has stopped casting spells randomly, surely because he ran out of MP. He falls to the ground and starts punching it with all his strength. If this werent a game, Im sure he would be crying. Hmm I start thinking. Due to those players interference, Ive taken too much damage and my MP is almost empty. It seems like Ive recovered my lost stats, which is probably related to why Andreu got so angry, but recovering them doesnt mean Im in a fine condition. All my stats have risen, keeping the same percentage they were at, which is low. Im in no condition to properly fight Andreus party after this And I cant show them how Calamities can instantly recover, because the DMA staff banned us from showing them. Im not sure why, but they did, so I cant recover in front of them, nor I can tell them to wait while I do. Shit. They not only ruined Andreus plan but also mine. Tsk. I click my tongue yet another time. I wonder how many times Ive done it since they showed up. Hes right. Alls gone to shit because of them. I alternate looking between Andreu and the black-clothed players. Something twists within me when I see my brothers visage. Maybe, I should
Catharsis. When you release your pent-up emotions, achieving relief. At least thats whats supposed to happen. So why do I continue to feel so bad even after spending all the MP I recovered, attacking everything in my sight? Is it because I didnt have time to recover that much MP? I keep punching the ground. My head is about to explode from the worst headache Ive ever had. Fuck. At times like this, not being able to cry is weird I want to cry in rage and impotence, like a true man. I feel like leaving the game. I dont want to see any more of this Theres no reason for me to stay, is there? Once Marta finishes the remaining cultists, shell come after me. Hey. Someone grabs my shoulder. I raise my head and to my surprise, find Marta looking at me with a smile on her face. MarC She closes my mouth with her hand, stopping me before I can say her full name. Never forget the first rule of online games, regardless of the situation. Oh, yeah I almost made a huge mistake. Anthemia Did you come to kill me? Do it, I have no will to resist. *Slap!* She slaps me, something I never expected. Stop acting like this. It makes me sick. Stand up proud, laugh like a maniac, and do unexpected stuff. Act like you always do. ...huh? I cant understand what she wants from me. Shes always complaining about those things, but now she wants me to act like that? Did she get infected by the mad rat disease? I know Ive mentioned that disease before, but it was supposed to be a joke. Fucking cultists, they ruined my sister too *Slap!* She slaps a second time. Stop with your delusions. Yeah, I know you were thinking something stupid. She adds when I look at her with my eyes wide open. When did she learn to read my mind? Sigh Leave this place and go enjoy what remains of this Mystery Event. Ill take care of them for you. Ill make them regret being alive. A shiver runs down my spine. Y-youre going to help meC Just shut up and go before I change my mind! Before I can add anything, Marta quickly resumes the fight, rushing at the closest cultist. Hmm why does it feel like shes running away from me? Well, it doesnt matter. Lets take this chance to leave all the problems behind. I never thought it would be Marta the one who would cheer me up in such a situation. After two of her slaps, I feel my head clear up and my feelings return to normal. I then look for the closest exit and start walking in that direction. In the end, the two problems took care of each other. Marta will end the cultists, and Im sure, taking into account her behavior, that she wont chase after us. But the cost was too high. Lets go, team! We have a mystery to solve! Slowly, the rest of my teammates start to appear near me. It seems like they want to cheer me up, but at the same time, they dont want to trigger me, so they maintain a certain distance. Hey, look at this. Look at this, Koala! The Great Fairy Explorer has found something amazing while everyone was running around! Oh, shut up Balmy. Im not in the mood forC She shoves something right next to my eye. Just look at it! Doesnt it look amazing!? Sigh. She can be pretty annoying Without any option left, I look at the thing in front of me. Its a short, flat-chested flying humanoid, wearing an annoying grin on her face ah, no. This isnt what Im supposed to look at. The thing Balmy is holding is a black sphere. Black particles swirl around it. At first glance, it seems like the particles are going to be absorbed, but they arent. I believe Ive seen those particles before where was it? I mutter. Thunder Thighs quickly solves the enigma. They look like those released by the monsters when we defeat them. Ah, youre right I nod my head. But where did you find it? There was nothing when we investigated. Balmy grins at me. Do you want to take a guess? She quickly resumes talking when I glare at her. ...I found it by chance. When I evaded one of the self-destruct explosions, the throne Targaroth was using broke into pieces and this popped up from the inside. So I took it! Hahaha! She gleefully spins around, holding the black sphere in her hands as if it were the greatest treasure. You did a great job, Balmy. I never thought Id say this. Now, give it to me so I can keep it safe Nooooooooooo! Its mine! You already broke one, so this one is mine! Here we go again.
This was, by far, the worst moment the Mad Rat cultists experienced in their lives; and it wasnt because of Martas punishment, they didnt care about that. Some of them even enjoyed it. What shocked them was being called a nuisance by their own god. It was the worst thing they could imagine. As such, they all agreed it was time to repent for their transgressions To be continued.
Ch 230 - It points towards? After a while of arguing, I finally convinced Balmy to borrow me the dark orb she found when Targaroths throne shattered. Hmm What is this? I turn the sphere around, inspecting every side for imperfections or clues. The dark sphere is hard and smooth. As for its material who knows? The lack of light reflection makes it hard to identify. With the dark particles spinning around it, the sphere reminds me of a miniature black hole. Can I take a look? Thunder Thighs says, extending one hand towards the orb. Sure, I dont see why not. I hand the dark sphere to her, and she repeats the same steps I did a moment ago. The others send curious glances our way, but they either dont mind letting us solve the mystery or they dont think they could do any better than us. The only exception is Balmy, who continuously spins around my head, anxiously looking at the dark sphere. Im sure shes containing the impulse to quickly grab her orb and fly away. Im tempted to swat her like a fly but I dont. Not because I dont want to C and believe me when I say I want to C, but because she deserves some leeway after finding what could be our only clue to solve the mystery. Its an exceptional outcome that wont happen again, so she better stop fooling around. A stream of black particles, looking like a dark smoke cloud, flies towards the dark sphere and joins the particles already orbiting it. It surprises us, and Thunder Thighs almost lets it fall to the ground. N-no! My orb! Balmy panics and rushes to save the orb. But the only thing she achieves is to scare Thunder Thighs, and in a try to protect the orb from the attacker, the black sphere leaves her hand and flies in my direction. Everyone sighs in relief when I grab it in mid-air. Following the direction where the black cloud came from, I find Moo with her axe in battle position, and the corpse of a monster thats turning into smoke. The first smoke cloud must have come from another monster he defeated not long ago. What? Moo shrugs. They were going to attack us, so I might as well kill them before they did I sigh. Couldnt you have warned us? Okay. Next time, I will. I roll my eyes. How many next times do you need? Knowing that its useless to argue with him, I decide to return my attention to the relevant issue: the dark sphere thats now in my hand. The monster at Moos feet turns to smoke. As usual, the smoke starts to unnaturally flow towards who knows where, leaving a trail behind. But then, as if changing its mind, it turns around and gets sucked into the dark sphere. How weird I shake my head. The item didnt suffer any change after absorbing two monsters worth of smoke. The amount of black particles orbiting around it is the same. It didnt gain any weight, its size didnt increase, nor did its aspect change. No item description pops up when you try to analyze it, which means this isnt a normal item. But it must be important. It wouldnt have been hidden inside Targaroths throne otherwise Furthermore, it absorbs the smoke released from the dead monsters, which means it must be related to them. As far as I know, the only items that dont display any info when inspected are those that work as key items, like the cards that open the doors to the dungeon core in my dungeon. You can set a description if you want, but if you do, the invaders will know this is an important object and pay extra attention to it. Not creating a pop-up description for key items is the most common because it imitates what you would experience in real life. It increases the immersion and the satisfaction you get when you solve the puzzle is higher. Or you can also omit the description to confuse the invaders, as I do with my cards. Ugh But nothing of this helps to solve the mystery. The headache that was starting to fade, starts growing once more. Though this time isnt as bad as the one caused by them. ...Why its all questions and no answers? Thunder Thighs smiles. Isnt it more interesting like this? Youre right, but isnt it too much? I dont mind it. She chuckles. I shake my head. I cant understand her passion for unveiling impossible mysteries and investigating every single detail I enjoy mystery, too. But not when nothing makes sense! I want to be rewarded for my efforts! Hey, hey. Are you finished yet? Balmy starts pulling my sleeve. If you are, give my sphere back, before you break it. Sure. Take it. I roll my eyes and give it to her, even if only so that she leaves me alone for a while. Yaaay! Hahaha! As soon as she gets hold of it, she starts shouting and spinning around, wildly swinging the dark sphere around. So much for keeping it safe In the middle of her swinging, I notice the particles orbiting around the dark sphere deform in a weird pattern. As the sphere moves around, the particles get pulled into it all the time, but they seem to want to escape in the same direction as the smoke from that monster before. It wasnt perceptible when Thunder Thighs or I were holding it because our hands were way bigger than hers. The particles couldnt move as freely or as smoothly as now that Balmy is holding it. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Balmy! Stop moving. I order her. ? Balmy tilts her head, a stupid look on her face. She furrows her brows. What do you want now? Its mine, so Im not giving it back! I ignore her and approach the sphere. Its certain. The orbit they take isnt a perfect sphere, its more like an egg shape. And its tip happens to point in the same direction the smoke tried to escape to. Fly around while holding it. Do it slowly. I dont want to. She crosses her arms in defiance. My eyebrows twitch for a moment, but I know how to peacefully convince her. You can give the sphere to me, so I can do it, or do it yourself. Its your choice. Fine Balmy reluctantly flies around, obeying my instructions. Shes ready to do anything as long as she can keep the dark orb for herself. Hahaha. Easy. Too easy. Thanks to her efforts, I realize what this dark spheres purpose is. Its a compass, right? Says Thunder Thighs. The tip is always pointing in the same direction. Thats right. I nod. But theres even more. We suspect theres a reason why the monsters disperse into black particles that fly away after their deaths. We tried to follow the trail left by the dark particles, hoping to find an important clue, but it was too fast for us. But now, we have a way to find out where they go. A compass? It must be pointing somewhere important, right? Balmy, listening to us, pumps her fist. Yeah! I knew it! I knew my orb would be amazing! Hahaha! Her orb? Since when is it hers? You know what, itd be a waste of neurons to argue with her. Its all thanks to me, the Great Fairy Explorer! If it werent for me, we wouldnt know where to go next! Yay, hahaha! Lets go, forward. To solve the mystery! Yeah, yeah I wave Balmy away from me. Let the adults talk without interrupting, will you? Thunder Thighs, too, ignores Balmy and asks, What do you think we will find if we follow it? I dont know But I hope its important. We dont have much time left. When I check the clock, it says there are forty minutes remaining. Youre right Thunder Thighs brings out her map. Lets see. That direction is the center of the labyrinth? Its possible. That, or at least in that direction. Ill check my map. I take out my map too and get surprised by what I see. Wow. The number of Calamities in our surroundings is less than before. Did they all die? Im not sure I want to find out Yeah. Me neither. I nod. What could have killed the Calamities? The other players? Its possible, but unlikely. Maybe one or two, but certainly not enough to significantly reduce the number of stars on our map. Maybe the roaming golem? Are the Calamities teaming up to eliminate the remaining players? Something worse? Sometimes, its best to stay ignorant. Or youll be paralyzed by fear. Thunder Thighs, Koala. Are you done? You must come to see this, Calaban says, pointing behind him. We might have some serious trouble. While we were busy with the dark sphere, the others have been scouting and clearing the way ahead. They must have found something dangerous blocking the path. Alright. I shrug. By the way, Calaban. We discovered what that black thing is. D-dont leave me behind! Please, everyone. Ignore the tiny fairy. If you pay attention to her, her ego grows and she gets even more annoying. I explain Calaban our discovery. We discuss our plans to follow the direction its pointing at, and that it must have something to do with the dead monsters. Were relatively close to the central area, and since its the only clue we have, we should go there. I understand, we can go take a look, he agrees. Then he stops and warns us. Now, stay quiet; theyre close. Did you say that orb has to do with the monsters? If so it might have something to do with this. They? Who are they? Our teammates greet us with nods or waving their hands as we approach the main road. We decided to use the side passages while deciding what to do next because theyre safer. The side passage were in is on a higher level than the man road. To reach it, you need to use a set of rotten stairs. The spectacle on the level below makes me rub my eyes in disbelief. I never imagined wed find something like this. Oh, my, god. This is madness. Hyaaaah! Balmy does her best to contain the scream. The whole lower level is flooded by monsters. Its a mix of black humanoids and the other monsters weve found in the Mystery Event. Like an inexorable tide, they all come from one side, splitting up into smaller groups every time they find a side passage, effectively distributing themselves throughout the labyrinth. Their numbers are ridiculous! Theres no end to them! The density decreases as they split up, but even where the main road turns and we lose sight of them, their numbers are so high that we wouldnt stand a chance. I search for Balmy and find her hiding behind one of the nearby stalagmites. The dark sphere yes, I thought so. You were right, I whisper right next to Calabans ear. The monsters are coming from the direction that thing is pointing at. This means that we must use this road if we want to find out whats at the end. He inhales, holding it before exhaling. Haah What do we do now? We cant fight them all at the same time. Youre right. We stand no chance against so many enemies. If I had Shared Voltage with the upgrade, maybe But regretting past decisions will get us nowhere. This time, Warpoke is the one who gives us hope. Hes the one closest to us, so he must have heard our whispers. The developers wouldnt have created an impossible situation. There must be another path. Another path I nod. Yes. But we dont have much time left. If possible, Id love to take the shortest and simplest route. Who knows if well get lost like last time I glance at Calaban. Hey! I did my best, ok? Its not my fault if there was a wall dividing the two sections. I know, I know. I was joking. We observe the swarm of enemies marching below us as we think of possible solutions. Then, unexpectedly, the enemies stop pouring in and, soon, the road becomes empty. ...or we just had to wait for a while, says Warpoke, pretending he knew this would happen. I knew the developers would give us a chance. Yeah, sure. You just came up with it after the fact. Alright. Lets go down and follow the main road. We cant waste time. I urge everyone forward, but Calaban doesnt seem too keen on the idea. I dont believe its safe. What will we do if they come back? Do you have a plan? If they come back, well have to find a place to hide and pray they dont see us. I shrug my shoulders and start going down the stairs. ... Oh, come on. Dont look at me like that. Im a normal human being, ok? Did you expect me to come up with an amazing plan or something? Even the brightest minds cant be shitting perfect plans all the time!
Reuse and recycle. Andreu and his teammates would soon come to understand the true meaning of this phrase.
Ch 231 - Raid party We are using the main passage to quickly reach the central area of the dungeon, following the tip of the dark spheres particles as if it were a compass, when we hear a lot of noise. Luckily, theres a side passage right next to us, so we hide there and wait. Do you think its another monster horde? I shrug at Calabans question. I dont know. A minute passes, but everything remains the same. The loud noises arent any closer than they were at the start, nor do we see more black humanoids and weird monsters. Everyone looks at each other, not sure what to do. Should we continue, when theres a chance we find another horde? Or should we wait, knowing we may be wasting our time? I say we continue. Whats the worst that can happen? That we die? So what, this is a game! Moohahaha! Yeah, lets burn something! I ignore Moo and Muribelle. Well, I and everyone else do. When making important decisions, you should never listen to the battle freaks. They only know how to do a single thing, and charging ahead isnt exactly what youd call a plan. Furthermore, it usually leads to awful outcomes. The sounds are different from those made by hundreds of characters moving at the same time. Points out Warpoke. To me, they sound like like two groups clashing together, maybe? If thats true, then we can continue without too much worry. Even if theres a horde of monsters awaiting us, they should be fighting someone else. If it looks dangerous, we just need to turn back and use them to buy us time. Huh sounds right. Navigator grunts, nodding. Calabans teammates sure know how to use their heads, unlike Moo and Muribelle. They propose how to proceed forward while keeping a cool head. Meanwhile, the last member of my group Nooo, its dangerous! Lets go back and hide somewhere! Im scared! Kyaah! Why am I stuck with this team? Can somebody switch with me? Anyone? Calaban? No? No volunteers? Guessed so. Calaban and I exchange looks and nod at the same time as if we could read each others minds. Lets go. Well go first, in case theres a Calamity nearby, I say. No! Noo! I dont want to goooo! Grabbing the reluctant fairy by the ankle so she cant run away, I leave our hiding place and peek into the carriage highway. Nothing here Moo, you take the lead as usual. And Muribelle, you should be ready to attack at any time. Dont spare anything, we dont have to mind saving resources for later. Theres not much time remaining anyway. Leave it to me. Moo strikes his chest. He looks reliable for a moment, before spoiling everything with his following words. Monsters, give your best. I want to feel how hard you can hit! Moohaha! Dont worry, Koala. Ill keep him alive. Muribelle tries to appease my worries, but why am I more worried when she says not to worry? How weird, right? But well, unlike when it comes to making plans, you can rely on them during combat, somewhat. They at least dont complain like a tiny someone. We decide to keep moving forward, towards the center of the labyrinth. The carriage highway, as I like to call it, is wide enough for four carriages moving side-by-side, and theres still enough space for pedestrians on both sides. Thats, of course, assuming the carriages in the movies are similar to those used by the dwarfs. I must add that I havent seen any carriage in real life, so who knows if my assumptions are correct. This might not sound too impressive, compared to the roads were used to, but, remember: were underground. The effort behind building them isnt the same as simply paving the ground and slightly flattening it. On our way, the already large tunnel meets with two equally sized ones and widens up to a ridiculous degree. Im not sure what to compare it to, Ive never seen anything like this before. It still maintains the same looks as before, though. Excavated rock, large columns, rotten pieces of wood, carvings on the walls, battle scars Its just that the scale is different than before. We also start meeting other players. Each team sends wary looks to the others, not sure of their intentions. The rules state that defeating another party will give us part of their accumulated points, but, if they defeat us, they will steal them from us. If you randomly attack other players, it might turn out they have fewer points than you, making the risk not worth it. Whats more, you cant attack other teams with superior numbers unless you want to risk being disqualified, but you can defend yourself with superior numbers. From what Ive seen, there are very few teams who are alone, and nobody who has survived until this point is a rookie. In the end, nobody dares to make the first move out of fear but keeps a high alert to prevent surprises, which makes the situation quite awkward. As we meet more and more players, I curiously inspect their looks. There are players from all factions, even the most disgusting ones, like the Abyss, or the newish Lost World. One of the groups even has a dark sphere similar to the one Balmy is holding, which means they must have defeated a Calamity guarding one of the domains too. That, or they got lucky to stumble upon it. I also notice there are no Calamities nearby. Since there are quite a few other player teams nearby, weve closed the gap with Calabans party. Theres no need to worry about monsters, so we can stay together. The greatest danger is the other players. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. We must be near the most important part of the whole labyrinth. Points out Thunder Thighs. All this infrastructure must be connected to a huge city, the kings castle, or something similar. I agree, I say, nodding. Not even the golem forge was connected to such a huge road. Were about to fight the final boss, right? I want some action! The sounds of battle are too loud and I cant stop thinking about what awaits us! As always, Moo only thinks of fighting. Calaban shakes his head. But with all these players isnt it going to be a boring fight? Regardless of how strong the boss is, if so many players fight it at the same time He points at all the players around us. ...it wont be a fight. I wouldnt say so Warpoke shakes his head. I believe we will find something ridiculous. The game developers wouldnt create a stupid boss for the end of the Mystery Event. Its easy to think that the most important enemy of this Mystery Event would be near the central part, as its the place that all players should be able to reach before it ends. Im sure some players went directly in that direction since the start. There could be other players that reached it more than half an hour before we did All the rewards might have disappeared No, no, lets forget about such a possibility! If the mystery was solved and the last boss was defeated, the dark sphere shouldnt be working. We arent too late yet. As I think so, I realize that a few of the teams walking ahead of us have stopped advancing, causing a disturbance for the other teams. They start arguing about something, but before I can pay attention, Balmy starts shaking my head. S-stop! We must stop right now and turn back! She shouts. Its a trap! A trap I say! A trap? Whats she talking about? Balmy makes a screen appear in front of me. The screen is displaying the map of our surroundings, and right ahead of us, where we want to go there, theres something Id never expected nor did I wish to see. The fuck! Do you remember when I said there was an unusually low number of Calamities around us a while ago? And that they completely disappeared not long after? Well it turns out they were all concentrated in the same spot. The map has so many stars near to each other, that they hide the ones below, making it impossible to count them. So many Calamities Muribelle looks at her map with her eyes wide open. Moohahaha! Are they fighting between themselves? Is that why theres so much noise coming from ahead? Calamities? We show the map to Calabans party so they can see what were talking about. Their reactions are more or less what you would expect from such a thing: surprise, bewilderment, and fear. Something big must be going on, I say. I know pro players, to be exact, I know my sister, and shes one, so and they wouldnt stay close to each other unless its important. Most of them hate their rivals and are extremely competitive. We cant pass this up. We must take a peek, and if were in danger, we can go back and earn extra points by fighting random enemies. Except for Balmy, who has no vote, all my teammates agree to my proposal. But Calaban doesnt agree immediately. We should go, says Thunder Thighs, theres nothing else worth doing, we might as well see whats going on and decide on the spot. Navigator grunts in agreement, and Warpoke nods, as he always has with my proposals. Realizing theres no one against it, Calaban turns to me and makes an okay sign. Lets go. We continue moving forward. Following the passage, we turn to the right and a massive gate, smashed to tiny bits, appears in front of us. Im sure it once was the joy of the dwarfs, protecting what was on the other side from dangers, while showing off their skills and wealth to the merchants and political figures. Now, not a single speck of that glory remains. Broken beyond repair, the rusted metal and corroded paint have long lost all their majesty. The surrounding players rush inside, not wanting to waste time. We, too, follow their steps and end up on top of a cliff, a perfect place to see the spectacle that awaits us. Whoaaah! This, this is Not even Balmy the chatterbox can find words to express what awaits us. Were in a massive cavern. And when I say massive, I do mean massive. It goes so far that I cant see the end. Its a sprawling city, so big that it can match real-life cities. The style is similar to the one we found when completing the quests for Calabans party, but compared to that one, this one looks luxurious. And unlike that one, the houses dont reach more than half the height of the ceiling. Several columns, so wide that resemble mountains, support the cave, with archways spanning tens, maybe hundreds of meters connecting them. In what I believe should be the center of the city, theres a collapsed castle. Half of it remains, proudly standing over the rest of the city. As for the other half well, its gone, substituted by a massive hole in the ground. From here, it looks like an endless abyss. But what quickly catches our attention, forcing us to ignore the extraordinary scenery, is the ongoing battle. Everywhere in the city, you can see players fighting monsters. Spells fly everywhere. The Calamities fly around like living tornadoes of death, slaying anyone who dares come close to them. A few players have formed groups to fend them off, using their all just to stay alive. Meanwhile, golems of different sizes roam around, smashing players, Calamities, and monsters alike. Some of the golems seem to be controlled by the players... Shit. How much I wished I could have one of those pet golems! In short, the whole city is like a huge battleground. A city-encompassing battlefield. A massive battle between two or more armies, except theres no frontline and everyone is mixed up. Furthermore, the battle is constantly fuelled by more incoming players, flooding into the city from all directions, using massive gates like the one behind us. And the enemies I shiver. Every time a player dies, its corpse turns into one of those black humanoids. Then, when it or another monster is killed, they turn into black smoke C or particles, if you prefer C and they fly towards the gaping hole next to the castle. The same is true for the Calamities. The smoke then disappears into the hole and a new monster emerges. The monsters are like a black tide drowning the city, and as time goes on, there are more and more of them. An unending cycle of death and rebirth indeed, in the most macabre way you can imagine. From here, we can see a large group of players slowly treading forward, forcefully opening a path toward the black hole. But with the endless hordes of enemies spawning there, they have to push their limits for every step they take. The spectacle makes me think twice about solving the mystery. Im not sure I want to have anything to do with whatever is going on down there anymore Were watching the battle with our mouths agape when a guy suddenly appears next to our group. Will you participate in the raid? Or will you move independently? I tilt my head. Umm sorry? W-what did he say?
Andreu and his teammates werent the first ones to reach the central city. By the time they got there, the conflict had grown out of proportion, exceeding anyones predictions. The more players congregated, the more noise they generated; which further increased the speed at which new players came. It was a massive battle spanning hundreds of players.
Ch 232 - Raid party 2 The player elaborates his explanation when we continue to look at him with our mouths open. Were recruiting all the players who want to join us in a huge raid party. Our objective is to reach the hole thats continuously spitting enemies and shut it down, claiming the reward for clearing the final challenge of the Mystery Event. But for this, we need all the help we can obtain. So, will you join us in the raid? Or will you go independently? We also need players to serve as a diversion for the other dangers. My brain takes a while to process the information. A raid? Im sure hes talking about that group of players pushing forward towards the hole. How can they coordinate so many players? And did they get some secret knowledge? Otherwise, how do they know what to do, or where to go? I open the mission screen and see that, indeed, the secret mission has been updated. It now says: Find the ????? and destroy it before its too late. Alright! Now we know what to do Or not. Its better than before, but still missing vital information. At least, we know we must find something and destroy it. Its true that, if I had to look for something that must be destroyed before its too late, the first thing that would come to mind was the hole that devoured half the castle and thats constantly spewing more enemies. It makes sense they created a raid to reach it. Hey, Koala. Whats a raid? Balmy, yet again perched on top of my head, asks me in a low voice. Since everyone else seems to know what a raid is, she doesnt want the others to know she doesnt. Its payback time. Why? The amazing little fairy doesnt know? Itd be a shame if someone were to tell everyone else how stupid our little fairy is Do that and Ill scream right next to your ear. I freeze. Ugh No, thanks. Anything but that. Payback time has ended before it started. What a shame. Ahaha, I was joking. Joking. I force a laugh. A raid is when a larger group of players than usual gather with the same objective. Can you see that group of players? I point at the large group. That must be the raid hes talking about. But I dont want to go there. Its too dangerous to be surrounded by enemies on all sides. And what if an ugly player takes a fancy to me? With so little space to move, Ill have nowhere to run and hell do this and that to me What the fuck is she talking about? Furthermore, shes tiny and has wings. She can just fly away if the need arises. Shut up. Youll do what the majority decides. Kyaah, nooooooo! Im against it! I cover my eardrums too late. Shit So much for sparing my eardrums from suffering. Calaban sees my troubled face and decides to step forward. Hes the one who engages with the unknown player in the name of the two teams. If we join, what will we have to do? Nothing special. You just need to help defeat the monsters and push forward. The player, using one of the recently added lizardmen as his Champion, has a slight speech distortion as he talks. Not the classic elongation of the s sound but something more guttural. He must be doing it on purpose, as the game doesnt distort the voice by itself. It isnt overly exaggerated, but it irks me. The hardest part will be to join with the main group. The Calamities dont dare approach us because we can easily deal with them with so many players attacking at the same time, but thats not true on our way there. They might assault us. But the same is true if we go on our own Calaban shakes his head. Whats in for us? And how do you know itll be worth it? How do you know we must reach the hole to complete the quest? Dont need to ask! We arent going! Shut up, Balmy! My struggle with the stupid and annoying fairy continues in the background. Calaban sends me a sympathetic glance, waiting for the hesitating lizardman to answer. Thats Youll get the same rewards as everyone for clearing the secret mission, right? He scratches his head. As for the quest, we arent sure, but isnt that hole the most suspicious? Calaban lets out a sigh. So youre risking everyones lives, chasing after something you know nothing about The lizardman player growls. It seems that Calabans words hit where it hurts. ...arent you doing the same? Why did you come here otherwise? Wouldnt it be safer to hunt monsters to obtain points instead of chasing after an enigmatic quest? If you wanted safe rewards, you shouldnt have wasted your time coming here. The two hold each others gaze for a while. Youre right. Let us talk about this. Sure, but dont take too long or were leaving without you. After Calabans answer, the lizardman leaves us alone and goes find another party to ask the same question. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Calaban turns around and signals for us to come closer. What do you want to do? I think itll be safer to go with them. Its a pretty good question. One to which I have but a single answer. No! Were going back! and no, thats not my answer.
We chose the path that allows us to protect our flanks and back. The buildings secure the sides and we just need to block a few streets. It makes our advance slower, with all the monsters coming from the same side, but also safer. The lizardman player, who by the way is called Ferox, guides us through the labyrinthic city. With the buildings and roads creating three-dimensional structures, Im sure we would have lost our way if it werent for him. From above the cliff, before departing, we had a clear view of the whole city. The higher point of view made us think we could easily reach our destination. But after going down lets say it isnt the same finding the labyrinths path from above compared to when youre inside it. In contrast, Ferox has memorized part of the path, and makes up the rest by using clues left by himself or the other guides. Were almost there. When we turn right at the end of the road, well be on the same street. All that will remain is going straight. The path from here on should be safer, and when we reunite with the main team, you wont have to worry about safety anymore. Ferox is quite the chatterbox. Its nice he explains whats important. It isnt so nice, though, that he keeps talking while distorting his voice like that. Its uncomfortable. He says well be safe after meeting the main group, but Im not so sure. After all, well have to deal with an endless wave of monsters... I dont know about you, but I wouldnt call having to deal with an endless amount of enemies safe. The four teams, including mine and Calabans, quietly follow after Ferox. When we left the cliff, we were divided into several groups, one for each guide, and we took different paths. To avoid catching the attention of player killers who used the chaos to hunt down other parties, and especially, the attention of the surrounding Calamities. At the start, we had five teams instead of four. As for the missing one they (un)willingly volunteered to be a sacrifice, so that the rest of us could escape a Calamity that found us. Would it have been safer to fight the Calamity together? Sure, we could probably defeat it without any casualties. The problem is that it would have taken quite a lot of time, and we might have lost track of the main group. Furthermore, the main group needs constant reinforcements to keep pushing forward, they need fresh warriors with all their EP and MP. If none of the other groups makes it, if we were late it could spell doom for the entire raid. A noble sacrifice indeed. Well never forget them Uh, who was I talking about? Haha, just kidding. As you all know, its hard to leave tracks inside a dungeon because this is a game. It isnt unusual to find indestructible walls and terrain, so you cant rely on marking them with a scratch or similar things. Some players have designed a way to communicate with the corpses of the defeated enemies or allies, but as you all know, it doesnt apply in this Mystery Event in particular. Ferox the chatterbox continues his explanations. Im sure youre wondering how are we coordinating the reinforcements, then, right? Youre using a skill. Warpoke surprises everyone by answering Feroxs question. Since long ago, there have been small arrows of different colors on the walls. Youve been using those to find the path. Since when was Warpoke so perceptive? I completely missed the marks hes talking about. Ferox crosses his arms and raises one eyebrow. Oho? Can you tell me more? Well, lizardmen dont have eyebrows, so he raises the meaty part on top of one of his eyes instead, but it does look similar. Warpoke seems intimidated by the sudden attention he gets from all the players. But when he notices Im staring at him too, he mutters something to himself and continues his explanation. From what Ive seen so far, were following the blue arrows. The green arrows must show the shortest path back to the cliff, for when you go look for more reinforcements. Im sure the red ones mark the path the raid party took. There are other colors too, which might be related to the other guides. Ferox nods enthusiastically. Then he comes closer to Warpoke and he gets slightly intimidated, but he quickly relaxes when Ferox puts his hand on his shoulder. Youre good! Hahaha, what a nice surprise! Warpoke fidgets nervously. He doesnt know how to react. Hey, wouldnt you be interested in joining us as a guide? Im sure that with a few tips, youd be as good as, if not better, than me. When we rejoin the main group, Ill propose you for the role. How about it? Uh, I He timidly looks at the members of his team. He then sends a glance my way before shaking his head. N-no, Ill stay with my teammates. Oh, what a shame Ferox shakes his head too. Though its understandable if you want to finish the event with the teammates youve known for a while He suddenly stops and makes a serious face. Say would you like to join our guild after this ends? Were always looking for players like you. I-I Dont worry. Theres no need to answer right now. Just remember my name: Ferox. Once this event ends, you can send me a message anytime. Ferox claps his hands to get everyones attention. Alright! Lets continue. We cant waste time. Some of the players send envious looks at Warpoke, who has frozen, before following after Ferox. We follow after our guide too, dragging the dumbfounded Warpoke with us. Still, a skill to leave marks on the walls, huh? I havent heard about anything like that But it makes sense I havent because a skill like that is completely useless. Only in a situation where you expect to play with a lot of other players, where theres a high chance youll have to coordinate with them, and where you need an easy-to-understand way to do so would you ever pick such a skill. Which, now that I think about it Doesnt it make complete sense to pick a skill like that for this Mystery Event? Before starting, we knew we would be assigned to random teams, and that there would be thousands of players playing together. The chances of teaming up with them werent negligible. Furthermore, there has always been something hidden in every Mystery Event, thats why theyre called like this. As expected, people from a guild think differently from normal players. Theyre used to having to coordinate large groups of players. It isnt a surprise that Ferox belongs to one, and that he and his guildmates are the ones coordinating this raid.
The default party size in DMA was four players; and tournaments, special events, and everything else was designed with this number in mind. But not dungeons. After a certain level, the players were allowed to change the maximum number of invaders and turn their dungeon into a raid dungeon: dungeons designed for groups larger than four. As with other games, the players created guilds to defeat them.
Ch 233 - Crashing waves Were here. After leading us to the raid group, Ferox turns around without warning. Good luck, and dont die! He walks back to the cliff where we meet him while waving at us. But then, he suddenly stops, looks in Warpokes direction, and adds before leaving. Ah, and think about my offer, okay? He appeared before us like a storm, chatted the whole way here, and disappeared in the same way as he showed up. So what are we supposed to do now? The players forming the raid party are too busy fighting the monsters ahead to care about our presence. Furthermore, a group of so many people is somewhat intimidating. Everyone hesitates, they dont want to be the first one to talk with them. Its then that one of the players realizes our presence and comes out of the group, shaking his head. That Ferox he could have waited for me, sigh Doesnt matter. Pointy ears. Its an elf. But he doesnt look like all the elven Champions Ive seen so far. Dont misunderstand. It isnt like hes ugly, no. Hes so handsome that Im tempted to land my fist on his face to settle the score. Whats different about him is the feeling he gives. Most players want their elves to look young and innocent, or slightly mischievous. So much that a girl can fall in love with a single peek at their faces. But this elf has a more mature vibe with his neatly trimmed beard and perfectly arranged hair. I can imagine him wearing glasses, glasses that shine and hide the eyes as he laughs, like in the anime But thats a sight Ill never get to see, as elves cant wear glasses. Because they have perfect eyesight? Well, yes but no. The reason they cant wear glasses is because glasses are an accessory that most factions cant use. The reason is that too many glasses would break the fantasy immersion. As far as I know, the only factions that can wear modern glasses are mine and the Magic Engineers, because we have access to high-tech equipment. Other than this a few factions can use similar items, like the dwarves, who can use soldering or pilot glasses, or the monocles from the human nobles but thats all. If you want to know more, please go ask Ricard. And when you do, make sure Im nowhere near. Im way too tired of his endless knowledge drilling sessions. Ferox was the one who guided you here, right? The elf doesnt wait for an answer and continues speaking. He points behind him. As you can see, there are far too many players for me to coordinate alone. You can stay with your team or split up, do as you please. As long as follow the orders and take over the frontline when youre asked to, you can do what you want. You can take this as an easy way to rack up lots of points. His monotonous and severe voice doesnt give us any option but to follow what he says. He makes it clear: we do what he says, or we leave. The elf then looks to the side, where another group of players is waiting. Their guide, unlike Ferox, is giving them instructions instead of leaving. Well then, thank you for your help. Says the elf before leaving us behind. Whats wrong with him? Couldnt he be nicer? Were helping them! Balmy complains. I take a glance at the rowdy bunch of players. As you might expect when such a diverse and random group of players meet, theyre making a lot of noise, jumping around like maniacs, showing off their skills, and doing whatever they please. They do seem to follow someones orders, but they do so as if it were an afterthought. Their immediate fun is whats truly important. Hes tired? I suggest. It isnt easy to reign in other players You just have to take into account the actions Moo, Muribelle, and Balmy have taken since the Mystery Event started to understand what I mean. Theyve given me quite a lot of headaches, and its just the three of them. Scale this to several hundred players, and anybody would lose their patience in mere seconds. Me? Nah, Im perfectly perfect. I never cause any trouble. But still! This doesnt give him the right to treat us like that! Muuu Im angry now! Stop, Balmy! I understand you didnt like his attitude, but why are you punching me? If you want to punch someone, go punch his annoyingly handsome face. This way, youll release both our pent-up desires at the same time. We step into the raid group, and the other players quickly notice our presence. Fresh meat for the grinder, hahaha! Lets bet. How much time do you think will they last? Im saying they piss their pants as soon as they see the horde of zombies up close! Just piss? I bet they shit their pants, hahaha! One of the players gets close to us and suggestively raises one eyebrow. Hey, little girl. Want to spend some nice time with me? Kyaaaaah! Get away from me! Balmy punches me yet again. See? I knew this would happen. This is why I didnt want to come. I shrug my shoulders. Its just the usual stupid banter between stupid players. What did you expect? The ongoing battle continues as we move forward, finding a path between the players who are taking a rest from the frontlines. And then, we see it. A black sea, its waves continuously crashing into the players holding the frontline and doing their best to push them back. I thought the players were using the word zombie as a joke because when the monsters die, they come back to life, but Now I understand. This must be how those facing a zombie apocalypse in the movies must feel like. Aaah! Save me! They got me! One of the players makes a mistake and ends up inside the horde, surrounded. The nearby players look at each other but dont move. They dont want to be the one who takes the biggest risk. *Swish, Bam!* But before the player can be torn to shreds, something flies next to us and explodes upon impact. The explosion kills the black monsters and almost takes the life of the player. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Fucktards! Are you snot-nosed brats scared of weak-ass monsters or what? How many times do I have to tell you to save the other players!? Are your skulls empty? We dont have spares for all you useless fools! Following the trajectory of the projectile, we find a dwarf with a lit cigar in his mouth and a cannon-like weapon thats way too big for his height. He points at two of the surrounding players and then at the one who almost died. You and you. Take that frail useless bastard to the backline, and better not mess up this time. Wow, thats intense. A grumbling, foul-mouthed, stubborn, and angry dwarf. Its the full package! Never thought Id meet a player roleplaying so well in this place. Whatre you looking at? Never seen a dwarf before? The dwarf chews on his cigar as he approaches, inspecting us. Youre fresh recruits, right? Good. Here, Im the boss. Do what I say and I wont kick your asses. Understood? Pressured by the intimidating aura, I instinctively nod. Im sure the rest do the same because the dwarf smiles and nods. Good. Then, fill the hole left by those wimps and do your best to stay alive. If you do kick the bucket, at least bring some bastards down with you, alright? Or Ill be the one to finish you off. He makes a dry laugh. What are you waiting for? Move! The dwarf then turns around and starts giving orders to the other surrounding players with the same gruff tone and crude language. That must be the raids leader, I say to no one in particular. Itll be best if we do what he said. Everyone agrees with my proposal and we start fighting the endless black horde. Still, what a surprise. I imagine the dwarf, the elf, and Ferox must be from the same guild. After all, its clear theyre the ones in charge. And theyre all quite special. Lets leave it at this. Is this why Ferox was interested in Warpoke? Because hes special too? But I must admit it. Only someone like that dwarf can control the chaotic mess of players in this raid. This must be why hes in charge. Maybe hes the guilds leader, even.
Fufufu! Hahaha! Yes, yes! This is life! Aaah, there he goes again Balmy shakes her head, but I decide to forgive the annoying fairy because Im in a good mood. Why am I in a good mood? Ill explain. The screams from the horrifying monsters fill the air, only outweighed by the screams of the dying players and the sounds of explosions. The unending horde never stops, inexorable, crashing into us again and again. We can feel their breath on our skin. A scent of decay fills the air, caused by so many monsters clumped together. And as if this werent bad enough, my MP ran out long ago and Ive been forced into melee combat. I swing my staff with all my might, hoping I dont get surrounded and killed in an instant. So, if everything is so awful, why am I happy? Its because nothing of the above matters. The only thing that matters is the continuously increasing points were getting from defeating so many enemies. Fufufu! Hahaha! I can smell the rewards! Sweet, sweet rewards! Come, monsters, dome to daddy! Ill turn you into something useful. Ill improve you, transforming you into your final forms. Hahaha! All our members are suited for combat against multiple enemies. Moo can tank a lot of damage and reflect it back to the attackers. When backed up by Balmy, hes very useful. And both Muribelle and I have AoE attacks. The amount of enemies weve slain in the last five minutes far exceeds the ones we killed before meeting the raid. I salivate at the thought of the rewards Ill obtain when the event ends. Mission? Final boss? Whats that, is it tasty? Hard-earned cash (points) is the only thing that matters! My delusions get interrupted when the mood of the surrounding players suddenly changes. Were in trouble, Boss! Golem incoming, at four oclock. And its a berserk one! Everyone shuts up at those words. Several berserk golems are roaming around, causing huge damage to their surroundings. Depending on their size, their power changes. If one of the biggest ones crashes into us, the raid can be doomed. We cant allow something like this to happen. I cant lose my source of income! Hah, that junk? The dwarf calls out. What size? Time to impact? Tell me, we dont have all day! Y-yeah. A-about, forty seconds? And i-its one of the l-l-largest ones. For the first time, the dwarf lets go of his cigar and it falls to the ground. Indeed, when I look at it, the golem I see is the same size as the one we found earlier. The one that treated the monsters like flies and squashed them with a single swing of its immense arm. Behind him, theres a dark storm of particles, caused by the numerous dead monsters left in its wake. I dont think well fare any better than those monsters if it reaches us. But we have a way out. Muribelle. Do it. Muribelle, whos standing next to me, gets excited. Do you mean? Yes, I mean it. She makes the gesture to roll up her sleeves although she doesnt have sleeves. Alright. Leave it to me. A large amount of fire starts swirling around her Champion as she prepares her ultimate skill: Meteor. Ive forbidden her from using it unless I told her to because it costs too much MP, but she has been looking forward to a chance to use it on this sea of monsters. Shoot it in front of us but make sure to not kill the players. I know. Dont tell me how to use my skills. Im the master of fire skills. An identical meteor to the one she dropped during Targaroths fight falls from the sky. With a booming explosion, all the monsters get annihilated and a large opening, more than big enough for the whole raid party, is created in front of us. Then, like a tide, the monster horde quickly starts filling it back up. I cant help but open my eyes wide at the sudden spike in our points. Aaah, yes. Yes! Give me more points! Fufufu! Hahaha! What are you waiting for, fucktards!? Push forward! Seize the opening created by that lass! We must move out of that pile of junks path before it turns us all into player paste. Make haste! Uooooh! The players shout in unison as they rush forward, pushing the few remaining monsters to a side. That dwarf is something else, dont you agree?
... If you arent sure what looks would be the best for the monster youre creating, just come and ask me. I dont want to brag, but I know almost everything when it comes to DMA, including the accessories each faction can use and unlock. There are lots of players that dont like spending resources and cp to unlock new customization elements, and theyre wrong. Unlocking everything goes against all efficiency, something you should never do unless youve already reached max level and just want to complete everything, but not unlocking any cosmetics is equally bad. The key is knowing the minimum you must unlock to achieve your goals. If you dont invest in the cosmetic elements, all your monsters will end up looking quite dull, and the lack of differences between them will bore the invaders. This is especially true if you plan on using lots of the same unit. For example, did you know that the human faction can unlock an armor set inspired by the griffins? The armors bracers have claws like those of an eagle, and the enormous cape looks like wings from a distance. If youre creating a Griffin Knight squad and dont unlock that armor, youre stupid. And theres a lot more stuff other than apparel, armor, and weapons you can unlock, depending on the faction. For example, new wing and halo shapes and sizes for the angels, or wings and horns for the greater demons. More colors for the slimes, special body features for the orcs and goblins like tusks or tattoos, or golem parts and shapes for the Magic Engineers. Even the undead can unlock new decomposition stages for their units, like being infested with maggots; as well as new causes of death like burned, frozen, or drowned. - Yet another one of Ricards knowledge drilling sessions. This time, though, Andreu was lucky enough to run away on time. Or was he?
Ch 234 - Into the dark Thanks to Muribelle, the raid party moves out of the berserk golems path and gets even closer to the hole that devoured half the castle. The golem doesnt seem interested in us and keeps advancing in a straight path, leaving destruction and hundreds of monster corpses in its wake. Im sure its because the golem has gone berserk and doesnt care. As long as theres something to smash, it doesnt matter what it is. And since the closest target is the monsters, it ignores us and focuses on the easiest prey. Thank god I can only imagine the mayhem itd have caused if it were to smash right through the middle of the raid party. The raid continues pushing forward, each step being harder than the latter. With me and Muribelle running out of MP, theres nothing much we can do on the frontlines, so we retreat to the middle of the formation to recover. Calabans party stays back because theyre still doing fine. Its the first time weve separated since we met. It doesnt matter. Well see each other for as long as we stay alive. The last stretch is the most dangerous because there are no other buildings near the castle, and monsters surround us in all directions. Even with the players rotating every few minutes, there are inevitable casualties, and by the time we reach the edge of the hole, about a quarter of the players have died. We received reinforcements right before leaving the buildings, and Ferox and the other guides joined us, but even with those extra numbers, the current player count is lower than when we joined. This is one big hole. Mooohahaha! It is I nod, ... and it looks different from what I imagined. Right? It explains how the monsters were getting out. I thought they were climbing, but I was wrong. Mooohahaha! What looked like a sharp cliff next to an abyss is, in fact, a pronounced slope. And at the bottom, I can see nothing, I cant see the bottom. The reason I cant see and also why it deceived us is the same: the hole is filled with dark smoke. Its the same particles released by the monsters upon dying, as well as the same as those that are continuously being sucked inside from all around the labyrinth. The endless stream of monsters emerges from within the dark fog. We can see their shadows grow clearer as they ascend the slope, until theyre fully visible. What we cant see, however, is how they spawn. Not yet, at least. Though I have a vague idea. To avoid problems, it would make sense if they were created into any free space inside the fog. Since the visibility is so bad, no player can see them suddenly pop out of nowhere. ...do we have to go inside? Balmy reluctantly asks, fully aware that its this or being left behind by the raid and swarmed by monsters. Ugh What do you think will happen if I throw a Meteor inside? That we will obtain a lot of points? My eyes start shining in anticipation. Do you have enough MP? No Muribelle shakes her head. What a shame. ...then theres no use thinking about it, is there? Yeah, stop giving me false expectations. A commotion breaks up near the frontlines. The players arent too keen on diving into the dark fog. Why did you stop!? Keep moving! Are you scared of a little darkness? Such wimps! The leader of the raid, the dwarf who everyone calls Boss, points his cannon-like gun to one of the players standing at the front and pulls the trigger. The bullet explodes on his back and throws him inside the fog. Hah! My daughter has more balls than you lot. Jump in before I kick your butts! The other players, now more scared of the dwarf than the darkness, valiantly step forward; and we soon follow. As we step inside, the thick fog caresses our skin. Soon, my vision is reduced to almost nothing. The only thing I can see is Moos giant figure right in front of me and Muribelle, who has a slight glow because shes using a Fire Slime, and whos next to me. The outside sounds get muffled too. Theres a short period of uneasy silence. Everything is dark. Complete silence. The sticky fog is asphyxiating. Im sure that going down to hell must be similar to this. S-stay close to me, Koala. I-I-Ill protect you! Balmy says while shaking. D-dont go away. Theres no need to be scared of the dark. Shes currently perched on top of my head and hugging my fur as if she didnt want to be separated from me ever again. Who did you say was scared again? I roll my eyes at her hypocrisy but decide to let it go. One of us has to be the adult, right? If we both start quarreling like children, there will be no end. Aaaaah! Save me! The silence is interrupted by the shout of a player. The surroundings grow nosier as more and more shouts fill the previous silence. The players dont know what to do, and more and more screams join the previous. I hear the sound of people running, of players leaving the formation. Someone bumps into me and makes me lose sight of my teammates. I stop, and Balmy covers her ears. She starts crying. Hate this I dont want to be here Thank god this is a game and there are no body fluids. Itd be horrible if my fur got covered in snot and tears in real life ah, but I dont have fur in real life, so Im safe. No, but I do have hair Stop! I dont even want to imagine it! The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I dont know wheres the front. I dont know where were supposed to go. If I walk in the wrong direction, the next one to scream could be me. But then, in the middle of the chaos, the Boss powerful voice reaches us. Its as if the fogs muffling was but a lie. Fuck! Are you retarded? Dont split off the group! Follow my voice! No ones allowed to die until I say so, understood!? Like a beacon, we find where to go. Things finally calm down, and the players recover their courage. I dont know why, but the sound of his swearing and rough speech is kind of comforting. I walk towards the direction I heard the grumbling dwarf and soon find Muribelle and Moo. The disturbing experience continues for one minute, when I hear relieved sighs coming from the front. Five steps later, we emerge from the fog and enter a clear space. As soon as she realizes were out, Balmy pats my head to get my attention. Please, dont tell anyone. She asks. You know theyll see it if they watch the video DMA records of this Mystery Event, right? Well, who cares? ...sure. I nod. But I can make fun of you for it, right? Nooooo! Shit, my eardrums. I should just have said yes. Well, at least she left my head and went to pester Moo. Its something. I look around while rubbing my ears at the sudden scream C although I kind of expected it after provoking Balmy. A few stragglers are still jumping out of the fog, but the number has dwindled. The raid leader, the grumbling dwarf, is organizing the rest. About half. Of the hundred players, less than fifty remain. Wow, talk about a massacre I shake my head. Wheres Calaban? It doesnt take long to find him, as hes one of the few players staying close to the fog, the others not wanting to get within ten meters of it. Like me, Calaban is looking around, searching for someone. The single player near him is Thunder Thighs. I walk next to them. Where are the others? I I dont know. Calaban shakes his head. We were in the first line when we went into the fog. Somewhere in the middle, we heard Warpokes shout, and Navigator suddenly left us to find him Why did he leave? Given that their party was in the most dangerous spot, that we lost two out of a total of eight members isnt so bad. Weve lost about half the total number of players, after all. Yeah, it was a stupid move Thunder Thighs shakes her head but suddenly stops and points forward. Ah! Look there! Calaban and I turn our heads simultaneously, just in time to see a familiar orc emerge from the dark fog. As soon as he sees us, he starts walking in our direction. Before he can reach us, Calaban asks him. Did you find WarpC No. Navigator shakes his head. There are worse things than the monsters emerging from the sinkhole inside the fog. I couldnt save him Calaban drops his head. I understand What did you find? What took him? I couldnt see it properly. ... A gloomy mood takes over Calabans team. Hey, hey. It isnt so bad, right? You were in the most dangerous position but only lost one member. I try to cheer them up, patting their shoulders. Look at the rest of the teams, there are a few with only one player remaining. ...Youre right. The mood improves slightly and we decide to get closer to the rest of the raid party. The dwarf is currently admonishing the players while at the same time trying to cheer them up. In his particular way, I mean. Are you made of gelatin!? Stop shaking! We didnt come so far to back away now, right? Are you warriors or chicken? Stand like warriors, fight like warriors! I take this chance to take a look at our surroundings. Were in what looks like some kind of manufacturing facility. It reminds me of the golem forge we saw earlier, but its hard to see because most of it is dilapidated. There are fragments of rock and parts of the fallen castle everywhere. The reason there are no black particles in here is because theyre constantly getting sucked into the dark crystals growing everywhere. They create a safe perimeter. From the angle theyre placed, I believe they create a dome. I say believe because I cant see very far, theres not much light in here. From above, I can see a huge amount of particles swirling, getting sucked into something placed near the center of the dome. I wouldnt be surprised if this is the final boss room As if in response to me, all the black crystals start emitting purple light, and the dome, at least a hundred meters in diameter, becomes fully visible. What immediately grabs my attention is a crystal the size of a bus, situated right in the middle of the dome. Like the other crystals, its shining in a purple light. But then, my eyes inevitably gravitate towards the largest humanoid thing Ive seen in my entire life: a golem with some of those crystals embedded in its body. Remember when I said how big the roaming golem was, the one we found after visiting the golem forge? And how lucky we were to avoid the berserker golem when pushing forward with the raid because it could have spelled our doom? Well, this golem this golem is twice that size. And finally, less noticeable because of their small size compared to the other two, there are a few dwarfs with heavily adorned armor and another dwarf wearing a crown. All of them have completely black skin and are standing next to the giant golem. The dwarf king and the royal guard, probably? Similar to what happened to the crystals creating the dome, the crystals on the golem start shining. The light condenses into several purple beams, which are shot in our direction. One of them is aimed directly at my head! The fuck!? I quickly cover my head with my right hand. The light hits me, and nothing happens? Wait whats this? I realize that the tips of the fingers from the hand I used to protect my head are turning black. Its the same as what Ive seen countless times with the players who die in the dungeon. Im turning into a monster!? Ah, my orb! Shouts Balmy when the black orb she has been holding until now suddenly flies out of her hands toward the central crystal and gets absorbed into it. The same happens to the players holding similar orbs. Thats the least of our worries I think, looking alternatively between my hand and the crystal-infused golem that starts walking in our direction. *Thump, thump!* The whole world shakes under its steps.
DMA released more content during the games life. New factions, new monsters, new skills They had extra care with the latter since they knew they could easily break the games balance. A single skill could interact with others to create a combination that was too powerful. This is why they usually tested the skills in special events before releasing them for the players, though they sometimes also created skills for the events just to see how they would perform, without any intention of adding them to the game.
Ch 235 - Reinforcements? *Thump, thump!* Certain doom approaches us. The Boss starts organizing the remaining players to deal with the golem, possibly the final boss, but Im too concerned about something else to pay proper attention to any of that. Ugh, the power. I can feel it, corroding me from the inside! I grab my right arm, which is slowly turning black. It moves uncontrollably, twisting around, clenching and opening the fingers as if possessed. B-Balmy, please, do something! Cure me! Youre our healer, right? Youre the only one I can rely upon! I do my best to prevent it, but my arm forces me towards her. She observes the encroaching arm with fear and quickly flies away. Kyaaaah! Dont get close to me! I dont want to turn into a monster too! Hahaha! Its nice when the other person plays exactly the way you want for your roleplay. Though Im not sure if shes doing it on purpose or if shes taking this seriously I dont mind either, but Id prefer the former. No, dont run away! Youre my only hope! Youre the only one who can help me! Kyaaaah! My corrupted hand tries to grab her but fails to do so. She dodges with surprising dexterity C dexterity she hasnt displayed since I met her, by the way C and hides behind Thunder Thighs. Shes too scared to stay close to me, but as soon as she feels safe, she peeks from behind her savior, the same as a squirrel. I-I cant control it. Thunder Thighs, it seems youre its new target! My hand and arm continue wriggling in an extremely perturbing way as they push me forward in her direction. Agh, Im sorry! Its consuming me. Balmy didnt help me, so its too late now Dodge! My hand forces me to lunge at her. I end up hugging her as my hand reaches behind her back, searching for Balmy. Kyaaaah! Balmy screams yet another time and flies as far as she can from me. Or as far as she dares go. Shes scared of the whole situation and not only me, so she stays within two meters of our group. However, unlike Balmy, who reacted splendidly, Thunder Thighs just raises one eyebrow and stares at me as if looking at a buffoon. Face-to-face with her, I can feel her eyes boring into me. Dont look at me like that, I was just playing around, okay? Balmys reactions are way too funny and exaggerated, I couldnt the perfect occasion to make her scream pass by. You understand, right? Uh Khm! What do you think? Is it dangerous? I ask her to break the uncomfortable situation as I take a step back, showing her my arm. Those of us who got hit, are we going to turn into monsters? Thunder Thighs shrugs her shoulders. I dont know. It does look similar to when a corpse turns into one of those black humanoids, though. Shit I then check the status screen and realize that something is indeed going on. Undispellable curse that reduces HP. My maximum HP is falling at a rate of two per second. So I am indeed going to die There were a few more players who got hit by the light, and we all got cursed. I can see them slowly turning black like me. But having your maximum HP reduced is the least disruptive that can happen during combat, so at least theres that. ...I have some time left. Lets make the best use of it, I say, crossing my arms and standing still. Arent we going to help? Thunder Thighs points at the group of players engaging the colossal golem. We should all do our part. Eeeh!? Are you kidding!? You want us to jump into a fight with the final boss without knowing anything about it!? Leave the boss to the pros, I think, shaking my head. The Boss and his guildmates account for almost half of the surviving players, and theyre specialists at dealing with things like this. You just need to see how they coordinate to know Im right. We should leave them the chance to shine, Thunder Thighs. Who do you think we are to take this chance away from them, huh? We have next to no experience dealing with such monsters, and even less experience when it comes to coordinating with a large number of players. If we were to join, wed be more of a nuisance than actual help. Tsk, tsk, tsk! You must know your strengths and weaknesses, Thunder Thighs. Okay, Ill admit it I might be too scared to join. But this doesnt mean my excuses make any less sense! Understood!? Of course we are, but not yet. I make sure to sound as calm and intelligent as I can, to make up for my previous blunder. We would just disturb them in the initial phase. Well wait here and make sure nothing unexpected happens while theyre busy. Well wait until they give us orders. I think so too, agrees Calaban. Theres little we can do there. By the way, in the background of our conversation and the absolutely necessary scare to Balmy, Calaban and Navigator have been watching how the Boss and the other players started the fight against the actual Boss and the corrupted dwarfs. As for Moo and Muribelle Moo was hit in the chest by one of the purple beams like me. Its not that he couldnt evade, or that he was surprised by the sudden attack like me, but that he didnt even try to get out of its path. He just let the beam hit him. Im sure he wanted to test what would happen. And since then, Muribelle has been burning him with her hand as they both giggle like fools. Theyre a pair made in heaven. Or in hell, depending on your viewpoint. Does the curses effect get reduced if I burn the affected area? Im not sure, lets try again. Sizzling sounds ensue. Moohaha, it tickles! Sigh! Why are they so adamant on hurting each other? At this rate, Moo is going to die You know what? Im going to pretend I didnt notice and focus on the ongoing battle. Blissful ignorance. What a crazy bunch of players I got paired with. Thank god we met Calaban and his party, as theyre normal. Me? What are you talking about? I was just playing with the child so the rest of the team could enjoy the Mystery Event. Im by far the most normal player in this double team. The fight grows in intensity as the players grow more accustomed to the golems moves. In between swears and grumblings, the dwarf player leads his guild members, as well as a few of the other players who decide to join the fight, with expertise and precision. This doesnt mean there arent any casualties. With a kick, the golem sends an unlucky player flying out of the dome and right into the dark fog. I dont imagine him coming back from this. To put you into perspective, the tip of the golems foot is so big that the experience must be similar to being run over by a truck. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Ouch, that must have hurt I comment. Youre right. Calaban agrees. In the middle of the chaos, we hear the dwarfs voice. I told you to dodge to the right! Why did he stand still? Stupid bastard. Dont come back, we dont need useless players like you! You lot, learn from his stupidity and follow my orders! Or else He raises his cannon-like weapon. I must say that the main reason why the players dare to face such a big monster comes from the fact that they cant stay back. If they do, the dwarf will shoot them with his cannon-like weapon. He has my respect. He knows how to deal with other players. The golem stomps on the ground and sends the nearby players back. Then one of its arms opens up and a burst of fire, reminiscent of a dragons breath, spews forth. The players scramble to get out of the flames path while screaming. At the end of the combo, the golem smacks the ground with a punch, using the fire as a smokescreen, and turning his target into player paste. Im not kidding, that player experienced the fastest and most gruesome death Ive seen in this game. From full to zero HP in an instant. Now, only the players corpse remains as a testament to his existence. But the players arent taking this without retaliating. A team of three, led by the dwarf, is keeping the golem busy while the other players act like furious locusts, chasing after it and continuously attacking with everything they have. Spells and arrows are flying everywhere, and the golems huge size makes it perfect for a multitude of players to attack it simultaneously in melee range. Is it effective? Maybe? Im not so sure. Theres barely a dent on the golems HP bar. But it does look awesome from this distance. What are you all waiting for? Attack! If youre too scared to get close, use ranged attacks! Stop wasting time! Just dont act like fools and dont get the aggro, or Ill kick your butts before that robot can! The dwarf, the leader of this raid party, turns to us, the players who arent participating, and orders us to join the combat. We look at each other, shrug our shoulders, and start casting spells and using our ranged attacks. Not me, though. Im specialized in area of effect attacks. Wasting my MP here would be meaningless. I observe everything with the intent to not miss a single detail. Um where did I leave my popcorn again? A new barrage of spells falls upon the giant golem, and his HP bar finally seems to start going down. Sure, its slow, but the change is now visible. The golem doesnt take it too kindly, though. Without making any noise other than its thunderous steps and clinking of metal parts and gears, the golem starts trashing around with all its might. From its right foot, fire bursts out, propelling it forward. In a circular motion, the golem sends the locusts (players) flying, although not as far as that first unlucky player. The fire then creates a protective film around it, stopping most of the projectiles. Fuck! Reorganize! Dont let that piece of garbage wander around freely! The players quickly reorganize themselves, a testament to their experience. They rush at the golem from all sides and the golem counteracts with another barrage of purple beams, infecting more players with that nasty curse. Then, it points the other hand, the one that doesnt have the flamethrower at a group of players standing far from it and shoots a wide white beam at them. One of them takes it head-on to protect the rest, and his HP bar falls to a quarter of its initial value. I wonder which ones are more dangerous, I think, the beams that slowly but certainly kill you, or the ones that can kill you immediately I check my arm. The black area has already reached the shoulder. I try moving it around and can do so properly, but theres a protrusion growing out of my forearm. Something is growing there, and Im not sure I want to know what it is. Im actually turning into a monster I never thought Id say this. After all, my original Champion is already a monster, dont you agree? My thoughts get interrupted by the sudden shouts of players coming from behind. Something I didnt expect, as were the ones closer to the dark fog. Calaban and Navigator, who have few ranged skills turn around with me, but the members of the other parties and those engaged with the golem dont notice the ruckus, as the noise of their battle is too loud. Soon, another group of forty to fifty players emerges from the fog, led by a handsome but snob elf player. Everything from his posture to his gaze shows that he believes himself to be superior to all the surrounding players, even his teammates. The new group sees the situation were in, and after a short talk, they walk towards the main raid team. Scram! Says the dwarf, upon seeing the elfs face. We dont need the help of pointy ears like you! Your mere presence is disgusting! Go back to your flowery bed, lie down, and drink that disgusting, alcohol-free drink you like so much. Leave this to the real men. All elves could go die in the sewers for all I care. He makes the gesture of spitting on the ground, but no spit comes out of his mouth. The elf looks down on him, both literally and figuratively, and says with a haughty tone. Is that so? I thought we could help you deal with an opponent thats clearly above your rank, but if you insist Dont worry. Well make sure to take over when you inevitably fail. Is this the famous rivalry between dwarves and elves? Aah, I was looking forward to this, I can die happy now. As the dwarf and the elf engage in a verbal battle, the members of the two guilds ignore them and join forces to fight against the golem. From their natural way of going about it, this must be a usual occurrence. Oho? So were not the first ones? From the other side of the dome, a third group of players pops up, this time led by a female human clad in armor from head to toe. How do I know its a female and not a male? Well, from the voice and, well, the chest area. Ah, dont tell me the crude dwarf and the snooty elf are at it again She shakes her head. Ill take charge as usual, then. You lot focus on assisting for now. The newcomer decides to take charge of the situation on her own. Meanwhile, the dwarf and elf continue arguing. From how heated their discussion has become, I wouldnt be surprised if they turned to violence anytime now. The fight continues with renewed vigor with the influx of more players, and the fight starts turning in favor of the players. The golem has trouble dealing with over a hundred players at the same time and starts to struggle to keep up. But right then, something changes. The light coming from the crystals creating the dome fades off, and they stop absorbing the black particles. Although the majority of the particles are still getting absorbed into the central crystal, the fog starts inching closer, reducing the area we can see. Its then that we see the armored dwarves and the fallen king fiddling with something around it. Everyone ignored them because the golem took all our attention. Whatever they did, Im sure itll be pretty bad. Now free, the black particles flow unnaturally and concentrate on the same places, creating large clumps that solidify into monsters. Have you ever seen someone disintegrating in a film? You know, like turning to dust and vanishing into the air. This is the same but in reverse. And its pretty disgusting, I must add. The players panic. Everyone starts attacking the nearby monsters and the once controlled situation spirals into chaos. The girl leading the raid cant keep up with the changes. Then, as if this wasnt enough, the ground not far from where were standing splits up and a platform rises, like an elevator. On top, theres a bunch of blackened dwarfs with specialized equipment that are working on something huge. Something that looks identical to the golem were currently facing. Unlike the golem were fighting, this ones crystals arent emitting any light, but this doesnt seem to be any problem, as from the central crystal, black particles leave it in mass, flow into the inert golem, and they start emitting light. Nooo! Stop them! Im the only one allowed to do these kinds of things! Its unfair! My sudden shout attracts the attention of every player, the arguing dwarf and elf included, and I feel all their eyes on me. Its somewhat intimidating At first, they send me a look as if to ask Is he crazy? but when they see what Im pointing at, their expressions turn to either anxiety or despair. But before anyone can react, the ground splits up two more times, and two platforms like the first start to rise. Were facing three additional golems, the same size as the final boss, which are about to be activated. What the hells going on here!? A fourth raid party appears just in time to see everyones reactions. Nobody pays them any attention, though.
Mass-produced final bosses!? Who the hell thought that would be a good idea? Bring them to me! Only I am allowed to do such a thing!
Ch 236 - Acting like a fool I cant stand this. Im the only one allowed to inflict such despair on the other players, the DMA staff isnt allowed to copy my ideas C which are listed in a note I lost a long time ago, but this doesnt mean I cant complain. Go to hell! Chain Lightning! The lightning leaves my hand and strikes a group of dwarfs surrounding one of the inactive golems. The damage I deal is high, but all of them survive. With my spell as the trigger, the other players snap out of it and swarm towards the three sleeping golems. If a single golem required so many players to deal with, what would happen if there were four of them instead? That must be whats occupying their minds right now. The domes size isnt big enough to fight them all; in fact, it feels smaller now that the crystals absorbing the dark particles have been deactivated. Furthermore, with monsters spawning everywhere, even right next to the players, the available space feels cramped. At the same time, the alchemists, constructors, or whatever they are take defensive positions, and the corrupted royal guards move to the front. They put their shields one next to the other, creating one of the famous shield walls. The shields are so big compared to their size that I cant see the dwarfs hiding behind them. If the battle looked like an epic tale about defeating a single, powerful monster, now its just a bunch of players doing whatever they think is the best to stay alive. It reminds me of the ongoing chaos in the large city above us. Hey! Dont all of you leave the boss! We need a large group to deal with it! The human raid leader tries to get the players attention, to no avail. Do you hear me!? Aaagh, if only the snob and the drunk would help She starts pulling on the hair that sticks out of her helmet, the only part thats visible from her body. But shes wrong. The dwarf and the elf raid leaders have stopped arguing and are coordinating the surrounding players. Its just that they are part of the group thats trying to prevent the golems from awakening. Two of them believe its best to focus on the sleeping golems before they turn into a menace; and the other believes that if they dont stop the awakened golem, they will all die. This causes the few players who are listening to them to hesitate, and nothing gets done. Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is just like watching politicians do their work You know, they always look for their own benefits exclusively, disregarding everything else But I dont have any reason, nor power, to intervene. The only thing I want to achieve is stopping those guys who are using my tactics without my permission! Hello? Can someone tell us what should we do? We want to help. Hello? Anyone? The leader of the fourth group of players asks, confused. But everyone ignores him and his teammates. Who is he and what Champion is he using? I dont know, Im included in the everyone ignores him faction. ...someone? No? Youre going to pay for your transgressions! Lets do it, Muribelle. Double Firebaaaaaall! Firebaaall! Our double Fireball soars through the air, crossing a multitude of spells, attacks, projectiles, and everything you can imagine, and explodes on the immovable dwarf shield wall. The fire spreads, affecting the players that are trying to break through, as well as two monsters that just spawned. Hey, aim properly! Are you a noob? Dont hit your allies! They complain. One of them even gives me the middle finger and attacks me with one of the weakest spells: Light Arrow. Fuck you, idiot. Aahh It feels great to release pent-up emotions on totally unrelated parties. Since they showed up, Ive been waiting for a chance to release this thing inside me Now Im at peace. I dont care about their words or the fact that they attacked me. Muribelle, lets do it again. She smiles like a child with a birthday present. Yeah. Lets burn it all! Hahaha! Double Firebaaaaaaaaaaaall! The fire spreads with a loud explosion as per usual. Im going to kill you, rat bastard! One of the players shouts after the fire is exhausted. Hes a random nobody. I might or might not have aimed near him on purpose because he attacked me just a second ago. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Hahaha! Try it! I say, pointing at the chaos everywhere. With the players moving everywhere, the spawning monsters, the giant golem, and the dwarves protecting the inactive ones, hell need a miracle to reach me without dying first. With our last double spell, the dwarven lines finally budge, and the players manage to break through. But then, from behind, we can see that those workers that were activating the golems are now wielding menacing weaponry. They start shooting lasers similar to the ones shot by the final boss. The dwarven royal guards protect them with smaller shields that were embedded into the other shields they were using until now and leave the giant shields stuck to the ground, acting as obstacles. When did we change genres? I thought this was fantasy and not scy-fy. Steampunk? Aaagh, I dont know anymore.
Hmm Flying above the final boss arena, I watch the ongoing battle. The lack of vision due to the dark particles is perfect, I just need to fly slightly above the free area to stay hidden. The spectacle below me isnt too different from the one above ground. If I had to say one difference, it would be the fact that we, the Calamities, arent allowed to participate in this fight. I shouldnt be here, either. But as long as I dont intervene, they cant act against me. ...this is what happens when you put lots of players together but theres no command chain. They just do whatever they think is the best and interfere with each other. Instead of acting like a single unit, theyre scattered everywhere. This makes them easy pickings for the spawning monsters. Even worse, their attacks interfere with the other teams, and it isnt rare that they hit each other with them. I can see Bargrum and Iyrandar in the mix, but theyre competing for who kills more enemies instead of organizing the players. The two arent bad players, its just its just that they take the roleplaying to an excessive level. When theyre alone, its fine; but when they meet, it never ends well. I can also see Hyrja, the guild leader of Silverblast, but shes too inexperienced in her role. It hasnt been two months since she took over the position. As for the last guy who came in, leading a smaller group of players I dont know who he is, but everyone is ignoring him. Sigh. Such noobs I shake my head, ...theyre all focussing on the wrong things. Sure, the golem is big and scary. Its strong, too. But it isnt the true danger, as demonstrated when the players were doing a good job against it. The golems that are about to wake up are as strong as the first one, so theyre the same. The true danger of this battle isnt the golems or the dwarfs. It has been sitting in front of everyone since the start: its the central crystal. How can they be so blind? Even the quest they got, although incomplete, says it clearly: destroy x before its too late. Im sure they assume they must unlock more information, but theyre wrong. The reason the mission contains interrogation marks is because, according to the lore they gave us, the dwarves didnt know the name of the thing they discovered. Thats why it has no name. Tsk. It hurts me to my core, having to watch them act like fools. Usually, I wouldnt be here. Watching other players act like noobs, or having to witness when they use skills in the wrong way irks me to no end. Its like when you watch kids making up the rules of your favorite board game. However, Im here for a reason. Im here because I want to see how Andreu goes about this. As far as I can see, he hasnt realized the truth yet. Come on if you can beat me, Im sure you can do this too If he doesnt realize the truth, Ill feel horrible. How can someone who beat me in almost every game we played lose to inexperienced players? Are you trying to imply theyre worse than me, because theyre better than you, you who beat me? Ugh I hold my head, ...I should limit myself to watching the spectacle. Its true that, usually, Clara would be with him. If we hadnt fought as she desired, she might have met Andreu by now and they would be together. He believes himself smart, but its always her who, without him realizing it, manipulates him from the back so that his plans are successful. Is this why he hasnt realized yet? A player catches my attention because its acting different from all the others. Wait. That player Instead of fighting the monsters, the boss, or the dwarves protecting the inactive golems; the player is staring at an invisible screen and glaring at the central crystal. That girl have I seen her somewhere before? I never forget a face Ive seen, but when was it? After nodding to herself, the girl looks around. She seems dissatisfied with what she sees, which doesnt surprise me: only noobs acting like noobs everywhere. She starts to go around the dome, staying out of trouble. She seems to be alone. When one or more monsters get close to her, she Blinks away, and the monsters start attacking the surrounding players. Ahaha. Thats funny. I laugh at the surprised players reactions. Shes not that bad. Finally having found someone who seems to have some brain, I observe her every move. By the time she has made half the lap around the dome, C she had to go into the fog at one point, to avoid the boss rampage C she suddenly opens her eyes wide open and sprints towards Andreu. Her horns and hear-shaped tail make it impossible to mistake. Shes a succubus. Ah! I remember now.
As Andreu suspected, the DMA staff in charge of this Mystery Event did indeed use his tactics of manipulating the players emotions for the last battle. They got the inspiration from watching his videos and replays. To be more precise, it was a single worker obsessed with watching him and laughing at everything he did: a woman who spent the Mystery Event watching a giant screen in a dark room with several other smaller screens. She was under a blanket and had a drink in one hand, and a popcorn cup in the other.
Ch 237 - Right under your nose Muribelle, lets do it again. Are you ready? I ask, casually aiming near the player who insulted me twice just because he didnt like my face. On my count. One, two Buu! Something strikes my shoulders at the same time it makes that sound. HieeC Kyaaaaaah! I shout, surprised. And Balmy, who as usual has been borrowing my head as her perching place, shouts even louder than me. I cover my ears with my hands as fast as possible, but its too late. Ugh, my eardrums What the fuck? An attack? Is it a monster? If so, why didnt Lightning Shield trigger? I should have seen the visual effects even if the attack came from my back Whats going on? When I turn around I find two people. The first one is Balmy, who released me after the surprise. Like a scared cat, she has all her hair standing up and glares at the other person as if they were their worst enemy. Shes even making hissing noises. As for the other person Lily? I didnt expect to meet you here! I tilt my head. But how did you find me? Yeah, even if both of us found our way to the last boss, how did she find me? With so many players around and the chaos of the ongoing battle, itd be hard to find the other one even if we knew the other was near and actively searching for them. It wasnt that hard. Your loud laughing and lightning effects are easy to recognize. Fufufu! Hahaha! Ill turn you into fodder for my next creations! She imitates me. Ahaha Was I doing such a thing? I dont remember ever doing anything like that My eyes spin around as I do my best to delude myself. Khm! So are you here for the secret quest too? Laura nods. Yes, I am. And whos this little girl? Is she your younger cousin? She asks, pointing at Balmy. Balmy opens her eyes so wide they seem theyll fall from their sockets, staring at a certain part of Lauras Champion. Her chest area, to be more precise. She then covers her inexistent chest and explodes in anger. Little girl!? Are you implying something? Kyaah! We must kill her! Shes the enemy of all fairies! No, shes the devil! We must purify her! She makes a stabbing motion with her empty hand. Lets start by slicing the unnecessary fat sacks Hehehe Balmy tries to fly towards Laura, but I grab her by one leg before she can do something stupid. Release me! Youre supposed to be my ally! Shut up for a while, Balmy. I cover her mouth with my hand. Balmy struggles to get out of my grab, biting me in the process. But her Strength stat is so low I take almost no damage. She does trigger Lightning Shield, though, and the shock she receives from it seems to calm her down. Even so, she keeps glaring at both of us. What an annoying and flat-chested fairy Hahaha, Im sure shed explode again if she could read my thoughts. She isnt my cousin. Shes just my teammate. I give Laura an answer to her question. My other two crazy teammates are Muribelle, I point at her, whos standing a few steps away from us, burning enemies while laughing like a maniac, and Moo, the minotaur over there Upon realizing Im implying shes crazy too, Balmy starts biting my hand again. This time, she bites me a few times, until Lightning Shields cooldown ends and gets electrocuted. How persistent. I finish my introductions pointing at Calabans party. They, as well as Moo, have been keeping the monsters away from our group while I and Muribelle attacked the dwarfs protecting the inactive golems. ...and those three over there are also my teammates. Well, they arent on the same team, but weve been playing together since the middle of the Mystery Event. I see. At her downcast look, I realize theres no other player who came near to us, just her. And you? Are you alone? Yes. They died long ago when a Calamity ambushed us. But it doesnt matter because Ive met you now, she smiles. Oh, I also met Baldy a while ago. He was riding one of the golems. Ugh how envious I am I wanted to ride a golem too! I wanted to order one to squash my enemies under its feet, while I laughed perched on its shoulder. That would have been so amazing. When I asked him if he wanted to come with me, he told me it was a waste of time. That it was more effective to accumulate points steadily using his golem than facing the unknown and possibly dying. Hahaha, I chuckle. This is so typical of Ricard. Efficiency over fun, as always. He was constantly bickering with Barbarian. She was sitting on the golems shoulder, and they were fighting over the golems control. I tilt my head. Who? You know, one of the members of the party that defeated us in the tournament. The girl with the large axe and reckless behavior. Aha I remember now I nod. No, seriously. Who? So Do you want to join us in defeating the dwarves? I change the topic. In case you dont know yet, we need to defeat them before the golems awaken or well have to face four final bosses at the same time. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Yeah, it was hard to understand whats going on because the ongoing chaos in this place isnt much different from the one in the city above us. But I dont understand. Why are all of you so focused on the golems instead of completing the hidden quest? Isnt it obvious? If we dont, theyll kill us all I dont understand what she means. Seeing the enormous question written on my face, she reformulates her question. Why arent you trying to destroy the quests objective? ...Huh? ...? Both Balmy and I tilt our heads at the same time. Im sure we both would have made the same stupid sound, too, if I wasnt covering her mouth. It says it here, in the missions description, right? Find the ????? and destroy it before its too late. Why arent you trying to destroy instead of wasting time with the golems? Thats Im completely lost. What are we supposed to destroy? How are we supposed to destroy something if we dont know what it is? She shakes her head at my question. Its almost as if she was disappointed in me. Its as if she expected more but that cant be, Im sure of it. If theres no name, it doesnt necessarily mean the information is hidden. In this whole city, and lets not forget that the missions description was unlocked once we stepped inside it, the place thats the most suspicious is this hole from which monsters spawn nonstop. Inside it, you just happen to find several final-boss-level monsters. And right next to them Laura leaves the sentence unfinished on purpose, expecting me to finish it. I start looking around, searching for the answer. There are players. Monsters and dwarfs. The four golems, the black fog, the dwarf''s shields. Spells and arrows flying everywhere More players, more monsters And a giant something that looks like a black crystal right in the middle of everything. Something I have no idea what name I should use to refer to it, because Ive never seen anything else like that before. Ooh Aah! I must have sounded like a fool. Khm! And right next to them, theres this incredibly suspicious and giant crystal that has been absorbing the dark particles released by all the monsters and players when they die Which also happens to be the golems source of power. Balmy starts nodding her head right next to me. Oooh, nice job, big-titted slut. Just for this, Ill recommend you to the Great Fairy Explorers Guild. Of course, you cant be one of our regular members, but you can be an honorary one! I could have sworn I had her gagged When did she get free from my grip? Was it when I was looking for the answer? Laura ignores Balmy and slowly applauds my discovery. Well done. You just needed me to almost explain everything to realize the truth. Ugh I was too busy with other things, okay? Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, she waves her hand around as if to dismiss my pathetic excuse. So, what are we going to do? Can we destroy it? And more importantly, whats wrong with your arm? I shudder. Its not that Ive forgotten about it, but that Ive intentionally tried to forget. Whatever is growing on my arm is now as big as my head, and it seems to have eyes and teeth Ah, this? Its a long story. It all started whenC He got shot by a purple beam the boss uses and is now turning into a monster. Balmy proudly explains, interrupting me. She puffs out her chest. Hes now on his way to turning into one of the monsters were fighting, and Im waiting for him to fully transform so I can kill him and make him pay for all his transgressions! Revenge is a dish served cold, as cold as his corpse, hahaha! Hey! Let me finish my made-up story! If you want to tell the truth, at least wait until Ive finished with the lie! Balmy flies away, hiding behind her newly acquired worst enemy and honorary fairy explorer, whos called Laura, before I can grab her and make her regret her words. Ill catch you when you come back, you little bug! I swear to myself. Ahaha dont listen to her. Shes right, but just dont listen to her or youll regret it. Hey! Youre the one she shouldnt listen toC I wasnt planning on doing so. Laura starts poking at one of the eyes on my arm, nodding to herself. Does it interfere in your Champions movement? Dont ignore me! Kyaaaaah! With screaming sounds in the background, I poke at my arm with one finger. No, it feels the same as usual. It just looks weird and gives me goosebumps every time I see or touch it. Like this? She sticks her finger inside inside a hole, lets leave it at that. I didnt feel anything, I shake my head. Hey, me too. Me too! Balmy starts poking my arm too. Ugh, this is disgusting. I know I swore Id make Balmy pay, but I cant keep looking. It reminds me of the monsters from the Abyss faction, and I dont want to have anything to do with them. Instead, I force myself to focus on the topic we should be thinking about: the crystal sitting in the middle of the chaos. It seems nobody realized the truth yet, because theres no one else paying any attention to it. Now that Im observing it, I start to notice a few things. With so much chaos going on, its impossible there wouldnt be a few spells and attacks landing on it, even if by accident. When they hit the crystal, it breaks into tiny fragments, leaving a small hole. But then, more crystal grows from the main body and repairs the damage done. Furthermore, it seems that the crystal is slowly growing over time. Something huge, and with huge I mean dangerous, is getting ready, and Im sure thats what we have to stop. Now that I know whats the true objective of the secret mission, I cant stop thinking that the golems are but a distraction. Ive noticed it too, says Lily from my side, but I believe that if all the players attack it simultaneously, we can break it faster than it can regenerate. I test using Cold Blast, but the damage is negligible. The crystal repairs itself in less than a second. With Chaotic Blast, the damage is perceptible, but it isnt strong enough to keep up with it. Hyaaah! Die! Balmy does her best too. Although she shouts a lot, her attacks arent exactly what youd call strong. Why dont we get the help of the other players? Insists Laura. No, it wont work. I start thinking about a possible solution. The problem with Lauras idea is that it requires the other players to collaborate. We dont know how much time we have left, and convincing them all in the middle of this chaos will take too long. Furthermore, by how brightly the crystals of the inert golems are shining, theyll start moving anytime soon. When they do, itll be impossible to convince the players to focus on anything else. Taking this into account, I can only think of one possible answer to our problem. A plan thats so crazy that itll solve all our problems. So tell me, Lily. Since youre the one with the most experience when it comes to designing adventures and dungeons for tabletop games, I have a question for you. What do you think are the chances that the golems will explode after we defeat them? Both Balmy and Laura open their eyes wide open at my question. Hahaha, its funny that this is the first time theyve reacted in the same way since they met.
Nobody expected that the Mystery Event would end with a bang literally.
Ch 238 - Mission: Don’t die This is it. What do you think of my plan? Hmm As I ponder Andreus plan, I watch his teammate, the fairy player, tilting her head and dead eyes. Shes sitting on top of his head. I dont mind if she acts like this, sticking to Andreu all the time, because shes too childish. Theres no way anything would happen between them. I was the one who told you there was a high chance that the golems would explode upon death, but arent you taking it for granted? What if they dont? Thats why my plan is so great! When the players start paying attention to us, itll be easier to make them focus fire on the crystal, even if the golems dont explode. Hmm With a finger over my lips and a seductive smile, I start analyzing his plan once again. It could work. This might be the craziest plan he has thought of so far, but theres a small chance itll work. If I take into account that if we do nothing, were guaranteed to fail, its worth taking the risk. But theres a huge hurdle we must overcome, something Im sure he didnt take into account. What will we do if that lady knight opposes you and convinces the players to do something else? I say, pointing at the woman whos trying to coordinate the players fighting the single awakened golem. Uh, what? Andreu makes a surprised face. Why would she do that? Oh, I dont know. Maybe because shes the only one who has been trying to put some order in this chaos? Im sure shed love to watch you barge in and break whatever plan shes trying to put into motion. Oh, that He waves his hand as if to shoo away the thought. Dont worry, Im sure well manage somehow I raise one eyebrow. Is that so? Yeah, yeah... Itll work, somehow. It always does... Hahaha If hes so sure, why is his voice faltering? Why are his eyes spinning in circles? He doesnt look too convincing, but I dont care. Regardless of the outcome, Ill be sure to nag him about how reckless he was and cheer him up if he fails. Im looking forward to it. After making him wait for a while, I nod to end his suffering. ...alright, do whatever you want. Ill believe in you. Nice! Hey, everyone! Were stepping forward! He doesnt waste any time before rounding up the rest of his teammates. Ah, how much I wish I was paired with him I wonder what crazy stuff he went through. I wanted to stay by his side and help him where he fell short. While Andreu explains the plan to the rest of his teammates, I start making adjustments to it. Ill do my best to help where I can.
Nothings going as I want. Damn Bargrum and Iyrandar theyre worse than cats and dogs; whenever they meet, they start fighting! If theyre alone, they perform perfectly as guild leaders, so why cant they keep their shit together when they meet each other? Why is it always me who has to mediate between them and take over their duties? Im tired of this I shake my head. Im not suited for this responsibility What are you saying, lady Hyrja! Youre the most beautiful flower with the sharpest sword! Its evident you had to be the one to take over the leader position! ...stop, Morg. Im not in the mood for this. But He tries to retort, but I glare at him. Fine. My squire is a little bit too excited about serving me. Like the damn dwarf and elf, hes a bit too much into his roleplay. From bootlicking to excessive compliments to overprotectiveness, he takes it a bit too far. Hows the situation over there? In the direction Im pointing, more than half of the players are trying to take down the three golems. Theyre the same size as the one were currently fighting, so theres a high chance theyre as strong as this one. Four final-boss-level monsters the devs have gone too far with this event. Well The fools who dared disobey your ordersC Go to the point, Morg, I interrupt him. ... they have been fighting hard to slay the golems. They dismantled one. The other two are starting to move and will soon join the fight. I groan. Weve been too slow. We should have focussed on a single thing. With an indignant look in his eyes, Morg starts complaining. Its their fault! If they had followed your orders from the start, nothing of this would have happened! This is why Leaving Morgs long explanation as background noise, I observe the battlefield. The first golem, who weve been fighting all along, has no more than 20% of its HP left. But I can see two more similar figures standing up in the distance. ...thats why I say we must instill respect on those noobs who Morg, I cut him, go find Bargrum and Iyrandar and bring them to me. Drag them by their ears if needed. Alright! He leaves, happy to comply, and runs towards the dwarf and the elf who are competing for who kills more monsters. Nobody cares who wins your stupid competition! Just snap out of it and do your job! Now isnt the time to argue. We must- I stop talking because a meteor appears from the fog, dropping from above. Whos the idiot who did this!? Evacuate the area! Everyone, run! The area affected by the Meteor spell is so huge that half the boss room will be affected. Thanks to my shout, a chain reaction starts with the closer players. They look up, realize whats going on, and start running from the impact area. Then, the nearby players follow the same steps and soon, most of the players are running away. Before the two golems started to create mayhem, I wanted to set everyones positions, but now its impossible. Fighting more than one boss at the same time doesnt necessarily make the fight more difficult. As long as you know their patterns, a good team can set up a good formation and protect and attack at the same time. But now that everyone is scattering to avoid the meteor, itll be impossible. Run to the edges of the dome but dont enter the fog! The meteor wont hit you there! I shout. Meteor isnt a lethal spell. The damage it deals isnt something to scoff at, but it wont kill any player of the same level as the caster. This doesnt make it any less dangerous, though. The sheer size of its impact area makes it a very powerful spell against hordes of enemies. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I never wanted to be the guild leader. I liked being the second-in-command more. Why cant anything go my way? Sigh. Following my own advice, I too move to the edge of the dome. The players run as if possessed, ignoring everything around them. The boss chases after the running players, but its slower than them, and the other two golems are still waking up and dont move away. Theyll all suffer damage from the spell. The explosion created by the meteor makes the ground tremble. The loud explosion sound is followed by the unusual clinging of breaking glass. The visual effects prevent me from seeing anything, so I dont know what made it. When the dust clears up, a player laughing on top of the collapsing dark crystal gets everyones attention. As he cackles maniacally, the crystal starts repairing itself. Fufufu! Hahaha! Good job surviving that, everyone! The players throw swears and insults at him, but he doesnt care. Ooh, thank you for your cheers! Now, if you wouldnt mind, can you all attack this golem to finish it off? The player points at the first golem, the one weve been fighting all along. After the Meteor struck it, its HP has finally fallen below the 10% mark. You see, our team has run out of MP and cant finish the jobC Before he can finish, the three golems throw a coordinated laser attack at him. But before they hit, a barrier blocks them. Its then that I notice a few more players standing around him. Hes so loud that they went unnoticed. Tsk, tsk, tsk! He shakes his finger to taunt the golems. Did you expect wed take the Meteor head-on? Were prepared for this! Hahaha! The only thing affected by the golems attacks is the giant crystal theyre standing on. Every time one of their lasers, flamethrowers, or fists lands on the players, the crystal breaks and starts regenerating. Some players do follow his instructions and start attacking the wounded golem. Though Im not sure if they do so because he instructed them or because theyre aiming at him at the same time. Who does he think he is, to disturb the raid like this Anger wells up from within me. Everyone, stop! Dont help them! Well let them die and restart the raidC Dont interfere. I turn around at the voice coming from behind. There shouldnt be anything behind me, just the black fog. When I do, I find someone blending inside the fog, barely visible. The single element standing out of the darkness is her halo. Dont interfere, repeats the same familiar voice. Y-youre What are you doing here, s-sempaiC The shadow in front of me suddenly disappears. At the same time, I feel something hard on my neck, sticking between the chestplate and the helmet. Shht! Didnt I tell you to never call me like that again? Assist him if possible, he might save you all. Save us, what do you mean? I turn around to face the speaker, but I find nobody. She vanished as quickly as she appeared. Her voice reaches me from inside the fog, slowly fading away. I wasnt here, and I didnt tell you anything, okay? Wait! By the time I react, its too late and she has completely disappeared. Lady Hyrja, I brought them with me! What are your orders? And who were you talking to? N-nothing. Its nothing. I shake my head, observing Morg and the two guild leaders he brought with him. Theyre glaring at each other with their arms crossed. So she came to warn me. That we shouldnt stop that player from doing whatever he pleases, and that I should instead assist him. Shes always right, so Ill do as she says. I point at the players on top of the crystal thats slowly getting shredded by the coordinated assault of the golems and the players. Well use them as bait. If theyre trying so hard to get the golems aggro, well use this to our advantage, I say, glaring at the dwarf and the elf. And youll assist me in this. I dont care if you hate each other, now youll follow my orders, understood? Its time someone takes the reins.
The crystal below our feet starts collapsing. Shit, shit, shit! My plan is falling apart! I scream. This shouldnt be happening yet! What are you saying, Koala!? We did everything as you ordered! Screams Balmy from the top of my head. Shut up, Balmy! No, you shut up, Koala! Kyaaaaah! Nice, job, me. Why couldnt I shut up before it was too late? Now not only is my plan falling apart, and I do mean it literally, but my eardrums also hurt. Where? Where did my plan start to fail? Was it when we found too much resistance getting to the central crystal? Except for Muribelle, who had to use Meteor, we spent almost all our MP and EP just to get here. But no, this was within my calculations. The meteor hitting the three bosses and getting their aggro was also part of the plan, so it wasnt it. Was it that Calabans last resort, the upgraded Aegis, failed? No, although its effect has ended already, it did protect us from the Meteor, from the golems following assault, and from the players barrage for long enough. Then, is it because of the players? I must admit I didnt expect them to get so angry at the fact that they were almost all blown up by Muribelles Meteor. Furthermore, there are a few of them who we accidentally hit with our previous attacks and might have wanted revenge. But still, this was within my calculations too. No, no, no. Nothing of the above matters. The only thing that matters is that the black crystal that seemed impossible to destroy was too fucking weak! How? Why!? Who could have expected it to break so easily? It just took one meteor, the concentrated attacks of three boss monsters, as well as the barrage from a hundred players to take it down! Cant you see this is ridiculous? Why isnt it notwithstanding everything as it should? Why didnt the developers predict such an outcome? And worst of all, why did it break after taking such meager attacks!? The plan was to make a golem blow up right next to the crystal. Why did the crystal break before the golem died? It makes no sense! Shit, shit, shit! Do I sound like a broken record? I dont care if I do, thats why. The crystal collapses, broken beyond repair, and we start falling to the ground with it. As we fall, surrounded by the falling debris and crystals that once formed the giant crystal, I read again and again the window that just popped up in front of me. So, if we have achieved our objective, why am I complaining so much? Well, its because my whole plan is useless if the purpose of my plan isnt achieved. Just read this message.
Congratulations!
Youve achieved the impossible and destroyed ???? before it could
No, not that one. This one.
Urgent Mission: Survive!
Escape the area before everything blows up. If you die now, you wont obtain any points for completing the secret mission. Good luck!
Ah, by the way. The thing thats about to blow up that is mentioned in the message is the three golems which just happen to be surrounding us. They stopped moving as soon as the crystal stopped regenerating, and are now about to explode. Have you ever seen a golem about to blow up after being defeated in any game? Well, they look like that. Do you understand it now? Do you understand my frustration? My plan worked perfectly, or was supposed to, but we find ourselves in such a predicament. And good luck!? Good luck my ass! Who wrote this? Who designed this bullshit!? I demand compensation! Everyone ran away from the meteor. Even those players who couldnt escape on time, are now on the edges of the dome. As soon as this message pops up, they start running into the fog, not caring about how many players died or got lost when we came here, just to survive. Were the only ones who cant run away. And if we want to get any reward for clearing the final mission, we have to survive somehow. I cant see how, though. Isnt it ironic? Were the ones who got the job done, but were also the only ones who are about to die and lose our reward. Hey, tell me, Calaban, I ask as a last resort, cant you use Aegis another time? He shakes his head, No, that was the last Balmy starts poking my ear. Hehe, are you mad, Koala? Im sure youre mad that your plan was a mess. FUUUUCK! This isnt funny!
It never feels good to be on the other side. Andreu learned this the hard way that day. Did he change his way of doing things, after realizing how awful it feels? If you consider that doubling up on everything he did, to inflict the maximum despair on his invaders, is part of the learning experience Then yes. He learned it properly.
Ch 239 - A noble sacrifice Balmy keeps poking my ear during all the fall. Since shes the only one who can fly, shes free to disturb my perfect calmness as she pleases. It isnt until we land on the ground that my patience ends and I snap at her. ...will you stop already? No, she shakes her head, I wont stop until you admit youre mad that your plan failed so spectacularly. The nerve I clench my fists to contain my anger. It isnt that I cant try to swipe her away, but that Ive learned my lesson. As long as she keeps it at poking my ear and doesnt do anything else, I wont risk making her scream. Not when shes so close to my ears, at least. A way out, a way out I scan our surroundings. The remaining fragments of the giant crystal are slowly turning into black particles, floating upwards. When they collide with the black fog, they start swirling, creating a massive whirlpool. They get sucked into the center, disappearing into nothingness. The spectacle is breathtaking, but I have more important and urgent matters to attend to. The three golems, with their colossal and bulky frames, have fallen to the ground. Their once imposing presence is now gone. From the crystals embedded in their bodies, purple lightning constantly bursts forth in erratic and unpredictable paths. It looks dangerous, and Im sure wed take damage if we were to touch them. When the golems were alive and attacking us C and the crystal, by extension C, they distributed themselves into a triangle, to avoid hitting each other with their attacks. Now that theyve fallen over, and taking into account the unpredictable lightning bursts, they form impassable walls enclosing us in all directions. Just a tiny gap remains between two of them, barely wide enough for us to pass through. Im not sure whos the one to make the first move, but we all start running, hoping to escape the explosion area on time. Now that weve gone so far, everyone wants to do everything possible to obtain the extra reward. Balmy, in particular, uses her flying ability to fly upwards, being the single one of us who is almost guaranteed to get to safety. Damn fairy shes been so obnoxious all the event and now shes the only one who can safely get away If shes the only one who makes it, Ill demand part of the bonus as compensation. After all, she didnt do anything but scream and complain since the boss battle started. Just look at Laura! She could be using Blink to get an advantage over the rest of us but shes instead running right next to me. Thats what you call a good teammate, unlike that nasty fairy. Are you sure you cant use Aegis again? I ask Calaban for the second time. Just a tiny little bit will be enough He shakes his head. I already told you I cant. Ugh His upgraded Aegis, the reason we could withstand the coordinated assault of all the players and bosses, has a single use unlike the normal Aegis, which has three. But you know you can always hope and ask again. Maybe, the answer will change. By the way, the upgraded Aegis looks like this.
Aegis - Lv 2 (Activated skill)
Cost: 200 EP, 100 MP
You ignore all damage and status effects for the next 10 seconds. You cant move, attack, or use skills during this time. You cant use this skill more than three times per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
Upgrades
Shieldfield: Aegis now affects all allies within 2 meters of you, and it now has a single use per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle.
As we run, I have nothing better to do but to check the state of my arm. In the status screen, the curse has disappeared, and when I look at my arm, the progress has stopped. I havent recovered the lost maximum HP, and my arm looks the same as before, with the eyes staring back at me ugh, sorry. I cant keep looking. But thank god. Something good at least. As awful as my arm looks, it isnt getting any worse now. We keep running and the discharges from the golems keep growing in intensity. One of them hits Muribelle and sends her backward, but Navigator picks her up and they resume running. Moo is accidentally hit by another burst that would otherwise have hit me no, Im not complaining. Im glad he protected me, even if he made a weird moan and I suffered mental damage because of it. This is just the damage we take before we get to the gap between the fallen golems. There, its inevitable that we all take severe damage from the lightning bursts, as theyre too close together. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I, in particular, who is always taking extra damage when I cast any spell and no, it definitely has nothing to do with my skill choices. Its the games fault and not mine. Its never my fault. So, as I was saying, I watch in horror as my HP falls to a dangerous level, but Laura saves me by spending her last MP points on healing me. T-thank you Laura sends me a flying kiss. Fufufu, youre welcome. You can pay me back later, when were alone Im sure you know what I mean. She winks, and her comment sends a shiver down my spine for an unknown reason. By contorting our bodies to avoid the lighting, we finally emerge on the other side, but were only halfway there. Were still inside the explosion area. To be more precise, were now right next to the center. And our HP bars are in tatters, except for Calaban, the unkillable undead with unlimited survival skills. Well, not unlimited, but you know what I mean. The crystals on the golems start to shatter, releasing an intense purple light. They will detonate anytime now, and were nowhere far enough. We dont have time to relax, so we dont stop running. I have a plan. Follow me! Moo unexpectedly takes the lead and changes the direction hes running toward. What are you doing now!? I shout, not understanding his move. Why arent you running in a straight line!? What the fuck is he doing? The shortest path is always the straight line! When two bombs are ready to detonate, aka the closest two golems, you should run perpendicular to them, to get out of their area as soon as possible. Why is he running at an angle instead? This way, well quickly get out of range of one of them, but itll take a lot longer to get out of the others! As Ive said, I have a plan. Believe in me, Moo proudly pats his chest. Muribelle shrugs her shoulders and follows after him. Its better than nothing, I guess. Ugh fine. Ill do as you say. I, too, start following Moo; as well as Laura, who doesnt seem to want to leave my side. Calaban, Navigator, and Thunder Thighs look at each other, not sure what to do. Maybe by inertia, maybe because they somehow understand what Moos trying to do, or maybe simply because they trust him, they decide to follow too. Everything is painted a purple color as three tiny suns, the same color as the light thats painting everything, appear where the golems were. The tiny suns start contracting, clearly indicating that their inevitable explosion is about to come. Stay behind me. Now! Moo shouts, opening his arms as wide as he can to cover as much area as possible. He then turns to us, wearing a smile. Dont forget about me, okay? This is going to hit, very hard. Mooohahaha! Is he planning to protect us with his Impenetrable Wall? It might not work becauseC *BOOOOOOOM!* The purple light floods the world after three explosions overlapping each other. I watch in horror as the rapidly expanding purple light obliterates everything in its path. The remaining corrupted dwarves, the scattered monsters, the players that couldnt evacuate in time Everything disappears. Everything, until the light reaches Moo. Then, as if it were a miracle, a shadow is created behind him. A tiny shadow, insignificant when compared to the light that creates it. But still, that shadow is enough to protect us, leaving us unscathed. We we survived? I say, still not sure of our victory. Or am I dreaming? We survived, you fool, Laura smacks me. Your teammate did protect us as he said. That doesnt give you any right to hit me. Ill hit you if I want to, she declares, puffing her chest out before delivering another blow to my head. Ouch! Interrupting our fight, the light vanishes as if it were all a lie. Then, at the same time as Moos corpse hits the ground, a window pops up in front of me.
Whoa, you survived that!?
Congratulations! You survived the golems explosion and have received the same bonus points as everyone else
I clench my fist tightly. I swear, Im going to kill whoever is behind all this bullshit. Oho? Laura, right by my side, tilts her head. Why does it sound so familiar? The style, the taunting, the laughing at the end Ah! She turns to look at me. ...Did you have anything to do with all this? I didnt! I swear, if I could get my hands on the one who designed this, Id like to skin them alive and turn them into the most ugly Stitched ever! Fufufu its funny when its you the one who says it. Laura laughs merrily at my frustration. Hey, what are you doing after this? Would you like toC Hey, heeeeey! Koalaaaaaa! You have some luck surviving that! If it werent for Moo, you would have died for sure I was so looking forward to taking a few screenshots of your corpse as a souvenir of this Mystery Event, but I guess Ill have to settle for your written apology that you promised a while ago. Accompanying the shout, theres a tiny figure flying our way, waving her hand at us enthusiastically. When the hell did she come back? Didnt she fly away a long time ago? How did she get here so fast? Fuck off, Balmy! And shut up, for gods sake! The tiny figure flying in mid-air is suddenly engulfed by a sea of dark flames. Ugyaaaaaah! Aaaah, Im dying! Save me, Koala! Balmy shouts. I swear, it wasnt me this time. Not like Im complaining, though. I think, a smirk on my lips as I watch her dance, trying to stay alive.
Somewhere inside a dark room filled with screens showing several areas of the Mystery Event, a certain DMA staff worker was laughing like there was no tomorrow up to the point her coworkers thought they had to call the ambulance because she was having a seizure. After having pestered her coworkers for weeks just to be allowed to plan the final showdown, she had been looking forward to watching the players face it. She just never expected her favorite player, the one who she took inspiration from, to be the one to fall for her tricks.
Ch 240 - Penitence Day Uncountable believers kneel inside the dark cathedral. Silence pervades. They stare at the ground with dead eyes, tears about to fall from their lifeless eyes. Outside, the rain falls endlessly, accompanied by lightning strikes. Dark clouds above, dark land below. Is as if the god itself is angry and wants to punish the foolish mortals who offended him. Although the cathedral is located underground, thanks to the lack of light and absolute silence inside it, the believers can see and hear it thanks to the single stained glass window leading to the outside. Usually beautiful and intricate, although with slightly perturbing contents, the large stained glass window shines right above the altar, like a spotlight illuminating the giant statue placed there. But now, the intermittent light gives it a monstrous, horrific vibe. "Brothers. Sisters. Today is a fateful day. The worst day in all of history." *Flash!* A lightning strike illuminates the cathedral for an instant. Standing right in front of the giant statue, the hooded man looks tiny in comparison. The statue, with raised arms and lightning coursing through them, looks ready to spell destruction at the kneeling believers. The man, with a broken voice on the verge of crying, continues. Today, weve committed the worst blasphemy. *Flash!* The statues maniacal grin and gaze, usually a source of inspiration for the believers, now raises fear in them. The contrast between the hundreds, possibly thousands, of candles that usually illuminate the cathedrals thick and sturdy walls and columns exacerbates the gloomy mood. Just a few of them remain ignited, the bare minimum for moving around. Everyones faces are obscured by the lack of light, hiding them within the hoods. A dark mob. Tens of players dressed in black, hoods hiding their sorrowful faces. Is this a funeral? After a dramatic pause, the man continues his speech. "We''ve enjoyed His favor since the foundation of this church. He has blessed us with new experiences, growing His dungeon so we never got bored. He has blessed us with His teachings. He has shown us the correct way to live. He has given us time to grow in numbers, surely expecting the day we would pay Him back..." His words send goosebumps running down the believers spines. Not a single soul is unaware of the deeds they committed. The man makes another pause. The crowd drops their heads even further in shame, although their eyes start shining in fervor. "I still remember when it was only Al and I, in our first time in this game. We casually strolled into the first dungeon we found... There, we were illuminated with the truth, and we Khm!" The man fakes a cough, wiping away the tears about to fall from the corner of his eyes, "...sorry for digressing." None of the believers seem to mind it, though, so he decides to proceed with his speech. "He has done so much for us But how have we repaid Him? We have done nothing! Nothing we''ve done even compares to what he has done for us!" His chicken crest shakes with his enthusiasm. "Its even worse. Today... Today, we committed the worst mistake. We, in our foolishness, dared to interrupt His immaculate plans. It''s unforgivable! A sacrilege!" Murmurs start spreading through the multitude of believers. Some nod in agreement, while others ask for forgiveness. Some even start banging their head on the ground. Through the repetitive sounds of head-smashing and the voices, the mans loud speech resumes once again. You all know it already. Today we were supposed to help Him. We thought we could find Him, show Him our readiness to do anything for Him, and happily obey any of His orders. But in our supreme foolishness, we instead made Him deliver divine punishment upon us. Now, he doesnt want to have anything to do with us! The murmurs grow into cries of agony, intermixed with the continuous banging sounds. Lots of players put their hands together in prayer, and tears would have started to fall, if this wasnt happening inside a game. But the man standing in front of the crowd raises his hand high up in the air, his voice filled with hope and conviction. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Dont worry, fellow believers of the only truth. Not everything is lost, I know what we can do to redeem ourselves. Everyone gets a second chance! A chance to grow to an even stronger belief. A chance to relearn everything from scratch! A chance to get back on His grace as it always has been and should be in the future to come! Slowly, the believers calm down, ecstatic expressions on their faces. They trust the leaders words, as they always have. He will forgive us. But to achieve it, we must first show were doing our best to repent. Slowly but surely, the light starts to fill the cathedral once again as the candles start lighting up by themselves. At the same time hope fills their hearts, the believers start asking the man in front of them what they have to do to atone for their crimes. Its easy, my fellow believers. We just have to do penance for a day. The word penance starts spreading through the crowd, together with a mix of surprise and expectation. Tomorrow Tomorrow, itll be Penitence Day. Every single one of us will have to go into His esteemed dungeon and dive into it repeatedly. At least a hundred times! Each one of us will go there to find ourselves and relearn his teachings from scratch; and by the end of it, well be reborn! Then, well stand back up as His most devout believers. And surely surely, He will forgive us and favor us again! Fufufu! Hahaha! As he laughs, the man makes the same pose as the statue behind him, now completely visible thanks to the light coming from the candles. And then, when we have regained His favor, well take revenge upon the bastard player who interrupted us during our sacred reunion, and also the main cause of our mistake! That bastard, rude, annoying, and ugly player who thought of herself as someone important! The crowd cheers, agreeing with him. Yeah! Well make her pay for all weve had to go through! Well make her regret the day she crossed us. Furthermore, He will love it, as for the looks of the interaction between them, He also despises that abominable demon! Hahaha! Down with her! Shell pay for treating our god without the respect He deserves! The shouts get louder as more and more believers start badmouthing that player. But then, before the situation spirals out of control, the leader raises his right hand and they immediately shut up. Smiles grow on the faces of the believers, and their eyes start glowing ominously. They already know whats coming next, as theyve been waiting for it. Because, as you all know Everyone will come to learn the truth eventually! All Shall Despair! Fufufu! Hahaha! All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair! The shouts fill the cathedral, making it seem like a gloom from before was but a lie. The storm outside has long calmed down, and everything looks as usual. The only sign that tells the truth of what happened is the HP bars of some of the believers, which are, for some unknown reason, slightly depleted. All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair! All Shall Despair! Like a wave, the shouts make the cathedrals thick walls tremble. *Bam!* Everyone suddenly shuts up when a side door slams open and someone steps inside. They glare at the intruder as if he were committing the gravest of sins. The man standing in front of the statue turns to look at the intruder. Not now, Bil I mean not now, First Apostole. Cant you see this isC The newcomer steps forward, toward the altar, ignoring everything else. This is important, Leader! I swear by the name of my Teacher. The Leader spins his eyes around in disbelief. Sure, whatever you say. Whats so important? Its this! The newcomer pushes a screen in front of the Leader. Weve received information that theres a real-life auction with an item signed by the Mad Rat himself. All the believers gasp in shock at the same time. The Leader starts shaking. W-W-WHAT!? Why didnt you tell me any sooner!? Ive rushed here as soon as IC What are you waiting for? Interrupts the Leader, Show it to me immediately! He reads the contents of the screen and as he does so, his legs start shaking so much that he has to grab onto the First Apostoles shoulder to stay standing. T-this is this is This is the chance to get our hands our our first holy relic! Fast, everyone. We must make sure the holy relic doesnt fall into the hands of unbelievers! No matter what it requires, we must get our hands on it! Under his orders, all the believers start getting ready to leave the game. They want to look for the holy relic as soon as possible. Right before they start leaving, the Leader reminds them, almost as if it were an afterthought. Ah, and dont forget. Tomorrow is Penitence Day, okay?
They didnt learn anything. Although they called this an epic failure and sought to make amends, like diving into The Mad Rats Lab to relearn everything from scratch, they didnt understand the reason why they upset their god in the first place. But thanks to this, Andreu got a ridiculously huge cp boost, after so many players diving into his dungeon and purposely allowing themselves to be killed. So Alls good that ends good? maybe?
Ch 241 - A choice you shouldn’t make Oh, yeah. This is going to be a blast. I rub my hands together, chuckling to myself. After this, my dungeon will never be the same Fufufu! Hahaha! Ill save you the details of going through the reward collection after the Mystery Event because its boring. Analyzing the pros and cons of every option took me way longer than it should have Im not proud of it. Anyway, Ill tell you this: it was amazing. From what others told me, it seems that the rewards could be directly converted to cp at a fixed rate, converted into basic resources, or even into the unique resources for each faction. Why do I say it seems? Well, its because, when it came to the Flesh Monstrosities, we could spend our points on obtaining bodies ready for use in our next units So I obviously spent all my points on captured units and didnt even consider taking a look elsewhere. Can you imagine it? Being able to freely choose from a list with all the units we can use in the whole game, with a nicely written price tag right next to each of them? There were even dragons and similar bullshit units in that list! Furthermore, the game developers were nice enough to, for the first time in our factions history, allow us to buy over the storage capacity. Units over the capacity will appear in the stasis capsules as soon as we make room for them. This means I could have bought colossal units, which I dont have the technology to store yet if I wanted to. But I decided against it. Its best to use what I can now instead of dreaming of the future. After all, who knows when Ill be able to use them? Id rather make the most out of the present than have to wait for a long time to get my rewards. As a side note, Ricard sent me a picture C followed by an unnecessarily long text, which I didnt read, by the way C that showed he could exchange every point obtained in the Mystery Event for two souls. He also sent me several messages after that one detailing how good the efficiency was; every defeated monster during the final battle granted two points, so he could get four souls for each monster instead of one as usual. I can safely assume this is where he spent all his points Dont you agree? Not like I was any less ecstatic than Ricard, tough. Thanks to the reward list, I could get my hands on all those monsters I was too lazy to go and find myself, or those that I wanted to get but were too troublesome to capture. As well as the cheap ones, like critters, that I needed a lot of, but the task of capturing them was so boring that I never actually put it into action. Plus a few others I was planning on adding to my dungeon soon as well. Youll see them soon, as Im going to start right now. Now the problem is where to start should I go with the new stuff first, or improve the already built areas first? Hmm I tilt my head to the side in thought. Hahaha, who am I trying to fool? Its obvious Ill always go for the new stuff first. Fixing and improving is never as exciting as starting something from scratch. Alright! I keep rubbing my hands together. Lets start with the room. In case you forgot the latest changes, Ill remind you. The last time I modified the dungeon, I added the new Botanical Garden as a way to reach the central areas of the laboratory areas without having to go through most of the Tunnels or the other laboratory rooms. I did it like this to break my dungeons linearity as much as possible, allowing the players to choose their desired path, while still giving them reasons to go to the other areas. Right now, to reach the dungeon core, the invaders must find the two access cards distributed in the Sealed Area and the Botanical Garden respectively, and then use both to open the path forward. Its the only way to reach the dungeon core My thoughts come to a halt. Theres something that doesnt quite match with what I remember. Theres something wrong with what I just said, but what is it I open the dungeon menu, go to the 3D view of the dungeon, and start scrolling the view everywhere to check where this bad feeling I have comes from. Aha, aha The monsters are where they should be. And the Botanical Garden does have the two entrances as I planned, so why do I have this feeling like I forgot something important? I then move the view to the Sealed Area, but everything seems normal. It isnt until I go to the door leading to the dungeon core that I realize what Ive been missing. I slap myself. Hiss! This is bad! I forgot to add the second card! Aaaah, shit! I want to scream in frustration! How could I forget about such an important detail!? Without it, it defeats the purpose of the Botanical Garden as a whole. The difference between giving the players the option to choose the path they want to take and allowing them to skip whole areas of the dungeon is significant. I dont want the players to be able to skip half of my dungeon! I want them to get the full experience while they have the illusion of choice! Two weeks I pull at the fur covering my face. Its been two weeks since I added the greenhouse Ugh. Is this why there have been so few complaints compared to usual the number I received every other time I added a new area? Because the players have no reason to go there whatsoever!? This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I thought it was weird, but I was too busy preparing for the Mystery Event and other stuff Aah, this is bad. I must fix it immediately. I know, I know. I said I would start with the new idea right away, but this is urgent. Furthermore, this is something thats required for the idea I want to add next. Otherwise, there would be no reason for it to exist. Alright, lets do this quickly. It shouldnt take too long I take the card I created for the Sealed Area as the base and modify it to suit the Botanical Garden. The main difference between the two is the drawing they have. The one in the Sealed Area has my logo C a drawing version of my face with lightning C next to a skull under the do not pass symbol. You know, the red circle with the diagonal line. The new card, the one for the Botanical Garden, of course also has my logo. But this time its next to a wide tree that has eyes and a mouth in the trunk. Moving to the next step, I set the card to appear at a random point in the greenhouse. I make sure it wont appear within ten meters of any of the entrances as well as the edges right next to the glass by excluding that area from the possible spawns. I dont mind luck playing a part, but I dont want players finding the card right next to the entrance. Or even worse, check the greenhouse from outside to locate it before going inside. The card will appear on the ground as if someone accidentally dropped it while working. This will make the players look at the ground, diverting their attention from the actual dangers above and around them. As you can see, there wont be fake Monster Keys here. The reason for this is simple: the different purposes of the two areas theyre in. The purpose of the Sealed Area is to signal to the players that the monsters inside are dangerous and are, thus, sealed. The danger of the unknown. You dont know where the monsters are, nor which kinds of monsters spawned and which didnt. Is the card you got the true one, or the fake one? Should you keep searching and risk finding an opponent you cant deal with? But the Botanical Garden is different. From the start, players who have come to the dungeon before or have read a guide will know for sure what monsters are inside. But here, everything is hidden. Like being stalked, the players will never know if theyre truly safe while inside. And the card, similar to the monsters, must be found. It might end under a leaf or obscured by a trees roots. And as you search for it, the monsters search for you. Alright, thats one thing done. Lets move to what Im dying to start. Are you curious why that second access card is so important? Do you want to know why I had to fix this first? Ill tell you. I move to the Minitaur Queens room and start fiddling with the door that leads to the dungeon core. I change the place where you use the access card to require two key items (two access cards) instead of a single one. In the future, I plan on adding a third area with its respective third access card too but well talk about that later. Were here for something else. The next thing I do is to create a new door adjacent to this one. A door that only requires one of the two key items, and will accept whichever the players bring with them. Youre right. I just said I didnt want the players to skip a significant part of my dungeon, what Im doing now makes no sense. Well, Im sorry to say it does make sense. For one, itll further help with breaking the dungeons linearity, making it look like an actual laboratory instead of a game dungeon. And two, its because what Im going to add on the other side will make the players reconsider their life choices if they dare step inside. In short, it isnt like Im allowing them to skip part of my dungeon, but that Im giving them the choice to suffer an even worse fate. So, what am I going to create on the other side? Im sure the name of the area Im going to add will make you understand what I mean: its the Experimental Sector. Inside a mad scientists lair, where almost nothing you can find makes sense, it isnt a surprise that the worst and most maddening-inducing zones are those where the mad scientist makes his experiments, dont you agree? Fufufu! Hahaha! My plan for this Experimental Sector is a change of pace from the rest of the dungeon. Instead of combat skills, here, youll need your brains and luck. As Im sure you all know, when you dont have to care about balance and fights, you can spend more time on improving other areas. Like, for example, puzzle-solving skills, analytical capabilities or psychological torture and the like. Yes, youre right. When I feel like one of my crazy ideas doesnt fit the dungeon, or when I dont want any combat to interfere, Ill add a new room here. In the future, I want this to be a series of rooms connected one to another, where the players will be forced to play my little games to advance. Im still not sure how many Ill add, though. Itll depend on my mood. What I do now, is that the players will probably regret choosing this path with all their might, but I wont allow them to backtrack. Once they step in, theyre in for the whole experience. Or they can surrender. I dont care what they choose, as Ill get the cp anyway. You cant trap players in DMA. There must always be an exit to the room theyre in. At the same time, there must always be a valid route to the dungeon core. But this doesnt mean you cant close their retreat route. As long as the door will open if they solve the puzzle, in case solving the puzzle is the key to opening the door, the game will allow it. Now, what happens if the solution to that puzzle is so convoluted that you want to pull all your hair out? If so, good luck, I guess? Hahaha! Nobody told them to come inside, it was their decision. I wont accept complaints. I chuckle to myself, imagining the players reactions to the first room I want to create. So Are you ready for a quest with no valid solution? Fufufu! Hahaha!
STOP! Regardless of what you think, there ISNT another way to reach the dungeon core. IGNORE. THAT. DOOR. It leads nowhere. For your good, and mine as well, NEVER try to open it, or youll regret it. Its a dead end. A dead end for YOU. As Ive said. THERES. NOTHING. TO. SEE. THERE! - Extract from the Chapter Important things to look out for from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab. This fragment further increased the players curiosity to go where they shouldnt.
Ch 242 - Splitting headache Its getting late I say after checking the clock. I should finish this up and leave. Its a good thing that Ive almost finished here. Are you curious about what I did? If so, allow me to illuminate your pathetic, inferior minds with my wisdom. First, the room. As you all know, where you test something, the testing area should be isolated from external interference. This is the only way to be sure that the success or failure experiment doesnt rely on unexpected variables. Any mad scientist who deserves to be called like that knows this. So, of course, the room Ive created is isolated from the rest of the dungeon. The entrance door is one of those heavy ones in biohazard laboratories, and once you step inside, theres a small hall that leads to a big room, where the testing takes place. This hall is empty, but half the wall between the two has been replaced by glass, so you can see whats inside. I say you can see inside, but in fact, its too dark to see whats inside. The lights wont turn on until a player walks in. Then, right next to the door leading to the experimental room, theres a sign with the text Experimental subject #ޡ. Why infinity instead of a number? Well its kind of a clue of whats to come. Under the label, theres a notepad with several instructions on how to proceed with the experiment. I wont go into too much detail right now, you just need to know that theyre the steps the players must take to unlock the exit door once theyve stepped inside. And yes, as soon as the experiment starts, both doors, the one leading to the exit and the one between the hall and the experiment room, will be locked. They will remain like that until the experiment ends with a success or everyone inside dies, whatever happens first. Players will be able to leave or enter the entry hall, but not the experiment room. Hahaha! Imagine being late to the party and having to watch your party members despair while not being able to help them in any way. I wont bore you with unnecessary details and move on to explain the experiment. After crossing the door, the players will have to go down a few stairs. This is important because the height difference is necessary to ensure the whole experiment can be observed from outside the room, thanks to the glass wall. The room below is made out of metal. It consists of a difficult but straightforward path, with narrow walls barely wide enough for two players to walk side by side. And the whole thing is filled with stuff strewn everywhere. Remnants of previous experiments and exploded traps, body parts in containers, machines and laboratory equipment basically, anything you could find in a mad scientists lair. This is to create chaos but also for another more important thing, Ill tell you right now. Oh, and everything is open from above, to ensure the experiment can be observed from the other room. I know that, in other circumstances, this can be a bad idea because players can cheat with certain skills but it doesnt matter here. The puzzle I created cant be solved by cheating like that. Finally, sitting on top of a metal platform placed right next to the end of the stairs lays the most important element of the experiment: experimental subject #. Or as I like to call it: the Infinity Cat. The cat looks exactly like a sphynx cat. Skinny, hairless, big ears and alien-like eyes. Im sure you know which ones Im talking about. But this one looks sick. No, not sick but corrupted? Decomposing? However you want to call it, the cat is covered by a slimy substance that drips over its body, forming droplets of murky green and brown tones. It wouldnt be an experiment if there wasnt a test subject, right? Anyway. Ill explain the experiment. The experiment goes like this: the cat must reach the other end of the room, by following the path, alive. Simple, right? Well no. Theres a caveat. A HUGE caveat. Right, right you wouldnt expect anything I created to be so simple, right? Hahaha! The cat, as its name implies, has the potential to reach the infinite. Well, not exactly infinite, but very close. As for what I mean by that, its the numbers. Numbers? What numbers? I make a stupid voice, mocking myself. Ah! You mean the numbers! Yeah Im sure this didnt help at all. Take a look at this status screen for now. In particular, take a special look at the skills, the rest is more or less irrelevant.
Infinity Cat (Lv 2)
HP 319 (290) STA 24 (22) SOU 24 (22)
EP 220 (200) MP 242 (220)
STR 17 (16) CON 26 (24) AGI 14 (13)
SPI 23 (21) WIL 12 (11) DEX 3 (3)
SPD 5 INT 3 COM 1
Skills
Triggered: Hyperallergenic, Nine Lives (Innate), Split (Innate). Passive: Fragile, Eternal Pain (Innate).
As you can see, a few of the skills are familiar, while the others sound Catastrophic? Horrible?
Nine Lives (Innate triggered skill)
You have nine lives. The first eight times you would die, instead recover all the missing HP. Skills that trigger on death dont trigger at the same time as this skill.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Do you remember those nasty cats that wouldnt die regardless of how many times we attacked them? Those Sacred Cats from my sisters dungeon? If you do, congratulations. If you dont theres nothing I can do. Anyway, Nine Lives is the innate skill they have. As you can see, its a stupidly overpowered skill that makes me salivate just to think of how many ways you can abuse it. But Ill refrain from doing anything stupid (for now) and not create any unkillable monster. I dont want that for my dungeon. Just imagine the possibilities Noo! Stop! You shouldnt think of something youll regret later! Yeah, yeah, I know. Its just Stooooooooop! Khm! So, where was I? Ah, yes. The cats skills. The other innate skill, Split, is from the Splitting Slime. As you know, when they take a certain amount of damage, they split up into smaller and weaker copies of the same unit.
Split (Innate triggered skill)
When you take more than 10% of the maximum HP as damage from a single source and survive, you split into two identical, smaller units with 50% of your base stats. SPD, INT, and COM dont get affected.
But when you mix the two Fufufu! Hahaha! you end with a monster that continuously revives and divides into more and more copies of itself. Those copies can revive too, inheriting the remaining lives. And when they take damage Bam! More monsters! I tried to calculate the maximum amount of copies its theoretically possible to achieve by adding the two skills together and lets say that I stopped counting at the third revival. The number was way too big. This is why its called the Infinity Cat! Because its potential, as well as the number of times it can divide, are nearly infinite! Of course, the cat will grow weaker the more it divides, up to the point that all its stats except for Speed and Intelligence will be one, but who cares? Its strength is completely irrelevant to this experiment. The other two skills I gave it are precisely to make it die faster, ensuring that it divides even more easily than normal! When paired with Eternal Pain, they almost guarantee the Infinity Cat takes no more, but also not less, than 10% of its HP as damage per second, speeding up the division significantly.
Fragile (Passive skill)
All damage you take is doubled.
Hyperallergenic (Triggered skill)
You take (5 + 0,05 * Max HP) damage as HP loss every second when touching another unit. This damage increases by the same amount for each extra second you remain in contact.
Those are horrible skills. Skills only demented players, or those with an extremely unusual build would ever take. But DMA is a game where, sometimes, you dont want your monsters to live for long, or where you simply add skills for roleplay purposes. And theyre perfect for the Infinity Cat, so I picked both. Furthermore, the room is filled with traps. But those traps arent designed for players, no. Theyre designed for the cat. The poisoned arrows are shot below the height of a humans knees, for example. So lets recapitulate. The objective of this experiment is to bring the Infinity Cat, or Experimental subject #, as the invaders will know it, to the other end of the room. But then when it splits, doesnt it make the task easier? You just have to bring one of the copies to the end and thats all Tsk, tsk, tsk! Naive! How naive! The rule is clear: to bring Experimental subject # to the end. This means the players must bring all the split-up clones to the end to complete it. The dead ones wont count towards the goal, but thanks to the Nine Lives, itll be hard for any of them to be killed completely. So thats not a shortcut they can take without considering the consequences. As a fail-safe, theres the condition that if all the cats are dead, the exit opens too. Otherwise, the game wouldnt allow me to create this puzzle room. But thats also very hard, as the multiple obstacles littering the floors arent there just for decoration but also as hiding places. As soon as the players attack one of the cats, all of the nearby cats will immediately hide away. If the players leave the cat to its own devices, itll inevitably run into some of the traps, split up, and the task will become extremely difficult. They cant grab the cat and run, either, as itll start taking damage and start splitting. If they try to kill the cats, theyll start running away and hiding, making the task extremely bothersome. Its a lose-lose-lose situation. Whatever they do, theyre in for a lot of pain and headaches. The only relatively safe thing the players can do is protect the cat from any traps, effectively taking the damage themselves. They must also be ready to grab the cat for one or two seconds maximum to pass through those traps that affect the floor. But will they be so lucky? Hahaha! Im looking forward to seeing the players reactions. Someone would say this isnt the right place to keep a cat safe, and Id certainly agree. But thats kind of the point, dont you agree? Ah, I told you to ignore the cats stats, since theyre irrelevant for the experiment. But in case you have and are curious, the cat is extremely weak for how much cp it costs to create it. This unit cost me 700 cp to create, and its nowhere close to the stats of my other 700 cp units. This is because the Sacred Cat is a unit that costs 500 cp but has worse stats than the Stitched. Almost all of the Sacred Cats stats come from the Splitting Slime. Just to give you an example, the Minitaur Queen cost 740 cp only. And the stat difference is so huge that it could fight a hundred Infinity Cats at the same time and emerge victorious. But they cant be compared, as their purposes are completely different. And finished! I press the save button. From now on, any player who invades my dungeon will be able to come here. Now I can move to the next task oh, no! Its too late. Tomorrow, then. Who will be the first to come? I must save the replay to watch later Fufufu! Hahaha!
Of course, you cant! Are you crazy!? When in the wrong hands, the Nine Lives skill is so broken that any PvP match could be won just because you have it. Theres no way the game devs would allow you to use a monster with that skill in a PvP match. This is also true for other skills assigned to units with special thought because of their power. In the case of Nine Lives that youve asked me, the game devs balanced it by giving it to a weak-ass unit that costs significantly more than any other unit with a similar stat line. I believe the Sacred Cats cp cost is around 500 cp, but it has the same stats as a basic unit so it costs over ten times extra just to get the extra revivals. This makes it generally not worth the investment. You can still build an interesting unit using them, but it wont break the game; so its fine if a player from the Divine Blood faction uses a Sacred Cat in PvP. On the contrary, if you were allowed to give this skill to any unit, itd certainly break any PvP match. Can you imagine giving it to a dragon? A dragon with nine lives, which by the way is stronger than simply getting nine times the amount of maximum HP, would be unstoppable. You can still use it on your dungeon as you please, its just that you arent allowed to bring any monster with Nine Lives into a PvP match. If you mess up your dungeon by adding an impossible monster, its your fault, and its up to you to fix it but PvP should remain balanced. Oh, by the way, are you curious about what other skills are banned for PvP for your faction but are allowed for the original faction? Im sure you wont regret listening to me for a while longer! Hahaha! - Later on, Andreu found out about the Nine Lives skill in PvP thanks to one of Ricards knowledge drilling sessions. Although he wanted to know and was grateful for his explanation, it doesnt mean he didnt regret asking.
Ch 243 - Flower field Fufufu! Hahaha! As soon as I log into DMA, I laugh like a mad scientist. Lightning courses through my hands and is expelled in random directions. This is the visual effect of Chain Lightning if you dont fire the spell when its ready. Its time for some more obnoxious creatures! Hahaha, yeeees! The rewards from the Mystery Event were perfect for what I will do next. Are you curious? Okay, Ill tell you What Im going to do next is create a few monsters Ive been considering adding to my dungeon since a while ago, but I havent found the drive to put any effort into it. You know, the typical crazy stuff you suddenly came up with but forget after a few minutes. But since I didnt have to move a single finger to get the bodies this time, I cant keep making excuses. The first one will be a classic: the troll over the bridge. Huh? You say Im mistaken, that its the troll under the bridge? Nah, its you whos mistaken. When I said classic, it obviously implied there would be a twist. Im not a guy who sticks to the rules. In case you havent heard of it before, the troll under the bridge is a recurrent theme in old stories. A troll inhabits the space under a bridge and asks questions or compensation to those who want to cross it. But thats too outdated. My troll, instead, will be standing on top of the bridge. To be precise, itll be standing right above it, near the entrance. So when a player tries to cross it, theyll have to pass right next to it. And heres where it gets interesting. La, la, la Wholl be the unlucky one? La, la, la. I open the Templates menu and create a new one. This one will use a Troll and a Geodis, one of the few earth elemental humanoid units. Itll have the body and shape of the troll but several parts of its body, like the shoulders, kneecaps, chest, and so on, covered in a thick layer of stone. So yes, itll be a Stone Troll, hahaha! Alright, alright, that was too lame of a joke. But I couldnt stop myself from making it. Its a shame I cant use a Gargoyle for this It would have been so perfect As much as the Earth Elemental skill helps when it comes to faking a statue, thanks to the reduced damage when it isnt moving, theres no comparison to the Gargoyles. If youre curious, heres their innate skill description.
Fake Statue (Innate triggered skill)
At the start of the Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle, you become invulnerable to all damage and status effects, and cant be identified. This effect lasts until you move for the first time or use a skill.
Fake Statue is the perfect skill for faking being a decorative element before striking the unaware fools! Even its name is perfect, as it leaves no possible confusion as to what is its purpose. The problem with Gargoyles is that they are considered a construct, so theyre not alive. This means theyre one of the units I cant use for my monsters. A Gargoyle would be so perfect I shake my head. What a shame. Sigh I leave my regrets behind and move on to the next step while I wait for the Hybrid to be created. Ill assign the skills later, first I want to finish the setup. Do you remember the underground river crossing the Tunnels? Well, there are a few spots where the water level is low and have stones to cross it without having to go inside the river. I choose the one closest to the laboratory areas, widen and deepen the flow, and create a bridge there. The next step is the fake troll I told you I would give it my spin, didnt I? La, la, la. The real troll statue to combine with the fake troll statue and real troll la, la, la. I create a statue that looks identical to the finished hybrid troll, and put it right next to the bridge, as I promised. Its easy because I can use the hybrid troll as a model and the game will use its 3D model as the base for the statue. As you all know, trolls are significantly taller and bulkier than humans. The statue stands well over most players height right next to the bridges entrance. With one hand, the troll raises its large trunk-like club. With the other, it asks for money in exchange for passage. The troll also wears a nasty grin on its face, as if to say Give me the money, or else ...or else Ill ask another type of compensation. Its called HP, and it hurts. Hahaha! Of course, theres no money inside the game, nor am I planning on adding a key item to my dungeon just for this, so there wont be any retaliation if they dont pay. Or will there? There will be. It wouldnt be me if there wasnt. As Ive said from the start, this isnt an important element for my dungeon, its just an idea I came up with and thought it was cool. Something to bring more confusion and surprise to the invaders. What I mean is this: the real troll will be there only 10% of the time. The rest of the time, itll be the statue instead, which will do nothing. As for the troll I open the AI screen and make a few easy changes. The troll wont move and stay still, benefitting from Earth Elementals damage reduction, regardless of what the players do. Itll remain like this for as long as an enemy unit doesnt try to cross the bridge, even if it means itll end up dying while waiting. And when they try to cross, the troll will strike down and squash the poor fella into oblivion, and the battle with the rest of the invaders will start. Is it random? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it good? Um maybe? But I dont care if its good or bad. Its just another random thing the players will have to keep in their minds unless they want to receive a trunk to their face when they least expect it. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Oh, by the way. This is how the hybrid trolls stats end up. I had to give it the Unidentifiable skill and upgrade the Earth Elemental skill just to emulate the Gargoyles innate; and even with this, the troll is still susceptible to status effects, unlike the Gargoyles. This is why innate skills are considered so powerful. They give you an edge that cant be compared with other skills Sigh.
The Troll Over The Bridge (Lv 5)
HP 1.092 (780) STA 102 (73) SOU 37 (27)
EP 840 (600) MP 336 (240)
STR 75 (54) CON 78 (56) AGI 53 (38)
SPI 25 (18) WIL 65 (47) DEX 46 (34)
SPD 4 INT 5 COM 2
Skills
Active: Bash, Mighty Blow. Triggered: Unexpected Strike. Passive: Unidentifiable, Earth Elemental - LV 2 (Like A Rock) (Innate), Regeneration (Innate).
As you can see, the trolls skills are pretty simple other than the skills required to feign being a statue. Bash for extra damage and stun chance, Mighty Blow for an even more powerful attack, and Unexpected Strike for a devastating first strike. Yes, the troll will always start with a Mighty Blow combined with Unexpected Strikes bonus damage. Over 1.200 damage will surely bring instant death to more than one player and support mob. At 590 cp cost and level 5, The Troll Over The Bridge is a decent mid-level fighter. Most of the time it wont appear, but when it does good luck? Hahaha! The troll encounter is like an ambush, but an ambush you can see from a mile away. And if the players waste lots of attacks and time on the (indestructible) statue, or the troll, to avoid being surprised and maybe killing it with status effects before it can engage in combat, Im fine with it. All the EP and MP they waste here is EP and MP they wont have in the future. Alright! Next monster on the list, please! The next monster on the list C or should I say monsters, in plural? C is one that will give a lot more character to the now almost empty Botanical Garden. Almost empty? But what about the tens of Beexies floating everywhere? Ssht! Dont spoil the fun! So where was I? Ah, yes. The next monster is going to give a lot more character to the Botanical Garden. And, as it couldnt be any other way, itll be a critter. This is the reason why Ive been postponing it for a while now: because I needed so many bodies that I didnt want to spend the time to get them. But since theyre cheap, it was very easy to obtain them using the reward from the Mystery Event. Get ready, because youre about to see the awesome and extremely cool dancing flowers! I shout while creating a new Template. This Creepy is very simple. I start by selecting the two critters Im going to use: Animated Flower from the Sylvans faction (elves) and the Impling, one of the critters from the Wicked Legion (demons). I continue with the monsters aspect. The monster will look like a margarita, but itll have two eyes and two tiny horns on the disc floret, the yellow part in the center of the flower. Then, itll have two leaves instead of arms, and the lower part of the stem will divide into two root-like legs. I also make sure the monsters have lots of colors, from the typical white to the more unusual blue and purple, making it hard to find two monsters with the same petal tone. And the last step is changing their AI. As Ive just said, I make them dance all the time, twisting their stem, flower (head), and leaves around but only when the players arent looking at them. As soon as a player turns to look at them, they stop moving and pretend to be a normal flower, albeit one with tiny horns. The other change I do is that they will chase after the players for as long as they dont leave the Botanical Garden. Since I plan on creating more than a hundred of them, slowly but surely, the critters will congregate into a massive swarm following the players; but when the players turn around, theyll just see a flower field. A flower field that wasnt there before. Thats why I call them Stalk Dancers. Because they dance, stalk the players and also its body is a stalk. Literally. Theres one last touch I want to give them, though. And its this one: when a Stalk Dancer is killed, itll make a high-pitched Kyaaah! shout, loud enough to burst ones eardrums. I swear it has nothing to do with previous recent experiences I swear. If they get stepped upon, they will make the cry too, and then play dead, even if theyre still alive. And no, stepping on a monster doesnt deal any damage. To deal damage, you must use an attack. Finally, I level them up to level two C remember that critters dont get a skill point at level one unlike all other monsters because they arent designed for combat C just to give them the Plant Vision skill, the same one that the Beexies have, so that they can more easily spot and chase after the players. Since neither the Animated Flower nor the Impling have innate skills, Plant Vision is also the only skill they have. Go and dance, my little fellas! I imagine a swarm of Stalk Dancers dancing at the same time while the players arent aware of their presence, only for them to realize what was going on after watching the matchs replay. For some reason, it makes me chuckle. But the most important part of creating them is that now the Botanical Garden isnt as empty as it was before. Theres more life, now. And thats without increasing its difficulty at all! Talking about more life in the Botanical Garden, its time for our next guests I start rubbing my hands together. Fufufu! Hahaha!
There are times when its better to leave things as they are to avoid causing a disturbance when you least need it. Then, there are other times when YOU MUST DESTROY EVERYTHING JUST TO VENT YOUR ANGER! Smash those tiny flowers! Step on them! Make them shout in a panic! This might be your only chance to release all your pent-up frustration, so DO IT! Theres not even the need to worry about enemies spotting you with all that noise, because most of the enemies inside the greenhouse will wait for you to come closer, or have already spotted you anyway. In short: KILL. THEM. AAAAAAAAALL!! - Extract from the Chapter Release your frustration from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 244 - Filling the garden More hidden monsters for my garden, yey! Theyll mix with the plants and ambush, yey! I sing a random melody as I spout whatever letter comes to mind. What am I doing? Im getting ready to create the next monster Template, of course. But before I start, Im waiting for the creation of the troll. I want to put it into my dungeon before I forget. Also, I want to give some time for the players to enjoy it, together with the new Experimental Sector, before I add any more stuff. The Stalk Dancers, as well as the other monsters Im going to create, will take a long time to finish anyway... Even if I wanted to, I wont be able to add them until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. If I start the creation of the new monster and the troll finishes in the middle, I might forget to add the troll to the dungeon until I add all the others, so Im waiting. The clock tickles, slowly marking the end of the creation process. ...why does it take so long? Is it just me, or when youre waiting for something, it always takes longer than expected? Ugh, come on On top of the operating table, a bigger version of the normal one because the troll is so tall, theres a countdown number. It says two minutes. One minute thirty seconds ten five, four, three With a ridiculous poof sound, the counter disappears and the troll, who was resting on top of the table, stands up and walks away from it. This is a behavior all monsters have, to prevent obstruction for any monster that might spawn next. Finally! I quickly add the troll and the troll statue to the bridge I created not long ago and set it so that the statue and troll spawn in the same position and posture. The difference between them is that the troll will appear 10% of the time, and the rest of the time itll be the statue instead. Then I save the changes and move on to the next task. The next monster Im going to create is the perfect immobile ambusher. Its going to be so perfect, that the victims will willingly walk into its trap. It wont affect players and only work on support mobs, though. But its fine anyway. Yeah Few things can set you more back than the sudden disappearance of one of your support mobs. Doubly so if you relied on that support mob for any specific task. I shake my head, remembering all the times I had to surrender or retreat from a Dungeon Invasion just because I lost Cyam, who isnt even a monster designed for combat. This monster relies heavily on the innate skill Sweet Scent to achieve what I want.
Sweet Scent (Innate active skill)
Cost: 100 EP, plus 5 EP per second
You release a sweet aroma that attracts enemies within 20 meters. While active, one random non-player, non-boss unit that isnt given strict orders will unconsciously walk in your general direction.
Intoxicated by the sweet promise of a delicious treat, the poor fellas change their paths to meet their doom Thats the best way to describe this skill. As it couldn''t be any other way, this skill comes from the Dream Vestiges faction. From a monster called Candy. A monster that looks exactly like its name suggests: a crystalline sugar ball enveloped by a tidy stripped plastic wrap, not bigger than your fist in size. Please, dont ask me. The Dream Vestiges are filled with random bullshit youd never expect from a game. Anything goes when it comes to dreams, I guess. By the way, the isnt given strict orders means it hasnt received a specific order from the player to do something in particular. Attack that monster, Run, or Heal me, are considered strong orders. Meanwhile, stuff like Follow me, isnt. This means Sweet Scent cant interrupt or easily disrupt enemy formations during combat, but it can cause serious trouble when simply walking around. Apart from its innate skill, Sweet Scent, the Candy monster also has one of the most unique stat lines Ive ever seen. After all, its a candy literally. Its the first monster Ive ever seen with a Strength, Spirit, and Speed of zero. It cant attack, nor it cant move! Its ridiculous! not like itll affect me much, as all stats get added, and only the highest speed is retained, when I create one of my monsters. The monster Ill create will be able to attack and move around, should I wish to. Which I dont. Dont want it to move, I mean. Attack, yes. Theres no need to move when the food comes to you on its own, dont you agree? Hahaha! The other half of the monster is the Trapvine, from the Secret Grove. A large vine plant that strangles its victims to death with its multiple tendrils and branches, thanks to the Strangle skill.
Strangle (Innate active skill)
Cost: 40 MP, 3% Max MP per second
One unit youre touching cant talk or use active skills until this skill ends, and takes (1 + 0,1 * STR) physical damage per second. This skill can only silence enemy Champions and Bosses for a maximum of 5 seconds. The timer resets one minute after the silence ends.
Strangle is a very powerful, and also very expensive, innate skill thats perfect to neutralize a single target. Fairies are always problematic to deal with thanks to their tricks and playful nature, reflected upon their units'' innate skills. Yeah, I know Im using lots of units from the elf faction and fairy factions for the Botanical Garden, but what do you want me to do? They are the factions that have more to do with plants! A Botanical Garden without plants isnt a garden, nor does it have anything to do with Botany! Its clear I need to use lots of units from their factions! Alright, alright. Lets calm down, should we? This time the AI is pretty simple. Just dont move and do everything else as usual. And done. Only its aspect remains. I use the Trapvine as the base and change the color and texture of the vines stems into Candys bright red and hard surface. Like leaf-covered thin candy sticks. This way, when looked up close, itll be easy to identify them as dangerous, but when looked from afar, the leaves will cover most of the red parts, making it harder to identify. Stolen novel; please report. And, done. Here are the final stats.
Sweet Trapvine (Lv 1)
HP 590 (590) STA 37 (37) SOU 46 (46)
EP 260 (260) MP 530 (530)
STR 26 (26) CON 34 (34) AGI 17 (17)
SPI 20 (20) WIL 32 (32) DEX 29 (29)
SPD 1 INT 2 COM 0
Skills
Active: Strangle (Innate), Sweet Scent (Innate). Passive: Untouchable, Eternal Pain (Innate).
Ah, right. I didnt give it any skill other than Untouchable, which increases the damage from touch skills, because I dont want Sweet Trapvines to be too strong. Not yet, at least. I want to see how they perform before I turn them into absolute killing machines in case I decide to do so, I mean. For a total of 380 cp C 300 from the Trapvine, 60 from the Candy, and 20 from being a Basic Chimera C the Sweet Trapvine has relatively low stats. This is mostly because Candys stats are atrocious. But I dont care. The reason I want to add them is to confuse the players with Sweet Scent. For now, Ill add five of them to the long, very long, queue of monsters awaiting creation, and use the Template to distribute them randomly through the Botanical Garden. If I need more in the future, Ill have to go capture some units. Alright, another one down Next, please! I rub my hands in expectation. The next monsters on the list are something Ive been quite looking forward to. Something Ive seen other players try in their dungeons, but none have quite reached my expectations. But thanks to the Flesh Monstrosities peculiarity, I expect a huge success. What am I talking about, you ask? Drums please What Im talking about is nothing else than ...its the Anima Tree! Also called a spiritual tree or elemental tree, what I call an Anima Tree is well, a tree, imbued with elemental powers. And whats better to achieve it than literally using a tree and an elemental and fusing them into a single body, huh? Its something only I, or a player from my faction, can ever achieve! Laughs on you, elf players! Ill be the first one to create a real Anima Tree, hahaha! For a monster that looks like a tree, it cant be any other unit than the Treant. And for elementals, you must go to the Primordials, so here you have the units Im going to use. Ah, by the way. Treants in DMA arent humanoids. This is for a multitude of reasons, some of which are balance reasons as well as player size, but the most important reason is that they dont have the same limb configuration as we do. Simply put, a monster that looks exactly like a tree when standing still, cant be humanoid. Or looking at it the other way around, a humanoid made out of wood wont look like a tree regardless of how still it remains. Treants in DMA have the equivalent of our arms and hands above their heads, unlike us humans, who have them below our heads. Their heads are located somewhere in their trunks, and their hands are the branches that protrude above them. This means Treants can theoretically have as many arms as the players want, though they will only use two to attack, regardless of how many the players add. This gives them extreme reach as well as makes them extremely tall. Its hard to find a Treant thats not at least ten meters tall, and their melee attacks have about the same reach as their height. By the time you get to them, youll have received a significant amount of damage. Truly, true monsters. Treants are not only one of the most famous units but also one of the strongest. The tallest and biggest treants can compete with some dragons, and with the correct build, they can be unstoppable. But thats only if youre working with Ancient Treants, the largest and most powerful variant. What I have to work with is their weakest form: the Young Treant. Still, the Young Treant is a unit that costs 1.200 cp, so they arent weak by any stretch of the word. Yeah now you know where most of the points I obtained during the Mystery Event went. Theyre freaking expensive for my level, but I dont care. It was worth it. Now, as to what other unit Im going to use Im going to use three different ones. What, a monster that uses four units!? When did you unlock such ridiculous units!? No, no, no. Think calmly. When did I ever say I was going to create a single monster? Im going to create not one, not two, but three Anima Trees. This is why I spent so many points on them. Aah, now I understand. Oh, my god. You sometimes surprise me with your stupidity. What did you say!? Nothing, I said nothing. After the short monologue with myself, I make a fake cough and continue with the Anima Trees. Anima Trees are special trees that are imbued by the spirits, thats the idea I want to go with. And as such, they also inherit the characteristics of the elemental Ill infuse into them. The three elementals Im going to use for now are the Stone Bear, the same I used for the secret boss in the cave, the Fire Horse, and the Electric Hawk. All of them are monsters in the 300 cp range. Im using them because they arent humanoid elementals, which is required because the Treants arent humanoid either, but also because their stats arent that high. I dont want boss-level Anima Trees. I just want them to behave like mid-bosses instead. So as I was saying, the Anima Trees will inherit the characteristics of the elemental theyre infused with. For the Fire Anima Tree, this means an eternally burning crown and a fiery personality. The Fire Anima Tree will continuously roam around the Botanical Garden and pour endless flames into any invaders it finds. The Earth Anima Tree will be the opposite. Calm and collected, with granite-like bark skin, it wont move except when provoked. When so, itll ensure its safety first, and use its powerful ground manipulation skills for devastating effects. And finally, the Electric Anima Tree will have lightning constantly coursing through the branches. The flowers will emit a flash when lightning passes next to them. Like lighting, it can suddenly teleport to another location, and its unstable nature will make it very fickle. When players meet the Electric Anima Tree, theres a chance nothing will happen, but with the same probability, the tree will suddenly burst into a huge explosion that obliterates everything around it. As for their stats and skills Theyre a secret. Fufufu! Hahaha! These are just the first three Anima Trees I plan on adding. Ill also add the trees for the remaining elements in the future. Water, air, ice, light, shadow At least thats the plan.
It wasnt unusual for players to create monsters that copied those in other games or fictions. The free access to skills and aspect customization allowed in DMA was so great that the players could go as far as their imagination allowed. There were even players who created whole dungeons dedicated or inspired by another work.
Ch 245 - Catfight *Swish!* My arrow flies through the air and accurately lands on the black cat. It has been chasing after us for a long time, and I got tired of it. The cat, surprised, glares at me before scurrying away, disappearing to who knows where. Spy! Didnt I tell you to dont bother the cat!? Half the fun is not knowing when itll make its move, if you scare it like that, we might miss something good. Yeah, the great First Apostole is right. Stop making mistakes, Spy! Bil, the party leader, admonishes me for taking the necessary action, and Ana nods from right next to him, glaring at me. Even our fourth member, the newcomer Fer, who by all rights should treat me with respect as Im her senior, snickers at my mistake. Why did I come here again? Why did it have to be today the day that those foolish and crazy maniacs had decided to spend all day long playing and enjoying diving into The Mad Rats Lab? And worse, why couldnt I say no when they asked me if I wanted to come? I groan I I just Does it matter what I say? Theyll ignore all reason and push forward with their absurdity anyway. ...Im sorry. I thought it was a random cat, I wont do it again. My eyes spin around and my voice sounds flat. Anyone sane would realize Im not being honest, but they arent capable of that simple feat. Alright, alright, dont worry too much, Bil pats my shoulder as if to cheer me up. Everyone makes mistakes. I hate his touch, but I remain as still as possible. Endure, me. I can get more details and special tactics from them; dont surrender to the impulse to run away But I was looking forward to this times surprise, complains Ana. Would it paralyze me right before a monster devoured me? Or when surrounded by monsters? Would I die, unable to scream and filled with dread? Haaah, haah! I can almost feel His presence, observing me and grinning while I suffer! Her excited moans and hands groping her own body give me the creeps. Stop moaning like that, bitch! Fer kicks Ana on her stomach and sends her flying. If hes watching, Im sure Hes paying attention to me instead of you! Ana, her real nickname being Anaconda, has been obsessed with the owner of this dungeon for a long time. At first, it was okay, but lately, it has escalated to an abnormal degree. Was it since Fer (FeralGirl) joined our team two weeks ago? Their initial arguing and sharp retorts have turned into physical actions mixed with brutal insults. I cant understand why... Wouldnt you hate somebody if he tormented you, instead of liking him? Ana, angry at Fer, starts pulling on her bikini-like top, and Fer, not wanting to be any less than her, grabs Ana by her skin-tight leather suit. The succubus and the tigress start fighting as if their life depended on it. and I dont know where to look. Its good that the game doesnt allow players to get undressed under any circumstances, because otherwise who knows what might happen. Both of them are beautiful. They must have created their Champions with their looks as the most important feature. A red-haired succubus, her eyes glowing in the same color, wearing black clothes; and a humanoid with tiger traits, like ears, claws, and tail, are fighting for the attention of someone they havent ever met. Im sure the Evil Mastermind doesnt know about their existence. Hahaha, meanwhile, Bill just laughs at their exchange. Isnt he supposed to be our mentor and act as an experienced guide? Look at this, Spy. Dont you think its beautiful? Theyre enjoying this so much that they lost track of everything else. Hahaha! He points at a group of monsters that popped up from behind Ana and Fer. It isnt strange we didnt see them before. Theyre the blinking four-legged meat sacks. They can teleport through walls, so it isnt weird we didnt see them until now. This is why I continue to come here with the crazy team, to my regret. My only chance to investigate this place is with them, as none of my friends want to come here ever again I would have never imagined it was possible to abuse a skill like that, allowing monsters to teleport through walls. It shouldnt be possible because Blink requires line of sight But it turns out that you just need to give them the Shared Senses skill and prepare the environment to give them places to jump through walls, and you can mimic the Evil Masterminds monsters. Spy, lets deal with them while the girls are amicably discussing the greatness of my Teacher. I shrug my shoulders. ...sure. The Hauntlings rush at us from all sides at the same time. Bil and I focus our efforts on killing them while the two girls keep arguing. They dont seem to care about the monsters, its clear whats their priority: to win the discussion. The monster in front of me suddenly disappears. Instead of panicking, I turn around at the same time I use Staggering Shot, aiming behind me. The Hauntling that was about to pounce on me stops in its tracks. I use this to keep attacking. Two Poisonous Shots land on it before it can use Blink to teleport away. The poison will take care of it, even if its out of sight. Hauntlings are certainly annoying, but not that dangerous once you know how to deal with them. They like to appear behind you, stun you, land a few hits while youre stunned, and then disappear, like ghosts. If you know this, you can easily deal with them. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I learned all this by reading a guide called How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab. Meanwhile, I keep an eye on Bil. By doing this, Ive learned a lot of tricks. It also is the reason I keep coming with the madmen to this dungeon. As much as I ask them for tips, they refuse to tell me any tips on how to avoid this dungeons dangers, but Ive come to learn the best way to learn: just do the opposite of what they do. Instinctively, they inflict as much suffering upon themselves as possible. Thats why, if you do the opposite, youll learn how to avoid it. By the time I kill the last Hauntling C Bil didnt help that much, being stun-locked for more than half of the fight on purpose C, I pay attention to the girls conversation once again. Theyre still going at it. Thats what you say now, but when I marry Him, we will have tens, no, hundreds no, thousands of children together. And then, our mixed tiger and rat children will hunt each other while displaying their superior intelligence in an incredible battle for supremacy while we observe everything. He will be happy that His teachings are so strongly inherited by our offspring, and then he will put a few more babies in my tummy Grrr, youre so cheap... This is why hell never choose you. Unlike me, you cant see the big picture. Once we marry, well have a million children. And then, when they start growing up, well set forth to conquer the world with our demonic, half-rat legions. With his superior intellect, our perfect children, and my fervent devotion towards Him, we will be unstoppable! I feign ignorance, deciding to pretend I didnt hear anything. Um is there any Hauntling still alive? It seems there isnt. What did you say!? He wont even look at you after taking a single glance at me. No, he likes me more! Im not surprised anymore. This is more or less the same as usual. You grow used to these kinds of things after so long. Dont fight about this, girls. Bil decides its time to intervene. He, my Teacher, loves us all equally. You dont need to compete for his love because Im sure he loves you both. Its the same for Spy, and obviously for me, his first and only student. Hes too great for us to fathom, theres no need to fight. Bil strokes the two girls heads, calming them down. Listening to him, the two stop arguing, suddenly realizing something. With teary voices, they lower their heads in shame. Y-yeah youre right, First Apostole. He loves us all. Im sorry, Fer Were still best friends, right? Yeah! Of course, we are! See? This is why Im here! I, the great First Apostle, am here to guide you towards the correct path! Dont hesitate to ask me anything, alright? Im the one who knows Him best! Hahaha! Ana and Fer nod at the same time. In contrast, my eyes spin around. Im so tired of all this bullshit Now, we must continue! Remember today is Penitence Day, so we must repent for the atrocities we committed against my Teacher the last time we got the privilege to see him We must show how grateful we are to him, and how much we regret our transgressions. Like this, we continue our dungeon invasion. It doesnt take long for Ana and Fer to resume arguing like before, though. The invasion continues as usual until we come upon something unexpected. Thats new, right? With glittering eyes, Bil observes the bridge in front of us. How lucky we are! The cave widens into a large cavern. A bridge Ive never seen crosses over the underground river. Before, the river was shallow and a few stones were enough to cross it, but now, theres a cliff on both sides, making it impossible to cross unless you can fly or teleport to the other side. The only way forward is the bridge. Furthermore, theres a giant statue in front of it. A troll, rising an enormous club with one hand, and asking for payment with the other. Aaah, how lucky we are! Were going to discover something new! Well be the first ones to enjoy my Teachers new blessing. Hahaha! Without waiting for us, Bil starts running forward. W-wait! We must assess the situation firstC I try to stop him. But its too late. *Crunch!* Suddenly, without any previous warning, the trolls club meets Bils head. His HP bar drops to zero, and he dies. Even though his Champion is dead, its wearing the same foolish smile Bil had a second ago. A gasp escapes my lips. Ah, crap As I expected, it was a trap! And Bil happily fell for it. The troll lowers his head and looks at us from above. With a thump, it takes a step forward, raising its humongous club once again. It makes an evil grin as it approaches. Haaah! Now Im wet. I hear a moan coming from behind. Why do I feel why do I feel like Im excited for whats to come? Am I looking forward to what comes next? It cant be true.
Brrrrrr! My whole body shivers when a sudden chill runs down my spine. How weird, I was preparing everything for my next monster, so theres no reason to be like this. Maybe Is someone talking about me? Yeah, that must be it. I shake my head to dispel the bad feeling and resume what I was doing. I uploaded the dungeon changes with the new monsters not too long ago, so Im sure the first players should have encountered some of them by now. They must be excitedly talking in the forums about my new and amazing monsters. But still, that was one hell of a shiver. It must have been them, right? Yeah, it must be them. Those that should not be mentioned: them. Theyre the source of most of my headaches, so if someone made me shiver like that, it must have been them. What could they be doing, though? I dont know, nor do I want to know. Ignorance is my best weapon against them. I shrug my shoulders and open a new Template. Hmm for the next Hunter, I will use
Under the players constant petitions, DMA implemented a new option for werebeasts, exclusive to those that were used as Champions. Instead of having a beast head and heavy animal features that made them easily distinguishable from humans, they allowed the players to choose a more human-like aspect. While keeping the animals body features like claws, tails, and fins, the head could be changed to one that looked like a human. They all had small modifications like large canines, split pupils, or animal ears, but nothing compared to the beast heads they had by default. Lots of players, especially women, liked this change, while others didnt care. There was an appeal for both options.
Ch 246 - Losing control After the battle with the troll, I and Ana go back to the tunnels, knowing theres no reason to try to go any further into the dungeon. Bil died as soon as the battle started, and Fer stubbornly denied us from participating in the battle, proclaiming it was her time to enjoy the dungeon. Ana gladly accepted, forcing me to agree with her. Its impossible to clear the dungeon when one of us is already dead, so I used that excuse to blend with them. The troll wasnt as strong as I initially thought. Its first attack was devastating but from then on, it was fine. Still, it ended in mutual destruction, leading to three corpses: Bil, Fer, and the troll. Bils satisfied smile on his shark head was unsettling. Itll haunt me for days to come. Fers equally satisfied expression was perturbing too, but at least her face is that of a normal human. Since we failed, youll want to come back, right? I ask, hoping for a negative answer. Ana happily nods, Of course! Well come back as soon as we all die! And well keep trying until we clear the dungeon at least a hundred times! Hahaha! ...youre kidding, right? She tilts her head to the side, not understanding my question. This alone gives me all the answers I need. I chuckle, forcing a smile upon my lips. I must pretend Im like them. Nice! So what now? Do we go back and restart? Surrender? No? We obviously go find some interesting way to die and have some fun on the way. Yeah obviously. Having said this, Ana steps into a side tunnel and turns around, waving at me. Im going now, see you in a while! Shortly after, the mouth of that tunnel closes, devouring her whole. Nothing surprises me anymore. A Tunnel Mimic, huh? When I first started playing with Bil, I was surprised how they could instinctively know when its a Tunnel Mimic acting like a tunnel, and when its an actual tunnel. I was confused because, even after memorizing the whole layout, I realized that they not only appear in empty spaces but also take over the real tunnels. When I asked Bil, he just shrugged their shoulders. But, after paying close attention, I realized the truth. Like any other mimic, Tunnel Mimics can copy their surroundings and blend seamlessly with the decorative elements. When theres water pooled on the ground, it looks like it flows into the worms mouth, and when there are mushrooms around the entrance, they too appear inside it. The only things they cant mimic are other monsters and dangerous elements that can affect the players, like the poisonous mushrooms; but this alone isnt enough to differentiate them. So how can Ana or Bil always know when its one of them? Because theres one thing that remains constant all the time: their size. Regardless of how they look, the Tunnel Mimics always have the same size. Thats how you can identify them. You can never be 100% sure its a Tunnel Mimic, but you can guarantee it isnt one when the tunnels entrance is either larger or smaller. Unaffected by my maddened comrades actions, I take a few more steps before stopping once again. Thats unusual. Not more than ten meters from the Tunnel Mimic that devoured Ana, theres another one. Im sure this time because it not only has the same size but its also located in a place where there shouldnt be anything. The uneven ground and walls, the perfectly blended entrance, and even the path that seems to split further inside; nothing about it gives any clues to the unsuspecting victims before they step inside. The game must use parts of other tunnels in this same dungeon to make it so believable. Sigh. I could go back or simply surrender. I could put an excuse if they ask me anything. But all my efforts to infiltrate will go to waste if I get discovered. I step inside, with no option left but to do so. Why am I doing this again? Why do I insist on following them even when I hate it? I shake my head. Is it pride? Is it my thirst for knowledge? Or is it something else? Something darker, slowly building up until I wont be able to go back when I realize it My whole body trembles at my absurd thought. I joined the so-called Mad Cultists to get all the secret information only they have, and it has worked so far more or less. They havent given me any tips yet, but I dont need it. I can extract more information than I ever thought possible from their actions alone. The Tunnel Mimic closes his mouth and everything turns dark. I feel a sticky and smelly liquid slowly fill the cavity Im in. Now I just have to attack it from inside and wait for it to die. When it dies, the game will release me into the closest available coordinates. The thrill of the unexpected No! Im here just to get information! Information, thats all. When I feel satisfied, Ill happily leave the Mad Cult behind and forget everything about it. I shoot a few arrows in the dark and wait. Theres no need to waste EP or MP when the monster cant take more than 10% of its maximum HP per second. If the monster doesnt die, Ill do a few more attacks. Its starting. The Tunnel Mimic starts shaking, twisting in all directions. Soon, were pulled at a fast speed towards the surface, and I emerge from the worms mouth, covered in sticky fluid. This part is the most disgusting. Ugh, well where am I? I struggle to stand up, inadvertently locking eyes with a dangerous-looking wolf standing on two legs. The eye on its chest seems to emit light, a big contrast with the pitch-black skin covering the rest of its body. ...shit. *Awoooo!* The wolfs howl makes me run away, affected by the Fear status effect. Resistance is futile, so I allow my Champion to run around randomly. It does so with such bad luck that I end up running into another Tunnel Mimic and the cycle starts once more. How many worms did we find today? Isnt it a bit too much? Im not enjoying this one bit. It isnt like, deep inside, Im looking forward to what will come next or anything like that. Yay! Here we go again! I force a smile and put on a cheerful attitude. Its for the small chance my teammates watch the invasions replay. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Huh, huh, huh! I show off my amazing muscles while taking a victory pose. Ive won today, Evil Mastermind. Youve done everything you could to stop me, but nothing you prepared could stall my advance. I win, huh, huh, huh! My loud voice fills the empty room. It reaches the pots containing monster organs, the racks filled with miscellaneous objects, and the water flowing through the channels embedded into the ground. Not a single sentient entity remains that can react to my sudden outburst. It was hard. You didnt make it easy for me, Ill recognize your efforts. But today, TODAY! I excitedly shake my fist, Todays the day I solidify my superiority over all the other players and recover my lost orc pride! Huh, huh, huh! Ive beaten the Minitaur Queen. Ive obliterated the Overgorger. Ive hunted the Hunters and ensured not a single Goblimp remains alive. Ive even smacked the access card to make sure Ive gotten the good one and not a fake one; and faced the Monster Train, emerging victorious over a mountain of corpses. The dungeons floors are littered with the corpses of monsters. My sworn brothers, the orcs and goblins I brought with me, died long ago too. But I, alone, survived. The only places I havent touched are the rabbit area and the new botanical garden but thats because they arent required to reach the dungeon core. Huh, huh, huh! An intense battle indeed. I nod to myself, happy to have achieved everything without any external help. Fighting strong monsters is always exciting, regardless of how many times Ive fought them. The best part of all this is that Ill be able to show off to the rest of the players. I came here after other players were complaining about the new monsters, and none should have reached the end before me. Huh, huh, huh. My reputation and my guides prestige will rise once more I cant stop grinning. Being recognized for ones efforts feels great. At first, I thought of coming with the Green Gang. But after the epic failure of the last time I tried to use them to discover the new monsters in my stead I decided against it. My reputation was close to plummeting after what happened. I shake my head. The present and the future are what matters. What matters is the access card Im holding in my hand, which Im going to use to open the door to the dungeon core ...why? In front of me, theres the same door as usual, the last one before the dungeon core. Next to it, theres the slot for the access card; you just need to put the card in the correct place, and the door opens. It isnt the first time Im using it, so Im sure Im doing it properly. So why? Why does the door remain closed? And why is there a SECOND slot right next to it!? Nononono! This cant be right, I must be hallucinating! That must be it. You almost fooled me, Evil Mastermind, huh, huh, huh! I slam my fist onto the screen with the small fissure to introduce the card, hitting something solid. The realization makes me freeze. To deny it, I grab my battleaxe and start smashing it onto the device. Dont! Fuck! With! Me! I continue smashing, losing myself in the frenzy. But no matter how much struggle, nothing changes. Huh huh! Panting, I drop to the floor, grabbing my head with my burly hands. Now I understand I now understand everything! This is why I could achieve everything I wanted. This is why I could finally defeat all the bosses and dangerous monsters in one single invasion, and why I felt unstoppable. Everything was part of the most convoluted plan the Evil Mastermind has ever designed. A meticulously crafted plan to make me feel the worst despair possible, right after I thought I had achieved my objective! Strike when it hurts the most What have I done to him? Why is it always me who has to suffer so much? No. If I surrender now, itll mean he has defeated me yet one more time, and Ill never accept it! I cant surrender. To protect what little orc pride remains in me, I must fight to the end! Thats how we do these things. It doesnt matter if we die, as a proud orc, I must struggle until the end, regardless of the opponent. A proud warrior must fall in battle. Huh, huh, huh Yes I stand up, slowly recovering my usual enthusiasm. I wont let you win... I wont let you win, Evil Mastermind! Not today, at least. Nothing has been decided until the You have died screen appears in front of me! Filled with determination, I start walking towards the greenhouse. From the first comments I read in the forums, most of the new monsters appeared there. Ive been avoiding it on purpose because everything was going so smoothly, but Im sure its where the second access card is located. I must go there to achieve my deserved victory. But before Ive taken more than ten steps, I realize that, not too far from this door, theres another one slightly hidden, coincidentally placed next to the path I was taking. Curious, I get closer to it. He has prepared this on purpose, I nod at my own words. My eyes switch between the access card in my hand and the single card slot next to this door. This, too, is part of his plan. I gulp. If I want to reach the end, I can try this. Im sure itll open with the access card I have. But then Ill be following his plan Nothing youve prepared scares me, Evil Mastermind! I put the card in the slot, and it makes a beeping sound. As soon as the door is unlocked, I slam it open with a kick. Inside, I find a room Ive never seen before. A long but narrow passage, with glass covering most of the right wall and a high-security door right next to it. On the other side of the glass, I can see another dark room. Not more than twenty by twenty meters, there seems to be a labyrinth inside. Looking at it from above, it looks too easy. I have a bad feeling about this Shaking off my doubts I walk to the door next to the window wall and open it. Theres a notepad next to it with what might be instructions. Instructions to confuse me and manipulate my actions, so Im not reading them. There is a metallic staircase to reach the floor below. At least this part is visible in the dark room, as one of the few lights is shining right on top of it. I go down the stairs, and as soon as I step on the ground, the rest of the lights turn on. Impeccable white walls, floor, and ceiling greet me; as well as a bunch of garbage and furniture everywhere. A sick-looking cat stands in front of me, observing me with curiosity. *Bam!* The high-security door slams shut, blocking my exit. Huh what am I supposed to do? I scratch my head. Fight the cat? Reach the end of the labyrinth? But thats too easy for something designed by the Evil Mastermind. Now I regret not reading the notepad Luckily, I find another notepad right on this side, so I quickly approach it and start reading. Experiment instructions
  1. Dont attack experiment #.
  2. Experiment # must reach the end line.
  3. In case something were to happen to experiment # on the way, help it reach the end.
  4. If everything else fails, make sure to kill experiment #.
PD: The door wont open until the experiment finishes. Good luck! The objective is to help that sick cat reach the end of the labyrinth... It seems easy, which makes it very suspicious. Furthermore, why do the first and last instructions contradict each other? A puzzle room? I groan. I hate puzzles Why couldnt it be a battle? Furthermore, I have a very bad feeling about this A shiver runs down my spine. I stop my bodys reactions to prevent the Evil Mastermind from realizing my real emotions. I wont give him that satisfaction. I forcefully stop the shivering, and turn around. The sick cat, who was standing still until now, starts walking forward. I then hear a clicking sound, followed by several blades popping out of the wall. Why would there be traps in here?
There are things youll remember for the rest of your life. It can be the day you passed an important exam, the day you won the lottery, the day you met your love Regardless of what happened, youll cherish that experience until the day you die. There are also things youd wish to forget as soon as possible; but for some reason, those horrifying experiences cling to you, haunting you for the rest of your days. It wasnt common, but a few players would never forget certain experiences they had when playing DMA. Both for good and for bad.
Ch 247 - They keep multiplying Traps? Why? To my surprise, the blades popping out of the wall slice the cat in two. After the deed, the blades retract halfway back, a signal that the trap has been triggered and wont work a second time. Is this it? The last point in the instruction list said to kill the cat if everything else failed, right? I dont expect to be able to proceed forward because the experiment has failed, but the entrance door should open after this. I hate having to face the new monsters, but anything is better than facing one of the Evil Masterminds puzzles head-on. Everything has gone smoothly today. Huh, huh, huh. So easy. But for some reason, I dont hear the sound of the door opening. I try to turn around to check, but something catches my attention near where the cats corpse should be. I furrow my brows. What now? Its unusual for corpses to change shape, unlike in real life. Regardless of how they die, the corpses always have the same aspect. But since anything can happen in this damned dungeon, I didnt find it weird for the cats corpse to be split into two. Is it some kind of parasite living inside the cat? The cat did look sick. An undead? It shouldnt be, the Flesh Monstrosities cant use undead monsters For some reason, a shiver runs down my spine, making my hair stand on end. Or it would, if this was reality. The cat its alive? And there are two of them? Instead of one cat, now there are two. An HP bar, showing they have more than half HP remaining, is on top of each one. The instructions for the experiment flash in my memory. Huh Fuck. It made no sense that the instructions to dont attack the cat and the cat must reach the end were on two separate points. If you attack and kill the cat, it cant reach the end, so its a foregone conclusion or it should have been that way. THIS. This is why! This is why there were two instructions instead of one! I must prevent the cats from dividing any more, or at least ensure to kill them, before they do! I rush at the two cats, now half the size of the original one, as they continue moving forward. *Click!* After another metallic noise, spikes protrude from the ground, impaling the left cat. Repeating the previous sight, by the time the spikes retract into the ground, the cat has split into two smaller copies of itself. *Click!* A boulder falls on top of the cats. After rolling to the side, it reveals that the number of cats has increased from three to six. The single difference is that, unlike the first two times, their HP bars are full. Why are they back to full HP Theres no time to think; my situation will only worsen. *Click! Crash!* The swinging pendulum blade crashes into the blade of my axe, producing a loud noise. All my muscles twitch in dread. If I had hesitated and reached this place even a second later, their numbers might have further multiplied. Huh huh Panting, I observe the six cats. Maybe because of my sudden intervention, theyre all looking up at me. But, like real cats, they quickly lose their interest and scatter in all directions. Whats with the ridiculous number of traps? Ive been to many dungeons, and none had traps so close to each other. And how did the cats recover the lost HP? Im against anything that has to do with identifying monsters because it takes away all the fun. A battle can never be as exciting if you know all the skills of your opponent. But this is a puzzle room, and since battle isnt part of it, I can do whatever I want. Following the cats moving forward and doing my best to protect them from the traps they trigger, I use the identify function on them. What I read on the screen makes all my blood boil. Evil Mastermind! How dare you create such an aberration! Its an offense to the spirit of the game! DMA is about fighting monsters. Playing alone or in a team with other players, against strong monsters or hordes of weak ones, tricky monsters that like to hide, or those that want a straight fight. Regardless, its a game about battles. Fight! Show your skills! Emerge victorious! Thats the spirit of the game! But this monster has none of that. It cant fight, it cant defend itself, and it does nothing to the invaders. The only skills the cat has are for increasing the damage it takes and splitting as many times as possible! Huh, huh, huh. Youve made a big mistake, Evil Mastermind Ill show you how to beat you at your own game! The way to solve the puzzle is to bring all the cats to the end. Thats easy, I can do it with little effort. These muscles arent just for show, huh, huh, huh. Waaaaaaah! I shout to motivate myself as my skin turns red. Lets do thiiiis! At record speed, I fly through the labyrinth, going back to the start to find the furthest cat. Not wasting time to stop, I pick it up and turn around. The high speed makes me slide back almost two meters, but I quickly regain my momentum. Ugh The cat feels gross to the touch. Ive never liked hairless cats, but this one is covered in a sticky green substance that makes it even worse. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I put all my strength on my legs to push the speed to my limits. As I burst through the labyrinth, I pick up every cat, ensuring none of them are left behind. As any real cat would, they struggle to get free from my grasp, twisting their bodies and scratching at me. My orc skin, though, absorbs any damage, and my strength is too high for them to break free. It takes me less than five seconds to go back and forth from the start and pick up all the cats on the way, but in that time, the cats in the forefront have managed to die two times more, raising the number of cats to eight instead of six. Its hard to hold them all, as their sizes range from being smaller than my fist to about twenty centimeters, but with my expert battle senses and improved stats thanks to Frenzy, I can keep them in check. The last cat hisses at me before turning to look at the last triggered trap with a proud look on its face. Are you doing this on purpose!? I shake my head, sprinting to the end of the labyrinth. As I run, what feels like an infinite amount of traps spring into action. From spikes coming out of the walls and floor, to poisoned darts and arrows, to spring traps, to rocks falling from the ceiling, to swinging axes and trunks, to a meter-wide rolling boulder filling the whole passage. I cant take more than a single step without activating at least one trap. I jump over the traps I can, to keep my speed. Those I cant, I parry with my axe or headbutt them, negating their momentum. And for those that are too tricky to dodge or parry, I instead tank them, ensuring the cats take no damage. Evil Mastermind! You went way too far with the traaaaaps! My HP falls like never before. Ive never taken so much damage from simple traps like those. Almost there I can sense it in my muscles excited twisting. A few more meters and Ill have successfully achieved my task. Just a few more meters I turn around the corner. The last stretch is a straight line, at the end of which is the end line. The decorative signs with congratulations and good job can be read from this distance. There are balloons too, and horrifying humanoids dressed like cheerleaders wearing party hats. Oh how much I HATE the Evil Mastermind right now. Less than fifteen meters, I can do this! Before Frenzy takes a serious toll on me, Ill complete this messed-up experiment and beat this damn dungeon. Despite Evil Masterminds plan, Ill achieve victory! Huh, huh, huh! Itll be my win this tiC Suddenly, I hear a wet sound coming from below, from around my arms. W-whaaat? One of the cats Im holding splits up, thats what made the sound. It uses the fact that its body is smaller to slip away from my grab, one of the halves jumps up, and the other scurries from below, both dropping to the ground. Before I can react, two more cats also divide themselves and escape my arms. *Click, fwooosh!* It just so happens at the worst moment possible. Distracted by the cats, I dont evade the burst of fire coming from below. The fire covers my whole body, and the cats make painful cries. Like most traps, the fire doesnt last long, and it quickly disappears. But when I lower my gaze to the ground N-no. Tell me Im d-dreaming. I stutter. T-t-this cant be true! There are tens of cats littering the ground. Some of them have their heads risen in my direction while the others simply start dispersing in all directions. In my shock, I deactivate Frenzy and drop to the ground. All my effort, my amazing display of skill at avoiding all those traps It was all for nothing! FOR NOTHING I say! There must be a way out. I cant lose this. Not today. A way out a way out According to the instructions, the cat, now countless cats, must reach the end. As long as I bring them all, regardless of how much theyve multiplied, I can complete the experiment. I look around. There are way too many of them. By the time I bring one group to the end, the others will have multiplied. Its an unending circle. Theres the last instruction too My eyes start glowing ominously. Yes I just need to kill them all Huh, huh, huh! Kill. Them. ALL! I grip my battleaxe and jump up. So many cats, so many so many monsters to release my pent-up frustration The few cats that havent run away feel my gaze upon them and shiver. They try to run away, but my axe is faster. Violence is always the solution. Huh, huh, huh!
Kitty, kitty, kitty, come here. I promise you, Im not going to hurt you. Axe hidden behind my back, I approach what remains of a sofa. Hidden behind it, in the tiny gap between the sofa and the wall, theres a cat about the size of my fingertip. Come on, get out. Were going to have some fun together! The cat shivers in place, not budging at all. Since I killed the first cat, the ones who saw it have been running away and hiding from me. The problem is that theyre too small for me to find and kill. I have almost no ranged attacks or area effects. This is driving me mad! There must be a way out of this, Im sure of it. I cant give up my perfect run because of the weakest monster Ive ever seen. If only I had known this would happen, I wouldnt have allowed the cat to get itself killed at the start. If I had prevented the first few deaths, when the cats split up while I was holding them there would have been at most four to six cats, and I could have brought them to the end easily. Now, after so many splits, its impossible. But I cant surrender! If I do, Id be accepting defeat. A warrior must die on the battlefield, not inside a stupid room filled with cats and traps! If I die like this, I wont ever be able to recover my lost orc pride. I dont know what to do The ground is littered with tiny cat corpses. True to the instructions, the cats will die if you kill them enough times. The problem is that, by then, they have split so many times that their numbers are uncountable. Why did it have to be me the first to find this room? Why did I have to DISCOVER that door, and why couldnt I STOP myself from going inside? If I had come with the Green Gang, Diq could have used his magic to clear all the remaining cats. Eventually, after a long time. I hate my luck... Theres no choice. Ill never find and kill all the cats. Killing them or bringing them to the exit is out of the question. The only thing I can do Is surrender. I swear on my lost orc pride. This will be the last time I fall for your schemes, Evil Mastermind. Next time. Next time for sure, Ill crush your dungeon and recover my pride. Ill humiliate you in a way no one has! Huh, huh, huh!
So, despite all my warnings, youve gone and done it. Youve crossed the door that DOESNT EXIST, hoping for an easy way forward, and suffered because of it. Or you went and looked for the INEXISTENT MONSTER. Maybe you had the great idea to taunt the Evil Mastermind and now he has set you as a target for all his experiments. Whatever you did, CONGRATULATIONS! Its too late for you now. Theres no coming back from THAT. - Extract from the Chapter Pretend this chapter doesnt exist from How to Stay Sane in The Mad Rats Lab.
Ch 248 - Left, right, up, and down! Hehe I chuckle. This is interesting. Whats interesting? Asks Elivina. Oh, no, its nothing. You know me, I always find weird things interesting. Elivina shrugs her shoulders while shaking her head, Youre right and proceeds to ignore me. Hehe, nice. It worked. Now I can do whatever I please without being interrupted. Left hand. Right hand. Shake the body, starting from the hips. One step, two steps. Hands up, aaaaand, spin! I imitate the tiny fellas chasing after us, dancing all the time. At first, I thought they were an anomaly and possibly dangerous, but now, I just find them funny. This is because they stop moving when I turn around. But thanks to Arcane Vision, I can observe them without them realizing, and I can imitate their dance. Oh, a new move! Hands to the front. Butt out. Slowly advance in tiny steps. Scramble the two arms together. Aaaaand, a high-five! Ah, I dont have anyone to high-five with ...are you fine? Elivina sends me a worried look. From her expression, she just pretended to ignore me and instead kept an eye on me. This means she has seen the whole dance. Khm! Yes, yes. Dont worry about me. I told you Im fine. Should I tell her? I dont think shell do anything unnecessary, and if she knows, I can continue without looking like a weirdo. It should be fine. Elivina, with my finger, I tell her to come closer, Have you seen the huge flower field? She raises one eyebrow. Magno, stop making things up. Im not making things up! I want to shout, but if I do, the others will hear and I dont want that. Ill have to show her. Were currently following the path between the plants inside this giant greenhouse. This semi-open area, surrounded by dense vegetation, is perfect for ambushes. Other players would choose to leave it as soon as possible, but we, as expert players, know this is a bad move. The best course of action is to always follow the path. Monsters will come at you anyway, so why risk getting lost? If you get lost, itll make things harder. The number of tiny dancing fellas following us has been increasing over time. More and more of them keep popping out of the bushes. But since the path isnt straight, the surrounding vegetation invades it, and the tiny fellas keep a distance between ten and twenty meters, its hard to see them unless youre keeping an eye on the back. It doesnt help that theyre less than ten centimeters tall, either. Since Im the one protecting the back, its understandable my teammates didnt notice the tiny fellas. I should be the one telling them, if anything. But I dont want to because I know the tiny fellas will be in danger. Elivina should be fine, though. Do you have Arcane Vision or a similar skill? She shakes her head. No. I have it on my usual Champion, but not in this one. It was you and HippopotamusAlpha who insisted on bringing low-level Champions to this dungeon. Hmm This will make things harder. Then well have to do with your camouflage skill. Ill think of something, just pretend nothings going on. Okay. Her eyes shine with curiosity. Bringing Champions of the appropriate dungeon level is of paramount importance. A high-level dungeon requires high-level Champions to enjoy properly. In the same way, a low-level dungeon requires low-level Champions. Anything else will make the Dungeon Invasion too easy or hard, reducing the fun. Every time I go to the Hidden Spring of Youth dungeon, for example, I use a level 1 Champion that costs at most 100 cp. It is a dungeon created for the sights, one that makes you feel like youre in a real fantasy world. Surrounded by mystical creatures, magic trees, and playful fairies, you search for the Spring of Youth. The incredibly beautiful scenery, crafted to the most minuscule detail is amazing. From time to time, fairies come to play with you. They do pranks or fly around you before running away. They arent there to hurt you. If you follow them, they guide you to the spring. Its an experience I recommend to anyone playing DMA. But if you bring a high-level Champion to the Hidden Spring of Youth, it wont be any fun. Like trying to play the ball with a giant ten times your size, the best that can happen is that the ball ends up thrown so far away youll never see it again. As for the worst, either you or the ball gets squashed. In short, you wont enjoy it as much as with a low-level Champion. For this dungeon in particular, I researched a bit and found out its best to bring Champions between levels six and nine. This way you can enjoy the surprises and suffering caused by all the unexpected stuff without instantly dying, or pushing through everything with sheer stats. We usually play with level twenty Champions, the maximum level, its understandable that Elivina doesnt have all the skills she usually has. We continue moving forward, and not too long after my conversation with Elivina, monsters appear. Ambush! Shouts HippopotamusAlpha. The vegetation on the two sides of the dirt road comes alive, extending tendrils towards us. As the rain of attacks falls upon us, especially on the two at the front, the monsters reveal themselves to us. Invisibility? No, camouflage. The monsters skin returns to their original aspect. What looked like branches and vines turned out to be tentacles, and what was hiding in the foliage was a raptors body. They coordinate their attacks, leaving almost no time for HippopotamusAlpha and Trim to evade or parry, but from the damage the two take, they dont seem to be too dangerous. They should be able to deal with them. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Ah, this is bad! I put on an act. Theyre coming from the back too. Elivina and I will deal with them before they surround us. You stop the raptors, alright? Wait, dont leave usC Ignoring HippopotamusAlphas shout, I pull Elivina away and retreat a few steps. She looks bewildered but quickly recovers from the shock when she recalls our previous conversation. Like this, we backtrack a short distance and step into the wilderness outside the path. The tiny fellas have been following us, but theyve always taken the shortest path. It just so happens that, after the path took a sharp turn to the left, the shortest path happened to cross the wilderness. Its perfect. This way, the other two wont see whats going on. We cross the dense vegetation next to the path and find ourselves in a somewhat open space, occupied mostly by large trees. It almost feels like the plants near the path were put there on purpose to create a visual barrier The ground is covered in uncountable flowers. A flower field, one that shouldnt exist as they need sunlight, but anything can happen inside dungeons. Those arent normal flowers anyway. See? I told you. A flower field. Elivina opens her mouth wide open. Woaaah! So many! And so many colors! Hehe, she always had a weak side for these kinds of things. But why do they have tiny horns? That, I dont know. Who knows what the dungeon owner had on their mind when creating them? But this isnt everything. Come on, use your camouflage skill. Ill move away. It wont work if they can see us. But Dont worry, I assure her. Ill use Arcane Vision to keep an eye on the situation. While keeping Arcane Vision up, I walk back to the path, observing everything. As soon as the tiny fellas detect Im far enough, they start moving once more. They start dancing. They shake their bodies to inaudible music, moving their heads, leaves, stalks, and roots. Their coordinated moves look as if they had rehearsed this for a long time. The dancing flowers stop moving once more when Elivinas camouflage is undone. From her awkward posture, she must have tried to imitate them. She looks around, flustered, sighs in relief, and quickly reactivates her camouflage skill so they start dancing again. Theres no use in pretending otherwise, Elivina I saw everything Hehe. Puha! Suddenly, I receive a punch to my face. When I turn around, I find an angry HippopotamusAlpha. Trim is glaring at me from behind him. Here you are, Magno. Are you stupid? Why did you run away, and wheres Elivina? Okay, I deserved that punch. A comrade shouldnt act so recklessly. But watching Elivinas reactions was worth it. Elivina, come back! I shout. Theres no use chasing them. If the monsters want to come back, well fight them at that time. If we are to keep this a secret from HippopotamusAlpha and Trim, we must convince them. After confirming that shes returning with Arcane Vision, I turn to our party leader, HippopotamusAlpha. Shes coming back. I cant stop smiling. It must be because of Elivinas downcast expression at having to leave the dancing tiny fellas behind. Theres no need for that face. Theyll follow after us, there might come another chance to watch them happily dance. HippopotamusAlpha glares at me. Youre acting like a weirdo. More so than usual. Is that so? Hehe, I chuckle. Anyway, did you deal with the raptors? If so, as soon as Elivina comes back, lets move on. I push HippopotamusAlphas back to make him move. The tiny fellas will be our little tiny secret.
Nooo, the tiny fellas! What did they do to you? Is there any need to kill them? They didnt hurt anyone! I and Elivina can only observe as HippopotamusAlpha uses Hellfire on the patch of dancing flowers. How did he find out, I dont know. But as much as we hate it, we wont fight against our teammates for this. The black flames engulf more than half the flower field, causing agonizing death screams to erupt. Loud and high-pitched Kyaaaah! shouts echo in my head, making it hurt. Even a few of the tiny fellas who werent affected by the flames do so before dropping to the ground, pretending to be dead. Its the first time Ive seen a monster acting like that. Alright, I take it back Someone did get hurt. My eardrums did. But it was because of our leaders attack, it isnt their fault. HippopotamusAlpha glares at me. You know as well as I do, Magno, what other players say about this dungeon: everything could be dangerous unless proven otherwise. Ill deal with them, since you dont look too kind on it, and we can keep going. Fine I reluctantly agree. Like mowing grass, HippopotamusAlpha advances through the flower field, swinging his sword. Wherever he goes, screams follow. He moves in a circle, eliminating all those dancing flowers in the perimeter, those who didnt burn in the Hellfire. When the deed is done, he returns to us. We can move on now. See? I point at the destroyed flower field. They didnt do anything. They were critters without battle prowess. There was no need to kill them. Who cares? Whats done is done. Better safe than sorry when it comes to unknown monC *BOOOM!* Thunder strikes nearby. Due to the thick leaf cover and dense foliage, we cant see the light and only hear it. But we know the direction it came from. Hehe, I chuckle. Even the gods are angry at your actions. HippopotamusAlpha shakes his head. Dont be stupid Were inside a greenhouse. The thunder must have come from a monster. I shrug my shoulders at his counterargument. Do we go after it or stay on the path? Trim chimes in. Hmmm With a hand on his chin, HippopotamusAlpha thinks for a short while. Yes, were going. We arent sure what we need to do here. Fighting what sounds like a large and powerful opponent might give us a clue. As long as we remember the way back, itll be fine. Both I and Elivina nod in response and our next course of action is decided. Maybe we will find more dancing flowers on the way Furthermore, Im curious about what kind of monster would release thunder like that when there are no enemies (aka us) nearby. We step out of the narrow and overgrown path and into the wilderness, following the direction where we heard the thunder. We move swiftly. Elivina takes the front as the partys scout while I make sure nothing comes from behind. Using Arcane Vision while moving is hard because your vision shifts. With enough practice its bearable, you just need to get used to walking around as if you were a character in a third-person camera game. But as much as Im used to it, theres always a slight dizziness that slowly builds up, until Im forced to deactivate it. But regardless of how many precautions we take, nothing helps us to prevent what comes next. Suddenly, the ground around HippopotamusAlpha shakes, and a giant flytrap-like mouth appears from below, eating him whole. Finding a large and powerful monster, check. Hehe, gods retribution indeed.
To make DMA more interesting and realistic, the AI had certain behaviors preprogrammed so that players could use them without knowing about programming. Things like dancing, standing still and ignoring everything, talking to the invaders, and patrolling between two or more points were just a few of them. A lot of them, though, were available only if the units original Intelligence stat was above a certain value. The harder and more complex the command, the higher the required Intelligence.
Ch 249 - Three’s better than two, that’s better than one As the ground breaks apart, big walls, red on the inside and green on the outside, grow from below, surrounding HippopotamusAlpha. By the time we can react, the monster has closed his mouth and devoured our party leader whole. Hehe, this is kind of funny. Trim glares at me. Stop laughing, this isnt funny. Yes, it is. I reaffirm my stance, It is funny. What are the chances that, right after he unnecessarily killed all those harmless flowers, a monster appeared and devoured him? If this isnt divine punishment, you can tell me what it is. He shuts up after my rebuttal, but his glare grows in intensity. Man, if stares could kill The ground rumbles as the monsters head completely emerges from the ground. Dust, grass, and the soil sticking to it start to fall off, revealing the monsters aspect. Its some kind of giant flytrap as I suspected, but this one is unusual. It has real teeth instead of pointed leaves, and two eyes intensely glowing in orange light. We observe the monster as it rises from the hole in the ground. Although, in general, you should try to save your teammates as soon as possible, we all have enough experience to know it isnt the best move. You first need as much information about the enemy as possible; rushing ahead could make things harder instead of helping. Furthermore, we arent worried about HippopotamusAlphas survival. Hes our partys tank, he wont die that easily. After the head completely emerges, what follows isnt its body but a long and thin neck that stretches towards a dense patch of vegetation nearby. The body of the monster remains hidden. The body is over there what a large monster. Says Elivina. With such a large target, itll be easy to deal with, I add. Trim, do you want me to tank while Hippo is still inside the monster? Trim signals for me to stop. ...Wait. Theres something weird going on. Something weird? ah! I know what he means. When it comes to large monsters, the HP bar is scaled in proportion to their size so its easy to see, and it rests above the monster, near the models center. But the HP bar of the flytrap is right on top of its head. The monster is taking damage. HippopotamusAlpha must be doing his best to get out. Engulf and similar skills are hard to use but the damage they deal is extremely high to compensate. We cant waste any more time, regardless of what Trim says. I step forward, ready to take the tank role temporarily. If youre experienced and your build doesnt stop you from doing it, any player can take the monsters aggro in this game. The monsters behavior changes from one to another, but they all make sense and arent governed by an aggro number, nor can they simply walk through other units or players. Standing between them and the rest of the party is usually enough to force them to attack you. Thats unless the dungeon owner has messed up their AI, of course. Monsters behave like you would expect if they were real. This is why I like DMA so much. I must say that, so far, the monsters in this dungeon have surprised me with their unusual behaviors. From teleporting through walls, to hit-and-run ambush tactics, to more unexpected ones like the dancing flowers, who simply followed after us while hiding in plain sight when we watched them. Who knows how this monster will surprise us? I slam my small buckler shield on the monsters head with Shield Bash and follow it up with my mace. Hehe. Im the agent of the gods. Feel my wrath! Who says clerics cant be powerful in melee? The monsters head shakes, receiving the impact of my attacks. HippopotamusAlpha, whos inside its mouth, must feel it too. He must be having a hard time right now. Hehe, eat this, HippopotamusAlpha. This is what you get for messing with the tiny fellas! Large orange eyes glare at me. The monster doesnt make any sound, possibly because HippopotamusAlpha is inside its mouth. Its neck bends back a short distance before lunging at me at maximum speed like a snake. I feel like standing in front of a truck. Theres no way to evade it. ...Gugh! The impact sends me flying a short distance back. The damage I take is significant. Hmm I should take this seriously and stop messing with HippopotamusAlpha inside the monster Magno! Elivinas shout comes a bit too late. Distracted by the monster, I didnt see the build-up animation of Eruption. The ground below me bursts up, sending several molten projectiles into the air. Eruption is a skill that has random targeting, which makes it relatively easy to avoid. The molten rock flies up in a parabola, falling on top of the unlucky victims. But since Im standing right on top of the starting point, I take all the projectiles head-on. *Thud, thud, thud!* My body flies about two meters up before falling. As soon as I land, I stand up and check my status. Im fine? I survived thanks to Elivinas shield. Thanks! I wave at her and return my focus to the monster. The monster doesnt seem too kind in attacking me or my teammates. It looks like it wants to buy time to fully digest HippopotamusAlpha. How troublesome. But before we go all-in, we must check if theres anything else going on. Trim is right, something is off. Elivina, can you clear that patch of vegetation? I say, pointing to where the monsters body is hiding. Wide area, low output, I instruct her and she nods in understanding. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. From what weve seen so far, all the plants in this botanical garden are destructible. We can clear that area, and hopefully, well understand whats going on with this monster. Theres no need to use powerful spells for this, but the area should be as large as possible. A large whirlwind appears, sending the plants flying. Those that are too heavy are shredded into bits instead. And what appears from the now cleared area is a large quadruped body covered in scales. Vibrant red mixes with green, creating a flower pattern. If I didnt know it was a monster, I could easily mistake it for part of the decorations. The neck extending from the flytrap head, which looks like a stem, connects to the body as expected. The problem is there are two more such stems. There are two more!? Exclaims Trim. As if on cue, the ground starts shaking for the second time. And surely enough, two heads, identical to the one that ate HippopotamusAlpha, emerge from below. It doesnt matter if its because we damaged the main body or because we revealed the presence of the other two heads. What matters is that we arent against one single monster as we initially thought. U-uaah! Elivina jumps away in fright and hides behind me. One of the two heads came out right beside her. If she had moved slightly to the right, she would have been swallowed whole as our leader. Theres an HP bar on top of each head, which means three HP bars. Three HP bars but one monster furthermore, the two newcomers HP bars arent full, which means the damage is shared if we hit the main body Weve fought a few monsters like this before. Theyre a pain in the ass. The head that ate our leader retreats, and the other two stand ready for battle. Theyre trying to protect the more vulnerable and important head from us. Trim walks closer, fiddling with his hand crossbow. Itll be harder than expected. I know I nod. If you take care of the two newcomers, I can try to shut down the one that ate Hippo. Yes, lets do that. Elivina, focus on support. If you have spare time and mana, attack the first head or the main body. Ignore the other two. Alright! The real battle is about to start. While the central head, the one that ate HippopotamusAlpha has taken considerable damage C mostly from him attacking from the inside C we must kill it before our leader dies. If we kill that head, assuming nobody else gets eaten, the fight will be significantly easier. We have the experience to deal with this situation. *Swiish!* Trims bolt hitting the central head signals the start of the battle. The two free heads hiss at us. The left head spews a cloud of poison, filling the area with toxic gas. Elivina and Trim run away, taking as much distance as possible. The right head rushes at me at full speed. This time, though, Im ready and jump to the side on time. The wind blows past me as the monsters head passes where I was a second ago. Hehe, it tickles. I start healing myself to neutralize the damage from the poison. Come to me! I shout, slamming the mace onto the monsters vulnerable neck. My taunt seems to work, as the two heads start thrashing around, trying to bite me. They smash all the surrounding trees as they move. Maple, oak, pine, spruce, baobab none of them can stand their strength. The flytrap heads are so big theyre hard to avoid. Every time they hit me, a large amount of HP goes away. Furthermore, they apply poison and slow with their bites. But damage over time effects are weak against me. Anything that doesnt outright kill me, I can heal. Magno! I know! The central head, which doesnt seem to want to join the melee, utilizes Eruption once more. Its orange eyes glow with high intensity for a moment. Shortly after, the ground below my feet starts to turn red. It wont work a second time. Nice try, though! I chuckle, jumping back. The ground bursts open, and another wave of magma projectiles flies everywhere. They fall indiscriminately, regardless of ally or enemy. The monster doesnt seem to care that it takes a few hits, though. This wont do Every time Trim attacks the central head, the other two rush to protect it. Theyre too smart. I scan the area, looking for something to give us a boost. ...ah, I know. Standing proudly near the battle area, theres a very large sequoia. When a dungeon element is destructible, it doesnt mean it disappears when destroyed. The fragments remain in the game and can impose a severe obstacle. Destroying a wall creates rubble, smashing a bridge makes it fall to the ground below and cutting a tree leaves a trunk behind. This means that a particularly large tree will leave an equally large trunk behind. Stop attacking for a moment, I ask my teammates, I need their aggro on me! I activate one of my skills and a large light pillar appears over the main body. The three heads turn mad, and the two free ones rush at me at maximum speed. This is perfect. This is exactly what I was hoping for. I run as if theres no tomorrow. The closest head opens its mouth wide open, chasing from behind. I feel its breath on my neck. If I slow down even a tiny bit, Im sure Ill experience the same as HippopotamusAlpha. The shadow of the monster grows bigger. Its faster than me. But before it can eat me, Ive reached the big tree. I use blink to teleport away. And then *Crash!* The monsters head hits the sequoias trunk at full speed. The bark breaks and the large tree tilts to a side. Gravity does the rest, and the tree falls to the ground. As I planned, the heavy trunk falls on top of the monsters. The other head, which followed us from not too far, is crushed under its weight. The trunk falls on the head and rolls over, pinching the neck, and immobilizing it. Hehe, nice! One head less to care abouC The head immobilized by the tree trunk starts burrowing into the ground while Im talking. This way, itll soon get free from it. ... never mind. Still, itll take a short time for it to get out. Furthermore, the head that tried to eat me seems disoriented. Suddenly losing its prey and instead crashing into the sequoia must have messed up its AI a bit. I turn my head towards my teammate. Trim! Its now or never! I know! Trim is already preparing his strongest attack. A myriad of colors condense over the crossbow, creating a beautiful light spectacle and blinding the onlookers. He pulls the trigger. The multicolored arrow leaves a trail of light behind. It hits the central heads eye, and an explosion follows. The light pouring out of the impact area makes it look like the monster is bleeding blood of all imaginable colors. I observe the HP of the monster fall. It shouldnt be able to withstand an attack like that. The HP bar depletes quickly until it reaches zero and disappears. The head then falls to the ground and the neck connecting it to the main body snaps. Two heads remain. Cough, cough! Disgusting HippopotamusAlpha emerges from within the monsters mouth, covered in a yellow liquid. But we dont have time to celebrate our small victory. The two remaining heads have recovered and are ready for the second assault. I observe the two incoming heads. Hehe. You couldnt deal with us in a 3vs3. Lets see how you fare in a 2vs4. Im enjoying this Dungeon Invasion a lot. So many unexpected things! Its a shame the tiny fellas arent here anymore, though.
In DMA, players could give their dungeons a recommended level tag if they wished to. This way, they could ensure the invaders knew how challenging the dungeon was. This didnt prevent players from ignoring it, though. Maximum-level players stomping on low-level dungeons simply for fun wasnt an uncommon sight, nor was it an uncommon sight for players bringing lower-leveled Champions into a maximum difficulty dungeon and then bragging in the forums of their victory.
Ch 250 - Smart and dumb The fight against the remaining two heads continues. Since neither HippopotamusAlpha nor I are in perfect shape, and there are two equally dangerous monsters in front of us, we split the tanking role: a head for each. Meanwhile, Trim and Elivina take the dps roles, hiding behind us. Repeated bolts and swathes of Magic Missiles land on the head Im tanking. Our damage dealers have switched to weak attacks that deal less damage but save EP and MP. Burst damage skills arent very good against chimeras, as the damage they take cant exceed a certain amount per second. Even Trims strongest skill didnt kill the central head instantly, it took several seconds for the damage to fully apply. But in that situation, it was required, as we had to seize the window given when the other two heads were distracted to inflict as much damage as possible. Hehe, as expected. If we have the whole team, this isnt that difficult. Trim, standing a few meters behind me, hears my comment and complains. But isnt it taking too long? Dont you think we should have brought Champions of a higher level? Keeping an eye on the monster, I shrug my shoulders. Maybe. We didnt decide on the level of our Champions by ourselves, we simply followed what the other players said. This dungeon doesnt have a recommended level, so we couldnt follow the dungeon owners recommendation, and there may be new dungeon additions the other players didnt take into account yet. I inspected the monster long ago, so I know its a level 8 monster. By its stats, its almost at the level of a boss in other dungeons, but this one isnt. If it was, its stats should be a lot higher. The skills numbers dont match with a boss either. So maybe Trim is right and the recommended level should be a bit higher. Between six and seven Id say. Either way, it doesnt matter Ugh! HippopotamusAlpha groans, parrying the monsters bite. ...with our experience, we can overcome a slight level difference. The battle continues without a hitch, and by the time I notice, the second head has fallen. Only the one HippopotamusAlpha is tanking remains. Is it me, or do they get weaker the more we kill? I ask. They do get weaker, says Trim, pushing his glasses up in an artificial pose to look cool, smirking at me, about 20% weaker. There was no need to act like that, but thanks. The last head, which after defeating the other two has only half the strength it had at the start, falls to the ground with 0 HP. The scaled stem connecting it to the main body snaps like the other two, and when it happens, the main body collapses. It almost didnt move during the fight, which makes me think we could have used area effects on it instead of targeting the heads. Ill suggest that next time if theres a next time. Haah, haah That was tiring. I thought I was going to die HippopotamusAlpha drops to the ground, exhausted. I peek at his status screen and see that not only his HP but also his EP and MP are close to zero. Skills that eat enemies are no joke, the damage they deal is tremendous. Taking into account how long it took to defeat the first head, if it had been any one of us other than him, our tank, we would have died for sure. Even I would have run out of MP to heal myself. Do you mind if we take a break? Suggests HippopotamusAlpha. Sure. I nod, exchanging looks with Trim and Elivina. You arent the only one who needs it. We agree to take a break, sitting on the closest rock or stump we find. The area around us is devastated by our battle, souring our moods. But its better than looking for a better place and finding more dangers on the way. In the end, we emerged triumphant as always! Bring it on, dungeon, we can beat anything you give us, hehe! Trim shoots a bolt at me. Shut up, Magno! Why cant you ever stop rising flags? Hehe, rising flags? I chuckle. Do you think were inside a novel? That someone is writing about our lives and will use such a chich line as an excuse to give us the worst ending possible? Youve read way too many books This and that are different! Hehe, if this werent a game, Im sure his face would be all red. Dont you know that when you say something like it could have been worse is when things turn for the worst? As if fate is waiting for you to relax to strike back! Yeah, yeah I wave him off. Our bickering continues for a while, until HippopotamusAlpha bursts out laughing. Hahaha! Im glad to see you never change. I was worried when reading the comments about this dungeon because some players say it changed them forever, but I guess there was no need to worry. Oh, come on. As if we hadnt gone through way worse things than this dungeon. For how long have we been playing this game, leader? As if this dungeon could change us. For once, I completely agree with Trim. Hahaha! Alright, alright HippopotamusAlpha puts on a pensive face, scratching his chin. Im curious, though. Where did that thunder come from? We found the hydra monster but the thunder remains a mystery The hydra didnt use any lighting skills during the fight, so it shouldnt have come from it. There must be something else hiding nearby. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Could it have been a bait to make us fall for the ambush? Suggests Trim. To make us walk towards the burrowed hydra Our discussion about the origin of the thunder is cut short when Elivina, who for some reason didnt participate, stands up, pointing somewhere with her finger. ...whats that? The three of us raise our heads at the same time. The dense tree canopy should have blocked our vision, but since the surrounding trees are all smashed, our vision field and angle have widened by a significant amount. Standing far away, above the surrounding treetops, we see something that shouldnt be possible. Red and orange hues, colors you shouldnt be able to find in a forest except in autumn, create a stark contrast with the surrounding tree canopy. A burning tree. No, not a burning tree, but a tree that burns. The fire isnt consuming the tree as fuel, its the tree that creates the fire. The crimson flowers on the top branches emit flame bursts from time to time, and the flaming tree crown swings in the wind. The hypnotic dance draws our eyes in. Now that Im paying attention, every time the fiery crown swings, theres a low thumping sound that follows. A sound produced by something heavy hitting the ground in a calm but steady motion. The tree its moving. A fire treant? Suggests Trim. Gulping sounds come from all of us, myself included. We all know how dangerous treants in DMA can be. Were running away. Nobody argues against HippopotamusAlphas sudden order. Were in shambles after the fight with the hydra-like monster.
Haha, ha, haha I laugh to not cry. This is bad The large shadow looms over me. I stand still, unable to run away. It isnt that fear has paralyzed me, but that the monster is preventing me from moving. Ha haha I should have stopped him before it was too late. Regret is one of those emotions that, by the time you feel it, its too late to change. If only, If I had known, If I did this instead... When you say any of those, your fate has been sealed, as it is mine right now. Empodemus, fuck you. Its all your fault! Nobody told him to poke where he shouldnt! Although we didnt stop him either so its in part our fault too. *Thump! Thump!* The shadow grows larger and more imposing as the monster gets closer. At the same time, tens of child-like voices laugh at me. *Hehehehe! Huhuhu! Hahahahaha!* The green fairies fly in circles, chanting an ethereal melody. The forest guardians keep their distance instead of attacking, something that shouldnt happen. Its as if theyre watching an interesting show, and dont want to interrupt it. My teammates are dead, only I remain. But my end isnt far away. When the thumping stops, I raise my head to observe my future killer. Large eyes and mouth, sculpted on the stone-like bark. Its furrowed brows but calm expression display the monsters thoughts: it didnt consider us a danger. We were but a mere nuisance disturbing its sleep; a nuisance disturbing the calm that will return after my death. A branch, sturdier than steel, falls. Surrounded by rocks pinning my body in place, I can only watch as it crashes into me. Im not scared. This is a game, not reality. But this doesnt make me any less angry at Empodemus. Nobody likes losing, be it a game or reality! Fuuuuuuuck! *Crash!* Everything went awry when
Why is everyone making a fuss about them? Didnt you find them quite easy to deal with? The (self-proclaimed) Greatest Archer asks, bending her knees to pick one of the defeated monsters. Theyre kind of cute, though. Hehe. I roll my eyes. If you know the monsters skills and behavior, any monster is easy. I know, she doesnt want to give up, But as I said, why is everyone freaking out about them? There can be multiple reasons. From players not having the tools to deal with them effectively, to them teaming up with other monsters. If you say so. The Great Archer stops arguing and starts playing with the fairy corpse as if it were a doll. It isnt as disgusting as it sounds when youre inside a game. I recall our recent fight. The fairies were a nuisance, and the fact that they split upon death didnt help. But a few well-placed area-of-effect skills were enough to safely deal with them. Especially our mages specialty, Chain Lightning. With every lightning jump, a kill was all but guaranteed. The skies are clear. The sun will shine. Muchy! The Great Archer drops the fairy''s corpse and starts pulling the cheeks of our mage. Why cant you say I cant see any monster nearby, we should be safe instead!? Muu-muu The will of the sky is unfathomable. Its no use, shes always been like that At all this, where did Empodemus go? I havent heard or seen him since the battle ended. Hey, hey! Watch this! Dont you find it funny? This tree has a face on it! I follow Empodemuss voice. Almost hidden between the vegetation, I see him, climbing a very large tree. As he says, the tree looks like it has eyes and a mouth. The tree itself, though, is unusual. Its hard to say why from this distance, but the color is off. Instead of brown, the tree trunk is gray. Empodemus continues climbing the trees trunk. I ignore him and raise my head. The sunlight going through the glass is refracted in such a way that, depending on the angle you look at it, it creates a rainbow. Its beautiful. Lets see what happens when I stick my sword in the eye socket Meanwhile, Empodemus keeps doing foolish things, but we all ignore him. Paying attention to him would make us fall to his level. ...its stuck? If pulling doesnt work, maybe sticking it further in will work Uh, what!? Aaaaaah! When Empodemus shouts, I lower my head to observe what hes doing. Why is he shouting like that? That scared me Ugh! The eyes on the trunk open. As the sword stuck in them falls to the ground, they gaze at Empodemus, whos rubbing his butt on the ground below. What follows, none of us could have predicted. The ground below Empodemus explodes and a geyser of sand sends him flying into the air. Following that, a large branch swings from above, smacking the player towards the ground as if he were a ball. Empodemus crashes into the ground at an astonishing speed. *Crunch!* Two attacks, plus a fall of about ten meters at more than normal falling speed Instant death. Having dealt with the one who awakened it, the trees eyes turn to the three of us, too surprised to react. A dark tempest cloud looms above our heads. Munchy is the only one who remains calm.
Human stupidity knows no bounds. Be it real life or a virtual world, this is the sole absolute truth. If anything, players are bound to act in more foolish ways than they would in reality, since the consequences of their actions wont affect them outside of the game.
Ch 251 - Don’t move! *Thump, thump, thump* Come on, brain dont do this to me *Thump, thump* I order you to do your job properly! *Thump, thump, thump* Ugh, my head is starting to hurt I hold my forehead. After slamming it on the wall for so long, even if this is inside the game, I feel my vision spinning and a headache growing. It might have to do with my actions or, more probably, with the fact that Im stuck with my next monster. As you might remember, after the puzzle area and new monsters for the botanical garden, I was planning on creating a third Hunter. I have the bodies and the general direction I want to go with the monster, and have already created the Template and assigned the required units. The problem is that I dont know how to continue. When I was working on The Mountain and The River I nailed the concept and chose appropriate skills to go with it. For the first, it was an immovable obstacle. The players cant displace or pass through the area occupied by The Mountain, nor can they ignore it as it will attack from a long range. For the latter, it was constant movement. The River is constantly running, and will eventually wear down even the toughest of opponents. So, for the third Hunter, I wanted something that didnt overlap with the other two. Keeping it in the theme of natural elements, I thought of several possibilities. From a forest to the sea, and from a cliff to a ravine; but nothing quite satisfied me until I thought of looking higher. The sky. Or more precisely: the Sun. The sun, standing aloof in the sky, moving slowly as the day passes, ignoring all that happens below. I also planned on using the famous saying of burning because you got too close to the sun. I thought about what innate skills I could use, identifying the best skills to fit my idea. I spent part of the rewards from the last event on those monsters. And here I am now, in front of the Template, not knowing how to proceed. Ugh I cant come up with anything! I cant come up with the skills! I cant even think of how to modify the AI so that it fits the theme! The problem isnt so much that I cant come up with relevant skills, but that Ive suddenly realized I made a huge mistake. A monster that does nothing, standing in the sky without a fight and waiting for the invaders to get close isnt interesting. Nor is it a monster fit for The Hunters, the helpers that, roleplay-wise, are supposed to keep everything in my dungeon in place while chasing and eliminating all invaders that come to my dungeon. Waiting for players to get close isnt exactly what you would call exciting, nor is it a behavior fitting for a security guard. Haa do I have to scratch it and accept Ive wasted so much on it? But I dont want to throw it away. Lets keep thinking. This time, without banging my head on the wall. What else can you find in the sky? Birds? They are living beings, so they dont fit with the theme. Clouds. But clouds are if the sun was boring, then clouds are even worse. What can a cloud do? Nothing, it does nothing. The moon? But the moon doesnt match with the monsters I have. Lets keep it as an option and keep thinking. The sun the sun shines in the sky and goes to sleep at night I keep coming back to my original idea. The sun, the closest star to Earth Wait a moment. A star? Right! The sun is also a star. But unlike the boring sun, the stars also are mysterious. Often associated with fate and wishes, and appearing during the night. And since the sun is a star, I can use the original idea, using the bodies I have, and using the star idea for the skills. The suns stability and predictability against the stars whimsical nature. Dual nature. Furthermore, when a star dies, it goes kaboom. The largest imaginable explosion in the whole universe. Which gives me some nasty uh, I mean, interesting, ideas I think I can work with this. I can finally move on and create the third Hunter! Fufufu! Hahaha! The sun, the closest star to our planet. Everyone knows about it and it is as essential as mountains and rivers. Now that Ive got something interesting to work on, I start by evaluating the three units I have prepared. The first one Im sure comes as no surprise to anyone. If I want to make players burn (literally) when they come close to it, the best option is to give it fire skills, possibly the passive ones that burn even the user. Taking this into account, I obviously chose a fire elemental with the Fire Elemental skill. To be more precise, the Pyris, the humanoid fire elemental in the 100 cp range.
Fire Elemental (Innate passive skill)
Negates fire damage that deals less than (10 * level) damage. Fire damage higher than this amount is reduced by 50%.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Thanks to the Fire Elemental skill I can go crazy with the fire skills without worrying about it taking too much damage from its own skills. As for how the Pyris looks, its really simple. Its just a humanoid body made out of fire. When choosing the second unit I had it easy. I even thought about it a minute ago when I was thinking of how to fix my original idea. Its birds. Theyre the first animal everyone thinks when talking about the sky and being able to fly. Unless theyre a weirdo who loves insects uh, lets not dive too deep into it. If I wanted to create a unit inspired by the sun, it had to fly in the sky; and a bird is the first thing that came to mind. The unit I chose for this is the Werehawk. There are two reasons for this choice. First, it fitted perfectly with the original idea: a hawk observes its prey from above, waiting for a chance to strike. Second but more importantly, because I love how Werehawks wings look like. Dark brown with black spots, extending majestically on the Werehawks back. The third reason is, it can transform into an actual hawk. The third and newest member of the Hunters was destined to be the teams scout. With it, theyll have the tank, the melee damage dealer, and the scout. A complete and versatile party. But didnt you say there were two reasons for choosing it? You just explained three reasons Shut up! Sometimes, one makes up things as they come to mind! Khm! Where was I? Ah, yes, the Werehawk. As Ive said, it can transform into an unsuspecting hawk, the same as most units from the Wild Ferals faction. The skills name is Hawk Transformation. Last but not least, the third unit that was supposed to break my monster after I had come up with a way to break this stupidly nasty and (situationally) overpowered skill; a skill that comes from the same faction as the ones shared by The Mountain and The River, called Lust and Pride respectively. It could be nothing other than from the Wicked Legion, standing up for the first time in eons just to say hello, comes the Sleepyhead, the most basic demon with the Sloth skill! Wooo, wooo! Applauses, please! Haha, sorry for that. I got too excited.
Sloth (Innate passive skill)
During combat, for each consecutive second you spend without moving, attacking, or activating any skill, increase the damage of your next attack or active skill by 10%.
As you can read, Sloth is a skill that rewards the unit for doing nothing during combat. You must kill the unit with Sloth before it awakens, because when it does It usually spells your doom. Yeah leave it to the demons for nasty skills By the way, sloth, from the seven deadly sins, is the most misunderstood one. Similar to what happens with gluttony, but even more so. Sloth doesnt mean sleeping. Sleeping could be part of sloth, but they dont necessarily go hand-in-hand. So whats sloth, you ask? Spending the whole day in your bed? Thats obviously sloth, this is what most people correctly recognize as sloth. Going to play with your friends instead of doing your homework? Thats sloth too. Leaving your work to your coworkers? Sloth. Feeling apathy for oneself or others? Sloth. In short, you could say that sloth is not doing what you know you should be doing, or not feeling what you should be feeling. Sloth is perfectly showcased in the skill with its said name. During combat, a struggle for survival, you can run for your life, stand your ground, or pursue blood and glory; the only thing you shouldnt do is stand still without doing anything at all. Because youll die, obviously. Standing still in DMA usually means taking unnecessary damage, and not using any skills C both defensive and offensive C means youre never going to win the battle. But this is a game, and there are no useless skills. Detrimental skills, maybe. But not useless. Sloth is a high-risk high-reward skill. No, no, it isnt a simple out-of-the-mill high-risk high-reward skill. Sloth is the KING of high-risk high-reward skills. By risking your life, you can accumulate so much burst potential that you eventually defeat a dragon with a single basic attack. The problem is knowing when to stop waiting. If you delay it too much, you might be dead by the time you try to make your move. Did you notice? It says active skills both times it mentions skills. This means triggered skills and passive ones are excluded. I assume this is because theyre out of your control, but also because creating a unit that does nothing until it dies in a massive Death Burst, would be way too overpowered and cheesy. So no stacking Sloth for an epic death explosion. No supernova here. What a shame. My original idea was for the third Hunter to stand still, flying over the invaders, waiting for them to come close before burning them to smithereens, like the sun. But as Ive said, it would be too boring. Furthermore, players might never get close. This is why now that Ive thought of converting the concept to a star instead of the sun, Ill have to rethink this. Sloth will stay, though. Theres no way Im going to pass on this amazingly broken and dangerous skill. La, la, la! This is going to be so much fun! Hahaha!
Im not going. Why not? Didnt we all agree it was my time to choose the next dungeon? I know, but She shakes her head. Ive heard there have been some changes recently. You know I dont like it when Im not sure what well find. This isnt fair! I didnt complain when you chose an Amorphous dungeon for our last invasion, and you know I hate them! Why do all players like to make slimes that eat the invaders? I shudder. Mfh fine. Were going. But youll have to treat me to ice cream. Triple ball. Is this all it takes to convince her? Thats fine. Sure, I will. Lets go, hahaha! The Mad Rats Lab, here we come!
One of the biggest appeals for playing the Wicked Legion, the demon faction, was getting access to some of the most powerful innate skills, including the Seven Sins series. Each one was either difficult to use or had a drawback, but if the players knew how to use them, they could achieve extraordinary things.
Ch 252 - You call this a leap? ‘This’ is a leap We hide under the giant mushrooms cap, waiting for the monster to pass by. The mushrooms in this cave arent just big but also numerous. Their sizes vary from big enough to hide under to larger than any tree Ive seen in real life. Sshh! Dont make any noise. I roll my eyes. I know. And dont talk as if you were the expert here. Im the one who wanted to come, not you. Hello? Do I need to remind you of your own words? I had to promise to treat you to ice cream to convince you to come, and now youre acting like you know everything? Is your head empty, or its just that you have memory problems? The giant turtle slowly walks forward. Peeking from below the mushrooms cap, I watch as it moves its thick legs. Luckily for us, the turtle isnt very smart, and its height makes it impossible to see below the mushroom were hiding. Now that its closer, I observe the turtles shell. Its thicker than my fist and looks incredibly sturdy. If this were real life, would the turtles shell resist anti-armored shells? It sure feels like so. We hold our breaths. When we first saw the turtles we thought they were a joke. Too slow to catch us, and too dumb to find us. That was until we made a mistake that revealed our position, and several turtles fired their light beams at us from all around the cave system. We almost got evaporated! It was fun and exciting. With weak units as Champions, its very risky to face strong enemies or those that can team up against us. But it doesnt matter because we arent here for a long time Were here for a great one! Using smarts and skill rather than brawn, manipulating the battlefield to our favor, and engaging when victory is assured. We never know when well succeed or fail, but were happy to risk everything for honor and glory! Thrill seekers, thats what they call us. *Hihihi! Huhuhu!* Oh, no! Not them again! The last time they showed up, it was when the turtles found us! Natalia and I turn around at the same time, trying to locate where those laughing noises come from. Why couldnt they wait a bit longer? The turtle that was passing right before us is still nearby. If a battle starts, itll notice us and the others will join the assault. We find the culprit hiding behind a nearby rock. Its two heads are observing us, grins on their faces, and the bow on their hands, ready to shoot. Two-headed monsters always give me the creeps I dont know why, theres no reason for it, but they do. Although it isnt as awful as the slimes that always aim to eat me whole. I hide behind Natalia before it can soot. Hey! Dont use me as cover! Shht! Wasnt it you who told me to stay silent? Follow your own advice, Natalia. With the sound of the bowstring being released, the arrow strikes my comrade. I knew she would be useful as a cover. Ugh you little! Im not sure if shes angry at me or the monster. Probably both. Anyway, I urge her to stay quiet. Shht! I observe the turtles movements. It must have noticed something because it has stopped moving away and is instead coming back to where we are. Think, me, think! We cant start a fight right now! Its time to run away! But if we run away the two-headed monster will follow us and well be in trouble again Ah, I know! Natalia, follow me, after casting my spell, I grab Natalias hand and drag her with me. We must run away, right now! U-uah!? She makes a cute yelp. We slip through the mushrooms covering the sidepath, using anything at our disposal to hide our presence from the turtle. And then ...three, two, one boom! *Fwoosh!* Fire engulfs the area around the two-headed monster. Its the Fireball I cast right before turning around. Immediately after, the turtle releases a light beam in that direction, followed by two more light beams from other turtles that we cant see. Haha, I knew it would work, I chuckle. Two birds with one stone. This is why I love this skill. In my opinion, the most versatile one in the whole game.
Delayed Cast (Active skill)
Cost: 30 MP
Delay the activation of the next skill you use that requires MP, up to a maximum of 10 seconds from the moment of activation.
Thanks to Delayed Cast, you can achieve so much! Its perfect to set combos, to confuse the AI and other players, and to kill enemies without revealing your position. Perfect for thrill seekers like us! Having gotten out of peril for now, Natalia crosses her arms and says with furrowed brows, I could have gotten us of that pinch too. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I know, I know I approach her to hug her. I know that our stacked shortstack is a good player too... Our dwarf player cant hide her enormous mounds even if she tries to, and given her short height, it makes her figure quite extreme. Natalia pushes me away. I dont want to hear that from you, Mnica! Eeeeh!? I act surprised, covering my chest. W-when did you see it? With all the armor Im wearing it shouldnt be visible I send her a suspicious glance, ...did you spy on me while I was changing? She awkwardly looks away, ...I mean in real life, not in the game, you fool. Aaaah, I understand. Is that an inferiority complex that I hear? From my best friend, no less? Anyway, lets continue, I swiftly switch the topic. Theres much left to do. Todays objective and the reason to come here. A self-imposed challenge that cant be achieved in all of the dungeons, because there are a lot of them that can only be cleared by fighting bosses. Today, well beat The Mat Rats Lab with weak Champions and without any member dying. A true display of skill and adaptability.
Sticking our bodies to the wall, we observe the spectacle outside the tunnel. A secluded valley filled with green grass filled with rabbits. The sun shines from above, and the wind makes the grass swing, bringing a fresh breeze that fills our nostrils. The little critters graze on the grass, skipping here and there. A peaceful scenery. Or it would be if some of the rabbits didnt turn into horrifying monsters. You never know when, or which one. The single thing that remains true is that they are hiding between the actual rabbits, and you shouldnt disturb them. Ready? I nod, Ready. Natalia makes a pistol shape with her hand and shoots. Lets go! We start running at her signal. As soon as we step inside the valley, Natalia turns invisible. I cant see her, but right now, she should be taking a different path from mine. She can turn invisible, but the Invisibility skill drains MP at a very high rate. She must take the shortest path to the exit to save as much MP as possible. Meanwhile, I who cant turn invisible, am acting as bait. Any monster hiding under a rabbits skin will be too focused on me to pay attention to Natalias footsteps. Our objective is simple. We must reach the relatively new greenhouse without allowing the rabbits to target us. To achieve this, were sprinting through the field, spending as little time as possible inside this area. While Natalia takes the shortest path, Ill be taking a detour around the valley because I have a higher speed. And then, Ill use Leap to escape from any pursuers, landing on the path that leads to the greenhouse. This way, well reach the end at about the same time, and no enemies should be near us when we open the door to the greenhouse. The last thing we want is to be caught between them and the closed door, or even worse, that they follow us inside the greenhouse. The best way to deal with the rabbits is simple: dont deal with them. Dont get close, and especially, dont attack them. But at the same time, never lower your guard: you never know where theyll come from. Some of the rabbits raise their heads to look at me as I pass by. Their eyes are like dark holes, hiding all the dangers in the world. ...theyre coming. I notice movement behind me. Instead of turning around, I immediately roll to the side before standing up. I do all of this without stopping, like an assassin from a certain video game. A large shadow flashes through my previous position. An orc with white rabbit ears and a fluffy tail. If I hadnt avoided the attack, I could have died. But Im not safe yet, those orcs are faster than me. Taking advantage of the fact that it lost its target and is momentarily confused, I use Shove to break its momentum, pushing it away from me and widening the distance. This is only temporal. Itll quickly catch up. I scan the area around me before suddenly changing the path. Hmm there! Right before me, theres one of the rabbits. It quietly observes as I get closer. And then and then, as I hoped, it starts transforming into something else. At this rate, Ill crash into it, so I use Leap before it happens. I soar to the sky. Still in the middle of its transformation, the monster extends what looks like tentacles in my direction. But then, something running at an even faster speed than me crashes into it and they end in a tangled mess. Haha, it worked. Improvised confusion technique achieved! Nin-nin! I put my hands together and make a pose as I run. Two more times, a rabbit turns into a monster and attacks me, but I manage to avoid all their attacks and successfully reach the mountainside. I use Leap to reach the path running through it and look below. At this height, the chasing monsters shouldnt be able to climb. I continue running towards the greenhouse and reach it just in time to see Natalia becoming visible right in front of me. She points behind me, We forgot about the fliers. Fliers? Ah, right! When I turn back, I see two Angels with rabbit ears. Ill take care of them. You open the door. Alright. Natalia doesnt argue as she has spent quite a lot of MP just to reach here and knows Im capable of keeping them busy by myself. Hmm. How should I deal with them? If I recall, they liked to grab invaders and drop them from the sky. In the middle of my thought process, one of them dives at me, confirming my suspicions. Its too early for you to try this on me. Using Leap, I appear right in front of the monster. Surprised, it cant react on time, and I use this confusion to elbow it on the head. I then use the monsters head as a stepping stone to jump back to the ground. The monster, having lost track of me and momentarily stunned, crashes into the glass wall. *Bam!* Ouch, that mustve hurt I ignore the spasming enemy, slowly trickling down the glass wall like a water droplet, and face the second flying bunny angel. This one, maybe because it has seen what happened to its companion, doesnt seem to kind on coming at me. Is it waiting for me to lower my guard? It could be. But Ill never do it, so its a wasted effort. Mnica, its open! Natalia calls for me. Not giving the back to the monster, I walk to the now open door. The monster observes my every move. It is planning to attack when Im crossing the door and I cant evade it? It wont work. Natalia, I need a wall. Okay. As I reach the door, a solid rock wall rises from the ground, blocking the entrance. Its Earth Wall, one of Natalias skills. In this manner, I safely cross the door and close it from the inside. The monster shouldnt be able to open it and chase us inside. You can release it now, I say, dusting my hands as if they were dirty. Alright. Were inside. We just need to get the card in this place, move to the sealed area to get the other, and well achieve victory. Natalia shakes her head. Please, dont say just. We havent achieved anything significant yet. Eh? Why not? Ill say just as many times as I want. Just, just, just, just, just Sigh I should have asked for two ice creams
The secret to reaching the pro level? Isnt it obvious? Its about the usage of the skills rather than anything else. A pro player must know how to best utilize any skill in their skillset if they want to achieve success. The same skill, utilized by a master or a noob feels completely different. - Excerpt of an interview with a high-ranking DMA player.
Ch 253 - Caught in the net *Blip!* Another opened door I mutter to myself as I turn my head to the right, checking that it didnt come from the door right next to me. Ah, it isnt this one. Its fine. I return my attention to the room on the other side of the glass panel. Can you see it? Natalia urges me. Im not sure. There are plant-infested humans? Part of the floor is covered with their leaves, so I cant see everything Should we open the door and check? Umm I shake my head, No, it shouldnt be necessary. Natalia raises one eyebrow and shows me the two cards weve collected so far. She shows me two identical cards with a skull and the prohibited symbol drawn on them. Are you sure? Didnt they say there were more than two cards, and only one was useful? I know Finding the access card inside the botanical garden was easy. Although the monsters are designed for ambushes, were too good to fall for them. Furthermore, the lack of obstructions and abundance of trees gave us plenty of opportunities to hide and disengage at will. It was a matter of time until we inevitably found it. Its a completely different story for the underground passages, though, where a single monster group can effectively block the narrow corridors. Furthermore, the lack of light doesnt help. When there are only shadows, its equally hard to hide than it is to spot the enemies, and any light we create will reveal our position. The problem is that the more time we spend here and the more rooms we check, the harder itll get. More and more monsters are liberated from their locked cells and rooms as time goes on, who start to roam the dark corridors; and we cant waste time or precious resources killing the monsters we ourselves liberate. Ah, I know! I suddenly realize how to solve our problem, Why dont we check if the cards are real right now? If we have the good one, we can leave without regrets. Youre right, we can try it now. Im worried about wasting time, but if it works Anyway, lets try it. Natalia gives me one of the two cards and we start attacking them with our weapons. I use my dagger and she uses her staff. *Clink, poof, clink, poof!* The repeated sounds of striking the hard objects echo in the narrow passage. I feel like a miner, striking the hard rock with a metal pick This is boring. Did you see any change in your card yet? Since theres a single good card, at least one of the two is guaranteed to be fake. The Mimic can copy the real access card, but its possible to kill it. The fake ones should return to their original form once we reduce the HP to zero. Sshht! Ill tell you when I do. Were making enough noise with our weapons already. I roll my eyes. Fine *Clink, poof, clink, poof!* Id rather fight my way out of a flood of monsters in this narrow corridor than spend any more time with this. I didnt expect itd take so long. Any change yet? Shhht! Ugh We keep pummeling the two access cards with our weapons until the one I have starts changing. It grows in size, transforming into a chubby monster made out of stacked rocks. The Mimics dark slimy substance comes out from where the rocks touch each other. This ones fake, I announce, pointing at my monster. When I turn around, I find that Natalia, too, is staring at a monster identical to this one. It turns out the two access cards were fake. Mine too Natalia shakes her head, Furthermore, we wasted a lot of time with this. We should have searched for the other cards without stopping. I agree. If I had known this would take so long, Id never have suggested it. With no option left but to keep searching, we resume exploring the underground tunnels. We need to find the real access card. I observe my surroundings. White walls and ceiling, with what looks like discolored moss growing on them. The floor is uneven and flooded with water. There are a few working lights on the walls, but they dont give enough light. Holding cells, mixed with containment units with security doors. If this place were real, I wonder what would be its purpose. Coming from somewhere in front of us, its hard to know exactly where because the sound echoes in this place, we hear heavy footsteps and heavy breathing. That must be the boss, says Natalia. Yes. These sounds, the groans Im certain, its a troll. We know the boss of this place is part troll, so it must be it. We exchange a look before continuing to move forward. We arent afraid of the boss. Its slow and clunky. Even if it can block the whole passage with its massive frame, as long as we dont get caught between it and another group of enemies, well be fine. The mobs are more dangerous. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. This gives me an idea. Hey. Didnt we find those exploding guys near this place? I ask. Natalia takes a look around before replying. Hmm, I think so. I believe we found them in that passage over there. But why are you asking Oh, I understand! Yes, lets do it.
Uuooo! I hope youre ready, Natalia, because I cant stop now! Its too late to go back! I shout, desperately running through the dim passage. Following behind me, theres a long trail of monsters. Ive provoked all the monsters I could find roaming the underground passages, and theyre now chasing me. Its a monster train. Leap is useless here. If I didnt die yet, its because there arent any monsters faster than me. It isnt like they arent trying to get me, though. I duck just in time to avoid a web aimed to immobilize me. The sudden change in posture almost makes me fall to the ground, forcing me to use a hand to stabilize and impulse me back up. Before I can fully stabilize, a slime-like bat tries to grab hold of my head. But I jump to the side, somehow bounce on the wall, and escape from it before it can gag me. A single mistake is going to get me killed. Nataliaaaaaaaa! I shout, desperate. The battle noises coming from ahead grow in volume as I run. Ugh! I know, at last, Natalias reply reaches me, Im in a tough spot too, alright!? I understand that keeping a boss monster in place isnt easy but she can run away to a safe place if it gets dangerous while I cant! Evading a few more attacks from the monsters chasing me, I get close to my objective. Im turning the corner in five seconds! I announce. Five, four Im doing it! When I count down, Natalia proceeds with the plan. Soon, I hear the familiar *Blip!* sound that announces that one of the holding cells or containment units has been unlocked. ...three, two, one Zero! With the last number, I turn the corner and run into another passage. To my left, the boss. To my right, the suicide bombers. To my back, the monster train I provoked. I rush past everything, running toward the single empty passage in front of me. At the same time, I evade all the incoming attacks. This would spell certain death for most players. Wall, wall, wall, wall, wall! I know! Stop repeating that word all the time! Wall, wall, wall, wall! I continue repeating the same word, despite Natalias dissatisfied face. She furrows at me, running side-by-side, as she casts the spell. With rumbling noises, the Earth Wall grows. As it grows, I, being a step behind Natalia, have to make a jump over it to reach the other side. I grab Natalia, who has stopped for some reason, and pull her with me. Dont stop, keep running! ...I know. She allows herself to be pulled by me. We hear the monsters attacking the Earth Wall. Under so much pressure, it starts collapsing. And then The Fireball I delayed explodes on the other side of the wall, initiating a cascade of explosions from the monsters killed by it. They too explode in turn, creating what sounds like fireworks. *Boom, boom, boom!* The explosion grows in size, obliterating what remains of the Earth Wall, and sends us flying into the ground. And to think we got the best of it Natalia shakes her head. I wonder how many monsters will have survived. I I dont think there are too many. Maybe the boss and a few stragglers. And those that are in their cells. Other than this they all should have died in the explosion. I think so too. We chuckle and stand up. What was dangerous was the increasing number of enemies. But now that weve dealt with most of them, we can safely search for the access card. Alright. Were almost there. We just need to find the last key and well have this! I pump my fist. I expected Natalia to follow suit, but instead, she stays silent. ...what? She looks at me awkwardly, looking away before looking back at me. No, its just its just that your butt is burning right now What!? I quickly turn around, grasping my butt for signs of fire. Just in case, I drop to the ground, filled with water, to put it out. Natalia keenly watches me, a hand over her mouth. Its then that I realize. Ive been tricked! If I had been burning, it would have appeared on my status screen! You little! It was a lie! I grab her by the neck. Instead of denying it or trying to get rid of me, she laughs merrily. Hahaha, you fell for it.
Have you noticed it? I say, turning to look at Natalia. Shes holding the two recently acquired access cards. We didnt check which ones the good one, but everyone says there are four, including the fake ones. One of these two must be the right one. Natalia nods. I did. We look at each other and nod, saying at the same time, Were being chased. Other players might not have noticed, but our expert eyes and ears arent easy to deceive. At first, it was just a bird. An unexpected bird caught my attention while exploring the underground. I thought it was a normal monster, but unlike them, it didnt seem to want to attack us, so I ignored it. Now, there are two more, waiting for us to lower our guard before striking. We know who they are, and I hoped we wouldnt find them. Because theyre the most troublesome monsters for players like us. They arent easy to evade, have multiple ways to approach us, and are some of the strongest monsters in this dungeon. Theyre the worst enemies of thrill seekers. What do we do? Asks Natalia. Do you want to deal with them now? I dont think we can get rid of them like with the other monsters. Hmm I guess we have no choice but to hunt the Hunters.
The fastest way to know if something is a Mimic is to attack it. The same is true for all other monsters that cant be identified or that pretend to be decorations in the dungeons. Ah, yes. I say fastest, but it isnt necessarily something that takes a short time. When a monster cant be identified, the game wont show the HP bar either, to stop the invaders from immediately knowing its a monster. This means to reveal it, the monster must either show itself voluntarily after getting hurt, or remain still, pretending to be a decorative element until it dies. It can take a while to bring down the latter if they have defensive skills, thats why it can take a while. Either way, its as I said: you must attack it to reveal its true nature. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ex Ch 20 - The Hunters: the videoclip A dark room with glowing screens. Three chairs. Three heads. Silence. The clock starts ticking, followed by the songs beat imitating it. A melody rings, slowly growing in volume. The music quickens while the camera zooms in. After a few seconds, the music suddenly stops, followed by an explosion of sound that breaks the silence. At the same time, the light turns on, revealing the three humanoids in great detail. They wear sunglasses and are intently watching the screens in front of them. The beat fastens. The melody goes up and down until it reaches a critical point. At that moment, the central humanoid raises its hand, pointing at one of the screens. The words Its time to take out the trash appear on the screen. The music reaches a lull while the three humanoids take out their sunglasses, put them on top of the table, and leave the control room. They walk following the beat. Then, the music grows in intensity once more, the camera zooming into the same screen the humanoid pointed at. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Diving into the screen, the view shifts to the dungeons interior. There, a group of several humanoids and monsters stand proudly on top of the corpses of the dungeons inhabitants. Theyre unaware of whats to come. The music keeps playing, until the three humanoids enter the scene once more, when it grows in volume and reaches another climax. Battle starts. What follows is a compilation of video fragments, displaying the three humanoids in great detail as they annihilate the opposition, while following the music. At the end of the battle, only the three humanoids remain. They nod at the same time, standing in a circle. The music plays again and the video continues. Death and destruction soon follow as the music becomes wilder.
The latest video from the Its alive! Its alive! series was a bit different from the usual. The viewers werent sure how to react to it, but the ones who were the most affected were the players. They knew how the two original Hunters looked, and the addition of a third member was something they dreaded.
Ch 254 - Burning brightly Fufufu! Hahaha! Its alive, its alive! I act like crazy, laughing and moving my hands around. My newest and coolest monster. Its alive at last! Hahaha! If youre wondering what Im doing, its all an act. Im perfectly sane and normal, this is just roleplay. And if the question on your mind is What is he doing? instead of Is he crazy?, the answer is: Im celebrating the creation of the third Hunter. Even after taking inspiration from the stars C I mean that literally C, it took me a while to finish. Thats because finding the perfect skills took time. Behold and be amazed! Its The Sun! I kept the name the same as the initial idea because I liked it more than star. Calling it star would make it sound like it was the most important member of the Hunters, something I dont fancy. All the Hunters are equal. Equal below me, I mean.
The Sun (Lv 7)
HP 1.216 (760) STA 84 (53) SOU 99 (62)
EP 768 (480) MP 1.072 (670)
STR 76 (48) CON 86 (54) AGI 78 (49)
SPI 128 (80) WIL 91 (57) DEX 83 (52)
SPD 6 INT 5 COM 3
Skills
Active: Searing Ray, Starfall, Hawk Transformation (Innate). Triggered: Radiant Presence. Passive: Expert Tracker, In Flames, Too Gross to Look At, Fire Elemental - Lv 2 (Heat Absorption) (Innate), Sloth (Innate).
In this status screen, theres one thing that Im sure immediately caught your attention. Yep, youre right. The skew in favor of passive skills is brutal, especially when compared to triggered ones. Theres a reason for that, believe me. And that reason is ...That its The Sun, hahaha! Alright, alright Ill stop fooling around, though theres a reason I said this. The sun C the real one, not my monster C is something you cant interact with. You can climb a mountain or make a hole in it. You might be even able to cause a landslide. Similarly, you can cross a river, swim in it, etc But the sun? What can you do to it? The most you can do is stare at it until it burns your retinas or wait for it to burn you to a crisp when it engulfs the Earth and everything else on the planet. Haha, sorry for the grim vision, but its the reality we have. So, as I was saying, you cant interact with the sun, nor the stars, for that matter, so Ive reflected that on the skill choices. Ive given The Sun a single triggered skill because it is required, and also because it fits perfectly with the theme; and two active skills, one for when it fights a single opponent and another when facing multiple opponents. Starting from the start, here are the two active skills.
Searing Ray (Active skill)
Cost: 100 MP, plus 30 MP per second
Deal (5 + 0,6 * SPI) fire damage every second to the first unit in the rays path. This skill can be redirected while channeled.
Starfall (Active skill)
Cost: 150 MP, 20 MP per star
Create up to 20 magic stars that fall from above. The stars explode upon contact, dealing (5 + 0,3 * SPI) arcane damage to every unit within 1 meter.
Do you remember when I was explaining how Sloth could build up the damage for the next attack or skill without a limit, as long as the unit didnt move or attack? It doesnt matter if you dont because Ive just reminded you. The important part is that it doesnt say instance of damage. This means a channeled skill like Searing Ray, or one that releases multiple projectiles like Starfall, receives the full benefit from it. By the way, you cant control where the stars from Starfall end, but since you can control their spawn point, you can more or less aim them toward groups of enemies and guarantee a certain amount of damage. Oh, man. Just imagining the damage from a fully channeled Searing Ray makes me salivate lets move on, or else, I can stay here all day. The next skill is the single triggered skill: Radiant Presence.
Radiant Presence (Triggered skill)
If a unit looks at you for 5 seconds, it becomes blinded for the next 5 seconds. This skill doesnt work on allied units and can only blind enemy Champions and Bosses for a maximum of 5 seconds every minute.
Do I need to explain this one? Its the sun. It blinds those who look at it for too long. Next skill, please. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For the passive skills, Ill start with those that dont need too much of an explanation and go on to those that do. Lets start with Expert Tracker and Too Gross to Look At. You already know the latter, and Im sure you can guess what the former does.
Too Gross to Look At (Passive skill)
Other units that can see this unit have a 20% penalty to hit. This skill doesnt stack and doesnt work on allied units.
Expert Tracker (Passive skill)
When a unit moves over solid terrain, itll leave footprints you can see. The footprints last for 5 minutes.
Too Gross to Look At is a skill that isnt related to the concept of the sun or the stars, I know. But I thought it was required. Because The Sun is a member of The Hunters. It should have a way to help its teammates during a fight, even when standing still and doing nothing. I know it isnt much, but its something. As for the Expert Tracker, The Sun, thanks to its Hawk Transformation, will work as the teams scout. I dont know you, but I believe Expert Tracker is a perfect skill for that: to chase down the invaders once theyve spotted that something is going wrong inside the laboratory.
In Flames (Passive skill)
Deal (10 + SPI) fire damage each second to yourself and every unit within 5 meters. This skill is deactivated until theres an enemy in the same room and within 30 meters.
Fire Elemental (Innate passive skill)
Negates up to (10 * level) damage from fire attacks. Fire damage over this amount is reduced by 50% after the negation takes place.
Upgrades
Heat Absorption: You heal for the same amount of fire damage negated or reduced.
Youve already seen In Flames and Fire Elemental working together before, in the Fiery Flies. But thanks to the stat difference, theres such a stark contrast between the two units that you cant compare them. More than a hundred damage per second is something most players cant deal with. Furthermore, with the Fire Elemental upgrade, The Sun will heal for more than the damage it deals to itself. Itll slowly regenerate, like a Troll! Ive also changed the AI so that, in case of an emergency, before it dies, The Sun will use Searing Ray on itself instead of the enemy. And here you have it, The Sun with all its splendor! The only regret I have is that I couldnt give it the skill called Wish. I mean, wouldnt it fit perfectly with the concept of The Sun, the closest star to Earth? Oh, man. I wish I could give it Wish. Its a shame its an exclusive skill for Champions.
Wish (Active skill)
Cost: 1.000 MP
Choose one of the following options. After 10 seconds, your wish becomes true. You cant use this skill more than one time per Dungeon Invasion or Dungeon Battle. 1- Target unit loses (50 * level) HP. This HP loss cant be prevented, avoided, or reduced. 2- Target unit gains a shield that nullifies all damage and status effects for the next 5 seconds. 3- Target unit is resurrected at 10% maximum HP.
Oh, by the way. Wish is banned in PvP. For well, for obvious reasons. Ill have to go with this. I swallow my regrets and observe The Sun as it stands up from the operation table. Have you seen the Egyptian gods? Theyre humanoids with animal heads, and The Sun looks somewhat similar to them. Of course, this is completely intentional. I mean, I couldnt pass upon the fact that a hawk looks similar to a falcon, or that the most famous Egyptian god is related to the sun. The Sun has a basic human shape. The skin is blue, which comes from the Sleepyhead, but has several red patches that emit flames. The latter comes from the Pyris. But the head is that of a bird, and it also has large hawk wings on its back that look somewhat similar to those of angels. And finally, it has a tiny horn on its forehead. This, too, comes from the Sleepyhead. Oh, and thanks to In Flames, once combat starts, fire surrounds it from all sides. The next step is to make all the dungeon changes I planned, like adding the control room where The Hunters will spawn in the corridor next to the dungeon core, and adding The Sun to the dungeon. Now I have the tank, the sustained DPS, and the burst damage dealer. I wonder what will come next. Fufufu! Hahaha! I rub my hands together. I sit on the comfy chair in front of the giant screen and put the Octocat on the armrest. This time I dont forget the virtual popcorn. Now, to enjoy the show.
Two hours later. *Bump!* My fist crashes into the screen. It doesnt hurt, nor does the screen break, because this is a game. But it isnt like I didnt try, I punched it countless times already. Tired of the fruitless effort, I decide it''s time to stop keeping it inside. This cant be! No, no, nononono! I pull the fur on my head. No, no, no, nooooooo! It shouldnt be like that! Its all a lie! A lie, I say! Like an angry baby, I shake my limbs around. Then I remember Im a grown-up and perfectly sane adult and, instead, I stand up and start slamming my head onto the table. By the time my vision starts spinning, Ive calmed down enough to recover my sanity. Why? Just why? Here I was, so excited to see the Hunter trio in action, but what I got It cant be true. I must be dreaming. Just two players with weak Champions and no support mobs The Hunters are my security guards! How the hell did those two players handle them as if they were a joke!? It shouldnt be possible! I demand a reimbursement! Haa and there they go now, happily opening the door that leads to the dungeon core I grit my teeth, ...I should be enjoying the spectacle, and they should be the ones suffering. Why is it going the other way around? What use are security guards for if they cant catch a pair of cockroaches? Should I go and personally mess with them, to release my frustration? No, it isnt a great idea. Given how easily they dealt with the Hunters, Im at risk of humiliating myself. Once you join the defense of the dungeon, you cant go back until either the dungeon owner or all the invaders die. Its best if I pretend nothing happened and forget about the duo. This brings me to the next issue: I must find another victim to observe. No, no, dont misunderstand. Im not interested in the victims suffering, no. The reason I need another victim is that I must see The Sun in action as its creator. What kind of mad scientist would I be if I didnt test my experiments? Well, well, well I excitedly rub my hands together. Who will be the first victim? Fufufu! Hahaha!
Dont expect everything to work as you expected; when creating a dungeon, there will always be surprises. The sheer amount of elements interacting with each other makes it impossible to predict what will happen when you press the play button. My suggestion is to do trial and error. Observe other players invasions into your dungeon and find what works and what doesnt. Dont get upset if your best ideas turn out to be useless, and try again. - From Your first dungeon, a guide for new DMA players.
Ch 255 - The Great Escape Are you ready? Im always ready, I reply to Natalias question, Lets do it. We exchange a look and nod at the same time before stepping into the Freezer. Theres no need to talk, we know what to do next. The first step of the plan is the easiest one: to ensure nothing will disrupt us in the next steps. For this, I, who am the fastest and most agile, start running through the first room and those that are connected to it, jumping on the frozen corpse mountains among other things, to trigger as many exploding corpses as possible. Tens of corpses explode in my wake, though not a single explosion hits me. Meanwhile, Natalia uses her long staff to poke at the corpses she finds suspicious, making them explode upon contact if theyre traps. Most players believe that traps like exploding corpses are unavoidable but theyre wrong. It takes a second for them to explode once they detect the invaders, but the lack of signs when theyre triggered makes it hard to know and jump away on time. The trick is to act as if they were always going to explode and run away as fast as possible. Its hard to execute, and very easy to lower your guard and get caught in the explosion, but once you get the knack for it, any skilled player can avoid them. This only holds true as long as you arent preoccupied with something else, though. Thats why were doing this before the Hunters show up. We continue the clean-up until no more corpses explode in the whole Freezer. We leave the Stitched alive, except for those that can spew flames like a dragon, which we kill. Theyll serve us nicely later and are too slow to pose a danger to us. Its done, I wipe my forehead, walking towards Natalia, I cant find any more. There might be some traps left, but most of them are down and wont bother us. In total, it takes us less than five minutes to prepare de battlefield. The preparations are necessary because the Hunters are designed to deal with players like us. Other bosses dont leave the area theyre assigned to, and weak mobs dont pose a threat to us unless they surround us. Roaming bosses are easy to deal with too, since we just need to avoid them. Only strong enemies that continuously chase after us are dangerous; because we cant defeat them, nor can we easily run away once they start tracking us. Furthermore, the Hunters are even more dangerous because they wait until were busy with other enemies to strike. Otherwise, we are the ones who have to engage them or force them to engage us like were doing now. There are several ways to know if the Hunters have detected and are following you. This time, we knew thanks to one of their skills: Shared Pain. When you suddenly start dealing less damage to the monsters and start taking damage every time you attack them, its a sign theyre nearby. We had to relocate to the Freezer because its the safest area around this place, but also because the ceilings here are high, the rooms are wide, and there are multiple paths. A perfect place that allows us to manipulate the battlefield, unlike the narrow corridors of the previous area. Theyre here, warns Natalia. I know. As if on cue, swathes of purple bolts turn around the corner, flying at us at high speeds. We split up to avoid interfering with each others movements, running away from the magic missiles. The magic missiles split up too, following after both of us. They avoid the obstacles and mountains of corpses, turning and changing directions as required. The purple glow they emit closes up on me. Auto-targeting magic missiles are such a hassle to deal with I approach the first Stitched group I find. They swing their arms at me and spit a greenish substance, but I avoid their attacks by sidestepping. I run past them, but instead of taking distance, I use their bodies as cover. *Pew, pew, pew!* Like fireworks, the sound of the missiles striking flesh plays behind me. When the sound ends and I turn around, I can only see corpses. No live Stitched, no missiles. So easy, I shrug my shoulders, As long as there are enemies nearby, Ill be fine. Magic missiles and other auto-targeting projectiles can avoid terrain pretty easily, but they have trouble avoiding units. The calculations to avoid moving obstacles might have been too much for the game, or it might have been a design choice. Regardless, its to our advantage. The Mountain is the one that shoots the Magic Missiles. It doesnt move much, so it should be easy now that we know where it is. The problem will be the other one I look back at the place where the missiles came from, but instead of finding the other Hunter, what I see is a bird. Said bird, upon seeing me turns into a humanoid with a birds head and wings and flies towards the ceiling, stopping in mid-air without doing anything else. How unexpected I immediately inspect it, ...Is it a new Hunter introduced recently? I raise my guard as I read the screen that appears in front of me. Sloth? It doesnt sound that dangerous when comparedC A chill runs down my spine. In response, I immediately tilt my whole body to the left, just in time to avoid an attack. The snakes fangs snap where my head was an instant ago. Our eyes meet. The River! Distracted by the missiles, I didnt notice it approaching me. Without hesitation, I start climbing the nearby frozen corpse mountain. The River is faster than I am, theres no way I can outrun it in flat terrain. Successfully running away now that it has gotten so close to me will be impossible. The uneven terrain and higher position give me an advantage over it, and I can successfully evade the flurry of attacks that follow the failed ambush. But its just a matter of time. Ill eventually reach the peak and Ill run out of places to run to. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. When I reach the top of the corpse mountain, the River observes me from below. Is it just me, or is it making a mocking grin? The monster lunges at me, fangs wide open. ...did you think you got me? I mock out loud. Before the fangs close, I use Leap to jump away. Better luck next time! The River observes me with a dumbfounded expression as I escape to the air. Or it would have done so, if it had actual intelligence instead of a simple AI. During my jump, I pass right next to what looks to be the third Hunter, but other than slightly getting burnt by its fire aura, it doesnt react to me. Lucky! As soon as my feet touch the wall of the room, I use the inertia to kick it, impulsing myself further away from the monster. Then, I run on the wall for a few more meters towards where Natalia is, before losing speed and starting to fall. Upon seeing this, the River sprints like an arrow towards me. Itll reach the ground below me before I can land. As expected, its too fast. Nataliaaa! I shout. She has been busy keeping the Mountain in check, something I appreciate. If I had to contend with the magic missiles while avoiding the River, Id have surely died. But now I need her assistance. I know! With sinuous movements, the monster circles below me, waiting for me to fall. It takes some distance and then, it makes another lunge. I close my eyes and the spell I delayed activates. Even through my closed eyelids, I can see the light burst filling the whole room. This is Flash, another very useful skill that has high synergy with Delayed Cast.
Flash (Active skill)
Cost: 50 MP
Blind all units within 3 meters that are looking in the lights direction for the next 5 seconds. This skill can only blind enemy Champions and Bosses for a maximum of 5 seconds every minute.
*Bam!* The River slams itself head-first on the stone wall that suddenly appeared in front of it. Being blinded at the last second, it didnt know the wall was there and had no time to stop. I land with my hand on top of the growing wall, impulsing my body up and towards the other side. Everything is going according to the plan: the River is now isolated and will take a while to break through the wall or find another path to reach us. Furthermore, it lost sight of me and shouldnt know where I am. It wouldnt be as effective if it had seen me jump over the wall, but since it was blinded, the AI must be extremely confused right now. Meanwhile, the bird hybrid is still doing nothing. is that monster just a decoration? It does look cool, but what a waste. Good job! I high-five Natalia, Now for the third step of the plan: The Great Escape! Fighting the Hunters until either us or them are dead? Thats not feasible with our thrill-seeker build. The only feasible option is to escape from them in such a way that they cant chase after us. I crack my neck. Leave the distraction to me. You go do your job. Sure thing. Natalia nods and disappears from my sight, turning invisible. The Mountain, having lost its target, quickly focuses on me. Soon, swarms of magic missiles appear near the monster, flying at me in an almost life-like manner. I struggle to get rid of them, jumping behind cover at the last second, or using nearby Stitched as temporary shields. Jumping around, climbing corpse mountains, and running into nearby rooms. Ill do anything and everything to stay alive. Meanwhile, I pay extra attention to vines suddenly sprouting from the ground. We know the Mountain can use Entangle. Getting ensnared even by a single second would spell doom for me. Mnica! Finally, Natalia calls my name. She took her sweet time. Okay, I wave to signal Ive heard her, Im coming! I make a lap around a corpse mountain, chased by a swarm of magic missiles, and sprint towards Natalia. Shes still invisible, but I know where she is. Instead of looking in front of me, I keep my sight glued to the ground. This is so I can use Leap should vines start sprouting from the ground. When running in a straight line, I can outrun magic missiles. The problem is finding such a straight path. But luckily, there arent many obstacles here. The only obstacle is the Mountain itself, standing right in the middle. I use Leap and fly over the Mountain. At the same moment, I activate a delayed Flash behind me, blinding the Mountain like I did with the River. It wont see what happens next. As I fall, I feel the pull from gravity suddenly disappear. I start falling at a slower speed, but at the same forward speed I was running. This is thanks to Natalias Levitate.
Levitate (Active skill)
Cost: 1 MP per second per unit
You make any number of allied units levitate. While levitating, a unit will hover at about 10 centimeters off the ground and slowly fall when the distance to the ground is greater.
My body continues moving in a straight line until I cross the door that connects to the sealed area. The door shuts down right behind me with a slam, followed by the impact of uncountable magic missiles striking it. Natalia appears right next to me, giggling. She has undone her invisibility. Good job. Good job to you too, I chuckle. Im sure their AIs are still processing what happened. I had to distract the Mountain so it didnt notice that Natalia was opening and closing the door. It isnt what youd call a fast door. In this way, thanks to the blind and the broken line of sight thanks to the closed door, they wont know where we are. Levitate is just the tip of the cake. Some skills can track your footprints, but if you dont leave footprints, theyre garbage. We arent sure how the Hunters track the invaders. Do they roam the dungeon aimlessly? Do they follow the corpse trails? Or do they have a tracking skill? Regardless of what they do, they wont be able to find us anymore. Weve got the footprints covered, and we already cleared this area of enemies, so the corpses in this place arent anything new. Were safe now! Hahaha! Like this, while hovering a short distance over the ground, we reenter the sealed laboratory and aim for the dungeon core. Nothing can stop us! I proclaim. The thrill-seekers achieve victory yet again! Natalia glares at me. Hey! Dont say such things. Not until we break the dungeon core. ...fine. And dont forget the ice cream.
All DMA skills have at least another skill that can counter them. Of course, this is for balance reasons when it comes to PvP, but its also to make the game more interesting. Even overpowered skills that deal unavoidable damage can be countered in a multitude of ways, like skills that trigger upon death, skills that resurrect the dead, or skills that unconditionally prevent death if certain conditions are met. If there were omnipotent skills, the players would do one of two things: they would all use the same skills because they were The only way to win; or theyd leave the game out of boredom because every single battle is always the same. Either option isnt a good one. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 256 - Death from above Four players are fighting three humanoid monsters. Each one brings one or more support mobs with them, as its custom between the players One of the features of Dungeon Invasions is the monsters you can bring with you, to make the invasion easier, and the difficulty of most dungeons takes this in mind. Not bringing any support unit with you will certainly make the invasion harder, so in accordance, most players always bring some monsters with them. When it comes to support mobs, there are two approaches: a flood of weak ones, or a few strong ones. Most players go for the latter. Both because theyre easier to control and because this way, a single area of effect attack wont kill them all; and this group isnt any different. For fucks sake, Jack! Can you stop attacking The Mountain? I cant waste MP on you all the time! One of the players complains, glaring at another player while pointing toward one of the three humanoids theyre fighting. A monster that, weirdly enough, hasnt moved a single millimeter since the combat started. Its not my fault, my attacks are random. Just heal me and stop complaining The leader, the healer of the group, smacks the other players head. Then stop using them, you retard! Use basic attacks instead. Meanwhile, another of the three humanoids rampages through their lines. Constantly moving all the time, it utilizes its superior speed as both offense and defense. Everyone, support mobs included, is targeting it to kill it as soon as possible, but half the attacks are off. Its too hard to predict its movements and aim properly. Furthermore, they need to kill it before its passive skill builds up and the damage it does grows to an impossible degree. Only a single one of the players, the tank, is ignoring the speedster and instead keeping the immobile one in check. Otherwise, the constant waves of Magic Missiles would destroy the whole party. Whats up with that one? Why isnt it doing anything? One of the players asks a question thats on everyones minds, pointing at the remaining member of the group of three humanoid monsters, the one that hasnt done anything since the battle started. I dont know, answers the leader. But well ignore it. Well stick to the plan: The River goes first. Without anything to argue against, the remaining players nod. Its at this time that an unexpected visitor interferes in the combat. Jack feels a strong strong impact that sends him flying as if an invisible truck crashed into him at full speed. Gufu!? He makes a stupid sound as his body flies backward. Jacks teammates observe, mouths agape, as a small winged minotaur, one thats wearing a crown, appears where Jack stood a second ago. The minotaurs gaze, although not very tall, makes their blood freeze. They didnt see it coming because it was invisible. The minotaur giggles, as if taunting them. When the pull of gravity overcomes the impact force, Jacks body starts falling, with such bad luck that he ends up inside a water canal. The strong water current drags him away, his shouts rapidly fading. U-uah! Whats this!? Somethings biting me! H-help me Jack! The fourth player shouts. Leave him be, the leader shakes his head, we dont have time for him. Lets forget about getting bonus cp and rush to the core instead. I know, but the player hesitates, ...but he has the access cards The leaders fists start shaking. What!? Why!? I gave them to you! Why does the fool have them!? W-well because I needed both my hands, and hes pretty useless against the Hunters. So I thought They stop arguing when the minotaur starts moving again. They raise their guards, ready for whats to come, but nothing comes. Instead of rushing at them, the small minotaur giggles once more and starts flying away, through the densely packed racks, as it casts a few basic spells. Their expressions visibly soften at the sight. Theyre relieved by the fact that the boss doesnt want to fight and instead wants to play with them. The leader returns his focus to the ongoing combat. Thankfully, the tank and the support mobs have kept their foes occupied. Better this than dead Lets finish this quickly! he orders, Use your ultimates if necessary. Alright. But... what about Jack? Haaah. Well go find Jack, if hes still alive, and come back here once we deal with the Hunters. After a short exchange, they return their attention to the two humanoids. Just in time to realize that the humanoid monster that didnt do anything until now is summoning several stars high up in the air. Starfall? Dont worry, a hit from a star isnt that dangerous. Just avoid as many of them and well be finC Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The light released from the fading stars when they make contact with solid objects tints the scene with purple light for a brief moment before the damage takes place. Those words are the last ones the player says in the Dungeon Invasion before dying.
Another group of players is fighting off the same group of three humanoids. The four players, unlike most other groups, didnt bring any helpers with them. Theyre just four, but even with their low numbers and lack of support, they dont seem to be suffering too much. Two players surround one of the humanoids, the one that remains as still as a rock. The monster relentlessly attacks them with everything in its arsenal which, thanks to the roots and the nourishment it gets from the soil, seems to have no end. Even through all that, the two players remain unfazed. Knees on the ground and hands clasped together, they repeatedly slam their heads on the hard humanoids legs while shouting incomprehensible things. Purify my sins! Ill accept all the pain! Oh, please, harder! They dont mind their HP bars falling at an unprecedented speed. The monsters attacks are part of the cause, but not all of it, as every time they hit the monster with their heads, they take damage too. The scene, although surreal, has a certain vibe to it. Its like watching devoted believers quietly praying in front of their god, an angry demon god thats slowly devouring them as they pray. Meanwhile, another of the three humanoids is snaking at an incredible speed, uncontrollably crashing into any obstacle in its path. The dizzy movements and flying objects everywhere create a blurry picture, but the most surprising thing is the player hanging onto the erratic monster. Wahaha! Im unstoppable! Ride, little pony! Ride, to the end of the world! Wahaha! How did the player grab into such a fast monster, in such a position as if to ride it? Who knows, but he did. Grabbing onto the monsters clothing as if his life depended on it, which probably does, the player looks excited instead of scared. This player, too, doesnt seem to be long for this world. The monster, in the middle of its frenzy to get rid of the unwanted passenger, doesnt forget to use every and all means to inflict damage upon him. He doesnt seem to care, though. Standing on another side of the room, the fourth and last player is keeping its attention exclusively on the third humanoid. He keeps shifting the weight of his body from one foot to the other and doesnt dare to blink. Is he wary of that monster, or is he making sure the monster doesnt interfere with the enjoyment of his teammates? After a bit of waiting, the monster finally makes a move. With its wings wide open, floating in mid-air, red light condenses between his two hands. Once the wind-up animation ends, the monster emits a beam of the same color towards the excited player. The light, clearly dangerous, approaches the calm player. But instead of evading, the player opens his arms, welcoming the red light. Im basking in the light of our god! He loudly proclaims. Oh, great Mad Rat! Please, bless this worthless believer with your unfathomable presence! Of the four players, struggling to be the first to reach the afterlife, hes the first one to die.
Gufu! Uh, ah, uaaah! I fall from my comfy chair. Ugh w-what did I just see? I need bl I need b-bleach! Bleach for my eyes! A-and and a drill for my ears! My whole body trembles in shock. I do my best to stabilize on the ground, to no avail. But the nightmare Ive just seen doesnt want to disappear. Fuck! Why did I have to see that? Why couldnt I stop watching before it was too late? Is this one of those times when you can say curiosity killed the cat? Or the rat, in this case? It takes a while, but I end up recovering from the initial shock and manage to stand up. When I stand up, I realize that the Octocat, who is usually sitting on the chairs armrest, is glaring at me. My evil-mastermind-style mascot fell to the ground too when I did. I know, I know Im sorry. It wasnt on purpose I carefully lift it, patting its furry head and tentacles. Alright Lets forget about the last one and use the previous invasions as research material I suddenly tilt my head to the side, wait! What last one? What am I talking about? Was there a last one I should be wary of? I delude myself, the headache that was about to start, suddenly disappearing as if it was an illusion. Aaah, yes. This is more like it. Blessed selective memory loss. What would I do without you? Observing the screen in front of me, now pitch-black, I recall what Ive seen of The Suns performance. It wasnt just one or two invasions that Ive watched but about ten, and what Ive taken from them is the following. The performance is good. High power, lots of burst damage. The players cries were decent, and the despairing shouts were acceptable. Its good, but I dont know. I dont feel like Ive just completed a masterpiece. If I had to rate it, Id give it a five or six over ten. Its like the feeling I get when I observe one of my normal creations, one of those I dont care that much about. A monster that makes me think Heh, whatever after watching it in action. Its like its like its missing something. The Sun is kind of boring. Oh, well, whatever. It isnt like Im going to make any changes right now. Its too late and Im too lazy to make them. If I had to say, probably the latter would be the real reason. Im going to leave it like this and keep watching the results. Maybe Ill come up with sudden inspiration later on While thinking so to myself, I disconnect from the game.
When invading a dungeon, regardless of it being PvP or PvE, always take into account the surrounding terrain and decorative elements. It isnt unusual for players to ignore elements that might play an important role in the future. For example, tiny holes or cracks in the walls can be a signal that there are traps nearby, or they could be used by small monsters to harass you. Its also possible theyre warning about an important event youll find in the future, or they can be a clue for a puzzle. Similarly, scratch marks on the wall are usually a warning of the presence of strong non-humanoid monsters, and it isnt unusual for mimics and disguised monsters to hide within a group of similar decorative elements. Shelves filled with dangerous substances might explode, causing burns and poisoning; a door, even if impossible to open, can tell theres a room or passage on the other side; and pictures or murals can be an important clue about the dungeons lore. The greatest and most famous dungeons are filled with things like those. This is why theyre so life-like: theres almost nothing in there thats just a decoration. - From Stop playing like a noob, a guide for DMA players.
Ch 257 - Another kind of quest [Do you have time today? Want to meet?] I wake up in the morning to this message. It isnt like the ringing woke me up, but that this is the first thing I see after getting up. Oh, um My blurry vision starts to clear as I look for the messages sender. Laura? Thats unusual. Most of the messages I receive are from Ricard asking to play DMA together. Which, for obvious reasons (mental health), I tend to ignore. I do reply and accept her offers from time to time, though. Im not that evil. Other than him, I receive messages from my sisters and parents the most. Of course, thats if I dont count the messages from the permanently silenced groups hundreds, even thousands of messages every day! What a waste of time! But Laura doesnt send me any messages. She usually tells me everything in person; the few messages she sends are those regarding DMA, which she sends to the group with Ricard and my little sister. I smack my head, forcing my brain to wake up completely. Ah, right. Its the holidays. She cant meet me in person unless we agree beforehand. Meeting with Laura I dont see why not, but before I give her an answer, I should check my agenda. Lets see, lets see Playing DMA, playing more DMA sleeping, watching the invaders despair watching the TV, playing even more DMA, playing games that arent DMA Im not sure, but I might be able to accommodate her, depending on what she wants. Im kind of busy, after all. [What are you thinking? Im kind of busy today] [Ive heard about a very interesting dungeon, one everyones talking about and was thinking we could go together. It has a quest] Aah, she wants to play together, I see. It isnt that different from what I planned on doing, so I guess its fine. [Sure. Ill eat breakfast and tell you when Im ready] [Okay!] She ends the message with a smiling face. Well, well, well As I get up from the bed, I think about the dungeon she talked about. I wonder what is so interesting about it. And a quest, she said When players say that the dungeon has a quest, it means that the dungeon has different rules from usual. Instead of the more common dive into the dungeon and destroy the core objective, the way to win is different. When the quest is completed, the dungeon core usually appears near the quest giver or quest objective and the players can break it to win. Of course, regardless of the dungeon, its always possible to find and break the core, ignoring the quest completely, but it being possible doesnt make it enjoyable. Some common quests are find X object and bring it back, protect/escort Y NPC, hunt the large monster, or save the village from the monsters. The options are vast. Furthermore, the quests usually require the presence of NPCs or at least some way to deliver the instructions to the players. This means most quest dungeons require that the dungeon owner knows how to modify AIs, and thats the reason why theyre rare. Im very curious. For Laura to call it interesting, it must be something very unusual. Laura, who likes to play tabletop RPGs, knows a lot about quests and also DMAs quest dungeons. If shes interested in this one in particular, it must be really good. Well, I guess Ill find out later. Now, breakfast. I happily go down the stairs, looking forward to todays game session, only to find my little sister angry at me because I promised to play with her first. Did I? It wasnt written in my agenda, and Im very meticulous when it comes to writing all my plans down. If I read the agenda after that is another thing, though
As the light from the teleport clears up, I start looking around. Laura told me it was best to leave all support mobs behind, so its just me and her. Through the large windows in front of us, I can see the red sky outside. The clouds, thin and long, are drawn towards a single point, moving in a spiral that encompasses the whole sky. Its really weird. Laura walks closer. Hey there. Isnt the scenery quite beautiful? My sight remains on the spinning clouds. From here, it looks like a huge vortex, one thats trying to swallow everything below it. I can see trees and rocks being sucked into it. ...Uh, yeah, sure. It is beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. In a lethal way. She grabs my arm, holding it closely, and starts dragging me forward. Come. The quest will start after we cross the hall. The hall is long and narrow, like a corridor. It doesnt feel cramped, though, because it has large windows on both sides. As we walk forward, we start to hear moans and painful cries. A slight iron smell fills my nostrils. At the end of the hall, the building splits into two wings. There are lots of doors on the walls, with the same distance between them. On the other side of the closest one I see a blackboard and what looks like a teacher standing in front of it. Two large horns adorn his head, and the two black wings are inconfusible. Hes a demon. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I expected something like this when I read the dungeons name: Hellschool. But I didnt expect itd be so literal. ...A school? Really? I ask, slightly confused. Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but believe me. The best is yet to come! Laura excitedly points to the side, so I turn my head in that direction. There, I find a teenager crucified upside down, with a sign that reads I wont talk during class hung over one of his legs. Theres no blood or gore. The sign even has a nice silk strip to hang it. You can say its family-friendly, which might make you think its a joke, but the teenagers dead eyes tell otherwise. By the way, this student is the reason weve been hearing moans the whole time. You see the demons have a somewhat unique decorative element. Its something called humans. Hell, where the demons live, its supposed to be where the souls of humans that committed grave sins end up. There, theyre punished by the demons for all eternity. But the humans arent part of the demon faction, theyre just their stress relief targets. Taking this into account, the DMA developers allowed the demon faction to use humans as part of the decoration, but not as units. They dont have skills or stats, cant be leveled up, and any damage they take instantly kills them. But they can be put into torture devices, move around independently, and pay for their sins as intended. In short, they can behave like other units and can have their own AI, but arent considered a unit. An example Im sure youll understand: killing humans in a demon dungeon doesnt give any souls, nor can I capture them to use in my dungeon. not like Id ever capture a human, even if I could. To avoid confusion, the developers also made sure it was impossible to confuse the demons with the humans. If it doesnt have blue skin C or another color C, horns, claws, wings, or any other non-human trait, then it means its a human. A useless and worthless human. Youd be astonished at how creative can the players be when it comes to using humans as part of the decoration... Ive seen things that made my skin crawl in disgust. The human hanging in front of me is but a mere childs play in comparison. I gulp. There are more students in similar situations. I can only imagine where the cries come from. You like this? A demon dragging me into a demon dungeon Maybe, I should have refused. Now, I have nowhere to run. Huh? Laura tilts her head, showing confusion. No? But I find it funny that the creator of this dungeon thought about this. Dont you find it fitting? That a school controlled by demons would punish the students like this for any mistake they make? ...I wont argue against it. It is fitting. Its also as dangerous as the sky outside. So how will we know what were here for? There are no explanations written anywhere, and the students lamenting their bad decisions arent in any condition to talk. Dont worry, Im sure well know soon. Aha While we wait, I continue observing our surroundings. There could be something we missed. The floor is impeccably clean, the walls are filled with portraits and sculptures, and the ceiling is fully painted. It reminds me of the pictures Ive seen from the Sistine Chapel. The school is classy and luxurious, to such a high degree that it goes the full round and ends up feeling cheesy and decadent instead. A shiver makes my whole body tremble. This is this is true hell. It looks good, but I cant think of a worse thing that could happen to anyone. Not only the students here are forced to go to school for all eternity, but theyre brutally punished for any mistake they make, regardless of how tiny it is. Can you imagine? Having to go to school for all eternity? Waking up early, paying attention to boring lessons, and having to do all your homework Listening to the same lessons until the end of times! Furthermore, you cant miss a single class, answer incorrectly any exam question, or do anything that isnt studying or youll be brutally tortured. If this isnt THE true hell, I dont know what it is. I Ill behave from now on. Just in case. Are you the inspectors sent by the government? I lower my sight at the unexpected voice coming. The one who talked is an Imp dressed like an executive. It wears a funny hat and a necktie so long that it touches the ground. It makes me chuckle. Yes, we are, answers Laura, glaring at me. Hey, what do you want me to do? Its so ridiculous I cant stop laughing! Ah, finally! The Imps high-pitched voice makes him sound like a child. His stature is that of a child too. As you sure know, there have been several deaths in our prestigious Hellschool as of late. All the victims were male and were found drained to death, like mummies, though they all made happy faces... We suspect its the work of a succubus. The Imp kneels on the ground, pleading for help. Please. Please help us! We dont know what to do! Kuhu! A chuckle escapes my lips. Hahaha, come on, I cant take this seriously! Laura glares at me once more, but she doesnt say anything, as she knows that the Imp has a set of lines. It doesnt matter what we do or say, the Imps single purpose is to say what we need to know. At most, hell repeat those lines if we ask him once he finishes. Well take care of this, director, She says. Well solve this mystery. Aaah, thanks! Thanks! The Imp starts crying, or to be more precise, acting like he cries. Inside the game, it isnt possible to cry. Then, having finished his performance, the Imp stands up and stays still, a stupid look on his face. What is it doing now? Ah, right, its an AI. I should have expected it. Hee so were playing detectives? I never expected the day Id roleplay as a detective in DMA. At least, not when playing as Mad Rat. Yes! Laura nods with enthusiasm. Dont you find it interesting? We have to solve the mystery! It certainly is unusual. Its the weirdest quest Ive heard of in DMA. We have to search the school for clues, facing demented teachers and tormented students who knows what else well find? Im looking forward to it. Wait a moment I scratch my chin, If the suspect is a succubus Aha! I raise one arm, index finger extended in a eureka pose, my eyes wide open. I point towards Laura. I found our suspect! Its you! Laura tilts her head, not understanding what Im saying. You brought me here with the pretext of having fun, when in fact youre the true culprit behind the mysterious deaths! Its all clear now! Youre the succubus, and you want me to be the next victim! You want to drain me to death too! As I keep exposing the truth, Lauras face changes from confusion to surprise, and then She slightly lowers her head and looks directly at me. Instead of replying, she makes a seductive smile and licks her lips. Oh, man. I shouldnt have opened my mouth. I was just fooling around, okay!?
To prevent players from being let down when diving into a random dungeon, the dungeon owners had the option to give their dungeons the quest tag. When a dungeon had the tag, it would be excluded from the random pool. This made it almost impossible to stumble upon a quest dungeon unless the players were searching for them, but at the same time, it made it easier to find them, since they could be searched by the quest tag.
Ch 258 - Wrong answer You do this, then that and this is how you solve the problem. The demonic teacher moves his hand to write on the blackboard, but unlike what one might expect, the blackboard remains the same. It has everything written on it since the class started. When he finishes writing, he turns around and scans the students. They stay completely silent, doing their best to keep the teachers attention away from themselves. Hmm Wholl volunteer for the next question? At those words, the students faces warp in fear. They know what comes next, and the last thing they want is to volunteer. No volunteers? The teacher smiles, gently. Alright, Ill choose myself then. Hmm you. Stand up. The demonic teacher points at one of the students, who, clearly reluctant, stands up and waits for the teacher to state the question. He looks around in despair, questioning with his gaze why he had to be the unlucky one to get chosen. It could have been anyone else, why did it have to be him? Khm, khm! The demon makes a fake cough to clear his throat. Alright. This one will be easy. If you have four apples and divide them between you and your friend, how many oranges do you end up with? Pfffft!? As interesting as the spectacle is, the question is so surprising that I choke. If I had been drinking something and this was reality, Im sure Id have soaked whoever was in front of me, leaving a puddle on the ground. I quickly recover and continue watching silently, though not before Laura glares at me. She, too, wants to see what happens next. My actions could have interrupted the play, but luckily, they didnt. Ha, um, ah the student hesitates, ...werent we talking about apples? Why are you asking for oranges? Buzzz! The teacher makes an error sound with his mouth, Wrong answer, and presses a button on the teachers desk. Above the student, the ceiling opens and a large boulder falls on top of him. It all happens so quickly, that he doesnt have time to react before he and his desk get squashed into meat paste. The nearby students dont seem to mind getting blood on their clothes, theyre more worried about being the next victim. He didnt even try it The teacher shakes his head, impassive. Alright, you, give me an answer. When he points at another student, that student stands up like the first one, shaking in fear. He thinks for a while, trying to find a good answer, or at least one that wont immediately get him killed like the first one. He hesitates, anxiously watching the teacher grow bored, his finger already hovering over the button that will kill him. Sixteen! He suddenly says. Hmm? The teacher tilts his head, not expecting that answer. He smiles and meets the students gaze. ...How did you get to that answer? He looks like hes having fun. Uh, ah I, I Dont lie. Remember its what I hate the most. Uh, I-I I just made that number up. I thought youd like that I tried to give a proper answer without hesitation As the student talks, his voice fades away, as if he wanted to disappear by getting away. Ahahaha! The demon bursts out laughing. This is it! Thats the spirit! If you dont know the answer, just do your best to get it! If youre dumb, at least have the guts to try! He gleefully spins, his arms wide open, before suddenly stopping and slamming the desks button. Good idea, but still wrong. *Ching!* A large flying blade embeds itself on the wall after decapitating the student. I see there are multiple traps, huh? I agree with the teachers decision, itd be boring to watch all of them die in the same way. Since you cant solve this question, lets move on to an easier one. You split one human into four parts. With how many humans do you end up with? You, give me an answer! Taking into account this question and the first one, its clear what subject theyre studying, right? Although I must admit that the way to learn it is questionable and definitely not ordinary. The chosen student, having learned from her predecessors, quickly answers. You have zero humans because the human will die when you split it into four parts. But unlike the last time, the professor doesnt seem to like the answer, because he quickly punishes the student for giving a wrong one. She ends up impaled on a metal rod that goes from the ground to the ceiling like a brochette. Hah. You end with four dead human parts. Is it really that difficult? Why are my students so dumb? He shakes his head as if he were dissatisfied, but hes wearing a nasty grin as he says it. Lets stop this farce for now. You havent learned todays Demonmatics lesson. Ill explain it all from the start. Standing up from his desk, the teacher walks to the exact same position he was when we first looked inside the classroom, and starts writing on the blackboard. The students, relieved, can finally relax. For as long as the teacher explains, theres no risk to their lives. Haha, Ive never seen students so happy when they have to listen to theory. Usually, its the other way around. But before the students can let go of the tension, the demonic teacher suddenly turns around and adds, Oh, and dont forget to get the dead to the Resurrection Center once the class ends. We cant have them skipping lessons. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The students anxiously nod, and the class resumes. They dont want to join the resurrect group, so they lower their heads and pay attention. How can I describe this? Brutal. Yeah, thats the word I was looking for. But for some reason, I cant stop grinning. This is so perversely perturbing but at the same time so entertaining Laura and I exchange a glance. It looks like the spectacle has ended. Weve been to a few classes already, and all were as crazy as this one. In cooking class (also called Fiendish Delicacies), the students had to learn to cook using their own body parts. We didnt see the extraction process, though; itd have been way too gore for most players. When the show started, all the students already had their missing body parts on top of the table, their wounds covered with bandages, and were ready to start cooking. In physical education (or Meatbag Education), they had to complete a deadly obstacle course filled with dangers. To me, it seemed more like a torture course, though. None of the students made it out alive to the end, and more than half decided it wasnt worth the effort and actively made a mistake on the first obstacle to get a swift death. By the way, all the students in this school are adults. Im sure its because its less perturbing this way, but also because most children are still pretty innocent, and only adults are real sinners. You do this, then that and this is how you solve the problem. Hmm Wholl volunteer for the next question? Distracted by my thoughts, enough time passes that the spectacle inside the class starts from the beginning, from when the teacher starts asking questions. This is what happens in games like this, the likes the NPC have are limited and the only thing they can do is repeat them over and over, until your ears, as the player, start bleeding. Laura urges me to move forward and start investigating properly, but I signal her to stop. Wait, I want to check something. Can you move away? I ask her to some distance. Yeah, its okay over there. She sends me a curious glance, but instead of giving her an explanation, I return to the scene inside the Demonmatics classroom. As you might expect, the dead students are still dead, and the traps that sprung the first session still show signs of being activated. But what else did you expect from a game? The same scene as before repeats for a second time, only that this time the victims are other students. Still, their lines are the same, and even the teachers and students'' motions are identical too. The only things that change are the students that die, and the traps that kill them. I wait for the moment when the teacher points at one of the students. Then, I jump to the side as quickly as I can. I prick my ears, and surely enough, I dont hear anything coming from inside. I then drag myself over the ground, and as soon as the classroom pops up in my vision, the action resumes as if I had pressed the play button. How interesting I mutter to myself. ... Laura watches me with a weird face but doesnt say anything. So I stand up with a fake cough and feign ignorance. Cough, cough. I was just testing the AI and how this dungeon works. I thought so, she naturally answers but continues to look at me with the same expression as before. I too find it pretty interesting. The demons and humans in this dungeon are programmed in such a way that they behave similarly to real-life humans. For as long as their lines dont end, that is. Still, its such a big difference from what Im used to Even in my dungeon, Ive used voice lines for some of my monsters, like the human-headed critters in the sealed area; or changed their behaviors to somewhat unusual ones, like the dancing flowers. But nothing that can compare to this dungeon. Ill have to do a few more experiments while Im here. Im sure I can learn a thing or two. But first I must check something. What you find interesting is the dungeon design and the monsters AI, right? As a science computer student, right? It has nothing to do with the fact that this is a demon dungeon where they play and torture sinners in a macabre way, forcing them to act as students, right? She looks away. I why cant I enjoy both!? Isnt it weirder to fixate so much on the AI and ignore the rest? Theres so much effort behind the scenario that itd be a waste to ignore it! Alright, alright Before this turns awkward, I decide to change the topic. Lets do some investigating, shall we?
All the personnel in this school are demons, while all the students are humans. Why am I saying this right now? Because the first place we go to investigate is the morgue, the classroom temporarily converted into a refrigerator to keep the corpses fresh. And since all the victims are students, theyre all human. Hmm Ugh I groan. Im not going to touch it. You do it. What? Y-you want me to touch t-touch that!? You do it. Youre the boy! What does gender have to do with this? You can do it too! Our arguing seems to reach no end. The reason? Well let me explain from the start. As soon as we entered the morgue, we saw the dead students lying in a row. After removing the cloth covering them, we immediately realized that the little imp (the schools director) was telling the truth: they all are mummified as if drained of all fluids. He was right about their ecstatic faces too. Ive only seen those kinds of expressions on certain adult videos Im sure you know what I mean. The problem is that this isnt all about their bodies. Near their nether regions, they have a whitish and sticky substance that resembles you-know-what. Given the situation theyre in, we can guess what it might be; and even if this is inside a game and theres no way its the real thing, it isnt any less disgusting. If the victims were demons, we could have accepted that it was a substance produced by them naturally. I mean, if they can have horns, wings, blue skin, and pustules that constantly emit pus, why wouldnt they be able to produce a white substance like this one? But all victims are male humans. And male humans only produce something like that in one way. Still, to produce so much as to die, and dried up like a mummy at that? Is this the work of a succubus? How dreadful indeed. To die like this I might have found a preferred way of dying. D-dont misunderstand! Its just an idea, an idea! Im not that crazy! but perhaps You touch it. Laura shakes her head. No, you do it. Theres no way Im touching it. There wont be an end to this. Ill have to man up and be the adult. Alright, alright Lets do this, I propose, Well act as adults and reach an agreement. How about this: nobody touches it and we hope it isnt relevant for the quests resolution. ...fine by me. Alright, problem solved.
What I like from quests in DMA is that they can be very different from the usual experience. From time to time, I love finding a dungeon with a quest, to break the monotony. - Words from a random DMA player.
Ch 259 - Long and thick Hmm Interesting, I nod to myself while examining one of the crime scenes. Indeed, interesting. What do I find so interesting? Nothing at all. Then, Im sure youre curious why I keep repeating the word interesting, and that reason is isnt this what detectives say to pretend they know more than anyone else? Am I right? Laura observes the crime scene with a pensive look, although she doesnt get as near as I do. It must be because there still are remnants of that white substance scattered on the floor. Theres no corpse anyway, and nothing else catches my attention. We kept the scene as it was. As we investigate, or pretend to, the schools director, the Imp, keeps babbling in the background. The only thing we moved was the corpse. We couldnt leave one of our dear students here, for all our students to see. If they knew the victims cant be resurrected, theyd surely suffer a lot. Were a venerable institution, we cant allow our students to have a pitiful death like this as if their soul was sucked away Aah, its such a shame! They had so much to learn and improve. They had such a bright future! Yeah such bullshit. Thats why you torture and kill them in your classes, right? Because you cant let them suffer or die, right? Say the truth: the only reason youre worried is that they cant be resurrected and tortured anymore. They managed to escape the eternal torture, and you cant allow that. I ignore the Imps ramblings and continue scanning the crime scene. As expected, nothing at all. Interesting At about the tenth time Ive repeated the same word, Laura starts observing me instead of the crime scene. It seems she didnt find anything relevant as expected. The problem is that shes closely monitoring every single one of my actions, not sure if she should believe my actions or not. Its like shes expecting me to discover something relevant, but at the same time feels like Im just fooling around. Interesting indeed I am fooling around, so stop looking at me like that! Pleaaaase! I truly have no clue, but I dont want to admit that Im just pretending I just want to look cool Luckily for me, I dont have to keep pretending, nor do I have to reveal I dont know shit. After a few surprised shouts C which by the way sound very different from the agony and painful ones weve been hearing all the time C, we hear footsteps approaching us. Three students are running in our direction. Sir Lootcifer, Sir Lootcifer! The one running at the forefront shouts, Theres been another incident! You must come with us! Oh. So the Imp is called Lootcifer? I wonder if it has anything to do with the quest or is just a funny name ...Dont give me orders! The usually gentle school director, who treated us as if we were important almost to the point of literally licking our boots, suddenly shows its true colors. A large fireball shoots out of his extended finger, burning the student to a crisp. Aha, I knew it! All demons are brutal beasts! Theyre just too good at hiding their true nature! This reminds me that my companion is also a demon Laura tilts her head when I start shivering, looking at her. Aaagh, shes too good! I almost fell for her innocent act! I knew it! Shes dangerous too! The other two students leap backward to avoid the flames. For an instant, they seem surprised, but they quickly relax their facial expressions and watch the director, waiting for him to make the first move. Theyre too used to these kinds of things. You, the Imp points at the left student, take this fool to the infirmary. More like the Resurrection Center, right? Hahaha. He then points at the right one, And you. You wait here for now. The Imp then turns back to us, wearing a smile. Haha, I wont fall for his act. Not again, I mean. At first, I thought he was a cute and charming Imp, acting like an adult and wearing oversized clothes. I dont think so anymore. Hes a demon wearing a sheeps skin! Dear guests, are you finished here? Would you like to go with me? I nod. Lets go. Uh, yeah. I mean, there was nothing to see here anyway. As soon as I start walking, the Imp chuckles, chasing after me. Hehe, Im sorry for their disgraceful appearance and behavior. They still have much to learn This is why we need your assistance! Theyre too young to leave us! Fuck this hearing the Imp buttering me all the time is getting tiresome. Furthermore, since he has a limited amount of lines, he keeps repeating them all the time. I dont want to listen to him anymore! Im starting to regret not bringing Cyam with me. Laura told me this dungeon was special and that we shouldnt bring any monsters with us but Cyam isnt a combatant! Furthermore, Im too tired of his buttering! Even if this dungeons NPCs arent hostile because of the modified AI, theyre still treated as hostile by the game. We can engage in battle against them at any moment we wish to. This also means Cyam could turn them into stone, something Id currently appreciate. I glare at Laura, who has taken some distance from me. To ensure the Imp will bother me exclusively. Take my place! I shout with my eyes. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. No way. She replies, shaking her head. Can I kill him at least? I ask, gesturing with my hand. Hes way too annoying. She glares at me. No way! What if hes important for the quest later on? I forbid you from doing anything harmful to him! ... I grit my teeth. So unfair It doesnt take long to reach the place where the last attack occurred. A large student crowd blocks our way. There are a few demon professors in the mix. Make way, you fools! As soon as the Imp says those words, the crowd splits in two. Haha, it reminds me of that scene from the bible. Both the students and professors are too scared of him to defy his orders. Alright, Ill admit it. He does have his uses. Its fun that the ruler of this demonic school is one of the weakest units in the factions roster. Roleplay-wise, sure, you can do whatever you want. Stat-wise, though any of those professors must be ten times stronger than the director, but they still fear him. Its a surreal situation, but a fun one regardless. Itching for action, I rush to the corpse. What I find is more or less the same as what weve seen before: a human male sucked to death, and a white substance scattered near his nether regions. The medical personnel are inspecting the body. At least, they look like medical personnel. They wear nurse and doctor clothes, but their clothes are soaked in blood. Instead of white, they are a dark, intense red. Are they from the Resurrection Center, perhaps? If so, I dont want to know how their clothes got this color. Its now that I realize two things we completely skipped over earlier. The first one is evident, but the latter is because we didnt dare touch the corpses. First, the student has his pants on! How could he have released you know, that substance with his pants on? Second, why does he have a hole in his pants, near his butt? ...do male succubus exist? I ask Laura. She raises one eyebrow, quickly understanding what I mean. What kind of perverted fantasies are you having right now? Eh, uh I look away. Nothing. Nothing, I swear. There are no male succubus, she explains. All succubus are female in DMA. The male version is called Incubus. They share the same Charming Eyes but not the name or stats. But, lore-wise, they arent attracted to males. It makes no sense. Is that so? I saw it! I saw everything! One of the students pushes his way into the crime scene, through the staff demons pushing the crowd away. I saw what happened! Oooh! Finally, a clue! I almost shout, happy to get something to work with. I was starting to get worried weve been wasting our time here. The student stops in front of the Imp, whos next to us and starts explaining. I saw it, coming out of Mathias ass! It was a long and thick He shivers, and I shiver with him. Long, and thick? I gulp. It was long and thick, he says? What was long and thick? My imagination runs wild while everyone, Laura included, waits for him to continue. ...It was a long, thick, and white worm coming out of his ass! WHAT!? My brain stops working. After the students explanation finishes, confusion spreads between the demonic staff. They dont know what that long and thick worm is. In the end, the school director starts shouting to the crowd that they should stop wasting time, and everyone returns to their classrooms. Im sorry, dear inspectors. I must take control of this situation, so Ill have to leave you for a while. If you need me, youll find me in my office. Leaving those words behind, the Imp takes the remaining staff with him. Theyre bringing the students corpse with them. I lock eyes with Laura. What now? Im not sure She shakes her head. Then, she points at the grating that, according to the witness, the worm disappeared into. Does it connect to the ventilation system? We can start by investigating that. But this is a problem. A thick and long white worm I dont know of any Wicked Legion unit that fits that description If she doesnt know, how am I supposed to? Can it be a weird skill? I propose. You know, like the monsters I like to create, which have weird combinations youd never expect. It could be We decide to go to the basement, where the furnace feeding the whole school with hot air should be. The Imp was so kind as to tell us where the basement was when we passed nearby, so theres no need to ask for directions. He repeated it every, single, fucking, time, we passed near the stairs leading to the basement. Now that I think about it, it might have been an important clue. We open the door. Dark stairs, going down to who knows where. For some reason, I feel like we shouldnt go there. Are you sure about this? I ask. We can still go back Chickening out? Fufufu, I thought you were braver than this. Laura goads me. To which I respond with I am. the truth. Theres no need to hide it, nor could I. My legs are shaking too much to hide it. It isnt like Im scared of dark spaces that could be filled with danger, okay? What I dread is having one of those worms doing to me what it did to those students. I know. I know it makes no sense because this is a game. But I cant control it. Its an instinctual fear. An instinctual repulsion. Laura observes my actions, grinning. But her eyes are firm: she wont accept a no. Fine I relent. But youre going first, just in case. She shrugs and puts her feet on the first step. Right at this moment, shouts much louder than usual start coming from the nearest class. Kyaaaaaaah! Help me, dont leave me behiC Aaaargh! The students scramble out of the class, running away from something. Why is Professor Commodeus suddenly attacking us like that!? Shouldnt he look for an excuse to kill us at least!? I guess that, after being subjected to an awful experience for long enough, anyone would find it normal. Dont you agree? Uaaaah! No, nooooo! Dont eat meeeeeee! The unusual shouts make us reconsider our plan. Laura retraces her steps and meets me back in the basement entrance. Lets check this out first. We can go to the basement later. Sure! I immediately agree. Perfect! I can avoid facing the worms! Luck smiles on me once more! Hahaha!
I didnt know yet Id have to eat my own words very, very soon.
Ch 260 - Perfect deduction When we get near the classroom, we find all the students rushing out, pushing the others out of the way to be the first to get to safety. They scream and shout, fear on their faces, which surprises me. Shouldnt they be used to dying all the time by now? Hyaaaah! Its those worms! Well die, this time for all eternity! Aaah, this explains it. Dont you have any manners? In situations like this, you should give priority to us, ladies! Fuck off! Dont you know the worms only targeted males? The ones in most danger are us! Yeah, yeah! Give it to her! Arent they always asking for gender equality? This is true gender equality! Why is it only us who have to worry about thick and long. things, going into you-know-where, but we should give them priority to leave first? To hell with them! Ah, yes, right. Theyre already in hell. Going against the flow is impossible, so we stick to the wall so were not dragged away by the students. Until they all leave, we wont be able to see whats going on inside the class. The stream of panicking students slows down when most of them have escaped the classroom. Now that theres less noise, we can start hearing the painful cries from those that couldnt. Take it out! Take it oooout! I dont want to die! N-no! D-dont come any c-c-closer! Theyre all male voices. It seems like the pattern hasnt changed. I signal Laura to take the front, to which she agrees after spinning her eyes. Hahaha, it wont work. I dont care if you mock me, I wont take any risks with this. If women arent in that much of a danger, or they arent in any danger at all, they should be the ones to take the biggest risks. Laura steps inside, and I follow closely behind. I peek from behind her, ready to use her as a shield if the situation requires it. She doesnt seem to mind that I stick so close to her, even if it is for this reason. Desks and chairs are everywhere, scattered and broken. Students lie on the ground. Some of them twitch as if they were possessed, while the others are immobile, dead. The single woman in this mess, younger than most of the ones weve seen so far, cries over the body of her sweetheart. She seems to be doing fine, though. And the dreaded white substance! The disgusting thing forms pools on the ground, filling my heart with fear for a moment. However, when I remember it isnt what we first thought it was, I dont find it as disgusting and my mind calms down. We observe as the teacher shambles towards the single remaining student. Trapped in a corner of the class, the student shivers, holding his knees close to his body and muttering to himself without end. Aaah! Not me. Not me, not meeeee! This is a dream, a dream, a dreamdreamdream hahaha, yes, this is a dream and Ill wake up soon Unperturbed, the demon pushes his hand forward and introduces something into the students mouth. We cant see what it is because his body is obstructing our view, but shortly after, the student has a seizure. Similar to the other students, his body shakes and twists as if he were possessed. Is he being eaten from the inside? Ah! A crazy idea comes to me, and I start paying close attention to the other students. I watch in a mix of horror and relief as one of the students who were shaking dies. A long and thick white worm soon pushes its way out, coming out of a hole near the students butt. This is exactly as the description weve heard before. Between twenty and thirty centimeters long and five centimeters in diameter, the worm is as perturbing as it could be. But theres something else I notice too. Ahaha! I see Interesting. Interesting indeed. I nod to myself, lowering my tone to match that of a hardened detective. As expected, Laura turns to look at me with a did he go crazy? expression on her face. I ignore her. I just solved the case in front of us, dear Lauttson. The Mad Rat Detective strikes again! Fufufu! Hahaha! Why was I so scared? This is a game, after all! Even if everything is set up for us to fall for the illusion, it shouldnt have taken me so much time to solve it. The worms haha, the worms are a distraction, I chuckle, It was aaaaall a lie. A very elaborated lie, one that only I, the great Mad Rat Detective could have spotted, but a lie indeed! Laura tilts her head and turns her attention to the worms. As soon as they come out of the dead students, they rush into the nearest ventilation vent they can find. Like the one that came out of the last victim. I saw it all with these eyes of mine! Hahaha! Its all a montage! Making sure to sound as snobbish as possible, I start explaining the trick. See the students that died in this place? Arent they all perfectly fine? Well, theyre dead, but they dont look like mummies like the ones before. Furthermore, if you pay attention, you can see it. You can see the worms, hiding inside the students clothes before popping out of the hole they already have in their pants! Everything is fake! Theres no need for me to worry anymore! Hahaha! Aah, I feel so relieved. I can relax my sphincter and stop covering my butt with my hands Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I knew it couldnt be. Even if DMA is a game that gives so many options to the players, it made no sense what happened here. A skill that turns corpses into mummies, and worms that come out of other units? It was all bullshit! Laura nods to my perfect deduction, acknowledging my superiority as a good secondary character should. Good job spotting the trick, but What but? Theres no space for but here! I glare at Laura. I swear you dont want to take the spotlight from me. You dont want to make an enemy of me, Lauttson! But this only explains the weird deaths. It doesnt explain where they come from, nor whos behind all the attacks. Fuck. She could spot the single weak point of my perfect deduction. Maybe I should give her more credit. Youre right But I did solve the mystery behind the impossible deaths in this dungeon. Anyway, lets talk about this later, the teacher doesnt seem to like our presence here. Conveniently, the demon teacher has no more students to infect with those worms, so he turns his attention to us. He approaches with unsteady steps. His eyes are rolled up, and a large amount of saliva drips from his mouth. In horror, I observe the neck swell up. Like a wave, the swell extends under his skin towards his head, takes a sharp turn and disappears under the shirt. Is there something burrowing under his skin!? B-but the wormsC Ouch! Laura smacks me on the head. Leave it be for now. Surviving comes first! Ah, yeah thanks. I almost lost my composure here.
I avoid the fist at the last second, scrambling away from the professor. *Crash!* The wall, not as lucky as me, crumbles after the impact. A large hole appears on the classrooms wall, connecting it to the adjacent classroom. Luckily, the students and professor on the other classes evacuated long ago, not long after the shouts started. The only victims are the wall, and a few desks and books. This demon is a Greedling! He shouldnt be that powerful! Fuck! Why is this demon so strong!? I complain. Lily, youre from the same faction, you should know! Next to his HP bar, it says its a level 10 monster. A Greedling has lower stats than my base ones, so even if he has a higher level, we should be on a similar strength but I cant break a wall with my fists! My most powerful spells like Chain Lighting or Chaotic Beam deal almost no damage! It makes no sense! Lauras whip momentarily stuns the professor. We use this chance to get some distance. None of us are suited for close-quarters combat. I-I dont know It makes no sense Laura shakes her head. If she doesnt know, how am I supposed to? I might regret saying it, but at times like this, I miss Ricards explanations. His interminable ramblings about unrelated stuff can be quite helpful. Sometimes Okay, I was wrong. I actually dont miss him that much. Roaaar! The demon roars before running in our direction. He runs with his arms extended forward in an extremely clunky way. He isnt that fast either, we could run away, but then Im sure wed fail to clear the mission. The way he runs it reminds me of a certain monster created out of corpses This is my style, dont copy it! I burst out. Why is everyone always copying me!? Im tired of it already! A desk flies my way, thrown by the demon. I duck to avoid it and the desk smashes into another one behind me. But my action slows me down. By the time I realize my error, a large shadow appears above me. Its the demon. It has jumped and is falling on me with terrifying force. Shit! Reluctantly, I activate Rat Transformation. My body quickly changes size and shape, safely avoiding the mass falling on me. I run away, and the demon falls to the ground. I watch the crater created where I stood. That could have been me As soon as I feel safe, I undo the transformation, supporting myself on one of the few desks that remain intact. I steady my dizziness. Ugh I want to puke Mad Rat. If we cant defeat it in a straight fight, lets kite it until it dies. Sure lets do, that My eyes keep spinning. Just give me some time to recover first. Kiting is the best tactic when you outrange and outspeed the enemy, as long as you have spare time. From what weve seen, the demon has no ranged attacks and relies exclusively on brute force. Since both Laura and I have multiple ranged attacks and spells and are faster than him, kiting should work. We should have tried it from the start but we thought it was a better idea to kill him fast. We wanted to clear this event quickly, and then investigate why it happened. Relentless, the demon keeps chasing after me as we kite him. Or I kite him, while Laura attacks from behind. The reason why its chasing after me while ignoring Laura? Isnt it obvious? Do I need to spell it for you? He wants me to be the next victim. I know my precious area isnt in danger. I know that everything was a very elaborated trick. Still, it doesnt make this situation any less disgusting. If I have to be chased, I want it to be a pretty girl! Why does it have to be a disgusting green-skinned and burly human, with worms crawling under his skin!? Furthermore, he puts stuff inside the males he catches that later comes out of their asses just that thought alone can give anyone nightmares. After changing tactics, the fight proceeds without a hitch. Slowly, the damage accumulates and the demons HP bar disappears. The damage it takes is increasing as time passes, but also seems to slowly recuperate. Is it taking more damage than before? Something doesnt feel right. Alerted by the unusual behavior of the demons HP bar, I decide to inspect him. It generally isnt a good idea to inspect a monster during combat. It takes a while, and its easy to get distracted. But the monster is almost dead, so whats the worst that could happen? Aha, this is why! His maximum HP is falling like crazy. Thats why. If the maximum HP falls but the current HP doesnt, it looks like its healing when, in fact, it doesnt. Wait, his stats are crazy high!? Max HP, high stats Laura ponders what I said, Ah! I remember now. I heard of a monster like that. If this is the case, the best way to kill it is Black flames engulf the demonic professor. It was way weaker than we thought, as just two damage ticks after, he falls to the ground. But instead of dispelling the flack flames, Laura keeps them activated. The answer shows up shortly after. The lump burrowing under the demons skin stops moving. Then, the skin parts and a white worm pops out. Roasted by the black flames, the worm wiggles in pain and dies. Only then does Laura release the Hellfire. She approaches the two corpses. Haa I was right. Come watch this. She signals for me to get closer. I know what were against.
In what other game can you have monsters that can live inside other monsters while contributing to their battle prowess? Or monsters that are formed by multiple other monsters? And what about monsters that ate smaller ones, working in synchrony as if they were a single entity? - From an unknown source.
Ch 261 - Sin eater I know what those monsters are. Lauras words leave me with a mix of relief and anger. Its always a good thing to know what youre facing, but what if her deduction is better than mine? Is she going to eclipse my excellent detective skills right after I revealed the truth behind the impossible incidents? I, the Great Mad Rat Detective cant accept it! But without anything to use as an argument, I approach the demonic professors corpse and inspect the dead worm that popped out of his neck. These worms theyre called Sin Parasites, says Laura. They infect an ally and give it a very powerful boost until they inevitably die. Its a death sentence. I remember hearing they were a high-level unit from the Wicked Legion. Thats why I didnt recognize them, I cant unlock them yet. On the screen that appears when I inspect the dead worm, I immediately identify what shes talking about. Its a skill called Sinful Blessing.
Sinful Blessing (Innate active skill)
Cost: 10 MP
Parasitize an allied unit. The unit receives a 50% boost to its STR, SPI, CON and WIL (up to 50 maximum) but loses 1% Max HP per second. Once activated, this skill cant be canceled or used again until the allied unit dies. This skill only works on significantly larger units, and only if they at least double your average stats.
The worms stats are shit, but this skill Oh, man, this skill I start salivating at the prospect of getting my hands on one of those worms. Figuratively speaking, of course. It isnt like I can increase C or decrease, for that matter C the amount of drool passively produced by my Champion. For that, Id have to edit it using the character editor. From what I can read, this skill, Sinful Blessing, is kind of a one-time buff. The affected unit will receive a large boost to its stats, but itll soon die. Whats worse, since its the Max HP thats reduced instead of taking damage, theres no way around it. The affected unit cant be healed, and once it reaches 0, the unit dies permanently. Not even skills like Resurrection can bring it back to life. Now I understand why, borrowing the Imps words, the victims have regrettably been lost forever. But those are just minor drawbacks. The possibilities are endless! Im sure I can use them for amazing gimmicks, its just a matter to time the parasitizing properly, to maximize the buff usefulness Hey, stop daydreaming! Laura awakens me with a smack on my head. Did you listen to what I said? Uh No? She sighs. I was saying that the worms coming out of the victims must be the same as the one that infected the professor, just larger. Is that so? I quickly look around. While we were fighting the demonic professor, all the spasming students died. I observe the last remaining worm as it enters the ventilation system through the vent, and surely enough, its similar to the dead one. Are they Enlarged? I think so, Laura nods. But where are they all going? I dont know. When a male student gets infected, the worm sucks him dry and grows into an adult. Otherwise, if the infected is a professor, he resists it and starts spreading the larvae. Of course, this isnt what actually happens, but its what the dungeon owner wants us to believe. Is it because the students are humans and the professors demons? The demons, who dont have sins are mind-controlled instead and used to collect more sins from the humans? Then, when the worms grow, they return to wherever they come from with the gains We share our thoughts to decide what to do next. I knew there was something in the basement. Isnt it too much of a coincidence that the professor ran amok right when we were going inside? It could be. I shrug my shoulders. But more importantly, isnt anyone going to come? Such a crazy event, but no teachers or staff are coming? Now that you say it Other than us two, the only sign of life is the student sobbing over her boyfriends corpse. I understand that the students ran away from the danger, but shouldnt someone come check whats going on? That is, unless something else is keeping them busy ...No way. I shake my head, running to the classrooms door. Laura follows me, and we both emerge into the corridor. The door leading to the basement is located at the end of the corridor. This means that this classroom, the closest to the door, is near a dead end. Nobody would come here by chance. We hear screams coming from the end of the corridor. We didnt pay attention to them until now because weve been hearing shouts since we came into the school. But now that were outside the classroom, I can feel the difference between those painful cries and the despair-filled ones we''re hearing now. If before they were It hurts! shouts, now theyve turned into Im truly going to die! ones. Save me! Somebody save me! T-theyre everywhere! Theres no escape! A group of male students rush past the corner, only to come back the way they came right after. They desperately look around, searching for an exit, but when they see this is a dead end, they lose all hope. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. N-no! Were done! One of the students falls to his knees. Theyll catch and eat us! Well all end like Jack and Peter! Another one of the students stands on the windowsill and opens the window. They wont catch me alive. Id rather jump from here, aaaaaaaaaah! He jumps. I-I Im coming with youuuuuuuuu! Another student jumps after him. The remaining students show surprise faces. They ultimately decide to scatter and hope for the best, rushing past us and hiding inside the ruined classroom. Why are they so stupid? This is the first floor. They just need to jump like the other two and escape this infernal school Wait, why didnt I hear the students hit the ground? And why were their shouts so long? For the first time since we came inside the school, I approach the window and look below. Until now, I just paid attention to the sky. What I see is a bottomless cliff. I didnt expect this. It does make sense that theres no escape, literally, from a school created to punish sinners. If they could run away, Im sure they would have tried it long ago. Still, isnt this too much? But to choose such a death over the worms Yep, I understand them. I too would have jumped. Laura and I exchange a look and nod. Well observe whats going on before taking any action. With the assurance of having the basement door right behind us, in case we must go there to solve the case, theres no need to take unnecessary risks. Two demons come from the main passage. One from the left, one from the right. They must be the professors the students were running from. They groan, their moves a bit clunky. They remind me of the professor we just defeated. I dont want to repeat this I complain. I had enough running around while being chased by a weird demon thats trying to put something inside me. And now there are two of them! Do you think theyll follow us if we go to the basement? Is Laura suggesting we run away? Im all in for it. I hope they wont... Suddenly, we hear an explosion and the passage where the two demon professors are is engulfed in flames. You dont deserve to work in this honorable institution! The Imps voice makes the whole school tremble. He sounds powerful. And angry. You allow yourselves to be dominated and hurt the students youre supposed to instruct? Failures! All of you are failures! No, in any way you look at it, I dont think the professors wanted to be infected and controlled until their deaths Permanent deaths, at that. Die and repent in hell! Another explosion threatens to collapse the whole school, and even more flames fill the schools corridors. arent they in hell already? I want to retort. Luckily for us, were in a side passage. The fire goes straight from left to right and were unscathed. I cant say the same for the two demonic professors that were getting ready to attack us, though. Im sure this wasnt the Imps attack. Its impossible an Imp could kill two stronger monsters in a single attack. I dont know where the fire came from, nor do I care. All I care is that we didnt have to fight them. Whew! One less problem to worry about, I swipe my non-existent sweat. Well, two problems. Im glad I didnt kill him earlier. I never expected that annoying Imp could be this useful. Laura sends me a deadly glare before sighing. Youre still going on about that? You should never kill NPCs in quest dungeons! Yeah, yeah I wont. Until I do. Anyway, it looks like Mr. Director has the school and students covered. Shall we check the basement? Yes. There must be something important there. We turn around and the dark gaping mouth to the subterranean level greets us. Im not scared. Nothing will happen to my nether regions. I know it was all a trick and Im completely safe. I keep repeating those words to convince myself of the truth. Do I go first like before? Or do you want to do the honors? Laura makes an angelic (demonic) smile when she asks. Im sure she noticed my shaking legs. You go first. I succinctly reply. I wont give her the pleasure to play with my feelings. We start going down the stairs. With every step we take, the boards creak and the light grows dim. The shouts and screams from above become muffled, until silence prevails. We continue going further into the earth when Laura asks if I have any light. I dont so we have to continue without. When we reach the bottom of the stairs, we see a large door in front of us. We pull it open and enter a large room. A few lamps illuminate the darkness in a pink tone. Their light is tenue. Outside their immediate vicinity, the light they give is about the same as the moon during the night. Tendrils of mist move around as if they were alive, giving me the illusion that the shadows are moving. There are statues on both sides, creating a central passage. And behind them, large sarcophagi. This is creepy Hey, Lily. Are you sure were still in a demon dungeon? She nods beside me. Youre right. Except for the pink lights, it does look like an undead dungeon. So Im not turning crazy yet. Its nice to know. I observe the statues as we walk forward. Theyre too old and have degraded over time. Its hard to imagine what they looked like in their original forms, with missing arms and heads, and all the details faded into blurry masses. But even then, an expert mind like mine can identify what they signify. Most of the statues showcase at least two persons. And their positions are too too explicit to be confused. Only an adult would recognize what the statues are doing, but at the same time, an adult cant mistake them for anything else. I peek at Lauras expression. Shes observing the statues with eyes wide open while covering her mouth with one hand. When she notices my gaze, she asks in a seductive tone. Do you want to try some of these? Later, with me. You and I, alone You know what I mean, right? Fufufu! Instead of replying, I turn my head away and ignore her. You didnt refute it Fufufu! Unexpectedly, as we walk further in, the atmosphere changes. Crates and burn-out candles appear on the ground, as well as thick, ancient books. A few red magic circles drawn on the ground, with what I presume to be blood, quickly catch our attention. We hasten our steps, knowing were near our objective. Further ahead, we find a colossal magic circle of at least ten meters in diameter. Right in the middle of it, theres a massive sarcophagus. Gold engravings adorn its top and sides. On the golden letters in front of the sarcophagus we can read: Queen Isabella shall rule for all eternity. Um Are you sure were still inside the demon dungeon? Dont ask the same question twice! Laura smacks my head. Ugh, how violent.
One of the most ridiculous things Ive seen in DMA Ah, what about that one time? I can assure you, nobody could have expected that Do you know theres a worm from the Wicked Legion that can parasitize other units? When it parasitizes them, the worm disappears inside the unit until it dies. Something ridiculous happened not long after the game added the Flesh Monstrosities faction. Imagine our surprise when my team, trying for the first time a Flesh Monstrosity dungeon, found a goblin standing alone in a giant room, as if it were a boss. We killed the weak-ass goblin in a single strike and then, suddenly, an actual dragon boss emerged from inside! It turns out, the crazy dungeon owner decided to merge one of those worms with a dragon! After defeating the dragon, we laughed so much at the ridiculous experience What happened next, you ask? The DMA staff quickly patched the worms skill so it only works on larger and stronger units, to avoid cases like this one. You cant find anything like that anymore. But even now, every time our team meets, we recall that one crazy experience. - Excerpt of an interview with a random DMA player.
Ch 262 - The queen awakens For some reason I cant explain, the sarcophagus draws me in. Unconsciously, I walk closer to it. Queen Isabella Do you know her? I joke. My joke isnt well received, though, and Laura glares at me. Okay, okay Ill stop fooling around. Ah! There are corpses here! Since the moment I saw the sarcophagus, my eyes have been glued to it. It isnt until Ive gotten closer that Ive noticed there are corpses strewn on top of the magic circle. You didnt notice until now? ... I have nothing to say against her sarcastic remark, so I say nothing. Its better to stay silent and look stupid, than open your mouth and confirm you are. Or at least, thats what they say. I kneel near one of the bodies to inspect it. Dried up like a mummy. Its the same as the mysterious victims, those from before all hell broke loose on the school above. Whats weird is that theyre all demons. A few wear expensive suits and protective equipment, while others look like laborers. There are women here. Notes Laura. Women, you say? Why? Isnt it weird? It makes no sense. Werent all victims male? Even after the infected demons started attacking indiscriminately, they only attacked males. Laura, standing in front of a dead demon wearing attire for seduction only used by females, shrugs her shoulders, I dont know. Does it look like a man wearing women''s clothes? The cadaver is too dried up to identify its gender, at least for me. I dont know that much about bone structures or that kind of stuff. But for some reason, the thought of such a thing gives me the creeps. I hope its just a dead woman. If I take into account the dead bodies, the fancy equipment, crates and books, the sarcophagus with the golden engravings and inscription, and the mummified bodies lying around us, I can come up with a plausible explanation. So Wealthy demons were using the school as cover for shady experiments involving this Isabellas sarcophagus, messing with unknown dangers. Something goes wrong and they all die Is it just me, or does this story sound familiar? A clich within clichs. ...Then, strange accidents start plaguing the school, permanently killing the students. Like a plague, it spreads to the professors and other demons, leaving swathes of dried-up male corpses everywhere Laura nods, Yeah, that sounds about right. But then, whats up with the worms? What do they have to do with all this mess? I cant understand. Why do the worms infect and absorb the victims? And why do they disappear into the ventilation system as soon as they finish their job? Maybe Laura can guess it. To say the truth, theres a nagging voice inside my head thats calling me stupid for not coming up with an answer myself. But Im too lazy to think for myself. Furthermore, Ive spent too much energy trying to stay sane and quiet, before knowing the worms werent going to infect me like the students. Laura thinks for a while before opening her mouth. Hmm I have my hypothesis, she says, and if Im right, well find out soon. Lets hide. She pulls me behind the closest statue. As with all other statues, the details have been lost, but its still possible to deduce what it looked like in its prime. A man and a woman doing naughty things. But this one in particular, the mans body shape doesnt match what you would expect from a normal human. Maybe a doll, but certainly not a human. Can anyone enjoy these kinds of things? I dont understand. If it were me, itd hurt like Im going to die. We crouch behind the perturbing statue, sticking close together. Arent you going to tell me? I want to know too! Laura makes a seductive smile. Shht! Stay silent for a moment. The worms might not appear if they know were here. ...okaaaay. When shes like this, theres no use arguing against it: shell do whatever she pleases. If I insist, the most Ill get is her provoking me. I dont want to end up like this statue I shiver. For a while, we wait in silence. The only sounds we hear are the sporadic explosions coming from above. At this rate, I wonder if there will be a school left when we come back up or if itll be a ruin. Nonetheless, I dont care. Mad Rat! After a while of waiting, Laura whispers, pointing somewhere in the distance. I was right, look! A single white and large worm wriggles on the ground. It inches closer to the golden sarcophagus without haste. Then, it slips into a crack and disappears from our view. We wait, question marks above our heads. Weve been waiting for this? Is that all? No fancy effects or dangerous monsters? Shouldnt the worm be absorbed by the magic circle to power up a demonic ritual or something similar? What about the build-up!? Did the dungeon owner think wed like to be deceived like this!? I want my money back! *Crunch, mulch!* Wet crunching sounds come from inside. Something is devouring the worm. Alright, sorry, sorry. I jumped to conclusions way too soon. After the eating noises end, from the same crack the worm came into, a tiny wisp of pink smoke pushes out of the sarcophagus. It disperses into the rest of the room, mixing with the already existing pink mist. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I suddenly have a very bad feeling about this Knowing this is a bad sign, having experienced similar things in the past as well as designed similar traps and gimmicks for my dungeon, I immediately open my status screen and battle log. Aah, shit I wished I was wrong. Why am I only always right when it comes to bad things? Why do all my bad hunches have to turn into reality? Why cant my wild delusions become reality too!? Similar to when my dungeons invaders fall for the Death Butterfly, not only my HP but also my EP and MP are slowly getting drained by an environmental effect. Lily, check your log. Im being constantly drained. Me too She too? It seems like the rules have changed. Unlike in the school, both males and females are in danger here. We cant stay here doing nothing, so anyway I look at it, we have only two options left. Either we run away, or Lets open that thing and check whats inside, I say, pointing at the sarcophagus. Was going to say the same. We approach it. The lid looks very heavy, but who knows? This is a game, appearances can be misleading. When we pull it, it moves surprisingly easy, sliding to the right side and falling to the ground with a loud thud. Uuh, disgusting Laura frowns at whats inside. She doesnt like worms. I keep it to myself, but my thoughts arent as simple as hers. Mere disgust cant express what I feel right now. If the worms emerging from the dead students gave me shivers, then, a worm as large as a person I better stop my train of thought or Ill regret it. I take a step back, repulsed by the human-sized worm thats inside the sarcophagus. It looks the same as the other worms, just bigger. The worm starts thrashing around, possibly because it has detected us. Luckily for us, it doesnt look that strong. It must be another variation of Enlarge, Im sure the worms stats are similar to the other worms: very low. But the worm isnt the single occupant inside the sarcophagus, theres also the corpse of a woman. Dressed with beautiful and intricate robes, theres the corpse of a female demon too, which I can safely assume to be Isabella. The queen Isabella, as it says on the inscription. Although I say corpse, Isabella doesnt exactly look like one. First, although her skin looks dried up and she lacks any fat, her skin sticking to her bones, making her look like a skeleton, she looks way better than the worms victims or the dead demons littering the area surrounding the magic circle. She just looks extremely skinny, not mummy-level skinny. And second, and probably more revealing than any other reasons, is that she has her eyes wide open. Her glowing pink irises lock onto mine as she slowly rises her upper body. W-what the f- fuck? I shout the end of the phrase in my phantasmal body, incapable of articulating a single word with my Champion. This is Charm! Ive been charmed! Shes a succubus! The succubus queen! Wait. If shes the succubus queen, why was she inside the sarcophagus? And why does she look like an undead? Did the dungeon owner manage to use units from two factions and merge them? This gives me much to think No, no! I cant start daydreaming, Im in danger! The queen extends her hand towards me. It looks like a gentle gesture, like a lover reaching for a caress, but I know. I know that nothing good will come from this contact. Aaaaagh! Somebody save meeeeee! I dont want to turn into a dried-up mummy just yeeeet!
Charming Eyes! When Andreu gets charmed, I react by activating my own Charming Eyes. My eyes glow pink for a moment, but it does not affect the mummy-like succubus and the skill is automatically deactivated. Tsk, Isabella has the skill upgrade that blocks others skills I get angry at the succubus reaching for Andreu as if she were his lover. No succubus but me can touch him! To save him, I pull us both back, throwing us to the ground. The charm on Andreu wont last long, Champions cant be charmed for more than a few seconds. Ill protect him until then. Ive got you, dont worry, I assure him. I have no idea what hes saying or thinking right now because when youre charmed, you cant move or say anything. But Im sure, he must be screaming something silly right now. He can be such a silly but funny child sometimes Ill watch the replay to know what he said later. With Andreus Champion in my arms, I assess our surroundings. The succubus looks angry, having missed her prey. She gets out of her unnecessarily adorned coffin with an unsteady gait and points at me. Give him to, me No way. Hes mine. Go get another one for yourself, there are plenty on the floor above us. Thats the minimum succubus etiquette: dont steal anothers man. ...give, him I need, more In your dreams, mummy. Fufufu! Im getting angry now. She wont steal him from me! Until he fails for my charms, I wont let anyone get him! I stand up, ready to run away if necessary. But then, Isabella does something completely unexpected. She turns around, and kills the giant worm that was inside the coffin with her. Killing your allies isnt a smart thing to do A dark wave of energy flows from the dead worm onto Isabellas dried hand, climbing her arm and extending over her body. The dark energy is then absorbed into her body and disappears. Ah! Shes draining it! Us demons have access to an exclusive skill that can raise our stats by sacrificing an ally unit, according to the cp cost of the consumed unit, for a limited amount of time. The stats gained increase with the cp cost to balance the skill, both in PvP and PvE. Its a very demon-like way to get power. Those worms arent strong, but theyre expensive, perfect for this skill. Ive thought a few times of taking this skill and consuming Andreu with it, just to give it a try. Id love to see the face he makes when he realizes what happened But Id rather do that in real life, if you know what I mean. Fufufu! Talking about sacrifices The other worms! Isabella must be a boss, if she gets any more boosts we might not be able to kill her! I watch as more worms enter my field of view. They come from the darkness, and are hard to see due to the distracting pink smoke. The one we saw a while ago mustve been the one that came out of the last normal victim. But after that, a lot more worms were spawned when the demons started infecting the students massively, and Im sure theyre all headed this way. Instead of aiming for me, the succubus Isabella drags her feet closer to the incoming worms. A few worms turn into a large group, and they keep growing until theres a true horde of them. Its a whole school worth of victims Way too many to deal with! Wake up already, Mad Rat! I need you to defeat those things before she gets more powerful! I say, slapping his face. It doesnt matter if it speeds up the recovery or not, I do it for roleplay purposes. If you dont, Ill have to punish you when this dungeon ends Fufufu!
There are a few skills that could create very awkward situations when faced against the same skill. This is why, in most of those cases, theres an available skill upgrade that prevents that from happening. Charming Eyes, one of the most powerful crowd control skills, is an example of that. You can upgrade it so that other charming effects do not affect the user, preventing charm locks between two units charming each other back. - A tip from a random DMA player.