Chapter 123: The Dungeon Adventure (2)

Reminder:

Mu is the first "chimera" appeared, though he appeared completely human. (Chapter 97: The guy named Mu)

Qwan, a chimera, appeared along with his brothers and sisters during the Siege of Alsen. His true artwork is on Chapter 109: The dungeon.

Galahan is also just another chimera, appeared during the attack on Alsen.

「「Your Majesty!」」As Kibadios' group got transported inside the dungeon, they were greeted by both Wylan and Ectharen, who dutifully knelt in front of their King.

「Good to see you both here.」Kibadios nodded.「I'm guessing this means you've made up your minds, just like the three others?」

The two looked at one another for a moment before Wylan finally responded.「I'm sorry we showed such shameful reactions last night, Kibadios sama. But we all have had time to process what you told us, and we've agreed to fight this battle by your side, even if it means the whole world and even the heavens are against us.」

「Don't be too hard on yourself. Anyone who listened to my story all had the same dread and fearful look on their faces.」Kibadios pointed to the former hero.「You wouldn't believe the look on Ryan's face when he finally learned the truth about this world and how it completely shattered his whole worldview as a hero.」

「Master, please don't remind me.」The blond teenager rubbed his head shyly.「In the end, I chose to be by your side, didn't I?」

「Exactly.」Kibadios nodded.「It doesn't matter if you hesitated or paralyzed by fear and doubt, because despite all that, if you still decide to stand up and fight, that's all that matters. Even if we are to be crushed by the Astrals, we will still give them a war that they can never forget. A war that will scar them for all their lives. A war that made the one that happened 10k years ago seemed like a tiny conflict not worth mentioning.」

「... Zaeryn…」Standing from behind, Ayer could easily notice the hybrid's murderous intent which caused even him to break a cold sweat. You're truly our anathema… 

「「We understand, Your Majesty!!!」」

「Now, before we can deal with those damn Astrals, we gotta deal with the Yin Empire first.」Kibadios looked around.「And this unexplored dungeon, a gift from Faye and my loli teacher, can be the key to our victory. Gyo and others said you two have gone ahead, how much have you explored the place?」

「We were able to clear the third floor of this dungeon within these two hour.」Ectharen answered. 「So far, the monsters we encountered can be classified as F-rank to C-rank, as according to the ranking system used by the adventure guild. 」

「I see… and you did not go further than the 3rd floor?」

「No. We thought that we should come back here and wait for your arrival.」Wylan shook his head. 

「I see.」

「But how can you move down to the next level?」Maia asked the obvious question since in front of her was simply a vast, endless land.

「Ah, you see, Maia dono, you wouldn't be able to tell from the look of it but the dungeon floors are not infinite. There are spellcast… or rather, more precisely, runecrafts erected at the end of each floor to make it look as if there's no end. The both of us have spent some time on the first floor and we noticed that it's about the size of 10 Alsens at most. When you reach the limit of the floor, there's a barrier that blocks your path. It seems like the floors all have circular shapes, or at least, the first 3 floors that we have explored. At the Westernmost, Easternmost, Sourthermost, and Northmost of the floor, there are warp portals that lead you to the next floor.」explained Ectharen.

「But, Your Majesty, since we have not charted this dungeon, maybe it's better for you to come back at a later time, after we have spent some time surveying it in more detail first?」proposed Wylan.

「Why? For my safety?」Kibadios laughed.

「Don't you two worry! When I'm here, no other monsters can touch Kibadios sama!」Ryuu pumped his chest. 

「But…」

「Just like Ryuu said, nothing will be able to harm all of us here.」Kibadios reassured the two Clan Heads.「I appreciate your concerns, but you can rest assured. Just leave the exploring and charting this dungeon to me!」Noticing the two's hesitation, Kibadios added.「It's your King's command. Go back and deal with all the other problems Alsen is facing. Since you're the Heads of the Houses, I'm sure there are tons other work for you to worry about.」

「「Yes, Your Majesty!」」Both relented, bowed to their King.

「Now, shall we start, Master?」Ryan stretched his arms.「I'm kinda excited now. This is the first time I've ever such a large and deep dungeon as this one.」

「Yeah. Let's see how far we can get before having to head back.」Ren uncharacteristically grinned. The elven prince was also excited since he learned this was constructed by the first monarch of the Yue Kingdom. 

「Alright, let's go!」Kibadios leapt forward.

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It did not take long for Kibadios' group to reach the 10th floor since every member of his group was giving it their all, utilizing their unique abilities to slaughter through the monsters they encountered, from the one-horn hare, elemental slimes to hell wolves and dark skeletons. Although Kibadios was definitely the leader of the expedition, he did not bother to raise even a finger, since his harem, Reuk and Hayden spread out around and protected him as he simply walked forward without a care in the world. Even Maia, who was not a specialist in fighting, could easily deal with any monsters charging at her by unleashing upon them her unique vials of poisons, some paralyzing them by blocking their nervous system while others straight up melted their flesh away. If his harem members had been an adventure guild's official party, even without counting Ryuu, they would have easily been considered a low to mid tier S-rank team. As they moved through the first 10 floors, Uri and Ryuu kept insisting on how boring it was for them to deal with such small fries, and for the first time, Ryuu realized that, maybe, just maybe, Uri wasn't so bad, given how the Vice Captain did share the same thought as him. As he surveyed the vast upper floors of the dungeon, the hybrid donned a satisfied smile that puzzled many of his followers.

「What are you so happy about, Kibadios sama?」Hayden asked.

「I just really like what I'm seeing: a vast land, abundance of monsters, and more importantly…」Kibadios knelt down and touched the grass.「It's arable since it has access to water from those streams and artificial mini sun…」

「I have to say: If this dungeon was really created by her, the First's runecraft is just on another different level. Both Yue and I are considered geniuses within our generation, but we can never come close to this.」Ren admitted.

「Didn't Master say the First also had Seri sama's help in creating this place?」Yue reminded her brother. 

「At least that's what she claimed.」Kibadios nodded.「But I'm not too surprised. Runecrafts and Magic are two of the most versatile powers in this world. For them, two of the most powerful Runecrafter and Spell Caster to build this mini-ecosystem from scratch is nothing out of the ordinary.」

「But, why do you care if it's arable, Master?」Ryan asked.

「Because, it can certainly help turn Alsen into an impregnable fortress indefinitely.」Kibadios answered. 「Just think about it: If Alsen got invested on all sides and the siege lasts for years, unless we can break the siege, sooner or later, we will be forced into submission when our food and water run out. But with this dungeon, we can hunt monsters for meat, fetch water from the streams and rivers, and even cultivate this land for grains or rice. If we can prevent the walls being breached, we can technically holdout until the opportune moment to strike out at our enemies like Morgoth did to the Elves during the Dagor Bragollach.」

As they continued on and stepped foot on the 11th floor, though, the familiar grassland terrain disappeared and in its place, they found themselves in a thick forest, not unlike the one that Kibadios and Gyo had found themselves in during their trial, which suggested the first stage of his trial was somewhere among the 10s floor. Here, the monsters have become a bit tougher, though they still could not match his group's power. Kibadios found it strange though since these monsters were not the one he encountered previously, though he reckoned the trials must have spawned many high level monsters specifically for the trial itself. The toughest opponents thus far would be the ten slithering basilisks they found on the 20th floor, guarding the entrance to the 21st floor, though they, too, were cut down in a blink of an eye. On the 20s floor, the environment again changed to those of a humid and wet swamp while the monsters clearly became stronger and more numerous. After fighting a dozen of crocodile shaped monsters, Kibadios noticed half of his group: Ryan, Maia, Reuk, Haden, and Yuusei, were already breathing hard. Of course, they could still keep moving, but having to fight countless monsters had taken a toll on their stamina. 

「Let's head back!」Kibadios ordered.

「Already Master?」Ryuu, who was half soaked in monster blood, clearly had enough fun that he wanted to continue exploring.

「Well, it's been a while. We should get back to the outside world and examine if our hypothesis regarding Rowan's ability works or not.」The hybrid patted Ryan's head, as if rewarding him for doing a good job fighting the monsters.「This Dungeon will always be here and we can always come back. Seeing the first 30 floors, I can already tell that this place can provide Alsen with a lot more than just a training ground… Maia! Watch out!」

The hybrid screamed out to the panting alchemist after detecting a threat by her location. Though before he could do anything, a large sword already flew past the startled girl, crashed and impaled into a large, mossy tree trunk a few paces away from her. At first, Maia couldn't process what had just happened, but before long, a giant chameleon monster slowly being revealed as its purple blood dripped down onto the muddy ground, for the sword had easily pierced its body and pinned it onto the giant tree. 

「Being able to detect the Chameleos's absolute concealment, your sensory skill is really something, Kibadios.」From the shadowy swamp, the four-arms beastman hybrid revealed himself to the group.

「Ho, isn't that my dear sworn bro?」Kibadios smirked.「I heard you've come to Alsen and are around, but I didn't think I would meet you here.」

「Yo Big Boss!!」Uri waved then turned to Kibadios.「Big Boss wanted to meet you so I told him you'll be here. Shouldn't I have?」

「Nah, I have no problem with him being here.」Kibadios shook his head.「How do you like our Dungeon?」

「So far, so boring.」Ashura yawned as he pulled his sword out from the tree.「I heard this dungeon would have 100 floors so although I'm not impressed by the monsters found here, I'm looking forward to those I found in the deeper levels.」

「Ashura… of the Yonko.」Ayer muttered.「Tsk… How useless is Adeus. 」

「Ho?」Ayer's standout Nen quickly drew the Yonko's attention. With his grinning face leaning close to the disgusted Ayer, Ashura asked.「And who's this new cutie pie? And what's with the collar? Looks nice on him.」

「P-tui」Seeing how Ashura, a Yonko who was clearly beneath him, dared to get too close to his face, the fallen Ennead angrily spat at him. What he did not expect, though, was that the Yonko could easily catch his saliva midair with his hand. The Hyakki Yagyo's boss amusingly examined his hand, looked at Ayer again, grinned, then licked away the saliva trapped on his palm. 

「Eekkk!!」Ayer instinctively stepped away from the Yonko and instinctively hid behind Kibadios, the fair skin of his homunculus body tingled with goosebumps.

「Haha, as I thought, despite you possess a feminine look like my Ranmaru in his past life, his still tasted much better.」

「... Hentai…」Kibadios noted. 

「Yeah, and that's coming from Kibadios. That said a lot.」Reuk nodded. 

「Well, with such a beautiful face, I don't mind to taste more than just his saliva!」Ashura laughed.「Men or women, it doesn't matter, as long as they look cute enough!」

「Hmm, now that I think about it, when it comes to satisfying their "sons", both Kiba chan and the Big Boss' attitudes are rather similar.」Uri smiled while putting his arms behind his head. 

「Too bad for you, bro, but he's mine.」Kibadios pulled Ayer closer to him by his collar.「His body, his soul, his power, or even his unruly demeanor, all of him belong to me.」

「Don't worry, Kibadios. I have no interest in other people's men or women. After all, I'm not the reincarnation of that famous Cao Cao.」Ashura laughed. 「You guys are heading back? I was hoping to join you exploring this place.」

「Hmm, I'll keep your company. You guys can turn around and get back to the surface. I'll stay down here for another half day, though I'll make sure to return before dinner.」The hybrid proposed to his group.「Though, if Rowan's ability works, I may return earlier than that.」

「What? How can we leave you alone with this man here?」Ryuu protested.

「Don't worry, I'll keep Ayer with me.」Kibadios pointed at the otokonoko.「Just go back, Ryuu chan. Have some trust in me and my power.」

「... Fine, Master…」Since the hybrid was using his stern voice, even the stubborn dragonkin knew he needed to relent.「Please be careful.」

「Of course.」Kibadios leaned in to kiss Ryuu in the cheek, causing him to grin ear to ear.

「Bye bye! I'll keep your Master safe!!」Ashura waved as the group reluctantly returned. Once they've walked far enough, the Yonko turned to Kibadios.「 "Keep Ayer with me"... are you really confident that he alone is enough to stop me, in the event that I were to fight you again like when we met the first time?」

「... Most likely he can help me subduing you. Don't underestimate him just because of his look.」Kibadios smiled.

「...I can tell he's strong…」Ashura studied Ayer from head to toes, much to the fallen Ennead's annoyance.「But nah, I'd win.」

「... Haa」

「Huh? Why do you laugh? Don't believe me?」Ashura tilted his head.

「It's not that. You just reminded me of a character from a story that pretty much got bisected in the end after saying exactly that.」

「Scarryyy.」Ashura whistled.

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「HAHAHAHAAAA!!! The future sure is fun!!!」Ashura's laugh echoed the cave as the three people mercilessly slaughtered through the groups of orcs and goblins that had made this floor their home.「You're saying that Matsudaira outlived and outwitted Hideyoshi to finally claim the title of Shogun, then the imperial family took back power from the shogunate 200 years later? Despite all the upheavals, I guess it's good Japan did not revert back to the Sengoku Jidai again, since that period was hell on earth.」

「Well, you know how the Three Kingdoms period was romanticized by later dynasties in China? You and your contemporaries were also of huge interest in modern Japan. There's a lot of novels, manga, and anime written about you guys.」Kibadios, a former weeb, continued to explain to Ashura how he influenced Japan 400 years after his death. 

「Hohoho!!! I hope they accurately depict me and my majestic presence in their works!」The Yonko grinned.

「Well… Your depictions are all over the place.」

「What do you mean?」

「In Fate series, you're a woman.」

「What?」

「In Nobunaga Concerto, you're a timid lord who let a time traveler took your identities.」

「No way! Why would I?」

「I'm pretty sure there's a yaoi where your Ranmaru is a time traveler who went back in time and met you.」

「What? How could that be! Ranmaru is Yoshinari's son. How can he ever be a time traveler?」

「There's also Oda Cinnamon Nobunaga, where you and your contemporaries all reincarnated as pet dogs and animals in the modern world.」Kibadios chuckled.「That was cute.」

「Haaa, your world sure has rather imaginative minds.」

「You meant our world.」Corrected Kibadios as he nonverbally casted an 5th tier spell that materialized a gushing jet of water that washed away most of the screaming orcs in front of them .「But yeah, due to being exposed to all those stories, believe it or not, I'm a fan of yours… actually, more of your "Oda Nobunaga" identity. Though I didn't expect your real personality to be like that of a Chuunibyo. Good thing you're reincarnated into this world, where overpower and fantasy elements exist.」

「Chuunibyo?」

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「... So I've been meaning to ask: Who's he? How can you make an Astral your slave?」Standing on the scorching hot sands in the middle of an endless desert on the 61st floor, Ashura examined the busy otokonoko, who's been dealing with group giant desert sandworms at the command of Kibadios. The trio has traversed through the 30s-50s floor without breaking a sweat, with Kibadios and Ashura spending much of their attention chatting with one another. However, as they entered the 60s floor, they could easily notice the sudden increase in the power level of the monsters found here. What made it worse was the intense heat that would accompany any desert terrains. The moment he stepped foot on the sand dunes, Kibadios quickly noticed the menaces lurking below their feets, which he tasked Ayer to help get rid of.

「How did you know he's an Astral?」Kibadios asked.

「Because I've been chased by one. I know an Astral when I see one now. So tell me, my dearest sworn brother, who are you? You're not just another World Traveller, are you?」

「I'm the Astrals' worst nightmare. That's all you need to know for now.」Kibadios greeted Ashura's overwhelming display of his Nen with a calm smile.「That means associating with me would attract a lot of attention from the Astrals. If you want, you can make me your enemy. That way, you can probably stay on the Astral's good side.」

「...」Ashura remained silent for a moment. 「hahahaHAHAAHAHAHAAA!!! I know getting to know you better was the correct decision, Kibadios!」

「Huh?」

「I've been so bored these past few years since nothing exciting has happened to me. At points, I was close to even disbanding the Hyakki Yagyo to find something more interesting to do. But now, you're telling me that the Astrals would be coming after me because of my association with you? Man, I can't wait to see how this thrilling story ends!!!」Ashura patted Kibadios on the back.

「It would end with all of you lying dead!」Ayer finally dropped down onto the sand after floating around, shredding the giant worms into pieces. 

「Is that so, my bro's cute little Astral slave?」Ashura licked his lips.「We'll see about that.」

「Don't underestimate them, Ashura.」reminded Kibadios.「The person who's coming after you is Adeus, one of the Ennead Candidates. Unlike most other Astrals, he always comes to Esthar with his real body, therefore, his power is not limited by the vessel he possesses, like that temperamental Ayer over there.」

「Ho? You're saying that your little Astral slave isn't even in his most powerful form? Astrals may be stronger than us on average, but for that little girly slave to possess such a power… Don't tell me he's an Ennead… the elites and leaders of all the Astrals?」

「Who knows.」Whistled Kibadios. 

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「Woohoo, things really got much better in the 60s floor, didn't it?」Ashura smiled satisfyingly as he made his way out of the dungeon, together with Kibadios and Ayer. Although the hybrid only made it to the 63rd floor, he decided to turn back since he noticed it had already been a while. Besides, as he went deeper into the dungeon, he noticed that the size of the floors have become bigger on top of encountering stronger monsters, so it took exponentially longer to clear one floor. 

「That's true. From the 1st to the 60th floor, the level of the monsters were not that high so that your average adventurers can totally clear them, but from the 61st floor on, it took some real talent for one to clear a floor.」Kibadios nodded.「Aren't you impressed at how the dungeon was made, Ayer?」

「... 」Ayer frowned.「This is nothing. We Astrals can create a much more splendid dungeon.」

「Is that so.」smirked Kibadios.

「Master!!! Welcome back!!」Ryan waved as he noticed the hybrid had just emerged from the entrance.「Was everything fine?」

「Of course. We got down to the 63rd floor, but given how long we have stayed in there, I decided to head back out.」The hybrid look up at the still clearly sunny sky.「Though… Maybe we should have stayed longer. I expected to find a twilight sky, but it still looks rather early.」

「Huh? I swore we stayed there for like 8 hours. How come the sun is still high up? Has this gotten to do with the barrier I saw you erected around the dungeon, green haired boy?」

「Name's Rowan!」The exhausted healer stood up after sitting down onto the ground and rested for like an hour. He quickly turned to his Master with puppy eyes.「Sorry Kibadios sama… I could only maintain the barrier for half an hour max. I've been trying to cast several barrier intermittently, but since I've exhausted my power, I could barely maintain it for just a few minutes.」

「No, don't worry about it.」Kibadios patted Rowan's head.「You've done well. We've confirmed that your skill works as intended, too. Good job!」The hybrid rubbed his cheek with his soft hand, which Rowan further leaned his face into, enjoying the praise his Master had just given him. 

「A barrier that messes with time… such interesting power!」exclaimed Ashura. 

「Kibadios sama.」Haden stepped up.「I was informed by Kailos dono that the meeting with the Chimera messengers will start at 4. You were asked to attend if you were to return from the dungeon before then.」

「What time is it now?」

「It's 3.」

「Okay, let's head back.」Kibadios turned to Ashura.「See ya! You can explore the dungeon or do whatever, but try not to get yourself killed by Adeus. I'll start my "mission" soon, but before that, I'll be around.」

「Sure. I'll come to see you before you leave for the "mission."」Ashura nodded, then looked at the dungeon.「Now, maybe I should spend more time in there after getting something to eat around here… Man, can't wait to advance deeper.」

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「Now, as we have said previously, we and Kibadios dono agree to let Yue dono to come with you to meet Wei Shimin.」Wylan, who presumed the role of Alsen King, firmly stated while glaring at the hybrid named Mu standing in front of him.「That being said, we will have a few retainers coming along to serve and protect the princess.」

「Kibadios' among one of them?」Ignoring Wylan's eyes, Mu himself was fixating on the hybrid, who sat at the side reserved for the House of the Horns.

「Nope.」The hybrid shook his head.「... But Uri chan would be by Yue chan's side and protect her in my stead.」

「... A Hyakki Yagyo member?」Qwan, the furry chimera, who stood by Mu's left side, noted. 

「You're telling me a member of the Hyakki Yagyo would accompany her and get to be in close contact with Wei Shimin?」Galahan, the floating chimera girl, asked.

「Yes.」Kibadios firmly confirmed.「Unless Wei Shimin's afraid of some mere hybrid's presence.」

「...」The sudden addition of Uri to Yue's entourage did not seem to faze the leader of the Chimera's corp.「I don't think Wei Shimin will mind. Then we have an accord? Princess Yue would come with us to meet Wei Shimin and we will pause our attack on Alsen for the duration of the meeting, until Yue safely returns to you?」

「Yes. That's the deal.」affirmed Wylan.