Dungeon Dangers: The Threat Levels Up
POV: Ryomen Sukuna
I have not been attending classes for a long time, I assume our teacher Ms. Dissection is pretty pissed off.
Anyhow, even though I did not attend classes, I made sure to maintain a good relationship with the main cast.
I went to Johan, making sure to check for any grudges he held against me for almost killing him.
It went as so:
Flashback woop...
The afternoon sun cast a warm, golden glow on the academy grounds, the variety of flowers shining a bright glow.
Johan was sitting on a bench near some flower beds, all alone.
He had a can of cold coffee in his hand, unopened. He sat there looking at the flowers, as if contemplating something deeply.
What a waste of cold coffee.
I went to the bench and sat down next to him, it seems he didn't notice my presence.
I snatched the can of coffee from his hands, with made him jump and almost yelp.
Seeing that is was me, he calmed down a little.
I opened the can of coffee and took a sip, he was watching me awkwardly.
"How do you feel?" I asked, referring to his physical health.
"Confused." He said, referring to his mental health.
It's difficult to start a conversation with this guy, isn't it?
"Why? Did my punch hit you too hard?" I asked, looking at an ant trying to climb up a flowerpot.
"Oh definitely, you powdered my ribcage." He said playfully, taking a pause before continuing.
His voice became more serious.
"Sukuna, I felt something same from you," his hand went to his chest, "something similar to the power that I yield."
I took a sip from the can, confused about his words, but paying full attention.
"I haven't told anyone this, Sukuna...I have some powers of a demon. It is a sinister power, something that tries to make me lose my mind everyday, but..." He paused, as if thinking his next words carefully, before turning to me.
"But I felt something much more sinister from you...Tell me Sukuna, how do I drown those whispers down, how do I control this power like you do?" He said, his voice now a whisper I could barely hear.
Problem is. . . I don't know what to tell him.
How do I control Cursed Energy? I DON'T KNOW, it just happened one day.
"It's your will Johan," I said, his lowered head rising to meet my gaze.
"Whatever happens to you, to those around you...No matter what you lose, no matter who you lose, never lose the will to fight on.
I won't tell you how to stop those whispers, that is something you must find on your own. But know this one thing, the moment you lose your will to fight, you have already lost the battle."
I raised my voice a little to emphasize my point.
"The moment you give up, you become no more than a lukewarm cup of instant coffee at a five-star restaurant.
You will still technically be coffee, but you'll lose the heat, the aroma, the tempting taste that makes coffee...coffee.
Don't be that lukewarm disappointment, FIGHT ON AND SHOW THE WORLD HOW HOT AND TASTY YOU CAN BE."
I slammed the can of coffee on the bench as I got up.
Not looking back at him, I walked away.
I completely BS'd that, but it was motivational...right?
Flashback abruptly ends
Now, we're cool, he sees me as a rival.
I mean, he got really strong in the past few days, this wasn't in the original story of the game.
I also sent people to investigate Johan and Ryogaku's past, using my dear father's influence.
I'm just chilling now, waiting for the interesting stuff to come.
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1 Month after the classes started
"As you all have been informed beforehand, we will be doing a dungeon dive today, we have a few dungeon gates in the field, they are all E-Rank or D-Rank" said the teacher as he looked at the excited students.
"All of you have agreed to participate, but worry not, if you die we will hold a grand funeral."
"Now, decide on your teams of 5 and come to the ground together, I'll be waiting"
The teacher then walked out of the room.
'I should approach the Main Character team, they need only one more person and I remembered a little while ago, this dungeon had a reward.
I don't remember what it exactly was... but I think it was important, if it increases my basic stats, then it'll be great, if not, then increasing Cursed Energy Proficiency is just fine.'
"Hey, Sukuna, um...wanna join us?" asked Johan, slightly flustered as he was peer pressured into inviting him, as he knew him the best.
Ryogaku and Alexia nodded in agreement while Anny made a 'hmm' sound.
"Sure, but I have my plans, I believe you four are more than enough for a D-Rank dungeon, so I'll not be helping too much" Sukuna said as he stood up and walked out of the classroom towards the ground.
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On The Grounds
"You five are the first to come, and probably the most overpowered team I've seen, I bet you all would beat second-years if you tried, especially you, Black Flash" Said Mean as he sat on a chair in the shade of a tree.
"Now, choose the gate you want to go in, and I'll start your timer"
"We're going in that one", said Sukuna pointing at a D-Rank Gate second from the right side.
"A D-Rank huh, I see you all are confident, so any reason to choose that one specifically, there are other D-Ranks too, some are assumed to be stronger than the one you chose" asked Mean as he raised an eyebrow.
"The reason huh..." Sukuna trailed off as he thought of what to say, "I guess it's just a feeling."
Mean was intrigued but didn't ask anything more, he led the team to the gate and let them in with an exaggerated wave.
"I'll miss you...bring me souvenirs."
The main cast went in, followed by Sukuna who threw a glance at Mean before entering.
The mana output of the dungeon suddenly skyrocketed.
"What's happening!?" shouted Mean as he called for help.
Some people came and called the Principal.
The Principal came flying in, literally. His voice was calm, but a hint of anxiousness was heard in it, "What happened here, Mean?"
"The mana surged soon as they went in," Mean answered in hurry.
"Who?" The Principal asked as he walked towards the gate.
Mean paused before answering in a grave voice that did not go well with his personality, "All five top scorers."
The Principal's eyes widened, 'The most promising students,' he thought.
He tried to go inside himself, but was knocked backwards and was sent flying a few meters.
"A Locked Gate, huh?" He whispered to himself. "Just what we needed"
"Check the mana output." He ordered the workers who ran around to bring a mana measuring device.
A worker rushed in with the measuring device and started to record the mana output coming from the gate.
Suddenly, the worker checking the device froze.
Blaze could he his hands shaking and perspiration on his forehead.
"What's the rank?" He asked, his voice filled with worry and impatience.
The worker said in a quiet voice, "It's . . . B-Rank"
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POV: Ryomen Sukuna
Finally I can level up my Reversed Cursed Techniques, and killing monsters also gives EXP, so I can increase my Cursed Energy Proficiency as well, this is just a leveling farm waiting to be sucked dry.
"We should be careful" said Ryogaku in a grave tone, "I don't get a good feeling from this place"
"The mana concentration is really high, higher than any D-Rank gates I entered for training before," said Anny as she took out a dagger, ready for unforeseen events.
This time even Johan, who always rushed in, was serious and alert.
Johan was rubbing his chest with his left hand, where I assume his "demon power" is. His other hand was clenched into a fist,
It's funny how scared they are, but it's nothing for me, I can one-shot D-Ranks and kill the C-Rank boss in a few hits, maybe even one shot it.
[Notification: You have entered a High-level dungeon, click for more information]
A System message, huh?
I turned around, not wanting the other four to randomly see me fiddle with the air using my finger.
Clicking the notification, there was not much information there, just one line.
[The dungeon supposed to be D-Rank has increased in rank to a B-Rank due to unknown circumstances, please be careful]
I see, well it's nothing that I didn't kno–WAIT A MINUTE WHAT RANK!?
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Differences:
1. VERY Improved Writing
2. Added a whole flashback scene for Johan and Sukunu
3. Removed the Quest thing
Yeah... not many changes here too
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now...GIMME POWER STONES :3