Dungeon 102 Chapter 1 (Patreon)

My sword and knife flashed before me as I flowed through one of my grandfather’s form drills.

Sweat beaded down my forehead and splashed into the air as I spun in the field. The morning sun was bleeding through the gym’s windows and the dew on the grass was catching it and filling the ground with golden shimmers.

Sweep, stab, turn and block…

My steps picked up pace with each motion, going faster and faster. I realized at one point that I was moving faster than I ever had before.

Our party had just hit level four, and we’d worked for every bit of it. We had been grinding away in the dungeon every afternoon after we finished classes with Crimson every morning.

Thankfully, no more attempts had been made at Fayeth’s life, letting us focus on progressing our party. I’d been anxious at first, waiting for something to happen, but the past few months had been smooth.

Almost too smooth.

Although Crimson had not relented in her quest to push us to our limits, and beyond them. Class A was at least a half a level above class B and C. I was already stronger than the girl who I knew was Anti-Elf, but I wasn’t yet able to outmatch the upperclassmen.

And until we figured out more, we’d all agreed to leave them be and just keep an eye on them.

According to Crimson, the girl in class B’s father ran the main manufacturing company that made CIDs. The watch-like devices allowed humanity to understand their growth and changes as they dove the dungeon, and they were a huge part of what made adventuring possible.

After we’d pieced that together, his motivation in attacking the elves and disrupting negotiations got clearer.

The elves had their own CIDs, and those were plant grown. They were far easier to produce, and if the elves ever decided to share that technology, he could easily lose his business.

It was a petty reason to go after Fayeth.

Thinking about the greed, my sword strokes grew agitated as I worked through my latest attack. I knew I needed to slow them down. Being frantic wouldn’t help me. I needed to stay calm and in control.

The end of the first term was approaching, and Crimson had pulled up the fifth floor boss fight from next term to be the final exam of the current term.

The boss might be at the end of the fifth floor, but it was a lot stronger than any ordinary fifth level monster.

We had to prepare, and I was ready to kill more students if it meant protecting my ladies.

I finished my form with a flashy sweep of my blades before I returned them to my CID. It functioned as an inventory on top of interpreting the mana signals in our body.

A slow clap announced my watcher.

“You’re working hard.” Des picked up my water bottle and towel.

Rather than taking them, I pushed them aside with my body as I leaned in to kiss her. “Morning. You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to wake you. I wasn’t sneaking out.”

“It’s fine. I know you practice every morning by now.” My girlfriend smiled back at me. Des was drop dead gorgeous, though it made sense given her mother was a succubus as her secondary class.

Des was all sinful curves packed onto a dangerously fit woman. Her red eyes gleamed mischievously from under that unruly lock of hair that kept falling over one of them.

I was smitten; she was the whole package. On top of being amazing in the looks department she was dependable and knowledgeable when it came to diving the dungeon. She was a part of my party, and I couldn’t be prouder.

Des’s class was a warlock, but her entire family also had a demon secondary class. When I’d been struggling with an unknown class, she’d used her family’s precious ritual to give me a demon secondary class and an advantage far beyond my current level. Although, she’d had some help from Crimson to get the materials.

“It’s not fine.” I ran my hands through her long purple hair. “Waking up alone is not nearly as fun.”

She snorted. “Any night I’m not here your Fiore is sneaking into your bed. You never sleep alone.”

I gave her a guilty grin. “Jealous?” I took the water bottle from her and it collapsed as I guzzled down the water. My morning practice sessions really worked up a thirst.

“Not really.” She took the bottle from me and drank some while I wiped away some of the sweat on my face. “Fayeth is a great addition to our party. Actually, I’d love it if you fucked her and harmonized this soul thingy so she was a permanent fixture of our party. You know, take one for the team.” She smirked.

I sputtered into my towel, not quite expecting Desmonda to be so direct. “Tell me how you really feel.” When I pulled the towel down she was eying me.

“I’m horny. That’s how I really feel.” She raised the one eyebrow that wasn’t covered by her hair. “And you have a new locker room.”

There was that succubus nature.

She was the daughter of an adventurer with the succubus class. Her entire family had demon blood running through them. Des only had to absorb a high level demon’s blood and she’d gain a powerful secondary class.

Only she would wait until she could reach and kill said powerful demon on her own.

“Headmistress Marlow said no girls are allowed.” I was trying to convince myself of that as I said it.

Des rolled her eyes. “Let’s go. We have a little time before class.”

I led her down the slope of the gym field.

At Haylon Academy, the gym was a massive structure with areas containing multiple terrains. Almost any setting that could be imagined was represented, allowing students to prepare for the wide variety of conditions in the dungeon.

Since Headmistress Marlow had finally accepted me fully into the school, she’d actually made some concessions for having a male on campus. She wasn’t exactly welcoming, but she was at least tolerating my presence ever since I helped bridge relations with the elves.

By bridge, I mean accidentally proposing to the ambassador’s daughter.

Des sauntered into the bathroom after me as I stepped into the small locker room. The space had one small wall of lockers, a single stall, and a tiled room with two shower heads. “So much less crowded than the girls locker room.” Des walked in behind me, having no shame.

We’d seen each other naked just as recently as the previous night.

I slipped my arm around Des’s waist and pushed her up against the wall to kiss her, but she pushed me away.

“Nope. Get those sweaty clothes off.” She peeled off her jacket and hung it up in one of the spare lockers. “I haven’t taken a shower this morning yet.”

I shook my head and peeled off my workout clothes, stepping into the shower and getting the water warmed up while I watched her make a show of stripping out of her stockings and underwear. “Damn I’m lucky.”

“Good that you know it.” She teased me as she walked over naked. The steam picked up in the shower as she pressed herself to me.

This time, she didn’t stop me as I pressed her to the tile wall and kissed her.

“Oh, Ken.” She sighed, her body feeling warm and responsive to my touch.

“Des, you are insatiable.” I groaned as she wrapped her fingers around my shaft.

“No, I’m just doing my job and ensuring your seal is properly and frequently inspected. You sealed a powerful demon, Ken. We don’t know if it will try anything.” She squirmed under my touch before she sank down to her knees, water spraying around my body as I moaned into the steam.

***

I slid into class with Des, barely making it in time.

Crimson turned from where she was about to take the lectern. “Almost late, Ken. Do be careful. You wouldn’t want to give me an opportunity to punish you.” Her eyes caught a sadistic gleam.

Des just chuckled and hurried to her seat. Though, it didn’t escape my notice that Des got no reprimand whatsoever.

“I’m sure you have my best interests at heart, Crimson.” I was feeling a little smug after my shower.

Crimson pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at me. It was a dangerous game to call her out publicly.

The whole class wondered if I was about to die, because nobody else could get away with speaking to Crimson that directly. But she had a soft spot for me.

She had gone out on a limb for me. When I’d taken my entrance exam, I had caused a commotion. My class was an Aberrant, one that the CIDs didn’t recognize.

That alone was enough reason for all of the adventurer colleges to turn their backs on me. No one knew what my class was, and classes were what they bet on. They wouldn’t know how to train me, and I’d be unable to increase my stats.

Des and the demon she helped seal in me had provided the solution to that issue. And Crimson was the one to get the blood from the level forty-five floor boss to use.

Which should have killed me.

She’d put me, a level two, against a level forty five floor boss. Thankfully, the demon was so over confident it let me choose the choice of battle. Knowing I couldn’t win in any sort of straight up contest, I challenged it to a test of stealth.

It had tried to cheat, but that had backfired on the demon. And now I would forever keep the name of Demon Lord Snusnu quiet, and I definitely did not tell Harley the part she’d played in helping me defeat the demon lord.

Crimson watched me take my seat. Our teacher was even more frightening than a Demon Lord. As one of the world’s most famous and powerful adventurers, Crimson terrified anyone with a sense of survival.

Other top adventurers stepped out of her way when she approached, and the entire elven race respected her. In fact, the entire diplomatic efforts with the elves hung on the fact that Crimson was teaching the ambassador’s daughter.

She was an Aberrant class herself, and she’d been doing her best to support me since that day everyone else gave up on me.

Which only meant I had to work harder than anyone else in learning how to dive the dungeon.

That’s why I got up every morning and trained, constantly adjusting to my new stats. I wanted to make her and my grandfather proud.

I looked at my CID, making the heart shaped motion that Crimson had used to hide part of my stats.

Ken Nagato

Class: Aberrant

Secondary Class: Demon Lord

Level: 4

Experience: 28/1000

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 26

Stamina: 30

Magic: 22

Mana: 25

Skills:

Dark Strike, Earth Stomp, Charm, Metamorphosis, Sprint, Absorb,

I’d come a long way since I had started school in the fall. I smiled to myself, feeling good about my progress as Crimson rapped on her lecturn.

Everybody’s attention snapped to Crimson instantly.

She looked over the class. “I want to congratulate two parties in our class for reaching level four.”

Everyone glanced back at our row. My party took up the back row of class. Fayeth, Desmonda, Charlotte, Harley and I were a team. But Crimson had said two teams.

After watching us, heads pivoted around trying to figure out what other team was ready for the fourth floor.

The smug look on Candice’s face told it all, and people started to congratulate their party.

“Congratulations!” Fayeth bounded forward several rows to the group, followed swiftly by Harley. Harley snagged their healer’s hands and chatted excitedly.

Healers needed to be careful around Harley; they were one hundred percent her type.

I knew the other members of my class by name, but I didn’t really know them all that well.

My focus had been entirely on diving every afternoon and leveling.

“Sit back down.” Crimson demanded, and the students rushed back to their seats. “Now that we have two groups diving down to the fourth floor, we are going to restructure classes. Starting today, Monday and Tuesday will be full class days.”

There was a groan from the entire class.

Taylor was particularly loud. “No! I—“ Before the warrior could complain further, there was a red flicker in the air. Her desk slid apart for a second before it exploded into dust.

“I’m sorry. I don’t believe I heard you. What did you say?” Crimson smiled at Taylor as if she hadn’t nearly just killed the woman.

“N-n-nothing.” Taylor stammered.

“Ah, very well. So, as I was saying, Monday and Tuesday will be full lecture days. Wednesday will be a half-day. Diving to the third floor takes about two hours for most of you. It’ll be four hours for those of you just reaching the fourth floor, but that time will decrease as you grow stronger. Then you’ll be diving deeper. So, you’ll need full days to explore the fourth level of the dungeon, maybe even multiple days.”

She smiled. “And that is why today, we’ll be discussing camping in the dungeon and deeper dungeon structure.”

I froze.

Crimson always picked on me for answers, and she had gone completely ahead of the book we had been reading. This was at the very least section, a second term topic.

“Ken, where is the safest place in the dungeon to set up camp?” Crimson asked, of course calling on me.

Shit.

“Safe Zones?” I hazarded.

Crimson waffled her head back and forth. “Not incorrect. But you won’t experience your first Safe Zone until after the fifth floor. Fayeth?” She turned her attention to my fieore, which essentially meant my elven fiance. Plus a few things about harmonizing our souls.

“I was going to say Safe Zone too, but if that’s out…” She thought for a moment. “Then, against a wall? At least that way you have less area to defend.”

Crimson smiled. “Yes. Against the dungeon wall. If you can find a corner in the dungeon that’s even better. Some caves do exist on floors, but they aren’t guaranteed. And certainly none exist in the first five floors at Haylon’s entrance to the dungeon.”

Kendra raised her hand. “If dungeon monsters won’t spawn on us, why do we need a wall on one or more sides?”

Crimson pointed at Kendra. “Good question. There’s always a chance of a roaming monster, but it’s not a huge danger. However, there is a very real danger as you go deeper in the dungeon of being attacked by other adventurers.”

“Haylon students won’t attack each other.” Another shouted quickly.

“Right, but you should be prepared. And because of that, Haylon has a tradition.” Crimson pulled out a flag about two feet by four feet from her CID. “You will all get one of these at the end of class today. Your party will sign it. Anytime you are within the first ten floors of the dungeon entrance here, you will hang this where it is visible.”

She paused as a sinister smile rose on her face. “If someone takes a picture of your camp without a flag, you lose a point. If someone returns to the surface with your flag, you lose a point. If you return to the surface with someone else’s flag you get a point. If any of the parties drop to zero points, you’ll be expelled.”

“What!?” Kenda slapped her desk. “That’s not fair.”

Crimson exuded so much pressure that Kendra and the rest of the class sat down immediately.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think you understand how this works. I make the rules. Because of your outburst, everyone in my class will start with a single point. I expect my class to outperform the others.” Crimson smiled.

Kendra looked like she was about to cry as angry glares all turned towards her.

I had to speak out. “Don’t be mad at Kendra. Crimson was going to do that anyway.” I sighed.

Crimson narrowed her eyes on me, but she didn’t say otherwise.

“The question is, what happens if we get more points?” I asked. There was no reason to just punish us with a system. Crimson always had ulterior motives.

“Ken is right. Any team that can turn in points when they have over five points. They will get a reward for each member. Rewards vary as you get more points, including rare or even epic items along with powerful and expensive skill books, or large cash sums. Check your CIDs for a full list.” Crimson tapped on her own CID, and everyone in class’ CID started to chirp.

I pulled mine up as Crimson’s voice entered my ear like she was whispering into it. “The Headmistress doesn’t want to ruin the school’s reputation with you going hunting for the Anti-Elf Front. She especially does not want you going after students that have been recruited but haven’t harmed anyone yet. Use this as an opportunity to rid the school of them and protect your precious fieore.” Crimson grinned at me from across the room as everyone else stared at their CIDs.

I nodded to myself. Even if we identify the AEF’s growing membership, dozens of students dying at Haylon would draw too much attention. Much better to simply follow the rules of Haylon and get them expelled and away from Fayeth to protect her.

Crimson clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention again. “Now that you are all interested, let’s get started on the basics. We will discuss tent making for various environments, campfire cooking and last but not least, alarm and trap making. Thankfully, we have all day to go over it. Everyone in Ken’s row and Charlotte’s row, push your desks away from the wall and get into groups. You are going to practice as I demonstrate. Try not to let me down.”