[Arc 3] Chapter 5: The Dungeon Tournament

*Y-Yaaaawn*... Ah, I've slept so well. 

After the party, everyone was worried for me and Iron, since the latter had collapsed due to overwork despite being undead. The point is, we've gotten a prolonged holiday.

It's been three days since then, and during that time, I've only been eating, sleeping, and consuming CP when it's filled to the brim. Iron's only been working with that new Sub Class of his these days as well, mostly as a hobby.

Yes, having a class related to peaceful activities is important for your mental care. Going around and killing stuff all the time is just bad for your heart and soul. Mira's latest class is kinda in a grey zone... I need to make sure she gets a more tranquil hobby of some sort...

In any case, I'm tired of slacking. Let's see how the Dungeon's faring. 

I exited the treehouse, which is my building after a vote. They seem to dislike the thought of sleeping in a tree. With Revi being prone to sleepwalking, I agree with not allowing her to stay up there.

As I walked through the forest, I greeted the patrolling Skeletons. They're cheap, I have a great experience with them, and they never tire. Due to those three facts, I focused the monster creation on these guys until the tournament refreshes my "monster-databank". Heck, they'll be of good use afterward anyway due to their cheapness. No reason to not have a few of them around.

The other species I focused on was the Reha Zera. We're having some here on the third floor's forest, and also as guards and scouts in the entrance-room of the first floor. That place is also a forest after all. And the Reha Zera race is smart from a monster's perspective. They're good judges on the subject of letting the visiting weaklings escape unharmed or not, a feat the undead that's doing the dirty work there ain't capable of.

Speaking of, I brought quite the amount of Zombies as well. Some of them are on standby in the room close to the entrance, but most are in the Graveyard-room. Thinking about it, shouldn't I figure a way to let those gain some experience in the hope of them evolving? Just Zombies for the last line of defense is kinda... sloppy, even if they're just there as a diversion. 

Eh, I'll worry about that later. There are not many who'll reach that point right away, especially when the Dungeon needs more than a few hours to clear unless you have the map.

"Ah, Garami! Hello~. Done hibernating~?" - Revi

Hey, hey, wanna get a scolding~?

"What are you doing today?" - Garami

"No greeting in return... The tournament-thing that Mira is working on is going off today, so people have gathered around to watch." - Revi

Oh, so that's today. Nice timing for me to wake up then.

"Who are gonna watch then?" - Garami

"Ehm, many of the monsters, but there are some that are keeping an eye over the Dungeon, so around 10 of the monsters are watching." - Revi

This is gonna be one sad tournament...

"And the participants? Garami, do you know who the participants are?" - Revi

"Hmm? You don't know?" - Garami

"I forgot~. Teehee~... Sorry, I'll never do it again, please forgive me, don't look at me like that..." - Revi

Better.

"According to my memory, we have the Small and Lesser variants of both the Sandstalkers and the Arachinara, the Demonia Bat, the Lesser Ghost, the Dark Geist, the Lesser Mimic, and the Dark Elf. Those are the ones we have no data regarding their battle potential. Of course, many monsters evolved during the battle the other day, so those special individuals are also gonna participate." - Garami

Ah, that's why Mira wanted me to make a few Lesser Ghosts and Dark Geists. The old ones must have already evolved during the last battle, so she needs some new ones to test them out.

"Ooh... hmm? Garami, you forgot the demonish spiders." - Revi

"Didn't forget them. I already know what they can do. I was one before evolving." - Garami

"WOW!" - Revi

Well, Revi's a former human, so she being unused to the evolution-thing is nothing to blame her for.

"Then, who are the special guests!" - Revi

"Good question. I didn't have the chance to note that down." - Garami

"Then, then, let's go and see together!" - Revi

Fine, fine~. She can be such a child sometimes.

We searched the forest for the tournament ground. They should be somewhere here in the Field-area... found them... 

"W-what in the name of the desert happened here!?" - Revi

Why the desert?

We're looking at a platform made from wood, the wood I was asked for through Treasure Creation during my holidays, and all the above-mentioned creatures are laying spread over the place, covered in burn-marks. Even the Ghost and Geist! How is that even possible...

No need to look for the culprit though. She's standing in the middle of the sea of burned bodies, dressed in casual clothes and holding a wooden sword.

"Wha-ha-ha-ha! No one can stand between me and that alluring item!" - Mira

"It's not an item, but a Dungeon function! And it's bad being allured by it too much! What are you doing!?" - Garami

I couldn't stop myself from commenting on this idiot.

"Ah, Garami. Done hibernating?" - Mira

"Hey!" - Revi

"No, I mean, yeah, but that's not important right now. Tell me what happened here!" - Garami

"Isn't it obvious? I tested these guys' potential, just as asked!" - Mira

"How do you figure that out by turning arachnids, demons, and for some reason, ghosts, roasted?!" - Revi

"Relax. I already prepared a jury to examine their strong- and weak points during the battle." - Mira

Hmm, there are still many, MANY, points that need to be taken up, but if she got some real battle data outta it, I can't dismiss this method-

"Ehm, lady Mira..." started one of the judges, a Zerbreus. The other jury is a Red Skeleton by the way.

"What is it?" - Mira

"Well... we only saw that the lady is the strongest person in that battle. More precisely, we did not see much, if any, of the combatants' potentials."

"...What?" - Mira

Haste makes waste, also in this world.

"Miiiiraaaaa..." - Garami

"J-just give me a sec! Medic, MEDIC!!" - Mira

Guess there'll be a second round.

After the monsters were healed (how did they fix the ghost?), a series of battles was done between the monsters instead of having them face lightning-bolt incarnated.

The Lesser- and Small Sandstalkers and Arachinaras fought each other, and from watching them, I understood that the Lessers are the relatively stronger ones. The Small-types are better to be used as scouts, and they may have a higher amount of evolution options. Guess I won't know until I see it with my own eyes.

The bat, Lesser Ghost, and Dark Geist are to be used for sneak attacks. Finished. No, seriously, let these guys grow some more, and they'll turn better than me in nastiness! Not sure if "better" is the right way to say it then...

The Lesser Mimic isn't to be used for battles. Better have then do what they do best and use them as "living traps" in the Dungeon. For some reason, that guy is strong with support-type magic. Wait, is that because it's related to treasures (Accessories)? It doesn't change the fact that they're gonna be semi-grounded to the Dungeon. Instead of mass-production, it sounds smarter to train some and have them evolve...

As for the clear winner of the tournament, the Dark Elf, I can only say I'm impressed. She had movements that even the bat couldn't catch up to, flexibility in using archery, knives, and magic, depending on the situation, and the mental capability to deduct what the optimal move would be against any opponent. 

Mass-production or elite training, forget that. I need to go with both options for these! Having Noire teach them would be a great idea. The fallen angel herself has spent most of her waking hours this last month before we left in training her archery skills at the Union's training ground, so much that she apparently could evolve her Archer class. We have no better teacher for the Dark Elves than her.

...Or so I'm gonna tell her when asking for her help. She'll fall for it, hook, line, and sinker.

"Why couldn't you do this from the start?" I asked Mira, who was sitting beside us at the jury panel. 

"It sounded like a drag..." - Mira

You're that eager to get your gatcha-spins? Better reconsider those casino plans. For real.

"Alright~, next up is the evolved monster's turn~," announced Revi, who had gotten the job halfway during the matches.

The first fight was between the two undeads that I didn't have before: the Red Skeleton I previously mentioned, and a Ghoul.

The Red Skeleton is the same individual that I created when I first had created the Dungeon. As a Red Skeleton, his attack power has increased, both physically and magically, and he has the chance of gaining a class later on. I'll probably unlock them for the Dungeon if I increase Strength and Mystic a little.

The Ghoul is a blue-colored Zombie with an even-stupider look on its face than the original and is making a "Vooeee"-sound when it tries to speak(?). Anyway, the Ghoul seems to be a physical-based tank-type, as its HP and VIT are in a league of their own among the E-ranks. It's not the female Zombie I created the first day. That one evolved into a Zombie Brawler, but I can create undead with that class, so no reason for her to be here.

"Fight!" - Revi

The battle began! The Ghoul walked with unsteady steps towards the Red Skeleton. The Skeleton, armed with a spear, strikes back at the Ghoul while keeping its distance. The Ghoul didn't care about the spear strikes and kept on throttling towards the Red Skeleton.

"One can only say it's 'durable'. That Ghoul, I mean." - Garami

"Is it regenerating the damage already?" - Mira

She's right. The spear strikes are numerous, but they're too shallow to prevent the Ghoul from recovering from them. 

The game of chase kept on for a while until we decided to make it a time-out draw. The Ghoul was never defeated by the Red Skeleton, but it was also too slow to catch up with the Skeleton either.

"No need to increase Strength just for that then." - Garami

The Ghoul could be useful in the undead house or as assailants that endanger those who try to drink from the Water Source by the entrance, but not enough to prioritize them. A Ghoul Troll, on the other hand, would be useful for me. I need to figure out how to unlock that variant for [Necromancy].

While my thoughts were diverted from the original purpose of planning the Dungeon's future, the next set of combatants arrived at the platform. They are both evolved Reha Zera, one being a Reha Phraga, an ailment-specialized evolution, and the other is a Reha Aridna, the thread-specialist. 

"Fight!" - Revi

This round is more eventful than the undead's game of chase. The Phraga started by shooting water-like bullets, definitely not drinking water, at the Aridna, but the latter escaped to the side, being almost overly cautious against the attack. 

"Those globes of poison look dangerous. How is it making them?" - Mira

"Through [Poison Synthesis]. And I had to get Alchemist to unlock that skill..." - Garami

Not only that, but the Phraga's also using [Shooting] to send the poison-balls flying. What a talented little brat! I need to remember that combo...

The Phraga kept on acting like a rooted turret and fired at the Aridna until the former suddenly started to run away from the spot. The reason is that the Aridna had tried to capture the Phraga with some thin threads, something that the Phraga knew all too well was bad news. Any spider-related creature knows the threat that threads can produce. Being on the receiver end of it must have spooked the Phraga.

The Aridna used the Phraga's agitation to lead it towards a trap it had created while it was dodging the attacks before. One wouldn't notice the difference in the color of the platform unless one is used to creating traps like that, and the Phraga is unknowingly heading towards that spot... not!?

Before the Aridna could trick the Phraga into the webbed area, it had... walked into a sticky-trap itself! That Phraga, it's trying to make us all believe that shooting poison was all it could do while its real goal was to trap the Aridna in the same way it had planned to do against the Phraga!

The Aridna wasn't gonna let itself be beaten by such a humiliating strategy, but the Phraga used the split-second the Aridna needed to get itself free to shoot a globe of paralyzing poison at it.

"And the winner is; Reha Phragaaa!!" - Revi

This was a better match than the last one. Still, both monsters will be priceless additions to the Dungeon if I can create them from scratch. Teaching the Phraga stealth skills and having it cooperate with the other monsters will turn into a deadly combo. Even more so if it's working alongside the undead, which can't be poisoned. The Aridna is less suitable, but still capable of this type of support. I still think having them trained to become Weavers is a smarter idea.

Both are probably related to the Movement stat. That's two points for that stat.

After the platform was cleaned, thanks to the Clean Slime and its Skeleton subordinates, the next battle could take place.

In the blue corner, our Dungeon's very own Ushi-Oni!! Well, most of the Reha Zera evolved into this one, so it's not so "unique" though. The reason must be due to all the Dungeon Monsters getting a power-up at all times from my Royalty-skills and such, unlocking this stat-heavy-based evolution. 

And in the red corner, we have the Demonia Minyarda! It's a humanoid evolution of the Demonia Bat, and a rare one as well. The other bats turned into Greater Demonia Bats.

The Ushi-Oni looks like the cross between a Minotaur, or a cow-based Therianthrope, and an Arachne of some brown spider-race. Just add some green skin, a touch of demonic tattoos, and you have your Ushi-Oni. 

The Minyarda is more humanoid, but with pale skin, batwings for arms, and bat-ears on top of her head. And yes, it's a female. The Ushi-Oni as well. Strange. There are male monsters among the group, so why're only the female evolving to take humanoid appearances?

"Fight!" - Revi

The battle started while I was running my brain to places unknown. The Ushi-Oni charged forward like a bulldozer, which made the Minyarda take to the sky to escape it. A little too late though, as sticky webs came outta the Ushi-Oni's palms and forced the Minyarda to the ground, where she was plastered stuck on the platform without any means of escape.

"And the winner is; Ushi-Oni! That was fast." - Revi

Don't say that. The poor bat is already crying from the humiliation. 

"...Ushi-Oni. Minyarda. Get ready for another round. Mira, get two more Onis and the same amount of bats. The Greater-kind." - Garami

After a little while, a new round started, this time as a team fight. It started like the previous one, with the Ushi-Oni charging forward, but this time, the bats used the advantage of their high mobility to force one of the Onis to hit its comrade with the webs instead of a bat. Not only that, the Ushi-Onis got in the way for one another more than once, obviously not used to having to share the space with allies.

In the end, the bat-team won after the bats gave the Onis a real headache with their ultrasound voices and bombarded them with magic. The Minyarda's magic was exceptionally impressive, but I think the Greater ones are better in movements thanks to their smaller frame.

We took one more round with the bats and Onis, this time it being three-on-one. The fight turned more favorable for the Oni, as it didn't need to consider any allies being in its range of fire, however, when one bat got splatted, the remaining two picked up the slack and messed with the Oni for long enough for the bat to free itself with a Wind-blade skill of some kind.

"The bats are excellent with teamwork and distractions, but the Onis are horrible with teamwork. They do however have some strength alone, but several bats are still above it..." - Garami

I mumbled as I noted down the good- and bad points as the next group gathered at the arena.

A full-fledged Ghost, with a more humanoid appearance than those flying sheets from before, a Lesser Haniwana, a ghost-type that possesses some sort of statue that's also an Earth attribute, and a Lesser Lantern, which is, in short, a half-fledged Jack-O'-Lantern. Fire attribute. The two latter ones are special evolutions that we only have one of each, so I'm excited to see what they can do. 

The opponents are a group of evolved Dark Geists, now Dark Phantoms. They don't appear to be any different now, but they emit an aura of fear. Still loses to me, according to Mira. Tch, don't state the obvious.

The ghost-group had the advantage with their magic, but the Phantoms had enough speed to outpace the magic blasts and enveloped themselves around the ghosts, both draining the ghosts' powers with [Dark Drain] and damaging them with their old abilities from when they were Geists. In the end, it was the Phantoms' complete victory.

Damn strong, and unlike the undead, these guys can walk out in the sunlight. The bad point is that their stats grow weaker while basked in light, making them opposites of Mira and other Glow Sprites.

And finally, we had the Imp-evolved group. Many of them Lesser Fiends, muscular, purple-skinned demons to the fullest of the word. They're all wielding heavy weapons like greatswords that fit their buff physique. Some Dusk Imps evolved to Karikaproses, the goat-head demon like that Avido-guy, and two Aqua Imps became Lesser Sirens of all things! I thought they were mermaid-like creatures, but they look more like harpies. 

As for the result of the demon free-for-all, the Lesser Fiend is the winner. Mostly due to its impressive resistance towards status ailments. It's like the Cave Scorpion had taken its physical defense and traded it for special-effect defense. It's not flawless though, as magic still leaves more than just a burn. Too bad for the Karikapros that Darkness ain't an attribute we demons are particularly weak to.

The Karikapros is a magic specialist. In some cases, it may even be better than those ghost-types. And the Lesser Siren is a status-ailment jerk. Especially regarding Charm and Confusion. However, they lack speed and brute force, so I think the bat demons are better than them when it comes to Confusion-dealers.

And with this, the first mock-battle tournament was done. I left Revi behind as I fled the scene, leaving it to her and her cooking arts to satisfy the hungry contenders. There's some strange sound coming from behind me, something about a "betrayeeeer!!", but it's just my imagination.

---

"Damn, never more..." I complained while walking through the second floor.

"'Never more' of what?" asked Mira, who had joined my escape.

"Mass-testing of monsters. I'm gonna limit it to the standard monsters and let someone else take care of the new species obtained from evolution." - Garami

The sheer info-overload... my brain hurts. And having to be exposed to so many people, Dungeon Monsters or not... too much.

"I think you're thinking about something stupid, so stop it. And we've reached the place." - Mira

We are? Dusty tombstones, check. Misty air, check. A seriously gloomy atmosphere, check. Smells like something died, check. Undead walking around, check. Yup, we've reached the Graveyard room, or as I call it, the undead house. 

"Alright... but why here?" - Garami

"Duh! The dragon is bound to take enough space that it will be an inconvenience for the others if we spun the gatcha at the forest floor!" - Mira

She's already decided that the gatcha will give her a dragon... oh well. If that happens, it will be an awesome addition to our forces.

I fixed the Dungeon Menu so that Mira could push the bottom to confirm the transaction. I've got 288 CP right now, enough to let Mira spin the gatcha twice.

"Then, come on, dragon!!" - Mira

*Beep*

A magic circle appeared in front of us, and it expanded... not so much. It then shrank to around the same size as when I used it, and... phht!?

"A GOBLIIIIN!?" - Mira

C-crap... t-that's too much... A Dungeon Goblin... not a humanoid Goblin, nor a demi-monster Fiend Goblin, but the Dungeon-exclusive Goblin, one of the most known weaklings of a Dungeon... sorry, I can't hold it back anymore!

"A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!" - Garami

"...T-then, the next one!" - Mira

Another magic circle appeared, and...

"BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!" - Garami

O-oh damn, I'm dying! I'm dying from laughing too much! To think she would get a set of lockpicking items!? And of the worst quality ever!! They're worse than the ones Mira bought when she obtained the Treasure Hunter class!

I tried to calm my laughter-fit and gave the Goblin the set of items. Goblins have the rep of being dexterous with their hands, so we may gain a talented individual in the future.

"........." - Mira

Aaah. Her eyes are dead. My condolence... why're you looking at me like that?

"Ga-ra-mi~. One more-" started she, flirtingly.

"No." - Garami

"Wha-, I've not even finished!" - Mira

"There's no more CP for you to use Random Creation. And I have no reason to let you either." - Garami

The Dungeon is still undermanned compared to its size.

"And don't even think of any honeytraps. The treehouse ain't exactly a personal space, and I lack the FP to make such a place." - Garami

Heck, we don't even have enough space for the monsters, and I still haven't created enough to fill the Dungeon's quota!

"T-then, if I figure out a way to get more FP-!" - Mira

"Sure, sure, I'll let you spin for double the amount you just spent." - Garami

Not that she can do so that easily.

"Alright! Then, if you will excuse me, I have to find the members that I need!" - Mira

"Members?" - Garami

"Yes. Didn't you hear? I and Alf have been exploring the desert in day/night shifts, and we found it." - Mira

"Found what?" - Garami

"A different Dungeon! Not far from here either." - Mira

Oh, boy. You can't steal FP from other Dungeons... or can we? 

---

Skill List:

Achievement Titles:

Hunting Titles:

Greydra

Kigal-Note/Humanoids/Demi-Humanoids: Dungeon Goblins

Description:

A Dungeon Goblin is a special breed of goblins, only found in Dungeons, as its name suggests. Dungeon Goblins shares the strength of Fiend Goblins while retaining their rationality like a regular Goblin. 

Appearance:

A Dungeon Goblin has an average height of 130 cm and green skin. Their appearance is extremely similar to the Fiend Goblin, but their faces show intelligence that is closer to a regular Goblin.

Abilities:

Dungeon Goblins are a notch stronger than the regular Goblin and its Demi-Monster variant, plus they have greater intelligence to boot. However, that does not prevent the Dungeon Goblin from being the famous "weakling of the Dungeon", due to them being weaker than most monsters in their home Dungeon, and even if there are other races that are weaker there, Dungeon Goblins are found in almost any Dungeon, making them more renown than other monsters.

The strength of a Dungeon Goblin lies in their ability in being able to use items and weapons no worse than a normal human. They are also greatly capable of cooperating with other races. Not that any of these points can help it with its horrible staus-sheet. 

Garami's comment: Poor Goblins.