Book 2: Chapter 4: Do no harm.

Book 2: Chapter 4: Do no harm.

4. Do no Harm.

The minotaur roared aggressively and brought his club down in a vicious forward swing that would have crushed the armored warrior into paste if not for his shield and incredible physical strength. In return, the warrior gave a battle shout of his own and thrust his sword forward, stabbing the monster in his chest and causing it to cry out in pain.

Get behind it, Ladelle! Keith the warrior (no relation) shouted to the red-robed girl who stood beside him. You cant face him together with me like this! You have to attack from range so I can keep his attention focused on me!

Shut up, idiot! Ladelle said sharply in reply. Im the one who hired you, so dont tell me how to perform my role!

This is a dungeon, Ladelle! If you cant follow orders, youre a liability thatll get you or someone else hurt! warned Keith, as he ran clockwise, attempting to face the Minotaur away from the mage so that its attacks wouldnt reach her.

Oh, boy! Ladelle didnt like that at all! She was a pretty little thing with short, stylishly cut platinum hair, and a pair of gold rimmed glasses over her pert nose. It was a good look for her, I really dug it! Too bad she was one of those stereotypes you cant help but come across in a fantasy world like this. A cocky noble who looked down on others due to their lower birth.

Even worse, she was a fire mage! In gaming terminology, Ladelle was the kind of clueless ranged attacker who ruined pick up games by trying to make the groups tank go faster to suit her pace, even though she wasnt strong enough to kill enemies quickly. For a professional defender like Keith (no relation), she was a nightmare! I wondered if he and his companions regretted accepting her as a client?

I SAID stop telling me what to do! Ladelle said. Watch this! Behold magic so profound, a mere mercenary like you should consider himself blessed to bear witness to it! Oh, light of the sun, shine upon me with resplendent glory! Bring victory to my cause and ruin to my foe![Nova Lance] level 4!

A beam of golden light shot forth from her hand and speared through the minotaur, killing it instantly! Which would normally be great and a thing worth celebrating, but the problem was that a level four spell like that was so powerful, that after punching through the minotaur, it kept on shooting forward and hit the next group of monsters further down the corridor, killing a hapless little goblin and alerting the rest of them to danger.

Uh oh! Now we had two fresh minotaurs to deal with, as well as two angry looking hobgoblins who looked like they wanted to avenge their friend. Keiths eyes widened in despair, while Ladelle began jumping for joy at her success.

Oh, did I mention that Ladelle was one of those mages who also couldnt control her threat? Hell, she didnt even bother trying! See what I can do? I told you I could take care of him! she said smugly to Keith, not yet aware of the bloodthirsty group of monsters racing straight for her, intent on introducing her to group dynamics that she probably wouldnt enjoy.

Heh, I liked this kid. She was a riot!

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Hey, guys! Whats cracking? Max is doing a dungeon! Wooooo! Isnt that cool? It is, isnt it?

Yes, a dungeon crawl! The primary passion of any young mans romantic (in the chivalric sense of the word) pursuit in a new and magical world, had to be the conquest of a dungeon! A deadly labyrinth filled with traps and dangerous monsters that could only be overcome by teamwork and comradery! Oh, the tears of joy and the cries of frustration wed share, as we gradually made our way to the climax of this foreboding place, the Dungeon Lords lair!

Once there, our skills and commitment to each other would be put to the ultimate test as we challenged the boss to mortal combat for the right to claim the treasures of this dire realm! Oh, the wonderous elation wed feel upon surviving our campaign! The unmatchable feeling of knowing we were not only winners, but friends!

Ladelle, you stupid noble bitch, I swear if we live through this, Im going to break your jaw! shouted Jera the ranger, as she knocked an arrow and sent it flying at one of the two new minotaurs, where it embedded itself harmlessly in its thick hide. Damn it, she swore, before reaching for another arrow.

Okay, so maybe not so much with the friends part?

Girl fight! I want front row seats! laughed Jaxon the thief, as he danced between the hobgoblins and lashed out with his poisoned daggers. Like me, Jaxon didnt take any of this stuff too seriously and seemed primarily to be along for the ride.

Of course, he had the mid-tier stealth ability, [Cloak of Shadows] that allowed him to disappear from view at will, without even leaving a scent that animals could follow. So out of all of them, he had the highest chance of surviving whatever nonsense Ladelles incompetence could spring upon the group.

Confidence is nice.

Oh, go disarm a trap, you obnoxious pervert! seethed Jera. She turned her attention from the minotaurs to the hobgoblins and managed to put an arrow through one of their eyes. Yes! she cheered before screaming in pain when the enraged minotaur shed attacked earlier charged at her and gored her into a wall.

Shit! Keith (no relation) swore, before bellowing his [Challenging Cry] and drawing the attention of all four monsters on himself. [Adamantine Defense]! Guys, Im indestructible for the next twelve seconds, youd better do something or were all dead! he declared.

Just kill them all! By the gods, youre all so incompetent! Ladelle complained.New novel chapters are published on

If I die, make sure she follows after me, please! Jera groaned from the floor.

Hahaha! Jeez, it might be time to take off Jaxon said as he began gradually backing away from the melee.

Daniel! Daniel, please, is there anything you can do? Keith called out.

Yeah, Daniel, do something! Youve got a trick or two hidden up your sleeves, right? Jaxon asked.

Uh, who were these guys talking to? I looked around the massive dungeon corridor, but saw no one else with us.

DANIEL! Ladelle yelled. Pay attention to us, you idiot!

Wait, had she really just called me an idiot? Yknow, as amusing as I found her, I wasnt willing to put up with anyones personal abuse. I was about to show Ladelle just how big the mistake shed made was when the realization of who they meant suddenly dawned on me.

Oh, Im Daniel! Jeez, sorry gang! Aliases get so hard to keep track off! I apologized sheepishly.

Four seconds left! Keith (no relation) shouted. His normally calm voice was starting to sound just a tiny bit strained with fear. Not that I could blame him.

If we die, its all your fault! Ladelle shouted at me.

Huh. Well, I guess we shouldnt die then, I said to her.

I turned towards the enemies and gestured towards them dramatically. [Dominate Minion] x five, I said to them. I felt a nice little sensation like glass bulbs breaking on a sidewalk, when I felt their mental resistances shatter before my will. Their faces slackened and their shoulders drooped in unison as I seized control of their minds.

My mood now slightly soured, I used [Rooting] to inject some of my blood into Jeras body. Then, I used [Dominate Minion] to force my blood cells to activate [Troll Regeneration], which began healing all of her injuries immediately. Her shoulder wound was closed in an instant, as was her chest wound once I removed my hand. I even used [Rooting] to micro-bind the tears in her clothing.

The blood that now coated my hand was the only evidence that anything had ever happened to the ranger. I stared at it, transfixed and satisfied. Blood looks so beautiful no matter where you see it. Its gorgeous under bright sunlight, mesmerizing under the light of the moon, but even in the murky lighting of this torchlit corridor, it delighted me.

I really wanted to rub my hand over my face while Jeras blood was still warm, but that wouldnt be a good idea. My party members would only put up with my antics to a certain extent. Besides, if I indulged too much in playing, I might lose control of myself and kill them all.

I didnt want to do that. They were too much fun to be around!

So, instead of doing that, I poured a little water on my hand and cleaned it with a cloth. All better, ranger! How do you feel?

How do I feel? Jera asked in a hostile tone of voice. I feel like kicking your ass all the way to the next continent, you bastardhuh? she said as the effects of the troll blood kicked in. Trolls were amazing, hardy creatures. Not only could they heal from practically any injury, but their blood was loaded with endorphins that made them impervious to pain as well.

The troll blood my body generated had been taken from a Forest Lord, a rare elite boss Id slain all the way back in chapter four of the previous book in the series.

(Look at me being meta!)

Basically, that meant Jera was now loaded up on the good shit.

Her cheeks flushed with enjoyment when I suddenly slapped her face, as her body automatically transformed what she felt from pain into pleasure. The unexpected sensation left her feeling confused, which I found hilarious.

Hey! Keith yelled angrily. He took a step towards me before stopping when Jera held up a hand to let me explain myself.

What did you do to me? she asked in confusion.

Think of it as a buff, I informed her. Youre now twice as strong and fast as you were, and any injury you receive for the next few hours will heal right away. Best of all, you cant feel any pain! Thats the sort of incredible service you cant get from any silly temple cleric.

And this last for hours? She asked me in wonder.

Yeppers! I said perkily.

That was another lie, of course. Id basically mutated her body on the cellular level, but once we were done here, Id deactivate the troll blood Id infused her with. I couldnt have people running around claiming I was permanently empowering them. Thatd draw the attention of actual healers, who could only give temporary buffs.

That was the sort of attention that I didnt need. Those jealous clerics would definitely snitch on me to their patron gods, who in turn would realize what I was and then come after me personally.

I may have been getting stronger every day, but I was still nowhere near ready for a divine duel. My leveling stats didnt matter much against earthly beings, but they were VERY much a factor in a godly confrontation. A senior god with a higher level than mine would swat me like a fly. And then hed eat me and absorb all my powers.

Something like that would have happened ages ago too, but luckily for me, I was blind to the sight of this worlds pantheon. I could only draw their attention if I did something really egregious, but so far, outside of wiping out an entire nation and drawing the ire of the elemental embodiment of the earth itself, Id been doing a pretty good job of laying low. Unless you counted all those annoying bandits on the road I randomly killed by disguising myself as a monster called Max the Head chopper.

(Well, most of them had been bandits, anyway. The rest had just been rude. I hate it when people are rude to me.)

Oh, and then there was that tribe of werewolves Id recently slaughtered for reasons I couldnt quite recall. (Man, those guys had sucked. They couldnt even transform from men to wolves. They were total wannabes!) Oh, and now that I thought about it, hadnt I also recently enraged a family of ancient vampires by interfering with their vengeance against the people who had tortured their progenitor for hundreds of years?

Huh.

Maybe I wasnt doing such a great job of keeping my head down after all?

Oh, well. Nothing I can do about that now. I just had to live in the moment.

Its funny though, my actions as the head chopper had earned me an unexpected new skill: [Notorious].

[Notorious]: Rank A.The more feared you are, the less effective resistances against your skills become.

It sounded kind of cool, but wasnt it a little redundant considering my [Divinity] trait pretty much let me ignore resistances anyway? This was something Id have to experiment with later. I was good at finding uses for my abilities beyond what was printed on the label.

Daniel, come on! What are you standing around for? Ladelle called out to me.

I looked up and saw my party had advanced into the next area of the dungeon without me.

Whoops! Heh, it was weird working with a group, sometimes. As the main character, I often dwelt on my past experiences and ruminated on the paths I should take while evaluating my numerous incredible abilities, which was entertaining for the people reading my story, since it allowed me to easily share my perspective with them as they figuratively asserted themselves into my narrative and lived out their vicarious fantasies through my quirky adventures.

But to the people who werent aware of my narration, it apparently meant that I spent a lot of time standing around, silently staring blankly into space, which weirded them out considerably. It would have been nice if Libby had warned me that I did that.

Man, shed been useless.

Coming! I called back while hurrying after them. Once I caught up, I whistled in appreciation at the massive twin doored entrance that stood before us.

Is that I think it is? I asked.

Without a doubt, answered Jaxon.

We now stood before the entrance to the Dungeon Lords lair.