Chapter 11 Dungeon City Merdin
Dungeon City Merdin was one of the closest dungeon cities to the capital of the Great Western Empire, Gerfast.
It was a city built around the dungeon known as the 'Graveyard of the Arrogant', a dungeon whose name was derived from the status effect applied to everyone who stepped foot into the dungeon.
It did not matter how strong one was, resisting this status effect for extended periods of time was next to impossible.
It was a status effect that could be called an offshoot of one of the seven mortal sins. 𝒇𝑟𝐞𝐞w𝐞𝑏𝙣𝑜vℯl.co𝑚
'Arrogance'
It messed with the minds of all who entered and made them 'arrogant'. Essentially making them either overestimate their strength or underestimate that of the monsters.
It did not matter how strong one was, it was impossible to resist this status effect for long.
In the game, when the player spent too long in the dungeon, their stats began to display fake values, higher than what their actual stats were or the game showed them dealing either the same or larger amounts of damage than they normally did, when in reality they were dealing far less than that.
The worst part was when the monsters' health bars began to show a different level of health compared to what the monster actually had.
'It was quite irritating, I thought I had more than half my HP left sometimes yet it was barely one-tenth, same with my energy levels too.
One time I thought I had killed a boss, it turned out the fucker still had more than a quarter of its health left!'
Evan clicked his tongue as he remembered that this was the dungeon that ended his 'perfect dungeon clear on first try' streak.
"Why that dungeon? Go to an easier one first."
Naturally, the Emperor did not agree for them to go there, he felt that was too dangerous.
'Graveyard of the Arrogant' was one of the few dungeons that had never been cleared before, no one knew how deep it was or what awaited them at the end.
Some said an arrogant devil was sealed at the bottom of the dungeon, which is why the dungeon had that status effect.
However, Evan knew the real reason for the dungeon's status effect.
"It's the best dungeon for beginners like us.
Unlike other dungeons, the monsters are arranged according to their levels, it's not like the capital's dungeon where you can see a level 60 monster on the seventh floor where level 30 monsters were supposed to appear."
That was one thing about dungeons, most were unpredictable.
The monsters were usually arranged according to their levels with higher levelled monsters being on lower floors, however, occasionally a higher levelled monster may come to the higher floors.
However, in the 'Graveyard of the Arrogant' they did not. All the monsters were prevented from escaping their floors by some sort of barrier.
In the history of the dungeon, ever since it was discovered almost 900 years ago, it had never been observed that a monster had escaped its floor to another.
"Hmm, well Ralphie is going with you so it should be fine as long as you don't exceed what's meant for you.
What levels are you at?"
"I'm 20 and Laurene is 10."
Evan replied to Finley's question instantly.
"Well then, don't exceed the fifth floor on your first try.
If you continuously go to the dungeon weekly, it should be enough for you to reach level 100 in two to three years' time."
That would have been the case if both of them were normal, however, they were members of the seven heroes, and that title let them level up two times faster than normal.
Three for Evan, due to his Reincarnated Hero System Updates.
When it came to entering dungeons, there was a limit on how many times one could enter in a week.
It was impossible to enter more than once a week no matter how hard one tried, they would be repelled at the entrance of the dungeon.
Although many had theorized why this was, the real reason for this was still unknown.
Because of this, leveling up through going to a dungeon would be rather slow despite the benefits of two times the experience.
"We'd take a lesser time to reach that level though, fighting dungeon monsters isn't the only thing we'd do.
I read in a book in the castle library that it's good to fight more monsters besides those in the dungeons."
Laurene spoke up while still hugging her father. The Duke also nodded in agreement saying that was what he did in his younger years.
'Come to think of it, how strong is the Duke? He also participated in the war in the game but he was only shown in the cut scenes I skipped.'
Evan thought this and decided to appraise the Duke.
|Name- Roger Del Eris
Race- Human
Gender-Male
Level- 200
Existence Level- Master
Titles- Duke of Eris, Prime Minister of the Great Western Empire, Blood Duke.
Class - Blood Paladin
Health – C+
Energy - B
Strength – C+
Agility – C
Durability – B-
Intelligence - C
Condition- Normal
Magic Tiers- Blood Tier 3, Earth Tier 2.
Skills- Paladin, Arm Strength, Defense Rise.
Unique Skills- Blood Blade. |
'He's not as strong as the other major characters but his skill makes him dangerous.
The ability to construct blades from his blood and the blood of his opponent. Even a small cut can be used to draw a large amount of blood from the body.'
"That was appraisal, right? Come to think of it, what skills do you two have?"
Finley asked after sensing him appraise the Duke. Evan saw no point in hiding it so he told him.
"I have Full Appraisal, Magic Control, Weapon Control, and Paladin. As for Laurene..."
"…Full Appraisal, Lie Detection, Magic Control, Lightning Magic and Chant Revocation, the Lie detection is my unique skill."
Both of them did not speak of their real unique skills, or rather they were unable to. It was a result of the actions of the previous seven heroes.
They were unable to tell people about their mystic eyes unless the other party had basic information about its existence.
In other words, if the other party didn't know of the existence of mystic eyes, Evan and Laurene could not tell them about it.
They could not tell the Emperor and the Duke about it as they were unsure if they knew of the existence of mystic eyes, as they may suffer repercussions for doing so.
This was because of the fact that the seven heroes erased almost all records of the existence of mystic eyes, only stone tablets with the crest of the heroes and the mystic eye symbols found in ancient ruins (which were actually the bases the previous heroes used) existed now.
"No unique skills Evan?"
"They're called unique because they're not common, you know?"
Evan replied to the Duke's question with a sigh.
'Even if I could tell you about it, I wouldn't, as for the second one, it's too dangerous if it becomes known.'
Gazing at the Duke, Evan could tell that he seemed a bit happier despite the flat look on his face.
'Perhaps, is it because of the Paladin skill?'
The reason that Arnold, Evan's elder brother lost his position as heir to the dukedom was simply because he did not possess the bloodline skill that represented the 'Eris' family.
'Why though? According to the memories of 'Evan', the reason hasn't been discovered, which is weird considering that all members of the 'Eris' family by blood have this skill.
Oh well, It actually does not matter to me, what matters is that I have to think of a way to get 'that'.'
The 'Graveyard of the Arrogant' had the status effect of 'Arrogance' due to a certain reason.
As a pro gamer who completed all main and side quests of 'Aidos online', Evan knew the reason.
As a member of the new generation seven heroes who possessed the memories of her predecessor, Laurene also knew the reason.
It was due to the entity sealed at the bottom. The rumours of an arrogant devil being sealed there were not far off from the truth.
The one sealed there was one of the invaders of a thousand years ago, a demon.
A Peak Ranked Demon with a level over 700.
The Leader of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Pride.