Somewhere in the New World Holly Woods' Mountains
A few months after the Battle of Eldorado.
Sitting on his throne, in the darkest room of the dungeon, Fuliben was giddy with excitement.
His contribution is finally recognized!
"Hello everyone, and welcome to the next episode of Today's Dungeon." A tall, burly red demon spoke to a floating mirror, teleporting the image back to the "Happy Land." "I am the host Pepito. Today, we are going to interview the most popular person for this year's Death Award, the Lich rival of Winquil Knight Bane himself... Fulibang!"
"Former rivals. We forgot about each other." Fu
ibo
Taking a closer look at the demon, I noticed he looked vaguely familiar. “Aren’t you the announcer for Brandon Moore Arena?”
"Yeah, I lost my job not long after Vaik ate the audience," Demon said. "But after six months of despair and homelessness, I bounced back and took the monster world by storm!"
It's nice to see that the survivors of Ishfania's old regime have reformed, even Miss Moore. This only confirmed Fulibon's belief that revenge is a pointless waste of time. After all, if he spends all his time planning K
ightsba
e's demise, he would not be able to realize his dream of building a famous dungeon.
"Fu
ibo
Sir, your dungeon'The Tomb of Fu
ibo
'got deaddie Awa
ds received five nominations, including 'Deadliest Dungeon', 'Best Support Mini-Boss', 'Best Dungeon Boss', 'Best Dungeon Design' and 'Best Dungeon Sound Design'. 'This is your first official job and you must feel honored. "
"I'm very proud," Furibang responded. "Especially the best sound design. My team had a hard time putting these rats into the walls. A dungeon is more than just a place; it's an atmosphere. To be honest, I was planning on bringing these rats with me a year ago My Cugu Castle participated, but..."
"K
ightsba
e?"
"K
ightsba
e. "It's a pity that he has always been proud of his black beast mini-boss. "Indeed, I have become an adventurer and become famous for fighting the evil [Toon] monsters that live in the Holly Forest. But deep down, I will always be a dungeon enthusiast. "
"Then you may have a new chance to use your passion to take on Vyoncian Knight Bane!" You know he'll be participating as part of a team of adventurers, alongside [Paladin] superstar Kia Bekele ?"
Fu
ibo
chuckled. "very interesting".
"This is no joke."
The Lich was silent for a long moment, realizing that the demon was serious. "I never thought I would empathize with a (Mithraic Paladin)," the Lich admitted after considering the implications of the statement. "I hope she's okay."
"To demonstrate his dungeon designs, Fu
ibo
and his team agreed to give us a full live demo," the Demon announced, immediately changing the subject. "Let's meet our players. "
"[Fu
ibo
divination ball]," Fu
ibo
Casting a spell of his own devising, a ghostly crystal ball appeared before him showing the entrance room to the dungeon. His teammates gathered in a large stone hall, separated from the dungeon's first corridor by a purple energy barrier and a dragon statue.
"Sarah Dillon," the demonic narrator points to the black-furred female beast. She carries a large cylinder filled with bombs, potions, and monster playing cards. "A crazy [alchemist] [gambler] whose ridiculous luck protects her from all harm!"
"This is not luck, this is fate." Shujin protested, and the devil's voice penetrated the divining mirror. Before her final duel with Knight Baine, she was Fu
ibo
training partner.
"Marty Oaklin, goblin hunter extraordinaire." The unofficial leader of the band is a powerful orc, clad in iron armor and wielding a magical bow. "As an (archer) [mercenary], he combines combat efficiency with a keen tactical acumen."
"Just because my class has low intelligence growth, doesn't mean I'm stupid," the orc declared.
The demon then points to the prettiest of the group, a pink-haired elf dressed like a belly dancer; her beauty belies her lethality. "Jeanne Stafford, one-half [bard], one-quarter [fencer], one-quarter [dancer]. A killing machine who kills evil on her own terms."
"I'm bi-neutral, so I can walk both ways," the elf replied.
"Finally, Mr. Raptor." Finally, a member of the Hawks hung on his cane with a defeated look on his face. "A birdman (wizard) and (priest of dice), which is the main reason his team survived the suicidal impulse."
"Until now," complained the bird in a melancholy voice. "Shhh, Fleur."
"I have a panacea. I can cure almost any disease you have." Fuliben replied calmly. "You still owe me a life, just because of that El Dorado thing."
"Yeah, but I thought we were going to pay you for a vacation or something. Not giving you free torture!"
"Raptor, you're exaggerating," Jenny said. "Of course, Fu
I'm a little weird, but he'll never go that far. "
"He's right, the purpose of dungeons is not to have fun." Fu
ibo
Whispered to the demon reporter, low enough that his team couldn't hear. "It's about emotionally draining the adventurer's will and destroying them physically and mentally. I prefer the old-school approach, carefully designing each room to intensify the pain."
"So what do you have to say about the new 'Random Dungeon' campaign? Ghost asked. "They've had a lot of success in recent years, especially against unpredictable dragon adventurers. "
"They're hackers! Dungeons are art! Every room has to be crafted or it won't be memorable!" The Lich does have a trap room that randomly summons high-level monsters, but that's just a one-time gimmick. "As for dragons, I've found the ultimate defense against them raiding dungeons."
His team was already scouting the barrier, and Marty fired an arrow, but the bullet disintegrated on contact. They turned to examine the dragon statue closely, noticing a hole in the mouth and an inscription on the chin.
2500 gold coins per person.
"I made them pay."
"We have to pay to get in?!" Jenny complained.
"Every time," Furiben replied through the ball. "I'm not going to give you a free ticket even for a demonstration."
"After all we've been through together?" Sa
at complained. "You traitor!"
The entire team protested loudly and tried to find a way through the obstacle without paying. In vain; only Fu
ibo
Only spellcasters from their own alliance can hope to pass.
As for the rest of the dungeon, he built it from the best materials. Not even dragons can break through it, and multiple magical defenses negate favorite tactics like teleportation, intangibility...
"This is to force them to commit," Fu
ibo
Explained to the demon as his team ended up paying the tribute after failing to get around the obstacle. "The problem with adventurers is that they scout the dungeon. They enter, kill the monster, leave, heal, and come back. By imposing a monetary penalty every time they enter, I force them to complete the dungeon in one go."
It also pays for the maintenance of the dungeon.
These traps don't come cheap.
Fu
ibo
Very proud of how he died.
Miraculously lengthened by space magic, this extremely long corridor is an engineering marvel. As soon as the crew walked inside, they triggered the main trap: a rolling boulder fell right behind them. Since the corridor, like the entire dungeon, stretched underground, they soon discovered that there was no other way to go but forward.
The boulder is made of star metal, Ortmund's most powerful alloy, and is completely immune to magic. It cannot be teleported, moved out, or stopped. It can even crush invisible creatures.
Fu
ibo
It was set on fire with oil.
Of course, the Lich wants his challengers to struggle for survival, so he also sets booby traps throughout the corridors. His poor team members ran wildly inside, trying to avoid the spells cast upon them by booby-trapped wands hidden within the walls. Lightning, fireballs, acid... the necromancer spares no expense.
"Oh, I see someone likes classics!" the demon said as Sara triggered a hidden hole in the ground and hung just over the edge. A trap capable of trapping humanoids, but not powerful enough to hold back boulders. "Is that a snake pit?"
"Kind of. I've found that snakes in pits end up eating each other and starving to death unless they get a steady supply of meat."
"This is why the tomb traps are prone to degradation, folks, they've never been made for more than 100 years," the demon told his demonic audience. "Even Aknapape, who set a solo dungeon winning record with Tower of Sabra, had to make his snake immortal."
"I also thought about the undead, but then my teammate Marty came up with an innovative solution," Fu
ibo
He explained, quickly getting into the hole, "Robot."
"Robot?"
Upon closer inspection, the pit is filled with acid-spewing mechanical snakes. They hissed at the rat, whose orc allies struggled to free the rat from being crushed to death by a boulder.
“Robo snakes, robot sharks, robot pests,” Fu
ibo
explained. “All environmentally friendly puppets that will stand the test of time.”
"So your teammate is stuck between a rock and something solid?" the demon said with a smile, and Fulimoto wasn't amused. "So you deny the allegation that Golem automation leads to job losses?"
Fu
ibo
"I feel like puppet automation completes the dungeon's labor force rather than replacing it," said the company, though he appreciates the reduction in labor costs.
"Why don't you die, you stupid sword-wielding thing?!" Elf Jenny roared, stabbing wildly with a screaming sword. The Raptor kept the Raptor Priest on the ground while the rest of the team kept the two Chest Mimics at bay.
After wisely ignoring Fu
ibo
After all the "free stuff" left on the road (all of which are poisonous), the group can't resist the temptation of a room full of boxes. "I'm still surprised that adventurers aren't aware of this predatory tactic," said the evil commentator. "Someone should have invented a spell by now to tell the difference between a ribcage and a copycat."
"It's useless," the Lich said, loud enough for his teammates to hear. "Each chest in the first half of the dungeon is a powerful simulacrum, immune to magic detection."
"Every breast?" the raptor complained angrily.
"Each one, each more powerful than the last," Fuliben replied, then whispered to the demonic commentator. "But the treasure chest in the second half is real, filled with powerful treasures."
"But if the challengers thought all breasts were imitations, wouldn't they just ignore them?" the demon asked in a low voice to keep the team members in the dark.
"That's right. I want them to ignore the real treasure and only shed tears of regret and pain when they realize the truth."
"This is so cruel."
"A friend has a saying," said the Lich. "They were destined to die, and it became art."
So far, the group has successfully killed the impersonators without getting any loot. They only got the key to the next room.
Marty the Orc carefully opened the nearest lock, wary of traps, and backed away quickly as the door opened. He raised his bow and took aim at what awaited him beyond the threshold.
Only to find an innocent duck. The bird looked up at the orc, who frowned in confusion.
Elf Jenny's eyes widened in horror. "Marty, shoot the duck."
"What?" the archer asked, the bird's eyes filled with a sadistic light.
"Kill this squawking duck!"
The monster screamed and pounced on the group of people. The archer's reaction was much faster and he instinctively shot the bird to death.
Prosperity!
A violent explosion of flames and feathers knocked Marty into the opposite wall and shook the entire room.
"W-what's that?" Raptor asked, rushing to his ally to heal him.
"A (suicide duck)!" Jenny shouted. "As a defense mechanism, they explode on contact, causing approximately 300 points of (fire) damage!"
"Wait, they use suicide as a survival mechanism?" Sa
at asked. "Isn't this self-defeating?"
"The predators around them tend to become extinct very quickly," Fulliburn replied cheerfully.
Jenny sighed. "Marty, shoot the duck when you see it."
Fu
ibo
Pressing a button on his throne, one of the walls of the treasure chest room opened.
Dozens of bird eyes watched the group of adventurers from the shadows, and ominous quacking echoed in the dungeon.
After losing arms and eyes, suffering trauma and humiliation, the team finally arrived at the real treasure room.
A treasure worthy of Knight Baine awaits them, a mountain of gold, gems, and magic items buried in a cellar the size of a city.
But once they entered, the door to the room locked behind them. As the mountains of coins transformed into human forms, the adventurers prepared for battle. Treasure grows arms and legs to better crush thieves.
A [Mythical Coin Puppet] mini-boss.
"Despair!" Marty the Orc readied his bow and used all his strength; his arrow became a blazing missile that struck the golem with the speed of a cannonball.
To Fulimoto's surprise, the arrow pierced the golem and blew it away with one arrow. The projectile continued its flight, striking the vault and shattering it.
"When we got to the treasure, I knew Fu
I would do something like this," Marty boasted when the mini-boss fell, "so I brought a lot of (a
tisslaye
)arrow. "
"Before we came here, I gave them alchemical powers," Sara added, holding up her recently amputated left arm. "See? You're really good at guessing, Fu
i!"
"Well, that's very disappointing," Fu
ibo
admit. Never underestimate an adventurer. "But you're not done yet."
He clicked on the new mechanism on the throne, and the entire dungeon's layout changed. New areas replace old ones, traps rebuild themselves, and the death process takes on its true form.
"Now, you must leave the dungeon," the Lich explained. “Face the second half of it bravely!”
"I lost an arm, Fury!" complained Sara the mouse. "That's not funny!"
"I said I would cure you, both physically and mentally." He even kept a huge bank account - his entire fortune and all the winnings from his adventurous career - just in case. . Although Frippon would never admit it...he had grown fond of these bastards. "But even if we were..."
"Friends," Jenny said. "It's called friends, Fury."
"Yes, yes." The Lich cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed. "However, to be fair, I must treat every challenger equally."
"In that case..." Priest Raptor took out a pendant hidden under his robe. "You won't complain if I use this!"
Fuliben recognized the thing and was stunned. "No……"
"A [talisman of true memories]," Raptor explains. "It will teleport us back to the shelter and ignore the teleport block! Spending all my money!"
"Oh, could it be that the Dungeon Master forgot to fix that weakness?" the demonic narrator asked.
"I didn't expect this," Fu
ibo
admit. The amulet is powerful enough to bypass his guardianship. "It won't change anything."
Although his last move will be less effective.
"Everyone, bring what you can and let us teleport out," the priest told his team. "I set the teleportation point in front of the barrier."
"Where's my [bottomless bag]?" Sara complained, checking her bracelet.
"I think the duck blew it away," Jenny replied coldly, taking all the gold coins in her arms. Others brought two bags filled with gold. Having had enough of the dungeon, they desperately want to escape as quickly as possible.
The priest activated the amulet, its power even bypassing Fu
ibo
Powerful magical protection. The group disappeared from the treasure room and were teleported back to the entrance.
Just as the last of his traps were activated, Furiben had his scrying orb follow the group.
"What..." The raptor opened its eyes in horror.
To the group's horror, their hard-earned gold lost its luster.
As soon as they crossed the fence that bounded the dungeon, an emergency spell was triggered. The last joke is meant to punish the adventurers for their greed and teach them the value of caution.
In an instant, all their gold turned dark gray.
"lead". Orc Marty's eyes turned into despairing hollows. "It's all lead."
“Gold turns to lead when taken out of the dungeon,” Fu
ibo
explain. “The best things in the vault are the humble things.”
That's why he invented the [gold to lead] spell in the first place.
He thought the first explorers would cry when they discovered the landscape. Yet they stood silently around their worthless trophies, their faces pale and their eyes devoid of hope. They didn't make a sound or scream in frustration.
They just broke.
"Beautiful." The devil nodded to himself. “So, if someone accused you of being addicted to lead, what would you say?”
"I admit it has become a..." Fu
ibo
Struggling to find the word, "a guilty pleasure."
Still, he felt pain in his chest as he looked at his decimated team. That's saying a lot, since he doesn't have a heart anymore.
"I'm going to treat you to a trip to Las Vegas." Fuliben said through the crystal ball. "I'll pay for your gamble."
"You also invited us to eat Leviathan Sushi?" Jenny looked up hopefully.
Fu
ibo
Sighed. "Yes."
"Ah, I have tears in my eyes," said the evil commentator. “Even if it’s just for the camera.”
Fu
ibo
Said: "I hope you enjoy this exciting dungeon design. He can't wait to win his first death prize."
"Indeed, dear viewers, this is the beast in the dungeon. It will definitely defeat all opponents." The devil said to the mirror, then turned to Fu
ibo
Go. "There are five minutes until the end of the interview. Can you tell us what you think of the new Dragon-Formo war?"
Fu
ibo
pondered the question, then realized he had no idea what the demon was talking about. "sorry?"
"What do you think of Vak'ul Knight's decision to convene a conclave of dragons and burn Prydan to ashes?"
oh.
Oh, it finally happened.
Fu
ibo
The first reaction is to ignore it completely. Nothing good would come of hanging out with Knights Bane and Dalton, even if they had their good times; he'd be less of a headache if he stayed in his own hemisphere, away from the noise.
However, he heard rumors. The orcs have leveled up and collected the weapons they need for war. His experience in the Century War had taught him that pointless conflicts would achieve nothing, but he felt that things might end differently this time.
…
Maybe he should look into it, just in case.
