As he turned the crown over in his hand, Zeke said, “It’s not very strong, is it?”
“No,” Eveline said. “Not to you, at least. For a demon, it would be scalding. This is a similar artifact as the one I’ve told you about.”
“The one the demon used to develop a holy attunement?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Huh. It doesn’t feel like something that could alter a demon’s fate,” Zeke mused. Indeed, the crown looked impressive enough. It was a circlet of solid gold, with various jewels set into the measured peaks of its structure. However, even if it looked like a stereotypical crown from a fairy tale, it felt almost mundane to Zeke. There was a slight tingle, but beyond that, he could barely even tell that it contained mana.
“That’s because you’re a cambion with a spark of divinity,” Eveline stated. “And that spark has only grown of late. With the kobolds looking at you like a deity, it will continue to strengthen until you ascend to the next realm. After as well, but that divinity will mark you even more strongly in the Ethereal Realm.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Eveline admitted. “My experience in the matter is limited to myths and half-truths passed down through demonic civilization. Needless to say, falsehoods abound in such an environment.”
“So it could all be a lie?”
“No. Demons have a complicated relationship with the truth. We think nothing of twisting it to our own ends, yet there is almost always a kernel of truth, even in the most egregious lies,” she explained. “That reality of demonhood forces us to develop an ability to separate truth from lies, so long as we hear enough stories. It can only provide the broadest of strokes, but as someone who’s always specialized in the mind, I have a little more insight than others.”
“Unless you’re lying, just like all the other demons,” Zeke commented.
“I’m no longer a demon,” she pointed out. “Just an innocent mind spirt who happened to latch onto the first brute who offered me a chance to escape my captivity.”
“Such a sweet thing to say,” Zeke deadpanned.
“Ugh. Don’t be sarcastic. That’s my thing, and it sounds weird coming out of your mouth,” Eveline stated.
“Technically, nothing came out of my mouth,” was Zeke’s smug response. Indeed, the entire conversation had taken place in his head, and over the course of only a few seconds. By that point, he was used to it, though. He turned his attention back to the crown he’d taken from Lord Karik’s camp. It was such an ostentatious thing for a man who’d exuded such stark practicality. Of course, he hadn’t worn it – that would have been ridiculous. Instead, it had been contained in a chest inside the Knight’s tent, which was only identifiable by its massive size.
The camp itself had been a few miles away from the battlefield, though it was almost entirely abandoned. The few people who’d remained behind were beastkin slaves, a few of the Knights’ support personnel, and a handful of peasants. Some had resisted when Pudge and a contingent of scouts had descended up on the camp, but most had surrendered immediately.
“And so your kingdom grows,” Eveline said.
“Do you think this thing will satisfy the requirements of the quest?” Zeke asked.
“Technically, you don’t need a holy treasure at all.”
“You know what I mean,” Zeke stated. The quest itself only required natural treasures representing the normal attunements. Left off the list were demonic and holy treasures, but Eveline had assured him that, while they were optional, they would improve the quality of the promised reward. For that same reason, they sought the most powerful treasures available in the hope that the reward could help to usher the kobolds to even more power.
“It will suffice,” Eveline said. “Only barely, though.”
“It’ll have to do for now, then,” Zeke said, silently hoping that he could find something better. And considering that they were on the verge of moving toward the capital of Adontis, which was a city called Ivern, it seemed likely. However, before that city was one of the most defensible locations Zeke had ever beheld.
Nestled between two mountains, it sat behind a massive, mana-wrought shield that seemed almost entirely impenetrable. Even with the Runebreaker technique, Zeke questioned whether or not he could bring it down. Without seeing it, he could only guess that it would require multiple instances of the technique, and from what everyone had told him, that sort of exposure would likely get even him killed.
Because Ivern was a proper fortress, with stout defenses and the ability to repel invaders. Not only did it house the best fighters Adontis had to offer, but it was also armed with various enchanted engines of war that it could bring to bear against anyone who assaulted their capital.
And even if they overcame those glaring problems, they would need to defeat Lord Adontis himself, who was reputed to be one of the more powerful people in the realm. Certainly, he wouldn’t be on the level of the two wyrms who’d fought beneath the mountains, but he would assuredly push Zeke to his limits.
“You’re not ready to fight someone like that,” Eveline stated.
“I know,” Zeke responded, still flipping the crown in his hands. Even Karik had nearly defeated him, and Lord Adontis was far stronger. Indeed, he was supposed to have reached into the eighties. Anyone who could reach that level had done so via a host of advantages most people could only dream about. “What do you suggest?”
“Get stronger.”
“How?” Zeke asked.
“There’s a perfectly good dungeon within the labyrinth,” she answered. “That’s how everyone else progresses. Sure, you can fight monsters out in the world, at least for a little while. But the number of kills required to reach past the first threshold would depopulate the world before anyone found their way to the peak. Dungeons are the Framework’s way of getting around that. One of the few ways it helps, rather than oppresses.”
“If I go, it will leave the kobolds vulnerable,” Zeke said.
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“If you don’t, you will spend months preparing for a fight that you still might not be powerful enough to win,” Eveline said.
Zeke ran his hand through his hair and looked up. The grounds of his manor looked as peaceful as ever, which stood in stark contrast to the issues swirling through his mind. Certainly, he had won the fight against Lord Karik, but it had been a close contest. Without Sasha’s spell – as well as the surprise of his evolved [Colossal Army], there was every chance that he would have failed.
Sure, it would have taken days for him to succumb. His abilities meant that sudden death was barely even a possibility. However, it was possible to slowly wear him down, and Karik had seemed like the perfect person to utilize such a tactic. But Zeke wasn’t so arrogant that he thought he could defeat entities like the wyrms. Or someone who’d progressed more than ten levels past the first threshold.
He had plenty of advantages on his side, but so too would Lord Adontis. He would also be surrounded by powerful people like Lord Karik and have thirty extra levels – along with the skills that came with it – on his side. Going up against that sort of force was tantamount to suicide.
“For now,” Eveline said. “You’re almost level sixty. With any luck, that dungeon will usher you to level sixty-five. Perhaps even further.”
“You think so? I didn’t get that many levels in the centaur trials. It was the same with the dungeon in the giants’ territory.”
Back then, he’d gained nearly ten levels. But he’d long found that progression was a double-edged sword, and each subsequent level took a little more kill energy than the last. Couple that with all the leeches draining experience from him, and he didn’t climb the level ladder very quickly. The only reason he’d kept pace was due to the fact that he routinely fought enemies much stronger than himself.
That came with increased danger, though, and as he progressed, the number of enemies above him – or at least the degree to which they exceeded his levels – shrank. One day, he would be forced to fight hordes of lower-level monsters just to move a step forward on his path.
“That’s exactly what that dungeon is,” Eveline stated.
“Huh?”
“Honestly – how do you not know this? Most of the Knights who have turned coat have already conquered that dungeon,” Eveline said. “They know what to expect, and they have shared that knowledge with your people. Truthfully, the fact that you haven’t been sending people into the dungeons in your territory is one of the dumbest things you’ve done. Or not done.”
Zeke started to respond, but then caught himself. She was right. In the Eternal Realm, dungeons were a valuable resource, and the two he had under his control had so far been misused. Indeed, if he hadn’t destroyed the first dungeon he’d encountered…
No. That place was evil, and the world was better off now that it was gone.
“What is it like?” Zeke asked.
“You could ask that husky girl you think about so often,” Eveline responded. “The one with the shoulders.”
“Adara is not husky,” Zeke sighed.
“Not compared to an ox.”
“I am not having this conversation with you again,” Zeke stated. He hated that Eveline always wanted to turn any mention of Adara to a conversation about the woman’s body. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in those sorts of things, but rather that he disliked how Eveline reduced the woman to such superficial characteristics.
“I can see inside your head, you know,” Eveline said. “Not going to say anything else about it. Just pointing out that I know what you really think, even if you don’t want to admit to it.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult her inside my head.”
“Fine,” Eveline said, giving a mental roll of her eyes. “I’ll manifest physically for all insults.”
“Eveline.”
“Fine!” was her dramatic response. “I won’t make comments about peoples’ appearances, even if I think they are ox-like. Starting now.”
That was probably the best Zeke was going to get, so he changed the subject, asking, “So, this new dungeon – what’s it supposed to be like?”
“You could ask the Knight. I’m sure she would be happy to explain it.”
“I’m asking you, since you obviously already know.”
“You are absolutely no fun. You do realize that, don’t you?” she pointed out. When Zeke didn’t offer a response, she went on, “The dungeon is what’s known as a gauntlet. It starts off with only a few enemies, but each time you defeat a wave, more come. The last phase is supposed to be more than a thousand enemies. The best part is that they’ll all be higher level than you.”
“That doesn’t feel like a good thing,” Zeke said. Fighting a thousand enemies at once, especially when they were stronger than him, didn’t seem like a positive trait.
“Higher level doesn’t mean stronger,” Eveline retorted. “That’s why this dungeon is supposedly so valuable. It offers a nearly perfect leveling opportunity. Similar to those fire ants you fought back in the Mortal Realm.”
Zeke certainly remembered that time fondly. Back then, he’d progressed more in a few weeks than he had in months of effort in other situations. The fire ants had been deadly foes, but due to his advantages, they were incapable of killing him. Perhaps this new dungeon was similar.
“It is. All physical damage, damage, which is what you excel in taking,” Eveline explained excitedly. “That’s why the Knights wear such heavy armor, apparently. At first, it was to better combat the dungeon in their territory, but over time, it became a defining characteristic of their collective identity. Whatever the case, though, you already have what you need to wade into that gauntlet and emerge without a scratch.”
“I have a hard time believing I won’t take any damage,” Zeke said.
“Well, no. You’ll definitely take a bit. But you have the tools to overcome that. It really is a perfectly crafted situation for your advancement. I’d be surprised if you didn’t reach level sixty in the first run.”
“First run?”
“Oh, did I not mention it? You need to keep running it until you’re ready for Ivern.”
“Aren’t there diminishing returns?” Zeke asked.
“Of course. But there are still returns, even if each subsequent run diminishes them. No matter how you spin it, you’re going to have to take quantity over quality, at least until you reach level sixty-five.”
“How long do these runs typically take?” Zeke asked. “And how many do you think I’ll have to do before I get to sixty-five?”
“At least ten,” she answered. “After that, it will be so miniscule that you’d be better off moving on. The good thing is that you’re still under level seventy-five, which means that your progress is much faster than it will be afterwards.”
“Yay.”
“Don’t be petulant. It doesn’t suit you,” Eveline stated. “Besides, your level of relative power is such that, at level sixty-five, you should be able to fight someone like the Lord of Adontis with a reasonable expectation of winning. If you fight smart, at least.”
“I don’t really do smart,” Zeke said. He knew himself well enough to recognize his flaws, and he was well aware that he’d never be a great thinker. He was a man of action, and though he thought of himself as above average in the mental department, he was self-aware enough to realize that it didn’t go much beyond that.
“Don’t sell yourself short. When it comes to fighting, you’re basically a savant,” she said. “With a big club.”
Zeke ignored the statement, saying, “So – you didn’t answer my other question. How long do these runs typically take?”
“A day. Maybe two.”
“Oh. That’s…doable,” Zeke said. He would only have to leave the kobolds alone for a day or so at a time, which severely limited the amount of trouble they could find. And if they did encounter something they couldn’t handle, they only had to hold out long enough for him to complete the dungeon run. “What about after sixty-five? Any ideas?”
“Killing Lord Adontis and slaughtering every Knight in the city will go a long way toward pushing you higher,” Eveline said. “But after that, you need to find another war to fight. Or more dungeons. Which is kind of your thing, so you should be fine.”
Zeke wanted to argue that point, but he knew she was right. He might not know anything about ruling his people, and he often made mistakes with his personal relationships. But one activity in which he’d always excelled was fighting – which was lucky, considering that was probably the answer to all of his questions and the means by which he would accomplish his goals.
“Alright. I guess I need to talk to Adara, then,” he said, dismissing the crown into his storage space. Then, he pushed himself to his feet, raked his hand through his hair, and headed toward the teleportation portal. He didn’t acknowledge it, but in the back of his mind, he was aware of the butterflies that had begun dancing in his stomach.
That brought a laugh from Eveline, which he subsequently ignored.