“Status,” I said in what I believed was a regal manner.
Name Deprofundis Reprobate 'Once Loved' Age: 28 Height: 196cm Gender: Male Race Udumori Class Dark Lord (Epic ,F) Skills Mirror of Truth & Judgment (Ultimate, A+, Exclusive) Titles Dungeon Manager (Common, F-),
Immortal Beloved(Supreme, SSS+++, Exclusive) Mentality: Thunderstruck Disposition: Neutral, Neutral
Martial Prowess 80/160 Intelligence 93/120 Explorer 71/160 Wisdom 94/120 Commander 42/160 Health 150/200 Politics 68/160 Allure 160/200 Magic 173/222
Intrigued and not sure of what to make of the numbers, I pored over the detailed explanations for the numerical stat values.
Martial Prowess was basically a gestalt number of offense and defense. It tabulated aspects such as Strength, Toughness, Endurance, as well as fighting ability with and without weapons.
Explorer was a more nebulous measure in my mind. The stat purported to measure trailblazing fecundity, pathfinding in uncharted territory, as well as willingness to adventure.
Intelligence was the whole of oratory ability, smarts and knowledge. Whilst Wisdom was the total of experience, insight and intuition.
Commander denoted the ability to command and rally troops, as well as the ability to realize strategy and tactics in war and battle.
Politics had to do with the ability to deal in and with intrigue plus the ability to rule and govern.
Health dealt with general constitution, susceptibility/resistance to illness and disease, and longevity.
Allure measured charisma, attractiveness sexual and otherwise, and mystery.
Finally, Magic, was a stat unique to only a select percentage of residents in the world. Understandably, the stat dealt with aptitude for and potency of magic capabilities.
The first set of numbers were my current stats, and the second set of numbers were the stat limits, tabulated based on race, class, and titles. Stat limits would be raised every time the tiers and grades of Classes and Titles were levelled up. However, because the Udumori race had the gift of Limit Break on every parameter, stat limits were of no concern to me.
I wasn’t too sure what to make of the numbers, since I had no comparisons. Was I strong, and if so, how strong? With there being not much more I could do with this screen, I dismissed it and brought up the Dungeon Management screen.
Dungeon Status Gold 225 Mana 175 Subordinates 0
I could select the floors, rooms and passages I wanted to view, as well as withdraw and deposit Gold and Mana. I could visualize in my mind the current layout of my dungeon: The current room I was in was connected with one straight long major tunnel passageway all the way to the entrance. Underwhelming to say the least.
I put on an even grimmer face as I accessed the Summonable minions list.
“Goblin Miner, Common Slime, Wolf-pup, Basic Wisp…” I muttered.
That was it. There was nothing else.
They sure didn’t sound strong.
I seriously lamented being an F- grade Common tier Dungeon Manager.
Although the prices for these common mobs were acceptable, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to recoup the gold from adopting a swarm strategy.
Once again, I was sorely missing a comparison of relative strengths of common mobs to adventurers.
I also wasn’t too sure about the differences between mana and gold. It seemed that these two resources were almost interchangeable. I decided to start off by spending mana instead of gold, since I could replenish mana myself, whilst I could not do so with gold.
I decided to test my mana pool and regeneration rate and so started depositing mana into the dungeon. I stopped when I felt quite exhausted. +330 mana, hmm, not bad at all.
I spent 60 mana adding two more passageways, one to the right and one to the left of the central tunnel, with each running the full length from the entrance to my private quarters. I also spent 100 mana placing a large boss room at the end of the three passageways right before my private quarters.
After walking the length of the central passage, I let out the words, “Well, at least I suppose this is something I can work with to start.” The trip had taken me a total of three hours.
I walked to the entrance to take a glance outside. The entrance itself was immense and supported by an arched stone column of gigantic proportions. I wondered how in the world this glorified hole was supposed to be concealed and occluded. In truth though, the entrance was carved up-ways into a hazardous mountainside cliff, with a winding trail leading down into the lightly forested grounds below.
It was too bad that the map function now only covered my dungeon and its immediate surroundings. The only thing I knew was that I was somewhere around the grand mountain range of Hwasten.
I decided to head back to my private quarters. While walking, I thought about various things: about subjects pertaining to my immediate course of action and those that did not. In particular, it was strange to me that there was a bed in my room when I did not need any sleep. Of course, how was it possible that a dark lord did not age and did not require food, drink, or sleep in the first place? This was the veritable stuff of Godhood – chased since time immemorial by all manner of folk from ascetics to emperors.
Perhaps it was due to this preoccupation of my thoughts that I did not notice the presence of a visitor in the dungeon. For I was incredibly surprised when the sight of a meticulously well-kempt businesswoman was the first thing that greeted me as I swung open the stiff and heavy grand double wooden doors to my room.
It couldn’t be an adventurer already?
She had her wavy purple hair gathered and tied up into a ponytail behind her head, and she was wearing a very modern black business suit with red tie and all.
Even at first glance, she was a very beautiful woman.
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I stared at her for a brief moment as silence enveloped the room.
Unable to sense any hostile intent from the woman, I said while gesturing myself into a bow, “I was not expecting any visitors so soon, welcome to my dungeon.”
“Greetings, Lord Reprobate. I apologize for startling you. I am Gajie, a representative of the Kikesta Firm,” the woman said.
I activated the Mirror of Truth & Judgment and selected the businesswoman as the target:
Name Gajie Bokkanamul Age: 164 Height: 167cm Gender: Female Race Elfoid-Demon Class Grand Merchant (Superb ,B) Skills Accounting (Superb, B+), Actuarial Science (Elite, A-), Enactment (Limited, C+) Titles Master Accountant (Superb, A), Master Actuary (Superb, C-),
Master Politician (Elite, B), Seeker of Vengeance (Legendary, A) Mentality: Deeply Buried Sorrow Disposition: Neutral, Order
Martial Prowess 41/100 Intelligence 108/110 Explorer 62/100 Wisdom 90/110 Commander 36/110 Health 123/130 Politics 109/110 Allure 150/150 Magic 60/110
After quickly glancing over her stats, I decided to look into Gajie’s past using my Mirror skill. Instantaneously, I received within my memory, a rolling view of her past. The process was similar to recalling a movie or show I had watched. Except that the entirety of Gajie’s past was stored within myself and I knew it well like I was reminiscing about a well scrutinized film.
“Is my presence unsettling to you Lord Reprobate? I can return another time if you wish for me to leave,” Gajie said as I looked at her with a misty-eyed and forlorn look.
“I’m sorry Gajie. I looked into your past just now,” I replied.
“Oh, forgive me my manners, Lord, but I find that a little hard to believe,” Gajie responded with a confident smile.
“Your surname, Bokkanamul, is a keepsake from your lover. You two were star-crossed. Both of you were commoners, and were forced to submit and be exploited by the system that exists because it was too immense to go against. But you’ve kept alive the memories of both love and hate deep within your heart…”
“Stop right there!” Gajie let out a sharp cry.
I could see that she had raised a mental alarm and was regarding me differently now.
“If you aren’t simply a part of some dastardly ploy, tell me something that not even Muchim would know,” Gajie said icily.
“You secretly gave yourself to the vile rich man who lusted after you so that your lover would be freed. In the end though, Muchim was murdered. It was only after the fact that you learnt that everything was a setup and that the judge was in cahoots with the rich man. But you were powerless and unable to do anything. Yearning for vengeance, you joined the Kikesta firm. Because the firms are the only feasible route to power for commoners,” I said.
I let out an inaudible sigh while looking straight at Gajie.
“Gajie, once again, I’m sorry for prying into your past. I empathize with your pain and sorrow - your burning hatred. But not only can I see the past, I can also catch glimpses of the future. I’ve seen moments of a future where we work together and triumph,” I said.
Gajie who had been silent this whole time, finally let out a remark, “Can the Prophecies really be true?”
She started talking to herself mentioning things like, “The King who will unify,”
“Know the past and see the future,” “True Immortality,” “Power to resurrect,” “Impossible,” “But maybe…”
“Gajie,” I called out to her.
“Yes?” she responded, being brought back to earth.
“Let’s start from the beginning again. There’s a lot I don’t know and equally as many things that I want to ask you about.”
I was able to glean many items of interest just from reading Gajie’s memories.
That Kikesta was one of the top mercantile firms of the Demon Realm, and that one of their primary sources of power, fame, prestige, and income was to provide commercial services to powerful pioneers such as Dark Lords.
But there were things I wanted to ask her directly.
Gajie taught me that the average person would be considered masterful at the 30~40 range for any stat and that hero-caliber champions would top out at 70~90.
I also asked her how it was possible for anyone, even a Dark Lord, to have no need for the basic necessities of life, to which she replied that the legends told that Dark Lords had been blessed with a drop of the Holy Dew.
Regarding the Holy Dew, this was the stuff of legends, the blessed power that the Prophesied King would acquire in full. This dew could restore youthful looks and vigor and bestow immortality among other things.
As for there being a bed in my room, Gajie said that just because a Dark Lord does not require food, drink, or sleep, doesn’t mean that they cannot and do not partake in such activities. Indeed, those who newly ascend to Dark Lord Status oftentimes kept to a schedule much like they would if they were still commoners.
I learnt that I could purchase monsters unavailable within the system from the firms for my dungeon, and that gold had purchasing power anywhere in this world: from the Demon Realm to the Human Territories.
Heck, if I wanted, I could summon goblin miners and sell the ores that they mine to the firms for gold.
Most importantly though, I learnt where my dungeon was located. Apparently, my dungeon was in the Western end of the mountain range, at a crossroads between Lemarin, Hwasten-Low, Ente and the Konigforest.
I thought that I was able to build some rapport with Gajie, and this was what I wanted. If I am able to have her as an adjutant later on, she would prove invaluable as a treasurer, secretary, and politician. For I had seen a grand vision of the future – one where starting small consisted of being the Lord of a Grand City built around my dungeon.