I noticed Redrock, Blackrock, and Whiterock were surprised by Nazrat's discovery of the three Deadly Sins Imps hidden among the 500 Imps. They whispered something in the Original Fae language with an upset tone.
It could have been an accident that those Imps ended up in this Warehouse. Given their potential, if I were their trader, I wouldn't sell them for the price of a Clay rank.
I ignored their encrypted discussion to follow Nazrat to the chosen Imps when Blackrock grabbed the back shadow cloak to stop me from exiting Timun's Peep-me-not bubble.
"We felt you should have this," Blackrock said as he pulled a paper from his storage ring and handed it to me. The Interface translated the text and created a window highlighting the translation.
[The rarity of Elemental Spell Tomes
Common (C): Geomancy, Pyromancy, Hydromancy, and Aeromancy.
Uncommon (UC): Bonemancy, Woodmancy, Cryomancy, Metalomancy, and Bloodmancy.
Rare (R): Crystalmancy, Shadowmancy and Electromancy.
Super Rare (SR): Necromancy, Soulmancy, Chimeramancy, and Holymancy.
Ultra-rare (UR): Illusionmancy, Soundmancy, Solarmancy, Lunarmancy, and Telemancy.
Legendary (L): Plasmancy, Toximancy, Faemancy, and Dracomancy.
Mythical (M): Chronomancy, Spacemancy, Gravitymancy]
"Since you want to acquire Spelltomes, you should know their rarity to understand their value. Whiterock has an Ultra Rare Spell Tome with him if you are interested," Blackrock explained.
"This is helpful! Which one do you have, and how much will it cost me?" I ask Whiterock immediately. There should be no harm in inquiring about his stock and price.
"Its worth is beyond Mana Crystals or Mana Wood. I will be willing to gift a Telemancy Spelltome to you if you help us track down a Dragon," Whiterock offered.
"I am not sure what exactly a Telemancy Spelltome is. Anyways, how can I help you hunt down a Dragon? You said there are none in Arya." I remind.
Even if I create an army of Golems and Imps, I don't want to waste them on taking down a Dragon just for a Spelltome.
"I can't reveal too much about the advanced spells in it. But it has a Clay Rank spell that allows the holder of the Spelltome to communicate mind to mind, no matter the distance, with those who are their slaves, summons or subjects. As a Dungeon Lord, you will find it very useful to communicate with your minions and speak to us anytime." Whiterock revealed.
My God! That will make me Professor Xavier from The X-Men!
"As for Hunting down Dragons. They can shape-shift into other races when they reach the Diamond Rank. But, the past Dungeon Lords could see most creatures' details. After we confirmed your identity, we figured shape-shifted Dragons shouldn't be a problem for you to spot unless they are a Hero protected by a Diety or a Black Market Trader." Whiterock explained.
"You all knew I had that ability?" I ask with a surprised tone.
"We brought you here to Rodwin to see if you could find the three Deadly Sin Imps like Nazrat among the 500 I assembled here. We needed to know if your ability is limited to your minions or the boundaries within your Dungeon. But we didn't expect Nazrat to find the three without your help." Redrock revealed.
I couldn't help but pat Nazrat on his back for his ability. I assumed they brought me here to con me into buying Imps who couldn't communicate with me.
"Do you expect me to have my Golem wander around Arya searching for a Dragon pretending to be a random creature?" I ask.
"Dragons are not fond of shape-shifting into other types of monsters, animals, Elemental Beasts, or Non-Humans, mainly due to their ego. They prefer humans to the point they have a fetish for your race, just like how most humans fantasize about Dragons." Redrock explained, and I mentally cringed.
"We suspect the King of Arya's Eastern Kingdom is a Hidden Dragon. He has lived beyond the life span of a Human for five centuries, and he has an army of Nagas obeying his commands without Deity Oaths, Slave Tattoos or Mana Contracts." Whiterock explained.
"If only high-ranked Dragons can transform into Humans, then any child he bears would be a Half Dragon, right? Don't the Nagas qualify?" I point out.
"Nagas are Half Snake, not Dragon. However, they did serve and worship the Dragons in the past. It could explain why they serve him without strings attached. He has no Queen, but he has had countless partners within his kingdom, none of whom have produced a child for him over the centuries. We think he found a way to prevent giving his seed to Humans to avoid creating Dramans, who are Humans with Dragonblood," Redrock pointed out.
"Why aren't the other Human Kingdoms assuming he is a monster in Human form?" I point out.
"The Eastern King claims he was bitten by a demonic snake in the ruins of Arya centuries ago, which granted him eternal youth. However, it also caused him to develop a phobia of the Sun, become sterile and make him a shut-in, so they all left him and his secret alone to avoid his fate. We think he created this lie to hide his true identity as a Dragon," explained Whiterock. Upon hearing this, I mentally laughed.
"The man is no Hidden Dragon. He is an Undead creature like a Vampire." I declare. However, the lack of bats made me hesitate to come to this conclusion.
"You thought we were Vampires when we told you our abilities. How can you be sure he is one?" Blackrock pointed out.
"I jumped to a conclusion with you three. But I know that the Undead only come out at night. Since he is phobic of the Sun and can't sire children with any woman, he must be an Undead creature. Vampires are also known for their eternal youth, craving for women, and aversion to leaving their castles. They all fit his story." I point out and mentally thank those Twilight Books and Blade movies from my childhood.
Why do they not know about Vampires? This world has almost every fantasy element except that in their knowledge base.
"Your world had these Vampires?" Redrock asked.
"We have many stories about them in almost every civilization and culture. So, there must have been a crossover at some point in time. However, they are usually associated with Vampiric Bats and are less connected to snakes." I point out.
"Well, if you are certain he is not a Dragon, we will remove him from the list. A few others might be, but we will discuss it in the carriage on the way back to your Dungeon." Blackrock replied, and I nodded my Golem head.
"Rai, did you inspect me with the Dungeon Lord's ability? Is it why you knew my Bugs had hidden skills?" Timun, silent during the exchange with the triplets, suddenly asked.
"No, I held back from using it on you, and I didn't even look at your bugs before I paid for them, remember?" I reply as I recall the Redhead who accused me of being a pervert when I tried to check out her Human-Imps at the Adventurers Guild.
"Right!" Timun replied.
"Didn't your books on Dungeons and their Lords mention this ability?" I ask.
"Dwarven literature detailed our conflicts with the Dungeon Minions who invaded our territories and mainly mentioned the resources inside the Dungeon. A few bits here and there on types of personalities that the Lords came in, but nothing about their abilities," Timun explained, pulling out his copy of our Mana Contract.
"Can we add a line that forbids you from checking my details and those of my subjects unless we give permission? It's an intrusion of our privacy and may cause some mistrust," Timun pointed out.
I was planning on studying the Dwarves through Dungeon Surveillance, which would have made collecting information without being noticed easier. But that is the wrong way to go about it.
I remembered the day I joined the Mech regiment in their secret Bunker. The government shared with me and the other recruits all our private social media messages and the embarrassing websites we frequented to warn us that they knew everything we did online. They wanted to avoid leaking sensitive information about us and our work to the enemy. They also made us fear they would share our dirty details with our friends and families if we slipped up as punishment.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I don't want Timun and his Dwarves to fear me that way. Only those who invade my Dungeon or break the rules should receive that treatment.
I agreed to Timun's request as long as I could study the rule breakers, and we quickly added it to the Mana Contract.
After that, I left the Peep-Me-Not bubble and went over to the 20 Human Ips standing before the other Imps that Nazrat rejected. The ones he selected had been moved to the other side of the Warehouse. As I approached them, ten females and ten males looked at me with hope.
"All twenty of you Human Imps belong to me! Stand with the others that my Imp, Nazrat, had picked out," I instruct in the Falaran Language, hoping that none of them come from the other Kingdoms.
"Are you truly buying all of us?" One of the males asked in the Falaran language. I looked at the source and noticed his eyes looked at me with the same excitement Nazrat had when he learned my identity.
"Yes, I am taking you all to my home," I announce, and many of them smile in response. A few females hugged each other, and I sensed these weren't random Human Imps gathered together for me. They all quickly joined the chosen group and began jumping around in excitement.
"Did you tell them I am the Dungeon Lord?" I whisper to Nazrat, standing beside me. I assumed the Human mind in them would be horrified by my identity.
"I didn't. These Human Imps are non-believers," Nazrat pointed out.
"Why are you all celebrating?" I asked the Male Imp who had spoken to me before.
"Being together is the only comfort we have in this new life. So we were afraid you wouldn't buy all of us and force us to separate." A female Human Imp replied as she rubbed away a tear from her right eye.
"Oh? Are you all friends?" I asked and got a nod from all of them. The Male who spoke to me first stepped forward to explain their relationship.
"I used to be called Valgrind. We were all second-year students at the Falar Mage Academy." He explained, and I recoiled a bit.
Twenty Human Imps from the same Mage Academy? What kind of luck is this?
I turned back to look at Redrock, who made a thumbs-up sign and guessed it wasn't pure luck that they ended up among the 500 Imps. But I wondered why the Leader Caste Imp would eat Humans if the chances of becoming a Human Imp were high. Valgrind noticed my confusion and continued.
"I think I need to explain how we all became Human Imps. We were sent to the sewers below the Academy for our fourth-year exam to exterminate all the creatures breeding there. It was mostly filled with swarm monster Rats, Frogs and Cockroaches. They also rewarded much experience since they were technically monsters, so it was a chance to rank up easily. The teachers wanted to see if we could manage it without their help, so they set a 48-hour time limit and waited for us to come back up. They weren't aware that a powerful tribe of Imps dug their way into the Sewers, and their warriors hid till the right moment to capture us when we spent all our Mana after killing the other creatures. They dragged us to their Leader Caste, who killed us and ate our brains in the hopes of becoming more powerful. Thankfully, they couldn't handle our minds since we had more mental willpower even though we were just kids. In the end, all of us turned into Human Imps and got jailed by the warriors in the tribe who wanted us to accept our new role as their new chiefs," Valgrind explained.
What a bunch of unlucky kids or lucky kids?
Hold on, kids?"
Apart from the Imp features, they all look like Humans in their Early twenties.
"How old were you before you all died?" I ask.
I assumed a Mage Academy was like a College for Mages, so they had to be 18 or older. But then again, this world wouldn't follow the same standards as Earth.
"We were 12 years old. But now we have full-grown bodies, so I can see why you find it hard to believe." Valgrind revealed.
No wonder they were jumping around and celebrating as if school got canceled.
I recall Brock and his Brother being little more than kids when the Imps captured them under the Ruins near the Dungeon. I assume the Leader Caste Imps thought it would be easier to dominate a child's mind than an adult human. But they didn't factor in the willpower of a Mage mind.
"How did you all end up here in Rodwin together?" I ask.
"Our Academy sent their best Mages down to the sewer when we failed to return up. But when they found the Imps and saw what they did. They went into a rage, killed all the Imps they could find, and followed the tunnels to their lair, where they found us in cells.
We thought they would take us back to the Academy and try to turn us back into Humans. But they immediately placed Slave Mana Tattoos on us and informed the rest of the students that we were all killed by the monster swarms in the sewer. Then they secretly sold us to that Bronzed Masked Black Market Trader a week ago, saying he is known for selling Human Imps to kind Slave Masters who won't abuse us. We have been living in this Warehouse since then, waiting for him to find a good Slave Master." Valgrind pointed at Redrock, who is in deep discussion with Timun within the Peep-me-not. They both are Monster Tamers and Traders, so they have much to discuss.
Oh? So that's why Redrock and his brothers were trying to recommend Human Imps on the way here. They wanted me to bring them all to the Dungeon. They feel bad for the Human Imps because they share the same fate if their identity is exposed.
"I promise I will not abuse any of you. But are you still Mages?" I ask, hoping they retain those skills. It would solve my main wish for spell casters.
"We are Classless right now," Valgrind answered.
"Classless? Could you explain how you got your classes?" I ask for clarification.
"Human Children are classless until our 10th birthday. We unlock a class by training in specific jobs under the guidance of one who has that class. Then, we unlock skills within that class and expand from there. Non-combat jobs are the easiest for children to acquire since we are willing to work as free apprentices to anyone who accepts child labor. Smithing, building, labor, mining, farming and sewing are the most common beginner classes.
However, very few children can unlock a combat class since they must find someone willing to teach them. Usually, the slum kids join criminal gangs that train them in archery, lockpicking, and knives to become Rogues. The army offers basic training in the Sword and Shield in return for logistics aid or kitchen work. That helps them unlock the Warrior Class.
As for Mages, the Academy sends out Mana Affinity testers across the Falar Kingdom. They target children who reach the age of ten and test them through a Mana affinity Orb. Most have Mana without any elemental affinity, so those kids get rejected. We were among those who tested positive for elemental affinities. But just having an affinity isn't enough. Once we signed a Mana Contract with the Mage Academy, they gave us the appropriate Elemental Cores to absorb via meditation until we unlocked the Mage Class. The contract guaranteed a consistent supply of cores until we graduated and served 30 years in the Falar Army. But they canceled that contract when we became Human Imps since the Falar Kingdom only allows Humans to serve," Valgrind explained.
"Wait... Do Mages also need to absorb Elemental Cores to Rank up?" I ask.
"Of course, without absorbing the right Elemental cores, Mages won't meet the requirements for a Rank up. The more affinities a mage has, the harder it is to rank up because it will take more Elemental Cores, which is why there are so few Dual Elemental Mages of high rank." Valgrind explained.
And here I thought Mages could rank up by killing anything. It will be expensive unless an Imp Mage is cheaper to raise. I am sure the main reason they were all sold into slavery was that the Mage Academy wanted to recoup their loss in investment in raising twenty mages.
"Maybe that is the case for Humans, but I was told that Imps have a natural racial affinity for Fire, Shadow and Blood elements. Nazrat! Do Imp Mages have to absorb Elemental Cores to unlock their Mage Class or Rank up?" I ask.
"All Imps take a week to reach adulthood. After that, Mage caste Imps automatically unlock their Mage Class affinity and rank up from killing creatures." Nazrat explained.
Oh, thank the gods! I hope Nazrat selected at least a dozen from the Mage Caste.
"What about Human Imps with a Mage past?" I ask Nazrat.
"They need to eat Elemental Cores that match their affinity to become a Mage once more and Rank Up," Nazrat revealed.
"Eat an Elemental Core? Is that possible?" Valgrind asked in shock, and the other Human Imps touched their fangs and jaw, imagining how painful that would be.
"Your fangs are not as weak as a Human. Your bodies may look Human, but they are much stronger now." Nazrat replied before hissing with his fangs and banging his chest to show off.
"How can they know which element they have an affinity for?" I ask Nazrat, who looks at the chosen Imps waiting behind the Human Imps. Nazrat calls out to a Mage Cast Imp in Impan. An Imp that looks like the chibi version of the Baboon from the Lion King movies comes forward. His blood-red fur makes him stand out from the other Baboon Imps.
"High Chief, this Imp has Glutton Sin in him. He is a Bloodmancer who gets stronger by consuming blood from different types of creatures. He studied the art of the spellcrafter under a human mage who sold him to Redrock after he failed to rank up. But he can only speak Impan. I will translate!" Nazrat said to me.
"Good to know," I reply.
Amon says something in Impan to me and performs a deep bow.
I was about to reply, but Nazrat interrupted and urged Amon to continue with the task.
Amon grabs Valgrind's hand before sniffing it and declaring the results to Nazrat.
"Holy and Shadow. Quite a rare combo," Nazrat translated.
"Oh? It's great to hear I still have my Holy Affinity. But How did I get the Shadow element?" Valgrind asked Nazrat, who relayed the question, listened to Amon's lengthy explanations and translated it for Valgrind.
"Are you not half Imp and half Human? You now have a Dual Elemental affinity after your rebirth. But it also means you must eat both Elemental Cores equally to Rank Up. Even though it sounds expensive, you can combine their Mana to create one dual fusion spell at each rank. It will be as powerful as those SpellTomes fused by the High Ranked Mages." Nazrat translated.
"I know that the Holy Elemental Beasts are very expensive, but what are their powers exactly?" I ask Nazrat. But Valgrind answered.
"I can heal wounds, regrow lost limbs, buff my Strength and Speed. If I get to Diamond rank, I can create barriers that block Elemental attacks until I run out of Mana. Though it's not as powerful as the spells contained in a Holymancy Spell Tome," Valgrind pointed out.
Wow! That sounds like the abilities Phil Sin displayed when he fought with the Black Phoenix in my Dungeon. How will its combination with Shadowmancy turn out?
"Let's move on," Nazrat said impatiently. He seems annoyed by hearing about Valgrind's potential.
I keep my mouth shut to allow Amon to test the others to see if any more have the Holy Element.
After several minutes, I reported the results to Rachel, who saved them in a Window. It has all the names of the Human Imps and their Dual Elemental Affinities.
[Male Human Imps
Valgrind - Holy, Shadow
Ark - Water, Shadow
Regis - Earth, Fire
Obin - Metal, Shadow
Saber - Metal, Blood
Goran - Shadow, Blood
Hato - Ice, Blood
Gazy - Fire, Blood
Koli - Lightning, Shadow
Rutan - Earth, Blood]
[Female Human Imps
Raila - Earth, Shadow
Sima - Metal, Fire
Dinara - Wind, Fire
Chori - Water, Shadow
Tix - Lightning, Fire
Voru - Ice, Shadow
Lin - Fire, Blood
Yara - Water, Shadow
Pearl - Holy, Fire
Nova - Fire, Shadow]