Chaos POV

Returning after that small lecture, I appear back into the Enlightened Realm. The realm where divine beings reside in. Appearing back in my domain, two of my armored knights turn to me. They lower their head for a minute, acknowledging my presence. They are still cleaning up the mess of our recent fight with the divine being who had control over my mansion. Or my former estate- nothing too grand, but it was my home till the laws and rules changed. Too much of it has changed. At the very least, I can hiss and curse Shadow in private. He seriously attacked her? Is he mad? No, he does whatever he wants. He is not held down by such pitiful and pathetic rules. He could have confronted Aisha in a nicer way.

"Don't be like that now, say it to my face." There goes my privacy! I eye at the masked man. Instead of his battle armor, he wears a suit. He looks nice in it, but I ignore this small change. 

"What the hell are you doing here Shadow?!" Why did he come to my house!? He strokes his chin as he glance at the soldiers roaming around my mansion. He whistled at the dead bodies scattered along the floor. "So this is how you lot run your... ranks? Then again, there are always power struggles with a lot of the lesser demons and devils in my world. Everyone wants to gain recognition."

"Again, what are you doing here Shadow?" I repeat my question, leaning against a wall as my soldiers ignore him. They know that he is not an enemy, but at the same time, I got a feeling that Shadow could make my soldiers bow to him just because of the darkness in him. Even if my chaos soldiers are neutral, they are evil. They love the chaos and evil of some beings, and Shadow is abnormal. Not of this world, and my soldiers, despite their undying loyalty to me, have seen Shadow as a true god or warrior. Something like that.

"I was a bit curious to certain things-"

"Aren't you banned from this realm?" He scoffs at me.

"You think I would be. And to be frank, yeah, I am banned from this realm, yet they did something really dumb with the paperwork. They labeled me as a devil. And I am not a devil."

"So... you're telling me because of this one slip up, you are not really banned from here..." I rubbed my forehead, shaking my head. "You got to be... They... You did not tell them your true occupation?"

"Half and half. I am a devil, but I am a demon. I am a malik, but I knew that they might use this information against me, so I just gave them one. Yet I did not diclose the true label. My race is a word that is foreign to mortals and worlds other than my own. Why should I give my enemies, strangers, my true occupation? I did not trust them, so I knew they would try something silly like this." Smart. No, he has experience. He knows about deception. He can predict people's behavior and actions. Well, it is expected. He served under the man who was named Lucifier.

"Your fellow beings are quite... dumb." Shadow summons a red apple in his hand as he has a knife in the other one, slowly peeling the skin off of it. "You see, they follow rules and laws like they have to. They make the world into a game like it is some sort of entertainment. My gods, my former demons and devils, they do not abide by such silly notions. They have some, to a degree, but they do not enforce it constantly. Because it's silly. Why would gods need rules when they know what must be done. Gods respect each other, despite their differences, and evil and good gods know that they will react accordingly. I invaded the realms of heavens. The gods of those realms respond in earnest." 

"Change." I cannot say. But like Shadow, I know my way around these restrictions. Yes, the divine beings that are high up there in power DO NOT want anyone else to know of the past. When the divine beings were nicer and stayed away from the world, there was peace. But these new divine beings, and some of the old ones, grew tired and bored. After summoning some humans or beings from another world, some divine beings wanted change. With this in mind, the divine beings had a war amongst each other and only a few knew about it. It was a stupid war... A really dumb one where I tried my best to help my fellow brothers and sisters. Sadly, I could not assist them as my own powers were depleted. Not by choice. These new divine beings, and those who wanted to entertain themselves by mingling with the world, they won the war. They enforce these new changes. They added ranks, they added titles, perks, the world, dimensions, and realms changed drastically. And they somehow made everyone accept these new changes. To accept these new game like changes. Out of all the old beings out there, I am the only one who hates these changes. I will NEVER accept them. Anyone who speaks of this will be dealt with. Yet...

They said nothing about telepathically talking with one another. Divine beings can technically read the minds of each other, but at the same time, it depends on the willingness and power of the divine being. Shadow is different. He absorbs the information I stated, understanding my need for vengence. Yes, he knows of my grand scheme- the reason why he seeked me out in the first place. For one, he wanted confirmation, and secondly, he wanted to find someone who hates these idiots. He never got the explanation though since we were with Aisha.  

Shadow paused. "They took a fancy to video games mechanics from my world?" 

"Yeah." Shadow stabbed the apple and burn it. 

"Pathetic. Truly. You have my regards." The masked man stares at me. "You know, I am undetectable and invisible to your divine beings. Even if the high divine beings are the rulers, I override their stupid command. They really should have summoned someone else. A vampire, an undead knight, something of myths would have suffice"

"I fear if they summoned someone else, they might pull a god from your realm." 

"If the god wants to. Doubt it. My gods are too busy with their own affairs for such a pitiful world." Shadow folds his arm, "Now, you told me about how this came to be, but I do want to know a bit more about certain things." 

"Strange, didn't you absorb all the information from the divine beings you killed?"

"I did, but I still have questions. Like why you have to reclaim your own mansion from one of the divine beings? A lesser one, mind you. And do tell me a bit about yourself because I know you're old."

"You're clearly insulting me." I glowered.

"Somewhat. I can get a bit of what may have happened, but the divine beings do not have a ton of information about you. I, comparing you to my own Chaos in my world, know that you kind of act like her, but still, you are different. I question your sexuality and your tendecies though."

"That's so reassuring." I roll my eyes. I sighed. "To answer your first question, divine beings have status in their realm like the real world. In the past, we didn't really care much about who was popular or most favored, we just knew each and every divine being was important in their own unique way. We did acknowledge those who hold the most power to lead the others, but pretty much, everyone is equal."

"Like it should be." Shadow muttered. 

"The reason why I lost my domain was the lost of my worshippers and champions. Without those two factors, with this new messed up popularity contest, I ended up losing my possessions. My knights, servants, and butlers entered a comatose stage while as my lands and house was taken over by a lesser divine being." 

"Dare I ask where your residence was during these troubling times?" 

"The basement." 

There was a long pause as Shadow slowly averts his gaze at the stairs leading down to the basement.

"That's a bit... low. And you stayed there for how long?"

"Don't want to say... It was pretty hard for me to shove all of my knights down there. Had to select a few and pray that they would help me rescue the other knights scattered throughout my domain."

"I hate to be a broken record, but this system of popularity is an eyesore. Something my gods would have frowned upon." Shadow rubs his forehead, muttering a few things in his own demonic language. "And if I understand this corectly, those who exceed past a certain rank down below are MADE into divine beings. Or they have a choice to be one."

"Yes, those who hit the highest rank in normal realm will receive an invitation to become a divine being. If they say yes, they will be teleported into this realm and start their new goal of being the best divine being they can be. Or don't."

"What happen to those who don't succeed in being a divine being?"

"They die. This can happen in various ways. The biggest part of a new divine being would be to survive. They have to build their own house, ally themselves with another divine being, or pledge themselves to a divine being. The weak can become strong depending on their traits. Some divine beings can obtain a lot of power just by defending themselves if a divine being challenges them." Before I can say anymore, Shadow interrupts me.

"Hold on, I thought divine beings have to officially declare some crime or unjust action to fight one another." I stared at the ground, shaking my head.

"This applies for those who are in a certain range of popularity, and for champions, worshippers, followers, or mortals. In this realm, the Enlightened Realm, lesser divine beings can kill one another without permission. This is why a lot of lesser divine beings would seek out their preferred high divine beings the moment they come here. If they're lucky."

"And do you have a few underlings then? A few lesser beings under you?" On cue, we hear my lesser underlings walk up the stairs. Great. I was hoping Shadow wasn't around to see them, and I think the girls will be surprised at his presence. 

"Jinx, you should stop reading these erotic stories so openly. What will happen when a guest comes into the house?" A young female voice stated with concern.

"Please Hex, Chaos barely has any friends. Let alone lovers, admirers, or guests. Hell, no one appeared in our basement because we lived in a basement." A younger voice chimes in, insulting my nonexisting status in society. 

"It is good that we're out of the basement. I swear, I can't read some of my novels in peace with all of us cramped down there." A more energetic voice beams, "I can also get some exercise."

"Exercise... why you need to do that? You're already..." Why? Why are they coming out of the basement now? I had a hand over my face as Shadow was amused at my 'underlings.' Yes, I bet you're smirking, aren't you Shadow?

The four girls in question appeared at the top of the steps, freezing at the sight of the masked man. Taking a glance at their expressions, they vary. On the far left, a dark purple hair girl with glasses was gaping at our guest. Holding a laptop in her hands, she wears her black bra and panties. Actually, most of the girls aren't dressed except the one at the very end. Jinx, being on the far left of the group, breaks for it. She dash through the mansion, screaming and knocking several of my knights to the ground. The girl beside Jinx is Hex. Her red eyes moved from Shadow to me. I bet she's confused to why I have him at my place, and why it's a dude. She toys with her messy black hair, waiting for a response. Beside Hex is Scarlet. The red hair woman blinks rapidly at our guest, blushing heavily. Despite her allegiance, she is bi, so she does try to cover her body up a bit, fidgeting in place. I was a bit agitated at her motions. Why is she trying to hide her model like body? There's no need! And lastly, a small female tilts her head at our guest. Despite her height, she is pretty old although she's the only reasonable, emotionless Trick. At least she had the decency to have a gown on her than her bra and panties.

"Your playmates?" Shadow sneers, mocking me.

"No."

"Yes." 

"Maybe." 

The three girls glance at one another, giving mixed responses. Bothered by this, I glare at Shadow.

"Shut up. Didn't you have your own harem or something?"

"Me?" Shadow scoffs at this, not amused at all. "Gods have their harems. I am a demigod, I have no such luxuries. And to top it off, I'm married." Eh? I thought- Huh, guess I was wrong. Thought demons would always have some sort of harem. Shocked and impressed, I glance at my underlings. Hex shows no expression at the news, Scarlet frowns at the news, and Trick seems amazed? Shadow takes a quick glance at them, asking, "Don't these lesser divine beings count towards your woshippers?"

"They have to be from down below." Scratching my head, I leaned against the wall. My mind dwindle back towards the past, recalling those tragic memories. Times were tough. When I was at a decline, only a few people believed in me, but they never outright prayed or worshipped me. With that being said, I was losing my status. I was forgotten due to the lost of chaos energy within the world. No one had it. I was not an important individual anymore with these new rules. Without any followers, without any champions, I was left to rot. Being at the bottom, most divine beings would seize the opportunity to wipe me out. Kill me once and for all, yet they could not kill me. Even if I have no one worshipping or following me, my chaos magic does not require an audience. I had no spiritual energy, but I am still deadly in my own way. These four girls came into this realm searching for me. It was only fair that I saved them and protected them from the other divine beings who would enslave them or kill them.  

Shadow must have read my thoughts. He did not ask anymore about the girls in front of me. He did ask this, "Are they ready?" I flash shadow a devious smirk.

"Shouldn't ask me. You will have to ask them." I redirect him towards the girls. They nod their heads, giving their own smiles of their own. Hex gave off a sinister one while Scarlet shed a really cheerful smile. Trick's smile was a gentle one. 

"That's good. You would have to cut ties with these lesser beings if they weren't ready." Before Shadow speaks with me, Trick asks the masked man, "Don't your gods play the same game? I've heard that gods of your realm, like Zeus, plays in the mortal realm and have his fun with mortal women." Fun? Ah, Trick must be referring to the many affairs Zeus has. Or had? 

"My gods are guilty of doing the same things that your gods have done, yet they do not make it into an everyday interference. With so many gods, they do keep each other in check. Even the dark gods, demons, and devils can keep the gods in line. But the ultimate reason to why they refrain themselves from touching the world is due to the evils that can corrupt the world. If one side can visit the living, the other side can surely do the same. There are many stories of what the gods, demigods, devils, demons, and any other creatures have done in the world. It is in our nature to do whatever we want. If we are bored, we start to break our own laws. If we want to please ourselves, we will do so. If we need entertainment, we find it or make it. Everyone is a liar and a hypocrite. All of that is in the past though, but my gods did have their moments of 'playing games.'"   

"Interesting." Trick seems satisfied with her answer. Scarlet, waving her hand up in the air like a student in a classroom, waits for Shadow to look at her. When he does, she lets out a silent 'yes!' I question this red hair prep.

"Despite your claims about popularity, your gods do have a system of sorts?" Shadow shrugs.

"Yes and no. Humans, worshipers can say whatever they want. People can rank us however they wish to rank us. But ultimately, we know who is the strongest and who is the weakest. There are various other factors that can be played in our realm, but you don't need to know about the details."

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Lastly, Hex asks her question. 

"And what happens to the loser? What happen to those who are weak? Those who die?" A morbid question. Shadow, however, lets out a laugh. A sinister one. I shivered in place for a few seconds.

"Death? Death is nonexistent in the realms. You do anything in the heavens, in the realms of light, you just try again. You do not die. Those who try, are seen as courageous souls. Beings that tried to show their valor and strength against those who are above them. You are rewarded for such actions. And if you want to live another life, then you enter a new vessel. Reincarnated in a new body of the same world or different. Now, everyone in these realms are good, but they can be corrupted. There are dire consequences upon those who break the laws and do inhumane things. These individuals are then sent to Hell." Shadow pause. He lets out a demonic laugh, "In Hell, people do not die, but the weak are tormented. Tortured. They are punished according to their sins. Those who accept their sins become one with their inner demons, and enter the true inner realms of Hell. Sadly, I cannot disclose the details of these various realms, but  no one dies. Compared to the heavens, we do not reward our challengers with praises or items. We just beat them up and tell them to try again."

Everyone of my girls had a pale face. It seems like Shadow's response got to them. The masked man breaks them out of their trance, saying, "People do not die in our realm. It is a shame that this world does not show such... kindness."

"Kindness? Sounds like torture? Who would want to suffer in Hell?" I countered.

"Better than dying." Shadow points out, "A life is very important. No matter how small it is." 

"Enough about your world, do you have any other questions?" Shadow only showed me his story in his mind. He never mentioned the politics, the systems, history, and other sort of information about his world. I envy his world. It seems better than my own. Oh yeah, I forgot, he can read my mind. Shadow does nothing, ignoring my compliments.

"Are you sure about this? Once you start this, there is no turning back. Lives are at stake. Even if you curse them for something silly, once you end a life- they will NEVER come back. I will assist you with the things that I want to assist you in. Anymore than this will be overkill."

"You could kill them all for us." Trick stated. Shadow just shakes his head.

"And let you use me? No, I doubt that Chaos would want that. And if you allow me to do what I want, ninety-nine percent of the divine beings will be dead." Dreadful silence looms through the air. 

"I want your help Shadow. I will let you do as you want, help us as much as you can, and I will personally change this world for the better. I vow this on my very soul." Manifesting my blade out of nowhere, I grab the hilt and slam the blade into the ground. My armored knights roared at my declaration, pounding their fists against their chests. Shadow just nods his head at me, opening up a portal. 

"Then I will be in the mortal world for now. I got an appointment with General X. We will discuss some important lessons that Aisha will need to learn. Along with Aisha's lessons, I will prepare some lessons for the elf as well- the Elenaril. Esta, right?" 

Excuse me? Before I can ask him about his plans with Esta, he left the mansion. On cue, Jinx peeks through a doorway.

"He's gone?"

"Jinx, you don't need to hide." Hex rolls her eyes, "It's rude to run away from him. Especially since he's an ally."

"He's attractive." Scarlet mutters.

"I like him." Trick says outloud.

"I was not expecting him to come here. I honestly thought he was banned from entering this realm. I think he'll drop by time to time if he has any questions about a particular topic."

"Wouldn't it be bad for him to come unannounced? What happens when a random divine being comes and visit us as well? They will surely freak out once they see him in our domain. Hell, they might call the cops on us." Jinx points out.

"Not really," Trick counters, "I think Shadow will react accordingly if the situation calls for it. He knew where WE were without getting the exact coordinates from Chaos."

"Unless he already knew our location from reading Chaos' mind." Hex added.

"...if he knows about our location, wouldn't he know about Chaos' secrets as well?" Scarlet suggested. The other girls shift their attention to Scaret. "I-I mean, he can read minds, right? So he would know a lot of things that Chaos does not want us to know? Like... you know." 

I narrow my eyes at Scarlet. Oh no. Even if Scarlet is a bit ditzy, why is she bringing this up?!

"What do you mean Scarlet?" Trick turns to the redhead.

"I mean, wouldn't Shadow be able to see into Chaos' dirty mind and know where she stash her 'goodies?''

"You mean... The stash?  The explicit porn?" Jinx corrected.

Great, now my girls are wanting to know about my past. I-It's not like I have anything to hide.

"You did say you had private videos about your relationships with some of the other divine beings." Trick muttered.

"... None of you are able to speak with Shadow about this topic." I ordered, glaring at each one of them, "You're banned from watching such videos. A-And I do not have any sort of recordings in the first place!"

""""Liar."""" Ouch. Why did they have to say it in unison?!

"S-Still, no. Just no-" Before I can lecture the four girls, a chaos knight was carrying a very important box. This box, unlike some other ones, is extremely important. It has a lot of tape around it, several protective barriers and spells, a curse, a lot of belts and locks, and a voice lock. The material of this box was also made from my own chaos energy. Silence dawns on all of us. Taking the initiative, I rush my knight and take the box from him...

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General X POV

Shadow shows me an image of what Chaos and her lesser divine beings are doing. Shaking my head, I divert my attention away from the orb he conjured up. He decided to show me what Chaos' mansion looks like, but apparently, we ended up seeing their silly argument over some hidden porn stash. Shaking his own head, Shadow dispells the magical seeing orb. We are both standing in the forest where Aisha fought against this masked man. The moment she was carried away, he confronted me. He knew that I was in the area, watching over the princess.

"You could have intervened." Shadow looks at me, folding his arm.

"Could have? But did I need to? Not really. You would have killed your opponents the moment you appear before them. The fact that you killed the orc the instant you appeared and did not kill Aisha revealed your true intentions. You did the same thing like my master." 

"Master? Is it Valarie Valentine?" Knowing this piece of information, he can read the minds of others. And if he wants to, he can read my own mind. Ha, like I have a choice in the matter. He's strong, and I can't stop him even if I tried. Doing just that, Shadow seems... impressed. 

"Like what you see?" I sneered, "Although I need to know, you came from Earth?"

"Yes." Shadow does not hide his answer, "I am a forgotten being that was suppose to be in hiding. The divine beings of this world accidentally summoned me, and here I am."

"The divine beings of this world are stupid. This is why I am also part of the nefarious plot." 

"You really don't like the gods?" 

"You know how they are. I only see them as prideful fools. Idiots for not ending my life when they should have. Now, to kill me, they will need more power to put me down." Ah, how I despise the so called gods. They wish to pass judgement and tell us what to do when they haven't really showed themselves to us. Miracles? Faith? Hope? As a man of logic, these things are unknown factors. They do not help me in anyway possible.  

"Heh, you sound like a heretic. People can easily see you as an evil entity."

"Let them! I know that I am not the only evil in this world though." Flashing a sinister smile, I fold my own arms, "The world is a game. A game that I can easily exploit. No, I was able to get to where I am today just because of my experience and my knowledge. Being a reincarnated soul has it's perks. Especially when you have more than one lifespam in you."

"Agreed." Shadow conjures up a projection of his fight with Aisha, "There are too many flaws, but I want to hear your opinions." 

There are too many things to list right off the bat! Several of these mistakes could have been rectified if Aisha had a clear head. Sighing, I stated the first mistake Aisha committed, "She should have ran. Avoided you, head to Zezrious, go to Abaddon Morrin- anything other than a confrontation with you. She should have retreated or try to lose you. Even as a divine being, retreating is an option."

"And she didn't take it. She fought me, thinking it was a good choice."

"Good? Heh, the only good choice is if you can live another day. If you were serious, then she would be dead." Moving onto the next point, "Aisha does not control her energies all too well. She wasted so much throughout this fight. I will address this when she comes to us."

"It ensures her safety, but it is a waste of energy. I will say that it was handy for her because of my relentless charge." Shadow strokes his chin.

"Regardless, she wasted her energy on something she can try to predict. I can survive for a day or two against you until I am fully drained of my energies. Doing this," pointing at the image of her in her chi shield, "Will make her lazy, and it could kill her in the long run. Especially with her chaos powers. She needs one source of energy in her or else she'll be on the verge of death. Again."

"True. Any suggestions other than my violent approach?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"What would that be? You and me beat her up till she gets the hang of it?"

"Pretty much." Shadow does not sugarcoat it. I like this man already. "But time is of the essence. Even if I am a demigod that can handle the gods, I fear that I might disrupt the laws and nature of the world. I can freeze time for an hour, but anymore than that will create a rift, an anamoly, for the world. I want to avoid that."

"Ah yes, the [Time Freeze] ability. Only divine beings have that ability to freeze time for an hour every three days. Anymore than an hour will disrupt the balance and have negative effects on the user. So the original plan was to make Aisha fight while you have [Time Freeze] active."

"Yes. However, I do not want to push my luck. It is one thing for me to win against the divine beings, it is another thing to toy around with the nature of the world. Do you know what Aisha needs specifically to get her on our level?" 

"What she needs specifically?" I repeat those words, thinking. "You mean what she needs to kill?" Shadow and I know that Aisha has [Defeat Inheritor]. If we can find the certain beings, the certain traits Aisha needs to make her into a seasoned warrior, then all we need to do is get her to kill them. Even if she gains these traits, she will also need to master them and use them. Apply them in her means for survival and combat.

Shadow nods his head. "We need Aisha to pick up a greater sense of [Animal Instincts] along wiith several other traits I may have in mind." 

"I can figure out who or what she needs to kill to accelerate her growth. I just need to survey the area, get a look at the creatures roaming around Zezrious." I replied. 

"We can also have her descend into a dungeon." Shadow suggested.

"Dungeon? The weak one?" I questioned.

"No. There is a hidden dungeon around here. No one knows about it because it is covered by an illusion." 

"Oh, that dungeon?" Ah, how I miss that dungeon. Not really, it was a pain, but the dungeon Shadow is talking about did give me a hard time when I accidentally entered the damn place the first time around. The dungeon can pose a threat to a god rank being. At the time, I was a demigod. Having no clue about the true dangers and nature of this dungeon, I thought it'll be easy. 

Nope.

I was stranded deep in that dungeon and had to fight my way through the hordes of deformed monsters. I think I was teleported to the tenth floor. Had to fight against a minboss, hordes of abominations and eat from the dead bodies. Wasn't a nice adventure nor a pleasant one since I felt like dying on several occassions. I never got the name of the dungeon, but it has an illusion over itself for a reason.

Dungeons were created by the divine beings of old. They sought to give mortals weapons of unknown power if they can prevail through the hardships within these dungeons. The dungeon, themselves, can be fairly simple or complex. Some dungeons will have you fight through endless hordes as others will make you fight against bosses that once served these divine beings. These dungeons can be conquered in a few days, or some will make you stay there for a year or more. A grand example of a dungeon would be the Pillars of Gluttony, however, they have another title to them and purpose. Despite their small differences, I can say that there are some dungeons out there that no one would want to enter. Dungeons that can make the Pillars of Gluttony look like a playground although the Pillars of Gluttony is not to be trifled with.

Either way, at the end of it, you will be rewarded. Dungeons will reward the challenger with powers or weapons of unknown origin. My weapon, the Defiler, is an abnormal weapon that feeds off of my hatred and dislike towards the gods. Well, in this world, divine beings. It is said that my weapon was used by an evil divine being who cursed the higher ups for their stupidity. In what way, I have no clue, but it sounds all too familiar. Nonetheless, the weapon defies any logic that tries to control it. Those who can read my thoughts and movements will be mislead. Those who try to control me will be met with resistance. The weapon was made for me. To be perfectly honest, I feel like the dungeon has self-awareness. It picked out the best suitable item to match my skills. Most of the dungeons I have conquered gave me items that benefit me in my everyday life.

Why did the old divine beings give out these powerful weapons? I have no clue. There are speculations to why. Some believe that the old divine beings want strong beings to come into their ranks as soon as they hit the divine being rank. Others scholars suspect some mischief happening in the Enlightened Realm. Mischief or turmoil. Think the majority were leaning more on turmoil like some grand demonic invansion within the Enlightened Realm. Others say that they wanted a challenge, to give mortals the power to raise up against them and overthrow them. 

I would be a bit interested in these speculations if things didn't change. With the current divine beings, everything is like a game. 

And like a game, I ended up using these changes to my advantage. 

Most of the old divine beings made these dungeons. Being the owners of said dungeon, they would never relinquish their control over their domain. With some mysterious, strange event, the old divine beings are no longer around. These dungeons can have a new master, if they are conquered. Upon conquering a dungeon, there are a lot of perks for the new master of the place. And only one being can be the new master. For instance, if a group of adventurer arrives at the last floor, kills the Guardian, and touch the dungeon core, they will have to choose one person out of the group to take command over the core. You can guess what I'm getting at. If the group are a bunch of strangers or if one individual is a bad apple, things will escalate. Fro the worse.

If it is a bunch of friends or close comrades, a different story. 

Anyways, once the new master is confirmed, the dungeon will change according to what it can do. My dungeon, or a couple of the ones under my name, are designed for mass producing certain materials for guns, bullets, plating, and the frames for the Titan Busters. This is just one of many options you have with a dungeon. Some people may make their dungeon a lair so they hoard their treasures deep within the place. Others may produce an army, so they can begin their own reign over the country, or maybe the world (if they can really win against Valarie's faction and me). Some people may just use the dungeon as a vacation home or a resort.  

Dungeons are marked by how hard it is, the depth and levels, the monsters, and who made it. Despite the lack of old divine beings, one can easily find information of these old rulers in the history books. Depending on what they did and what they specialize in, it can give key hints on the dungeon itself. For example, Axion, the divine being of war, will have his dungeon based on fights. Fighting against an endless horde, fighting against bosses, fighting against champions under his name- all about fights. Even with it's simple nature, Axion will push the challenger to fight nonstop. No breaks inbetween fighting a horde or a boss. Axion is a famous divine being though. Half of the dungeons are hard while half of the other dungeons are relatively simple. Some do not even pose a threat, giving unknown materials for free to those who discover their dungeons.

Dungeon hunters, investigators, dungeon testers- they can in many names, but these individuals will seek out dungeons throughout the realms and gauge them. I will acknowledge their bravery and selfless actions. These people give us an estimated rank of how bad this dungeon is or how good it is. The ranking of the dungeon goes from A to F, S, SS, SSS, then X. The letters of A to F means it is fairly safe for anyone below a god or demigod rank. If the dungeon had a F rank on it, rank two to four can enter these places. Technically, if you are at a higher level, you could go to them as well, but it will be overkill. One would usually go for the letter that is suited for them. For me, dungeons of the SS, SSS, and X can provide that challenge. X is the highest rank for a dungeon, meaning that you really need to be at a high level to go there, and the dungeon might lead to certain death. There are only a handful of dungeons with X rank.

Most dungeon testers are at the god rank. It is a mandatory requirement for these testers to be at god rank or higher. Anything lower will that will get them killed. Even if the dungeon can be relatively safe, the Guardian will always be at god rank or higher. Once they meet the requirements, they can do two things. They can either find a new dungeon, report it, then test it out to receive the credit and reward, or they can go to an existing dungeon that needs to be tested. A lot of people will try to first option, knowing that they can gain a lot of fame and forture if they are successful, but a fair amount of people have done the latter option as well. Sadly, the latter option is tougher and can spell out their doom, but it pays a hefty reward if you live.

In a way, the first option can be deadly too if the dungeon is a SSS or X rank right off the bat. 

The procedure is something like this: The tester will report to the Adventurer's Guild. Once they fill out the paperworks, the guild will give them a special ring. This ring will communicate with the person/group and record what they are seeing. Once the individual/groul head towards the dungeon, they will state the name and location of the place. Afterwards, they will start their descent. Three things will happen. They will die, they will escape, or they will prevail. The last option is pretty rare if the dungeon is a SSS and X rank. Those who actually conquer the dungeon in one run will be rewarded stupidly for their actions. Heck, they can be called a hero/heroine. It will not be the same for those who conquer a dungeon in the A-F range. For the S and SS, the rewards will be above the average, but the point is, it is one of these three outcomes. 

Those who enter and die will give their rewards to any family members, loved ones, friends, or comrades. If they have none, it will be donated to charity. Upon their death, the guild members will determine the dungeon's rank. These factors are based on the creator of the dungeon, what the dungeon can give, what the dungeon can produce, and the dungeon's difficulty. These same factors will also correspond with the rewards.   

Those who enter and do escape will be rewarded accordingly. They will also get a bit of fame for discovering the dungeon and risking their lives to get a gauge for the dungeon. However, if the dungeon has more floors to explore, anyone can deliver more information on that dungeon. They still have to report to the Adventurer's Guild, but if they push past the boundaries that were already set, then they will be rewarded for their new discovery on the already ranked dungeon. And if needed, they might need to change the rank of the dungeon depending on what happens through the challenger's adventure. From what I gather though, a lot of people die trying this approach. I had done this approach once or twice, increasing my already existing fame, but it was to get more dungeons under my control.

I already mentioned what happens if someone finds and completes the dungeon. They can become a hero or heroine of the dungeon and nearby city if the dungeon is rank SS, SSS, or X rank. What I didn't state was their ability to become a major power within this world. Geniuses are major figures who break through the existing laws through their wits, knowledge, and curiosity. They make a new trait, a new theory, a new law that overwrites or overrides an existing notion within this world. A hero or heroine is an individual who has proven their worth due to their courage and strength to conquer a dungeon made by the old divine beings. People will worship them as their own deity, their own being, because they did the impossible. 

And this is where things can get messy.

I do not mind those who actual challenge the dungeon without any help from the divine beings. Even if they have a bunch of comrades, as long as they do not have any champions with them, I can praise their strength and bravery. But those who dare to enter the dungeon with the help of their divine beings are not worthy of my praise! They might as well fight against me as I slander their sorry excuse as a hero or heroine into hell! Better yet, I can toss them to Valarie and she'll do worse!

The testers can be anyone who meet the rank requirement. It did NOT exclude champions. In my opinion, it should have excluding them. Not saying there is nothing wrong with getting help from your divine being, but I know that the divine beings are pushing their champions, their puppets, into obtaining the dungeons for their needs. Yes, I might be pushing it since I know not all champions are like this along with their divine beings, but the majority of the time, the champions with a high ranking divine being will dedicate their dungeon to their divine being. I have several issues with this. Doing this will give the divine being more popularity in the Enlightened Realm. Those who worship the champion will then praise their divine being. In turn, whatever city or dungeon is under the hero champion's control will align themselves to good or bad. Then, the divine being will use the dungeon to mass produce special units that were sealed from this world or were restricted within the dungeon. Honestly, Aisha should not see what a true Crusade or Hell's Wrath is like.

Overall, champions should never be testers. I wish they enforce this, but it'll be hard for them to do so. The biggest issue is the fact that once the champion touches the dungeon core, it is under their control. In the end, it is up to the champion if they wish to give it away or keep it. There has been a few reports where the champion has kept it under their name and did not hand it to their divine being. They also made sure the city was neutral. 

In the end, dungeons are handy locations for training, gathering materials, getting experience, getting stronger, and getting fame. If one were to conquer a dungeon, the treasures and the dungeon can be yours.

Shadow absorbs the information, asking me, "Do you think Aisha can survive?" I did not give a quick response. Looking away from the man, I rubbed my chin. 

Would Aisha survive? 

I was task to protect the girl through thick and thin. It would be a pain in the ass if we toss her into the dungeon only to have her come out empty handed. When I entered that place, I was a demigod, so Aisha should have an easier time in there. Slightly. The thing is, she'll have to successfully kill one of those abominations if she wants to live. I got a feeling that whatever those creatures are will aid in her development as a warrior. The risk is high though. I voice my concerns.

"Aisha can gain a lot out of it, but at the same time, she is not in a stable state right now. Pushing her too quickly will break her. She dealt with several emotional outbreaks. Your fight against her lowered her self-esteem a bit, but she is still hanging on. Barely. If we shove her into that dungeon, she will most likely kill an abomination..."

"At the price of turning into a true demon." Shadow finishes.

"Precisely. Which is why I suggest a week or two, maybe three, before we push her into that dungeon. When I was trapped in that hellhole, I barely got out. It took all of my willpower, my skills, my knowledge, everything in me, to get out of that place. I can compare it to the circles of hell." A cold sensation runs through my spine as I mention that name. I can feel a bit of my own insanity as I remember the images of those abominations from the dungeon.

"Then this dungeon is..."

"A rank X." I answered. 

"Then I will let you decide on when it will be a good time to send Aisha into that dungeon. In the meanwhile, we shall slowly refine her fighting. She will have better control of when and how to use her energies and clearing out her mind when she fights. You will spar with her until she can do that." Figured. Shadow could do it, but I don't think Aisha will withstand his blows. Even if he had to tone it down, the masked demigod will still pummel her to the ground. Until Aisha gets a better grasp on things, I will be her teacher. It was a matter of time before Aisha needed a real combat instructor to get her into shape. "Enough chit chat. You want to fight against me too, right?"

I instantly teleport beside the masked man, knife and gun at the ready. He blocks my sneak attack as I have a devilish smile on my face.

"Yep!"   

Aisha is going to improve. One way or another.