“Let’s go, it’s time to clear this goddamn Dungeon…”
Ah, but before that, Damon would do one little thing. Playing with the System, he suddenly spent all the Demonic Energy his Cat had absorbed so far!
[Congratulations! Unlocked Corruption Adaptation!]
The effect was instantaneous, a moan escaping the little critter. It felt so damn good, as if it was enveloped by a cool blanket on a summer day. It actually came from… the corrupted fog? Wow, how neat!
It happily turned back, glancing at a smiling Damon.
“Miaow!” (Thanks, Master. You’re the BEST!)
With this, the duo… eh trio, departed once more. Then again, could that priestess really be counted? She eyed the darkness warily, the zombies warily, and them as if they were evil incarnate. Sighing, Damon addressed her:
“What happened to you exactly…”
It didn’t take her long to narrate her story, which was short-lived. She had entered with five friends, heroes eager to save the city from a would-be Dungeon Break. But alas, they had soon been separated.
“I’ll find them. I’ll find them for sure!” She kept repeating long after her story had ended. Hearing this, Damon sighed, knowing she’d probably have her wish granted.
Thus they kept going, diving deeper into what could only be called a shitshow. Darkness, darkness, even more darkness, and the smell! It was so shitty! Was this how a butt plug would feel on its first incursion?
And on this specific incursion, there were LOTS of Zombies:
“BRAINNNNSSSS!”
“BRAINNNSSSSSS!”
“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”
Every step they took, they had to overcome a mountain of those guys! Yet, every time they killed one, the duo would rejoice instead. Demonic Energy, even more Demonic Energy, plenty of fucking Demonic Energy!
The only issue was… why were all the upgrades for Demonic Energy so expensive?! But there was suddenly a change before they could dwell on the issue. The priestess? She suddenly clenched her heart, a gasp escaping her.
“I-I can feel them! I can feel my party members. They’re close!”
“Miaow!” (Master, the human’s gone insane!)
Perhaps, perhaps she had.
Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time he saw that. Healers treating others would basically send their own Mana into their friends’ bodies. In rare cases, there would be residues, ones that could be followed like a thread.
“Sigh. Stay on her. The Dungeon exit is this way in any case.” Damon quickly decided, the two going after her.
But she had barely rushed a few meters, that she already met a Zombie! She had gone so quickly that she had no way to avoid it. At this rate, she’d— SLAM! She rammed her staff right into the Zombie’s mouth!
But that wasn’t all. The poor Zombie had just been forced to deep-throat the staff when it happened. She whispered a few words, then the Zombie’s insides glowed as they— BOOM! Exploded all over the fucking place!
“M-Miaow?!” (S-Since when is she so strong?!)
“This is a Rank F dungeon, but with LOTS of corruption. Don’t expect a regular Newbie to tackle that. As far as Mana or raw power goes, she probably has ten times our own power.” Damon patiently explained, his cat shuddering.
W-What?! Ten times?! Then why were they usually killing Zombies faster?! But then it realized it was because of that Miasma. She had to expend energy to counter it while they could bask in it all day long.
“C’mon, hurry up. At this rate, she’ll overwork herself…”
The two followed all the way to what looked like a ginormous meeting room. Before there had been cubicles, and now this? Tons of Zombies, even more corruption, and… something else.
They had barely entered that the priestess crumbled. She froze, falling to her knees, unable to cope with the scene before them. As for what it was? It could only be described as a Nightmare…
A young man, his optimistic, bright smile twisted forever.
An energetic old brother, his limbs now stiff and grotesque.
An older gentleman, his handsome face reduced to an atrocity.
Then there was a girl, her body devoured so thoroughly she wouldn’t even rise.
Damon didn’t even need her to tell him. He understood. Freshly deceased, freshly risen as Zombies again, they had just found her party members— or rather they had found them.
“BRAINNNNSSSS!”
“BRAINNNSSSSSS!”
“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”
Even as they rushed her, she didn’t move.
Shock, despair, powerlessness, but above all she simply couldn’t bring herself to attack them. In her stupor, all the priestess did was use all her Mana on her magical barrier, one that grew weaker and weaker with every Zombie attack.
“Miaow!” (That human’s really gone crazy! C’mon, lady, fight back!)
That was true for all worlds. The opponent’s strength didn’t matter one bit as long as you broke their spirits so much they’d long for suicide. At this moment, she probably couldn’t even see the Zombies, her eyes flooded with tears.
“David. Jerome. Louis. Charlotte. Elizabeth.” She kept repeating her friends’ names as if in a trance.
She was utterly blind to the Zombies' numbers, so many that Damon and Cat wouldn’t even be able to clear them alone. Either she regained her senses, or they’d have to leave her there and bounce.
Seeing this, he spoke once more:
“Do you see all those Zombies? If you keep indulging in self-pity, I’ll take them and ram them so deep up your ass that they’ll come out from—“ Damon didn’t even have to finish.
Despair? It was suddenly replaced by rage. The priestess even wobbled back on her feet, her eyes locked on Damon. That fucker! Those were her friends he was cussing! Also, what the fuck was his fixation with putting stuff up her—
“And that’s how you cure depression! Now, if you’re not too busy crying, maybe help put them to rest? You think they want to be Zombies? Also, didn’t you say five friends? I only count four freshly deceased…”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
T-That, he was right! There were only four?! Didn’t that mean that one of the twins was still alive?! That’s when the priestess came back to her senses. That’s also when the fight truly began.
Cat clawing at Zombies? Check!
Damon navigating the battlefield and stabbing them? Check!
Priestess going on mad bashing rampage against the Zombies? Also Check!
About thirty minutes later, they all found themselves utterly drained, lying on the floor. Well, all but a certain priestess, who got up even as she coughed up blood from over-exertion.
“She’s still alive. She’s waiting for me. I have to find her.”
“You do know you’re in no state to fight, right?”
“I still have to find her…”
Thus was the duality of healers. They were either cowards who lived long lives in the background or selfless dumbasses who would sacrifice their very flesh and souls for their friends. She was the latter.
“Sigh. Fine, follow me, and preserve your Mana. Also, shrink that barrier of yours. Remove all defense properties, and use it to keep the corrupted fog at bay only…” Hearing the wisdom in his words, she did just that.
That’s when began the most boring life-threatening Dungeon ever…
Lose focus for even half a second? A Zombie would instantly turn the corner to munch on them! Keep focusing with all their might instead? They wouldn’t encounter any Zombie at all. It was the absolute WORST for their nerves!
And yet, a certain duo coped a little too well…
♫♩ ♫♩ ♫♩
Darkness has come what will we do?
A true hell this world’s turned into!
People dying, their corpses Rising!
Zombies, Zombies, and they’re biting!
The dead have all started an uprising!
And all they want is chew, chew, chew!
But so what? All the undead we’ll screw
Let’s play this game called surviving!
Smash their goddamn skulls in
Throw their remains in the bin
This is our glorious last stand!
All those flesh-eaters be damned!
It’s time to slay some undead!
Don’t forget, aim for the head!
We’re—
♫♩ ♫♩ ♫♩
“BRAINNNNSSSS!” — SPLATTER!
“Tch— Can’t you see you’re interrupting?!”
Damon and cat duo didn’t just cruise through the Dungeon, they bloody sang through it?! At this moment, a certain priestess wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or traumatized. Who the hell were they?!
But before she could ask any more questions, they suddenly stumbled upon a pack of Zombies, one that was truly strange. Why were they ramming themselves against the edge of a cubicle? This made no damn sense!
But then they looked up, and they understood everything…
A terrified girl, holding a glowing rosary in her hand. She wasn’t just praying but also begging, the rosary in her hand growing weaker and weaker. Luckily for her, it seemed her prayers had been answered.
The priestess was still recovering her energy…
A certain cat fought its best, but its killing speed was limited…
That meant a certain Demonologist had to pick up all the slack!
A few minutes later, the two girls were reunited, all sniveling. This would have been such a touching moment, yet Damon went out of his way not to watch it. Instead, he spent all the Demonic Energy he had accumulated so far.
[300 DE] → Corrupted Blade!
This was a powerful ability, yet one that consumed way too much resources! Had it been any other situation he wouldn’t have bothered, but in such an environment it could come in handy. Good thing because they were almost done.
“We’re almost at the exit, get ready. There will probably be a Boss.”
“What?! How can you tell?! There’s no difference from before!”
The priestess commented, her friend hiding behind her like a frightened little bird. Seeing this, Damon simply pointed at the air itself. He knew because of the fog that was getting even thicker! And as they progressed, he was soon proved right.
A courtyard, one with a lone tree in the middle….
“Miaow?!” (I have a bad feeling about this place! This tree’s scary!)
“Tree? What tree?” Damon rebuked, just in time for the true scene to reveal itself.
This was no tree. This was a ginormous Zombie, so wrinkled that its skin looked like bark. Then, at its feet, it wasn’t dark soil either, but regular Zombies piled up on top of each other, basking in the fog oozing out of the Boss’ mouth.
“….?!?”
But that’s when it awoke and with it its brethren…
“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”“BRAINNNSSSSSSSS!”
The two girls froze, the Master an Pet duo didn’t.
“Kill the Zombies ASAP so we have room to fight! But we definitely can’t fight the Boss at the same time. I’ll leave it to you, partner! As for you two girls, you’re with me. Time to bash some Zombie brain!”
“Miaow!” (Understood, Master! I’ll distract it!)
“T-That… alright, we’ll help for sure! Elizabeth, let’s avenge our friends!”
They all charged toward their respective targets. Damon stabbed Zombie after Zombie with the Demonic Energy Blade in his hands, the priestess smashing her targets, and the last one throwing… kunai. Was she a ninja or something?
But the true MVP was without a shadow of a doubt a certain Pride Demon!
“Miaow!” (Come catch me if you can, you old Zombie Raisin!)
“Miaow!” (Can you stop throwing up fog for a second?)
“Miaow!” (What is it? Can’t catch a puny cat?)
It kept taunting the enemy, then instantly fleeing into the nearest Zombie group. That’s when the giant Zombie would swipe its arm and— Tumble! Make them all fall as if working for them! Except it wasn’t….
With every swipe, it almost killed the poor cat! At this moment, it was barely holding out because of its agility and the Corruption Adaptation boosting its speed slightly.
“Miaow!” (Master, please tell me you’re done soon!)
“Wait a bit, just 30 left…”
Thirty Zombies?! There were still so many?! At this moment, the poor cat started panicking. Could it even resist that long? No, it had to! Whether it could or not didn’t matter: it had to nonetheless!
That’s when started a dance with death, until… — SLASH! The Zombie suddenly did a feint!
The pride demon evaded— or tried. But with the worst timing, the few remaining regular Zombies showed up, too?! Had this been a trap all along?! But just as it was about to get hit… its master appeared?!
Damon threw himself before the cat, countering with a slash of his own.
Zombie Claws VS Demonic Energy Blade!
Boss VS Puny Human
Evil VS… Evil too?!
Then it all clashed, the Giant Zombie screeching in pain. As for Damon, he was thrown backward, coughing blood as he… lost consciousness?! But it got worse, the enemy’s eyes landing on his body!
“Miaow!” (Bastard, no touching my Master! I’ll destroy you!)
Defensive? Buying time? By now, most Zombies were destroyed anyway. No, this time, it went on the bloody offensive! It was time to avenge its master! It rushed with such gusto that it almost lost fur.
Then it was upon the enemy!
— SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! —
The Zombie cried in anger, yet it wasn’t hurt in the least. Its skin was so sturdy that there had been no effect at all! But just as it despaired, a certain priestess came forward. “Little one, bait its attacks, and I’ll give a decisive blow!”
All she needed was an opportunity! After all, she had regenerated a bit of Mana, thanks to Damon.
The two barely shared a gaze that they went on the assault!
— DASH! DASH! DASH! ….. DODGE! —
Then, a missed swipe later, the priestess dashed in, her staff glowing white as she gathered all her remaining Mana! But she had barely started when it happened. Her friend suddenly dashed next to her and— SLASH! Attacked her?!
“Elizabeth, what are you doing?! Have you turned insan—“
She chocked. Elizabeth? It wasn’t, not anymore. The spell was finally broken. The smooth and soft skin full of life was suddenly replaced by dead one, the one before her a Zombie, an Elite one with a powerful illusion ability.
But that realization came too late, far too late…
All her energy was spent on that one spell, and it was too late to turn around. The Zombie’s claws magnified before her eyes and— RIP! It was the sound of a Zombie being cleaved in half by a Demonic Energy Blade!
“Y-You?!”
“Focus on that spell…”
That’s when the priestess released her magic, sending EVERYTHING she had at the Giant Zombie. A ginormous laser of light was created and hit the creature head-on, the latter convulsing in agony. “SHRIIEKKKK!”
Priestess and cat alike fell to the ground exhausted, knowing they had finally completed the Dungeon…. Except they were wrong.
— Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! —
“I-Impossible?! Don’t tell me, a second phase?!”
The Giant Zombie’s skin was shattered all over, and yet it still stood. Not only that, but its dead eyes glowed viciously as its entire being started oozing Demonic Energy! Before long, just that energy alone would kill them!
Seeing this, the party turned soulless. After all this, they’d die from…
But amidst the despair, a certain someone happily whistled as he approached the Boss. At this moment, Damon didn’t just seem relaxed, but even… satisfied?! He even laughed…
“Pfft— So your OP ability is to generate Demonic Energy, eh? That’s neat, but you can’t seem to control it at all. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone were to, let’s say, steal it all!”
That’s when he activated his Demonic Energy Blade one last time…
The one-meter-long sword from before? It suddenly started absorbing the ambient Demonic Fog like crazy, soon turning into a twenty-meter blade of pure darkness! RIP! RIP! RIP! It was the sound of a Boss being cleaved in half, a certain priestess questioning her eyes.
As for Damon? He was eagerly looting...