Cassandra

Year 820 | Month 7 | Day 9

My first day inside of the Corrupted Dungeon ends rather blandly.

I kill dozens of Tier 3 salamanders, get lost for longer than I would like to admit going around in circles somehow without realizing it, and finally end the day after finding my target. A small cavern at the edge of one of the large caverns. One hidden behind a lavafall and without any monsters inside of it.

Or, without any monsters inside of it after I clear out the monsters that used to be inside of it, that is.

And now I find myself just lying down inside of the cavern as I practice my Wrath energy manipulation on the Wrath energy inside of the cavern to make it look like there isn’t any space back here from the outside. Which also serves to keep those Wrath monsters from coming inside. Because they don’t think there is an inside beyond the lavafall.

A rather convenient training method that also doubles as practical.

On another note, the monsters in this corrupted dungeon are easy as hell to spot. Since they’re all Wrath Sin monsters to an extreme degree. Far more than those outside of the dungeon.

So to me they are literally just walking beacons.

Of course, the corrupted dungeon itself is just plain filled to the brim with Wrath energy. Which is… well…

I stare at a System Note that appears in the corner of my vision for a few seconds.

________________________

User has now reached over 10% in their Wrath Transformation.

Restrictions on The Calling of Wrath’s transformation have been loosened.

From now on the user may use the transformation more often without possibility of injury.

________________________

Yeah. The progress on my Wrath Transformation has over tripled in speed while in this place.

That’s how much Wrath energy is in here.

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Honestly, it makes me wonder if there are any corrupted dungeons outside of Hell.

There probably are somewhere, but I can’t really see them as being common. And I’ve never heard about there being any on Midgard.

Then again, I didn’t hear anything about Ardene at all other than their war updates. Which didn’t include much information either.

So for all I know there could be some there.

Actually, it would make some sense that they’d be there out of any place on Midgard. What with them appearing in places filled with a specific Sin energy.

And I’m sure out of any continent on Midgard, Ardene is the one most likely to be filled with Sin energy.

I grimace as my mind wanders back to the slavery that’s freely practiced on Ardene. An abhorrent practice that I wish I could do something about.

But that’ll have to wait until later. After I return to Midgard, grow strong enough to actually matter, and can either force the issue myself or convince Nidhogg to do it.

And that will have to wait for me to finish and survive this corrupted dungeon.

My thoughts suddenly halt when I feel a powerful Wrath energy source entering the cavern through a passage under the magma. One that is most likely Tier 5.

I freeze as stiffly as I can possibly be as I try not to make even a single sound that might attract it here. Because there is no way I could take that thing on even at full strength, much less when I’m resting to recover my strength like right now.

Fortunately for me though, the thing doesn’t seem to notice me and just passes through the large cavern through another opening underneath the magma. Letting me breathe out a sigh of relief at last.

Then I proceed to push my training even further while hoping against hope that I might suddenly recover faster.

Not that it would matter all that much.

There’s no way I’m leaving this small cavern now. Not when the Tier 5 elite salamander just passed by and could still be in a nearby cavern.

It’s just too risky.

So I sit in the small cavern for several hours, just letting myself rest and recover. And only then do I finally get up and leave the small cavern.

After checking my surroundings with my aura, of course.

Even if I don’t really need to do that thanks to all of the Wrath energy filling the cavern making the entire place as if it’s under the effects of my aura.

Which is certainly a very nice plus about the Wrath energy in Hell and this corrupted dungeon. Even if it also makes for much stronger monsters.

After double and triple checking the surroundings of the lavafall with my aura, I take a deep breath, and finally leave the smaller cavern behind it to resume hunting the Tier 3 salamanders. Wondering just where those Tier 4 salamanders might be.

The Tier 3s are giving me a surprising amount of EXP though. More than they should.

In fact, they’re giving twice as much as they should. Something I only noticed partway through my first hunt.

Which is weird.

Probably something to do with the corrupted dungeon, but still weird.

I won’t complain though.

More EXP is good after all.

I continue hunting, albeit more carefully than my first trip thanks to having sensed that Tier 5, for another few hours. Gradually increasing my total saved up EXP throughout the process. With the number of kills on the mission’s progress updating with each one when I look at it.

But my safe hunt doesn’t last forever as I eventually end up running into an elite salamander as the monster breaks through the wall out of nowhere, startling me enough that I actually fall onto my rear on the ground.

I don’t waste any time though, immediately jumping back to my feet and fleeing towards the tunnel closest to me while only glancing at the elite salamander.

The five-meter-long lizard covered in massive scales and glowing crimson eyes that are literally leaking Wrath energy.

And it doesn’t take long for it to meet my gaze.

Shit.