The world hadn’t changed but to him it felt different. Food tasted better, casual conversations with Trixie and Lilium were more entertaining, and every fight drove his excitement higher. He lost a fight against his brother and it felt great. A weight felt lifted from his shoulders the untouchable feeling of invincibility he had was gone and it never felt better. He was here, he was human, and he was alive.

In the center of the pestilence dungeon’s fourth floor was a training hall dedicated to him. The dungeon core sat in a corner reading a tome It hummed with its dark power as it fed off its every multiplying population. Markus’s exploits had garnered a few emulators. They attempted to match his feat and most fell short.

This place in the center of floor four was his dojo. A place built by the dungeon core for his personal use. He meditated here and trained his telekinesis further. Boulders enchanted with dark mana circled around him. He held them up with psychic power alone.

This feat was possible because of his level of willpower. His willpower was thick enough to survive eroding against dark mana at a constant rate. He had risen to 7 boulders each weighting 20tons. His telekinesis was up to adept 10. It took him three months in the dojo to reach this level. But, he was beginning to plateau. He needed more willpower. Tossing points into the problem was possible. He could purchase more rings that multiplied skill experience for psychic.

Right now, he wore eight rings that increased his technique gain speed by 50% each. He gained 4x normal experience and still it has been a month since he reached lv10. If he was to reach expert soon he needed more willpower. That would allow him to go after more difficult training techniques.

He made his way back to his apartment after visiting administration and paying his tuition for the next year.

Markus was 14, approaching 15, soon the academy would no longer be an excuse. There were no boys left over the age of 15 that weren’t noble. They were all fighting on the front, though there were no troop movements going north. The girls were held back for repopulation purposes. Children were being produced practically in a chicken coop.

A knight showed up took as many girls as he wanted and left with them. Markus could have signed up for the breeding program and escaped the draft. He refused, there was something he kept secret. Markus was contagious.

It was something he knew without any evidence. The Omega inoculation, the Vitality prize, and the strength prize had mutated him. His body contained a virus that would mutate another human until they resembled him. Only monsters were immune.

He opened the door to his apartment to see a feast waiting for him. Trixie and Lilium had set a table full of chopped pork loin covered in dripped honey, a plate full of asparagus covered in cheese, mashed potatoes, and massive peach pie. To drink, Lilium pressed a goblet to his hand filled with wine from Raven. The princess had given him some of her stock as an apology for the knights of Gilver. It took her a few weeks to work up the courage to tell him.

It was all poisoned which gave the wine a delicious pallet cleanser at the end. Though trying to poison someone who ate rei widows one of the more poisonous species of spider archetype monsters. He didn’t know if someone was trying to poison the princess and she accidently gave him the wine that was poisoned. She may have poisoned them herself and thought he hadn’t had a chance to drink any yet. Or the knights of Gilver were still trying to kill him covertly. They were still trying to do it overtly too. The pardon from the princess didn’t stop them from declaring a blood feud. Trixie and Windy ate well.

“Who cooked the loin, it is very tinder? What was the marinade?” Markus asked. Trixie smiled at him.

“Guess,” He cut a bite and ate it off his knife.

“Poppy blossoms from the third floor of Famine dungeon. You know you didn’t have to conquer the dungeon for me. I would have gotten around to it eventually.” Markus said between bites. Lilium chuckled.

“Don’t worry master, it’s a near endless market for ingredients. We can safely travel through it without the dungeon’s tricks messing with us. Though I’m sure you would be able to conquer it.” Lilium said and fluttered her eyelashes.

He took a bite of the asparagus and was overwhelmed by how spicy it was. That was the best kind of asparagus in his opinion. Lilium beamed at the sweat beading down his forehead. She was getting a bit of a sadistic streak to her cooking.

“Excellent asparagus as always Lilium. Fresh and tender, just as I like.” He said, and she beamed. Her pointed tail flickered about. Trixie poured him another glass of wine as he finished off the entrée and sides before slicing off a piece of pie. They poured him a glass of mino milk from his lands and he drank it with the pie.

This had become the norm. When he came home they always had a meal prepared for him. Often, they went to famine for the ingredients. They wanted to enjoy as much of their time in the capital as they could before they had to leave for war.

“She’s going to declare you the new hero at the gathering in ironheart castle. That’s what Fanny said. She said some things about the princess’s bedroom habits but that’s just gossip between we succubi.” Lilium said with a smirk.

“Yea, that’s going to bite. You aren’t ready my Markus. You’re powerful but you’re not in any hurry to fight Lucius. He’s damn fast and your sword still isn’t fixed is it?” Trixie said and glared pointedly at Lilium, who blushed heavily.

“I need a lot of light to fix it. Maybe you should boost your willpower. I can feel your anxiety there, so let’s work on that.” Lilium said. Well there was a source of light available, but it wouldn’t be easy. There were four dragons that balanced out the darkness in the dungeons.

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“Hey Lilium, why don’t you ask Fanny about the four holy dragons. If we can find them, then maybe Star Break can be restored.” Lilium sighed walked into the bathroom and did her makeup. She put on a sexy dress and Markus kissed her deeply. He could feel her resist the urge to suck out his life force. When they broke the kiss, Markus could feel the red lipstick covering his face. “Do I look like a fool?” Markus asked.

“Yes, but a scary one.” Lilium said and leapt from the window to go wine and dine Fanny.

“I think she’s in love with you, in her own way.” Trixie said. Markus nodded his head. “She’s too dangerous to sleep with right now. You need to keep up your strength.” Trixie said. He slept with both constantly when he was home. This was their game to warn him off to the other to have him to themselves. He let them play it but never took them seriously.

“Let’s go check out the library.” Markus said.

The streets of the capital were filled with drafters and members of the white feather club. They chased down the few men who escaped the draft so far. When the white feather club caught you, they tared and feathered the man and if he fought back soldiers would show up and beat the man nearly to death. Once the offenders were tar and feathered they were placed on a donkey and paraded through town. They were mocked and jeered. Most committed suicide.

Markus had taken up a tactic he called scorched earth. If a group came after him and stood in the way of any task he had, he destroyed them utterly. Any soldiers that appeared received the same treatment.

That’s why when he traveled through the streets he was given a wide berth. They were so far away that he could have driven two carts side by side without bumping into anyone. He smiled like monster at them. It made for an entertaining walk. To see them stumble and panic when they came too close to him.

The massive clock of the library stood tall. It glowed even surrounded by the towers of light. This was a place of knowledge and those of the white feather club weren’t allowed entry.

Inside lore wardens worked tirelessly to come up with reliable tactics against training dungeons and the demon lord’s armies. They didn’t seem to notice him, and he liked it that way. There was no reason to talk to one of the wardens. They were all wrecks at this point. Their workloads have destroyed their sleep cycles.

Markus perused the dungeon section along with Trixie. “So, we are looking for a dungeon with both willpower and intelligence. Shouldn’t we ask one of the wardens. It would make things simpler.” Markus nodded his head and yelled for assistance. The lore wardens didn’t even look up.

“They are on so many potions to boost their intelligence and avoid sleep, that they are unaware of our presence.” He doubted they could even remember what they read. It was fortunate that photographic memories were a must for the job. They would just have to sort through everything after they had a rest.

He picked up an ancient tome of dungeons and their locations. It was there he found what he was looking for, far to the south. Markus put the book down and grabbed a newer copy. The dungeon was still in the same spot. Three more copies held the dungeon until he had the last 2000 years’ worth of maps. On them the dungeon didn’t exist. There was nothing in that area.

Just 2000 years ago the dungeon and everything around it ceased to be recorded. Taking up an ancient book of history. He searched back 2000 years and found the reason. The dungeon had ranked up to a dungeon lord. An entity akin to a demon lord that is the dungeon. Basically, the dungeon has risen and become a monster. As he read the report, he learned why it didn’t go north. It needed to stay close to the mountains to maintain its balance.

It was everything he wanted from a dungeon. Intelligence and willpower drops aplenty. It was a dungeon built on the principle of all out battle. There was a story of romance. Though much of the information was censored.

He couldn’t find an exact location other than south. He would have to check it out. Trixie looked up from her book on dragons of all things. He rubbed her tentacles and she nipped at his fingers.

“Oh, my Markus shall we have each other right here since they wouldn’t notice.” Markus rolled his eyes, grabbed her hands, and pulled a giggling Trixie out with him.

“So, what did you learn about dragons?” Markus said. Her giggling cut off and a tension rose through their connection.

“They are the monster equivalence to a flying city of adventurers. Their breath attacks could allow them to destroy Haven in a single sweep. Their wing beats sweep up storms and their bodies are armored against magic and physical attacks. That is just the common dragon. When you get into the special dragon’s things get worse. Iron dragons cut off 75% of all physical damage and 50% magic damage. Crystal dragons reflect damage, and some reflect the damage up to 10 times the original attack. Golden dragons have the mightiest breath attacks. They can strip a country of life.” She looked at him seriously. “Are you sure you can handle them?” Markus closed his eyes and felt his strength. Lighting sparked off his body as he used flesh puppeteer. His strength and vitality made his body into a physical weapon of incredible powers. There was nothing in this city that could take him on in a physical battle.

“There is no doubt. I will destroy them.” Markus said.

“If you slay a dragon and bathe in its blood you can gain their dragon ability. Slaying one could make you incredible powerful. Even more so than now.” Trixie said.

“What would happen if you ate its brain?” Markus asked. She shook her head.

“That hasn’t happened in the history of my kind. My ancestral memories have no information on it. But I would become something beyond what I am now. We are a scary pair, aren’t we?” Trixie said. Markus chuckled and nodded his head. We are indeed.

“Then you consider Lilium will gain darkness equal to their light. That makes us a trio of scary people. I just have to kill them and Lilium has to get us their locations.” Markus said, and Trixie nodded.

He fell into bed feeling the enchantments use phantasmal laws to support his weight. It took months but finally he could lay in bed without using psychic power to support himself.

Lilium walked in her make up tossed about her tail dripping with fluid and a pair of panties hanging from her horns. “How was the information gathering?” Markus asked.

“That bitch takes forever to cum. I had to use my tail for so long it cramped. But, I got two of them. Apparently, the demon lord’s forces have been looking for the locations and the dragons have gotten fussy. They are getting ready to join to offensive against the demon lord and the dark hero.” Markus nodded. She leapt on him and straddled him. Trixie woke up and wrapped her tentacles around Lilium.

“Fine, I need a shower before I have sex that I don’t have to be on my guard. I would like to enjoy it instead of making a dumb slut cum up her information.” Markus kissed the irritated monster quickly, easing the girl’s irritation.

“Well that should help fix the sword.” Markus said. There was a lot of dark mana around where the weapon was sliced in two. If not for that he could just have it forged anew.

He laid awake well after the sun rose and his two monsters fell asleep. He felt the light energy in his body rise with the sun like all beings that had light mana. There were four light dragons in this land and he was going to kill them. Why, did he want their power.

There was a feeling of competition. He wanted to beat his brother and even the score. That was a good enough reason in his book.