*Day 061*
“I need a bath,” said Fyrellia as she looked down at herself.
Qyress couldn’t argue with that statement, for they were all covered in varying amounts of blood and offal.
She looked over at Arise who’d gotten the worst of it. Seeing as how she was a melee type, it was almost guaranteed that she would get messy, even with her [Evasion] Skill. Well, maybe if she got it to the Advanced level, it might unlock a feature that would allow her to even evade waves of gore. Which would be especially useful given their new Classes.
Well, Fyrellia’s, to be exact. A [Rift Reaver] was certainly something new to them all, and the Great Protector, as it was a [Unique] Class. In fact, they’d all managed to acquire a [Unique] Class when they’d hit Level 31. Which, given the fact that [Unique] Classes weren’t something that would pop up even once in a thousand years, was astonishing beyond belief.
At any rate, Fyrellia’s combat style had changed from standard spell-slinging to… messy. Very messy. Those [Rift]s that she could make and throw around were astonishingly… messy. They would rip whatever they hit apart as though the creature had been ravaged by tens of thousands of blades, all at once.
She was fairly certain that she was glad that Fyrellia could only use that Skill every once in a while. She wouldn’t say how long the cooldown was exactly, but Qyress suspected that it was around half an hour or so. Which meant that they could at least stay dry for a short bit before needing to use [Cleanse] again. A Skill that she constantly thanked Joram for having provided them with.
“Yeah, it’s your turn,” Arise said dryly as she got up from looting the wyvern and made her way closer so that she’d be in the area of effect of the anticipated [Cleanse].
Fyrellia just nodded and waited a moment so that Qyress could also get close enough before she activated [Cleanse], relieving them all of the stickiness and stench of a very messy combat.
“So, I just his level 34,” Fyrellia said, obviously looking through her Status as she spoke. “If we keep going at this rate, we might just reach the peak of S-Rank in a few months,” she finished, sounding more disbelieving than anything else.
For as coolly as Arise nodded, Qyress was certain that her friend was as shocked as she was.
After reaching level 30, it was well-known that one’s levelling speed dropped to a mere fraction of what it had been. Not just because of the crazy experience needed to level up, but also due to the scarcity of S-Rank Dungeons. The very few that were known of were jealously guarded by those in power. Real power, not just some gang that managed to miraculously stumble upon a wild S-Rank Dungeon. Especially because those people usually didn’t live long enough to enjoy them when the local government showed up and dealt with them.
There were laws, you see. Laws in every country, empire, or kingdom that she’d ever heard of. If you found an S-Rank Dungeon, you had to report it. Doing anything else would result in capital punishment. From there, the local government would occupy it, assign it, or even sell the usage rights to the Adventurer’s Guild, or a similar organization.
That Joram could make Dungeons, let alone ones as powerful as the ones they’d been delving, was unheard of. That he wasn’t afraid of the Queen sending in her elite soldiers to confiscate the Dungeon… Dungeons, was just crazy.
Well, she supposed that that would only be crazy if word got out about the Dungeons, that is. That she, and her two friends, were Joram’s slaves eliminated the risk of them leaking any information about the Dungeons. Though, being as loyal as they were to Joram, the possibility of them leaking the existence of an unreported S-Rank Dungeon wasn’t even a factor.
That said, there were more and more new people showing up nearly every day. New slaves bought then freed- if he was able to, that is. There were certainly more and more “demons” showing up, though the ratio was getting smaller and smaller as Joram seemed to be buying as many as could be found, which seemed to be drying up the market, as it were.
Which, really, was a good thing in her books. Though, it also risked emboldening slavers in their efforts to acquire more… stock. Which inevitably resulted in more and more settlements being attacked and sacked. She didn’t know what Joram was doing to prevent such a thing from happening, but she really hoped that he would be successful in preventing such things from happening.
“So, should we call it a day?” Fyrellia asked once they were all cleaned up again.
“Taking a rest to meditate on our new abilities, and getting used to our Attribute increases, would be wise,” Arise said, nodding sagely.
Qyress suppressed a smile. That was something they all knew to do, but letting Arise continue to act as their leader didn’t hurt.
“Off we go then,” Fyrellia said with a broad smile. “I can’t wait to see what the kitchens will do with some wyvern meat,” she finished with a broad smile that threatened to let some drool leak out of her mouth.
Qyress just nodded, happy to be done for the day. Since she’d gotten her new Class, a [Unique] Class called [Mindbolt Sentinel], she’d been super-happy to set aside the very loud firearms that Joram had given her. Yes, they’d been fantastic with just how fast the projectiles were, let alone how destructive their bullets had been. But. They were loud!!
Now? She could conjure her own firearms…. Well, projectile weaponry, as Joram called them. She’d been over the moon after telling Joram about her new Class since he’d then spent the day with her teaching her all about the various weapons that she could create with her new [Mindbolt] Skill!
She could make anything from a simple bow to things he called railguns and energy weapons. Sure, those later ones took a bit more out of her to use, for every shot required a certain amount of mana to use. But. They were crazy powerful!
She was sure that she was hitting well above her level when she used her pride and joy, her antimaterial railgun sniper rifle. In fact, she’d tried sniping one of the level 40 wyverns with it and had managed to explode its head! Sure, she’d hit it in the eye, but still!!! Being able to kill something like that from over a mile away was beyond ridiculous! They’d even gained a whole level from that one kill!
So, the question was this: why hadn’t they just been sniping level 40 wyverns since then?
Arise and Fyrellia, that’s why. But, she really did understand the need for them all to practice all of their own Skills, as well as their teamwork. Just letting her power level- as Joram called it- them all with sniping wouldn’t actually make them better, it would just increase their levels. Skill levels were important.
So, they were taking it easy, working on using their new Skills as much as possible during each fight. Sure, it was slower, but everyone knew that you wound up being a paper tiger if you just levelled up quickly without working on also levelling your Skills. Especially since it was your Skills that really mattered nine times out of ten when you were in a fight.
She smiled when they reached the top floor of the dungeon and saw many of the new younglings in groups trying to defeat the various birds found there. That the first generation of younglings were helping out the new younglings really warmed her heart. It was a cruel world, one that didn’t forgive stupid mistakes. One that was really governed by the strong.
Qyress once more marvelled at how broadminded Joram was. Most people would hoard power, keep a Dungeon like this secret. Keep their underlings weak and easily manipulated. Instead, he shared it all and even built a school for them all! Or, rather, an academy. Still.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Joram was actively strengthening his people. Which would normally alarm those in power, making them think that he was up to something, like rebellion or some such. Instead? She’d heard that the Queen had sold Joram the Great Forest under the condition that he protect her shores. She’d been dumbfounded.
She smiled and waved to a few younglings that she’d spoken to a few times, though she didn’t stop this time. She was also curious about what the wyvern meat would taste like, even though her [Ring of Sustenance], as she’d learned it was called, was still functioning properly. Especially since their first, and only, wyvern kill had been claimed by other wyverns before they could get to it.
No way they’d try to fight off a flock of those things just to get some loot. Life was more important, after all. And since they could just get another one with some patience, it really hadn’t mattered too much to them. But now that they had finally gotten some wyvern meat, they were eager to try it out!
* * *
Kinkade looked over at the Trio and wondered what was up. Sure, it was always nice to see them, let alone interact with them. But they didn’t usually show up unless it was important.
After weathering a veritable storm caused by the three of them batting their eyelashes at him while trying to sweettalk him into barbequing the wyvern meat they’d claimed, he decided that he’d had enough paperwork for the day. Heck, even with the slow upgrades to the Academy adding computer terminals here and there, there was still an alarmingly large amount of paper paperwork to be done.
So, he ditched his office in favour of an outdoor barbie! Yes, it was glorious. The barbeque stood in an impressive clearing filled with picnic tables. The barbeque itself was a custom job, an almost complete circular design with only a small gap on one side for egress. Now, normally that would be an insane design choice, given the heat and smoke produced by a barbeque.
But given that he could enchant things, the heat, smoke, and gasses produced by the rig were easily negated. Which resulted in optimum efficiency when barbequing, as he didn’t have to step down a long barbeque. He just needed to turn where he stood. Easy.
Then there was the spit. A spit large enough to roast a whole cow on. It, too, was a custom job. It would automatically rotate the spit, with a dial to adjust its rotation speed and another enchantment that kept the heat of the fire and coals inside the firebrick ring he’d made around the cooking/roasting zone.
He’d been astonished at just how popular the area had become given just how few people still needed to eat before their rings activated fully. But he really couldn’t blame them, as even he was drawn to try out good barbeque from time to time. There was just something about a good barbie that drew you to it.
After having prepared, then barbequed the three hundred kilos of wyvern meat, he sat back in his lawn chair recliner and just appreciated the early evening filled with talk and laughter. He was beyond thrilled that everyone was adapting so well to their new home. He was also more than a little bit surprised by how many of the new… people had decided to stay.
Over the past week, he’d bought another 3,429 slaves, but only 328 of them had been “demons”. Which, really, was a good thing. Especially since he’d started reporting anyone who had been involved in illegal slaving. Illegal in the sense that they’d either directly or indirectly participated in raids to get more slaves. Which had led to him buying another three slaving companies that had gone under due to the higher ups either being imprisoned or executed for their parts in said illicit activities.
Which had led to Queen Bryana awarding him with a couple of medals, forcing Joram to attend two separate banquets she’d thrown in his honour.
And because his [Fission]s weren’t directly involved in the events, but still shared their experiences, everyone except Joram had come to the conclusion that Queen Bryana was completely taken with Joram, him. Which, really, was quite flattering. She was smart, resourceful, and quite frankly gorgeous. Who wouldn’t be flattered by that?
That said, getting involved with a queen wasn’t something to take lightly. Which led to Joram “playing it cool”, as it were, whenever he met with the queen. Which also led them all to once more thanking Altaea for leaving them with Skills like [Bluff], [Diplomacy], and [Acting]. So, playing dumb, as it were, was still effective with the queen. He wasn’t sure how much longer it would be before Queen Bryana got more… forward with her flirtation, but he really hoped that Joram would decide on what to do when she outright confessed her feelings for him.
Which led him to once again think about what on Earth-, ah, Iria, he would do with the young women who were already waiting on him. He was also incredibly worried about when that damn [Harem] “Achievement” would upgrade on him. The last threshold had been 50 people, and given just how many women had been eyeing him up the past week, he was very worried that it would suddenly jump up to [Harem VI] from [Harem IV]. Like, what sort of abilities or effects would get tacked onto it?
Would he just have women literally falling over him when they saw him? Would they just start flocking in from all corners of the world?!
Kinkade took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, thanking his M2 for keeping [Clear Mind] up and running and thus preventing an embarrassing anxiety attack. He-
*Ding!*
He cursed, then opened the notification.
Congratulations!
You’ve levelled the following Achievement:
[Harem IV] -> [Harem V]
Kinkade cursed again, causing Harumi to blink at him, then very obviously snicker at him.
Ignoring the beautifully furred vixen, he firmed up and checked the changes to the “Achievement”.
- You’ve captured the hearts of 500 sapients, making them want to be with only you forevermore.
- Anyone who has fully devoted themselves to you will now remain so unless otherwise acted upon by you. Meaning, unless you make it explicitly clear to that person that they are not welcome, their loyalty and devotion to you will never waiver.
- This provides such a devotee with the following benefits:
- Increases to: Health Regeneration, Stamina Regeneration, Power Regeneration (if applicable), Mana Regeneration (if applicable), Fortitude, and Willpower.
- Charisma +10
Kinkade looked at the words with a mix of amazement and horror. If a cult leader got something like this, it would wind up being beyond disastrous. Hells, even your run of the mill scumbag could cause untold problems with that!
And 500 people?! What the hell?!!!
Through his field of perception, he saw Harumi actually snicker as she managed to look extraordinarily… smug.
‘Good mate,’ she sent to him along with incredible feelings of warmth and certitude, causing him to suppress both a massive blush and the urge to shift into his realm to hide away for the next century or two.
Then came the equivalent of a conference call as all of him started trying to figure out what to do, and how to stop that “Achievement” from progressing further.
* * *
Kasumi stretched and smiled, wondering why she was suddenly feeling so much better than just a moment ago. She hadn’t received a notification from the Great Protector, so that was off the table. She’d just been enjoying the wonderful “barbie” that Joram had provided with her newfound friends.
Sure, the meat had been delicious but, as far as she could tell, it hadn’t come with any of the buffs that a professional [Chef] could provide when they cooked or prepared something. So, what had it been?
“The young master is certainly… something,” said Nabiki, one of the new younglings- a Yuki-onna like her.
“He prefers to be called by his given name,” Kasumi automatically inserted, watching as Nabiki sighed while gazing over at Joram.
“Are you sure he’s as good as what everyone says?” Akane asked, looking incredibly suspicious, though her dour expression was somewhat ruined by the small smears of sauce around her mouth.
“He is,” she said firmly while Nabiki nodded along dreamily.
Akane didn’t seem convinced, but let the issue slide when she finally realized that she had barbeque sauce on her face, which led to her quickly wiping it away with a napkin.
“He’s still weird, though,” Akane said, seemingly unwilling to let it go. “Like, who looks at three unrelated women and asks if our family name is ‘Tendou’?” she asked, shaking her head. “Like, that’s not even a name I’ve ever heard before.”
Kasumi shrugged, choosing instead to remain silent in the hopes that the younger woman would eventually run out of steam. But it wasn’t as though she hadn’t been confused by Joram’s question, especially since she knew for a fact that he had already known her family name. In the end, though, it didn’t really matter to her if he sometimes said things that confused not only her, but other people as well.
To her, he was more precious than a roomful of S-Grade Crystal Cores. That she hadn’t managed to get closer to Joram didn’t bother her very much. Sure, it would be wonderful to….
She stopped her thoughts there, once more telling herself that if Joram was also interested in her romantically, that he would certainly say something. She also consoled herself with the knowledge that even the great Asami Miki, Myra Manelle, Eris the Elder Dragon, and the mysterious Avi hadn’t yet gotten any further. For someone as humble as her, well, she was content to watch from afar until things changed.
“How rich do you think he is?” Nabiki asked, her head still seemingly in the clouds.
Kasumi didn’t bother to answer that question, for it really didn’t matter how much money Joram had. He could easily provide for them all, and that’s what mattered to her. Not only that, but he actively encouraged everyone who came to learn. Learn how to read & write, learn how to do various maths, and even learn how to fight.
He wanted them to be able to support themselves if need be. Who did that with slaves they’d purchased?
A [Hero], that’s who! And even though everyone who could use [Identify] confirmed that Joram wasn’t a [Hero], she would always consider him a [Hero] in her heart.