Dungeon And Slave: The Lustful and Violent Slave Harem of the Guard and Students Chosen as Testers for the Succubus Dungeon - Chapter 25: 3rd Floor Guardian

Chapter 25: 3rd Floor Guardian

Test Dungeon First Floor, Yagumo Sanada

I creep through the passage inside the disguised monster house, crouching to avoid making noise.

The passage is low but wide enough that I don’t scrape my leather armor or gauntlets, unlike the 2nd floor.

After about five meters, I stop just before what seems to be the exit and peer out. It’s a small plaza.

At the back of the plaza is a black gate, surrounded by several kobolds.

Yes! Hell yeah!

I cheer inwardly, confirming it’s the guardian room as expected.

But there are a lot of them. And that one…

Five kobolds. Four are normal, but one is a size larger, muscular, with abs visible even through its fur.

That’s gotta be the guardian. It looks strong, but it’s still a kobold. I can take it.

Magic… I can fire over 10 shots. A surprise attack to thin their numbers, then Physical Enhancement should do it.

Thanks to being over 10 meters away, the kobolds haven’t noticed me. I calculate that a magical ambush to reduce their numbers, followed by Physical Enhancement, should work.

Alright, let’s do this!

Deciding on a surprise attack, I activate Physical Enhancement.

I drop my backpack and leap into the plaza, immediately unleashing magic.

Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter!

Five invisible Wind Cutter blades surge toward the kobolds, who stand frozen, shocked by my sudden appearance.

Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!

The invisible blades hit two kobolds in the chest and legs, and two in the arms. The central kobold, likely the guardian, isn’t hit.

“Tch, too far.”

I click my tongue, annoyed that only two are down for the count.

I prepare to fire again, but the central guardian—let’s call it the Kobold Leader—barks orders to the two with injured arms, who spread out to the sides.

At the same time, the Kobold Leader charges straight at me, while the other two flank, aiming to pincer me.

Fast!

Can I hit it?

Wind Cutter!

I fire a Wind Cutter at the charging Kobold Leader, but it leaps diagonally, dodging.

“Tch, bring it!”

Giving up on magic, I ready my machete to meet it.

The next moment, the Kobold Leader’s claws clash with my machete, ringing with a clang.

Blocking its claw, the Kobold Leader swings its other arm, but I front-kick it, sending it flying back.

Seizing the moment, the two flanking kobolds attack with claws from both sides.

I calmly block the left attack with my shield and fire a Wind Cutter point-blank at the right kobold, decapitating it.

The left kobold, its claw blocked, closes in to bite. I swing my machete down, splitting its head.

Guh!

The kobold collapses on the spot.

I face the Kobold Leader, who’s recovered from my kick.

Grrrr…

“Now it’s one-on-one.”

I smirk at the snarling, furious Kobold Leader.

Irritated, it feints left and right, closing the distance.

It swings a claw, but I block with my shield. Ngh, that’s some power.

Without Physical Enhancement, I might’ve lost my balance.

The blocked Kobold Leader swings its other arm, just like before.

I start a front kick like last time… but stop midway.

The Kobold Leader falls for the feint, pausing its swing, thinking a kick is coming.

I don’t miss the opening, stabbing my machete into the base of its arm and twisting.

Yowl!

Its claw weakens from the pain, so I knock it back with my shield, pull the machete out, and slash across its throat.

Gurgle…

The Kobold Leader’s near-severed neck and mouth spew blood, and it collapses limply.

“You were strong, strength-wise.”

Its reflexes dodged Wind Cutter well, but falling for such a simple feint? Just a dog. Its attacks were like regular kobolds, no kicks either.

“About what I expected.”

Ignoring the Kobold Leader turning to black mist, I finish off the two struggling kobolds at the back.

I collect the magic stones from the Kobold Leader and its lackeys, then open the copper treasure chest that appeared before the black gate.

“A magic book?”

Inside is a bound parchment book, like the Wind Cutter one.

The cover has unreadable text and geometric patterns, but it’s a different color.

“Red, so fire magic? Guess I’ll find out by using it.”

I take the book from the chest and open it. It burns away instantly in a non-hot flame, vanishing.

“Oh, Fireball!”

The magic in my mind is Fireball.

Lucky me. Good thing I picked Wind Cutter back then.

This could handle a monster house, right?

Fireball!

I try firing a Fireball at the chest from a distance.

A basketball-sized fireball appears and flies toward the chest at the speed of a casual catch game.

It hits and explodes.

“Hm… slow.”

Used to Wind Cutter’s speed, it feels painfully slow.

But the explosion has a one-meter radius, and the burn lasts long. It’d be effective against a dense group. Even if dodged, the explosion could burn something, making it a decent deterrent.

Watching the chest burn without fuel and sparks scattered from the blast, I nod, thinking it depends on how I use it.

After about ten seconds, the flames die out, but the chest has no scorch marks.

“Indestructible attribute, huh?”

Manga often has unbreakable chests.

I try lifting it, thinking it could be a weapon, but it’s like it’s fused to the ground, unmovable.

“Well, yeah.”

An indestructible chest would break the test if used as a shield.

“Oh, right. More mana boosts power.”

Forgetting this trait since Wind Cutter’s cutting power is strong, I raise my hand, double the mana—equal to one Physical Enhancement—and cast Fireball.

A fireball slightly larger than normal appears above my head.

“Nice, go!”

Successfully summoning it where I wanted, I swing my raised arm toward the chest.

The fireball follows my arm, flying to the chest.

A boom echoes through the plaza upon impact.

“Double the blast radius. And stronger flames. Nice, this is usable.”

Seeing the wider explosion and roaring flames, I grin.

It consumes more mana, but three shots from afar could burn a wide area like napalm. If I ignore the mana cost.

The next floor likely has more kobolds, maybe in greater numbers. Mana management will be tight. That Fireball left me with just one Physical Enhancement’s worth of mana.

Yeah, no monster house. Sticking to Wind Cutter and machete for corridor kobolds is safer and saves mana.

“Alright, to the 4th floor.”

Having tested the new magic, I open the black gate.

A rocky passage like the 3rd floor stretches before me.

“Here we go.”

Expecting another cave, I step through the gate with a nod.

Looking right, I see a magic circle set up.

“One fight, then I head back.”

With low mana and it being time to return, I decide to check for kobolds and leave, stepping onto the main path.