Dungeon And Slave: The Lustful and Violent Slave Harem of the Guard and Students Chosen as Testers for the Succubus Dungeon - Chapter 28: Monster House

Chapter 28: Monster House

Tester Life Day 10, Test Dungeon First Floor, My Room, Yagumo Sanada

The morning after defeating the 3rd floor guardian.

As usual, no fatigue lingers, and I wake to a physically comfortable morning.

Mentally, well, being trapped in a dungeon’s confined space makes you a bit gloomy. Can’t be helped.

I spent years in a walled-off child soldier training camp, so it’s not too bad for me, but the students must be struggling.

The stress of fighting for your life, the confinement, and a body enhanced by mana—if someone snaps, it wouldn’t be surprising.

I get out of bed and measure my mana with the magic crystal.

Still E+. Just ranked up, so I expected that.

Most other testers are wandering the 1st floor. Their limit’s probably G+ or F.

Yuki’s group won’t share the 1st floor guardian’s location, so my E+ rank keeps me ahead.

But even F-rank testers in dozens could be trouble. Especially if multiple know magic.

“Gotta push further, raise my mana rank.”

Before the students turn apocalyptic, I need to widen the gap in strength and gear. Be ready to fend off any attack.

Thinking that while showering and shaving, I dry off, dress, and head to the magic crystal.

Opening the shop to buy breakfast as usual, I notice something.

“What? Breakfast set’s 100 DP?”

I’m shocked to see the breakfast set’s price doubled.

Bentos are 140 DP, dinner sets 200 DP—all doubled.

I hurriedly check other items, but drinks, snacks, and potions are unchanged.

Relieved, I figure it’s chaos outside.

“Fight faster, go deeper, huh?”

The Succubus Queen must be fed up with shut-ins and those still on the 1st floor.

Ten days in, and only me and Yuki’s group have moved up.

The shut-ins have no choice but to fight now. The 1st floor’s gonna be packed.

That’ll make it harder for other testers to earn or rank up.

And there’s no guarantee this price hike’s the last. Raising prices on the tenth day suggests another hike on day twenty.

If so, 1st floor parties will barely cover food costs. They’ll need to move up fast or lose access to wall butts.

With boosted libido from mana ranks, missing wall butts is brutal. Your cock gets so hard it hurts, keeping you awake.

Jerking off without material? Five or six times by imagination alone is tough. No erotic manga in the shop either. Some might get off on shonen panty shots, but still.

After tasting a real woman’s vagina with wall butts, your hand can’t satisfy the mental craving, even if it calms your body.

Even cautious testers will desperately search for the next floor now.

Predicting that, I buy two 100-DP breakfast sets.

I eat two rice balls and a fried white fish, feeling meh about the not-so-luxurious meal.

After eating, I put on my guard uniform, then leather armor. I equip leather gauntlets and shin guards, attach the iron small shield to my left hand, and check the throwing knife on its back, unused so far.

Finally, I strap the black iron machete and knife to my waist and leave My Room.

I leave the blade-resistant robe behind—it’s hot and hinders running. The leather hat I got stays unused; it makes me look like a kamikaze pilot.

Outside, the Great Plaza is chaotic, as expected.

The earners I know are already geared up, talking seriously, probably about finding the next floor before the 1st floor crowds.

One group’s especially loud.

The shut-ins, about 70–80 of them.

They used to brush off teachers’ recruitment, but now they’re begging those same teachers for help.

“Idiots.”

I sigh at their pleas for rescue, not training.

They’re not desperate enough. They won’t fight until they’re starving for days. Some might even starve to death.

I’ve got no intention of helping. Don’t wanna die? Fight. Don’t wanna fight? Starve.

That’s the choice they made. Blame themselves when they die.

Ignoring the noisy plaza, I head straight for the dungeon entrance.

For the next three days, I explore the 4th floor but can’t find the guardian room.

*

Tester Life Day 12, Test Dungeon Fourth Floor, Yagumo Sanada

“Weird.”

I’ve explored every side tunnel, but no path leads to the guardian room.

Found the 3rd floor’s in two days, but three days on the 4th, and nothing.

Technically, I checked all paths and tunnels by day two. Today, day three, I’m rechecking spots.

I looked carefully for gimmicks like double walls, but nothing.

I found five monster houses and peeked inside, but none had passages. Just kobolds.

“Monster house…”

The only place I haven’t explored.

“The 3rd floor had a guardian room in a fake monster house. Maybe this time it’s inside a real one?”

But I didn’t see a black gate when I peeked. I didn’t look closely, but that big, obvious gate? I wouldn’t miss it.

So maybe there’s a passage inside a monster house.

“Could be.”

Mana… about a quarter left after recovering. I can clear one.

My mana hit D-rank this morning. After using half, I gauged the increase. Probably 25 Physical Enhancement uses, or 50 Wind Cutter or Fireball shots.

E-rank was 10 Physical Enhancement, E+ added 5 for 15. Alphabet ranks boost mana a lot.

Stamina, strength, and dynamic vision spiked too. I could probably punch out a bear now.

Yesterday, in the 4th floor’s depths, where four kobolds appear at once, I had to thin them out from a distance or my stamina wouldn’t hold. I ran out of mana and drank a recovery potion.

Today, I fought while conserving magic, and I’ve got mana to spare without a potion.

“Got mana for six Physical Enhancement shots. Might as well clear one on the way back.”

That’s 12 Fireball shots. Hit from outside to thin them, then charge in with Physical Enhancement to wipe them out.

Planning that, I check my mapped route for a monster house I can hit on the way back.

I head for one about two hours’ walk from here.

Fireball!

“Fireba—seriously?”

Reaching the target monster house, I fire magic from outside the chest-high crack entrance.

About to fire a second, I stop when the first bounces off the entrance.

I didn’t miss. The fireball clearly headed into the crack.

But an invisible wall blocked it from entering.

I approach and stick my arm in. It goes through fine.

“Magic-nullifying barrier?”

No easy wipes from outside with magic, huh?

“What a pain.”

Magic’s expensive to buy, so let me have this, I grumble.

“Sigh… let’s do it.”

I recovered some mana from walking, so I can fire 10 shots even with Physical Enhancement.

But inside, Fireball’s slow cast speed means I can’t fire that many.

Guess I’ll use double-mana shots.

Decided, I ready my machete, activate Physical Enhancement, and dive into the kobold-infested crack.

Inside is a 20-meter-square room, barely two meters high.

About 20 kobolds are packed in tight.

As planned, I fire three double-mana Fireball shots in three directions.

Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!

About to fire a fourth, three kobolds dodge the burning flames and charge me.

Wind Cutter! Wind Cutter!

I counter two with fast-casting Wind Cutter.

The last one attacks head-on. Behind it, two more, and three from the right, all escaping the Fireball, close in.

I sidestep the frontal kobold’s claw, slashing its neck as we pass.

I fire a normal Fireball at the two behind it, hitting both. They turn into fireballs. I glance at the three from the right, sparks on their bodies, but they’re still far.

Low on mana, I grab a throwing knife from my shield’s back and hurl it at the center of the three. It sinks deep into its chest.

The two beside it freeze for a split second, shocked by the knife. I close the gap instantly and slash them with my machete.

Backing against the wall, I scan for presences.

The room’s a sea of fire.

Charred kobolds lie dead everywhere, others roll, engulfed in flames.

No kobolds are standing to attack.

Checking my mana, I’ve got just enough for one spell.

Should’ve drunk a mana potion before diving in, I reflect.

“Still, one Fireball took out four kobolds.”

The ambush, double-mana for wider range, and their tight pack helped.

But why pack so tight in a cramped space when speed’s their strength? Weird.

Fireball’s perfect for dense enemies. Made for monster houses.

Was the 3rd floor guardian’s Fireball book meant for this?

Without it, their numbers might’ve overwhelmed me.

If it’s not overthinking or coincidence, a monster house might have a passage to the guardian room.

A few seconds later, the Fireball effect fades. I finish off the near-dead surviving kobolds.

I notice three wooden treasure chests in the back.

“Three wooden chests as a reward?”

Lame. The risk for just three wooden chests? Not worth it.

Opening them, I find large copper coins, a rectangular wooden small shield, and one Grade 5 Mana Recovery Potion.

As expected, the same as regular side tunnel chests.

“Ughhh.”

I let out a massive sigh, pocket the potion and coins, and tie the wooden shield to my backpack.

Picking up the scattered magic stones, I search for a hidden passage.

No cracks or holes in the walls.

“A bust, huh?”

Looks like a dud monster house.

No clue if there’s a winner, but with only monster houses left to check, no choice.

“Tomorrow, I’ll clear them all.”

They eat more mana than expected, so I’ll use mana potions tomorrow.

Thinking that, I head back.