Dungeon And Slave: The Lustful and Violent Slave Harem of the Guard and Students Chosen as Testers for the Succubus Dungeon

Chapter 31: 4th Floor Guardian

I descend the staircase and find myself in a small plaza.

Twenty meters ahead stands a black gate, guarded by a sword-wielding Kobold and four regular Kobolds.

The sword-wielding Kobold, like a Kobold Leader, is a size larger than the others, muscular and imposing. It’s also wearing a leather breastplate-like armor.

“Well, well.”

My lips curl into a grin at the sight of my first weapon-wielding enemy.

Horn Rabbits and Kobolds were mere beasts. But this one’s different. It has the intelligence to use a weapon.

I’ll call it a Kobold Soldier.

An ambush on the Kobold Soldier and its four Kobolds is impossible.

All of them are staring at me as I descend the stairs. But they show no sign of moving.

The Kobold Soldier’s mouth twists into a smirk.

I see. It’s wary of me retreating back up the stairs.

“Heh, underestimating me, huh?”

Fine by me.

Physical Enhancement Fireball Fireball Fireball

I activate Physical Enhancement magic and launch Fireballs at the central Kobold Soldier and the Kobolds to its left and right.

At the same time, I sprint toward the left wall.

The Kobold Soldier and Kobolds scatter left and right the moment they see the Fireballs.

As a result, the Fireballs hit empty ground.

The Kobolds and Kobold Soldier are unscathed.

But I expected that. The Fireballs were a feint to split them up and disrupt their coordination.

“Ora!”

I target the two Kobolds that dodged to my left, distracted by the burning Fireballs, and slice their necks from behind one after another.

Using the lingering flames of the central Fireball as cover, I cast magic at the Kobold Soldier that dodged to the right.

Wind Cutter Wind Cutter

“Gyan!”

“Yes!”

One of the two Wind Cutters I fired deeply slashes the Kobold Soldier’s thigh, forcing it to drop to one knee.

Seizing the chance, I launch a Fireball, but the two Kobolds that dodged to the right step in front of the Kobold Soldier, acting as shields.

“Damn, that’s loyalty!”

I click my tongue at the two Kobolds engulfed in flames as I circle around them to close in on the Kobold Soldier.

But the Kobold Soldier, face twisted in pain, is already back on its feet.

“Die, mutt!”

I don’t care. I charge in, swinging my machete down.

Clang!

The Kobold Soldier’s sword blocks it.

I step forward, slamming my left arm’s small shield into the Kobold Soldier, knocking it back.

Its injured leg must’ve weakened its stance. The Kobold Soldier stumbles back a few steps.

I don’t miss the opening, instantly closing the distance and swinging my machete horizontally.

The Kobold Soldier hurriedly raises its sword to block, but my machete reaches its neck faster.

“Phew…”

I exhale, watching the Kobold Soldier collapse, its neck severed.

Injuring its leg first made this fight much easier. It’s a tough beast with strength and speed—crippling its mobility was key.

Also, the Kobold Soldier’s fixation on using its sword helped. If it had recklessly closed in to bite me, it might’ve been trickier.

Come to think of it, the Kobold Leader was harder to deal with.

I reflect on the fight as I watch the Kobold Soldier dissolve into black particles.

Left behind is a magic stone, the same size and color as the Kobold Leader’s.

“Another E-rank, huh? Figures.”

So it’s just a Kobold Leader with a sword? I glance at the black gate.

There, a copper treasure chest sits prominently.

“What’s in my second copper chest of the day?”

Seeing a copper chest twice in one day for the first time, I open it with anticipation.

“Leather armor?”

Inside is a gray leather armor.

Picking it up, it feels quite large—or rather, long.

My current leather armor only reaches my waist, but this gray one extends to my thighs.

It’s stylish and pretty cool, with what I think are called kusazuri—tasseled leather strips hanging from the waist over my groin and both thighs.

The leather itself looks very sturdy.

“Only this in the chest? Must be leather armor worth 30,000 DP.”

My current leather armor is 5,000 DP, so this should offer defense to match its price.

Talk about timely.

My leather armor got torn up in the last Monster House. And now this gray leather armor shows up.

“Whatever. Let’s scout the 5th floor and head back.”

I stuff the gray leather armor into my backpack, though it sticks out, collect the magic stones, and open the black gate.

Beyond the gate is the familiar cave.

Alright, alright, I mutter to myself as I pass through.

“Hm?”

But I quickly realize this isn’t the usual cave.

Normally, there’s a magic circle about five meters to the side after passing through the gate. It’s not here.

I hurry back to the gate, but despite it being open, an invisible wall blocks me from returning to the guardian room.

While I’m fumbling, the gate closes.

“What the hell’s going on?”

The unexpected situation throws me off, but I calm down quickly.

Panicking on the battlefield hastens death—a lesson drilled into me since childhood.

“The magic circle… yeah, it’s not here.”

I check the spot where the circle should be, but there’s nothing.

“So I can’t go back until I defeat this floor’s guardian?”

But why is there no transfer circle on the 5th floor?

The 5th floor… could it be a boss floor?

In a manga I read in My Room, besides each floor’s boss, there was a greater boss every five floors.

If that’s the case, it makes sense for a dungeon that makes guardian farming hard to lack a transfer circle.

Looking closely, I notice no side paths off the main passage. It’s almost like a straight path.

“No point overthinking. Let’s go.”

I decide to proceed down the main passage.

I walk the main passage cautiously but encounter no monsters.

After about 15 minutes, I reach a dead end.

“A door… yeah, that’s definitely a boss room.”

Before me stands a large wooden door, about three meters tall and two meters wide.

“My mana… enough for three Physical Enhancements. That’s rough.”

The guardian here is likely stronger than the ones I’ve fought. Charging in with my current mana is risky.

I’d prefer to recover at least half my mana, if not full, before taking it on… but a Grade 5 mana recovery potion would take six or seven hours to restore that much.

I check my watch—it’s just past 3 p.m.

Waiting six hours in this empty place sounds tedious. Plus, I’d get hungry. I’ve got calorie bars as emergency food, but still.

“Should I use the Grade 4?”

The Grade 4 mana recovery potion boosts recovery speed fivefold. With my remaining mana, I could recover half in about two hours.

“100,000 DP for one is steep, but time is money.”

Truth is, I just want to eat good food and call a Wall Butt sooner. Come evening, my groin starts throbbing with urge.

Besides, this guardian seems special compared to the others. The reward for beating it should be hefty.

I pull the Grade 4 mana recovery potion from my backpack and chug it.

“Might as well equip it now.”

With time to spare, I take out the gray leather armor I’d stuffed in my backpack and put it on.

It’s my first time wearing it, and without a mirror, it takes some effort, but I manage in about ten minutes.

It feels slightly big but doesn’t hinder movement.