Dungeon And Slave: The Lustful and Violent Slave Harem of the Guard and Students Chosen as Testers for the Succubus Dungeon - Chapter 52: Tank Dog Rock and the Guardian Room

Chapter 52: Tank Dog Rock and the Guardian Room

Tester Life, Day 19, Morning, My Room, Sanada Yagumo

Finishing breakfast, I sip coffee while watching Sayaka teach Sheena how to gather trash.

On the TV monitor across from the sofa, serene music plays alongside images of lush mountains and beaches.

Some kind of “100 Scenic Views” DVD, maybe?

In this claustrophobic dungeon, visuals like this are a nice distraction. Good call, Sayaka—sharp as always.

By the way, this coffee I’m drinking was brewed by Sayaka with a coffee maker. She noticed I love coffee and found the same model her family uses in the shop, along with some high-quality beans. Probably from the staff dorm or the principal’s office.

It’s way tastier than the paper cup coffee from the breakfast set. Sayaka’s on point, as expected.

Damn, I’m getting hooked on her devotion—never experienced anything like this before.

Sayaka’s definitely a femme fatale who could ruin a man.

Up until now, I’ve only seen women as tools for satisfying my lust.

My first was a woman at the child soldier training facility who was always kind to me.

But she was a sex slave shared by the adult soldiers. When they told me, it shocked my young heart. Looking back, that was probably my first love.

After that, I got over it and fucked her relentlessly.

At 16, I was rewarded with a girl and made her mine exclusively. Not letting other soldiers touch her built a decent relationship, but that was it. No love or romance could grow there. She was kidnapped, raped, and my sex slave for over two years, after all.

In the drug cartel, they assigned me beauties to keep me loyal. They were addicts, doing it for drugs, keeping it transactional.

Seducing women after that was just for sex, and they weren’t serious either. I grew up in a world full of those kinds of women.

So a woman expressing love this directly is a first for me.

But I can’t get it twisted. This is the effect of the Servitude Lust Tattoo. It’s a spell the Queen can undo at will.

If we return to the surface, it might be lifted. I need to avoid getting too dependent so I can handle the loss if that happens.

Steeling myself, I finish my coffee and head to the service room.

In the service room, Sayaka helps me put on my leather armor and gear.

Sheena, tagging along, watches with vacant eyes.

Once I’m geared up, I channel mana into the Magic Seal Crystal to summon Rock.

A red light bursts from the crystal, and the next moment, Rock, now a Kobold General, appears in leather armor.

“!?”

Suddenly, Sheena—moving unlike her usual sluggishness—backsteps swiftly and draws a knife.

Her movements are clearly those of a trained fighter, not an amateur.

The knife she’s holding is one from a treasure chest in the room. No amateur could grab a knife and take a stance that fast.

Her gaze locks onto Rock, her unfocused eyes gone, now sharp, her expression seeming tense.

Her sudden action startles both me and Sayaka.

But Rock steps forward, raising its shield to protect us, wary of Sheena.

Man, this loyal dog vibe. Glad I didn’t just use it as a meat shield.

I place a hand on Rock’s shoulder and call out to Sheena.

“Sheena, it’s okay. This Kobold is bound to me. Tamed, if that makes sense?”

Remia said the Magic Seal Crystal was inspired by taming magic from a world they invaded. If Sheena’s from that world, this should click.

“…Yes.”

It seems to register, and she lowers the knife, returning it to its place.

Then, as if nothing happened, she turns her vacant gaze back to me, standing still.

Her face is as expressionless as ever.

Still, that soldier-like move caught me off guard.

The crystal’s description said she acts based on pre-death memories. Beyond eating and excreting, she might retain job-related skills.

From that reaction and movement, maybe she was a soldier or adventurer in life.

“Rock, it’s fine now. Sayaka, help Rock take off its leather armor.”

Pondering her past, I tell Rock it’s safe and ask Sayaka to remove its armor.

“Yes, but that was surprising.”

“Heh, tell me about it.”

It’s like a mannequin suddenly moving—reminds me of a prank show I saw as a kid.

I chuckle at the memory, and Sayaka, maybe caught up in it, giggles too.

Sayaka goes to Rock, petting the now larger, beefier Kobold, calling it cute as she removes its gauntlets and leather armor.

Meanwhile, I grab the full-body iron armor and greatshield leaning in the corner.

Holding the armor, I realize I have no idea how to put it on.

I bought it yesterday thinking it’d be like the leather armor—just figure it out—but looking at it now, I’m clueless.

I get the general idea, but what’s the order?

Guess I’ll try, and I head to Rock, now free of leather armor.

Sheena follows me.

Turning, I notice her eyeing the armor I’m holding.

“Do you know how to put it on?”

“…Yes.”

“Oh, so you were a soldier or adventurer or something?”

“…Yes.”

“Knew it. Can you put it on Rock?”

“Yes.”

I set the armor at Rock’s feet and leave it to Sheena.

She deftly separates the armor pieces and equips them on Rock with practiced ease.

“She’s good.”

More than an adventurer, she might’ve been a female knight in a beastman kingdom. That’s how skilled she is with full-body armor.

In no time, Rock’s fully armored.

“Whoa, General!”

Seeing Rock, even bigger with the armor, I can’t help but shout “General.”

“Amazing, Rock-chan! You look so strong. You’ll protect Master, right?”

“Waooon!”

“Eek, your bark’s so powerful! You’re cool, Rock-chan!”

“Wafun!”

“Thanks, Sheena. You helped a lot.”

While Sayaka gets excited over Rock’s reliability and Rock makes a softer bark—maybe shy from her praise—I thank Sheena.

“…No.”

She responds with her usual vacant eyes and flat voice.

“Cool, let me know if I need help with anything else.”

For someone without a self, stepping in like that is impressive.

Even bound, her heart’s separate. I didn’t order her, yet she acted on her own despite supposedly lacking a self.

She was probably a good person in life. Maybe she saw me struggling and wanted to help.

I get the feeling Sheena and I will have a long relationship.

※

“Go, Rock! Knock ’em flying!”

“Waoooo!”

At my command, Rock, wielding its shield and short spear, roars and charges three goblins ahead, sending them flying one by one.

I casually follow, slashing the throats of the goblins rolling on the floor with my machete.

Rock turns back after its charge, stabbing the necks or chests of the goblins it knocked down.

Just then, a small room’s door opens, and three club-wielding goblins rush out.

Fireball.

I cast magic as they emerge, turning all three into flaming torches.

“Rock.”

“Waooon.”

At my signal, Rock rushes over and finishes off the still-breathing goblins.

Man, this is so much easier.

Watching Rock gather the magic stones, I grin at how much smoother things are compared to yesterday.

At first, I used Rock as a wall like usual, but then I thought, why not let it charge? Goblins only have clubs—it’d be a breeze. So I tried it, and Rock scattered them in seconds, cutting combat time and saving mana.

It’s been six hours since I started exploring, and I still have nearly 80% of my mana.

The rank-up boosted my mana pool, but Rock’s ability to charge additional goblins is huge. I’m using way less magic.

Didn’t expect it to be this effective.

Makes sense, though. Rock’s over 160 cm, taller than goblins. It’s nearly twice as wide, with a jacked body. Add full-body iron armor and a greatshield, and it’s like a tank charging at them.

First, the goblins freeze at Rock’s size. Then its higher-rank roar makes them flinch. Finally, they panic as Rock charges, getting knocked away, and if they’re unlucky, pierced by its spear.

Those who survive on the floor get their throats cut by me or Rock.

Thanks to this, I’m exploring twice as fast as yesterday. I might find the guardian room today.

Unless there’s some gimmick.

Thinking that, I take the magic stones Rock collected, check the small room the goblins came from, open a wooden treasure chest, and grab a Grade 5 Mana Recovery Potion.

With Rock leading, we turn the next corner and spot a familiar-looking door.

It’s a green wooden door, about 3 meters tall and 2 meters wide. A goblin with a sword is carved into it, probably as decoration.

“No matter how you look at it, that’s the guardian room.”

“Wafun.”

Looks like the domain guardian setup—same as the boss room. Good, no weird gimmicks. Searching for it in this maze would’ve been a pain.

“The carving suggests a sword-wielding goblin as the guardian. Depends on how many minions it’s got.”

Well, we’ve got Rock. Let’s smash through and wrap this up.

“Rock, once we’re inside, I’ll cast magic. When I signal, blast through the minions.”

“Wan!”

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Hearing Rock’s eager bark, I reach for the door.