In the 6th zone of the Lake Kingdoms dungeon, [Research Lab].
Fully nad [Magical Research Lab], it was one of the largest dungeons deep within Lake Kingdom.
"Hehehe."
Atop the grand facility of this lab.
A woman, perched on the rooftop, revealed a sinister grin.
One of the Nightmare Legions commanders. The leader of the Unholy Legion.
She was the Succubus Queen - Salo.
"Hehehehe."
Salo watched as Ash and his team approached. Her captivating lips curved into a clear line.
"Ive been waiting for the day to see you again, Ash."
After being thoroughly defeated by Ash previously,
Salo reorganized her legion and waited for Ashs return.
Predicting that Ash would soday co to this [Research Lab] dungeon, the largest in the 6th zone, she nested here, laying various traps.
And after a long wait, Ash finally arrived.
"This ti, Ill definitely make you submit."
The malevolent smile on Salos lips grew increasingly wicked.
"And once Ive captured you... like this, and like that... hehehe... Oh!"
Blushing while lost in her fantasies, Salo quickly snapped back to reality. Her underling succubi stared intently at her.
"Ahem, ahem! Uh-huh!"
Regaining her dignity with a forced cough, she signaled with her hand, and her succubi flew to her, presenting a full-length mirror.
Salo adjusted her alluring pink hair, added decorations to the horns on her forehead, and tied a ribbon on her swaying tail.
She even changed out of her usual ragged monks outfit into a new one.
Following her subordinates advice(?) that being more modest was trending in the sex industry, she buttoned up to her neck.
Her clinging succubi then applied makeup to her face. Salo gazed at her reflection, twisting and turning her body.
"How, how do I look? Do I look good? This should work, right?!"
While she could seduce anyone in the dream world, Ash was immune to any ntal disturbances.
Though not a typical succubi thod, she needed to lure him with her physical charms...!
Salo, seeking validation, received approving nods and thumbs-up from her succubi.
She grinned broadly and raised her fist triumphantly. "Its ti for revenge, Ash! Prepare for a fiery defeat!"
Watching Ashs face as he entered the dungeon, Salo smiled confidently.
"Youre mine!"
***
"Cut the crap and buzz off!"
"Aaaaah!"
In the large hall of the 6th zone dungeon [Research Lab],
I punched with all my might, striking Salos jaw. She shrieked and tumbled around on the ground.
"Its you again, Salo?"
Relaxing my fist, I gritted my teeth. Of all the Nightmare Legion commanders, she was probably the least threatening.
Holding her jaw and blinking, Salos eyes lit up.
"Oh, you rember ? Im so happy!"
"Why are you even happy about that...?"
I looked around, rolling my eyes.
The hall was filled with the bodies of defeated trolls.
However, unlike the ordinary troll legions weve faced, these had a distinctive faint pink aura emanating from them.
The remaining standing trolls also emitted this pink aura. I sighed.
"You might act like a fool, but youre not completely brainless, are you?"
My passive skill [Unyielding Commander] nullified all ntal disturbances. It even covered a radius of several ters around .
I could single-handedly counter the entire Unholy Legion.
And then, these fiends changed their tacticsinstead of targeting and my party mbers, they enchanted what could be considered their allies, the troll legion.
"Enchanting allies, forcefully casting a frenzy spell on them, and squeezing out every last bit of their life force to make them fight... Interesting use of enchantnt. Ive learned sothing new."
"Hehe, thats a complint, right? Youre complinting now?"
"Yeah, great job. Now die here!"
I drew my staff, [Maestro], and unleashed a barrage of magical blades.
"Kyaaaah?!"
Salo scrambled on the ground, desperately dodging my onslaught. Just die and make things easier for both of us, will ya? Huh?!
"Thats so an!"
Salo, using the enchanted ally trolls as at shields against my attacks, yelled in frustration.
"There are too many of you!"
On our side, there were 25. Five full parties.
Whether she enchanted trolls or laid traps, she was no match in sheer power.
Salos prepared troops were being torn to shreds before us.
"And youre too strong! Such brutal violence is too harsh for a delicate succubus like !"
"So, what did you plan on doing with ?"
"Huh?"
"After subduing us with your troops, what was your plan for ?"
You were going to kill us brutally, right? That was the implication of my question.
Salo, who blinked in confusion at my query, scratched the back of her head shyly.
"Well, of course, Id wrap you up gently, without a scratch! And take you to my lair..."
"Kidnap to your lair? And then?"
"And then, naturally, youd spend heavenly, blissful, luxurious ti with , the Succubus Queen Salo! Offering you a happiness you couldnt experience on such a brutal battlefield! Oh, but of course, youd remain tied up."
...It didnt make much sense to . Kidnap and ntally torture? A truly vile idea, fitting for an evil Nightmare Legion commander.
Evangeline, who had been listening, whistled.
"Wow. Restraint, kidnapping, and confinent? True Nightmare Legion commander material. Pretty hardcore play, isnt it?"
"Minors should cover their ears."
Then, on the other side, Lilly, who had been listening, quickly covered Godhands ears.
"Godhand! What were you thinking while glancing at just now?"
"I, I wasnt thinking anything!"
"Both of you, cover your ears..."
Ignoring the annoying couple,
I took a deep breath, put my magic staff into my robe, and approached Salo with large strides. Salo paled and spread her arms wide.
"Have you finally accepted my offer, Ash? Hehehe! Thats it, good boy! Now, join in a sweet dream..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As soon as I approached, I drew my gun-type magic gun [Agate] and fired three shots into Salos stomach.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
Thanks to [Agate]s unique knockback effect during close-range firing, Salo was sent flying backward. This new weapons effect is great!
"Just die already. Im super busy."
Were in the middle of a ti attack, you see!
Gritting my teeth, I checked the [Ergency Equipnt Repair Quest] window.
Thanks to this damn Nightmare Legion commanders persistent interference, our ti was quickly depleting!
She shouldve been near death, given my three shots and the typically low HP of the succubi.
But Salo, clutching her stomach, laughed weakly with a pale face.
"Hehe, hehehehe, youre the first man to treat this coldly, Ash... First slapping and now shooting in the stomach..."
"Really? Youre the first monster Ive t that talks this much."
"I get chills down my spine. Yes, this is the feeling... the love the Supre King talked about...?!"
"Shut it, please-!"
I drew out my staff once more to finish off Salo, unleashing a barrage of magical blades.
She was an annoyingly chatty opponent, but if I could easily defeat one Nightmare Legion commander like this, it was a win!
Wham! Wham-!
But then, another troll inserted itself between Salo and .
Simultaneously, the remaining alive trolls rushed in, forming a human shield around Salo.
"Damn it, everyone, unleash your firepower!"
Upon my command, my party mbers launched a full assault.
Once the at-shield trolls were all down, succubi and incubi, erging from within the trolls, tried to block the onslaught but were instantly wiped out.
Amidst it all, Salo, with a few of her minions, began to fade, turning translucent and rging with the air.
"Well et again, Ash... Next ti, Ill surely seduce you..."
"Sure, Im ga! But dont run away! Just co here! Ill hit you only three more tis, then lets hang out! Hey! Dont run! Hey!"
But Salo disappeared, leaving behind a battlefield littered with the corpses of trolls and the Nightmare Legion... she had actually fled...
Damien lowered his targeting magic gun, his eyes wide.
"She... she vanished. Like she moved to another dinsion."
"Its the Succubis escape skill, [Reality Escape]."
Given it causes the user to disappear from reality, even with Damiens far-sight, sniping would be impossible.
Such a potent escape cos at a high cost. Salo must have paid a significant price to use it.
Damien tilted his head, furrowing his brows.
"...She felt different from other Nightmare Legion commanders weve encountered."
"How so?"
"The others radiate clear hostility. They seethe with intense malice, as if denying our very existence. But she didnt have that."
Damien, cradling his gun, looked up at and added,
"And shes... incredibly weak..."
"..."
Well, matchup issues played a huge role.
Without my passive skill, the Unholy Legion would have been one of the most formidable of all monster legions.
However, my passive made them more of a pushover.
"Theyre the least threatening of the Nightmare Legion commanders. But theyre like annoying sumr flies, sticking everywhere."
I sighed softly.
I expected frequent encounters with Nightmare Legion commanders, but the nonchalance of their appearance was still unsettling.
We managed to win easily this ti because they were the relatively weak Unholy Legion...
If we had encountered another Nightmare Legion commander, it wouldve been dangerous.
But the real threat now was the remaining ti on the urgent quest.
There was less than 30 minutes left. Watching the ticking clock made my mouth dry.
Luckily, most of the dungeons monsters had been lured out and enchanted by the Unholy, aning I didnt have to hunt them down.
Originally, this lab-like dungeon was vast, with various chanisms in each room. But since the monsters had taken care of themselves, most traps had been disabled.
In this sense, maybe the Unholy Legion actually saved us so ti...?
Thank you so much!
Next ti we et, Ill "thank" you properly by killing you, Salo!
***
Leading my party mbers, we delved deeper into the research facility.
As its na suggested, the dungeons interior was unlike other areas, featuring bright and clean equipnt.
Inside the dungeon room, various unidentified materials and specins floated in a green liquid.
If there had been more ti, I would have explored every nook and cranny for information. Sadly, I was in the midst of a ti attack!
Skipping non-essential rooms within the spacious dungeon, I pushed forward, obtaining the necessary keys and codes to access the next room.
[Ergency Equipnt Repair Quest]
- Ti remaining: 15 minutes
The urgency was palpable. Finally, I was able to enter the boss room!
Kugugung!
Upon entering the deepest part of the laboratorys boss room, I saw a large contraption with a geotric design; it was an alchemical device intricately intertwined in motion.
"Those damned naless traitors..."
In front of the device stood a massive troll in a lab coat, grinding its teeth as it turned around.
"Having leached under the protection of the Lake Kingdom, you should be grateful to be used as research material for dark magic here!"
Wow, a troll wearing glasses.
...Wait a mont. Is this so kind of racism?
"You think you can ride the chaos outside and cause a riot as re test subjects? Ha! Dont make laugh! Not a single one of you will escape! Ill throw you all into this device!"
As I watched the eloquently speaking boss monster, a thought occurred to .
During my dungeon exploration, I encountered monsters that... spoke like Lake Kingdom citizens.
"Beco fertilizer for the future of humanity, you traitorous bastards!"
Were these peoples souls intact, with only their physical bodies transford into monsters?
Or was it a monster that devoured a persons soul, reading their mories... mimicking human voices, rely imitating human speech?
[Lab - Boss Room]
- Defeat the Boss!
- Lv.45 Troll Sorcerer
Dirandahi, the director of the dark magic lab.
A rare mage-type boss monster.
As the creature raised its staff, magic surged, resonating with the magical apparatus behind him.
Lucas, with his sword raised, in the front lines urgently shouted,
"My lord, give us the tactical directive!"
I nodded, voicing a strategy I had considered earlier.
"Duruchigi."
At my words, the party mbers tilted their heads in confusion.
"Duru...?"
"Chigi...?"
"What do you an, my lord?"
"Its a very traditional and prestigious pork stir-fry recipe... No, I an, its the strategy for a big boss."
Duruchigi.
Going around and smacking the shit out of everything. In other words,
"Swarm!"
With our sheer numbers, high levels, and above all, the ticking clock, whats the need for a strategy?
Just everyone attack full force-!
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