This is it! This is my chance to regain my glory!

Such was the thought that flew inside Arcturus’ head when he heard the news about the necromancer. It turned out that the bitch who had scorned his advances was a necromancer all along and now the kingdom put a bounty for her head! And that bounty was open to them high-ranking adventurers!

He quickly gathered any members of his clan who hadn’t left the capital. After his honestly not-that-big-of-a-deal minor mistake, a lot of the member parties had left, unfortunately. Still, he managed to gather about 20 people, give or take, including his best friend Red. Not his own party, though. They had all left him—those traitors.

And now, after reporting to the castle, they were on-route to the dungeon, with Arcturus and Red leading at the front.

“Tch, to think that she would be a necromancer… how dare she try to seduce me to sleep with her back then?!”

“I’m pretty sure you were the one who wanted her to sleep with you,” Red replied with a sigh.

“Oh, shut up! You haven’t heard how she seduced the king to get her position in the first place? And look at how she dressed. She’s asking for men to leer at her.”

Red could only shake his head in response. He thought that after his blunder with the dragon, he would change at least a little. Apparently not.

Another reason why I need to watch over him.

To be honest, Red himself wasn’t really that interested in taking down the necromancer. If not for the large payment they were promised, and the fact that he wanted to watch over his friend, he wouldn’t have taken the job.

He too was disappointed that Felicia was revealed to be that kind of person. Though if he were to be honest, she already gave that shady vibe ever since he met her.

----------

They promptly started their dungeon exploration once they arrived, after reporting to the general. They were given authority to make their way through the dungeon on their own, with no supervision from the army or the Inquisitors. Of course, they were led through the already discovered and secured part of the dungeon, until they were left on their own, as vanguards of the capture effort.

There were, of course, a couple of other adventurer parties that had taken on the offer, but none were as numerous as their group. Most of them were just B-ranks, with only a few even reaching A-rank. For them, their tasks would mainly be to secure the already conquered paths of the dungeon, to make way for the rest of the army to travel through, once they could decipher the exact route one should take to get to the center of the dungeon.

Red quickly took charge of the group, assigning roles and positions and such according to his wisdom as an experienced adventurer who had ventured into several other dungeons before. Arcturus tried to do the role, but judging by the distrustful looks on the other adventurers, it was clear as day that they preferred Red to be their leader instead.

Damn it! Just you wait, you shitty necromancer! I’ll claim your head and regain my honor! I swear on my adventurer pride!

Once again, Red could only sigh at his fallen friend.

-----------

An hour into their exploration, it was all-too-obvious to Red that this was no ordinary dungeon. The way it laid down its traps and monsters—it was far more intelligent than the usual dungeon. Just before, they were ambushed by a rain of acid, right as acid slimes, who were naturally immune to said rain, surrounded them.  Before that, a band of goblins tried to flank them, while baiting their group to separate with each other, using the small and winding corridors they had to go through. And before that, a pitfall nearly swallowed them whole, if not for the rogue of their party noticing that something was off at the floor they were standing on.

It was easily the most treacherous dungeon Red had been in.

“Alright everyone, let’s take a break, shall we?” He told the group.

They were currently inside a large stony room, filled with statues of ancient figures none of them recognized. They weren’t informed on the history of the place, nor they particularly would care. The place didn’t seem to have any traps or monsters, so it was the perfect place to take a break.

They sat down for a bit, tending to any wounds they might have and to catch their breath.

Just when they were about to relax, however…

“What’s this? Having a picnic, aren’t we?”

Immediately they stood back up, drawing their weapons while standing with their backs touching each other.

And then, from the ceiling in front of them, black shadows crawled down through the air, before manifesting into a redheaded woman they were already familiar with.

“Greetings, adventurers,” she said with a grin. “I’m sure you still remember who I am, so let’s skip the formalities, shall we?”

Red promptly leaped forward and moved his fists downwards towards her, only to find that it was merely a shadow, and not the real person herself.

“Come on now. Do you truly believe I would actually be here?” She laughed.

“You bitch! I should’ve known you were evil all along!” Arcturus yelled. “Come out here and stop hiding like the coward you are!”

“Oh my, it’s the idiot who wanted to sleep with me.” She giggled as she turned to face him. “What a disappointment you are. To think that a fully grown man can lose to a boy barely out of puberty.”

“J-just you wait! I’m going to defeat you and I’ll become even more famous than he is!”

“Ha… ahahahaha!” The shadow held her stomach in pain. “I’m sorry, but that’s never going to happen!” She suddenly vanished, before reappearing on top of one of the enormous statues, standing on its head. “Hear me, adventurers! I have no qualms against you and your kind! So I warn you. You’ll never be able to kill me, even if you use all your strength! If you had such trouble against a mere Frost Dragon, then you have no chance whatsoever in fighting my elite minions. So leave! Spare yourselves painful and untimely deaths!”

“As if the likes of you could intimidate us!” Arcturus yelled back.

“Then so be it. Let it be known it was your own foolishness that led you and your friends to your early graves.”

The shadow disappeared, leaving nothing but murmurs amongst the adventurers.

“H-hey, maybe she’s right.” A skinny-looking man spoke in a hushed tone. “Maybe we should just quit this entire goddamn job. I don’t like the vibe of this place. Not in the slightest.”

“Ah, being your usual cowardly self again, aren’t you, Grey?” His fiery lady friend pat him on the back with a grin. “Don’t worry! Unlike last time, Red is the one leading the charge!”

Similar opinions spread all around the room, with one side still wanting to continue on and the other wanting to leave.

“W-what’s wrong with you guys?!” Arcturus shouted with an exasperated, sweaty face. “We can make it through this! None of the monsters or traps are too much for us!”

No one listened to him, however. They continued speaking and arguing with each other, to Arcturus’ chagrin.

“That’s enough!”

It was another matter entirely when his friend spoke.

“If anyone wants to leave, then leave. I won’t hold it to them. But me? I’ll continue. That woman was merely bluffing. Didn’t you remember how she barely did anything back then while Tempest did all the work? She’s not as strong as she made herself to be. No matter what tricks she used against us, as long as we work together as a team and watch each other’s backs, there is nothing we can’t overcome. Haven’t we conquered both the Serpent’s Spine and the Dragon’s Graveyard—two dungeons no other adventurers could conquer? Have faith in our strength!”

This brief speech, combined with the passionate and heroic way Red delivered it, was enough to rouse their confidence.

“That’s right! This dungeon isn’t that dangerous compared to those two hellholes! And we can overcome them just fine!”

“Yeah! So what if she’s a necromancer? It’s not like we haven’t fought off a swarm of skeleton soldiers before!”

Arcturus looked at his friend in a mixture of awe, disbelief and anger. Damn it, Red! That’s supposed to be my moment! And he stole it right under my nose! 

Still, he was thankful to him. Thanks to that speech, everyone present was willing to continue on deeper into the dungeon. Loathe he was to admit it, he had a hunch that he would need every single person there to even make it to where the necromancer was hiding.

----------

The group marched on deeper and deeper, making their own map that they would share with the soldiers if they ever met with them. They were currently traversing an entirely different section of the dungeon. The place was really much bigger than it looked from the outside. No one knew whether the original construction was already like this, or the dungeon simply grew over the years thanks to its Core.

After another hour of traversing endless rooms and corridors, fighting off traps and monsters as they did, they stumbled upon a series of stairs leading downwards, hinting that they were going on the right path. After all, most dungeons’ last floors where the Dungeon Core should be located were their deepest floors. It was the same with those two dungeons they had conquered before.

They were confronted with a problem, however. The staircase corridor was narrow—so much so that only one person could enter. If they were all to enter using it, they would have to walk on a long line. And naturally, it wasn’t something they would want to do. Imagine how easy it would be to ambush them when they were in that state.

So, they looked for another option first, to Arcturus’ annoyance. To save time, they opted to split the entourage. Each party would go on their own, mapping their path as they went. And then, after one hour or when they found another set of stairs, they would return to the appointed place. Arcturus went with Red’s party, having no party of his own.

-------

Seeing this development, a certain necromancer let out a sigh.

The fools… they really want to lose their lives, don’t they?

She was inside the dungeon's figurative heart, inside a small circular room where there was only a pitch-black crystal ball and the thin pedestal that prepped it up. There was also a chair she used to sit on, but that wasn’t originally part of the room. It would be too tiring to stand there for hours after all.

The pitch black crystal ball was, of course, the Dungeon Core. It was a small object, fit into one’s palm, yet it could hold so much power. Using her affinity with dark magic, she controlled it as its new mistress. It used to serve demonkind, but now it served her. After being so long without a master, it was overjoyed that it could once again be of service to one who held so much dark mana inside of her. It felt that it had regained its purpose.

Indeed, the Core was sapient. Perhaps closer to the intellect of a dog than a human, but it had the capability for thinking and feeling, however simple it was. And Felicia could synchronize with its very being, allowing her to oversee and change the layout of the entire dungeon as she saw fit.

Fine. Then I shall take care of them first. They’re the closest to my current location now, and I don’t need them to join forces with the army and those Inquisitors. I have to dispose of them now, while they’re separated like this.

I feel bad for them, but it is their choice to march here like this, despite all my warnings.

Those fools. They’re blinded by the promise of riches and glory. Just like how the soldiers are blinded by their sense of duty and how the Inquisitors are blinded by their zealotry. I had done nothing but good using this power, yet they still think I’m evil.

No matter. Once the Gate is complete, I can finally show them—the power that could transcend death itself.

Once again, she rested her right hand on top of the crystal before closing her eyes. 

Bring me once more to those adventurers.

The Core obeyed, and it showed her a vision of Red and his party heading down to a certain room she was well-familiar with.

Perfect. I’ll begin with them then.

------------

The room Red and his party entered was a long and narrow corridor, filled with statues to the left and right of them. Unlike the previous statues, however, who were decidedly humanlike, these were more demon-like, with horns, wings, and tails, similar to the classical portrayal of how gargoyles looked like.

“Mirth, lead the way,” Red ordered. “You know what to do with these statues.”

“A’right, boss.”

Mirth was the group’s expert on dungeon traps. He was a beastman of the dog variety, and his sensitive ears and noses could always tell where a trap lied in wait, or so he claimed.

He took point at the group’s formation, sniffing and twitching his ears around as his eyes swept through the room. He had aid from the party’s cleric, Majorka, who cast the light spell that gave illumination for the otherwise pitch black dungeon.

“Mmm, n’thing odd. We can go.”

The party continued that way as they slowly made their way through the long corridor, stopping every time the beastman signalled them to stop. It was one reason why dungeon crawling took a really long time if you wanted to be extra careful, which you should, if you know what’s good for you.

When they were in the middle of the corridor, however—

*CLICK*

“Majorka, barrier! Now!”

“R-right!”

With high speed, the cleric erected a translucent Barrier around her party members, under Mirth’s order. With his sharp ears, he could hear the click from a mile away and there’s only one thing a sudden click could mean in a trap-infested ruin like this.

They just triggered a trap.

…

“Hmm? Nothing is ‘appening.” Mirth looked around in confusion.

*CRACK*

*THUD*

“Across ‘ere room! Two of them!”

Without hesitation, he drew his bow and fired an arrow towards his front, even before the cleric could shine her light on who their assailant could be. The corridor was really long, so when they were in the middle like this, they couldn’t see what was hidden behind and in front of them.

And then, he could hear it—the sound of surging water coming from both behind and in front of them.

“Water! They’re going to drown us!”

“Ilfridil! Freeze the water! Don’t let them get to us!”

Ilfridil was the mage of the party. He was a tall, well-groomed elf who barely ever said anything.

He nodded and readied his frost spell. In the meantime, Majorka strengthened her shield, ready to protect the party from the oncoming wave.

“Cold Blast!”

The elf fired his Advanced-level Ice spell in an attempt to freeze the torrent of water rushing in. It worked, but only on one side. He wasn’t fast enough to cast another Cold Blast to stop the other side from reaching them. The cleric gritted her teeth as she felt her barrier being pushed back by the force the water exuded.

“Hold steady!” Red yelled. “Arcturus! Duke! Grif! Break the floor! It’s the thinnest side we can escape to!” The floor was their only choice, since the walls were already underwater now.

Duke was the tank of the party. He was a big, well-muscled bald man, only dwarfed by Red himself. The man wasn’t wearing any armor, however. He was content to wear his short-sleeved blue tunic that showed off his bulging muscles. His weapon of choice was an enormous axe he wielded with two hands.

Grif, on the other hand, was the lancer of the group. His job was to flank enemies from behind, wounding them mortally as Duke caught their attention. He actually wore armor, though not with a helm. He was a handsome man with silver hair and teeth as white as pearls.

But now, their job was one and one only—to make a hole they could escape to.

“Beast King Fist!”

*BOOM*

The stone floor shattered when Red’s fist landed. However, thanks to its thickness, it wasn’t enough to make the hole they wanted. Thankfully, Duke and Grit were there—all heavy hitters of their own right. The former followed with a strong cleave of his axe, while the latter pierced it with his spear. It continued like that over and over as they made their way through the stone floor into the hard soil underneath. All the while their cleric struggled, as the water became heavier and heavier, pressuring her barrier with its pressure.

“The water! I-it’s not normal!” She gritted her teeth as cracks formed on her barrier.

“Don’t you dare let go, woman! I’m not dying in a place like this!” Arcturus yelled as he frantically swung his sword downwards.

*CRACK*

The soil finally gave way, causing them to fall into the corridor down below, just in time before the barrier shattered.

“Majorka! Keep it together!”

The woman had fallen unconscious, so it was up to him to grab her before the current separated them.

And he did just that, right before the powerful stream carried them across the corridor, ferrying them to God knows where. Eventually, however, after a painful few minutes of being taken for a ride, they were dumped into an even larger body of water.

It was the dungeon’s very own artificial underground lake. 

Using their underground monsters, the monsters had dug into the nearby underground rivers. They cleverly gathered their water here, where they could use the water as they wished. Demons needed water to drink too, after all, with some even wanting to take baths.

“Gwaahhh!”

Red surfaced first, followed by Arcturus before the rest of the party followed. They were lucky that none of them got hurt through all that.

Still dazed and confused, they immediately looked around for dry land. The doorway into the corridor they had been through was still raining down water into the lake they were currently in so they couldn’t use it.

“Ilfridil! Cast a fire magic! Majorka is unconscious!” Red yelled. As his feet paddled in place, he tried to keep the young woman’s face above the waterline, just so she wouldn’t choke on the water.”

The elven mage nodded, before sending a ball of fire that hovered above them, sending illumination across their surroundings.

Only then they realized they had stumbled into an underground lake of some sort.

That, and the fact that there were two other people there that were not part of their group.

They eerily stood on the water’s surface, wearing ragged and tattered mage’s robes. Looking at their faces, they had exactly the same look and expression—a blank one. They differed in gender—one was a man and the other was a woman. They were teal-haired twins of opposite genders. The man wielded a wand while the woman wielded a staff. 

“Who are you?! Identify yourself!” Red shouted.

They didn’t respond. Instead, they started casting their spells, aiming them right towards the now weakened group.

The two were Felicia’s creations. They were Elun’s original compatriots who had fallen in battle when she first tried to assassinate her.

And now, she had reanimated them to be her loyal puppets.