Chapter 351: Dak Demon God-Level Cut-In (4k)
After agreeing to head to the library after exiting the dungeon to research relevant materials, the group took another fifteen minutes of rest.
“Almost there.”
Dark bound the short sword with a rope and hung it on the side of his backpack, then handed the backpack back to Deoxys to carry.
Diana came over, her cheeks bulging with snacks, and said, “I can carry it too.”
Deoxys gave her an extremely cold look before turning away and shaking the backpack slightly.
“Don’t forget to clean up the snack bags,” Dark said with a smile, pointing to the trash next to Diana.
“Hmm.”
Diana obediently responded and began to clean up the garbage. However, Rose had already started organizing it.
In Saint Maryan’s dungeon, these foreign objects were not included in the self-cleaning system of the dungeon. Even decomposers like glowing moss and vine monsters wouldn’t consume inorganic trash. If adventurers didn’t clean up, the garbage would be transported to a certain layer of the dungeon, gradually accumulating into terrifying garbage mountains.
The academy periodically issued cleanup tasks for these layers to upperclassmen. Although these tasks usually offered substantial rewards beyond their difficulty, few people were willing to take them on. Therefore, for the dungeon, cultivating good habits about not littering was beneficial for both the dungeon and the students.
On another note, Saint Maryan didn’t have a “Moral Education” class. Thus, forming good habits required personal attention. Nobles typically hired renowned ladies as tutors for such education.
However, neither Diana nor Rose had received this kind of education. Even Rose had her own shortcomings and needed guidance.
…
After leaving this place, the four headed straight to the secret room mentioned by Emma.
For Dark and the others, since there was such a secret room, they felt compelled to see it with their own eyes.
But when they returned, they found no frescos or paintings on the walls.
Emma frowned at the remaining vine monster corpse on the ground: “It should be around here…”
Dark thought for a moment and said, “That means it disappeared with the hidden space.”
He continued, “There’s no other way. Anyway, it’s time to move on to the next treasure!”
Emma accepted his explanation and patted her cheeks to regain her energy.
Diana visibly perked up hearing about more treasure.
She exclaimed, “Is it starting? Could we encounter tentacles again? Ugh!”
She then hugged Rose and tickled her.
Rose laughed and playfully wrestled with her.
Emma felt the difference in atmosphere compared to when she was with Wit and Robert, feeling envious.
…
In the midst of laughter, Dark took out “Greed II” from his card deck. While examining the CD, he explained their treasure-hunting method to Emma.
Emma listened intently, becoming increasingly interested.
In the dungeon, aimless adventuring and targeted treasure hunting were entirely different concepts.
The hidden space she had triggered was not the only reason the three of them could enter; it was thanks to the seemingly ordinary slime.
Previously, Emma had thought that slime’s main role was to serve as a sacrifice for summoning.
She never imagined it had such significant value!
“Indeed, each of Dark’s golems has its purpose, and his development of golems surpasses ours.”
Emma sighed inwardly.
Then, she encouraged herself silently, “Let’s do our best!”
Only heroes could stand beside heroes.
…
When “Greed II” was ready, Dark summoned the Trash Slime.
“By the name of Dak Demon, Mana Summon!”
A faint blue light emitted from the card face of “Greed II.”
The slime basked in the light, writhing slightly, appearing to enjoy it.
Its body rapidly expanded, its green skin taking on a bluish hue.
“Po-yo—”
Transforming into “Greed Slime I,” it leaped up in Dark’s palm.
Dark quickly caught it, urging, “Hurry.”
The greed slime’s eyes immediately sharpened. It squeezed out two small tentacles from its jelly-like body and tapped its head.
It looked like… a little Ichikawa thinking.
As its eyes closed and reopened, the greed slime clearly activated its “treasure sense!”
After searching for about two minutes, it finally reacted, extending a tentacle in one direction and nodding vigorously.
“Po-yo!”
(We’re off!)
…
With previous experience, Dark and the others remained relatively calm. They summoned their familiars to scout ahead, adjusting their direction as they moved forward.
Emma tried to join in, summoning her otter familiar to follow behind and provide cover.
The monsters in the dungeon didn’t just appear from the front.
Many appeared from behind, employing sneak attacks.
The four-person team had clear roles and a well-organized plan.
Once encountering a monster, Dark would directly assign someone to summon a golem.
They either hunted on the spot or lured the monsters away.
In any case, they aimed to minimize their stay.
The greed slime’s evolution lasted only about fifteen minutes, so they had to confirm the treasure’s location within that time.
This journey passed quickly, ten minutes going by.
They didn’t collect much along the way.
Finally, just as the greed slime was about to revert, the vanguard, the Imp Beast, suddenly returned, gesturing wildly.
“Someone ahead?” Dark asked, frowning.
The Imp Beast nodded immediately.
“Could they have beaten us here?”
Dark stroked the greed slime in his pocket, hesitating. “Anyway, let’s check it out.”
The other three agreed.
They quickened their pace. Soon, noise reached their ears from up ahead.
Dark raised his hand to the girls, signaling them to stop. He peeked around the corner cautiously.
Seeing what was there, he relaxed slightly.
It was indeed people. And half of them were acquaintances.
From the Mana Academy: Sarah Swati, Heidi… Euphemia, and another unfamiliar female student.
From the Noble Academy: Teddy Dolong, Pistons, and another tall female student.
These two groups somehow ended up together.
Opposite them was a trio of older students.
“Third years?”
Dark recognized their grades from their uniform styles.
“Speaking of which, it’s Friday afternoon, and it’s indeed the usual time for the dungeon to open.”
Dark murmured to himself and stopped hiding, stepping out from around the corner.
Emma, Diana, and Rose exchanged glances and followed suit.
Their appearance immediately drew the attention of the quarreling group.
Dark ignored their looks and instead looked up at the massive iron door behind them!
Embedded in the stone, the iron door was covered in scars, even the frame was twisted, with rust covering the edges.
Despite its height of fifteen to sixteen meters and heavy texture, it still created a striking visual impact.
Moreover, there were two handles shaped like animal heads on the door.
On the left panel was a bull head with a nose ring, and on the right, a lion head with a similar nose ring.
The passage of time was evident on this giant iron door.
No doubt, it concealed valuable treasures!
…
Even without asking, Dark could guess that the conflict between first and third years was likely due to this treasure trove.
On a personal level, he favored the first years.
But objectively, the principle of “first come, first served” applied.
If the situation wasn’t clarified, things could get complicated.
In the dungeon, public disputes were resolved through duels.
But having first-year students duel with third-years?
Clearly, that wouldn’t work.
…
As Dark approached and recognized Dolong, he instinctively relaxed and waved. “Dak, you’re finally here!”
Dolong, usually reserved, had a voice comparable to Robert’s.
Perhaps this was his way of being inconspicuous.
Dark sighed slightly and smiled. “Sorry, got sidetracked for a bit.”
Getting sidetracked was true.
So was the apology—it was a strategic approach.
Dark greeted Dolong and smoothly inserted himself into the conversation.
Dolong’s eyes flashed, and he complained, “Without you, we couldn’t defeat the tier boss even if we found it.”
Tier boss?
Dark understood instantly.
He scanned everyone’s faces, getting a general idea.
Since this iron door led to the tier boss, it made sense that the three third-years were here.
Judging by appearances, Dolong and Sarah arrived first, followed by the three third-years.
Otherwise, given their status, they wouldn’t waste time arguing with these first-year groups.
Their reluctance to directly drive Dolong’s group away suggested they had some guilt.
Dark naturally walked to Dolong’s side, feigning confusion. “Who are these seniors?”
Dolong glanced at them, feeling somewhat confident, and bluntly said, “Don’t know, maybe they’re just passing through?”
The three looked at him with a completely different tone, snorting.
One of the shorter boys with a green cap pulled it down and muttered, “Abusing authority.”
Though muttered, the words weren’t soft.
Dolong remained unfazed.
Because he was indeed using his authority.
Since he did it, he shouldn’t fear criticism.
Dolong wasn’t naive.
This place was discovered by them first, and the three third-years were latecomers. He had no qualms.
But the three kept insisting they had marked the spot last weekend but hadn’t had time to handle it, leading them to return this week.
They even claimed to be the first ones there.
Didn’t the dungeon reset every Monday?
Did tier bosses not reset?
Dolong didn’t fully understand the dungeon rules, so he hesitated.
But Sarah Swati clearly knew and explained it to him.
The weekly dungeon reset didn’t affect everything. Usually, only when a tier’s monster population dropped significantly or increased drastically would the reset trigger.
Moreover, elite monsters rarely respawned.
Another scenario was severe terrain destruction, causing map resets.
Or if the area was maze-like, it often reset.
Foreign species weren’t part of the reset mechanism unless absorbed by the dungeon ecosystem.
So the claims of the three third-years might not be lies.
…
Regardless, these three clearly knew something about Dak Demon.
Before Dak arrived, they had escalated to loud arguments.
Now, upon seeing Dak, both sides visibly calmed down.
“Dak Demon?”
A red-haired young man among the upperclassmen looked at Dak and smiled warmly.
This red-haired youth had very beautiful ruby-red eyes that shone like sunlight, giving a strong sense of warmth.
His chest bore the Fool’s Academy tarot emblem.
The short boy with the green cap had visible green hair beneath it.
Another boy was slightly overweight, with an average face and straw-like hair, giving the impression of malnutrition.
Their chests also bore the Fool’s tarot emblem.
These three were quite famous among the third-years.
Red-haired was named Fernando.
Green-haired was named Gren.
Yellow-haired was named Yerow.
Known as the “Red Green Yellow Trio” because they always appeared together, their distinctive hair colors made them memorable.
Though Dak hadn’t heard of them, he politely greeted, “Hello, may I ask your surname, senior?”
But the yellow-haired fatty seemed to have a bad temper. He retorted, “No need for formalities. You want to join in?”
Diana pouted, lifting her foot but was held back by Rose.
—
[8000/8000]
Mission complete, late penalty: Blade punishment!
[0/8000]
New mission initiated.
Feeling unwell, will update later.
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