novelraw Chapter 220: The Dungeon Games [4]
Chapter 220: The Dungeon Games [4]
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While inspecting his new and strange Fated Villain Core Spiral Ability, Louis noticed a small button labeled [Click to Show More]. When he tapped it, the full details of the ability unfolded before him. At first glance it seemed simple enough, but Core Spiral Abilities were vastly different from ordinary ones. They were far larger, packed with multiple effects, and usually capable of growing and evolving independently. Some relied on specific materials to advance, while others operated with their own internal point systems.
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[Fated Villain – Tier 7 (1%)]
An Ability developed by truly villainous Spiralwalkers who walk the path of malice and selfishness, deliberately ruining the lives of others for their own vile benefit.
Fate is always looking to crush every single one of your actions, but as the Fated Villain, you also hold a part within Fate that cannot be easily rewritten.
Skills:
[Narrative Gravity – Level 1]: The greater the misfortune or humiliation you inflict upon "protagonists" (individuals with strong Destiny or Fortune traits), the more Fate bends slightly in your favor afterward. Small, improbable coincidences occur more frequently around you. Enemies miss fatal blows by mere centimeters, treasures appear when least expected, and allies survive situations they should not. The effect scales with the "weight" of the ruined fate.
[Villain's Taunt – Level 1]: Whenever someone declares you their nemesis, sworn enemy, or "I will defeat you one day!" target, they receive a hidden [Mark of Enmity]. Marked targets suffer a -3% penalty to all growth rates until they defeat you or die. The mark stacks up to five times per target. (Currently marked: 17) You may also choose to reabsorb these marks for power, freeing the targets from their curse.
[Plot Armor Piercer – Level 1]: Once per target, you may designate a single "heroic moment" of an enemy and forcibly corrupt it. Their dramatic counterattack, power-up, or friendship speech fails spectacularly, dealing backlash damage proportional to how "destined" the moment was meant to be.
[Infamous Antagonist – Level 1]: Every time you actively lean into the "villain" role—monologuing, humiliating defeated foes in public, deliberately sparing someone so they can return stronger, and so on—your [Infamy] rises. High Infamy attracts stronger "heroes," increases the chance of Heavenly Tribulation-like events, and makes neutral factions more likely to oppose you. At the same time, your Villain Rank increases, granting passive bonuses to Stats, Abilities, and Magic.
{Villain Rank}: "Notorious Villain"
{Current Infamy}: 42/100
{Bonuses}: All Stats +10%, Fantasium Regeneration Speed +50%, Magic Spell Power +20%.
{Description}: Whispers follow you in taverns. Bards already sing mocking songs about your deeds.
Future Skills:
[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (Locked – Tier 6+)]: ???
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"This is both good and bad at the same time," Louis muttered. "It is annoying, yet not entirely bad. That drawback might actually be perfect for me."
He closed the window with a flick of his finger.
Behind him, Agustina was still panting, leaning heavily on her oversized cosmic hammer as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
"Lord Louis…? You have been staring into space for almost thirty seconds. Did something happen?"
He glanced at her. "I just unlocked a very annoying ability."
"Annoying…?" She blinked in surprise. "But your level jumped so much! And that ring! Shouldn't you be happy?"
"And I am, Agustina," he replied with a gentle smile. "But I also obtained something rather troublesome."
"Huh?" Agustina tilted her head, confusion clear in her eyes. "What thing?"
"A Spiral Core Ability. I guess you would not know about them since you are not a Spiralwalker," Louis explained. "Basically, it calls me cartoonishly evil and then gives me buffs for acting the part."
Selene, who had been licking ant hemolymph off her claws, perked up immediately. "So you are officially a bad guy now? Cool!"
"Not helping," Louis groaned.
Melisa floated closer, tilting her head like a curious bird. "But… you are our bad guy. That is different, right?"
Louis gave her a long look, then sighed and ruffled her hair.
"Sure. Let us go with that."
He turned toward the tunnel exit. The violet glow of the Third Layer was already visible ahead, a shimmering curtain of aurora-like light. Floating islands, constellation chains, and a bottomless drop stretched into the distance. He could hear distant combat echoes bouncing between the drifting landmasses: steel clashing, explosions of magic, and someone screaming in Yamato dialect.
Mirai was close. Very close.
And judging by the updated leaderboard, she had pulled even further ahead.
[Current Team Rankings – Top 5 Updated]
Team Mirai – 5,940 pts
Team Louis – 5,320 pts
Team Mesopotamia Alpha – 4,810 pts
Team Camelot Royal – 4,550 pts
Team Yamato Oni – 4,120 pts (ouch)
"She is farming faster than me," Louis said, almost impressed. "Heh, she said she was afraid, but look at her now. She is already ranked first. So Mesopotamia was ahead of us? I guess they are working fast too. Magicians with their relics and magic can easily wipe out large groups of enemies. It makes sense."
He spread his skeletal wings once more.
"Time to catch up."
The group launched off the ledge. Gravity flipped lazily as they crossed the threshold.
"Careful!"
Louis extended his Aura to encompass everyone. Agustina, Selene, and Melisa cried out as they felt the world around them turn upside down.
"Woah! What is this?! So cool!"
Suddenly there was no "down" anymore, only floating islands, glowing chains, and an endless purple void. Selene whooped in delight and began bounding between the drifting rocks like a hyperactive mountain goat.
"Hehehe, wait for me, Selene!"
Melisa giggled and spiraled around her in glowing loops. Agustina, still not fully accustomed to non-Euclidean physics, flailed for a moment before her starlight wings corrected her trajectory.
"Just what is this place, Lord Louis?" she asked desperately.
The group paused briefly as Louis took in the alien landscape.
"Third Layer: Astral Drift Archipelago," he stated. "There is no solid ground here. Everything floats, and gravity is subjective. Be careful. There are giant Level 2 Anomalies and even some Entities scattered around."
"Wait, what?! And how is this even allowed?" Agustina exclaimed.
"Why would it not be? This is an Academy meant to make us grow stronger through any means necessary," Louis replied with a smile. "Relax. I am here, after all."
"Heh," she chuckled. "You are so confident."
"For now, let us move. There are many floating islands we can explore, but it would be better to regroup with the rest of our team first," Louis said. "Hurry! Both of you, come here."
He grabbed the two adventurous girls with large draconic hands formed from his Psychic and Fantasium Aura and flew straight toward the largest island in the central cluster.
Mirai was already there.
She sat casually on the edge of a broken crystal spire, legs crossed. Fresh blood—still steaming—dripped onto the violet stone from the corpse of a giant purple snake-like beast with shimmering crystal scales and four feathered wings. It was an Astral Wurm, a Level 3 Anomaly.
Behind her lay six unconscious Yamato students arranged almost artistically in a circle, like a warning. The rest of her team—Timothy, Zorba, and Anastasia—looked at the unfortunate group with a hint of pity. Well, not Zorba. He pitied them only because the no-kill rule prevented him from turning them into zombies.
Mirai looked up when Louis landed. She smiled and stood.
"You are slow today," she said mildly. "But I am glad you made it!"
"Huh? So you beat some Yamato goons too?" he asked. "You did not even loot them. Why not take their equipment?"
Mirai flicked her demon blade once. The blood flew off in a perfect arc and evaporated mid-air. The katana-like sword was her Soul Treasure, recently obtained as a prize from defeating several Yamato students in a duel.
"Meh, I do not really need their trash. I only want the tenth-floor boss! You said it would give the best EXP and loot, right?" Mirai asked.
"Yeah, but we need to hurry for that," Louis replied, glancing at the bodies. "Which squad was this?"
"Ahh, they were really weak, so I went easy on them," she said with a giggle, her gold-red eyes gleaming with amusement. "Kaguya must be running out of disposable pawns. Or maybe she is saving the strong ones for later."
"Probably both."
In the past week, Kaguya had gone somewhat mad. She had begun recruiting large numbers of houseless students. Yamato now had over thirty members. She had likely gathered them all in an attempt to slow Louis down and delay his victory.
Despite how broken she had been left before, she had regained her composure and now harbored an immense grudge against him. Strangely, he liked that.
Once he finished analyzing the students and confirmed they were not even the original talented Yamato members, Louis stepped closer to Mirai. Their bracelets chimed at the same time.
[Team Louis and Team Mirai are now in proximity range.]
[Same House Detected. Combined Party Mode available. Merge for shared points and buffs? Y / N]
Louis raised an eyebrow.
Mirai smirked.
"Sounds good!" she said. "Wanna merge parties right away? Or… are you scared I will outshine you?"
"Oh? You have become a lot bolder lately," Louis laughed. "I like that. Do not worry. We can try to outshine each other while we beat everyone else."
"Alright!" Mirai nodded, laughing cutely. She was indeed becoming bolder and less timid, especially when she activated her Demon Form and Abilities. Her personality tended to shift between her usual slightly timid, sensible side and a more challenging, rival-like attitude. Perhaps it was part of her Madness, some sort of personality split tied to her Demonic Abilities, as if she had two halves.
Louis tapped [Y] without hesitation.
A soft golden ring expanded around both teams, linking their bracelets in a shimmering chain of light.
[Combined Party formed: "House Frostbane"]
[Shared point multiplier: +15%]
[All members gain [Bond of Sinners] – +8% to all stats when within 100m of another Sin-affiliated member]
Selene immediately tackled Mirai in a hug.
"Big sis Mirai! You smell like blood!"
Mirai froze for half a second, then awkwardly patted the werewolf girl's head.
"…Yeah, yeah. I guess I will need a bath later," she sighed with a small laugh. "Do I stink? We fought dozens of those things before we made it here."
"Only a little," Melisa said.
Agustina landed beside them, looking between the groups with wide eyes.
"Wait… so we are all one team now?"
"Looks like it," Louis replied. "Which means we move faster, hit harder, and all the loot goes to the house. Well, unless someone with a personality disorder has grown bolder again and wants to claim something from me?"
Mirai stood up and stretched like a cat. "No complaints. Just one condition."
She pointed her katana lazily toward the distant glowing spire at the center of the layer, where a titanic silhouette of chained starlight was slowly awakening.
"I call dibs on the Layer Boss head as a trophy!" she declared, her gold-red eyes gleaming fiercely. Bloodshed always awakened her demon side, and it was strong today.
Louis glanced at the rising monstrosity: a colossal skeletal titan wrapped in constellation chains, its eyes burning with newborn nebulae. Estimated Level 4.5. Most monsters from this point onward would be at similar levels.
This dungeon was special because its owners could adjust the levels of the Anomalies and Entities inside. The Level Cap was 6, reserved for the Final Boss on the Tenth Layer—something few would dare challenge given the entire Dungeon Game's twelve-hour time limit.
Answering her request, Louis smiled lightly. He felt invigorated whenever Mirai became like this. He did not prefer this side over her original personality, but he did not dislike it either.
"Only if you can take it before I do."
Mirai's grin turned feral. "Challenge accepted."
Behind them, the rest of Mirai's original team finally arrived. Timothy rode a giant carnivorous vine, Zorba brought along six Wurm Zombies, and Anastasia was covered in purple blood while wearing Frost Spirit Armor and gripping her sword tightly.
Timothy whistled. "Damn. You two really merged without asking anyone? What if we wanted to compete against Louis? I kind of wanted…"
Zorba laughed heartily. "I am glad it turned out this way, Lord Louis! Once more we work together. Let us humiliate these students again."
Anastasia groaned. "Haaa… You guys are insane. I want to take a break!"
"Yeah, good to have you all back. It did not even take that long," Louis nodded as he stared at the awakening boss.
His new [Fated Villain] passive thrummed faintly in his chest, as if it recognized the moment. This giant creature had once been a Legendary Hero from Yggdrasil's ancient times, a Titan that wandered the Fantasy World slaying demons and beasts.
Now known as the "Astral Guardian," its empty eyes still gleamed with the remnants of long-lost glory, its aura shimmering like nebulae. Coincidentally, this being had once been "benefited by fate," allowing Louis's new Core Spiral Ability to activate.
He was not sure if it was even worth using on this opponent, but there was no cooldown, so he would lose nothing by trying.
"Alright, let us move. Everyone stay together. Let us take down that boss before anyone else—"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
To the surprise of Louis and his House, someone had already reached the boss. A group of magicians from Mesopotamia, led by Ashur, was bombarding the giant with dozens of powerful spells.
"GROOOHHHH!"
The Skeleton Titan roared and began summoning a massive sword of black bone and starlight nebula. It swung the weapon, unleashing devastating attacks that shattered entire floating islands.
"The Mesopotamia bastards got here first!" Zorba groaned.
"I guess we will have to steal their kill. We are not losing!" Louis declared. "Let us move!"
The party flew across the purple void, drawing the attention of a large swarm of Astral Wurms that rushed at them with roaring hisses.
"Take them down quickly. We cannot waste time on these things," Louis ordered, summoning his Soul Treasures and controlling them with Sword Energy and Psychic Power alone.
Gungnir tore through the skies, impaling the heads and bodies of dozens of Astral Wurms at once, while Gram and Muramasa cut through the rest, burning them with chaotic flames and holy fire.
Mirai summoned her Soul Treasure again, swinging it like a katana and unleashing blazing slices that shredded through the entire swarm.
At the same time, the rest of the group engaged fiercely. Zorba's zombies fought with raw power, Timothy narrowly dodged several attacks before smashing enemies with his shovel and plant-monster assists, Anastasia's swordsmanship sliced through swarms, Agustina defended herself with her armor, and Selene and Melisa combined their strength into an unstoppable little duo.
"There they are. That must be the main team Ashur is commanding," Louis said as they drew closer to the giant Titan resting amid the cluster of floating islands.
He recalled them through William's memories. Besides Ashur, Zaidu, and Tiamat, there were two other students he had not paid much attention to before, yet both possessed considerable power and magical strength.
"Gilgamesh Uruk."
A tall, broad-shouldered young man with tanned skin, wild golden-blond hair, and sharp crimson eyes stepped forward. He wore his uniform half-unbuttoned, revealing a chest covered in faint golden scars that resembled ancient writing. A heavy red cloak hung from his shoulders, and a short golden sword—more ceremonial than practical—hung at his side.
Arrogant and prideful, he possessed the "King's Treasure" ability, an inherited power that allowed him to manifest weapons and armor from a personal vault of relics collected by his bloodline over centuries. A descendant of the "Ancient Humans" discovered in the Fantasy Realm of Babylonia, his kind still puzzled VPI scientists as to whether they should be classified as Entities.
He was a powerful warrior-magician hybrid, but his "Noble's Pride" Trait often made him ignore direct commands and act on his own, which proved detrimental in tactical situations.
"Ishtar Ninlil."
A young woman with burnished bronze skin stepped up beside Ashur. She had long, tightly braided black hair interwoven with golden threads, emerald-green eyes that almost glowed, and an aura of barely restrained violence. Her uniform sleeves were cut shorter to reveal intricate golden tattoos curling up her forearms like living script. Twin curved daggers hung at her waist, and a golden circlet rested on her brow.
She was considered one of the strongest close combatants among the younger generation of Mesopotamia. Her awakened "Blood Oath" ability allowed her to temporarily borrow the vitality of anyone she wounded. She had a tomboyish, aggressive personality and obeyed no one except her Lord. Her tattoos originated from an Entity born within her body, the source of her herculean strength.
Zaidu and Ishtar were currently provoking the giant in close combat. Ishtar conjured endless golden knives that she fired and detonated on impact, while Zaidu empowered his body with heavy golden armor and curved blades, carving cracks into the titan's tough armor and bone for Ashur, Gilgamesh, and Tiamat to exploit with magic.
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