Chapter 136: Dungeon Waltz (1/2)

5000 gold coins per person.

“Never!” Vainqueur roared almost immediately, his head hitting the ceiling and causing the entire hall to tremble. “Never!”

“That’s evil,” Friend Victor added, a flying mirror floating near his face, as he examined the barrier preventing them from accessing the dungeon’s depths. It was a purple replica of the shield around the Murmurin castle. “I’m sure he raised the price somehow.”

Vainqueur had thought the Forgotten One reformed after he put a dragon statue in his dungeon’s first hall. But instead, the lich made a twisted mockery of it, forcing noble, generous dragons to make the ultimate sacrifice!

The lich hadn’t abandoned his old tricks. If anything, he had become even worse!

“Paralyzed by indecision yet?” Furibon’s voice echoed through the walls, the Forgotten One having hidden in the depths of his domain while V&V had been teleported at the entrance. Safe from the dragon’s wrath.

“A dragon does not pay a fee!” Vainqueur declared, activating [Spell Purge] and attempting to get through the barrier. Instead, the field around him hit the magical protection like two pieces of armor colliding with one another, one unable to break past the other.

Your [Spell Purge] couldn’t affect [Furibon’s Anti-Vainqueur Barrier]!

“Did you truly think I would not counter that Perk, after you used it to take over my castle?” Furibon’s voice cackled at Vainqueur with great smugness.

“I will break the ceiling and get around it!” the dragon snarled back, refusing to give up in the face of the lead devil.

“Your Majesty won’t be able to do so,” Manling Victor said, he and Knight Kia inspecting the magical defense. “I’ve analyzed it with spells, and it forms a dome around the dungeon.”

“Could you disable it?” Knight Kia asked the Vizier. “You can cast Tier IX spells now, no? That barrier must be in the same tier range.”

Furibon’s laughter echoed through the dungeon. “Tier X, [Paladin]! Tier X!”

“Even if it was, it would take me months to create a counter,” the chief of staff replied. “Don’t you have in-built antimagic? I thought [Saints] could ignore most spells.”

“I already tried,” the [Paladin] replied. “If it can resist Vainqueur’s [Spell Purge], no anti-magic will pierce it.”

“In that case…” Manling Victor casually strolled through the barrier and walked to the other side, none the worse to wear. “Ta-da!”

“What the…” the Forgotten One’s voice turned almost embarrassed. “How did you do that?”

“[Skeleton Key],” Manling Victor replied with great smugness, having turned the tables on the lich. “It makes me count as invited for the purpose of any magical protection. It caused me a few problems, about time it was useful.”

“I accounted for anti-magic effects, but not Perks playing on the entry condition…” Furibon grumbled to himself. “I will patch it out.”

“Can you carry us through, minion?” Vainqueur asked, his friend shaking his head. Apparently, his Perk only counted him as ‘invited.’

It appeared that, for the sake of the one million coins prize, the dragon had no choice but to compromise.

“Manling Kia,” the wyrm said with a heavy heart, looking at the frail, unworthy creature in the eye. “Pay for me.”

The [Paladin] was so floored by the fact Vainqueur deigned to give her life purpose, that her tiny mind couldn't handle the request. “I am sorry?”

“I shall not fold before the Forgotten One’s greed!” Vainqueur declared. “We cannot let him win the war for our hearts. So pay for me.”

“Why me?” Knight Kia protested, pointing her blade at Friend Victor. “Why not him? That’s his job!”

“Spoiling me is your destiny!” Her insolence annoyed Vainqueur; he kept giving her chances to prove herself as a minion, but she always disappointed. “And unlike you, Friend Victor has children to take care of.”

“Yeah, I just received a parental raise,” Manling Victor replied, before looking at the ceiling. “Hey Furi, is your spell a souped-up version of [Spirit Shield]?”

“It was an inspiration,” the dungeon’s owner replied. “Though I am surprised you know that spell. Clearly, you have studied magic since we went our own ways.”

“Since it can cover a whole dungeon, do you think it could protect a city?”

“Could be. How big of a city are we talking about?”

While Manling Victor and the cruel lich engaged in a spell debate, Vainqueur kept his attention all on Knight Kia. He gave her a stern, focused stare, that of a parent asking a naughty child to behave.

“Guys, could I…” Knight Kia cleared her throat, finally realizing that there was no evading her duty this time, “could I borrow some money?”

“No,” Vainqueur said flatly.

“Kia, you can’t pay your fee?” Manling Victor asked, astonished by the female manling’s stinginess. “It’s just five thousand, ten if you pay for Vainqueur’s fee. It shouldn’t be such a big deal.”

“I’m, I’m short right now, but I’ll pay you back as soon as I can, I promise!”

Charisma check… Failed!

Knight Kia didn't sound in the black!

Friend Victor wisely doubted her words, and assessed the financial risk. “How short?”

Knight Kia made an embarrassed face. “... a short shade of red.”

“You’re in debt?!” The Vizier replied, making the [Paladin] wince.

“Don’t say that out loud, they’re live streaming it to Hell!” the knight protested.

“I knew it!” Vainqueur shouted, caring nothing about poor-shaming her. “That was why Grandrake could not hear you!”

“Kia, how can you be in debt?” Friend Victor was at a loss of words. “You’re the Shining Knight! The greatest hero in the land!”

“I have a noble domain, but wandering alcoholism is not a sustainable lifestyle!”

“But we were paid a fortune to conquer J—” Manling Victor stopped, as the knight glared at him. “Oh right, you didn’t participate.”

“This is on you,” Vainqueur declared. “This is the Elder Wyrm’s punishment for your poor money-management skills.”

Instead of taking this wisdom as a chance to improve, the [Paladin] held to her insane delusions. “I would rather live poor, than get rewarded for unethical behavior.”

“You know what, alright,” Manling Victor said before Vainqueur could taunt her mercilessly, “I’ll loan you ten thousand, so you can pay for your and His Majesty’s fee.”

“How much will I owe you?” Knight Kia squinted, suspicious.

“No usury, no interests… although I may take your soul as collateral...”

“Don’t push it, Vic.”

After Knight Kia paid Vainqueur’s entry fee with borrowed money, the group progressed down the cramped stairs of the dungeon, quickly making their way into an immense, incredibly long underground hallway. The path went down, and down, and down...

Skill check successful!

Click.

When they were a third of the way down, something heavy fell right behind the trio. Vainqueur peeked over his shoulder to look back. “What is it?”

An enormous, fiery boulder the size of the dragon himself had fallen behind them, rolling down and threatening to crush the group.

Unable to turn around due to the cramped space, Vainqueur lazily raised his tail at the boulder...

And whipped it!

Strength check successful!