Dungeon Hunter - Chapter 235

Chapter 235: Episode 74. Devildom (2)

I took a short break. I had to reorganize things, and the monsters were also exhausted. It was not a good choice to open the door to Devildom at the moment. Besides—
“It is done.”
—Oswen came to me, smiling with satisfaction. He had a necklace on his hand. It had a very mysterious mana. But no matter how mysterious it was, I could perceive it because of the God’s Eye. Even if I did not mean to, the skill would naturally activate as I stared at things. Soon, detailed information about the necklace popped up.
Name: Dispelling Necklace (10/10)
Description – A necklace that protects users from certain curses. It will be destroyed after blocking 10 curses.
List of curses that it defends the users against: Pain, Ice Crystal, Doll Ceremony, Golem’s Soul, Soul Destroyer, Guidance of Destroy, Flames of Souls, Curse of Thorns, Curse of the Knight King, and Divine Suffering.
A countless list of curses followed. There were things I knew, but I wasn’t familiar with most of them.
“Is it a preparation for the Hell Lord?”
“That is right,” Oswen proudly confirmed. “I designed it to prevent all curses that the Hell Lord may use.”
These were a lot of curses. “Can the Hell Lord use all of these?”
“Yes! He was a passionate man. Once a certain cause caught his interest, he would dedicate himself to it and be able to foresee its outcome. And at his late age, he focused on curses. His learning speed was quite amazing. The gods were even impressed.”
“It sounds like he was some sort of a warlock,” I commented.
I was surprised by what I had just heard. At least 100 curses were on the list. It was impossible for a person to know how to use all these curses proficiently. But what surprised me more was knowing that the Hell Lord was not famous for cursing.
He mastered swordsmanship and demonic magic. In short, he was a magical swordsman. Nevertheless, I was sure that it would be difficult to deal with him if he could use curses as well.
“Most of the curses will not stay long on Your Majesty’s body, and this necklace divides the effect of curses,” Oswen explained. “You have to wear it at all times as a precaution.”
I had 174 points in intelligence. Curses couldn’t harm me. I would wear the necklace if my intelligence was not high. Besides, jewelry was annoying to wear. However, Oswen insisted.
‘Well, he still carries a grudge against the Hell Lord,’ I thought.
Oswen was originally a human. He was a skilled blacksmith who liked working with fire. One day, the Hell Lord found him and commanded him to create Seven Sins. Moreover, the Hell Lord dragged Oswen to the Underworld. Oswen had lost everything that was ‘human’ to him.
It would be a lie if Owen denied of any grudge against the Hell Lord. His eyes were filled with anger.
“Thank you,” I told Oswen sincerely.
Oswen raised valid concerns. It would be wise for me to heed to his advice.
“It will help you,” he assured me.
“I hope so.” I walked away as I wore the necklace.
***
I stood at the top of my dungeon and stared at the ground. I had almost fulfilled my promise with the gods.
They had brought me back from the past in exchange for protecting Earth and the lives of humans. Although many humans died, the survivors thrived. At present, they were rebuilding and trying to co-exist.
This was the strength of humans. Some might think they were frail beings, but I admired their persistence because I had been persistent like them. Had I given up, I would not have been able to achieve my goal.
Anyway, humans would still improve in strength. They would unite and get back the glory they once had.
If I left, this planet would be safe. Problems might occur, but as long as there were awakened heroes to guide humans, they would not go astray.
It had already been 50 days since I absorbed Camael. There was nothing more I could earn on Earth.
I was done with the dungeon’s maintenance. I didn’t want to waste time. I had not received a message that Devildom had been occupied yet. I should act now so as to hamper the Hell Lord’s efforts to completely conquer Devildom. He had probably started, but he surely wasn’t expecting someone like me to show up.
I returned to the dungeon. Many monsters gathered around the Dungeon Core. Ariel and Krithli were at the forefront.
I announced firmly, “We will go back to Devildom.”
Devildom… Just thinking of that place had brought me so many memories. I raised my hand. There was a thin line between me and Devildom. This line had been haunting me. I decided to cut it. Soon, a giant door in the sky opened, and a big crack appeared right in front of my eyes. We would travel to Devildom through this crack. I moved first, and everyone followed my lead.
A disgusting smell reeked. The night sky was purple, and three moons floated in the sky. There were sounds of crows cawing…
“Devildom.”
I breathed in that familiar air and knew that I was home—I was at Devildom. I was born and raised here. Everything was different from Earth.
“I guess we arrived directly at the center.”
I was familiar with the terrain. We were not far from the Castle of the Dark Lord. Four archdukes occupied the east, west, north, and south parts of the castle.
I could smell death. Devildom was always at war. Blood was spent in this place every day. Countless demons had died in battle.
In battle, the winner survived and the loser, well, died. However, I found it strange that I could not see a living soul.
Nobody was around even at the castle of the Dark Lord, which was usually guarded by monsters because it was the center of the war.
I had the skill to sense activities about a hundred kilometers away. I activated it and was surprised that there was…nothing.
I observed another strange thing. I could smell death, but corpses were nowhere to be found.
“This is weird…”
Where were the dead bodies? Both the living and the dead were nowhere in sight. I didn’t know what this meant.
“Ariel Diablo, whose forces are still in Devildom?” I asked.
The Hell Lord had not conquered Devildom yet. If he did, I would be informed. Ariel would have particularly noticed it first.
I respected Ariel in my own way. It might be because one of my powers was from Diablo. I let her keep her family name. She knew how great a favor that was.
Ariel bowed. Then, she said, “My forces have remained. The others are dead.”
Ufa, Pandemonium, Oculus… The forces of the three archdukes had already been destroyed. It was unusual.
“Let’s go to your castle,” I told Ariel Diablo. “The Hell Lord must be there.”
Even if the Hell Lord was not around the vicinity, he would show up at the front of the surviving forces because he wanted to conquer all of Devildom. I didn’t need directions to travel to Ariel’s castle. I knew exactly where it stood. I had been there once in my previous life to challenge her, and I failed.
I was silent as I stared on the path heading to the Dark Lord’s castle.
“I’m almost there… I could finally sit on the Dark Lord’s throne,” I told myself.
Anybody could enter the castle of the Dark Lord so long as they were recognized as one. The throne was located at the heart of the castle. My desire to sit on the throne would have to wait. I needed to handle urgent matters first.
I needed to eliminate the Hell Lord first before I became a true Dark Lord. Devildom was supposed to be ruled by the Dark Lord. At present, the Hell Lord almost conquered Devildom.
“I will be back,” I promised.
Once I killed the Hell Lord, I would have plenty of time. Therefore, I went ahead to search for him.
Ariel’s castle was located on the north side of the castle of the Dark Lord. It was covered with snow. She had built a castle in Greenland because it had a familiar environment. It was always winter there.
Ariel’s castle was actually wide enough to be called a city. It was where she directly ruled, and her forces still remained there.
But even this huge castle was quiet. I could sense living beings, and they were nervous. Most of the demons were using hiding skills, and they were in a typical combat posture. Also, I noticed that no one was guarding the gate.
“I guess they sensed my forces,” I assumed.
I led an army of 150,000 monsters. I could buy a lot of monsters with the points I had earned by absorbing Camael. It was not that many monsters compared to what I had before. Still, I could purchase more intermediate-grade monsters.
It seemed like the demons in Ariel’s castle had sensed my forces and prepared for battle. Ariel asked for my permission and headed to the gate with her demons.
“Open the gate. I, Ariel Diablo, order you.”
Her voice echoed around the gate. Her mana was in her voice, so there was no way that the demons inside could not hear her. Demons’ hearing abilities were better than humans. Soon, someone appeared at the highest point of the gate. It was an old demon with a white beard, wearing a simple armor.
“Is it really you?”
“Can’t you tell by my horn? If you don’t open the door immediately, you will be in big trouble,” Ariel warned.
Ariel was confident. She was the owner of the castle, and the demons were loyal to her. Upon confirmation that it was indeed Ariel Diablo, the demons were supposed to open the gate immediately. However, they refused.
“I’m sorry. But we can’t open the gate.”
“What?”
When the old demon shook his head, Ariel’s face turned red. It didn’t make sense. It was her castle. Even if she was defeated in the race to be the Dark Lord, she still kept her archduke position.
“This might be one of the tricks of the Hell Lord. My choice, especially if wrong, could destroy this castle. I have to be careful. I hope you understand.” The old demon was adamant.
“Sasoon! You bastard! Can’t you recognize your owner? You damn better open this gate now before I break this and kill you all!”
Ariel’s horn shook. She held her Ivory Sword and covered it with chaos. It was her patented skill. Only Ariel could use this skill. They should recognize this, but the old demon would not budge.
“If you truly are Ariel Diablo, then command the monsters with you to leave and take off your clothes. That way, I could see if you bear the Hell Lord’s scar. If I am proven wrong, I will offer my neck.”
“You coward…” Ariel gritted her teeth.
Ariel was a brave archduke, even in defeat. Cowardice was unacceptable to her. However, it was her last strategic move. Also, I was here. I didn’t give her permission to make a fuss. And now, her castle was mine as well. She could not do something to it as she pleased.
Ariel looked at me, asking for permission. I nodded.
“We will step back.”
I respected Ariel’s decision and agreed to step back.