novelMammon's Arena #1
| ← Ch.075 | Ch.077 → |
Editor: Zeroth Deuce (Twitter:)
The five Board of Directors had extremely powerful skills.
They were all demon kings that had their own dungeons and these important figures were known to be physically very powerful within the large demon world.
Orobas, the one with superhuman strength, was extremely powerful.
But that didn't mean he wasn't strong in other areas.
Bifron, the most intellectual demon, believed that Orobas's real strength was his unbreakable body.
Red Demon, a fighting race, had trouble learning magic.
It's safe to say that there weren't any Red Demons that were known to use magic.
But it didn't mean that they were incompetent. Physically, they were above average, so they possessed strong mana and had the ability to use that mana to strengthen their body.
This was the source for the Red Demon's amazing physical abilities.
Body strengthening.
By pouring out their mana, it makes their body both faster and firmer.
Orobas could be considered as the strongest amongst the Red Demons, so strengthening his body more was honestly useless. But, he didn't stop training. Despite becoming the great Demon Prince after developing himself for a long time, he was never lazy.
Orobas was playing Cat's Cradle with his beautiful maiden, Silvia, a Dryad he treasured. On the outside, it looked like he was flirting with her, but this was part of his exercise.
Orobas was too strong. When Orobas didn't use his mana to strengthen his body, he needed to train himself on controlling his strength. If he used his body without thinking, giving his lovely Silvia a light hug would break her body, causing her to die.
Silvia was playing Cat's Cradle extremely seriously. Orobas liked how Silvia did her best in everything she did no matter how small the task was.
Silvia also felt that way. In the demon world, Orobas was known to be the strongest physically and seeing him striving to become stronger made Silvia's heart beat faster.
While playing Cat's Cradle, Silvia asked Orobas a question.
"Master, how come you never take a break from your tasks? It's like you're chasing someone."
Orobas laughed out loud when he heard Silvia's question.
She was an odd one, but sometimes, she would hit the nail on the head.
"You're right. I am chasing someone. Maybe... no, to be honest, I've already surpassed their skill."
Silvia looked curious because this was the first time she heard it. It was Orobas's turn, but Silvia put the string down and looked at him so that he could keep talking.
Her mischievous behavior was cute. Orobas gently touched Silvia's light green cheeks and replied.
"It happened a long time ago. It happened when I was a really small and weak child."
Orobas looked into Silvia's green eyes. While looking into her eyes, he imagined his past, present and future self.
The Red Demon that completely changed his world.
Before becoming the Demon Prince, he wondered if that demon actually existed and thought that maybe it was his imagination as that figure was extremely powerful.
"Like me, they had a horn on their head. But the shape of it looked like a bull's horn."
"A bull? The one with horns that moos?"
"Yeah, that's a bull."
Silvia was now in Orobas's arms. Orobas gently hugged her body and continued talking about the past.
It was the story of a giant, red man.
&
"I feel like I'm going to die.
Yong-Ho was in bed and after he opened his eyes, that was the first thing he said.
He really felt like he was going to die. No, in his head, he already died several times.
Yong-Ho and Aamon's minds were connected. In many ways, this unity was a lot stronger than the connection he had with Lucia.
There was a reason why Ophelia and Jungceros encountered Aamon first instead of Greed.
Aamon trained Yong-Ho within his mind.
Aamon shrunk in order to match Yong-Ho's skill level, so he couldn't have a long conversation with Yong-Ho. But, Aamon was able to show visions to Yong-Ho.
It was a silent training that happened in his mind.
Yong-Ho saw Aamon's lance skills during his prime days. He slowly familizarized it with his body. Maintaining concentration within the fiery world wasn't easy. To Yong-Ho, maintaining the area he prepared for his training with Aamon was difficult.
Aamon silently taught Yong-Ho and he wasn't sure if Aamon was just quiet or if this was his teaching method, but Aamon nevertheless carved the lance skill into Yong-Ho's body. He was learning by repetition.
After finishing his training to the point where he was losing his mind, he motioned Yong-Ho to spar with him.
Honestly, the process wasn't that painful. It always ended with a single blow.
'At least I'm not closing my eyes anymore. '
However, just because he didn't close his eyes, it didn't mean he was able to grasp Aamon's attack.
"It's extremely important to overcome your fears and watch your opponent's attack until the very end! Was what the dungeon shop's basic fighting guide said. By watching one's opponent, one can either dodge or block. One can even counterattack."
"Well, even before sparring with Aamon, you didn't really close your eyes anyways."
That's right. The battles he had experienced was proof of that.
Lucia continued talking.
"I'm not saying this because you're my master, but you're good at fighting. Even Ophelia said it."
"So have some confidence and keep fighting."
"Yeah, I will."
Lucia smiled warmly because she was satisfied by his answer. If she was next to him, he probably would've petted her head like Catalina.
'Skilled in fighting. '
He was definitely skilled. He was more talented in the fight itself than in martial arts.
If he didn't come to the demon world, Yong-Ho would've lived his whole life without knowing that he had talent in fighting.
Yong-Ho suddenly remembered his cousin that moved to England a few years ago. Even though he always looked like he was in a daze, he was physically talented and had a keen eye. It meant that he was good at grasping his opponent's movements.
'I wonder how he's doing. '
No matter where he was, his cousin was probably living a more peaceful life than Yong-Ho.
After getting up from his bed, Yong-Ho quickly washed his face from the bowl that was prepared earlier and then lightly stretched his body.
Like always, he had a lot to do today.
&
Even though he had slept in more than usual, he was still able to meet up with Catalina since she always had a hard time waking up in the morning.
Since she slept in a bit more than usual, Catalina had a bright expression.
'No, is she regretting it?'
Her expression told him that she wanted to sleep a bit more.
The reason why she had a difficult time waking up in the morning isn't because she was in a bad mood. Catalina was a mix between a Dark Elf and Succubus and no matter what others said, Succubus was a nocturnal race. Catalina was more active at night and that was probably because of the Succubus blood that was flowing within her.
Yong-Ho wanted to let Catalina sleep in a bit more in the morning, but both Catalina and Eligor were against it. Both of them said there wasn't a guard alive that woke up later than their owner.
An Orc was now in charge of the kitchen and after serving them a late breakfast, Yong-Ho pinched Catalina's cheeks instead of petting her because she was dozing off. Catalina became sad because she was embarrassed and after being satisfied with her expression, Yong-Ho ate his soup.
'Will it be better if I developed their taste buds?'
Yong-Ho was referring to the Orc in the kitchen.
During the past month, the number of spirits had increased and because of that, Yong-Ho found out more details about the Power of Evolution.
It's because he had a lot of samples.
First, he already knew about this, even if two spirits were part of the same race, their skills and development were different.
Second, all spirits didn't advance the same way even if they were part of the same race. There was also a difference in the advancement.
He was able to find out about this difference thanks to the Skeletons.
The advancement process from the Skeleton Soldier to the Warrior was different dependent on the Skeleton. For some, they have to be developed several of times in order for the Skeleton Warrior advancement route to appear and for others, like Skull, the advancement route opens up after developing just once. Whereas for some, the Skeleton Archer advancement appeared instead of the Skeleton Warrior.
Every time a spirit develops, they require a larger development rate. Because of that, the more complicated a development process is, the harder it is for a spirit to advance. And Yong-Ho assumed that there probably won't be another advancement route after the Skeleton Knight.
'Catalina and Skull have really outstanding skills. Eligor's is pretty good too. '
Catalina had many hidden advancement routes and Skull was the same because every time they evolved, the advancement ranks would keep appearing. On top of that, every time they evolved or advanced, their potential development grew as well.
Eligor was also pretty talented. As soon as Eligor evolved, the Red Demon - Beast's next advancement was physical strength and stamina.
And lastly.
The most important difference.
The Power of Evolution was applied differently between spirits that belong to the dungeon and ordinary spirits.
For ordinary spirits, Unification Evolution didn't appear. Even though Yong-Ho couldn't break down the details of the Power of Evolution, there were things Yong-Ho could assume based on his instincts.
Unification Evolution only worked on spirits that belonged to the dungeon. And even though he didn't have a lot of samples, he assumed that the Power of Evolution affected more on these spirits than the ordinary ones.
It was obvious when thinking about the relationship between the demon king and their spirits.
After Yong-Ho finished eating, he visited the Mid-Rank Training Ground that was located next to the Basic Training Ground.
"Skull, Skull."
Skull was training the Skeletons and when he saw Yong-Ho, he smiled brightly.
Since Skull advanced to a Skeleton Knight, they couldn't increase their Development Rate at the Basic Training Ground. But the Mid-Rank Training Ground was different because the spirits trained using mana and that's how they increased their Development Rate.
Unlike the puppets in the Basic Training Ground, the puppets here were able to dodge and counterattack. Since it was like being in a real battle, spirits were able to increase their Development Rate at a faster pace.
Yong-Ho displayed a satisfied looked on his face as he watched the Skeletons train. The Skeletons all looked the same at first, but now, he was able to see their different personalities.
Skull's group had to be the perfect team.
That's why Yong-Ho didn't evolve the Skeletons the same way.
For the Skeletons that will be holding a shield and in charge of the defense, he strengthened their bones and developed their frame. Whereas for the ones that will use a lance or shoot arrows, he evolved them individually depending on their skills.
"Skull, Skull. Skulllllll."
Skull talked while swinging his hammer. Even though Yong-Ho didn't understand, it sounded like Skull was saying the Skeletons needed to be trained more.
Yong-Ho patted Skull on their shoulder. Training in the Mid-Rank Training Ground all night must've paid off because their Development Rate was almost full.
'Is Iron next?'
After the Rock Skeleton Warrior, it was the Iron Skeleton Knight.
Iron Golem was waiting in the corner of the Mid-Rank Training Ground and after Yong-Ho looked back and forth between the golem and Skull, he laughed and looked towards the Basic Training Ground. The Princesses Ant and Spot were using the lifeless puppets to train.
After developing her emotions, Princess Ant had a much more noticeable expression. Even though she still looked like a girl, it felt like she had matured.
It's safe to say that thanks to the spirit training grounds, the Development Rate of the spirits had increased much faster. The Goblin Rangers and the Orcs also visited whenever they had the time to increase their Development Rate.
'An elite group. Oh yes, an elite group. '
The beginning was difficult, but the result would make it worth it.
After feeling satisfied with the Mid-Rank Training Ground, he headed to the arena that was located on the left. Ophelia and Eligor were having fun in there.
"One round!"
After Ophelia called it out energetically, she quickly stood up. While Eligor was lying on the floor and wasn't moving.
Yong-Ho spoke after clicking his tongue.
"Go easy on the old man."
"Oh jeez, Eligor is still young when considering his condition. Right? Older brother?"
Even though Ophelia spoke while giggling, Eligor didn't reply this time either. He was probably exhausted because he didn't even greet Yong-Ho.
"But why do you always wrestle at the end?"
"Just hitting each other isn't enough. It's also good for training your senses."
Yong-Ho wondered if it really was effective after seeing Eligor on the ground, but when he thought about it, he repeatedly experienced the same thing from Aamon.
He understood Eligor's pain as he looked at him and Ophelia approached Yong-Ho with a smile.
"Master, would you like to spar?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I have work to do. Go another round with Eligor."
Eligor flinched when he heard Yong-Ho's suggestion, but no one paid any attention.
Ophelia slightly tilted her head and asked Yong-Ho.
"Are you going to look around the first floor again?"
"I wanted to look around more."
There was a reason why Kaiwan only explored 80% of the first floor. It was easy to find the first floor and out of the entire area, the first floor made up 80% of it.
The hidden 20%.
The arena, as well as the passageway that led underground, was probably included in that 20%.
In some ways, Yong-Ho was being too hasty. Even though Lucia grew a lot, there still wasn't enough mana because the number of facilities within the dungeon was increasing at a fast pace. For the areas that he found recently, Lucia was barely able to control them. Even if Yong-Ho found the passageway that led underground, it would be impossible for Lucia to control it.
'But still. '
He wanted to find the remaining 20%.
Ophelia rated Yong-Ho's ambition very highly, so she acknowledged his request. Instead of asking Yong-Ho again, she helped Eligor stand up.
Yong-Ho let Ophelia take care of Eligor and walked out of the room with Catalina, who kept on looking back.
He then headed deeper into the dungeon.
~Mammon's Arena #1~ End.
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