First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 63

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

(Kurokiri POV)

Now, the fifth level I designed this time was, to put it candidly, a mountain. However, the interior was a mountain with caves excavated in all directions, shrouded in mist (visibility limited to 20 meters) as usual. As for the installation site? Of course, it was set up on the ground. I paid no regard to the inconvenience for the people who live there. After all, I was the Demon King.

And, as far as the dungeon was concerned, it has been connected to the dungeon by the upper stream of the river running on the third level. That was, if you progressed upstream after entering the third level, you will be sent to the fifth level, whereas if you advanced downstream, you will be directed to the second level.

The fifth level’s most prominent feature was that, unlike my previous dungeons, it did not have any admission limitations. Or to put it another way, because the location was on the ground and had no walls, anyone can easily enter and depart. Furthermore, the devices that I shall discuss later were used to alter the cave’s structure at random and summon monsters. In other words, instead of allowing anybody to access the cave, it had turned into a danger zone where the topography varied with each entry and someone might stumble across Disarray Devil’s Darning Needle or Cuélebre.

Here are some remarks from humans that invaded the site immediately after it was created for your information:

“Heeeeee. There are Fogs everywhere… noooooo!”

“There’s a giant serpent out there?! Gaaaaaaaah!”

“Wait!? Whenever we attack, the defense power rises… abeshi[i]!”

“The game balance is out of order ahhhhhhh…”

Well, although there were many different details, these were their general impressions. Incidentally, in the above party scenarios, three out of the four of them were out of breath after killing all the Fogs with the Cuélebre showing up, and one of them was lucky enough to escape.

In other incidents, where visibility was impeded owing to the mist, victims died abruptly after falling down a shaft or succumbing to a lack of oxygen after wandering into an area where toxic gases were accumulating due to the cave’s structure. The killing intent in this level was incredibly high, regardless of the fact that I didn’t design it that way.

So, here was a device that can construct such a dungeon of wonders.

?Labyrinth Chaos Recombination Device

This was a device that randomly reconfigured the structure of a designated area in the labyrinth within a range specified in advance by the Demon King. In addition, the timing of the recombination can be set between 24 hours?1 year. Traps were setup automatically within the designated range as well.

?Every passageway in the labyrinth is properly connected to the outside after recombination.

Creation cost: varied depending on the designated area.

Activation cost: 10 MP per activation (installation of a magic source device is recommended).

Prerequisite for creation: The level of the Demon King is 5 or higher.

?Demon Chaos Creation Device

This device randomly summoned demons of pre-registered types somewhere within a designated area in the labyrinth. The interval of summoning can be set between 10s?1y. Since the cost of generating demons will be separately expended, it would be recommended to install a magic source device beforehand.

?Please note that the demons are generated in a not commanded state.

Creation cost: 500 MP and SP each per unit.

Activation cost: Equal to the cost of the demon to be created.

Prerequisite for installation: The level of the Demon King is 5 or higher.

?Magic Source Device – HP (MP, SP)

A stone that stores a certain amount of HP, MP, or SP for the user. Its hue varies according to what is inside, with red representing HP, green representing MP, and blue representing SP. The HP, MP, and SP that have been stored can be used by setting them in a specified device or by grasping them when a skill is called upon (up to one per skill). As the amount of stored HP, MP, and SP accumulated, the size of the stone will increase.

Moreover, despite being called a stone, the stone has the appearance of a gemstone.

Creation cost: HP, MP, SP x 2

Prerequisite for installation: The level of the Demon King is 5 or higher.

All of these are very convenient.

Or rather, these are the things, you know. They are tools to assist the Demon Kings to manage their dungeons smoothly when the number of levels becomes unmanageable. It’s convenient, so I don’t mind.

Now, I should return to the main subject.

Moving on to the new monsters that can be produced, these were some of the most typical ones.

?Dense Mist Mosquito

A 2-meter-long, insect-like, mosquito-type demon. It is a higher species of Mist Mosquito.

While emitting a buzzing sound that can induce a state of agitation in the minds of those who hear it. While passing by each other, it sucks the blood of the opponent as it slices at them with its sickle-shaped mouth, turning the unabsorbed blood into mist to prevent counterattacks. It occasionally inflicts a debilitating condition when it sucks blood.

Summoning cost: 500 HP and MP per unit.

?Mud Magician

A magical humanoid demon with a height of roughly 1.7 meters. It is a more advanced Mud Puppet with a distinct style than the Mud Warrior.

This is a magical creature made by imbuing a Mud Puppet with intellect and magical power so that it can cast magic. Not only did it faithfully comply with the commands given to it, but it may also perform actions voluntarily to a certain extent. Unless the core is destroyed, it will automatically recover. Skills Employed: ?Mudbolt? ?Mud Barrier?.

Summoning cost: MP300

Yeah. They are all normal, usable kids.

I have been running the Dense Mist Mosquito as a solo demon on the first level, and the Mud Magician as a party with the Mud Soldier and Mud Puppet on the second level.

And well, recently, the dungeon management occasionally released Disarray Devil’s Darning Needle on the third level, but it was basically the same as the fifth level, almost a dead end for those who showed up, and when someone entered the second level, they were going to be ruthlessly slain.

Yeah. To tell the truth, while I was explaining this, a party consisting of volunteers from the civilian population had entered the second level and encountered a unit of Mud Soldiers, and they were eradicated. Ah, but it seemed they captured one girl as a prisoner.

Huh? You’re asking that aren’t the Demon Kings and humans in this country in a cooperative relationship? This is merely the case with the higher-ups. The lower part of the population is aware of the fact that we Demon Kings are keeping the weak demons out so that they can overcome their starvation. More than that, we have kidnapped people and assaulted villages, so the feeling of animosity is more assertive than that of gratitude.

Humans that were determined to attack in this way show up from time as a consequence of this.

Well, it is a pleasant stimulus.

Since a girl has been captured, I should meet her as soon as possible, and if she piqued my interest, I will transform her into my kin.

By the way, the male-to-female ratio of the Kirijin was currently 1:4, depending on my taste.

————–

T/N:

[i] The word Abeshi has appeared in the past chapter as well but since the story has an aligned flow with the subsequent words, I didn’t bother to explain it. “Abeshi” is a word derived from “Fist of the North Star”. “Abeshi” is the combination of a powerful “Aaaaaa!” scream – like the kind you would make if you broke a limb – with “???” (“besshi”), the Japanese onomatopoeia for getting punched in the face