Dungeon Overlord (OLD Version) Chapter 12 - Monsterphillia (Patreon)

When the Dungeon Creatures on the 13th Floor of the Tower of Storms finished their work and transported all the corpses back to their lairs, which would serve as their source of food for the foreseeable future, Archaon gave the order to prepare for the Monsterphillia, which would be cleaning out the God's Eye.

For the Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls, it didn't take long to gather their forces once they were finished with the human corpses and transporting them back to their lairs, where their clansmen were already eagerly awaiting the meal in the form of the human flesh.

Indeed, the anticipation among the three species that were inhabiting the Tower of Storms and Cavern of Bureoza was relatively high.

It was rare that they were able to have such a feast, mainly due to the fact that the ecosystem within the Dungeon wasn't really that complete, and it would require a good number of the Blood Echoes to finish it entirely.

Forutrenly enough, with the recent invasion of the Dungeon and the upcoming Monsterphillia across the God's Eye, Archaon would have far more than enough of the Dungeon Echoes to finish the entire ecosystem within the Dungeon.

That way, all of the species in the Dugneon would have a solid way to gather food and grow some crops and so on to satisfy their needs. Right now, it was rather problematic because, due to the higher population of the respective species of the Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls, they were famished most of the time.

Gnolls and Kobolds often waged war for the resources within the Cavern of Bureoza because the food was scarce. So now that this problem was about to be solved, he could finally have some peace of mind on this topic. 

For the Monsterphillia, Archaon decided to take both Artorias and Ornstein with him so they could make faster progress. He had seen that the humans up there had managed to create some makeshift blockade around the entrance to the Dungeon, and they were positioned rather cleverly.

They could easily target anything that would exit the Dugneon with the barrage of arrows and everything, essentially killing it very fast. Because neither of his Dungeon Creatures were particularly powerful, one good arrow hit, and they were dead on the spot.

This was especially true for the Kobolds, Goblins, and Gnolls, who were rather weak as they were not really strong breed of the Dungeon Creatures. Archaon decided to take his strongest with him, which would mean Artorias and Ornstein, as both of them were peak Level 3 individuals and also had very powerful Skills.

Together, they would charge from the Dungeon and break the fortifications of the humans from the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers, which would allow the Dungeon Creatures to exterminate them without significant losses.

So that was a good perk.

As he looked around the 13th Floor of the Tower of Storms in the area where they had ambushed the invaders from the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers, he noticed that a lot of Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls had perished in the ambush, too.

That made him ponder that in the future he would need to create a stronger Dungeon Creatures. He knew that when the quality and quantity of the Magic in the Dungeon went up, then it would take a serious effect on the Dungeon Creatures ass. They would also get stronger exponentially at a fast rate.

With the current degree of Magic within the Dungeon, it would take around six months or so for the first among the Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls to be elevated to Level 2. However, there were already several of the Dungeon Creatures that were at the peak of Level 1, so maybe he would be lucky.

Level 2 wasn't actually something that strong in the great scheme of all things because that was the general level of the Elite Trained Humans. Even among the invaders right now, there was a handful of Level 2s, though there were not a lot of them, and most of them Archaon actually let be.

Primarily because those were the ones that were tasked with the search and retrieval of the Magic Items from the Treasure Chests that were across the Dungeon. Obviously, only the best of the best from the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers were going to get assigned this task.

It didn't take long for Artorias and Ornstein to arrive in their full armor as they were ready for combat, and Archaon also got ready to expand the borders of the Dungeon. By the end of the Monsterphillia, he planned to claim the entire God's Eye as the part of the Dungeon, making the entire island the Dungeon Territory.

This meant anything, and anyone who got killed on the premises of the island would be turned into the Duugneon Echeos by the Dungeon Heart. Aside from that, he didn't really plan to expand the Dungeon further, maybe encompass the lake itself into the Dungeon Territory so he could assimilate the Harrenhal in the future as part of his Dungeon.

That would be more than enough for his future needs as the Dungeon Master because he wasn't really keen on managing large swaths of the territory as the Dungeon Territory seemed to be pretty troublesome. 

He was content with the God's Eye and the lake around it because that would create a natural barrier around the island and thus indirectly manage the number of people that were coming to the Dungeon.

With that, he could also build some additional defenses around the God's Eye that would prevent large armies from invading the Dungeon, leaving much more manageable parties maximally to a few thousand people.

That was his Dungeon, and it won't be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. 

While in his world, it wasn't really problematic, in some more powerful worlds where the inhabitants were stronger, it could pose a serious threat to the existence of the Dungeon. 

"Everything is ready, My Lord, we can march out of the Dungeon."

When Archaon heard Artorias's voice, he nodded as he then commanded the Dungeon Creatures to march for the war. Even despite the fact that a recent slaughter has been committed, all of the Dungeon Creatures were eager for more and more blood.

It was really fascinating to some degree, but at the same time, it was also understandable because species like Goblins, Kobolds, and Gnolls were instinctively driven. Their emotions had the greatest sway over their decision-making, and their rational thought process wasn't dominant among them.

Not to mention, they reveled in the slaughter and killing. 

Such was their way of life and existence. 

"Let's go and get over this thing already..."

This time, he planned to test the [Pyromancy] that he had learned for the past weeks or so in real combat, and part of him was rather eager already.

***

Outside of the Dungeon around the same time.

Just like Archaon has predicted, the fortifications that the men from the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers made were rather good, considering the condition and the materials on the hand.

Still, it was better than nothing, and due to the size and width, it would be indeed able to slow down the small Dungeon Creatures like Goblins and Kobolds for some time until they would overwhelm it with their numbers. 

Gnolls would be able to dig tunnels underneath it so they could technically bypass the fortififacations at once and rather easily at the. Gnolls were rather good at digging tunnels; that was also the reason why they thrived so much within the Cavern of Bureoza.

Even though Archaon was standing at the entrance of the Dungeon together with the Artorias, the Abysswalker, and Dragonslayer Ornstein, he wasn't giving any orders for the attack as he, for the time being, just observed the mixture of the Ironborn and Riverlandese men. 

He looked for the weak spots within their defenses and with his superior eyesight due to him being Level 3 being, he was able to see the areas where the largest number of the soldiers and levies were concentrating. 

When he found several of such areas, empowered by the Dungeon, because he was still technically speaking at the premises of the Dungeon, he started drawing all of his Magic Power and conjuring a several spells.

Not an ordinary [Fireballs], but rather the most powerful variant of the Spell, the [Great Fireball]. Soon enough, massive fireballs were being conjured one by one as he threw them at the fortifications of the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers.

Even from a distance, he could see screams of panic and disbelief when 5 [Great Fireballs] descended on the mortal human men like a judgment from God and exploded upon the fall. 

[Congratulations! Proficiency in the Magic: Pyromancy (Ex R) has been increased by 1.]

[Congratulations! Proficiency in the Magic: Pyromancy (Ex R) has been increased by 1.]

From casting several [Great Fireball] Spells of the [Pyromancy] at the same time, he managed to increase his Proficiency by two Points, from the 25 to the 27. This also marked the fact that he had crossed the Journeyman Mastery Rank over the [Pyromancy] Magic. 

In the end, he loved to play with fire, and having something like the [Pyromancy] in his disposition filled Archaon with delight as he observed the results of his power. Not to mention, while he would never admit it out of loud, throwing around fireballs was cool as heck, even though they were the most basic spells in existence out there. 

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

At the same time, he was being swarmed by the notification from the System because his [Great Fireball] Spells had killed tons of people, and even more, were in the process of dying due to the uncontrolled fire that was spreading through the fortifications and encampment of the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers.

While it was smart to build everything from light materials and wood, because that way, they were able to build everything in a few days, yet at the same time, this has also proved to be the greatest weakness.

A small spark of fire was all that was needed to turn the entire place into a death trap.

"Charge."

With a single command from Archaon, both Artorias the Abysswalker and Dragonslayer Ornstein tightened grip on their respective weapons and rushed towards the humans that were panning right now.

Following them were thousands of Dungeon Creatures that were swarming out from the Dugneon like a swarm of locusts, gurgling and screaming in delight that they were going to fight once again for the Dungeon Overlord.

The Kobolds, Goblins, and Gnolls were running like their very own lives depended on it as they were competing for the highest kill count among each other. For the three species, it was evident that those who performed the best on the battlefield would reap the highest rewards from the Dungeon Overlord.

Archaon knew it as well, so he kept an eye on them as they soon arrived in front of the palisades of the humans, who were now burning brightly. Artorias the Abysswalker and Dragonslayer Ornstein were already among the humans, like two Gods of War, and killing anyone that came to their path. 

Obviously, they were primarily targeting the stronger-looking individuals, which meant anyone in full armor. It was rather a logical conclusion that the stronger or more skilled the person was, the better equipment he would have.

Though that didn't really apply all the time, but it was true in most of the cases in fact.

[Congratulations! Your Companion Artorias, the Abysswalker, has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Dragonslayer Ornstein has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Artorias, the Abysswalker, has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Dragonslayer Ornstein has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Artorias, the Abysswalker, has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

It was rather working well because he started getting notifications from the System about the death of the Level 2 beings, meaning that they were indeed succeeding in their strategy by targeting the strongest of them.

The disparity between the Levels was enormous, especially between the Level 2 and Level 3. While the difference between the Level 1 Average Human Level and Level 20 Elite Trained Human Level wasn't actually that great ion fact, the ones that were following were tremendous.

The differences between the levels were only getting wider and more ridiculous each time.

Due to that, not a single person among the Ironborns or the Knights of the Riverlands was able to withstand a single blow from full-powered Level 3 beings like Artorias and Ornstein.

Not to mention, they were greatly holding back because neither of them was using their powerful Skills and Abilities.

Archaon pondered over some time as he just observed the battlefield and looked at how everyone was doing. He didn't wish to join the combat right now, but as he saw it, if he hesitated a few more minutes, it would be already after the entire battle.

If it could be even called such.

Due to the ambush that he had created, the Dungeon Creatures had free entrance to the encampment of the Kingdom of the Isles and the Rivers, and because two Level 3 individuals were wreaking havoc among the invaders, there was practically no one who would be issuing commands to the soldiers.

[Congratulations! Your Dungeon Creature has killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Dungeon Creature has killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Dragonslayer Ornstein has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

[Congratulations! Your Companion Artorias the Abysswalker, has killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]

This was a crucial mistake because once the chain of command collapsed, most of the levies and even the soldiers and household guards were like headless chickens. This was especially true for the levies that were conscripted from the Riveralands and were still among the troops of the Ironborn kingdom. 

Many of the ones that were lucky and were at the outskirts of the encampment deserted at the very first opportunity they had when they realized that they were being attacked. Some deserted even before the [Great Fireballs] fell onto the fortifications.

Though among the Ironborn, the situation was only a tad better, but even there, it was rather similar because several of the nobles escaped at the start of the attack. Some were lucky to escape, some not, because they were killed by either Artorias or Ornstein.

Both Knights from the Four Knights of Gwyn saw the desertion as the most disgraceful thing to do. Especially when they saw that even the so-called Knights of the Riverlands were not really hesitating to escape from the battlefield with tails between their legs if it meant that they would save their lives.

"Should get going to get some fun at least..."

Archaon muttered to himself as he unleashed the Burial Blade in its full glory and instantaneously disappeared from the place where he was standing as he appeared several tens of meters away. 

With one swing of the Burial Blade, he destroyed some of the wooden palisades that were standing in his path to his target. Seeing the closest Ironborn that was aiming his bow at one of the Dungeon Creatures, Archaon swung the scythe swiftly as he cut the uncle man in half.

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 1 Being. You have obtained 10 Dungeon Echoes.]

He swiftly dismissed the notification from the System as he moved to the next one and then to the next one and the next one. With his superior speed and physique, Archaon literally jumped across the area, and with the Burial Blade in his hands, he was like a personification of the Grim Reaper.

All around the place, the Dungeon Creatures were fighting for their "honor", if they even had something like that, or rather for the promise of rewards and food. At the same time, it wasn't just the Dungeon Creatures that were fighting to the death; but the humans were fighting rather well, too.

Even though their strongest cadres were being decimated by the combined forces of Archaon, Artorias, and Ornstein, the ordinary humans were giving a stiff resistance in many places and killing a lot of Goblins, Gnolls, and Kobolds.

Some who already realized that they would for sure die in this wretched place thus decided to take as many enemies as possible with them. And like they said, there was nothing worse to fight than an enemy who doesn't have anything to lose.

Those ones were the most dangerous out of all.

Soon enough, the seconds have turned into the minutes, and with each passing one, there were many deaths that occurred on the battlefield.

On the other hand, it didn't take long for the trie of the Level 3 individuals to clean out all of the "strong-looking" Ironborn and Riverland Knights, as Archaon decapitated the last one that was crawling on the ground and begging for his life.

[Congratulations! You have killed Level 2 Being. You have obtained 50 Dungeon Echoes.]