“Pffttttttttttt….” Tulip didn’t usually laugh out loud, a lady shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it…. For the past 20 minutes, every time she looked at Rain, she couldn’t help but want to giggle. He looked ridiculous!

“OH, SHUT UP!” Rain, who was walking awkwardly in a skimpy, sexy maid uniform, couldn’t help but curse loudly. “It is all because you said that you should trust that fricking contract!” he cursed, glaring daggers at her, then at that Vic guy walking ahead! Now he remembered who this guy was. It was the arrogant bastard who conquered the Moon dungeon way back and took all the benefits!

“Rain, you can’t blame her….” Rea said quickly, struggling to hold back a smile. “We didn’t have a choice!” she said as she pulled her own skirt down.

“...” Rain humphed angrily, then looked at the other guy beside him, Kiln, who was walking with his head down. Well, at least he was not the only one! And he also got to look at Tulip’s fine thighs, so at least he got something out of this! “I have never heard of your name before… Your highness… Where are you from?” he asked rudely.

“... This seat’s origin is not something a peasant like you should know about!” Vic hesitated for a moment, then said briefly, dodging the question.

Hearing him, Tulip sighed. She figured as much; this guy was not going to divulge his background that easily.

“Then… Where are we heading now anyway?” Rain asked.

“Nowhere, we have already reached our goal!” Vic answered as they approached a large, ominous gate that had its iron-plated door shattered from the inside.

“This is the summoning room?” Tulip asked, realizing something. Reaching this place was like walking in a giant maze. Without his help, she and the others wouldn’t have reached here in a thousand years! One had to remember that nothing attacked them along the way, or this place would have been a giant death trap with all the tentacles, warily keeping watch over them all the way!

“WAS the summoning room… It is now the anchoring room!” Vic replied as he walked straight in.

The others followed behind him, looking around curiously.

Inside it was a completely destroyed, dimly lit hall with a strange golden statue of a strange-looking bird with swords as wings in its center, appearing out of place as it didn’t even have a scratch, with a white silk tapestry placed right under it. 12 candles were lit around it on the floor, forming a circle.

Beside the statue, two hooded short figures stood. Rain could tell that they were girls, and pretty ones too! That’s what his instinct told him!

“Did you finish your task?” Vic asked, making Tulip realize that those two were his subordinates.

“Yes,... your highness!" the first, with a strange, obscured voice, answered. “Now all that is left is dealing with this thing!” she said, pointing to a mat on the floor in front of the statue.

“Good!” he said before turning to Tulip and her friends. “If everything works as intended, we should be able to exit this place soon. Until then, protect this emperor!” he said to Tulip before walking to the mat and taking a meditative pose on it.

Tulip nodded and pulled out a sword, one that he had given her earlier. Then watched as Vic took three boxes out of thin air, one big and two small. Opening them one by one, he placed them in front of him.

Everyone squinted their eyes at the things inside. All the boxes had strange golden apples. The big one had no less than 10, while the small ones each had just a single one. Also, the Apple in the last box had a different hue and was cut into two pieces with its core extracted.

Tulip couldn’t tell what those things were, but her instinct told her they were very precious.

Vic slowly took three apples from the big box and put them next to the Statue. “EAT!” he commanded.

WOOOOOOOOOOSH!

A tentacle appeared out of the statue's center, then, hesitatingly, it wrapped around the apple and pulled it back, disappearing into the statue in a second.

“Wwwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…….” A satisfied voice sounded right after as the hall shook slightly.

Vic chuckled and placed the rest of the apples from the big box on the altar. The monster didn’t bother to wait and began grabbing them one by one. As it ate them, Rain couldn’t help but notice that the aura around that tentacle kept getting stronger and stronger.

“Not yet!” the second girl suddenly said with a soft voice, making Rain realize that this one was clearly a minor! What did she mean by not yet?

“...” Vic nodded, then, taking the box away, he got another one with 10 apples and began placing them on the altar.

The monster didn’t need to be asked to eat as it gobbled them. It even had two other tentacles spawn and began to grab for them as if it became addicted!

Vic didn’t mind, he kept taking out apples and giving them to it!

“It had been connected…” the second girl finally said as the monster reached for the 37th apple.

Vic immediately took the apple from the second box, carefully holding it and placing it on the altar!

The monster naturally grabbed it and then, just as the two girls ducked down, the hall shook!

KREIyAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssss……………

A loud screech rocked the hall as if the monster was in pain and then…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The sound of a huge explosion sounded right from underneath them, rocking the entire cave, even forcing a few of the ceiling tiles to fall down. Rain and the others were barely able to keep to their feet, with Rea falling directly to the ground as everything swayed around them.

Right after!

KaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

An even wickeder, angry screeching voice sounded as thousands of pointy feelers sprang from the walls, all aiming toward Vic, but strangely enough, they were very slow, as if resisting a great pain while they aimed for their target. Their slow pace allowed the first girl to pull a long sword and begin to leisurely hack at anyone who came too close to Vic! “WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DEFEND HIS HIGHNESS!” she spat

Tulip, who realized that apples must have done something to hurt that monster badly, nodded and pulled her weapon, then began to help! Rain and the others quickly followed. They have signed a contract after all!

Rain, as he fended against those feelers, could only wonder how that girl was hacking them with ease. Even while using all his strength, he was barely able to scratch them. She was clearly a very high-level player!

Ignoring the chaos, Vic pulled the silk tapestry under the Statue to reveal an intricate magical circle that was already prepared. He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on it.

Closing his eyes, he uttered a single command. “DIE!”

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………….

The monster screamed as its feelers that were attacking all fell to the ground limbless… Not for long, though; it took them 1.4 seconds to rise back up and continue their fanatic attack. His command clearly only affected it for a negligible amount of time, but for him, that was enough!

KryaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaasssssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaa…

The monster screeching suddenly became loud. It was so loud that Klin, Rea, and the other girl could no longer resist and fainted directly. Only rain and Tulip could barely hang on.

Thankfully, as that screech sounded, the feelers started acting strangely, hitting themselves against the walls as if frenzied. It took her a second to notice it, but those feelers… They were fighting against each other!

“He is taking command over it?” Tulip wondered as she swung her sword at any feeler that approached.

“I think so…” Rain whispered.

“Hsssss…. It’s done!!” Vic said as his face turned pale white, and he collapsed back as if he had suffered a great injury. His voice was barely audible with all the screeching. Watching this, the second girl quickly ran to his side and began activating some kind of healing skill!

Tulip squinted her eyes as she wondered why he was hurt. Then…. A giant tentacle descended right over Vic, making her gasp, wanting to warn Vic about it, but it was too late…. Just as the tentacle was about to hit him, it dodged to the side, reaching for the third box where the third apple was. It immediately wrapped around it and devoured it.

KryaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaasssssssssssssss…………

The screeching sounded again, but this time it was very weak then at a visible rate all the tentacles began to weather at a visible rate. It was as if they were aging, and withering like old tree branches…

Then it all stopped. The feelers and tentacles began to turn to ashes just as the sickly looking Vic put his hand on the Statue and shattered it into a million pieces!

Almost immediately!

ASTRAL TERROR ?????/?%%%%%% 'S SUMMONING HAD BEEN CANCELED

DUNGEON CLEARED

CONGRATULATIONS…

SETTLING REWARDS AND EXITING DUNGEON IN 59 MINUTES….

“That’s it?” Rain asked in surprise as he pulled down his skirt. Due to his actions earlier, it was forced to flip up, revealing the stripped underwear and the huge bulge below!

He was wondering what just happened. Wasn’t destroying this statue enough to end the dungeon, what with the apples then? What did this Vic do to it before?

“What do you want it to be more difficult?” Vic asked with a sigh. “It is over, you are free to…” Vic began to speak weakly but paused as he suddenly turned to look to the side with a startled expression.

The space broke, and three masked girls in combat suits walked right in from the darkness!

“I see we are just in time!” their leader said as she looked around the hall, then froze as her eyes adjusted to the dark and she finally noticed Tulip and…

“...”

“...”

Everyone eyed each other.

“Rainer? WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN THAT REDICULOUS DRESS? DID YOU CHANGE YOUR GENDER OR SOMETHING?" she finally gasped, even forgetting to mask her voice, allowing the two emperor subordinates to realize her identity! MONA!

“Ah…LIKE HELL I…. WAIT! HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?” Rain took a step back and pulled his sword. Could she be related to those demons who kidnapped him into that hell back then? Rainer was the name only his late mother used to call him by when he deserved a spanking!

“....” Mana was a bit surprised by his reaction, realizing that she said a bit too much. “You will know later…” she said, sighing as she also eyed Tulip, Rea, and the others… Then her eyes turned toward Vic! “You are the one in charge here?” she asked. She had no idea how this guy forced the others to wear a ridiculous maid uniform, but she could tell he was the one behind it from the way everyone around the room was acting.

“This emperor is indeed the one in charge! We always like to be on top! But if a pretty girl like you wanted that, we wouldn’t mind… You can ride this seat like a cowgirl… A train of cowgirls along with your sis….”

SMACK!

One of the emperor’s subordinates smacked his head, making him stop as he said too much. “Excuse our master, he is a bit light-headed after his encounter with that monster!” she said as the other girl quickly gagged him.

“I felt a strange soul battle was occurring here… Perapse, did you split your soul in an attempt to take over his body?” Mona asked, noticing Vic’s bizarre state and connecting a few dots. Still, she failed to notice that he almost said the word ‘SISTERS’. “You…. Are you a demon?” she asked in a very cold voice as she gave a secret signal to the girls behind her.

“Hsssssssss….” Tulip gasped, hearing her, turning to look at Vic.

“.... I am not...” he began to speak, but before he could continue, Zoe was in front of him, slashing with her sword.

BANG!

The sword was stopped by the first subordinate, who simply grabbed it with her hand that was covered by a strange metallic gauntlet, then pushed toward Zoe.

BRINK.........

The sound of metal hitting metal sounded as Zoe, who parried with a small dagger, was pushed back, but not before Mona and Kuu, who had been standing silently behind, also attacked.

Sadly, they were stopped by Tulip and Rain.

"Attacking this emperor like this is not cool!" Vic, who kept his position with his second subordinate healing him, said.

"We have a thing against demons... The policy is to first kill then ask questions, you see..." Mona said. Delaying with demons was a mistake, as it usually gave them time to perform some strange arts!

"I told you, I am not a demon..."

"But my demonic energy detector is telling me something else..." she said, taking out a strange-looking cylindrical gem from her pocket.

"oops..." Vic forwned. Damn it, because of his damaged soul, he was not perfectly controlling his bloodline! "This emperor does have a demonic bloodline, you see... But not a demon!" he confessed.

"It doesn't change a thing!" Mona replied coldly.

"No, it doesn't... And it seems like we have an awkward situation here!" he sighed.

"... He made you sign a contract to protect him?" she asked Rain and Tulip.

"..." both nodded. "Until the doengon is over!" Tulip added, looking at Vic with a strange look. Like Mona, she was wondering about his real identity!

"I see..." Mona sighed. "Then how about you make a deal with me, too?" she asked.

"What do you want?" Vic asked.

“Were you the one who emptied the vault?” Mona asked directly. She just came from the Von Rosen's family Main Vault that she found through the Dungeon map function, and to her surprise, that place was sparkly clean, a bit of a strange thing to see in the midst of all the destruction!

"..." Vic smiled.

“...And what if we did?” the first subordinate asked, making both Rain and Tulip squint their eyes. As they were walking around the maze-like tunnels, Vic must have commanded his subordinates to steal everything! Damn it!

“You have a green-colored goblet, I want it!” she said directly.

“...”

“...”

“And why would I get in return?” Vic asked.

"What do you want?" Mona asked directly. What he wanted as a price would tell her a lot about his background.

“Well, nothing physical... Just that you and your Hero friend would both owe me a huge FAVOR!” he said as he eyed her from head to toe as if he could see through all of her secrets. “Monarch…” he added.

“...” Mona squinted her eyes, and so did the other two behind her. “Who are you?” she asked coldly as her eyes turned frosty. No one in this world knew her code name unless they came from the other timeline like her! Also, the word FAVOR was something she only knew about as her master explained it to her a long time ago. FAVOR AND KARMA are connected. Nothing in the world went unrewarded, so one must be careful what fate threads to weave.

“I am your fa….. Mnsmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…” the little girl had to gag him again as he began to use the wrong persona.

“Our master is the Emperor… that’s all you need to know!” the first subordinate said as she looked worriedly toward Vic. The Soul energy this time was very severe; this guy was barely hanging on. If not for Ruby keeping beside him, it would have been troublesome.

“Emperor?”

“...”

“...” Mona raised one eyebrow. She was now 99% sure that this guy came from her timeline, as the world's Empress, there was the scariest title. But who was he? She could only think of the possibility of him being one of those supreme demons... Damn it, if he were, she would be making a deal with a demon....

“Do you want it or not?” Vic asked again impatiently, faintly aware that she was making some very wrong presumptions, but didn't care.

“I will take it!” Mona said as she looked toward Zoe. Owing someone a favor was not to be taken lightly, especially for those who knew how Fate works, but they really needed this thing as it might help awaken Zoe’s past memories!

“Good!” Vic said, flicking his hand and making a strange-shaped green Goblet, made out of shiny glass that might be radioactive, appear out of thin air.

An EPIC ARTIFACT

ALLOWS A HERO CLASS HOLDER TO AWAKEN THE MIRACLE WORKER SUB CLASS.

He threw it to her. “You'd better awaken that class fast if you want to make it in time for the Tournament!" he said.

“We will!” Mona said as she caught the Goblet, checked it, and then handed it to the girl behind her. “You plan to go there too?” she asked.

“Of course, you are not the only one after the Legacy in the Jade Dungeon!” he smirked. “Even my wife will be…. Mnnnnnnnnnnn….” his second subordinate gagged him again as the first one took out a talisman and activated it.

Woooooooosh!

Vic and his two girls disappeared almost immediately.

“Is it ok to let them go?” Kuu asked directly.

“I put a trace on him!” Mona smirked as she looked toward Tulip and Rain. "You two had better dispose of everything he gave you... Demons should never be trusted!"

Tulip nodded, and so did Rain, who began to strip.

"You..." Zoe looked away, so did Tulip and Kuu.

"As shameless as ever..." Mona sighed.

"You seem to know a lot about me!" he said, as he finally took off his underwear, then used the tapestry that Vic left on the ground to cover his private parts.

"Yes... But this is not something that can be explained here... " she hesitated. "But I have a piece of news that might interest you!" she said after thinking about it.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

“Your sister is most likely still alive!”

“My sister?”

“Cassidy!”

“How do you know that… Where is she?” he immediately asked. Cassidy was taken away by their demon jailors when she was merely 3 years old, and after destroying the stronghold he was imprisoned at, he tried to look for her, but found no traces at all!

“I can only see that her ID is active, nothing else… But knowing you, you may be able to find her…. We will talk again after the Jade dungeon is concluded, as there are many things that I can’t mention here… Let’s…” she paused.

“What’s wrong?” Zoe, who was inspecting the Goblet basket.

“.... Damn it? How did that guy get rid of my trace?” Mona asked with a frown. That guy vanished from her map, something that should never happen. The only explanation was that the emperor must be a Lord, like her Master... But that would mean....

SHIT! A demon and a lord meant one thing... That guy was definitely a Supreme Demon!