The Survival Guide of Hell-Difficulty Characters

They found a dungeon portal inside the academy's forest and asked Solren to cover for them. The Grand Mage instantly agreed to their request, even going as far as telling the professors not to mark them as absent.

"They're studying with me today!"

The lie barely surprised them, after all, they had promised Solren a monster core for his research some time ago. Now that an opportunity had arisen, the ever curious Grand Magician couldn't wait to get his hands on a new project.

Solren took them as early as dawn, guiding them deep into the forest. The moment they set foot onto the soil, a familiar energy sent shivers down their spine.

Zeke glanced around, noting how the trees swayed despite the lack of wind, how he could feel eyes watching him from beyond the shadows. He looked at Solren, but the Grand Mage remained calm, either oblivious or confident that nothing could harm him.

"It's good timing that you realized there's a portal in here," Solren spoke, his cheery voice slicing through the frigid air, "A while ago, another dungeon opened which we decided to use for Magical Creatures classes. Who knows what sort of hostile beasts would appear when this portal breaks."

Zeke blinked, "Why didn't you hire hunters to clear the other one?"

Solren glanced behind him, frowning like he'd asked the wrong question. "Hunters are rare even now. Back then, there were barely a dozen people who could enter dungeons. All we could do was monitor the situation and control the dungeon break. Luckily, only the Elites and the Boss Monster were dangerous."

"What were they?" Circe asked.

"Minotaurs." Solren led them into an open area, "The boss was just a bigger minotaur. After we defeated them, the entire forest got influenced by the dungeon's energy and became a breeding ground for monsters."

In front of them stood a large, swirling mist-like shape. The portal let out a low hum, its energy rippling the air so intensely it generated a gust. Solren edged closer, close enough until he could touch the rippling surface.

But his hand stopped, as if an invisible barrier separated him from the world beyond. He let out a defeated sigh and stepped back. "I knew I wasn't chosen and yet I still can't help but try…" he chuckled, facing the two of them, "Anyway, I'll stand guard here while you take care of things."

Zeke and Circe spared each other a glance. After giving Solren a firm nod, they stepped inside the portal.

[You have entered the <Natural Dungeon> - Endless Swamp.]

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[TIPS! There are four types of Dungeons in the game. The <Tutorial Dungeon> that can only be accessed at the very beginning. <Natural Dungeons>, forming normally around the world ever since the Mana Bloom. <Hidden Dungeons>, illusive dimensional spaces that only respond to the presence of a <Player>, and <Instant Dungeons>, which have various triggers and conditions to manifest.]

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Their steps caved into the ground with each footfall, not quite solid, not quite water. Thick mats of moss floated over pools that hid their depths, and the air buzzed with unseen drones of insects. Strange blossoms colored like bruises grew beneath jutted roots of mangroves, their tangled vines touching the murky waters.

Circe swallowed hard as she put on the Darkwing Mantle, calling the Presence of Death into her grip. "This place is giving me the creeps. I hope we don't have to fight giant insects here."

Zeke looked up at the sky. Thick clouds veiled the lights of the sun, its rays barely penetrating to the earth below. "Well, we don't know for sure yet, but wouldn't insect-types be easier to fight than lizardmen?"

"Right…" Circe let out a sigh, "Lizardmen are the strongest monsters in a swamp dungeon. Knowing our luck, I think that's the most likely scenario. Though the upside is that they give a bit more XP."

They headed through a curtain of vines, entering the corridor connecting between rooms. It was similar to their experience in the Resurrected Aviary, with the fact that despite the open feel of the dungeon, there still exist rooms and hallways they needed to go past.

With Circe in the lead looking for traps, the two soon arrived in the next section.

[<Green Lizardman> is alerted to your presence.]

The instant they set foot in the new zone, the closest creature lunged itself at them.

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Before it could cross half-way, Circe swung her scythe on instinct, decapitating the monster in a single, clean swipe.

[Killed x1 <Green Lizardman>]

"Damn, that surprised me." Circe clicked her tongue as she glared at the rest of the lizards. They began to rise from the waters around them, all unarmed. "You sit tight, Zeke, I'd like to test out my new skills."

<Death Bringer>

A burst of dark aura emanated from Circe's scythe, stopping the Lizardmen in their tracks. Some began to back away, eyes widened, their steps uneven and shaky.

[x11 <Green Lizardmen> are inflicted with <Fear>]

[<Death Bringer> decreases all enemy stats with <Fear> by 50%]

[x11 <Green Lizardmen> are given a <Reaper Mark>. Killing a marked enemy restores a small portion of HP, Mana, and reduces the cooldown of all skills by 5%]

"That's right uglies," Circe's lips broke into a grin, "You're already dead."

In her vision, dark silhouettes outlined each lizard within the area, even the ones still lurking beneath the waters. Circe took a step forward, and disappeared into thin air.

<Assassinate>

Ten lizards became headless in a blink of an eye. One tried to turn tail and run, but in a sealed space of a dungeon, there was nowhere to hide. Even as it tried diving into the water, its body soon floated back up, dead.

['Ruelle Peregrine' has leveled up! LVL: 23]

[<Monster Room> cleared.]

< Skill Description >

Name: Inevitable

Type: Weapon Skill

Tier: S

Origin: Presence of Death

Effects

Status effects inflicted by the Equipment <Presence of Death> cannot be resisted by skills or equipments below S-tier

Reduces <Evasion> of enemies with a <Reaper Mark> by 50%

<<>>

Zeke let out an amused whistle, looking around at the carnage before him. Blood pooled on top of the muddy water. "That thing is overpowered. I don't think anything in here can beat you."

"I think I can even solo the boss." Circe rested the scythe on her shoulder. She grinned as a familiar beam of light fell from the sky, delivering them the clear reward.

Each of them received 50 DCs and moved on to the next room.

"Your turn." Circe gestured to the lizardmen as they rose from their den.

[<Green Lizardmen> are alerted to your presence.]

Zeke rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles. "You're not the only one with a toy to test out."

<Tyrant's Majesty>

[x12 <Green Lizardmen> are inflicted with <Fear>]

['Ruelle Peregrine' is inflicted with <Fear>]

['Ruelle Peregrine' has shaken off the <Fear>]

The lizards froze, stepping back yet standing their ground like cornered prey eyeing a predator. There was a hint of defiance in their eyes, subtly different from when Circe stood in Zeke's place. Still, they expressed their determination as animals acting on fight or flight.

"Oh, we can inflict the same status." Circe stroked her chin in thought. "You think if we use Death Bringer and Tyrant's Majesty the debuff would stack into 'Terror'?"

Zeke glanced back, "Try it then."

<Death Bringer>

[The status condition <Fear> has evolved into <Terror>]

Whatever composure the lizardmen had vanished like a candle in a storm. They screamed and cried and stumbled into each other in pure desperation—Overwhelming, irrational dread.

"Interesting," Zeke noted their reactions with a nod of acknowledgement. "I couldn't really tell the difference in the game, but it seems <Terror> makes them completely…wild."

Despite the chaos, one lizardman rushed forward, its maw opened wide. An attack out of despair.

'CRUNCH!'

But the ambush never reached, the monster's body, crushed like a tin can, fell to the ground lifeless in an instant.

[Killed x1 <Green Lizardman>]

Circe blinked, confusion clear in her frown. "...What the…? Was that <Gravity>?"

<Field of Dominion>

"A combination of <Gravity> and <Telekinesis>," Zeke answered, proud. "It's the <Field of Dominion>."

With a snap of his fingers, the rest of the lizards fall to the same fate, their bodies mangled and crushed by an unseen force.

[Killed x11 <Green Lizardmen>]

['Silas Salvador' has leveled up! LVL: 23]

"Huh. Guess it'll be an easy job this time around." Circe watched as their reward chest manifested from the light. "Next time, how about we separate and clear a dungeon on our own? It will be more efficient than having both of us in one place."

"Yeah," Zeke nodded as he opened the chest, securing their coins. "Though let's see how this one goes first. Besides, events and dungeons tend to glitch out a lot for some reason."

Circe sighed. They headed to the next room. "Maybe we're cursed or something."

"Maybe," Zeke tilted his head, "Maybe we're brought here into this world to find out why and fix it."

Circe bit her lips, "I hate plot."

"I know." Zeke chuckled as they emerged to the other side.

Instantly, the monsters became aware of the intruders and emerged to kill them, but as quickly as they rose, Circe brought them all down each with a single swing of her scythe.

It became a repetitive game of clearing a room, move on, repeat. Sometimes a trap room or a puzzle room interrupted them, but they managed to clear them with ease. They even fail the puzzle on purpose just to kill the penalty monster and get through faster.

['Silas Salvador' has leveled up! LVL: 25]

<CON: 25 (+10) —> CON: 35 (+10)>

<MAG: 62 (+22) —> MAG: 72 (+22)>

['Ruelle Peregrine' has leveled up! LVL: 25]

<STR: 25 (+6) —> STR: 45 (+6)>

Half way through the floor, they came to a stop. The Lore Room remained inconspicuous at a glance: the muddy ground, murky waters, and mangroves raking the surface with their gnarly roots.

But as they stepped closer, they noticed large claw marks on the jagged stones around them.

"...Well, these are sure informative." Circe rested her scythe on her shoulder, leaning closer to one of the rocks.

"At least we know now what sort of Elite Monsters we're up against." Zeke looked around, eventually spotting a tablet half-buried in the mud. He headed over, knelt down, and squinted at the odd letters carved into it.

Circe came next to him, head tilted. "Solren might be interested in that."

Zeke nodded, yanking the stone out and whisking it away into his inventory, "I'll bring it back with me."

They quickly moved on, fighting more lizardmen along the way until they found a Rest Stop. Although they didn't linger for long and continued mowing down any enemy they come across.

['Silas Salvador' has leveled up! LVL: 27]

<CON: 35 (+10) —> CON: 39 (+10)>

<MAG: 72 (+22) —> MAG: 76 (+22)>

['Ruelle Peregrine' has leveled up! LVL: 27]

<STR: 45 (+6) —> STR: 53 (+6)>

Soon, they arrived before the first Elite Monster room.