Unlike what Damien originally expected, the pseudo-4th class beasts lasted until the 85tu floor. Only on the 86th floor did genuine 4th class beasts appear.
But it wasn’t like there were no changes. The level of civilization slowly grew until the 86th floor was a genuine city. Plenty of 4th class beings roamed the floor, and even lower-class beasts moved idly. This floor didn’t have any of the ferocity that beasts usually held. It was practically a smaller version of the Beast Domain.
It was at this point when Alea finally started to show signs of being uncomfortable. Instead of killing anything she saw, she explored the floor calmly while blending in with the civilians.
As for Damien, he concealed himself in the corner and watched. He was curious about what she would do.
Alea’s expression became further troubled as she interacted with the citizens. The conflict within her was obvious.
Power or morality. She had to choose one.
And depending on her choice, her every decision going forward would be affected.
Damien continued to watch curiously. With Alea’s nature, he never expected her to hold out for so long. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to care about compassion or anything similar.
Abruptly, Alea’s bloodlust flared. The crowd around her backed away in fear, the weaker ones falling to the floor, unable to move.
Her mouth moved to form words, but Damien couldn’t hear what she was saying. Even if he wanted to, his situation experienced an abrupt change that disallowed it.
Strong spatial fluctuations rose around his body without warning. The person teleporting him didn’t seem to care whether he agreed or not. But since he’d been expecting this moment for the past month, he didn’t resist.
“So you finally called me.” He spoke when his body materialized again.
“Even knowing my identity, you still dare to speak so crassly. As expected, you are a man raised by this dungeon.”
Damien raised his brow. “What significance does that have?”
The figure cloaked in darkness replied, seemingly while smiling. “I know a few others who act similar to you. It is quite the odd shared trait of the powerful people in this dungeon.”
“And you’re one of them?”
“Why, I’m the best of them.”
“Quite arrogant for someone who hides behind a veil.”
“Quite arrogant for a brat I could kill with a single finger.”
“Tch. Touché.”
Damien looked up and down at the figure in front of him, but he couldn’t make out a single detail of their appearance. Judging by their voice, they were female, but even that didn’t give him much information.
The size, race, age, power level, anything besides that voice of his opponent was masked in a veil of darkness.
“So? You finally called me here, but you’re wasting time acting mysterious? You’re just like a certain old man I’ve been meaning to visit. Quickly get on with it and stop wasting my time.”
The figure snorted. “Do you think I won’t kill you for acting out of line? You’re so pathetically weak, where does your confidence come from?”
Damien rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Lady, with your strength, you likely saw every single second I spent in this dungeon. Not only did you see me at my worst, but you probably also bore witness to every single secret I tried to hide after leaving the dungeon. Not to mention, I had a nasty habit of talking to myself back then, so you probably know even the stuff you haven’t seen personally.”
Damien’s tone suddenly shifted. He threw his hands across his body as if protecting himself from a pervert. “Besides, you’ve even met my little brother. How are you going to take responsibility for me?”
“Pfft…!” A crisp peel of laughter came from beyond the veil, surprising even Damien. “I apologize, but I haven’t had a laugh in many millennia. The people here are extremely boring, only knowing how to fight, sleep, and breed.”
“Heh heh, I see, if you want help taking care of the…other…things you haven’t done in a while, this little one doesn’t mind giving a few lessons.” Damien grinned evilly.
A fist of shadows appeared above his head, giving him a fierce knock. “It seems you have a bad habit of flirting with every woman you meet. Brat, how do you know I’m not a man in disguise? Ever thought about that?”
Damien smirked. “If you were a man in disguise, you probably wouldn’t have stopped at just knocking my head.”
“And what if I swing that way?”
Damien’s face paled. He backed away slowly. “Hm? It looks like Alea is in danger! I have to go now!”
Damien activated teleportation, but as expected, he failed miserably. He could practically feel the woman behind the veil sighing in exasperation.
“Fine, I can’t win against you in words. I’ve spent too long confined down here to be good at wordplay.”
“Confined?” Damien’s attention was piqued.
“Of course. Who would willingly stay in a damp place like this after ascending to my level? Do you think dungeons are normally built to withstand Divinity?”
Damien shook his head. Perhaps if it was the rumored Heavenly World, it’d be possible, but not in this universe. The materials needed to suppress a Demigod didn’t exist here.
After all, even Demigods weren’t supposed to exist here. Only those who resisted their “ascension” remained, though ascension might not be the best word to describe it.
So for a dungeon to exist which could accomplish that impossible feat…
“This dungeon was artificially created?” Damien realized.
It made more sense the more he thought about it. The dungeon was far too unique to be spawned naturally.
Kurt’s hypothesis was that this was the first dungeon to be born into Apeiron, which is why he termed it the First Dungeon. However, even then, the sheer level of treasure within the dungeon made no sense.
Godbeast bloodlines weren’t simple. They possessed traits unlike normal beasts for a reason.
The shadowy woman nodded, the darkness around her bobbing up and down with her movements. “This dungeon is a prison created to house me. The cycle of beast evolution is used to provide a continuous stream of mana and energy to the dungeon so it can maintain the seal. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, the excess energy from 100 floors worth of slaughter reaches an insane level.”
Damien squinted his eyes as he stared into the shadow. “Then, for you to be sealed so tightly, you must be…”
The woman seemed to smile. The murky shadow that surrounded her body slowly disappeared into the air, revealing the figure hidden beneath.
Pale greyish-white skin, ash-grey hair, and striking red eyes. Her figure was just as voluptuous as Alea’s, but she was far taller, standing at the same height as Damien.
From her features alone, she looked like a Dark Elf.
But Damien knew. It wasn’t an instinctual feeling, but something she was willingly allowing him to sense.
From within the murky darkness she controlled, the scent of ink perforated Damien’s nostrils.
His bloodlust flared out of his control. He glared at the woman coldly.
Standing in front of him as if nothing in the world concerned her…
Was a genuine Nox Demigod.