Nathan - POV

  It took another few days before we finally set off for my first official dungeon delve, and by the time we gathered at the estate courtyard, it felt like half the household had decided to come along. My parents were there, naturally, along with my minions, my siblings, Shive, Christine, Anda, Jennie, Belle, and at least fifty guards. Probably more. They kept shifting around, whispering, adjusting armor straps, or staring at me like I was some rare beast about to be released into the wild.

  I suppose many of them wanted to see how I would perform. The funny thing was that this dungeon dive was originally scheduled for the day after my birthday, but everyone had gotten a little too carried away during the celebrations. I didn’t mind. The delay gave me time to assess my current stats and skills at level fifty?seven. Same as my minions. That made me the highest?leveled individual in our entire house. Not even Father, Knight Marshal Anda, or Knight Captain Warren Iridur had surpassed me, though they were close, hovering somewhere in the high forties.

  Of course, no one knew my actual level. No one in our house possessed an appraisal skill. Apparently, that skill was so rare that anyone born with it was immediately snatched up by the powers that be. And by “powers that be,” I meant the temples of Shabiln and oher states, who hoarded appraisers like dragons hoarded gold.

  There were also magical tools that could scan a person’s status, but even those were limited. Both skill?based and tool?based appraisal only reveals name, age, class, affiliations, and level. Stats and skills were protected by the system itself, hidden from prying eyes. One could ask another person about their skills, but doing so was considered extremely rude... unless the person volunteered the information. Also, sharing one’s stats and skills was a sign of loyalty, trust, and respect.

  Thankfully, our patron, High Priest Remor Denob, had sold us an appraisal orb. It looked like any other crystal ball, but the price he demanded was so exorbitant that I suspected his true class was “merchant” rather than “priest.” Still, Father bought it, and since he was the head of the house, he and Mother; along with their inner circle; kept careful records of everyone’s stats and skills. Those records were stored inside the pocket dimension to prevent theft. Now that was what I called a proper firewall. Or maybe a fire-walled pocket dimension. Geez... My puns were getting worse by the day.

  Our people didn’t have any qualms when they shared their stats and skills with my father. Sharing stats with the head of the noble house was considered a gesture of loyalty, trust, and respect. Everyone did it willingly. Well… everyone except me, for obvious reasons.

  When we finally arrived at the dungeon, I noticed that its entrance was nothing more than a cavern mouth. Surrounding it were thick stone walls manned by paladins and knights. Dungeon breaks were a thing, after all. Like the dungeons of fiction back on Earth, these needed to be delved regularly so the monsters inside could be culled. Otherwise, they would overpopulate and spill out into the surrounding territory. The only way to destroy a dungeon was to remove its core from whatever pedestal or structure it rested on.

  Since no one had ever reached the deepest floors of the dungeon near Bunzad, delving had become a lucrative source of income for the high priest and the Holy State of Shabiln. The deepest recorded delve was the 30th floor… until my minions came along.

  They had reached the 40th floor in a single delve.

  Normally, such expeditions require enormous logistical support. Food, water, tools, spare weapons, potions; everything had to be carried in bulk. Dungeons were vast, and the deeper one went, the stronger and more vicious the monsters became. It could take days, weeks, or even months before a group decided to turn back. And even then, the spawn rate of monsters was a problem. By the time a group reached the 10th floor, the monsters on the 1st floor would have already respawned.

  But my minions were different. As demonic beings who fed on flesh; human, monster, or otherwise, and mana, they could remain in the dungeon far longer than any human. Days, weeks, even months. They were the perfect delvers.

  Of course, their achievements raised questions. On top of that, our house retainers now boasted nearly a thousand fighters, including the Golden Company commanded by Knight Captain Irin. On paper, they were a separate mercenary group hired by House Mayweather?Abensberg, a fallen Shaxaian noble house. In reality, they were bound to us.

  When the church began to take notice, High Priest Remor crafted a bogus report praising the Golden Company’s logistical prowess. He willingly made the fake report because he was already heavily invested in us. He had issued the writ of patronage, making him duty?bound to answer for us if we ever screwed up. The risks for him were high, but the rewards were even higher. With our growing strength, he now commanded not only his territorial forces but also a paramilitary army at his beck and call. He was becoming one of the richest and most powerful men in the Holy State of Shabiln.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Furthermore, since my minions had a high probability of reaching the final floor; and thus, the core; Remor demanded only the dungeon core as payment. Any loot or valuables we will acquire on the final floor would serve as compensation. He intended to reuse the core, after all.

  The official excuse we gave him was that our house had an excellent logistics system, with several groups entering the dungeon to hand off supplies to my minions. Remor believed it without question. Of course he did. He wouldn’t want his most profitable cash cow and valuable military assets to get accused of harboring demons.

  When I entered the cavern, I expected a portal or shimmering barrier. Instead, it was just a cave; albeit a massive one, the size of a mid?sized cathedral. The mana inside was thick and oppressive. My mana senses had detected it from a mile away. A level 1 adventurer would have struggled to walk. Many people stared when I strolled in as casually as if I were walking through a garden.

  There were a lot of people inside the cavern. I didn’t want to show off my spells, so we stuck to the plan: I would use weapons only, no visible magic if there were others present not from our faction. My damage?over?time curses would still work, so it wasn’t a problem.

  As we made our way toward the 2nd floor, Xander raised a hand, signaling us to halt.

  “Lord Jakob, Master Nathan,” he said, “we are in luck. A floor boss has spawned in the chamber leading to the 2nd floor.”

  “What kind and level?” Father asked.

  “Level 25 Chimaera,” Xander replied.

  Anda frowned. “A floor boss? Level 25? That’s too high and too dangerous for Lord Nathan. Perhaps—”

  “Nonsense,” Leshner interrupted. “That is paltry for our master.”

  “Yes,” Krizek agreed. “Our master can kill that creature with ease.”

  Murmurs erupted. Most of the group disagreed vehemently with the idea of me facing the boss.

  Before the argument escalated, I stepped forward. “Father, please allow me to face it. I will be fine.”

  “Nathan, no,” Mother objected immediately.

  Father looked at me, searching my face. He must have seen the determination in my eyes, because he finally nodded. “I will allow it... on one condition. Your min… the Hellblazers will be beside you.”

  “Understood, Father.”

  “But Jakob—” Mother began, only to be cut off by Krizek.

  “Do not worry, my lady. Not a single hair on our master’s head will be harmed,” Leshner declared.

  Mother nodded reluctantly, though her anxiety was still written all over her face.

  I hugged her. “Mother, I’ll be fine.”

  She held me tightly for a moment before letting go. She really was a mother, just like my mother back on Earth. Enough sentimentality. Time to play.

  My minions pushed open the massive doors leading to the chimaera’s chamber. The beast stood in the center, massive and grotesque—a fusion of lion, goat, and serpent. Level 25, huh?

  Xander raised his tower shield and sword. Leshner twirled his spear. Krizek drew his twin blades. The rest of the party watched from beyond the doors.

  I stepped forward, holding a shield and a mace I had helped craft a few months ago. The mace’s head was shaped like a human skull, with tiny spikes protruding from it. It looked awesome. My excitement surged. This would be my first real PvE fight since I was reborn in this world ten years ago.

  The chimaera roared and charged.

  I cast Demon Armored Skin on myself and my minions. A familiar metallic shing echoed as a small demonic shield appeared above my head, and fel magic shimmered across my skin.

  The beast thundered toward us.

  I cast Shadow Tendrils.

  Ten massive tentacles burst from swirling black voids around the chimaera. They no longer looked like shadows; they resembled the appendages of some colossal kraken, or perhaps a Lovecraftian deity of horror.

  I willed the tendrils to wrap around the beast’s heads, legs, body, and tail. All ten began draining its life force. The tentacle gripping the lion's head lifted it to my eye level. The creature thrashed and roared, struggling desperately.

  Before it died from the drain, I swung my skull?shaped mace.

  The impact crushed the lion’s skull. Blood and brain matter splattered across my armor.

  The chimaera collapsed.

  A familiar cascade of notifications appeared before me.

  Congratulations! You have killed a Level 25 Chimaera Floor Boss!

  You are awarded experience points!

  Congratulations on your first kill!

  You are awarded bonus experience points!

  Congratulations! For performing a feat reserved for the gods, you are awarded the title: Deificandus

  +25 to all stats

  Congratulations! You have reached Level 58!

  I sighed. At this point, nothing surprises me anymore.