[The Labyrinth, 3rd Floor, Isaac's Dungeon]
Everywhere the eye looked, there were only grey walls towering high to the sky. Meanwhile, when looking up ahead, there was only darkness, as if it was an infinite black sky. The atmosphere was eerily quiet. There was no sound other than the blowing air.
This was how the terrain on the 3rd Floor was. It was dark, cold, and quiet.
Even so, Isaac looked relaxed as he walked down the winding road. He was not alone. Pippi walked beside him and behind them, the twenty dwarves followed obediently. Goyo, the chief of the dwarves's tribe, also came with them.
"Lord, why did we come to this place?" Pippi asked. Then, her eyes glanced at the dwarves lined up behind. "Are we going to build something again?"
"That's right," Isaac replied. His eyes remained focused on looking ahead. "I want to give some safe zone points on the 3rd Floor for the hunters to rest. It's not only a place that can prevent monster attacks, but has a healing effect."
Goyo, the dwarves' chief, who was walking behind him spoke up.
"My Lord, I'm sorry to interrupt. But, when it comes to monitoring the area, I think I'm enough."
"No, Goyo. You need Pippi if you want to survive in this floor."
Pippi, who was originally angry by Goyo's words, turned arrogant after hearing her master's words.
"Hey, short creature. Just shut up. Who asked you to speak?" Pippi looked contemptuously at the dwarves' chief.
"You're also short. Why did you also call me short?" Goyo shook its head. "Idiot."
Pippi instantly got angry.
"You—! You only wanted to work after the Lord offered you the orichalcum! You greedy monster!"
"I'm not greedy. The work in the forge is very busy. But since the Lord has given me a gift, as the representative of the dwarves, I must appreciate it."
Not long after, the two started arguing. Pippi, who had a quick temper, was repeatedly devoured by the taunts thrown by Goyo. The chief of the dwarf tribe was quite good at provoking someone's emotions.
Isaac seemed unconcerned. As long as his subordinates did well on their assigned tasks, he didn't have any problem with their annoying attitude.
The two of them continued to argue until they heard a loud growl.
"Hey!"
The dwarves trembled in fear, and Goyo was no exception. Only Isaac and Pippi looked calm.
"Heh… you coward," Pippi looked at Goyo with a disappointed look. Meanwhile, the dwarf could only be silent.
The ground began to shake. Over time, the vibrations got stronger. Two crimson red dots appeared from within the darkness. Not long after, the figure of a monster with an enormous body appeared. If it was measured, the monster would have a height of 5 metres. Its entire body was covered with black hair. It had a face resembling a cow and a pair of horns the size of elephant tusks grew on its head. In both hands, the monster held an iron club and an axe.
The creature walked closer. The dwarves were getting scared. Their instincts screamed when they met a stronger monster.
Then, the creature knelt down.
"Servant greets the Dungeon Master."
<Information>
[Name : Asterius]
[Race : Minotaur]
[Type : Boss]
[Class : C]
[Level : 35]
It was Asterius, the Ancestor of the Minotaur, the new warden of the 3rd Floor.
"Stand up, Asterius."
The Minotaur ancestor quickly got up after being ordered by its master.
Isaac then began to introduce Asterius to his minions behind him. As usual, Pippi seemed happy when she was introduced to a new monster. In contrast to Goyo and its men, they were truly frightened by Asterius's presence.
After that, Isaac explained to Asterius the reason he came here.
In this labyrinth, a safe zone would be created, which was spread over several points.
The 3rd floor's terrain was different from the two floors below. There was no water and edible plants here. So if the Hunters got lost, they would starve to death. Not to mention the monsters in the labyrinth. They would also get devoured by them.
The safe zone would be filled by a fountain with a small garden that had fruits around it. That place would have a recovery buff. That way, the probability of the hunter being able to survive was higher.
Of course, Isaac wouldn't just create the safe zones. He also ordered the dwarves to create a 'special' trap chamber.
He would fill the trap chamber with 'treasure'. When a hunter entered that place, the room would be locked and various monsters would come out. It sounded classic, like a typical treasure trap room, but there was actually a hidden mechanism to this room.
'This treasure room will become an attraction for hunters.'
During the construction process, Isaac didn't want anyone to disturb them, be it from other monsters or hunters.
"Very well, Lord. I understand," Asterius said in a polite tone.
Isaac looked at Pippi.
"Pippi, I'll leave the rest to you. Tell them which points will be built into a safe zone."
"Aye aye, Lord." Pippi put on a salute pose.
"Besides, I will be leaving the dungeon for quite some time, maybe a few weeks. Give Asterius instructions to select hunters that are worth killing and those that aren't."
"Understood, Lord."
Ding!
Just as Isaac was about to leave, a notification sounded in his head. He looked at the contents of the notification, then a wide smile bloomed on his face.
[Request to speak from Baron Loke]
Isaac chuckled while covering his face with hand.
'There are still a few months before the auction starts. They are moving early. It seems they are in a hurry.'
He waved his arm.
[Request denied.]
Isaac didn't take the call. He already knew what their conversation would be. Pippi, who was watching her master was curious, but she decided not to ask.
Then, Isaac's body turned into shards of light, and his figure vanished completely.
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