The room that normally filled with Crystal Cores felt more crowded than usual.
Isaac collected the figures he thought had an important role in the dungeon. Among them were Goyo, the Chief of the Dwarves who guarded the blacksmith forge on the 2nd Floor and Asterius the boss on the 3rd Floor.
Two beautiful-looking female figures who had recently joined the dungeon were also summoned by Isaac; Adelia the High Elf in charge of the Elf Village and the Spiritual Beast that lost a quarter of its power, Byakko.
Not to forget the little girl who always helped him in taking care of the dungeon, Pippi, was present at this meeting.
Plus one more new face that made the atmosphere feel a little strange. It was a man who wore a long black robe, a mask, and had hair like black flames. At first glance, his appearance really resembled Isaac's in disguise.
However, everyone in this place knew that he was a human. He was Fedorov.
No one in this room liked him. Only Adelia didn't seem to mind with his presence.
Clap!
Isaac clapped his hands, asking for their full attention. He knew Fedorov's presence made them uncomfortable, especially Asterius and Byakko. It was clear from the aura of hatred emitting from their bodies.
"Before I tell the reason why I gathered all of you here, I will say, whoever is in this room is a friend."
After the Dungeon Master said that, the monsters couldn't help but swallow their saliva with difficulty. This decision really displeased them, but they had to obey their master's orders.
Isaac didn't care how they felt.
In his eyes, all living things were the same. They were tools to achieve success.
Fedorov was no exception.
The reason Isaac included Fedorov in his monster troop was because the human would act as his successor.
He knew that in the near future the existence of the Dungeon Master would be revealed in the eyes of the world. The hunters would chase the demons, just like in his previous life. Of course, this would be dangerous for Isaac.
Fedorov had several aspects in common with Isaac. He had a fairly high magic stat capacity and extraordinary gun abilities.
This was enough to make the humans find clues that led to Fedorov being the Dungeon Master. It could say Isaac wanted the humans to go after the man.
Isaac scanned the eyes of his men one by one.
"I asked you to gather here for one reason. I will leave the dungeon for an entire month."
The monsters looked surprised to hear that. The Dungeon Master left the dungeon like a king coming out of his castle. If no one managed the dungeon, it would be chaotic.
They had never known that Isaac had gone in and out of the dungeon. He only said it now because the situation was different.
After passing the first year, humans became more dangerous. Moreover, the demons also began to show movement. Although Isaac was sure that nothing significant had happened, but after he was under the alliance of the two Dukes, he had to remain vigilant.
"Pippi, come here."
When her name was called, the little girl excitedly stepped forward next to Isaac. Pippi seemed to show an arrogant pose in front of the other monsters.
"As long as I'm gone, do as she orders."
"Yes, my lord," they replied in unison.
Then, he started giving each of the monsters a task about what they needed to do.
During Isaac's absence, Goyo received orders to reduce the forging quality of human requests. Asterius was asked to let as many humans as possible at level 30 and above to Floor 4.
Byakko was given the task of staying in the Crystal Core Room no matter what, unless there was an emergency. She would be the last line of defense. Moreover, her existence had to be hidden for as long as possible. Then, Adelia, she would be the main star in Elf Village. In the best way possible, she should be more active in interacting with the humans who would come later.
Meanwhile, Fedorov would be in charge of guarding the 4th Floor. He was tasked with hunting down every human who roamed in the Dire Area.
"Do you all understand?" Isaac asked his men for confirmation.
"Yes, my lord."
Isaac nodded. "Good. During my absence in the dungeon, do your best. Ignore your ego for the sake of the dungeon."
He scanned the eyes of his men. They looked serious, but he still felt something was missing.
"I summoned you here not only because I need your strength, but I also trust you."
After giving them a small push, their eyes changed. They looked serious with firm determination gleamed in their faces.
Isaac ordered his men to disperse. Then, the monsters left the room except for Byakko.
There were three people in the room.
"Pippi, while I'm away, keep an eye on human movements. Are any of them acting strange? I left 1 million zenny. Use it wisely. Buy any monsters if something bad happens."
Pippi slapped her chest. "Alright, Lord. Pippi will do it."
Isaac smiled. He stroked the little girl's head and Pippi looked pleased. His attention then turned to Byakko.
"You are the strongest monster in this dungeon. Your position is most crucial. I'm counting on you, Byakko." Isaac patted Byakko on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, the crescent-eyed woman just nodded.
After that, Isaac took out an item in the form of a small black stone from his inventory. He squeezed it. Not long after, a dark portal appeared in front of him.
'I've thoroughly prepared the dungeon. I have Byakko on guard and Fedorov enough to fight the humans on the 4th Floor. Everything will be fine.'
He stepped towards the portal. After he arrived at the dimensional vortex, his footsteps stopped.
Isaac began to change his mind. He hesitated to leave the dungeon. There was one thing that worried him. Baron Loke hadn't contacted him after their last conversation. He was worried that there would be an attack on the dungeon directly, instead of PvP.
"Relax, Lord. There's no need to worry about the dungeon. Pippi will take care of it."
Hearing those innocent remarks, Isaac chuckled. He realized he was getting paranoid.
'Right… I've prepared everything well. No demons had bought flying monsters until the third year. I can't back down now.'
Once Floor 4 was formed, Challenge Dimensions for challenges 31 to 40 had been unlocked. This was an opportunity for him to raise his individual level. Isaac had to take two years to complete the Challenge Dimension.
He needed to get stronger to fight the Dukes.
Isaac stepped into the black portal. The last sight he saw was Byakko and Pippi waving their hands.
.
.
.
When Isaac opened his eyes, he found himself in a desert. As far as the eye could see, there was only a mountain of brown sand. A gentle gust of wind brushed against his face, carrying dust. The heat stung his skin, as if the sun was right above his head.
A nostalgic sensation swirled in his head. He remembered having a hard time while carrying out the missions in this challenge.
The terrible enemies of this challenge were not the monsters that inhabited this place, but the desert itself. Night and day here only ran for 6 hours. Isaac still remembered how cold the night wind was, and how hot it was during the day.
"The 31st challenge will be the most troublesome challenge."
[Welcome to the Challenge Dimension.]
[Are you ready to start the 31st challenge?]
[Yes/No]
A notification appeared in front of him. He didn't rush to accept it. From his inventory, he took a bottle of pale blue liquid and gulped it down at once.
Ding!
[You have consumed 'Sea of ??Life (D)'!]
[Resistance to heat increased.]
[Resistance to cold increased.]
[Effect granted 20 minutes.]
Isaac consumed an item costing 800 zenny. Instantly, a cold air enveloped his body. He had prepared various items to complete the Dimension Challenge.
Most of them were resistance items against five elemental magic; fire, water, earth, air, and lightning.
'The challenges 31 to 40 will be against monsters that exploit elemental attacks. This will be the most troublesome challenge.'
After feeling he was ready, Isaac pressed the 'Yes' option on the system window.
Ding!
[The 31st challenge begins!]
[You are trapped in the Diamond Desert. There are many monsters of various races living in this desert. However, there is one race of monsters that hunts the living creatures that walk on the desert surface, Basilisks.]
[Success condition : Kill 100 basilisks within 24 hours.]
[Fail condition : player dies or time runs out (player repeats or returns to their world) ]
[Reward : 10,000 zenny, Shamsir Blade (D)]
'Hunting this basilisk is child's play.'
For Isaac, the mission this time was very easy. He knew how to hunt them all down. In fact, he was sure he could complete this mission in less than 6 hours.
Basilisk was an aggressive type of monster who liked to hunt down its prey. They tend to approach their prey rather than wait for them. So, Isaac wouldn't bother looking through the desert.
However, he would not rush to finish it. There was one hidden easter egg in this challenge.
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