Epilogue - The Demon Lord Shouldn’t Be At A Disadvantage

From his new throne outside the Dungeon he carefully crafted to benefit the Corrupted as much as the Pure, König Geistdunkelrustung monitored groups of dungeon raiders as they made their way through his traps and challenges. Despite a few years passing since he finished its construction, few had made it past the Advanced floors, with most still choosing to avoid the Superior floors due to the rumors and reputation it had garnered.

“Do you not tire of watching dungeon raiders, My Lord?” A sentient pile of rocks that could choose to reconfigure its shape as it wished asked, approaching in a quadrupedal, feline form. “The Pure have yet to produce anyone who could pose a threat to you, let alone a new Champion.”

“True, but watching them grow is oddly satisfying.” He said, watching through a crystal orb as a purple-haired young man scored a critical blow against a woman with the head and torso of a human, the tail of a serpent for legs, and pure-white, snowflake-shaped scales. “He may not be a Champion, but the prince is growing stronger by the day. I’m sure Laimessa will be pleased.”

Before the snake-woman’s body could hit the stone floor, she vanished and reappeared in the room before him, completely unharmed.

“You almost had him, Blizzarah.” He complimented, rising from his seat. “Still think you’re ready to go in with your true body?”

“N-No, M-My Lord,” Blizzarah said, avoiding direct eye contact as he knelt by her and gently stroked the long, scaled growths that ran from her forehead to neck, like miniature tails. “Th-Thank you for protecting one as foolish as I…”

Sighing, Geist stood and shook his head. “No, it’s natural that you would want to take such a risk to catch up to those two.” He said, shrugging.

To protect the lives of the Corrupted he ruled over, Geist typically didn’t allow the monster or demon in the Dungeon to enter with their true bodies. Instead, their consciousness was transferred to the core of the Dungeon, and they could control the replicas that it produced to challenge dungeon raiders. The trade-off for the safety was a drastic reduction in the amount of Experience they gained if they defeated a dungeon raider, which directly influenced promotions. And Blizzarah’s goal was to rise to Legendary rank and claim one of the openings as Geist’s ‘Four Demon Generals’.

“But remember. I don’t want to see any of you die for real. Okay?” He added, helping her to her stand. “It’s my responsibility to make you all happy.”

“Yes. Thank you, My Lord.” Blizzarah said, again avoiding eye contact, her cheeks reddening. “We are all happy, w-with you as our ruler.”

“Though, if I may, My Lord. Perhaps you allow those two a bit too much freedom.” The cat-shaped pile of rocks said, naming no names.

Scratching the back of his helmet, Geist sighed again. “They went out again?”

“As if you were not aware.”

“...Yeah, you’ve got me there, Gnyome. But, to be fair, barely any dungeon raiders even reach them anymore.” He said, making excuses for the clear violation of the rules he had set.

Jumping up onto his shoulders and draping itself across them, Gnyome ground one of its ‘face’ rocks against his pauldron. “Well, I suppose you indulge all of us when you can.”

“No, those two are the Floor Boss of Floor 15. It sets a bad example for the rest of you.” He said, returning to his throne and carefully sitting down. “And I know firsthand how terrifying it is to be Laimessa and Lilith’s source of experience… Those two always had trouble showing their victims mercy.”