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[Dungeon] Chapter 21 – Authority Level 3
🕑 Added 2025-03-19 07:09:17 +0000 UTCMorning had arrived in Kuoh City. The sun shone on the streets of the town, illuminating the streets and houses. It was a new day for everyone.
Students arrived at school with smiles and greeted each other in their classes. Some talked about yesterday's homework or what they had for dinner last night. Some also chatted about the latest games and manga.
Meanwhile, the Gremory Peerage had yet to show up. No one noticed this, however. Only a single red-haired girl sitting in an empty clubroom knew that they weren't coming today. And that girl was Rias Gremory, who stood next to the large windows with her arms crossed, staring outside.
"..."
Her eyes were filled with worry and anxiety.
"They still haven't returned." She muttered to herself. Her hands tightened around each other. "How could this be? Where are they? Are they okay?"
It has been more than a day since they went to the place Akeno found and had not yet come back.
Everything happened so fast. The attack from a stray Fallen Angel, a castaway from Grigori named Kokabiel, and then the matter of dungeons.
While she and her peerage had gotten stronger over time, Rias had to admit that her own power wasn't enough for a fight against a Cadre of the Fallen. It was already proven back there. Azazel even showed up himself to take care of the mess, making her owe the leader of Grigori a favor. She would pay that price later.
However, the real issue here was that her servants didn't come back to the club room yet. And there was no news regarding the place they had gone to.
"What should I do...?" She thought. Her eyes looked out of the window once more. The sight of her beloved city greeted her. It was a sunny day and the sky was clear, but her heart was heavy.
Dungeons, a strange place where monsters appeared, were something she didn't expect. She knew it had potential to change the supernatural world, and her peerage, as she could train herself and them inside. Danger was always present, but she thought that the dungeon was easy enough for her peerage to explore and conquer.
Apparently, her belief was wrong.
Maybe some dungeons were stronger. And what if her peerage found another one, entered without her, and perished?
"No, I can't have that thought." She bit her thumb and sat on a sofa, thinking of what to do next. "I need to trust them and hope that everything will be fine."
But her worries didn't cease. In fact, her mind became more anxious and filled with fear every passing moment. It wasn't until noon that she finally heard a knock on the door of the clubroom and someone opened the door.
Rias immediately turned her attention to it and found a short-haired girl with glasses entered. She was Sona Sitri, the president of the Student Council and a devil. The glasses-wearing girl was her rival back then, and now her friend. But she wasn't alone. Behind the Sitri heiress was her peerage member, her Queen, Tsubaki Shinra.
"Are they not back yet?"
"..." Rias didn't answer, just looked at the two girls in front of her.
Seeing this, Sona sighed and stepped forward. She knew the Gremory heiress enough to understand what was happening inside her head. After all, she was in the same position as her. They were the King and the heiress of the Great Devil Houses.
"Tsubaki, please." She said.
"Yes." The Sitri Queen pushed her glasses up and explained, "I have sent out my familiar to check on the location that Himejima-san has told us and found a strange red door. I believe that it's the dungeon, seeing there is the same sign with 'Elemental Tower' written on it. From what I see from my familiar's eyes, the dungeon is still open. I believe Gremory-san's servants are inside."
"They are...?" Rias' voice trembled slightly. "What if..."
"No," Sona said sternly, stopping the crimson haired princess before she fell to her despair, "We don't know if they're dead. And you should not have that kind of thoughts. Besides, your connection to the pieces is still there, right?"
Hearing that, Rias immediately looked inside her, at the eight chess pieces. The connections were there. They were alive. She was sure of it. But...
"... I still want to make sure of it. I will personally visit the dungeon myself."
Sona sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to change her friend's mind. It was the same when Kokabiel attacked them.
"Please wait until tonight. We can't be careless. Remember what happened yesterday. A single stray Fallen Angel was enough to make you and your servants retreat."
"But!"
"I won't take no. And I will also go with you with my peerage. We will be safer that way. I have contacted Sirzechs-sama and my sister, and they will come to visit soon."
"...!" Rias widened her eyes, "Onii-sama is..."
"Your brother will be here tomorrow morning. That's why we will only investigate tonight, okay? I won't take no, Rias. This is the best plan we can have now. You can't just rush into danger and leave Kuoh unguarded after the attack."
Rias nodded after thinking about it, gritting her teeth while muttering, "... I understand."
"Thank you for your understanding. We will meet here again tonight."
***
Cain yawned and woke up on his bed, stretching his arms as he stared at the ceiling. He got many notifications from the system.
"Oh?" He checked on the system screen hovering before his eyes and found out that he got 20,000 Coins from the emotional reward. "It was that high, huh. But that's not the main reward."
A few notifications still flashed on his system. They caught his attention.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to check them. After living a dungeon master's life, Cain got used to a slow and easy life.
So, he brushed his teeth, took a bath, and dressed himself. Because he got plenty of Coins from the last challengers, he decided to buy new clothes that made him look like a master of something. A black military clothes with a beret hat on his head which cost no more than 350 Coins.
"Hm, maybe I should make this a habit." Cain said as he checked his appearance on a mirror. He looked at his eyes, which turned red for some reason, and stroked his chin, "If I can appear in front of the challengers in the future, this clothes will suit me perfectly. Though, that's still a long time. Maybe."
After being satisfied with his appearance, he headed to the throne room to read the rest of the notifications. He bought a cola drink and some fried chips on the way. The throne room was still a dark place, illuminated only by a dim light. Cain had no intention of redecorating his room because he was satisfied by this appearance, so the dungeon master didn't mind the darkness.
Cain then opened a new window in his system.
[Due to the increase of your fame, a new authority is unlocked!]
Authority Level: 3
─ Monster Control
─ Voice Projection
"Oh, I got two new authorities!" He said excitedly. "Now, what do these mean?"
─ Monster Control: Allow the Dungeon Maker to control a monster remotely and see from the monster's eyes.
─ Voice Projection: Allow the Dungeon Maker to project their voices through a controlled monster.
Seeing the new authority, Cain grinned widely, showing a toothy grin to the world.
Finally, the authority he needed the most. Something that allowed him to meddle with the challengers directly and indirectly, and had a lot of potential in the future. The authority to control a monster and talk with challengers through that monster!
"Haha! Yes! This is what I have waited for!" He shouted to the ceiling with excitement and laughter.
