Dungeon Overlord: Monster Girl Harem!-Chapter 76: An Enemy Dungeon

From the moment Leonhardt left the small cave, he noticed the mountains' atmosphere suddenly changing: slight flickers in the webbing, a foul stench floating in the air, and a sense of danger that made his senses tingle.

He lacked information about other dungeons, but wanted to learn himself.

"..."

Leon stepped forward and suddenly an eerie sensation washed over his body, like a veil of liquid, or a film of squishy air that vanished the moment he passed through and entered the small clearing with a huge entrance filled with darkness ahead.

[◊ You have entered the Brood Mother's Lair ◊]

[◊ Dungeon Difficulty: Rank D ◊]

'Ifrit, why does it feel so strange?'

[You have just entered a dungeon master's domain]

'What's that?'

"Wow, it's suddenly dark and cold. Even the sunlight has vanished!"

Asuka placed her axe on the ground and observed the area.

The trees became darker, with obsidian branches and pale white leaves that were soft and sticky, as if created with a spider's web.

Sylvie gripped her staff while standing close to Leonhardt. Her shoes shifted through the dry, dusty soil, and she darted her eyes around. She huffed while inching forward to dispel her fear, disturbed by the atmosphere as her heart pounded against her chest.

[Once a dungeon reaches Rank D and above, it generates a special atmosphere. Similar to how your dungeon produces those beautiful flowers immune to fire]

Leonhardt nodded while observing the changes.

It was a pleasant afternoon outside the dungeon. The searing hot sunlight made it a little too warm for the girls, but the vibrant trees and golden dirt created a warm and bright atmosphere.

'But inside...'

Darkness, with a massive moon looming just above the horizon, the death weavers' ideal hunting time was the night.

A bitter, icy cold gnawed at Leonhardt's cheeks.

Though he didn't struggle with heat, artificial cold seemed to irritate him.

'Why does this cold feel so horrible?'

[Because you are a creature of fire, blessed by flames, and adored by its origin]

[This dungeon's cold isn't natural, its source comes from fire's natural enemy and my rival!]

'An origin of water?'

While Leonhardt observed the surroundings, Erina and Asuka started to examine the entrance of the dungeon—small silky webbing coated the floor and walls, hidden and camouflaged underneath the dusty soil and pale flora along the walls.

"Erina, this webbing won't tear. Should we tell Leo?"

Asuka lifted her axe and cut at the gooey webbing, but it didn't tear or cut—instead, it bent and stretched with the force of her sharp axe.

"This seems strange, even my sacred dagger cannot cut them... will Leon's flame burn it?"

'I see... is the webbing coated in the magic of that origin's magic?'

[Yes, although her powers are nothing compared to you.]

[Someone loved by my flames...]

[She has paid tribute enough to the goddess of water and ice enough to gain her blessing.]

Leonhardt stepped forward, his feet sinking the moment he stepped onto the webbing—

"SHAAAA!"

A screech echoed from within the darkness, a wail of sorrow twisted with anger.

The echoed shriek continued as Leon, Erina, and Sylvie covered their ears. Powerful sound waves created visible vibrations in the webbing as the sound of skittering resonated from deep into the dungeon.

"Damn it!"

"What's this sound..."

"Tsk."

'It's like someone is screaming beside my head, damn it.'

Asuka's axe trembled from the powerful noise, but her ears seemed immune to the loud wailing. Instead, she took a deep breath while gazing back at Leonhardt, curling her glossy lips into an aggressive smile.

Woosh!

Blue fire spread from the mouth of Asuka, forming a cone of dragon's breath that started melting the webbing, even with the blessing of the Ice origin.

Asuka's breath contained a stronger blessing.

Thanks to mating with Leon and awakening her Red Dragon bloodline, it surpassed the low-purity ice magic of the brood mother.

"..."

The wailing ended.

However, Leonhardt's body rushed forward and pulled Asuka's arm and tossed her back to where the other women stood, as he extended his arms and poured mana into his fingertips.

——Dual Cast!

"Fire Wall!"

Two raging walls of fire burst from the air before a slight hiss echoed, the familiar sound of the male spider's suicidal attack shooting his sharp needle-like hairs at the group.

"Damn it, Asuka, Erina, Sylvie are you all good?"

He could feel the mana pumping from his heart, rushing to his hands as he continued supplying the flames with more power.

'This is what you meant by a domain, Ifrit?'

Because this dungeon was a place where ice and water magic reigned supreme, his flames cost more mana and lacked the same strength as outside.

[Mm... do you want me to analyse what types of effects this domain has?]

'Please!'

Sylvie's eyes shone as she understood what had happened. She stepped forward, grasping her staff. Then she closed her eyes and focused on the sensation that Leon had made her feel in the cave earlier.

She took a deep breath as the blue orb on her staff started glowing.

'This cold... calming pond of water is my mana, my core?'

After a few moments, her mind sensed it: a small icy pool in the darkness, beside which a warm, gentle flame flickered as if guiding her.

'Leon left this here, to teach me?'

Sylvie reached out, touching the flame... her spiritual form retracting her hand thinking it might burn, but the flame was gentle and warm.

The black flame only guided her, and didn't affect her natural core.

"Is Sylvie alright?" Asuka asked Erina, watching the pair stand together. Her chest tightened, and she couldn't help but grip her axe and frown.

"It seems she's casting a spell... see."

Erina's voice rose as Sylvie's hands shone with a beautiful azure light. Just behind Leonhardt's flaming walls, a thick, icy wall formed, and the razor-sharp needles shot towards them in a rapid barrage.

『I don't like it—why can't I help him fight back?』

Leonhardt furrowed his brows, hearing Asuka's complaint, although her thoughts normally didn't bother him during battle. This time felt different. It sounded dangerous to let such a mindset continue.

What would happen when she met Nyxara, Zafira or Ifrit?

'I don't know how to stop it though...'

[Reassure her, or make her feel needed, so she has no reason to feel insecure]

Ifrit's help made his lips twitch.

He didn't mean to seek help all the time—he wanted to use his head to fix these problems. However, since she offered help, but accepted it and didn't complain, as the hissing of the needles became light.

'Their attack is going to fade.'

"Asuka, I need you to help me. Can you?"

The shimmering glow of Sylvie's hands created small motes of ice, as a swirl of cool wind wrapped around her.

'She's quite talented...'

Asuka rushed to Leonhardt's side like a dog to its owner's call and stood on the opposite side, and Sylvie's jealous thoughts vanished from her mind.

"Can you perform that breath once more?" Leonhardt asked as he bit down.

The constant barrage of spiders on the other side slowly ended, but several of their needles penetrated his wall and chipped away at Sylvie's ice wall.

"Leonhardt, I can't hold much longer!"

Sylvie's lips looked blue as she pushed her staff forward, pouring more mana into the defensive wall.

"That's enough! Good, work."

Leonhardt could see the spiders lingering in the darkness—their eerie white shells made his skin crawl as they swayed in the distance.

"I can help you, give me a moment!" Asuka's excited voice echoed as he ensured to give her a bright smile.

"I knew I could count on you, Asuka."

'Now I have to focus.'

'I will need Sylvie's magic during the fight, I have to help recover her mana before the battle starts.'

He felt a sense of crisis because he didn't know what benefits the dungeon gave to the spiders. Yet, Leon continued to pour his mana into the flaming wall, restoring Sylvie's condition.

'It might take some time, but eventually her small mana pool should grow larger.'

He could only be thankful that Sylvie wasn't a human. If she were, he couldn't help her, and she would never improve. Human cores finished developing once they reached puberty and would never grow or increase after that.

'Well, there are probably some special elixirs or forbidden methods.'

[Leon, I've identified the benefits her dungeon applies to anyone who enters!]

His eyes widened, and he gazed at Sylvie and then Asuka who started to draw the surrounding mana into her throat, forming a powerful blue flame that leaked from her nostrils.

'Show me!'

[Brood Mother's Lair - Rank D]

• All poison and venom damage doubled and gains 20% resistance penetration.

• Visibility decreased by 30%

• Ice and water damage increased by 50%

• All fire damage decreased by 30%

• Al fire type spells cost 50% more

• Humanoid movement speed decreased by 20%

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• Chance to become entangled in the hidden webbing.