13 Gold

The next day, I leave home carrying the huge bag that Nahza prepared for me. It contains food, supplies, camping equipment, and potions.

As soon as I enter the dungeon, I store the bag and its contents in my inventory. I'm still on the first floors of the dungeon, the monsters here are beyond weak.

[The enemy's level is too low. You have gained no experience points.]

I decided that unless I face a strong opponent, I will fight using Light Magic only. I need to be able to control my mana output.

I have to use the right amount of mana for each attack. If I use less mana than I should, the attack will be weak and won't kill the opponent.

If I use too much mana, the attack will be overpowered and may cause friendly fire and I will be wasting mana aimlessly.

I consume a few mana potions on my way to the Middle-Floors but I don't mind. I'm getting better at controlling my magic, that's all that matters.

Now it's time for Purification. Since my soldiers limit right now is only six soldiers, I'm thinking of a small squad of four physical fighters (Minotaurs and Lygerfangs), and two magic damage dealers (Hell Hounds).

----

A week pass in the dungeon. If it weren't for the daily quests, I would've lost the track of time.

I spend the time hunting and training with my soldiers on the 17th floor. We camp in the forest on the 18th floor for completing daily quests, resting, and sleeping.

I can now control my mana output and Light Magic perfectly. After achieving that, I abuse using skills to level them up.

The reason I'm here on the 17th Floor 'where the monsters give me little Experience Points and I can't level up properly' and not deeper is to get used to fighting with magic and minions and to level up my soldiers and my skills.

Until now, the only skill to level up was "Whirlwind". It now deals more damage and it sends waves of wind that slash the enemies around me.

The wind waves attack in random directions and angles, they can't be predicted but they do damage that equals only 30% of my attack power.

---

I found out a few things about my Purification ability.

- When I purify a monster, it will either be strengthened (Hell Hound was strengthened to be Elite-Grade level 1) or be weakened (Minotaur was weakened to be Elite-Grade level 1). Either way, they start at level one.

- Once a monster is purified, it becomes more intelligent and can follow complex orders (unlike the Beast Taming skill from my Title, which makes monsters follow only the simplest commands).

- The soldiers would abandon my previous commands and act on their own if they thought that I'm in danger. They have good judgment and can discern whether I'm in real danger or not.

- Purified soldiers can't read my mind, I have to give my orders by speaking them out loud. But they are smart and they have a strong memory, they can predict my next order according to our previous battles.

These soldiers are a clean slate, I can teach them anything. I taught them signs, just telling them 'When I move my hand like this, you attack.' is enough for them to understand and comply.

I also taught them some battle formations and strategies. Now, when an enemy is in sight, they immediately rush into formation. And they change their formations on their own according to the enemy's reactions.

I spent the past week leveling my soldiers up. Now, I have six Elite-Grade soldiers. Each one of them is in the upper echelon of Level Two.

My intelligence stat has increased and I can have more soldiers but I chose not to.

Taming six monsters isn't an easy feat in this world. If I don't want to attract attention, I can't have more soldiers than this 'Unless I find a way to store or hide my soldiers'.

I've already unhidden my equipment. I'm wearing the silver steel "Ancient Supreme Helmet" to cover my face while my silver steel "Ancient Breastplate" is covered by the black fur "Koffac's Cloak".

Having a small number of soldiers has its advantage, it leaves a breathing room for my mana. I'm able to use Light Magic freely without jeopardizing the regeneration ability of my soldiers.

It's more practical to use my magic with a small number of soldiers.

-----

"Let's see if you can clear it alone".

I say this to my soldiers while looking at a system message,

[You have entered the specified location. Do you wish to create an instant dungeon using "Instant Dungeon Key"?]

It's a B-rank Instant Dungeon that I got after clearing the daily quest today.

I enter the instant dungeon with my soldiers. I don't plan on fighting anything other than the boss. I'll leave everything else to them, I may give them some instructions but nothing more.

So, I activate the "Stealth" skill and stay out of sight while watching them.

The monsters in here are two types of golems. Stone Golems are slow and have low attack power but they have high defense and a huge amount of HP.

Iron golems are an even more durable version of their stone counterparts. They're also faster and stronger.

But my boys are doing pretty well against them.

The two Minotaurs (one carrying a mace and a shield and the other is carrying an ax and a shield) start the fight by roaring out loud then charge the enemy.

Once the enemy is concentrated on countering them, the two Lygerfangs flank the enemy and attack from the sides giving the Minotaurs a chance to retreat.

The Minotaurs' retreat clears the way for the two Hell Hounds to fire a volley of Fireballs.

And if this isn't enough and the enemy focuses its attention on the Hell Hounds, the Minotaurs start defending the magic dealers. Then, they repeat everything from scratch.

They don't change this tactic whether they face single or multiple enemies.

"So, you like this formation, huh?"

Well, after seeing how effective it is, I can't say that it isn't a good one.

If you ask me, I'd say it's going better than I expected. But now, we're outside the Boss's room. I don't know if I should let them fight the boss, or should I be the one to do it.

Can they do it without my help? I don't think so, it's a B-Rank boss, and the Aura coming out of this room is nothing to scoff at.

Still, I'm curious, how would they react facing an opponent they can't beat?

We enter the Boss's room, I'll leave the fight to them. I'll interfere after I've watched enough.

And of course, I'd help if things got out of hand.

The Golems I've seen inside this instant dungeon so far were over 5m tall with irregular mountain-like bodies. But the entity inside this room has a body similar to mine.

'You look way more human than my Minotaur soldiers'.

His whole body has the color of gold. He doesn't have a face, just a blank golden ball between his shoulders. A name can be seen clearly above this "head".

[Golem King – Gold Zauld]

Suddenly, the Golem King narrows the distance in an instant.

A kick lands on one of the Minotaurs, Bam!

The Minotaur is thrown away and hits the wall…

[MP: 5,173/5,665]

Damn! This amount of MP equals, at least, a kill.

The ability to kill a Minotaur tank in one blow? I can't let them fight this thing alone. Honestly, I don't want to fight him alone either.

My Stealth skill is still active, so I stand in a corner. Then, I drink a mana potion and start charging a powerful Light Magic attack.

In front of me, I can see that the injured Minotaur is regenerating near the wall. The Hell Hounds are charging their Fireball attacks. The Lygerfangs are forming an incomplete circle with the remaining Minotaur around the magic casters.

The Golem King stands still for a few moments, then he makes a posture like the one sprinters make at the start of a race.

And he quickly narrows the distance towards the Hell Hounds in the middle.

He thinks that the Hell Hounds should be eliminated first since the others are trying to protect them.

'So, he has some intelligence'.

Well, this is good. This trap requires an intelligent enemy to work.

As soon as the Golden Golem runs into the middle of the circle, the Hell Hounds jump up high by stepping on the Lygerfangs' backs.

The Minotaur and Lygerfangs attack the Golem in the middle simultaneously. But he's fast and blocks their attacks instantly… And at this exact moment, two Fireballs hit them.

The Fireballs explode engulfing the Golem, the Minotaur, and the Lygerfangs all in the blast.

A mana potion is already on my mouth, I gulp down its contents. Then, I aim my finger and shoot an overcharged Light Bullet.

Even though I can't see the Golem, I can sense his Aura. So, my shot precisely hits the Golems head.

I thought that with this, the Golem would fall to the ground with a hole in the middle of his head.

Suddenly, the Golem King springs out of the flame in my direction.

His head is completely fine, it's as if the Bullet had dissipated the moment it hit him.

A soldier intercepts his way (it's the Minotaur that had been hit when we first entered the room), he regenerated his health and is now landing a hit with the mace on the Golem's shoulder.

The Golem is thrown back a few steps, then he springs back to attack the Minotaur aggressively.

'Huh?' He was unfazed when he was attacked by two Fireballs and my overcharged Light Bullet. And now he's thrown back by a simple swing?

Is he immune to magic but he's weak against physical attacks? 'Let's test it then'.

I summon "Heartseeker" and wait for the Golem to reach me. He quickly takes down the Minotaur and starts sprinting towards me.

The Golem King may be slightly faster than me, but my sword is longer than his arm. And I have a trump skill.

I calculate the perfect timing…

Two, one… Now!

I aim for his neck then I use "Swift Strike". My sword hits his neck…

Boom!

The Golem flies until he slams the wall. "Good". He's liable to physical damage.

As soon as the Golems feet touch the ground, he lunges forward to attack me.

'Even though I put all my strength in the strike and the Golem was sent flying, he doesn't seem to have taken much damage …

Does he have high physical Damage Reduction as well?' This is going to be annoying.

The Hell Hound soldiers intercept the Golem's way, this time with their fangs and claws.

So, they reached the same conclusion as me… 'Not bad'

The Golem brushes them off easily and attacks me again.

'How can you find me this fast?' Stealth skill has been active the whole time but this Golem doesn't seem to have any difficulty finding me.

Even though the skill doesn't make me invisible, it removes my existence completely. I've tested it against many opponents.

Knowing the fact that I can still be seen, I've been constantly moving to try to stay out of the Golem's sight.

Come to think of it, this thing doesn't have eyes. Does he have a superior "Sense" stat that can see through my stealth? If so, then I'm wasting my mana on Stealth.

I just deactivate the skill, consume yet another mana potion, and concentrate on the fight in hand.

The Golem King is slightly faster and stronger than me but he doesn't use any skills. He's completely invincible against magic and he has ridiculously high Physical Damage Reduction and a huge amount of HP.

I can overpower and outspeed him by using skills. And once my soldiers regenerate, they attack him relentlessly distracting him away from me.

Still, this is taking too much time. My attacks can only cause little cracks on his gold body.

I start attacking the cracks themselves. Further attacks on the cracks make them grow slightly bigger.

Again, again, and again.

Finally, the cracks become big enough to be called 'wounds' but then...

[Purification can be used on this target]

"Wha… I can purify this thing?"

I attempt the Purification skill but this time, I use way more mana than the required amount for the skill…

'This monster is strong. 2,500 MP may not be enough to purify him'.

Ring~

[A surge of the Ruler's pure mana has been injected into the target.

Your purifying mana has been absorbed into the "Golem Heart" inside the target.

The target has been strengthened successfully. The Soldier's level will start at 7.]

Golem Heart? Whatever it means, the system considered it as a type of Magic Crystals.

Also, if more mana is consumed for the Purification skill, the purified soldier can start at a higher level.

Well, his mana didn't increase in amount. So he wasn't strengthened, he just retained his strength and didn't have to be weakened to start at level one (like the Minotaurs did).

This is new information for me…

[ ??? (Level 7) - Knight Grade.]

[You may assign a name to Soldiers at or above the Knight Grade. The given name will be maintained until the Soldier is released. Please choose a name for the Soldier.]

His name was Gold Zauld, too long…

"Gold".

[Gold (Level 7) - Knight Grade.]

I feel joy filling up my heart as I'm looking at the kneeling 'Gold' in front of me. Why wouldn't I be happy?

The kid is an all-rounder with bigger Aura than mine. He's a fast and strong attacker. And he's a defender with high HP, high Damage Reduction, and immunity to all magic attacks.

He also has a human body. If I cover him in full body armor, he can walk beside me and people would think that he's an adventurer.

His only downside is that he doesn't use skills or weapons.

'I don't know about skills, but I can teach him how to use a weapon'.

"Huh?"

A Minotaur and a Hell Hound came closer and stood beside Gold.

[Minotaur (Level Max) - Elite Grade.

Your soldier has reached the required level for the next promotion and is asking for your permission to be promoted.]

[Hell Hound (Level Max) - Elite Grade.

Your soldier has reached the required level for the next promotion and is asking for your permission to be promoted.]

"I accept��.

[You have promoted Minotaur from 'Rank: Elite' to 'Rank: Knight'.]

[Please choose a name for the soldier.]

[You have promoted Hell Hound from 'Rank: Elite' to 'Rank: Knight'.]

[Please choose a name for the soldier.]

I look at the kneeling bull-beast and the wolf lowering his head to the ground. I have already chosen names for my six soldiers, so I don't think much and give them their names.

[Bjorn (Level 1) - Knight Grade.]

[Fenrir (Level 1) - Knight Grade.]

The two soldiers undergo a slight change. I think they've become more 'human'?

Bjorn the Minotaur is now a bit smaller. And Fenrir the Hell Hound is standing on his two hind legs, but he still looks like a wolf.

'So if he gets promoted one more time, will he be a werewolf?'

Also, I can feel the change in their Auras. Knight-Rank soldiers have the same Aura as Level Three Adventurers.

[The boss has been defeated. The Dungeon will return to its normal interior.]

This instant dungeon has been very productive. I can't be any happier.

Since all six of my soldiers were close in terms of levels and strength, the rest of my soldiers are about to be promoted as well.

"Your first order as Knights is: Leave all the kills to the Elite-Grade, support them only".

***

[*Name: Rick Stark *Miach's Blessing (Level: 1)

*Level: 55

*Class: Ruler *Army Status: Active (7/9)

*Title: Beast Lord - Transcendent of Predecessors

*HP: 39,050 *MP: 5,665 *Fatigue: 0

*Stats:

Strength: 119 Endurance: 71 Agility: 119 Intelligence: 103 Sense: 71

(Available stat points: 0)

*Damage Reduction: 47%

*Skills:

- Passive Skills: Unknown (Level: MAX), Advanced Sword Technique (Level: 2)

- Active Skills: Swift Strike (Level: 2), Whirlwind (Level: 2), Ruler's Hands (Level: 1), Stealth (Level: 1)

- Class Skills: Light Magic (Level: 1), Purify (Level: 1)

*Equipment: - Ancient Supreme Helmet 'S' (15%, +20 Strength, +20 Agility), Koffac's Cloak 'A' (10%), Ancient Breastplate B (12%), Ancient Boots B (5%), Ancient Gauntlets B (5%), Ancient Magician's Ring B (+5 Intelligence)

*Gold: 4,618,300]

*********

{{{{{Author}}}}}

Some unforeseen situation has happened and I have been traveling back and forth this past week.

I barely find any time to work on the story.

And this situation isn't going to be resolved anytime soon. It's going to take at least a couple of months.

What I want to say is that I enjoy writing fanfiction and I don't plan on stopping or on dropping this story.

But… writing fanfiction is my hobby and I do it only in my free time. And lately, I don't have that much free time.

I am really sorry.

Please don't give up on this story… Just leave it in your Library/Bookmarks and eventually my situation will be resolved and I will start updating chapters regularly.

Thank you for understanding.

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