Chapter 10: Dungeon

James and Lois teleported. They opened their eyes and saw a mediaeval room with a long red carpet. In front of them was an empty throne. The floor was made of blue and white tiles. All the perks and Pack-a-Punch machine was with them.

"Where are we?" Lois questioned. She remembered James still had not told them where they were going. He was keeping secrets.

"We are in the world of Now I'm a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon," James replied.

Lois wore a slightly annoyed expression as she found herself in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. James approached her and gently pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry for teleporting you without giving you a heads-up," he admitted, a sincere tone in his voice. "The remote wasn't working properly, and we ended up in a zombie-infested world sooner than I thought. However, I saw an opportunity to acquire these machines for our future battles and friends. It's going to be tough, and we'll need every advantage we can get. This place would have come into play after our visit to the desert to rescue the princess. But, it serves as a strategic hub for storing our items," James explained.

"You still owe me tonight," Lois said. James leaned forward and kissed her lips. Their lips locked as they kissed. James felt her soft lips. Lois' heart started beating faster.

James let go slowly, "This is just the start." Lois remarked.

James chucked. "I know," James replied. He looked around and saw a blue orb on the floor. He walked towards it and touched it. Suddenly he felt a bolt of pain struck his head. He let out a scream.

"James," Lois said as she came running towards him.

James got into one knee. "I am fine," James replied. As he got struck by the pain, he received some information.

"This orb is the life line for this Dungeon, we must protect it, it is alive and as Demon Lords or Dungeon Master it's our job here," James explained.

Lois was confused. He gave the orb to Lois. Lois touched the orb and nothing happened. "I don't feel it," Lois said.

James was confused, was he the only one who could feel it? The orb has chosen him, he thought.

"It must be something for me only then, but this Dungeon is connected to my life, if I die, or it dies, we both die," James said.

"What?" Lois exclaimed. James forgot that part however he was not going to die here. Everything is a challenge in life.

He added, "That tablet there has information and how we can manage this place and get useful items." James knew he did not have a system, however this world could give him an alternative.

The tablet was not in the original, the MC could pop one out of thin air. This must be a change. He also thought where is the MC, do they not exist, we are meant to start in the cannon of the series.

James got up with the help of Lois. "Let's go and see the tablet," James said. He will deal with the MC later.

"Be careful," Lois said, her eyes expressing genuine concern. James acknowledged her words with a nod, his gaze meeting hers.

They walked towards the tablet. It was on top of a pestle connected to the floor next to the throne chair. James and Lois saw there were three tabs called, "Item, Housing, Food." He thought there were no weapons or equipment tab. James thought that was different.

James clicked on the Item tab. He flicked down through it. "This seems like a general utility where you can buy soap, clothes,video games, manga and the like," James observed.

"This will be useful for sure," Lois commented. Lois thought it was nice to get everyday essentials from here.

James clicked on the Housing tab. He saw traps, doors, rooms, toilets, gardens and floors. "This looks like upgrades to this place," Lois remarked.

"You are right, we can make this dungeon bigger, stronger and deeper," James added.

The Food tab had various foods such as bread, meat, juice and much more. "Looks like we'll never be hungry," Lois commented.

"There is a cost to it and it may be expensive but this will not be our primary food source," James replied.

Lois nodded. "So how do we get points?" Lois asked. James saw onto the side, there was a General tab. They clicked on it.

James listed, "It looked like we can get Dungeon Points the following way:

Monster that are not summoned by the Dungeon Manager living in this Dungeon,

Dungeon Manager kills intruders inside Dungeon,

Absorbing dead monster or corpses or "food" for Dungeon,

For keeping the Dungeon alive."

"It looks like we have points then," Lois said.

"Yes we do," James replied.

He went back to the Food tab and brought five chocolate bars. A basket appeared in the centre of the room.

"Chocolate bars?" Lois asked.

James walked over to the basket. He opened the basket and saw 5 chocolate bars. "Here take one, you are going to need the sugar for now," James remarked.

James tossed a chocolate bar towards Lois, and she effortlessly caught it. Playfully, Lois quirked an eyebrow, "You'd think a lady would get something nicer than a chocolate bar."

"Chocolate is nice, but you're absolutely right," James responded with a grin. "We'll indulge in something more luxurious later in the evening. Right now, our focus is on recruiting new members for our group. There are challenges looming on the horizon, and we need all the help we can get."

"Those zombies were not strong at all but I could feel them get stronger and it would be nice to have someone watch your back," Lois said.

James furrowed his brow, glancing at Lois with a touch of curiosity. "My back?" he inquired.

Lois met his gaze with a subtle smirk. "You do have a tendency to be a bit reckless at times," she remarked.

James thought there may be truth behind it but if get strong enough and makes sure all his future girls are equally strong that nothing will stop him.

"Also, do you have any plans to house them here or us?" Lois asked. She was getting tired. It has been a long day for her. First, she made love to James, left her family, world travelled and fought zombies, and world travelled again.

James carried the basket bag. He walked back to the tablet. He clicked on the Housing tab. "We can add two floors, so this will be the third one and have enough for two bedrooms and a kitchen. There is a cave above that so we technically have four floors," James said.

"I am sleeping with you tonight," Lois stated.

"Sure, but our new friend can stay there," James replied.

"Okay," Lois nodded. James clicked the button and created two floors. The first floor will be the entrance to the Dungeon after going through the cave, the second will function as a living quarter for now and this is the third floor. He thought he was going to need a lot more floors however for now this is fine.

Suddenly, the entire place quaked violently, causing debris to cascade from the ceiling. Reacting swiftly, Lois sprinted towards James and enveloped him in a tight embrace. The air was filled with the disconcerting sound of crumbling dust and the ominous creaking of the structure. For a tense moment, it seemed as though the shaking would persist indefinitely. Then, as abruptly as it began, the seismic disturbance ceased.

James smiled. "It's over," James said and added, "You just wanted a hug."

"Guilty," Lois smiled back. James gave a quick peck on her lips.

"Let's go outside and get our new friend," James said.

"Okay," Lois replied. They headed towards the large door. James had the basket of chocolates in his hand.