Part 18

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Name: Aros

Race: Dragon Warrior

Core Level: 3

HP: 230 -> 300

MP: 50 -> 130

AC: 110 -> 120

DMG: 40

Rank: E -> D

Titles: Dungeon Boss

Skills: Fury, Dual Wielding, Fire Slash, Respawn

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"Aros," I choked as I saw his appearance. Aros sat on the floor, playing peacefully with Icarus. However, as I called his name, he turned to me and quickly stood up. However, when he did so, he revealed his new and improved height. Before, Aros was about a head taller than me. However, now that he had increased in rank again, I barely met the center of his abdomen.

Aros's armor had also improved. It looked a lot less bulky and seemed to curve around his body like natural muscles. Aros's chest plate now had a giant flame design, like an exploding bomb, that made his whole appearance more menacing. I also noticed two horns on his helmet, built in a way to resemble Red Dragon horns. However, as I stared at them for longer than a few seconds, I realized the horns that had suddenly appeared were real.

They had literally poked through his helmet like a knife could poke through paper.

On his side were two swords. Both of them were styled in similar ways to his first sword, but they were much thinner now. They almost looked like rapiers when compared to Aros's old broadsword. However, thanks to the intense shine that came from each blade, it became clear that they were ordinary longswords.

"Hello, Aros," I said as I saw his newfound appearance. Aros nodded, then bowed his head as he lowered himself to his knee again.

"I thank you for granting my request, Lord Aureys," Aros said. As he spoke, I soon realized his voice was slightly younger than before. It was full of energy and youth, but it still sounded like a middle aged man.

"What happened to you?" I asked. Aros looked back up at me, then rose to his feet and answered the question.

"Thanks to the Dungeon Core reaching level three, I've gained the strength of a C ranked enemy," Aros explained, "The rest of the dungeon mobs are still rank D, but Silfang and I are both as strong as an ordinary C ranked mob while still retaining our weaker rank. It's thanks to that mechanic that my appearance changed. What you see before you is a race known as a 'Dragon Warrior'."

"What's the difference between a Dragon Warrior and what you were before?" I asked.

"I suppose I should explain through terms you're familiar with. If you were to compare Dragon Soldier's to Kobolds, then a Dragon Warrior would be a Kobold Elite. A Dragon Knight is the next and final evolution. I should be able to attain it once the Dungeon Core gets to level 5," Aros explained, "After that, every dungeon core increase should only increase my strength, but my race will remain the same."

"Understandable," I said, "You said a 'Dragon Knight' would be your final evolution? Why?"

"Dragon Soldiers and the like aren't full bred Dragons. The original Dragon Soldiers were created through the bond of dragons and lesser species such as humans or elves. They were born with tremendous power, but are unable to change into a draconic form even if they trained for all of the years of their lives. I don't have the memories that came with experience, only the base knowledge one would require to be in my position, so I don't know much more than that. I'm not sure why the dragon soldier race naturally fell into servitude, but I have a feeling it has to do with tradition," Aros explained, "That tradition may have been passed down for three thousand years and has been strong all of that time. Once I evolve to a 'Dragon Knight', I'll be as strong as an A ranked monster, thanks to my position as a dungeon boss."

"That's strong!" I laughed. Aros nodded, then looked away from me as he turned his attention back to Icarus.

"I should probably go check with Silfang," I sighed as I began to walk to the door. Aros nodded, then made his way to the throne before he comfortably sat on it. Icarus stopped playing with Aros as soon as I began to move. Once the two of us were on our own outside of the boss room, I reopened the map and used it to traverse the dungeon.

I quickly made my way through the second floor and reached the staircase to the first within an hour of travel. Had I been without my map, I had no doubts that I would've been stuck in the second floor for an entire day. If I was unlucky, even a week wouldn't be impossible.

Even if I managed to make it out, I saw numerous Salamanders bow to me when I passed them. There seemed to be no end to the creatures. Each Salamander treated me with the respect deserving of the dungeon's creator, but I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to survive if I had to face all of the salamanders alone.

Once I got to the staircase leading to Silfang's boss room, I quickly dashed up the stairs and opened the trap door leading to the room above. As I poked my head through the doorway, the four Salamanders in the room all turned their bodies to me.

I instantly noticed Silfang by her bright purple hide. However, she was now wearing what looked like a breastplate on her body. The breastplate was dark in color and extremely shiny, though it only covered a bit of her body. As I looked at the metal, I instantly recognized the metal as the same type that Aros's armor was made out of.

I hopped into the boss room and closed the trap door behind me, then turned to her.

"It's been awhile, Silfang," I said. Silfang dashed forward, then lowered herself as she bowed. The three Salamanders followed suit and bowed as well. I looked to them, hoping to see some changes. As I did, I couldn't help but smile, "I see you've taught them to fight with spears."

"Lord Aureys, it is a pleasure to see you again," She said, "However, I cannot take the credit for my underling's advancements. Thanks to you, when you promoted me to a floor boss, my underlings gained the skill [ Spear Skills ]. It is a regret that the Salamanders in the floor below cannot share the same advancement, however."

"I know. I saw them when I was coming up," I sighed. It was disappointing, considering intruders would naturally meet Silfang before normal salamanders, and might overprepare for the floor below. However, that problem would be solved once I had enough for the third floor, the one that would eventually allow Silfang to oversee her fellow Salamanders, not the Kobolds.

I turned my gaze back to Silfang, then appraised her. Hopefully, she would also get a major upgrade like Aros.

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Silfang the Salamander

Race: Salamander Elite

HP: 150

MP: 120

AC: 100

DMG: 30

Rank: D

Titles: Floor Boss

Skills: Lunge, Spear Skills, Fireball, Respawn

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Suddenly, before I could continue my conversation with Silfang, I saw a notification appear in front of me.

『 Intruders in Labyrinth of Aros : 2 』

"Oh? We've got visitors already?" I laughed as I turned away from Silfang.

"They won't get this far," Silfang said confidently, "Although the Kobolds on this floor are small and weak, they are many. Only two intruders will not be enough to get passed them."

Because I was editing the dungeon earlier, the map was extremely zoomed out, to the point where the entire dungeon was visible. At the top of the map was a small message that told me how many intruders were in the dungeon.

I began to zoom in on the map, directing the camera toward the dungeon's entrance. I watched as the camera went directly through the maze of caves and tunnels before finally arriving at the large cave entrance that led to the outside world.

Standing there were two individuals. One of them was short and stout with a thick beard and even thicker armor. It was a dwarf, one of the few I had ever seen. Hewe had a few, but none of them were adventurers. The dwarf carried a large Warhammer in his hand, though his grip wasn't very tight.

To his side was another man- a human. The human wore leather armor and had a large dagger in his hand. His hair was messy and he had a scruffy beard. As I zoomed into the two, I began to hear them speak. I was surprised the camera picked up noise, as it hadn't done so for any of the dungeon enemies when the camera got close to them.

"Bernard, what is this place?" The dwarf asked as he turned his body. He kept his eyes trained on the cave, so he wasn't actually looking at his companion. Bernard, the human with leather armor, looked to the dwarf and shrugged, "I thought you knew everything about this route?"

"I've been in this area before, I swear!" Bernard complained as he turned to his companion, "I'm just about the only one that uses that path. This cave wasn't here six months ago. It's like it was created out of nowhere."

"Shall we explore it?" The dwarf asked, tightening his grip on his Warhammer. Bernard looked to the dwarf and sighed.

"We're wasting time," Bernard said, "We'll spend an hour here, max. Anything after and we'll end up late."

"Don't worry. In and out, easy," The dwarf chuckled, "Follow me, wuss."

Bernard sighed as the two of them began walking into the dungeon. The pair walked for barely thirty seconds before the light of the day disappeared from behind them. Bernard extended his hand and quickly casted a spell. As he opened his palm, a small ball of light appeared just above his skin. The light illuminated the area around them, but not the entire cave.

"These fools don't even know what they're walking into," I chuckled as I zoomed out a bit. I looked to where the two adventurers were walking, then saw one group of Kobolds resting not far from their destination.

With the light that Bernard created, it would be impossible to sneak by the Kobolds without starting up a fight. I continued to watch the adventurers blindly walk through the dungeon while holding their weapons close to their bodies. Bernard continued to walk forward, keeping his eyes in the space in front of him.

The dwarf, on the other hand, was beginning to look nervous. He kept on turning around and looking to the sides, his weapon gripped tight in his hands. Bernard looked to him and sighed,

"Kelvin, what is going on?" Bernard asked. The dwarf, Kelvin, looked to Bernard with a serious expression on his face.

"This place doesn't feel right, Bernard. I think we should go back," Kelvin said. Bernard sighed, then turned forward and continued walking.

"Why the change in attitude? You're the one that called me a wuss, wuss. An hour, Kelvin. Then we head back," Bernard said. Kelvin chased after him, hiding behind Bernard like a child. I smiled as I saw them come even closer to the group of Kobolds resting down the hall.