Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo Dorei Majutsu - Volume 5 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Clearing a Dungeon 

One elevator ride down was all it would have taken to get down to the thirteenth level.

But sadly, this world didn’t have that sort of convenient shortcut. When it came to traversing the dungeon, it was designed with a very stoic, old-fashioned, bare-bones difficulty to it. 

—Honestly, this world really is merciless in how real it feels... 

The door to the first floor had a sign that said, “No capture the flag—only deathmatch.” 

In the game it was written in Japanese, but this time it was written in the local language. Diablo couldn’t read it, and had Rem read it for him, before explaining the meaning to the others: 

“We have to beat all the monsters on this floor to get the staircase for the next one to appear. They’re all low-level monsters, though.” 

Horn nodded at his words. “Some of the monsters hide, too. Finding them was a pain last time.” 

“...Hmm... You really do know about it, don’t you, Diablo?” Rem said timidly. 

“Hmm?” 

“I mean this dungeon... How are you so familiar about it? You also seem to know a lot about the former Demon Lord’s Domain... But it should be the first time you came here since being summoned from the other world, and it looked like you didn’t know where the dungeon was without Horn to show you the way.” 

It’s only natural they would think it’s odd, seeing as he knew the place so well on the inside when he hadn’t even known where it was outside. 

He tried to think of a good excuse, but if he was the type of person who could think of something that witty, he wouldn’t be known for yadda yadda...

“It is because I am a Demon Lord.”

“I...see.” Rem didn’t seem terribly satisfied with that answer, naturally enough. 

Diablo cast his gaze on Lumachina; she was running out of time. 

“Let us hurry, for the time being.” 

“Very well...” 

Rem was rational and wise, and knew to just let the topic go, at least for the time being. 

They stood at the entrance of a maze. A series of stone walls formed the winding, convoluted labyrinth before them. The monsters of the first level of the dungeon were all low-leveled, but finding them in this complex maze was what made it into a challenging quest you could get lost in. 

The monsters would spawn at random, and even Diablo had no way of knowing where they’d appear. Some of them were camouflaged with the floor or walls, and some would drop down on the player from the ceiling as they approached. As the one who planned it, Diablo honestly hoped he could enjoy this dungeon, but... 

—Sad to say, I don’t have the time for that right now. 

Diablo pointed Tenma’s Staff to the darkness. Thanks to Lumachina’s slow pace making the journey take more days than it should have, he had recovered a bit more MP. He should have replenished roughly a third of his total MP by now, so using a slightly stronger spell shouldn’t be an issue.

“?Virus Cloud?!”

A curtain of wind appeared before his eyes; beyond it, a black cloud expanded. The black gas cloud spread into the dungeon, with the presence of monsters stationed throughout the maze gradually disappearing. 

“...Diablo, what was that?” Rem asked with a frightened voice. 

“Poison magic.” 

It was a level 110 Wind and Darkness spell. It was effective for eliminating weak monsters in small spaces like this maze, though it didn’t work on monsters that didn’t breathe air. 

“P-Poison?” 

“There’s no need for us to waste our time smoking out and fighting all these monsters.” 

“That’s true, but...is it safe for us to pass?” 

“Calm yourself. The spell doesn’t last long.” 

In the game it lasted sixty seconds, but distance and time behaved differently in this world. In the end, it took the gas cloud five minutes to dissipate, and a thud could be heard from the depths of the dungeon. 

“The staircase should have appeared now.” 

It seemed the monsters had been completely wiped out. 

—I can’t say I like this cheat very much, being the dungeon’s designer and all... 

Putting that thought behind him, Diablo decided to simply progress to the next level. 

† 

The staircase, that looked to have been carved out of the bedrock, led them in a downward spiral. Usually, the game would skip this part. 

“Magnificent... I’ve never seen such an impressive structure before...” said Rem, her eyes wide open. 

“Me neither!” Shera agreed with admiration as she ran her fingers against the wall. 

Horn nodded again. “I was super shocked the first time I saw it, too!” 

“Even the Cathedral in the capital pales in comparison to this place. It may very well have been built by someone other than the races.” 

“...It is very possible.” Rem nodded at Lumachina’s suggestion. “Perhaps it was formed using great magic, like the Zircon Tower.” 

Zircon Tower, the symbol of the region, was crafted with translucent gemstones. It was impervious to damage by normal means, and the races had no idea how to even create it, for it was supposedly made by Fallen. 

Diablo and his group made their way to the second floor.

The Transforming Maze 

“This maze changes its shape as time passes. There should be monsters prowling about, as well. ” 

As the player became more and more lost and gradually lost their nerve, the wall behind them opened and a monster would get the drop on them— That was the sort of exciting production Diablo had in mind. 

“...A maze that transforms?” Rem said, pensively. “Finding the way through sounds difficult...” 

“I bet it’ll be hard getting back to the entrance if we got separated...” Shera said anxiously. 

“...If that happens, we may not be able to regroup at all. You would probably be eaten by a monster, starve to death, or fall to a trap.” 

“Eeek!?” 

“...Oh, you’ll be fine, Shera. I’m sure someone will come along eventually, though you may well be reduced to bleached bones by then...” 

“That doesn’t sound fine at all!” Shera clung to Diablo’s arm, her two soft swellings squishing against him. “Y-You can’t leave me behind, Diablo!” 

She had grabbed onto him so abruptly, he winced without noticing. No Demon Lord-worthy lines that would soothe a frightened girl in a dungeon readily came to mind. But he couldn’t just let her stick to him like this; it would be hard to fight if she clung to his arm when a monster attacked. 

“Let go.” 

“Oooh...” She looked like she was about to burst into tears. 

—What am I supposed to do in a situation like this!? 

“There is nothing to fear.” Lumachina gently laid her hands on Shera’s shoulders. “Let us believe in Lord Diablo. If we act discouraged, that would surely get in his way when danger descends upon us.” 

“Y-Yeah...you’re right... Sorry, Diablo...” 

“Hmph.” 

While feeling a bit reluctant to part with the softness pressing against him, Diablo was relieved. He’d be too nervous to focus on clearing the dungeon properly with those two melons pushing against him. 

“This is the map I drew the last time I was here.” Horn spread out a roll of parchment. “The maze has probably changed since then, though.” 

“...Come to think of it, you said you made it to the third floor, Horn?” 

“A-yup. There was this room swarming with monsters down there. It was really hard.” 

“How long was this maze?” 

“It took us about half a day.” 

—That long!? 

Diablo was surprised, and for good reason. In the game, it should have taken five or ten minutes to clear the transforming maze... 

Incidentally, it took only a few minutes to get to Faltra from Starfall Tower in-game, but it totaled five hours in this world. 

Maybe the maze had become far more stretched out and complicated than Diablo initially thought. If they were to try and clear it normally, there was a good chance it would indeed take them half a day to get through. 

—What should I do...? 

Diablo’s gaze focused on one of the walls. It was made of stone, and had the thickness of two bricks. The walls weren’t made too dense so they could still be mobile. 

—In the game, magic had no effect on the terrain itself. But in this world, it does... 

It was worth a shot— 

“?Flare Burst?!” 

A roaring explosion resounded. A sequence of concentrated detonations destroyed the target, blowing away several layers of the wall and leaving gaps that lead deeper into the maze. The gaps were large enough to pass through. 

If the staircase to the next floor had changed position compared to the game, then he would have opened all these holes for nothing... But judging from his experience so far, even if the distance to something was different, its position stayed the same. 

“All right...” 

He turned around—only to find Rem and the others staring at him with their mouths agape. 

“That was amazing! We can get through the maze in no time with this!” Shera exclaimed, her eyes alight with excitement. 

“This much should be obvious. I am a Demon Lord, after all.” 

His tone was indifferent, as if to say this wasn’t something to take pride in, but really, he was just as surprised as them. 

—Never thought it’d go this smoothly! 

Magic in the game occasionally had visual effects like the ground being torn apart, but it never actually changed the terrain. This was only possible here, in the other world. 

“As astounding as ever, Lord Diablo,” Lumachina said as she regarded the collapsed wall with an impressed expression. 

Horn was, like always, frightened and surprised. For an adventurer, he was certainly lacking some guts. 

The ground began rumbling as several walls started moving around them. 

“Stay close together. We won’t be going back for you if you get lost.” 

At Diablo’s chiding, Horn and Lumachina passed through the hole in a hurry. 

† 

The door to the third floor had “F43” written on it, in this world’s language. Being as short as it was, though, Diablo could make sense of it. 

—So that’s how you write it here... It probably wouldn’t be too bad to learn Lyferia’s language. 

The idea behind this level was an homage to an old retro game... But since that game didn’t exist in this world, there were basically no hints as to how to solve it. 

Essentially, you would have to defeat different colored slimes in a certain order to unlock the staircase to the next floor. Their positioning and movement patterns were all random, but since the slimes were slow to move and the maze wasn’t particularly large, they cleared it in no time.

The fourth floor— 

Think you can handle the next level!? 

The moment they passed through the door, waves of heat washed over them. 

“W-What is this?” Rem’s expression distorted in surprise. 

“Heee! Rem, look at that!” Shera shrieked, peeking down from the rockbed that served as their footing. 

There they saw a pool of bright red, seething lava. The smoldering temperatures emanating from it filled the room with scorching heat. 

“...There shouldn’t be any volcanoes in the area,” Rem said suspiciously. “And we haven’t traveled so deep underground that we would normally find lava. Is this some sort of magical illusion?” 

“Would an illusion be so...hot?” Lumachina asked, dripping with sweat. Maybe she had a hard time in hot places. 

“...True, this doesn’t seem to be an illusion.” Rem wiped some sweat off her forehead. “But I believe it is safe to assume this lava was summoned by way of magic.” 

“Whatever it is, let’s just go! If we stay here any longer, I’ll turn into Grasswalker pie!” 

Horn’s plea was a justified one, but looking onward, the rockbed they were standing on was cut short a few steps away where they were standing.

A pit full of lava laid beyond, with wires extending from one side of the ravine to the other. A gondola moved along those wires. 

“...Maybe we can ride this to get to the other side?” 

“Ouchie!” 

Touching the metallic gondola’s surface, Shera squealed loudly, her fingertips red. It seemed she burned herself. 

“Oh my...” Lumachina held out a hand. “Divine God who resides in the blessed earth, give mercy onto your pious believer... ?Cure Light?!” 

Light spilled out from Lumachina’s hands, healing Shera’s burned fingers in an instant. The elf princess grinned with gratitude. 

“Wow, Lumachina! Thanks!” 

“Any appreciation you feel should be directed not at me, but at God.” 

“Right! Thanks a million, God!” 

“...You can tell how hot this place is, so why are you touching a metallic gondola, you stupid, dumb elf?” Rem sighed in exasperation. “Even God is going to run out of patience with you eventually.” 

“But I wanted to see how it moves!” 

“Then you should have at least put leather gloves on!” 

“Oh, right! We have those, don’t we...” 

Rem had her iron gauntlets on. She was a summoner, but was also capable of using her fists in close quarters combat, and carried gauntlets as her weapon of choice. 

“Rem, aren’t you hot, too?” Lumachina asked. 

“...Why, yes, I am...” 

“I feel like I’m dying here...” Horn was the most exhausted of the group. 

—An offensive Seeker, and a boy at that, losing strength before two girls, one of them being a Healer, no less. How pathetic is that!? You don’t just look like a kid, you’re as weak as one on the inside, too! 

That said, Diablo never imagined it would be this hot. He designed both the lava and gondola, but in-game they were just graphics designed to look like a hot, burning cave. Standing in the real thing felt like he was being cooked alive. 

—If we don’t clear this floor quickly, we’ll all get dehydrated to death. 

They boarded the gondola, and with the pull of a lever, they began moving across the ravine, the compartment jolting and rocking the whole way. 

“It’s shaking, shaking!” Shera clamored hysterically. 

Rem glared her down. “Be quiet, there may be monsters around. Are you trying to get us spotted?” 

“Ah, yeah...” 

“You can rest easy.” Diablo shrugged. “There should be no monsters positioned on the fourth floor. However, there is more to this than just being swung around on the gondola. It is now when we will experience the true horror of this dungeon.” 

“..W-What do you mean?” 

The gondola suddenly stopped, and Horn let out a high-pitched scream. 

“Aaaaah, it stopped! We’re done for! We’ll get fried to death in here!” 

“Silence. If you’re so hot, take off your useless equipment. Normal, unenchanted leather armor will do nothing but weigh you down against the monsters waiting ahead.” 

“Ohhh...” 

“Don’t bother yourself with that and concentrate on getting your questions right. Your turn will come before long.” 

“Huh?” 

A ding, ding, ding resounded, as if someone was ringing a bell.

“Do you want to pass through here!? Oooooooh!!!” 

A voice bellowed at them from out of nowhere. 

Diablo wiped the sweat from his face. He never would have dreamed he’d ever have to go through this, and with a party no less... This truly was the worst.

“We will now be holding a quiz! If you get your question right, the gondola will progress! If you get it wrong, the wires will slacken! Will it be heaven, or hell!? It’s a lava-crossing, heart-thumping, ultra super quiz!!!” 

—There was this TV show I was watching when I made this level. For some reason I stayed up three nights straight watching it, and was really hooked on it. 

But experiencing it live, Diablo finally realized... 

This is too cringy... 

He wished he could go back in time and tell himself to just not put this in. If he could, he wanted to completely renovate this level. As soon as possible. Like, right now. 

Yet another reason to not tell the others he made this dungeon...

“The entire party will take turns answering questions in this quiz!” 

Diablo’s jaw clenched. He was the one who made the quiz, so he could answer any question, no matter the difficulty. But the rules said everyone had to participate. If anyone wasn’t smart enough to get his question right, he’d be pulling everyone down. 

It was a rule meant to break friendships. 

Parties often had successful and useless members. This rule was designed to smoke out the losers, make them get the whole group in trouble, and be chastised by the group. It was just like a class-wide jump-rope contest: If even one person got the timing to jump wrong, the whole class failed. A vicious rule, meant only to expose useless party members. 

—Well, it wouldn’t really work with friends close enough to talk through chat or in real life. 

But the issue with this floor was if Rem and the others would be able to clear a quiz full of Cross Reverie trivia. This was another world, with no chat programs, phones, or friends in your room to consult.

“Question! Which one has no effect on a Cyclops Crocodile? Magic or weapons?” 

Rem raised her hand. “That would be magic.” 

Even though the quiz had started so suddenly, Rem unflinchingly volunteered to answer first. Her reasoning and assertiveness were extraordinary. After a moment of silence...

“The answer is... Magic has no effect on it! Fantastic!” 

The gondola jolted as it progressed several meters toward the exit. 

“At this pace, we only need to correctly answer five more times to reach the other side.” Rem nodded with satisfaction. 

“Indeed,” was Diablo’s response. 

“This’ll be a walk in the park! Lemme answer next!” Horn rolled up his sleeves.

“Question! Does the Madara Snake live in water, on the treetops, or in holes in the ground?” 

“Uhm... I-In holes in the ground!”

“Bzzzt! The correct answer is... In water!” 

“Wha—” 

Horn looked mortified, Rem and Shera screamed in horror, and Diablo sighed. Even without saying a word, the party’s chiding rang very clear. 

This was the truly fearsome nature of the friendship breaking rule.

“One gondola, going down, down, down!!!” 

The supporting wires slackened, and the gondola lurched downward. 

“Kya!?” 

Diablo caught Lumachina, who had lost her balance. 

“Be careful.” 

“T-Thank you very much.” 

If anyone else got burned, Lumachina’s miracles could heal them, but if she was hurt, no one would be able to help her. True, HP potions could heal her, but... When Paladin Captain Batutta had reduced his HP to virtually nothing, Diablo had to use all the potions he had on hand. He was completely out now. 

The heat had only grown more intense as they drew closer to the lava. Rem removed her gauntlets, and also took off her belt that carried all her summoning crystals, choosing to carry it by hand instead. 

“Whew...” 

“It’s soooo hot!” 

Shera removed her cape and flapped the hem of her skirt, fanning herself in an attempt to stave off the heat. 

“It really is very hot...” Lumachina also removed her cape. “I’m getting dizzy, to be quite honest.” 

“Ugh...” 

Only Horn, dripping with sweat, refused to take off his clothes. Maybe he was trying to show off his tolerance and act up his manliness? 

Diablo also wanted to take off his cloak, but stubbornly decided against it, as it wouldn’t be “Demon Lord-like.” 

Shera raised both hands in the air. “All right, me, me! I’ll answer next!”

“Question! How many gates does the citadel city of Faltra have? Four, eight, or more?” 

“Ah...!” Rem raised her voice. 

Diablo knew how she felt, but...

“Whoa there! If you give hints or do anything to give away the answer, it’ll be automatically counted as incorrect!” 

Rem stopped herself in a hurry. Diablo’s gaze was fixed on Shera. 

—Notice it! Notice it! Don’t fall for it! 

Shera nodded, her eyes shining as if to say, “I got it!” 

“Hehe, Faltra has two walls, and each has four gates, so that makes eight!”

“Bzzzt! The correct answer is... More than eight! There are many ‘gates’ in Faltra, and the question never mentioned ‘city gates’!” 

“Huuuh!? Wait, that’s not fair!” 

A typical trick question; whoever made this quiz was one nasty bastard. 

—Well, I guess this is me we’re talking about here... 

The gondola descended once again, drawing ever closer to the lava. 

“It’s so hooooot!” 

Shera finally began undressing. Rem’s eyes widened like saucers. 

“W-What do you think you’re doing!?” 

“Look at how hot it is! I can’t focus on solving riddles like this!” 

“...Y-You may be right... Come to think of it, this is all for the sake of clearing the dungeon...” 

Somehow convinced by Shera’s dubious logic, Rem also began undressing herself. 

“That’s so...shameless...” Lumachina’s face went red. 

“...Adventurers prioritize survival over dignity. This is strategy. It is the same as when we are bathing. Anyone who thinks this is shameless is the real pervert here.” 

In the face of Rem’s somewhat overly serious semantics, Lumachina seemed oddly convinced, and began taking off her own rather thick robes, as well. 

Horn, still in his light armor, let out a peculiar wheezing sound as he passed out in the gondola. The heat had finally gotten to him. 

Having stripped down to her underwear, Lumachina pumped her fists. “I believe it’s time for my turn?”

“Question! Which of the following monsters is the largest? Sand Whale, Green Behemoth, or Legend Dragon?” 

Panic overtook Diablo. Of all the possible questions, she got one that was aimed for high-level players. Players in the game may know the answer if they had participated in large-group raid events, but...in all likelihood, Lumachina had probably never seen those monsters. She only recently saw a Sand Whale when it attacked Zircon Tower. 

“According to the tomes I’ve read in the Capital’s library, it should be a Legend Dragon,” Lumachina answered.

“The correct answer is... Legend Dragon! Full marks!” 

“Yayyy! Lumachina, you’re so smart!” Shera said as she hugged Lumachina, though the two soon parted with a smile, complaining together, “It’s so hooot...” 

As one would expect of a High Priest, Lumachina was erudite and wise. Her power over miracles was as vast as it was for good reason. 

The gondola progressed. Beads of sweat rolled down the girls’ bodies, the droplets dripping off their smooth, fair skins. Their bodies heaved as they breathed in heavy, labored sighs, their cheeks flushed with color and the look in their eyes gradually taking on a glossy, moist sheen. 

As Diablo looked at them, he found himself overwhelmed by a peculiar sensation. They were only suffering from the heat, so why did he feel so embarrassed? 

—Is the heat messing with my head? 

A desire to reach his hand out to the girls spurred him. 

—No, no, this is absurd. 

The girls were his party members, and they were currently in the middle of clearing a dungeon. The only reason they had taken their clothes off was because of the lava’s heat. 

“Anyone who thinks this is shameless is the real pervert here.” 

“Hmm... Diablo... It’s your turn next...right?” Shera asked, panting. 

“...Please... Get it right... If it gets any hotter than this, we’ll have to take our underwear off...” Rem implored him, wiping sweat from her modest bosom. 

“She is right, my underwear is already sopping wet with sweat...” Lumachina said with her face flushed red, pinching her moist panties. 

—If I get it wrong, they’ll be completely naked...!? 

Diablo could hear his heart beating violently like a drum in his chest. Thick beads of sweat rolled down his own forehead.

“Question! When did Cross Reverie begin its service? January, April, or September?” 

A meta question— 

The girls tilted their heads, baffled as they couldn’t fathom what the question even meant. 

Diablo, of course, knew the answer... 

—Completely. Naked... 

Diablo shook his head, trying to banish those thoughts from his mind. 

No no no! Is this some kind of joke!? I’m a Demon Lord; the Demon Lord Diablo, damn it! MMORPGs are more than just a game, they’re serious business! This is my way of life, and I can’t let it be denied like this! 

“September. The early access period was planned for April, but got delayed twice and ended up being in September. The game officially launched in January of next year.”

“That is...correct!” 

After another round of questions, the quiz ended easily enough. Diablo and Rem answered the two remaining questions, and the group safely reached the other side. The moment they passed through the door leading to the next level, the lava’s heat disappeared, as if it was all a bad, blistering dream...