Within Jagged Mountain Town, a robed figure came flying in.

As he flew around the city, he found his target and soon landed in front of him.

“Sir Cross, I have watched the goblins movements on the other side of the mountain. They have not entered your dungeon and instead have sent out scouts to find alternate paths,” the man said.

This was an adept level wind mage who was someone that could fly using wind magic and worked as a strong long ranged unit.

“Good, it seems the chief is just as smart as the report sent by the scout party. Alert the mages on the three remaining pathways that the goblins will soon be arriving at any of the three at any time. Cause the landslide only when they are almost on top of the trap,” Ace said.

The mage nodded and walked off and soon three wind mages flew off in different directions.

Misaki was beside Ace and looked with an emotionless face toward the flying mages then back to the man next to hero.

“How close to expectations is everything?” She asked.

“Hmm, around 90%, if what the report says is true. Aside from around 100 archer units within the goblin ranks, they consist almost entirely of cavalry units. They have wolves, so forest areas and flatlands are their field of battle, but an enclosed cave with traps will have them wry. I made the first five traps really showy to make them split up and decrease morale after decreasing their forces,” he said.

“What are the chances they choose to retreat and bring more forces?” she asked.

“That is not a problem Miss Shinigumi-san. All demons are born with something known as the Demon Lord’s Seal. It is a curse he placed long ago on every tribe after beating their strongest warrior. It forces the tribe’s loyalty to the death. They can't disobey his orders unless he calls them back through a telepathic link the seal gives him access to,” A royal mage explained making a flame appear on the ground and burning an image of the seal.

Ace looked at it carefully and was surprised.

“The runes here are correct?” he asked.

“No, every demon is born with a different one because demons have what is called a true name, the seal is the outer rim runes which are also wrong but I wrote random ones as example and the inner ones are the runes making up the true name of the demon the seal is on,” the mage explained.

“This is good information, at the very least we don't have to worry that they will retreat and make a base in the mountains or something unless given orders to,” he said.

He nodded and smiled as he looked at the circle before passing his foot over it ruining it.

In the other three towns, the three mages arrived and warn the people before flying to the location of the ambush.

On one side, mages were on the trees with archers, and on the other were some large boulders along the other side that hid the bombs. But a single one was exposed in a barrel between the rocks that an archer and mage had in their sights.

Getting the warning, the archers pulled their arrows while the mages begin to prepare their magic for one large assault after the ambush.

The objective was to ambush, seal the passage and damage their numbers then get out of there before they reorganized and attacked.

On the goblins side, they had retreated a fair distance from the cave out of the chief’s caution against surprise attacks from the deadly cave.

His forces were around eight hundred around him, while two hundred were searching.

As they waited, he heard a shout as a goblin came shouting on his mount.

“Path found!” he shouted.

A moment later two more came saying the same thing.

The chief was cautious and wouldn't move all his forces after seeing the trap.

Looking at the low-ranking goblins he shouted. “150 goblin each path! Attack! Rest stay here!” he shouted.

The goblins roared and soon split into three groups of 150 and split into the three pathways following the scouts.

After an hour, the goblin’s shouting could be heard once they found the pathway cut between two mountains in all three paths.

The readied mage looked over.

“Get ready!” he shouted, and the archers lifted their bows.

He lifted his staff and the small fireball in front of him grew from the size of a nail to the size of a human's head.

As they waited, the goblins came from the bend in the path and they rushed.

Being smart, and as long range fighters, both the mage and archer calculated the distance just right so that when they fired their flaming arrow and fireball, it was too late for the goblins to stop and even those that noticed—the dire wolves who were fierce beasts that didn't fear death—didn't stop and rushed forward.

So when the resulting chain of explosions rang out, more than half the forces were already within the danger zone of the landslide that came washing down on the goblins. Trees, rock, dirt, all this fell over the goblins, and only about 50 got away but it was split between those that passed successfully and those that didn't.

Obviously, each path had different success as one path had 70 goblins that passed but the rest died while another blocked all the goblin but only killed 20 since they fired too early.

After that, came the ambush by the archer and magic. The ones with too few survivors were destroyed. The one totally blocked was hit hard. Before the humans ran away they took another 30 goblins down. The group that passed more the 70 goblins in it hit dead center taking 40 goblins before they ran.

The paths with goblins that passed were soon run over by knights that finished them off.

The surviving goblins ran back injured and told the chief what happened.

The chief was exploding in rage, to think those paths were left on purpose.

He spread scouts to search wider but after hours of searching they came back with the same answer.

“Blocked Path found.”

Finally, the chief realizes the people they were fighting were even more disgustingly ruthless than demons and used trickery like high demons.

At that time, a faint pain came from his chest. This was the demon seal over his heart. The demon lord's orders were to move and attack this city, but they had retreated a distance to search for a way through. This momentary retreat attributed to activating the seal’s command after a time to make them move forward.

The chief solemnly looked at the cave.

“Forward, slaves at front!” he shouted.

The slaves were goblins of weaker tribes that were brought for such cases to snuff out traps that may appear.

They slowly entered, and one by one the goblin slaves walked on already knowing they would die, but even so a few grabbed a large branch and dragged it inside and kept probing the ground but still five died to the five traps, but after them nothing.

The goblin troop slowly moved forward with the slaves at the front, and the few remaining archers aiming at them should they run.

For several turns, no traps appeared and soon they came to a section where a door was found, and the slaves opened it after the chief neared but kept a distance.

Slowly opening it they found two large barrels in an empty room.

The slaves slowly walked in moving around the room stepping on everything, but no traps were found and when they reached the barrels, a sweet and sour smell attacked their noses and they started to drool.

“Beer!!!” a slave shouted.

At once, a ripple spread through the nearest goblins. Goblins and all their higher ranks had an instinctive love for all ales.

Even the chief swallowed his own drool, but he shouted to quiet.

“Slave! Drink!” he pointed to one slave. He wouldn’t want to drink poisoned drinks, and he would wait for a day to drink it.

A small bowl was passed, and the barrel was opened filling the bowl halfway.

The slave was trembling as he took the drink to his mouth.

After finishing, his face showed a blissful look and he looked distantly at the barrel but held back.

“Close barrel, no drinking, will be dead if drink,” the chief shouted. “You go back, poison tester, stay back.”

The slave that drank the ale ran to the back of the tribe with him the barrel aided by another slave.

The other barrel was taken as well after testing.

“Move!” the chief said and spurred the slaves on.

Outside in the town, Ace stood while watching his book which showed his dungeon.

To the next page was an interesting thing written.

Invading Party

Dire Wolf Goblin Tribe 600+

Death Count

4 Dire Wolf Tribe Goblin Rider Scout: Mana earned: 35 x Death Count

4 Dire Wolf Tribe Dire Wolf: Mana earned: 50x Death Count

Pending deaths

5 Dire Wolf Tribe Goblin Slave: Mana earned: 10x Death Count

This page appeared after the first death. This showed how much the dungeon gathered. It seemed even his own dungeons accumulated mana to run themselves, but he wondered what it would be like later on. He knew that the mana gathered rearmed the traps.

Ace just though he would figure it out later.

At the moment, the map showed all the movement in the dungeon and most of the leading figures were watching the movement of the goblins.

“They are rather cautious for a small tribe, it goes to show that the goblin chief is definitely a goblin elder,” a mage said.

“Is there a difference between an elder and normal one?” Ace asked.

“Demons are similar to monster in that they grow by ranks, goblins can become hobgoblins by accumulating mana in their bodies and growing stronger. Goblin elder is a rank up gained when a goblin lives almost to 20 years before ranking up. Elders live for around 60 years while hobgoblins live around 80, but elders are wiser but without the major boost hobgoblins get, the mage said.

“Why are goblins called demons and not monsters?” Misaki asked.

“Demons are monsters who gained human form. Some religions even consider beast men demons, but because they don't have the demon seal, they are ignored but there are beast men tribes that were born from monsters which is why that contradiction exists,” a knight explained.

“Alright, the goblins have passed the third room. Now for some fun,” Ace suddenly said.

Looking at the map of the dungeon they saw the twenty some slaves approaching the traps.

“Let's see how they like this, set all traps to ignore goblin slaves,” Ace said while chuckling.

Another man laughed at this. It was a pale man with black hair and leather armor with a hood. This was a man in charge of assassins. He was definitely not on par with the beings in the shadow, but he could easily get through the dungeon even if they targeted him.

“You are quite an evil man for a hero,” the man said cackling.

“Why must I be honourable to those who will soon be dead? If I let them, they would kill me.” Ace replied.

The man's grin widened hearing that.

Men of similar views will always get along, and Ace's view of the big picture greatly appealed to the man. Unlike him though, the knights frowned due to their belief in the honor of battling face to face. They did not particularly like the act of using traps as it made them feel like cowards.

“How many do you think your dungeon can kill?” the mage asked.

“Considering how packed the goblins are, each trap could kill two or three, at least 200 should exit as long as they get lucky and get the correct path from the start, but I made a maze with many twists and turns. As long as the tribe remains as a long line they may find their way back, but if I do something like deactivate the traps and wait for the goblins to spread out and activate them all to do a rapid killing spree then I doubt many will survive,” Ace said.

The assassin laughed because Ace's hand didn't stop moving as they talked.

On the map, all the blue dots showing traps dulled as they deactivated and the tribe moved slowly inward.

Most rooms had some coin or barrels of ales, but no traps activated.

This slowly made the chief worried, but the goblins behind him weren't as cautious and were simple minded so they dropped their guards.

They soon encountered separate paths, the bends were confusing and with the cave splitting in four ways, the goblin elder didn't know where he should go.

He pointed to the slaves and told them to split up and search.

As such they split and walked slowly as some archers went behind.

When they were able to turn at a bend the archer approached and they turned.

The corridor was a bit straight and they walked slowly and when the archer was out of view a trap activated.

From both behind and from the front arrows flew and stabbed them all and killed them, including the archers, before they made noise.

Five slaves and archers died. Others met spring and spike traps killing them before they made sound.

After a while, the chief called but received no answer, so he told others to go check and they came with the thing he dreaded. They were dead.

He wanted to claw at the seal in his chest at that moment.

He focused, the stale air had no breeze even at the entrance.

He turned to the left and began to walk.

As he took his twentieth step, he heard a large number of shouts.

Looking back, he saw goblins and wolves being thrown and being impaled. From the wall a spike came out killing the nearby goblins.

“Traps!” he shouted. At this time, chaos ensued as the dungeon’s traps activated. Some ran through the other paths running but then started dying.

The previously tense army of goblins was completely destroyed as trap after trap activated and in an instant more than 200 goblin died from all the activating traps.

Unlike what you expected, the chief didn't run and moved over near an active trap after testing the ground.

Standing near it meant no other traps appeared.

Still, he cursed the gods and the demon lord for sending his people to their deaths.

Outside, the red dots showed the goblins had scattered through the dungeon dying one after another.

“They are really mad when chaos happens,” Misaki commented.

“Goblins are simple minded, if they face something beyond them then they will run. The smart ones though remained still or near active traps. They will probably wait to walk through all the active traps,” the assassin said.

“Doesn't matter, three floors of traps isn't something they can surpass with just their remaining numbers anymore,” Ace said.

The knight, mage, and assassin looked at the book and nodded.

“Complete domination without shedding our own blood. I really don't know how this will be seen but it will surely attract attention toward you,” the assassin said.

Ace sighed and nodded. Killing 1000 mounted goblins with superior tactics goes to show his intelligence and killing over 600 of them on the first floor of a three-floor trap dungeon really made you wonder the resource needed to build such a dungeon.

Still though, the exit was guarded and until the final goblin died no one moved.

That didn't happen though as all the traps on the first floor were activated leaving 123 goblins alive, so with Misaki and Ace leading, they took the knights to the first floor and slowly killed the remnants until only the chief was left and Misaki took his head so she could level.

When none were left, the villagers were allowed to come and butcher all the wolves for their pelts to get money to repay them for the materials and work.

When they were all removed the bodies were left inside. Everyone left and Ace bent down over the exit portal.

“Magic Hole Formation Close,” he said.

At this time the magic hole released a ripple.

The ripple went all the way through the dungeon to the other side and hit the ball of mana there.

It slowly descended into the magic formation before it vanished inside.

The magic formation cracked and broke into mana particles and vanished into the air.

The mana ball, though, appeared on the other exit and the two balls began to revolve around the center.

The next moment the book opened and a screen everyone could see was seen.

Dungeon Results until closure

Invaders

Dire Wolf Goblin Tribe

647 Goblins:

100 Goblin Archers x 35 mana

547 Goblin Riders x 60 mana

1 Goblin Elder x 120 mana

647 Dire wolves x 50 mana

1 Dire Wolf Alpha x 100 mana

48 Goblin Slaves x 10 mana

Death Count

647 Goblins:

100 Goblin Archers = 3,500

547 Goblin Riders = 32,820

1 Goblin Elder = 120

647 Dire wolves = 32,350

1 Dire Wolf Alpha = 100

48 Goblin Slaves = 480

Total MP gathered from Goblins = 69,370

Equipment dropped

378 rusty swords

69 wooden clubs

100 old wood bows

647 old leather rags

1 old demon leather armor

48 rags

Dungeon success 100%

Reward to dungeon maker = ⅕ of mana is converted into Exp = 13,874 exp earned

At once Ace gained 12 full levels, but before everyone could leave a new screen appeared.

Damage to Dungeon 0%

Requires first floor traps to re-arm.

10% of remaining mana used for rearming = 8439

47057 mana remaining. Splitting in half and crystallizing.

As it said that, the two little balls no bigger than a pinky finger’s top digit began to glow as a small rough skin formed over it and slowly it became two crystals. Another window soon followed.

Dungeon Maker Low Grade Exp Crystals formed

Like that, we just stared at them as they dropped into my hand and the windows vanished followed by the magic formation shattering.

Everyone remained in silence for a long while before I looked at the mage.

“What are Exp Crystals?”