Chapter 138: The Five Great Factions

"Mr. Jan, you don't actually intend to go up against those frost giants, do you?"

After a long pause, Delia finally asked, her tone filled with skepticism. In response to her query, Jan merely shrugged.

"Who knows? Perhaps I just wanted to invite a few people to go hunting with me?"

"If the frost giants are to be the prey, then that would be a bit too exhilarating."

Although Jan hadn't explicitly stated it, Delia understood the hidden meaning in his words perfectly well, and she let out a sigh of resignation.

"I apologize, Mr. Jan. I am certain that with your strength, defeating those frost giants would be no problem at all. However, Lady Lycia and I are merely weak women with no strength to bind a chicken; I fear we are not suited to participate in such a battle..."

Delia had been trying to figure out how to express her thoughts tactfully, but before she could finish, Jan gave a crisp, clean nod.

"Miss Parwood is quite right. Come to think of it, it is indeed not very appropriate for ladies to be involved in such affairs. But no matter, I was only speaking casually; please, do not take it to heart."

"..............."

Hearing this, Delia was left speechless. She was certain that Jan had not been speaking casually at all, yet looking at him now, it seemed as though it had truly just been a whimsical, off-the-cuff remark. She had to admit, in all her years, this was the first time she had encountered someone so utterly unpredictable. Delia simply could not discern which of Jan’s words were jokes and which were sincere.

"Lady Lycia, please allow me to take my leave. Mr. Jan, I shall return at once to report this matter to my father. I expect that before long, you will receive a reply from the Parwood family."

When one cannot win, one runs; Delia clearly had no intention of continuing to tangle with Jan. Since she had already received an answer, she needed to return to the Parwood family to report the progress of this meeting. Having made up her mind, she took her leave immediately. This time, Jan did not try to keep her. As if granted amnesty, Delia hurried away, accompanied by the sweating, black-clad swordsman. She had to admit that this meeting with Jan had placed a tremendous amount of pressure on her. If she had stayed any longer, even she did not know what might have happened.

And as it turned out, her intuition was correct.

"Well then, it is getting late, Lady Lycia."

Not long after Delia’s departure, Jan stood up and bowed respectfully to Lycia.

"I, too, should go and rest... I wish you pleasant dreams, noble lady."

As he spoke, Jan reached out, took hold of Lycia’s soft, delicate right hand, and kissed the back of it. Lycia was startled by this sudden gesture. She instinctively glanced to the side, only then realizing that her two maids had gone to see the guests out, and Patilina had already returned to her room to rest. In the drawing room, only she and Jan remained.

"Mr. Jan, you..."

"My lady, I understand your grief over the loss of your husband, but I hope you will take care of your health. The dead are gone; we must always look toward the future."

As he spoke, Jan smiled at Lycia, then turned and left. Lycia, however, was unable to do anything; she stood there blankly, watching Jan’s silhouette disappear at the end of the corridor, before finally sitting back down on the sofa. For some reason, as she savored the lingering, burning sensation on the back of her hand, Lycia felt a strange reluctance to let it go...

Upon returning to the guest room, Jan did not go to bed as he had claimed. Instead, after ensuring the doors and windows were securely fastened, he reached out and drew a circle in the air against the wall. With his movement, the once flat and solid wall began to twist and warp. Immediately, a pitch-black, oval-shaped opening appeared within it. Soon, sparks of magical radiance emerged, quickly forming a bright, dazzling magical gate. Looking at the portal before him, Jan nodded in satisfaction and stepped straight through.

The surrounding environment shifted instantly.

The luxurious, elegant room was replaced by cold, smooth stone walls. Looking up, the boundless azure sky had been transformed into a thick layer of rock. The floral scent that had permeated the air was swept away by a damp chill, and even the chirping of birds had vanished without a trace, leaving only the crackling of torches echoing in his ears.

"You have returned, Master."

Jan turned to see Enoir, who was standing quietly outside the portal with her usual gentle smile, watching him. Sensing Enoir’s gaze, a faint smile appeared on Jan’s face as he stepped out of the portal and nodded at her.

"I am back, Enoir."

"Welcome back, Master."

As she spoke, Enoir picked up a cloak from nearby and draped it over Jan’s shoulders. In the blink of an eye, the graceful, opulent aristocrat was gone, replaced once again by the necromancer in the pitch-black robe, wearing an evil smile.

"During this time... how are things with Vernia?"

"Everything is proceeding smoothly. The grey dwarves have already acknowledged her leadership. However, thanks to Miss Patilina, Brandon Stone City was severely damaged; I fear it will be difficult to fully restore production in the short term."

"There is no need to rush that."

Hearing Enoir’s report, Jan pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"The experimental materials on my end were hard enough to acquire; it will likely take some time to see any results."

At this, Enoir paused and looked up at her master.

"Will it be successful this time, Master?"

"Hard to say... Maya’s failure was difficult enough to endure, but fortunately, I have learned my lessons. This material is relatively simpler; perhaps I can consider starting the second plan."

As he spoke, Jan couldn't help but sigh.

Ever since he became the Son of the Demon King, Jan had only one area of research: "Demonization." So-called demonization is the process of causing other races to fall into corruption and become demons, thus becoming one's most loyal subordinates. Although the Demon Realm had never lacked corrupted minions, they were always a tiny minority, and even they could not explain why they had fallen. To put it bluntly, it was a gamble. But Jan did not see it that way. After becoming the Son of the Demon King, in order to ensure the smooth implementation of his plans, he had been seeking a way to standardize and mass-produce demonization. If Jan could succeed, he would be able to transform enemies into demons to fight for him, or turn troublesome adversaries into his most reliable servants at will.

However, up to this point, Jan’s research was still in the exploratory stage and had yet to yield a success. After obtaining the [Eye of the Soul], Jan had hoped to use its power to see True Names and control the target directly from their very essence. Unfortunately, the experiment failed. Although Maya had indeed become his loyal subordinate as Jan had predicted, she had not fallen into the form of a demon as he had hoped. Her faith in Lolth had not changed; in fact, the order Jan had given her was merely to shift her perspective to accept his commands from a different angle. It had not truly achieved the effect of corruption and demonization. In the end, Jan had to declare the experiment a failure. It seemed that using True Names to force corruption from the source was not a viable plan.

Yet, Jan knew well that failure is the mother of success; as long as he persisted, he would see the dawn of victory sooner or later.

It was precisely for this reason that Jan had locked his sights on Lycia. In his view, this might be the key to proving his theory.

It was just that Lycia herself was completely unaware of it.

"Then, Master, why have you returned this time...?"

"Core Summoning."

Facing Enoir’s curious inquiry, Jan gave his answer promptly.

"I have found a rather excellent base on the surface, and I think it is time to begin the Core Summoning."

So-called Core Summoning is one of the most important components of the Dungeon System. In fact, since each dungeon has a different construction style, the summoned legions built around the core naturally vary as well. Within the dungeon summoning system, players have developed five core modes around the core: "Demon," "Phantasm," "Mechanical," "Blood Soul," and "Covenant."

The "Demon" core, as the name suggests, is the orthodox method of dungeon summoning—the monster legions found in traditional dungeons. This includes everything from low-level goblins and evil beasts, to mid-level bosses like Medusa and Minotaurs, and finally to high-level bosses like Bone Dragons and Death Messengers, plus the player themselves as the final boss. This is the most traditional dungeon core model. While this system is quite ancient, the classics are always the best.

The "Phantasm" core legions are closer to nature. Here, the player’s behavior is less like an evil Dungeon Lord and more like a Druid manipulating nature. They can summon the creations of nature to guard their dungeon, or summon demonic beasts from the void to serve them. To put it plainly, it is a type centered on magical beasts. The benefit of the "Phantasm" system is that it can be used to hide one's true identity. After all, no one who arrives at a place filled with birdsong, flowers, and rare creatures like unicorns would associate it with an evil dungeon.

As for the "Mechanical" core, it is like Patilina’s—focused primarily on machinery. Compared to the other modes, the "Mechanical" core reduces the number of summoned creatures, replacing them with enhanced functions for all devices and props. In other words, the focus of the "Mechanical" core lies in the exquisite coordination of traps and mechanisms, thereby enhancing the power of traps while weakening the quantity of summons.

The "Blood Soul" core evolved from the necromancy school. Since the nature of dungeons does not permit the unlimited summoning of spirits, the "Blood Soul" school was born. This core focuses primarily on necromancers and dark wizards, using various evil magic and curses to weaken enemies, then letting the undead use their inexhaustible, relentless nature to grind the enemy down. Of course, the weakness of the undead is also very obvious—their singular race means their vulnerabilities are sometimes magnified to a fatal degree. Many similar invasions in history have failed for this reason; no matter how powerful a legion of devils may be, their singular attribute is their greatest weakness. Thus, as long as one responds appropriately, it is not particularly difficult to destroy a devil army with a wave of one's hand. As for the undead army, that is even simpler.

The attack-oriented "Demon" system, the stealthy "Phantasm" system, the position-warfare "Mechanical" system, and the "Blood Soul" system, which wins by weakening the enemy—together with the final "Covenant" system, they form the five major core templates of the dungeon system, all of which continue to be used by players to this day.

However, what Jan had set his sights on was the most complex of the five: the "Covenant" system.