The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

Thored returned to the main room ahead of Kanae, leaving her to mull over the treasures on her own. There were a lot of chests in here. She flew around the warehouse to get a gander of her choices. They had a different design between each chest from bronze, silver, gold, and platinum bandings. Increasingly more jewels and crystals decorated the gold and platinum ones. On the other hand, bronze and silver chests were significantly more abundant than the letter two. Whether or not their lavishness indicated better equipment, she wasn't sure, but it was a good bet.

Knowing the Necro Lord though, Thored probably created the dungeons with rewards tied to the difficulty in mind. Wait a minute… Kanae screeched to a halt and pulled out the teleportation pellet. This thing teleported material objects, too. She shot a look to the door where Thored had left through as an idea hatched in her mind.

Kanae proceeded to gather all of the gold and platinum banded chests into a single location. They were heavy as hell, but it was well worth the trouble. During her search, she came across a chest unlike any other in the storage room.

This chest had bandings with light blue color. Kanae recognized the hue anywhere— Adamantine. The same metal that reinforced Aidenhall's gates. She couldn't find any other chest like it, so Thored must have been intended for the final dungeon.

In the end, Kanae gathered a pile of fifteen chests: four platinum, and eleven gold.

"Alright, I think I gathered the most expensive-looking ones. He's going to leave the dungeon anyway. What use would he have for them?" Kanae shrugged, then tossed the teleportation pellet from above.

A vacuum of wind swallowed all of the chests, and they vanished from thin air. Whoever was in Aidenhall when these appeared was about to have a big surprise. But Elizabeth Bedlam, who had tuned the pellet to begin with, should catch on once it was brought to her attention.

Kanae returned to the adamantine banded chest. It was made with smooth, dark wood and had no lock. Instead, a runic symbol was etched onto where the keyhole should have been.

Fortunately, her lessons at Knights' Academy paid off. This wasn't a trap nor did it contain a pre-activated spell. It was an enchantment rune, one that activated only when someone channeled magic into the symbol. Marwin and Eliza's towers made use of these a lot as a sort of rudimentary switch.

Kanae casted Restore Mana on it. When the etching glowed with magic, the lid popped open. Several items laid within: a monocle, a smooth silver staff that ended with two hands cupped together, a pair of black leather boots, and an earrings set. She picked each of them in turn to check their properties.

[Divining Eye: Glimpse into another crowned individual's character sheet.]

[Great Retort: Channeling an element into the Great Retort changes the staff's damage type to that magic. Gaining unique spells according to the channeled element.]

[Shifting Boots: Grants the wearer the Blink spell. 

Blink: Teleport a short distance. Mana cost depends on how far the wearer seeks to travel.]

[Doom & Gloom: Store a spell in Doom that can be activated at will. If possible, Gloom transforms the spell into an area of effect upon activation.]

"Oh, wow. These are some crazy strong pieces of equipment." Kanae marveled at each one.

Divining Eye, especially. This simple monocle allowed someone to learn all of what another was capable of. She was definitely not going to give Kara, Seven, and Theena any of these…

Kanae closed the chest, grabbed a random silver one, and dragged both of them out of the storage area. Whatever the silver chest contained, those three were just going to have to settle on whatever was inside it.

"What took you so long? Also, didn't I specify only one?" Thored eyed the two chests behind her.

"We were technically two parties, so it's only right. One is for Renya, Arenade, and myself. The other is for the Rookies," Kanae explained.

"Hmph. Fair." He let the issue pass.

Kanae breathed a sigh of relief. Thored didn't suspect she had taken a lot more than just two.

"So, what do you need my help with? Can't you just waltz out of the dungeon normally?" Kanae asked.

"And risk someone entering the observatory deck to potentially wreak havoc on the entire dungeon? No. It must be dismantled in its entirety. The whole point of this dungeon was to contain the artifact, the Sceptre of Want. That artifact is no longer in this dungeon. As much as it pains me to leave and let my predecessors' works go to waste, the time to move on has come. Also… Lord Charron can make use of my Artificer class better with me on the surface, rather than wallowing away in this tomb!" Thored exclaimed.

The process of destroying a Necro Lord's Tomb that was also a dungeon core took a lot of time and patience. They had to do everything through the Dungeon Core Manipulation interface in their character sheets. It had a hidden feature to transform the individual dungeon biomes back to the original cavern.

Any adventurers still inside the dungeons would be fine. They were likely going to be severely disoriented and nauseous though. All in all, the entire process wasn't complicated by any means. It was, however, incredibly tedious.

Kanae understood very quickly why Thored needed an extra hand. The two had to carefully disperse monsters throughout the dungeons. When the biomes eventually reverted back to a cavern, creatures like ropers and minotaurs had to be evenly distributed. Otherwise, they might upset the balance in wildlife and ruin it for good. Putting twenty minotaurs in a single place, and most of them would end up starving due to intense competition.

Ideally, the monsters all over the dungeon cavern would reach equilibrium on their own. This would have been really boring had Thored not been so talkative. He recounted stories of how Lord Charron came to him, what Artaggon used to be like half a century ago, and his own accomplishments over the years. In the middle of spawning monsters though, Kanae suddenly lost her interface.

"What's going on over there? Dungeon 1-B needs more bats, otherwise the insect population will explode!" Thored warned.

"My skill is gone. I think it's just been that long. Skill Drain is only temporary after all," Kanae said and double checked her spell list.

"At a time like this? We still have a third of the monster population to distribute before terraforming the dungeon." He sighed.

Well, there was a way to get the skill back. While Thored was busy working, Kanae walked around the orbal apparatus while stripping her clothes off. He didn't notice until she was between his legs.

"W-What are you doing?!" Thored gasped.

"I know you want to fuck me again. You answered honestly during the fight earlier, so I know I turn you on. We'll just have a quickie, so I can get the skill again. I promise not to break your hips this time~" Kanae smiled seductively.

The beastman turned red.

"Very well… You may continue," he said.

Kanae undid the belt, freeing Thored's robes which he let slip to the ground. The jock-strap, an underwear which consisted of an elastic band and only fabric around the crotch, barely contained his massive cock. She pulled the underwear down, and his thick member almost bludgeoned her face.

An intense urge to be submissive and destroyed by this thing overwhelmed Kanae. She couldn't get it in her mouth. Instead, she licked along the entire shaft while squishing it between her breasts. The combination of Blowjob Proficiency and Boobjob Proficiency made Thored weak. He tried very hard to concentrate on work, but she had gotten far too good at fellatio for anyone not to succumb.

"Sluuurrp… chuup… Come on… Cum for me~" Kanae used her tail to suck on his throbbing ballsack, too.

"Succubus, wait… I'm…!" Thored ejaculated so hard, his knees trembled and body shuddered.

Thick white spunk pooled on the floor beneath Kanae's knees. She scooped a handful of the hot baby batter to finger herself with. Using her other hand, she cupped another handful to drink.

"Are we… done? Did you obtain the skill?" Thored asked.

"From a blowjob? Sorry to say, it doesn't work like that. I'm going to need you to stick your rod in me," Kanae said, rising up to brace both hands against the table and sticking her ass up to him.

The nervous Necro Lord gulped hard. He grabbed her waist with one hand, and held his dick with the other to guide his dick in.

Kanae bit down on her lip. Her eyes rolled back as the length of his cock entered her ravenous pussy at last. Something inside expanded. The large member flared up at the tip, pressing against the entrance of her womb. As soon as his hips made contact with her butt, she was climaxing already. Every inch of Thored's cock had plunged into Kanae.

"Aahhhh! You're… You're crushing my womb! I love it… Please, fuck me stupid!" Kanae exclaimed, switching on Masochist.

"How does it feel now?" Thored picked up speed and hammered into her. "I'll be the one breaking your hips!"

"It feels good! So good! I can't get enough of your horse cock ruining my pussy!" she cried.

Thored clasped a large hand over Kanae's head, pushing her down to the table. His hips pounded her with incredible power. Fucked like an animal, her tongue rolled out and the coquettish sounds of a bitch needing to be bred erupted from her mouth.

Although the beastman was nowhere near the size of Titan, he still possessed the similar shape of the languisteed's equine member and a humanoid body with hands that can do more. Thored repeatedly slapped her ass, each clap sending reverberating pulses of pain and pleasure through her spine.

"Take it all, you horny animal!" Thored bellowed just as loudly.

"Oh, fuck yes! Hit me harder! I'm a bad girl who needs to be punished! Shoot your seed inside me, too! I want it all… I want to be filled to the brim!" Kanae howled.

Thored hammered into Kanae until the table started cracking. Both of them climaxed at the same time. The beastman emptied everything his balls had into her womb, and she felt the hot spunk cooking her from the inside. When he pulled out, his dick was still shooting out cum. The thick loads landed all over her back.

[Skill Drain has temporarily acquired the skill Dungeon Core Manipulation.

Dungeon Core Manipulation: You can magically create dungeons out of available materials and spawn existing monsters. Touch a powered dungeon core for the expanded manual to begin.]

"Whew. That was a pleasant reprieve from working. Did you obtain the skill? Shall we get back to it?" Thored asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Nngh…" Kanae got up and stumbled into his chest, looking up at him with a provocative, lustful gaze. "For some reason… I didn't get the skill yet. Can you fuck me some more to try again?"

Thored swallowed his hesitation. He picked Kanae up, firmly drilled her onto his cock, and brought her over to the bed where they continued. After draining the Necro Lord dry, they returned to completing the rest of work needed before dismantling the dungeon. 

It took a few more hours before all of the monsters had been sufficiently dispersed throughout the dungeons. Together, Kanae and Thored accessed the hidden feature to finally pull the plug. Through the broadcast terminal, they witnessed Kandis adventurers in various biomes panic as the environment transformed into its original cavern state. Exits were still available to all of them.

The look on Thored's face was almost bittersweet. Even as he packed up the observatory's most prized mechanisms, the broadcaster and celestial astrolabe, there looked to be a hint of resistance in leaving. Both contraptions folded inwards on themselves to single candlestick and runic orb with a handle. He placed them into a large knapsack, hoisted it onto his back, and was ready to go. A minotaur had been spared to Kanae, whom she placed under her charm to carry both chests back to the surface.

Kandis city was none the wiser. However, a few gawking harpies from the sky did stare suspiciously. The Harpy King's agents probably kept an eye on Kanae and her companions. Hopefully, the others got back okay.

They crossed into the port city with no one suspecting Thored was the Necro Lord. As a beastman, he easily blended in with the populace. People did give the minotaur accompanying them an odd look though.

"Ugh… The outside world is a lot more crowded than I expected." Thored groaned.

"What are you, a shut-in? Live a little. Breathe in the fresh air, take in the sights of the ocean, and…" Kanae raced over to a food stall to buy a skewer of roasted fish for the Necro Lord. When she waved the morsel in his face, he snatched it out of her hands and huffed.

Thored sniffed the fish at first and seemed taken by the scent. With a mouth that big, he chomped into the entire thing in a single bite.

"Mmm! It certainly is filled with flavor, more so than the rations I've been stealing off adventurers!" Thored asked for more, and Kanae was happy to supply him.

Once the Necro Lord had enough, the two quickly made their way to the inn Kanae had been staying at with Arenade. The number of harpies patrolling the sky increased. That couldn't be a good sign. Thankfully, the inn seemed to be clear. For now. Harpies remained in the air and soared around occasionally.

Everyone was waiting for them inside, and Theena was awake. She sat upright in bed with a Renya clone right by her side.

"You're back!" Seven exclaimed as they entered.

"About time!" Renya sighed. "I don't like what I'm seeing outside. Feels like we're being watched."

"That's because we are. It doesn't look like they plan on doing anything yet though," Kanae said.

"You guys finished up what you wanted to do down there?" Arenade asked.

Kanae nodded, then turned her attention to Theena, whose gaze was cast to the floor and both hands were bound in rope.

"Girl hasn't said a thing since we got back, if that's what you're wondering. Believe me, I tried to get her to spill. But Seven and Kara over won't let me do my thing." Renya thumbed over to the two Rookies, who were also by Theena's bedside.

"Theena, do you want to explain yourself?" Kanae asked, exerting a charm on her.

"I… " Theena tried to resist, but she ultimately couldn't. "I've been working for… the Harpy King."

Gasps erupted in the room.

"Wait, what?" Kara backed away with a hand over her mouth.

"I just learned the Harpy King is my dad! Does that have anything to do with it?" Seven grabbed Theena by the shoulders and shook her.

"It does… I'm sorry, Seven. The Harpy King sent me to keep an eye on you. It's… the only reason I joined your party. The same is true for… some of the other adventurers in Kandis," Theena admitted.

"No way…" He staggered away from the bed, feeling betrayed.

Seven turned to Kara, searching her eyes for answers if she was also in on it. The girl shook her head and was just as appalled.

"What about this handler business? What's up with that?" Renya pressed her.

"A handler is just someone the Harpy King sent to make sure everything in Kandis is going well. He probably bit the dust inside the tomb, because I never met up with him." Kara frowned.

"Why?" Seven asked shakily. "Kanae, please ask her! I want to know why she did all this!"

"Well, Theena?" Kanae eyed the girl.

"The Harpy King promised to save my family from poverty. All they eat are stale bread and live in broken down shacks! Of course I had no choice!" she cried, shocking the entire room.

Kanae noticed Arenade folding her arms and frowning. Being poor led people to doing desperate things. It was why she worked hard for others' sake. 

Suddenly, Seven returned to Theena with a look of hurt. She refused to meet his eyes. He swiped the space between them, severing the ropes that restrained her wrists. In tears, Seven dropped to his knees and grabbed her hands.

"I don't know what the Harpy King promised you, or how much you've been pretending to be my friend… but it was all real to me. As far as I'm concerned, you're still my friend! Kara feels the same way, don't you?" Seven asked.

Kara nodded as tears ran down her cheeks, too.

"What… You two should be angry at me!" Theena exclaimed.

"We are, and that's okay! Sometimes, we piss each other off. That's what friends do. Friends also rely on each other, so… forget what the Harpy King wanted you to do. The three of us will become the greatest adventurers ever and send some money from our quests back to your family. We're in it together!" Seven insisted.

Kara kneeled beside them and rested a hand on top of theirs. Theena, unable to hold back the tears, broke into a wail and apologized repeatedly for what she did.

Kanae ended the effects of Charm, releasing her hold on Theena. She let the three of them cry it out and pulled the others aside.

"We still have the Harpy King's agents to worry about. They're all over Kandis and Vizier Duran's palace. He did suggest keeping it away from them is good enough. I say, we use the Sceptre of Want as bait to draw them all out," Kanae said.

"You're going to risk that thing falling into someone else's hands?" Thored squinted.

"I mean, this lockbox looks pretty important. We can just give 'em the good ol bait and switch!" Renya suggested, lifting the container which held a devil's artifact.

They were going to need a weapon of similar size and weight to replace it with. Their eyes turned to Arenade's staff. She flicked her gaze to each of them and realized what they were thinking.

"No way! The Forest Nymph's Regrowth Staff holds a lot of sentimental value to me. Kanae, you gifted this to me after we reunited!" Arenade reminded her.

"We got this for you instead." Kanae opened the adamantine chest and handed her the Great Retort.

Arenade inspected it for a few seconds, and her eyes went wide.

"Well, alright then! Take this heap of trash. I got myself a new weapon!" Arenade shoved her old staff into Kanae's hands and brandished the new one proudly.

"So much for sentimental value!" Kanae fired back.

They had their bait now. The Forest Nymph's Regrowth Staff fit perfectly into the long and narrow trunk.

"Shifting Boots? Don't mind if I do!" Renya pulled out the leather footwear to put on.

"Is this chest for us? Can we open it? Can we?" Seven asked about the silver chest.

"Guys, we have more important things to worry about!" Kanae groaned aloud.

"Hey, you might as well put on Doom & Gloom. If you get a few more spells, they could be super useful. I'll take them if you don't want them," Arenade said about the earrings pinched between her fingers.

Kanae sighed and relented in putting them on.

"Adventurers. All so alike in their greed." Thored rolled his eyes.