DMS Chapter 115

Flinx felt a measure of relief that the wizard enslavers had begun treating the remaining dungeon miners from Earth with a degree of restraint. Their cruelty had not vanished—they still inflicted pain and torment—but the senseless killings for experimentation or perverse amusement had ceased.

What weighed on him more heavily was the fact that every surviving miner from Earth was male. All the women were gone.

At least there would be no more taken. The enslavers who possessed Earth’s dimensional coordinates had been killed by the same religious fanatics who had attacked them. Flinx might have welcomed their intervention if not for the truth of their mission: the eradication of all life, slaves included. Whatever they claimed to be, they were no saviors.

Fifty-six Earth-born miners remained.

Flinx needed to reach level 15 as quickly as possible. Only then would he have a real chance to rescue them. Even pushing himself, he knew the truth—it could still take years.

A small voice urged restraint. It told him he was not responsible for the fate of the others, that he should grow at a sustainable pace. But he understood himself well enough to reject it. If he abandoned even the possibility of saving them, he would carry that failure for the rest of his life.

And if the worst came to pass—if every last Earthling died—he would not stop. He would hunt the wizard enslavers until nothing remained of them. His confidence in that outcome stemmed from the power he carried. The gift of transmigration was, by any reasonable measure, overwhelming.

After long consideration, Flinx abandoned his earlier decision to rest once or twice a week. From now on, he would delve into the final floor of the Dungeon of Mara without interruption.

The strain was manageable. He believed he could complete the final floor at least three times a day. Once he reached level 10, he would likely need to seek a more dangerous dungeon to maintain his rate of growth. That would also mean joining a party—something he had avoided so far.

For now, the 50th floor was as familiar and predictable as his own home. He would continue alone, accumulating both experience and wealth. When the time came to join a party, he would not be concerned with receiving only a small share of the loot. His priority was advancement—nothing else.

That evening, Flinx gathered everyone and explained that he would be devoting the coming months almost entirely to dungeon delving. He emphasized the urgency of gaining strength as quickly as possible.

The fact that he would still return home each night seemed to ease their concerns, particularly the children. In truth, everyone had their own responsibilities. Olivia remained focused on managing the shop and overseeing the children’s education. The children themselves were content, eager to learn, and looking forward to the day they could attend a formal school.

They had little fear of mistreatment. Being under the protection of a powerful wizard discouraged such risks. In a world where wizards wielded unseen and often terrifying methods of retaliation, few would act recklessly.

The next morning, Flinx arrived at the Dungeon of Mara early. His time would be divided—he could manage no more than two full delves that day, as he still needed to study the 8th-level spells he had recently acquired.

Upon reaching the dungeon floor, he cast Conjure Elemental four times, summoning Wind Elementals—the fastest among their kind. He had already tested their strength by using an 8th-level spell slot and found the process time-consuming. Going forward, he decided to summon and bind them in advance using Planar Binding. With an 8th-level slot, their duration extended to 180 days.

Their nature made them ideal. Wind elementals could remain unseen by ordinary humans, allowing them to operate discreetly.

He applied the same enhancement to his existing summons. Pondy, the water elemental that formed the pond before their tower, and the three Rockies—the earth elementals serving as guards—were all resummoned and bound with 8th-level power. Each would now remain for 180 days, significantly stronger than before.

When he encountered the first wave of dungeon monsters, Flinx cast Abi-Dalzim’s Horrid Wilting. The spell devastated the battlefield. Only a handful of creatures survived, and his wind elementals swiftly eliminated them.

By the time he defeated the Ice Dragon—the floor’s final boss—seven hours had passed. The extended duration was expected; he had spent time studying and testing his new spells, as well as assessing the independent combat capability of his elementals.

The results were clear. The elementals alone were capable of clearing the entire floor, including the final boss. Even so, Flinx determined that the most efficient approach was to unleash his strongest spells first, then let the elementals eliminate whatever remained.

The following day, he conducted another test: completing the floor using his 8th-level spells as frequently as possible.

The result was decisive. He could finish a full run in four hours.

Without hesitation, Flinx pushed forward. Starting at six in the morning, he completed three full delves in thirteen hours. By eight in the evening, he was back home.

The outcome exceeded his expectations. He could maintain three runs per day, spend his evenings with his family, and still get a full night’s rest.

For the next six days, he followed that routine without deviation. Each morning, he left after breakfast and arrived at the Dungeon of Mara by six. Over the next twelve to thirteen hours, he would clear the 50th floor three times.

And then he would return home—only to do it all again the next day.

After a week, Flinx had gained a total of 29 experience points. His experience bar rose from 6 percent to 35 percent. By that measure alone, he estimated that he would need roughly two more weeks to reach level 9 in his wizard class.

The realization pleased him. More importantly, it reassured him that he was not falling behind in his goal of advancing as quickly as possible.

Over the same seven-day period, he accumulated a substantial amount of mana stones: 322 low-grade stones, 175 mid-grade stones, and 95 high-grade stones. After paying the required taxes, he added them to his growing reserves.

He also obtained five items in total, a clear indication that magical drops had become increasingly rare. Of these, he kept only one—the Ring of Falling Feather. It granted the wearer a safe descent from heights greater than five feet, preventing injury from falls.

The remaining items were sold to the guild for 1,500 gold coins. After taxes were deducted, he received 1,200 gold coins.

During this period, Flinx also completed his plan to resummon Pondy and the three Rockies using 8th-level spell slots. The process took considerable time, as he had to wait for the 8th-level spell slot cooldown—approximately eight minutes per cycle—before each casting could be repeated.

Pondy’s form grew noticeably larger after the enhancement, much to everyone’s satisfaction. The water elemental had become substantial enough that even Olivia could swim comfortably within it without difficulty.

The situation with the three Rockies was less controlled. Their forms expanded far beyond expectations, each becoming an eight-foot-tall construct. Rather than attempting to adjust or restrain their growth, Flinx chose to leave them as they were. In his assessment, their increased size made them significantly more intimidating and therefore a more effective deterrent against any potential threats to his family.