Dungeon of Lust: Managing Otherworldly Beauties-Chapter 237: Peculiar Abilities

They were on a tight schedule, so they didn’t have long to rest. In fact, Vale allotted only a single day for recuperation.

Seeing as it was only one enemy, it would be much more efficient to face them with only his strongest force.

But before that, the first thing he had to decide was the battlefield location.

’The Thunderdome would work quite well and allow for coordination.’

But it would limit their biggest strength of kicking off the dungeon’s walls. Plus, if the invader had an area attack ability like Ximena, they’d be putting themselves at a disadvantage.

The second turn of the maze. It was a tight area where they could force many close confrontations.

The third choice was the Grand Hub. That would only be employed if the foe was some sort of giant where many attackers could participate...

As for the elite squad...

’It’s volatile.’

Depending on the foe and their ability, it would change who’d be fighting.

But Vale could at least list the definite: Salome, Sivian, Diana, Toy, Alpha, Sapphire, Diable, and himself...

While the smart thing to do would be to hide from this battle, Vale wasn’t going to do such a thing. Especially in the fight for him to become Emergent.

Not to mention any Trait he’d awaken would be based on him: his values and actions. He didn’t want to manifest another passive Trait.

As for Ximena’s exclusion from the list,

’She’s simply too hard to fight with.’

Plus, she deserved some much-needed rest, having taken on an Emergent Wretch mere days after escaping from constant suffering.

And Mias’ exclusion was due to his condition; though he’d be a must-have if he was able.

As for Diable, the second mage Vale had summoned...

’It’s highly likely they could be the crux of this battle.’

Assuming he’d deciphered her power correctly.

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Name: [Diable]

Title: —

Mage Level: [0]

Mage Ability: [0]

Loyalty: [100/100]

Traits: [Quantum Entanglement] [Decoherence]

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Diable was a confusing son of a bitch...

[Quantum Entanglement] - [Two distant points become inseparably bound, their states intertwined as they dance within the invisible threads of reality. What changes in one echoes instantly within the other.]

So...

The first step toward understanding the ability was understanding the words.

’Greed had said something about it relating to quantum mechanics, whatever that is.’

It was probably something Vale had little chance of understanding, seeing as Greed even admitted that even she did not know what it meant.

Therefore, he had only the description to go off, as well as Diable’s own understanding.

From those factors, Vale was able to draw a flimsy conclusion.

’It can link two facets of things together.’

While that was very vague, that was because of Vale’s lack of understanding.

’Why is a Mage’s Trait harder to learn than my own?!’

But, to break it down in a simpler, more comprehensible way...

If two things shared a property, Diable could link those properties together.

For example, she could make herself and a target share damage.

But there was also another function that was much more confusing. Say that she linked two things that had an opposite connection to themselves; then the inverted would happen between the linked two.

If one represented heat and the other cold, strengthening one could weaken the other. In that way, [Quantum Entanglement] did not merely connect things — it forced reality to acknowledge that connection.

’See... confusing.’

But at least it was simpler than the next ability.

[Decoherence] - [Superposition cannot endure. The qubits fracture. The possibilities separate. Of the three states that were, two are discarded. You exist as one.]

’This one’s a doozy.’

It made absolutely no sense! Well, it didn’t at all until Vale spent several hours with Diable trying to understand it.

Eventually, from what little Diable understood, Vale managed to piece together a rough interpretation.

All actions and causes could exist in several potential outcomes at once.

A strike might hit.

It might miss.

Or it might strike somewhere in between.

For a brief moment, all of those possibilities could exist simultaneously.

But [Decoherence] ended that uncertainty.

In theory, when Diable invoked it, the overlapping possibilities collapsed.

Three potential outcomes became one.

Two realities were discarded.

The remaining outcome became absolute, as if it had always been the only thing that could ever happen.

Meaning if several potential results existed...

Diable could force reality to choose one.

’So...’

Vale rubbed his temple.

’First she links things that shouldn’t be connected...’

’Then she decides which outcome becomes real?’

...Yeah.

That was terrifying.

The only question that remained was how absolute her power was, because being able to bend reality didn’t seem typical of what he’s seen up to this point in Pandora.

’Even the senseless operate under strict laws.’

Diable most definitely didn’t exist outside those laws.

There were probably many catches with the ability; catches that Vale didn’t know if they’d ever find out. Or at least find out before it would be too late. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

After all, if there was no limit on her ability, how would anyone fight her?

It was simply unfair.

’Not that the world has ever been that fair to me... ever.’

But that was enough about the confusing stuff. Vale’s rumination moved onto something much easier to understand: statistics.

’Well...’

Maybe that thought was misguided, as the statistic he was trying to figure out was qualitative, not quantitative. Mainly, he was trying to power-scale how strong a Bloomed Monster (Prime) would be.

He attempted to do so by drawing all lines of comparison between the strength of all beings he’d met with their known Class and Rank.

Firstly, Vale compared himself to an Emergent Mutant.

’I’m weaker.’

There wasn’t much to argue about in that sense. While he did possess the ability to win a fight, handily even, he could only do so by utilizing every tool at his disposal.

The problem came when he compared himself to Greed...

’She’s Bloomed.’

Only one Rank above Emergent, yet Vale was positive that Greed could flick him to death if she willed; however, Greed never revealed it, but she was most certainly capped out on Aether.

Whatever beast they summoned would not only be five Classes lower in tier but most likely have no Aether stocked up.

To make that comparison, Vale compared his current state to his past self — his 0/700 strength.

As for the metric he used:

’I used to only be able to stay outside for a couple hours, but now I can for about five weeks.’

That jump in strength was not insignificant. If such a jump could happen at every Rank, and at every Rank that effect would be enhanced, it was clear Vale wouldn’t be facing anywhere near a Greed-level threat.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Though ’slight’ was all that relief would ever amount to.

With that mulled over, he’d gone over the basic framework he’d need to set up for his Level 11 battle plan.