Chapter 302
Waves of blood descended towards me as if to overwrite my existence itself . Metallic mirrors spun rapidly, petrifying the waves, as I kicked the waves down to break them .
Still, it didn’t really matter how we clashed . When I reached out with my spear and reflected my Evil Eyes’ power with Dortu’s mirrors, Crimson Hell turned to stone and broke . He also knew that he couldn’t beat me in a direct confrontation, so from the moment we met, he’s been endlessly using the one ability I’ve been on guard the most against .
It was the ability to steal mana from me . Even now, as I was constantly moving my body, Crimson Hell was doing its best to try to steal my mana .
[Let’s see… how long you’ll last . I’m curious!]
[That’s what I want to say!]
This was the first time I’ve put so much focus into Absolute Soul . If I let my guard down even for a second, Crimson Hell would take control over the initiative . Once my mana started being stolen, it would be too late . When I fought the SSS+ rank Mana Eater in Panan continent, I didn’t have Absolute Soul so I had no choice but to let it steal my mana . Now, however, I had a way to prevent my mana from being stolen, and I was gaining more insight into it as time went on .
[How persistent…!]
[Try harder, so I can get used to it more . ]
[You’re saying… you’re still growing? You… You dare to try to scare me!?]
Did he think I was bluffing? Crimson Hell shouted in contempt and pushed towards me more vigorously . When I looked down from above, the colony of Crimson Hell was shooting up towards me like a tsunami and was extending invisible arms of depredation . With my eyes opened wide, I stabbed my spear into it .
“Dortu!”
[I am Dortu . Spreading Master’s power . ]
A grey ripple ran down the wave . Beyond the wave that turned to stone and shattered a beat late, Crimson Hell’s invisible hands tenaciously reached towards me . I set up a hard wall in my mind . I released the power of my soul, which not only protected me but also naturally dominated external mana .
After I first obtained Absolute Soul, I believed I was doing my best to hone it, but that was naïve thinking . In this dire situation where the only thing keeping me alive was Absolute Soul, I was breaking through all sorts of limits .
[…!]
Deep within me, there was something other than Peruta Circuit and Hero’s power that radiated a powerful light . It was the essence of my soul which not even the dungeon nor Sherafina could touch . I felt like this was the first time I was coming into contact with it .
With an overflowing joy, the way to take the next step, the way to make Absolute Soul my own power flowed through me . Absolute Soul was a process to form the perfect soul . There was something that light lacked . Since I was staring right at it, it would be wrong if I couldn’t figure out what it was .
I was certain .
Perhaps because I was staring at that eye-catching light for too long, Crimson Hell was taking a huge chunk of my mana . One hundred thousand, one hundred fifty thousand, two hundred thousand… Now, I only had 200,000 mana left .
[Did you… give up?]
[No way . ]
I finished observing the light . I already obtained what I needed .
I opened my eyes widely and struck my spear down strongly . A whirlpool of black flames cut through the wave of blood until it touched the ground hundreds of meters below . I had put all of my remaining mana in that attack .
[Kuaaaaaaaa!]
The huge blood tsunami split in half as the whirlpool of flames drove by, and a smile bloomed on my face . Blood poured down to the sides like a waterfall, and a blade-like pillar of blood shot up from the severed part once again .
[Foolish… Such useless move…! Now, you’re mine…!]
[I don’t think so . ]
I announced with a slight smile . Immediately, Crimson Hell’s flying stream of greed was revealed clearly . What was previous invisible could now be seen . There was only one reason for it, that it was now under my control . Using the countless straws he placed in me to suck out my mana, I began to suck in his mana .
[What…!?]
[My mana, I’ll be taking it back . ]
[You mastered Absolute Soul!]
‘No, Sherafina, I haven’t mastered it yet
’ I murmured in a voice she couldn’t hear . ‘You must not know . Otherwise…’
I could clearly see it . Absolute Soul was just the foundation . It was the same for Overlord . These two skills born from the Collector’s Pocket Watch was nothing but a compass pointing me in the right direction . Today, I finally realized it .
[My mana… How…!?]
[My league overwhelmed your entire colony . Simple, right?]
I retorted bluntly . Was he unable to accept it? Or was he making a final struggle? Crimson Hell, which had used its mass to engulf me until now, changed its colony to hundreds of sharp tentacles which shot towards me .
However, Dortu’s mirrors didn’t let a single one of them through . With Dortu’s meticulous control, the light of my Evil Eyes, reflected by thousands of metallic mirrors, penetrated the tentacles and destroyed them . Crimson Hell finally screamed .
[I, I refuse to die like this… I must take my revenge…!]
[… Now that you mention it . ]
The Floor Masters until now used Sherafina’s mana to regenerate after death . Regeneration was similar to revival, yet completely different . If revivals perfectly retained one’s soul, then regeneration simply returned one to his previous condition using mana . Coming back to life with regeneration resulted in a completely different soul than before .
Could someone before and after regeneration be considered the same person? No . This was also why Licorice negotiated with Sherafina to obtain an Event Dungeon, and Sherafina must have accepted Licorice’s request because Licorice wasn’t enthusiastic about the war . In truth, I thought it was entirely possible that Licorice cooperated with the defending side . I just never planned to talk to her about it .
In any case, regeneration would still allow one to come back to life, but there had to be something that even Sherafina couldn’t bring back to life . For example…
I asked Sherafina .
[Does the 85th Floor Master regenerate?]
[No . As a result, once cleared, you cannot challenge the 85th Floor Master again . From now on, it will always be like that . ]
As I thought, it seemed not even Sherafina was capable of bringing a world’s enemy back to life . A clone might be a different story, but it just wasn’t possible for the true body . If a genius with the qualification to challenge Crimson Hell appeared in the future, Sherafina would have to prepare a different monster .
[Secret… I’ll tell you a secret…! So please, let me…]
[No thanks . ]
I closed my eyes and increased the radiance of my soul’s light . When I increased Peruta Circuit’s speed and amplified my mana absorption rate, Crimson Hell’s meek resistance disappeared completely .
[Kuaaaaaa!]
That was his end . With a cry that could turn a good dream into a nightmare, Crimson Hell crumbled down completely . The remaining waves of blood turned into grey stones and fell down to the ground like a landslide . I smacked my lips . Contrary to my expectations, there wasn’t much mana to steal from him . With my original amount being 700,000, adding the amount I gained from him probably only brought it up to 800,000 .
“Well, I guess that’s good too . ”
I finally deactivated Breath of Death . As I used a huge amount of it while fighting Crimson Hell, I didn’t have much of it left . Thinking that I should go around Earth cleaning up monsters, I opened my eyes . In the huge Floor Master room, I was the only one, hovering solitarily in the sky .
Then, a fanfare I hadn’t heard in a while tickled my ears .
[You became level 86 . You obtained 5 bonus stats . ]
[You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond’s 35th floor . ]
[You became Platinum rank 6 . You obtained the right to appoint a new explorer . ]
[You succeeded in defeating Crimson Hell . No dungeon explorer would be capable of believing such feat . Having defeated a world’s enemy fair and square in a direct confrontation, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call you the dungeon’s strongest . You obtained 5 skill points as a reward . Current skill points: 29]
[You obtained the title, ‘Crimson Hell Killer . ’ All stats increase by 5 . The effect of the title will apply without having it equipped . ]
[You defeated Crimson Hell alone . You obtained Crimson Hell’s Tattoo as a special reward . ]
[You obtained 1,000,000 gold . ]
[You received the unique reward left hidden for the First explorer . Congratulations! Your luck stat increases by 10 . ]
[Secret . Ultimate Avarice Magic Book]
I simply smiled . I didn’t think it mattered all that much anymore . Crimson Hell had fought me with all its power, and it was killed by me thoroughly . I planned to take all of its power, but Sherafina interfered and refined it to a more easy-to-learn form . That was the main reason the amount of mana I obtained was so small . That was how dungeon’s rewards worked .
Secret rewards, special rewards, and event rewards were good because they were unique or few in number . The Orc Lord I faced on the 5th floor must have fought a countless number of explorers and regenerate a countless number of times . So how much power could it have left? Sherafina must have used a huge portion of her power to copy the Orc Lord’s power and stitch it together . The result must have been the Orc Lord Set and Orc Lord’s Warcry .
To limit their number, she provided those who defeated the Orc Lord alone with a part that contained more of the Orc Lord’s power and gifted them Orc Lord’s Warcry . By doing so, she had increased the value and league of the skill . This didn’t change on higher floors . As the Floor Masters were copied less, the league increased, and when it came to secret rewards, they possessed power close to the original as they were unique . I only figure out something this simple after having broken through the 85th floor .
And now, with Sherafina refining the reward using all of Crimson Hell’s power, both the special reward and the secret reward were unique, and I ended up getting all of Crimson Hell’s power with the help of Sherafina’s power . Originally, rewards from the dungeon needed a long time to get used to the user . Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that the user could perfectly wield that power .
“But I’m different now . Not to mention, I have Crimson Hell’s mana…”
I grinned and received Crimson Hell’s Tattoo . I somewhat expected it, but Crimson Hell’s Tattoo went on my fingers . When I was leisurely watching complex symbols being engraved on my ten fingers, a message rang in my ear .
[You obtained Crimson Hell’s Tattoo! Your magic power increases by 20%! When attacking an enemy with a weapon in hand, you will be able to steal a portion of the enemy’s mana . ]
[You have Crimson Hell’s mana and can wield it freely . The Tattoo becomes invigorated to its peak!]
Now, Sherafina, tell me what I can do with a fully invigorated tattoo .
Though, I already knew the answer .
.
Chapter 302 . Lilith (2)
Waves of blood descended towards me as if to overwrite my existence itself . Metallic mirrors spun rapidly, petrifying the waves, as I kicked the waves down to break them .
Still, it didn’t really matter how we clashed . When I reached out with my spear and reflected my Evil Eyes’ power with Dortu’s mirrors, Crimson Hell turned to stone and broke . He also knew that he couldn’t beat me in a direct confrontation, so from the moment we met, he’s been endlessly using the one ability I’ve been on guard the most against .
It was the ability to steal mana from me . Even now, as I was constantly moving my body, Crimson Hell was doing its best to try to steal my mana .
[Let’s see… how long you’ll last . I’m curious!]
[That’s what I want to say!]
This was the first time I’ve put so much focus into Absolute Soul . If I let my guard down even for a second, Crimson Hell would take control over the initiative . Once my mana started being stolen, it would be too late . When I fought the SSS+ rank Mana Eater in Panan continent, I didn’t have Absolute Soul so I had no choice but to let it steal my mana . Now, however, I had a way to prevent my mana from being stolen, and I was gaining more insight into it as time went on .
[How persistent…!]
[Try harder, so I can get used to it more . ]
[You’re saying… you’re still growing? You… You dare to try to scare me!?]
Did he think I was bluffing? Crimson Hell shouted in contempt and pushed towards me more vigorously . When I looked down from above, the colony of Crimson Hell was shooting up towards me like a tsunami and was extending invisible arms of depredation . With my eyes opened wide, I stabbed my spear into it .
“Dortu!”
[I am Dortu . Spreading Master’s power . ]
A grey ripple ran down the wave . Beyond the wave that turned to stone and shattered a beat late, Crimson Hell’s invisible hands tenaciously reached towards me . I set up a hard wall in my mind . I released the power of my soul, which not only protected me but also naturally dominated external mana .
After I first obtained Absolute Soul, I believed I was doing my best to hone it, but that was naïve thinking . In this dire situation where the only thing keeping me alive was Absolute Soul, I was breaking through all sorts of limits .
[…!]
Deep within me, there was something other than Peruta Circuit and Hero’s power that radiated a powerful light . It was the essence of my soul which not even the dungeon nor Sherafina could touch . I felt like this was the first time I was coming into contact with it .
With an overflowing joy, the way to take the next step, the way to make Absolute Soul my own power flowed through me . Absolute Soul was a process to form the perfect soul . There was something that light lacked . Since I was staring right at it, it would be wrong if I couldn’t figure out what it was .
I was certain .
Perhaps because I was staring at that eye-catching light for too long, Crimson Hell was taking a huge chunk of my mana . One hundred thousand, one hundred fifty thousand, two hundred thousand… Now, I only had 200,000 mana left .
[Did you… give up?]
[No way . ]
I finished observing the light . I already obtained what I needed .
I opened my eyes widely and struck my spear down strongly . A whirlpool of black flames cut through the wave of blood until it touched the ground hundreds of meters below . I had put all of my remaining mana in that attack .
[Kuaaaaaaaa!]
The huge blood tsunami split in half as the whirlpool of flames drove by, and a smile bloomed on my face . Blood poured down to the sides like a waterfall, and a blade-like pillar of blood shot up from the severed part once again .
[Foolish… Such useless move…! Now, you’re mine…!]
[I don’t think so . ]
I announced with a slight smile . Immediately, Crimson Hell’s flying stream of greed was revealed clearly . What was previous invisible could now be seen . There was only one reason for it, that it was now under my control . Using the countless straws he placed in me to suck out my mana, I began to suck in his mana .
[What…!?]
[My mana, I’ll be taking it back . ]
[You mastered Absolute Soul!]
‘No, Sherafina, I haven’t mastered it yet
’ I murmured in a voice she couldn’t hear . ‘You must not know . Otherwise…’
I could clearly see it . Absolute Soul was just the foundation . It was the same for Overlord . These two skills born from the Collector’s Pocket Watch was nothing but a compass pointing me in the right direction . Today, I finally realized it .
[My mana… How…!?]
[My league overwhelmed your entire colony . Simple, right?]
I retorted bluntly . Was he unable to accept it? Or was he making a final struggle? Crimson Hell, which had used its mass to engulf me until now, changed its colony to hundreds of sharp tentacles which shot towards me .
However, Dortu’s mirrors didn’t let a single one of them through . With Dortu’s meticulous control, the light of my Evil Eyes, reflected by thousands of metallic mirrors, penetrated the tentacles and destroyed them . Crimson Hell finally screamed .
[I, I refuse to die like this… I must take my revenge…!]
[… Now that you mention it . ]
The Floor Masters until now used Sherafina’s mana to regenerate after death . Regeneration was similar to revival, yet completely different . If revivals perfectly retained one’s soul, then regeneration simply returned one to his previous condition using mana . Coming back to life with regeneration resulted in a completely different soul than before .
Could someone before and after regeneration be considered the same person? No . This was also why Licorice negotiated with Sherafina to obtain an Event Dungeon, and Sherafina must have accepted Licorice’s request because Licorice wasn’t enthusiastic about the war . In truth, I thought it was entirely possible that Licorice cooperated with the defending side . I just never planned to talk to her about it .
In any case, regeneration would still allow one to come back to life, but there had to be something that even Sherafina couldn’t bring back to life . For example…
I asked Sherafina .
[Does the 85th Floor Master regenerate?]
[No . As a result, once cleared, you cannot challenge the 85th Floor Master again . From now on, it will always be like that . ]
As I thought, it seemed not even Sherafina was capable of bringing a world’s enemy back to life . A clone might be a different story, but it just wasn’t possible for the true body . If a genius with the qualification to challenge Crimson Hell appeared in the future, Sherafina would have to prepare a different monster .
[Secret… I’ll tell you a secret…! So please, let me…]
[No thanks . ]
I closed my eyes and increased the radiance of my soul’s light . When I increased Peruta Circuit’s speed and amplified my mana absorption rate, Crimson Hell’s meek resistance disappeared completely .
[Kuaaaaaa!]
That was his end . With a cry that could turn a good dream into a nightmare, Crimson Hell crumbled down completely . The remaining waves of blood turned into grey stones and fell down to the ground like a landslide . I smacked my lips . Contrary to my expectations, there wasn’t much mana to steal from him . With my original amount being 700,000, adding the amount I gained from him probably only brought it up to 800,000 .
“Well, I guess that’s good too . ”
I finally deactivated Breath of Death . As I used a huge amount of it while fighting Crimson Hell, I didn’t have much of it left . Thinking that I should go around Earth cleaning up monsters, I opened my eyes . In the huge Floor Master room, I was the only one, hovering solitarily in the sky .
Then, a fanfare I hadn’t heard in a while tickled my ears .
[You became level 86 . You obtained 5 bonus stats . ]
[You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond’s 35th floor . ]
[You became Platinum rank 6 . You obtained the right to appoint a new explorer . ]
[You succeeded in defeating Crimson Hell . No dungeon explorer would be capable of believing such feat . Having defeated a world’s enemy fair and square in a direct confrontation, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call you the dungeon’s strongest . You obtained 5 skill points as a reward . Current skill points: 29]
[You obtained the title, ‘Crimson Hell Killer . ’ All stats increase by 5 . The effect of the title will apply without having it equipped . ]
[You defeated Crimson Hell alone . You obtained Crimson Hell’s Tattoo as a special reward . ]
[You obtained 1,000,000 gold . ]
[You received the unique reward left hidden for the First explorer . Congratulations! Your luck stat increases by 10 . ]
[Secret . Ultimate Avarice Magic Book]
I simply smiled . I didn’t think it mattered all that much anymore . Crimson Hell had fought me with all its power, and it was killed by me thoroughly . I planned to take all of its power, but Sherafina interfered and refined it to a more easy-to-learn form . That was the main reason the amount of mana I obtained was so small . That was how dungeon’s rewards worked .
Secret rewards, special rewards, and event rewards were good because they were unique or few in number . The Orc Lord I faced on the 5th floor must have fought a countless number of explorers and regenerate a countless number of times . So how much power could it have left? Sherafina must have used a huge portion of her power to copy the Orc Lord’s power and stitch it together . The result must have been the Orc Lord Set and Orc Lord’s Warcry .
To limit their number, she provided those who defeated the Orc Lord alone with a part that contained more of the Orc Lord’s power and gifted them Orc Lord’s Warcry . By doing so, she had increased the value and league of the skill . This didn’t change on higher floors . As the Floor Masters were copied less, the league increased, and when it came to secret rewards, they possessed power close to the original as they were unique . I only figure out something this simple after having broken through the 85th floor .
And now, with Sherafina refining the reward using all of Crimson Hell’s power, both the special reward and the secret reward were unique, and I ended up getting all of Crimson Hell’s power with the help of Sherafina’s power . Originally, rewards from the dungeon needed a long time to get used to the user . Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that the user could perfectly wield that power .
“But I’m different now . Not to mention, I have Crimson Hell’s mana…”
I grinned and received Crimson Hell’s Tattoo . I somewhat expected it, but Crimson Hell’s Tattoo went on my fingers . When I was leisurely watching complex symbols being engraved on my ten fingers, a message rang in my ear .
[You obtained Crimson Hell’s Tattoo! Your magic power increases by 20%! When attacking an enemy with a weapon in hand, you will be able to steal a portion of the enemy’s mana . ]
[You have Crimson Hell’s mana and can wield it freely . The Tattoo becomes invigorated to its peak!]
Now, Sherafina, tell me what I can do with a fully invigorated tattoo .
Though, I already knew the answer .
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