章節 131: Level 7
Due to Ais' progress in swordsmanship, a slight smile was plastered on Isaac's lips as he entered the 74th floor, which happened to be the last Safety Point that the Zeus and Hera Familias had discovered back then. From here on out, a new thematic zone of the dungeon began, one which stretched all the way to the 79th floor - the 'Realm of Light'.
Admittedly, the name sounded impressive, and a faint image of a mythical heavenly scenery had briefly appeared in his thoughts when he had first been told about it. But as was the case with so many things in life, reality was often disappointing.
What greeted Isaac when he stepped foot in this zone were only silence and painful brightness. Due to his highly developed senses, it was even more agonizing to deal with the latter. Ultimately, he had to close his eyes to not be assaulted by unending waves of torment and blindness. Thankfully, he could still depend on his Eyes of Hermes, which were barely impacted by the overwhelming radiance, so although he ended up proceeding further without relying on his regular eyesight, he wasn't inconvenienced too much. He could have chosen to follow in the footsteps of those that had come before him and set out to acquire a Magic Item that was quite similar to sunglasses in function, with a magical touch to it - the Ilioulia - but he had wanted to brace all of the dungeon's dangers unassisted, to determine whether or not he could deal with them himself. And as expected, he could.
The scenery that was revealed to him was boring to a fault. All that he could see was an endless cavern with a few pillars holding up the ceiling - they contained the staircases that led both towards the surface as well as further into the depths of the dungeon. The stone all around was white in colour and there was no vegetation at all. There were some lakes and rivers, but due to the water's transparency, they didn't offer any colour of their own. Regarding the reason as to why everything was so irritatingly bright, this phenomenon was the result of the mana all around. In this thematic zone, the naturally present mana was somehow continuously influenced to brighten up its surroundings. That was all that there was to it, at least if Isaac's findings could be believed.
After placing down a teleportation node in a place that was quite close to both a staircase leading up to the 73rd floor as well as one that led down to the 75th one, he got started with his research.
The first set of monsters, again, consisted of five different species. All of them were at Level 7, so he could finally leave the Level 6 monsters behind - none of them could provide him with any excelia anymore anyway.
Speaking of, he had made sure to acquire the qualifications to obtain the next Hunter-series Development Ability before advancing any further. With the overwhelming monster density in these depths as well as the vast distances that he had to traverse, getting the 40,000 Level 6 monster kills had honestly been a cakewalk - he hadn't even needed to try.
[ Professional Hunter (I): When battling a monster one has already gained excelia from previously - 12% increase in all stats, 12% increase in excelia gained. ]
Being the most numerous and the weakest amongst the new monster species, the Rainbow Motes were the first ones that got the pleasure of making Isaac's acquaintance. They appeared to be balls of differently coloured light that were about half a meter in diameter, with no other distinguishing features. Only their Magic stat was even worth mentioning, because it was at I-50 / 88,250. They seemed just like a part of the floor's lighting system and didn't attack anyone at all. If someone stumbled into them, however, then the light balls would absorb some of the mana in their bodies. Still, there wouldn't be any other injuries - they weren't even hostile.
Contrary to what might be expected, these beings weren't sentient. In fact, it was difficult to argue that they even were 'beings' to begin with. They didn't move, they didn't react, and aside from working as an environmental mana drain as well as even more light sources for adventurers to deal with, they had no other functions. They hadn't even been regarded as monsters, until someone had the 'bright' idea to attack them with a Magic… and they dropped a magic stone upon their demise.
The reason that the initial attacker chose magical means to harm them was that physical attacks were useless against them. They passed straight through them without doing any damage whatsoever, or even disturbing them at all. Only by manipulating mana could they be injured. As for why they would leave behind a physical object, that wasn't known.
Well, until Isaac came along. Making use of his mana to sense their insides, he observed that the Motes had a 'core' region which consisted entirely of the same sort of runes that he had encountered when researching the Goblin magic stone. Therefore, for now, he theorized that their magic stones were always present, they simply altered their state from an intangible one to a physical one after the light balls were disposed of. He could even see this happening, but it was instantaneous. Sadly, it was not the gradual process that he had hoped for, which would have been much more helpful and would have answered some of his questions. Still, many new doors opened in his mind when he realized what his findings implied, but because he hadn't ventured too far on the path of rune and magic stone analysis yet, he simply kept all of these thoughts in the back of his head - rushing such matters would be extremely foolish.
With that positive surprise out of the way, the next specimens on his list provided him with exactly the opposite - disappointment. Still, because he had ventured this far already, he had grown accustomed to being let down and didn't make too much of a mental fuss. The name of these new enemies, however, made his right eye twitch in familiar annoyance. 'Obsidian Generals', that was the name that some imbecile had chosen for these monsters. As expected, neither of these words were even remotely fitting at all.
Quite similar to the Obsidian Soldiers from the Haunted Halls, the Generals were around two meters tall and moved relatively slowly, at least compared to other monsters of their Level. Their bodies were made out of a bizarrely shaped white volcanic glass and in their heads, there rested a single white spot of light that resembled an eye. Like their weaker brethren, they were highly resistant to Magic. Their Strength and Endurance could reach up to H-100 / 91,450. Yes, they were obviously reskins, which could somewhat excuse the chosen name. Still, obsidian was a black volcanic glass, completely unlike the one that the Generals consisted of. And while a general would usually be someone in charge of the soldiers beneath them - so the latter part of this monster species' name appeared fitting at first glance - a single group of these Obsidian Generals numbered at least in the hundreds! An 'army' entirely consisting of 'generals'... What kind of nonsensical madness was this!?
Silently cursing whoever had bestowed them with such a moniker for the nth time, no doubt disturbing their peaceful and eternal rest, Isaac put a couple of Obsidian General remains into his inventory to study the material that they were made of later. He had never encountered such pristinely white volcanic glass before, so he wanted to know more about it.
Life is a series of ups and downs. The next monster species that met a gruesome fate brightened up Isaac's dampened mood considerably again. Their name - Deathtrap Fish - was a bit simple, but not too bad overall, because it got the general idea across. They resided in the bodies of water that could be found on these floors and were similar in appearance to tens of meters tall anglerfish. They hid at the bottom of the lakes and rivers and appeared like simple white rocks in their dormant state. As for their stats, their Strength and Agility could reach up to H-150 / 94,650.
Their illiciums were transparent and could barely be made out with the naked eye, so taking the visual restrictions of this thematic zone into account, they were pretty much invisible. Their lures looked remarkably similar to the Rainbow Motes and got moved around to attract their prey's attention. Most adventurers would be intrigued by this because all Motes were usually immobile - but once they entered the water and came close enough, the fish would rush at them and try to devour them. Even should they face regular animals in a normal environment, the Deathtrap Fish would still easily be able to attract them over - after all, most beings get fascinated by shiny things.
If Isaac had been a pervert - or even just a regular male, for that matter - then the monster species that was next on the list would have been a sight for sore eyes. The Winged Lamias, as the name implied, were reskins of the Lamias that he had encountered in the Water City. However, while those had looked considerably feral and vicious, these stronger versions appeared a lot more refined and holy. Their lower snake-like bodies were covered in beautiful white scales and the wings that sprouted from the backs of their bare upper bodies were remarkably similar to those of the angels that had been mentioned in various myths from Isaac's past world. The Winged Lamias didn't even sport any noticeable claws, and their teeth looked just like those of regular human women - not like fangs at all.
It turned out that all of the ferocity was simply hidden underneath the surface. Once they noticed their prey and they got into melee range, they would instantly switch from the appearance of flirtatious and exotic maidens to the bloodthirsty monsters that they really were. Their claws and fangs were retractile in nature, so they could spring them on their foes in a startling ambush. They were even quite proficient at flight, but they didn't excel at it - it still offered them a bit more maneuverability, though. As for their stats, all of them but Magic could reach up to G-200 / 97,850.
Leaving the blood and disfigured carcasses of charming humanoid monsters in his wake yet again, Isaac finally proceeded onwards to the fifth new monster species, the Bright Figures. Their names weren't that shoddy - they were quite fitting, actually. In essence, these were humanoid, larger versions of the Rainbow Motes, with the main differences being that these ones could move and attack. They also didn't only syphon off mana, they could even leave behind actual wounds on their targets! Also, like the light balls, they couldn't be harmed by physical means. Most of their stats were extremely low, but their Agility and Magic could be at up to G-250 / 101,050. Researching them was surprisingly quick, because he had already taken an in-depth look at the Rainbow Motes earlier, so Isaac could swiftly proceed onwards to the next floors.
At around 7 a.m., he arrived on the 78th floor, where another massive change finally took place. Instead of the usual bleak and bland scenery that had been omnipresent in all other parts of this thematic zone, what he saw now was a mixture of the white rocks and water bodies from before as well as a massive mirror maze. Due to the huge contrast between this area and the floors above, the Zeus and Hera Familias had dubbed the last two floors of the Realm of Light as the 'Mirror Labyrinth'. Four new monster species joined the fray here, and they all formed a very peculiar interplay. Entrapment and deception were the names of the game here, and there was no shortage of metaphorical pitfalls for one to fall into.
First on the list were the White Moths - their names described their appearances perfectly. They were barely a third of a meter tall and could be found fluttering about all over the place, remarkably silently. They could spread a certain white powder from their wings, which would cause their prey to fall into a deep slumber and become extremely vulnerable to the other dangers that were afoot here. Due to their stealthy nature and the highly impaired vision that regular adventurers would have to deal with on these floors, it was all too easy to fail to notice this powder and fall victim to it. Thankfully, an Abnormal Resistance at D-grade or above would render one immune to its effects. Isaac simply dodged out of the powder's way, and whenever he couldn't do so in time he used a wind barrier to keep it at bay. Regarding their stats, the moths' Agility and Magic could reach up to F-300 / 104,250.
Two kinds of mimics inhabited this mirror maze, the first of which were the 'False Mirrors'. As undoubtedly plainly obvious, they impersonated mirrors and would assault any unsuspecting adventurers. It was nearly impossible to distinguish them from the other mirrors, unless one was able to discover the very small, white eyes peeking up from the ground or the higher density of mana in their bodies. Well, all of that only applied unless one saw their true form. The 'mirror' was only their forehead, and it fit in seamlessly with the environment. The rest of their body was akin to a starved, vicious hound with remarkably long limbs. Usually, a huge portion of their heads would be buried underground, with only their mirror-foreheads and eyes sticking out and facing one of the labyrinth's paths. Once they realized that their prey had come close enough and hadn't noticed that something was amiss, then they would spring their trap on them. Their Strength and Agility were at F-350 / 107,450, but the rest of their stats weren't anything impressive. If one could tide through the initial assault, then their comparatively fragile bodies could relatively easily be dealt with.
As for the other mimics, they posed even more of a threat than the False Mirrors - they were called the 'Mirrored Selves'. Even though they weren't what had come to mind when Isaac had first been told about them - he had read a lot of xianxia novels and had almost jumped to conclusions - they were still quite dangerous. But thankfully, they weren't as exaggeratedly powerful as he had mentally prepared himself for. They were simply a kind of slime which would transform itself into a replica of the nearest adventurer. Groups of them would always be situated in front of various mirrors all around, and it was very difficult to tell which of the countless reflections all over the place were actually just slimes in disguise.
These mimics would even copy some of the movements of the replicated adventurers, in a mirrored manner, and gradually get closer to them, until they could finally engulf and digest them in one fell swoop. As for their stats, their Strength, Endurance and Magic were at E-400 / 110,650.
While the other three new monster species on this floor were mainly focused on status afflictions as well trickery, and on supporting the weaker monsters that Isaac had sufficiently researched earlier, the last new monster species was an entirely different beast to tackle and fell more in line with what the dungeon normally threw at its challengers. Pure and unadulterated power, as well as numbers, with no deceptive strings attached.
The species' name… yes, it was horrible: 'Multicoloured Crocodiles'. But after a token curse at the Zeus and Hera Familias, Isaac focused on the more important matters. These monsters looked pretty much exactly how he had visualized certain mythological creatures from his old world - the Chalkydri. They were around three meters tall and the base of their bodies was undoubtedly a male humanoid, with most of their upper and lower bodies looking pretty much normal, albeit oversized. However, they sported crocodile heads with scales that sparkled in all colours of the rainbow, as well as the feet and tail of a lion. On their backs, there were six sets of angelic wings that honestly seemed like they would get in the way or interfere negatively with each other - but surprisingly, the crocodile men could maneuver them expertly and move in dazzling, mesmerizing ways that most adventurers would be entirely unable to respond to. All of their stats, aside from Magic, were at E-450 / 113,850.
Groups of them consisted of multiple hundreds at the least, and they patrolled the innumerable parts of the endless mirror maze in a perfectly arranged military formation. They wielded various weapons and shields made out of the white stone of the thematic zone, as well as mirror shards, and behaved like a well-trained phalanx. Facing them was like fighting an entire army at once. What was remarkable was that there wasn't a 'heart' or a commanding officer that could be taken out to reduce the threat that they posed - all of them worked nigh flawlessly with each other, completely out of instinct. No matter whether they were marching or flying through the air, they moved as one whole unit.
The Multicoloured Crocodiles were what the Zeus and Hera Familias had used to train the cooperation between their members to new heights, because unless one had overwhelming personal strength or tactical acumen, one could only fight them with the support of a group or 'army' of their own. If those dead veterans had had the opportunity to watch Isaac play these impressive foes to death as if they were toddlers trying to encircle a jetpack-wearing adult, then they would have turned in their graves.
During the exploration of this thematic zone, Isaac had finally made progress in his Spirit Healing Development Ability again. He had surpassed the 75,000 mark of his manually regenerated drops of mana, even though he hadn't been progressing anywhere near as quickly as when he had been performing his advanced grinding method. This was because he had been utilizing far less mana overall, so he couldn't recover that much of it manually. There simply hadn't been enough expenditure. In any case, Spirit Healing's grade had advanced.
[ Spirit Healing (F): If the user doesn't utilize any mana for five seconds, regenerates 0.5% of the total mana every three seconds. ]
But that wasn't the end of the good news - not at all. Due to his current 160 percent boost to acquired excelia, he had finally been blessed by a very welcome system notification, one that Ais would also get to see later today.
[ All stats have reached the post-update maximum.
Quest 'Reach the Level 6 stat limit.' completed. 6000 AP rewarded. ]
Without further ado, Isaac quickly cleaned up all monsters in the surrounding few kilometers and got on with a process that he had become intimately familiar with over the past around seven weeks. He guided the Primordial Ichor on his back and updated his Status, then he ranked up to Level 7 immediately after.
For a few seconds, he relished in the feeling of refreshment that accompanied the vastly increased quality and power of his vessel, then he took a glance at his Status. As for his Divine Energy, it wasn't even at a risk of 'spilling out' anymore. Now that he had been in possession of it for so long, it felt just like another limb to him - quite easy and natural to control. While he hadn't had the chance to research it yet, that didn't change the fact that it had long since become a part of him.
[ Name: Isaac Blackshaw ]
[ Familia: Loki Familia ]
[ Affiliation: None ]
[ Race: God ]
[ Divinity: None ]
[ Arcanum: None ]
[ Level: 6 -> 7 ]
[ Age: Unable to measure ]
[ Charisma: 34 ]
[ Divine Energy: 139,709 -> 283,996 ]
[ Stats ]
[ Strength: I-0 -> SSS-1500 -> I-0 (141,750 x 2.0035) ]
[ Endurance: I-0 -> SSS-1500 -> I-0 (141,750 x 2.0035) ]
[ Dexterity: I-0 -> SSS-1500 -> I-0 (141,750 x 2.0035) ]
[ Agility: I-0 -> SSS-1500 -> I-0 (141,750 x 2.0035) ]
[ Magic: I-0 -> SSS-1500 -> I-0 (141,750 x 2.0035) ]
[ Magic ]
[ Anemoi Steps ]
[ Eyes of Hermes ]
[ Laser Cutting Construct ]
[ Skills ]
[ Divine Being ]
[ Reverential Resonance ]
[ Development Abilities ]
[ Huntsman: SSS ]
[ Hunter: SSS ]
[ Experienced Hunter: SSS ]
[ Veteran Hunter: SSS ]
[ Expert Hunter: I ]
[ Professional Hunter: I ]
[ Mana Cultivation - Foundation Establishment: C ]
[ Spirit Healing: G -> F ]
[ Supreme Archer: I ]
[ Can be chosen from when ranking up: Mage, Swordsman ]
Although this terrifying increase in overall power should have left him ecstatic, Isaac couldn't help but pour cold water over his excitement almost immediately.
'My Mana Cultivation is really lagging behind. I can barely control around a fifth of my available mana at a moment's notice. I'll have to slow down and focus on adding more drops to my mana flow again for the time being, else I'll have an extremely unstable foundation and most of my Magic stat will be almost entirely a decoration.'
Even as he was chiding himself in such a manner, he didn't fail to calculate the exact Level 1 stat bonus that his loyal retainer Mina was getting now that he had progressed one step further: 994. Especially this early on in her development, this was a staggering amount - and more than double of what it had been until this moment.
'Any second now…'
[ Mina Teagle's Devotion has increased by 5. ]
Upon seeing the anticipated system notification, a smirk played across his lips. Yet again, his stats had slightly increased, and in response to her increase in Devotion, Mina's had as well. Now that his stats had reached a certain threshold, the numbers involved were so huge that the lovely Chienthrope girl couldn't help but immediately notice the change - after all, the bonus went from 994 to 1,136 in an instant.
[ Mina Teagle's Devotion has increased by 5. ]
As expected, a temporary positive feedback loop was formed, with more and more system notifications popping up in quick succession. Only after a few minutes, when Mina had seemingly grown numb from the continued increase in overall strength and had arrived at a point where the Devotion that she felt for her lord couldn't improve any further with this method did her admittedly crazy power surge finally come to an end.
'Her Devotion is at 80/100 now… which leaves me at 284,634 Level 1 stats and provides her with a 2,277 bonus. She has really profited immensely this time. I wonder how the other kids will react when they notice her shooting for the stars so suddenly.'
Chuckling to himself, Isaac cleaned up the few monsters that had either spawned in the meantime or had crept closer, then he set off towards the 79th floor, where he had one other matter to take care of before he would return to the surface as well as his own world to progress in his Mana Cultivation - the Realm of Light's Monster Rex, 'Apsinthos'.
創作者的想法 
Shiro_the_Hero
Shiro_the_Hero Yes, this takes place many hours before the last chapter's end.
To those of you who pay attention during monster descriptions, I hope you enjoyed the knowledge I packed within o7
Also, doggo got a significant buff! :D
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter \o/
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As you may have already guessed, Isaac will be returning to a state where he isn't speed-running Levels for a bit. Well, in the eyes of everyone else, he'll still be faster than anyone should ever be, but... he really has too many other things to keep working on, and focusing only on one thing, as he stated, would lead to an unstable foundation. He is already strong enough (stat-wise) anyway, let's be honest xD
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-> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYHGRR8M/ <-
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Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic day!! o/
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票