Chapter 93
Chapter 93
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Power Leveling (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I guess it doesn’t give any experience points.
I thought I’d gain at least a few levels for all the trouble I went through...
Seeing as Goldrake wasn't moving toward the corpse over there, it seems there aren't any items either.
Figuring the quest reward was all there was to it, I first summoned my companions again.
“Mister! What in the world happened to you!”
I summoned Rina first, and she immediately came over to inspect me.
“I’m fine.”
Thanks to the massive stat increase, all my wounds had vanished.
But my clothes were almost completely torn and covered in blood, so she seemed worried.
“How can you be fine? You’ve lost so much blood. What on earth happened…”
“Let me summon the others first.”
I thought it would be better to explain everything at once, so after Hanna, I summoned the rest of my companions one by one.
“Hyeon-ung!”
“Hyeon-ung, your clothes… Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“We were so worried when the summon was suddenly canceled.”
Replying that I was surprised too, a strange feeling came over me as I looked at my companions checking on me.
Something heartwarming and tender…
We were only separated for about two days, but if I hadn’t won, I would never have seen any of them again.
“Poyo! Poyo!”
“Kkyuing!”
As if sharing my feelings, Goldrake and Nix flew over to Alpen and Hanna, acting cute.
Finally, I summoned Bio, and huh?
That guy Bio just looks me up and down without a word.
“What in the world did you do?”
It seems Bio immediately noticed that all my stats had surpassed 5,000.
“The Chairwoman helped me.”
“The Chairwoman?”
“Oh, you mean that girl, Ha-young?”
“Mister, didn’t you say she was on the lower floors?”
I briefly explained what had happened while my companions were unsummoned.
“Wow, that’s a huge relief.”
“Mister, are you really okay?”
“I might look like this, but I’m not injured anywhere. I lost a lot of items, though.”
My sword, Kalisina’s Darkness, and accessories like my boots and necklace are fine, but my armor, cloak, belt, and gloves were all destroyed.
It was an incredibly fierce battle, and the situation was dire.
It’s a shame, but I can always get new equipment, and it’s so good to see my companions like this again.
I’m so grateful to Ha-young, I don’t know how I’ll ever repay her.
If she hadn’t insisted on coming to the labyrinth, saying she’d be a help to me, I would have died.
I plan to repay her for sure when I go back.
No, now that the quest is resolved, I can move freely again, so it might not be a bad idea to go down to the lower floors and meet her.
“Here, give me your hand for a moment.”
“My hand?”
Before I could even answer properly, Bio came over and grabbed my wrist.
“As I thought. It doesn’t seem to be a continuous ability.”
“Huh?”
As soon as Bio finished speaking, a notification window appeared.
[Remote Party has been disbanded.
The Defying Heaven trait has been deactivated.]
The power that had been overflowing in my body vanished.
“It seems there’s a time limit, just like you said.”
It’s a bit disappointing, but if you could maintain a remote party indefinitely without such a limit, it would be no different from cheating.
It’s not like my healed injuries are coming back.
“That’s a relief.”
“A relief? Are you that jealous of me getting stronger?”
“Power gained easily doesn’t help one grow.”
He’d been quiet lately, but I see Bio is as consistent as ever.
“Hand over the sword for a moment, too.”
“Y-you want my sword? But I lost all my items and this is the only thing I have left. You said you wouldn’t take it…”
The party's even disbanded now, so I've lost my power again. I can't let him take my sword too, so I quickly hid it behind my back.
“I’m just trying to check something, so hand it over willingly.”
As he spoke, Bio moved behind me and snatched the sword in an instant.
He held the sword, nodded a few times, and with a flick of his finger, a purple light erupted from Kalisina’s Darkness.
“Bio?”
“You must have fought quite fiercely. It was a little short on experience, but I added my power to evolve it.”
Relieved, I took the sword as he held it out.
[Kalisina's Nightmare (Myth, Infinity)
A longsword imbued with mysterious power, forged from the fang of Kalisina, the worst demonic dragon who drove the world to the brink of destruction.
Attack Power 150, All Stats +25%, Agility +300
Damage Increase 300%, Indestructible.
Special Abilities.
70% chance to inflict Bleed status ailment on target.
50% chance to inflict Paralysis status ailment on target.
30% chance to inflict Blind status ailment on target.
20% chance to activate Demonic Dragon's Nightmare on target.
(Demonic Dragon's Nightmare: Reduces all of the target's stats by 40% and sets their Defense and Curse Resistance to 0. Duration: 1 minute)
※Infinity weapons are growth-type and develop according to the owner's experience and skill.]
The stats were jaw-dropping.
I knew Infinity weapons could evolve, but it actually went from Legendary to Myth.
Its name also changed from Darkness to Nightmare.
Of course, the stats and special abilities didn’t change drastically, but they all increased.
In particular, the All Stats bonus went up by a whole 5 percent.
“Bio, didn’t you say I shouldn’t rely on items?”
“You said you lost most of your equipment this time. Consider it a gift for all your hard work…”
“Bio…”
He may seem indifferent on the outside, but there’s really no one like our Bio.
Thud-
Overjoyed, I tried to pull Bio into a tight hug, but he deftly stepped aside, and I fell flat on my face.
“Isn’t that a little too harsh?”
“I’m not into men.”
“Neither am I!”
He’s a bit of a pain, but seeing the sword gleaming with purple light, my resentment melted away like snow.
“…Well, it’ll be hard to get new equipment right away, so I figured you’d need it to adapt on the 66th floor.”
“Is the 66th floor next?”
“You struggled quite a bit on this floor, so it would be better to go to the 66th floor.”
Definitely… I may have gotten a Myth weapon, but I lost most of my equipment, including my armor, cloak, and gloves.
The difficulty spikes sharply on the higher floors, and even the angels are after me, so it’s probably best not to push myself too hard.
“So, should we head there right away?”
“No. Let’s stop by the 51st floor first.”
“The 51st floor?”
I plan to visit the Harpy Queen first to take care of the lord’s request.
If I rashly enter the 66th floor, I might end up unable to move freely, like on the 65th.
After that, I plan to meet Ha-young.
I considered meeting Ha-young first, but I think I’ll handle the lord’s request and then spend the rest of my time in the labyrinth helping her while strengthening my own foundation.
This battle taught me that blindly rushing upwards isn’t the answer.
I improved a bit after awakening my Will, but I keenly felt that I still rely too much on stats and items and lack technique.
When I explained these thoughts, that guy Bio gave a rare grin and nodded.
Together with everyone, I moved to the 51st floor, to the Harpy Queen’s nest.
“Benefactor! You’re a bit late this time, I was worried something might have happened… Huh? Your clothes… Are you all right?”
“I had a rather intense battle upstairs. My body is fine, so there’s no need to worry.”
Reassuring the Harpy Queen, I handed her the letter and the video recording crystal I received from the lord.
I explained the method the lord and I had devised, though it was probably also written in the letter.
“So, you’re saying you’ll make me your familiar?”
“Yes. Almondeu asked me to bring you outside.”
I also informed her of the same concerns I had discussed with the lord about becoming a familiar.
I told her that when one becomes a familiar, it’s common in games for skills like ‘Familiarize’ to tame monsters, making them loyal to their master.
Of course, I have no intention of working you to the bone or treating you poorly, but my feelings might change.
The lord said Alice would feel the same way, and I think so too, but her own feelings might be different.
“If you’re reluctant, it’s okay to refuse. I’ll continue to deliver the letters and video recording crystals like this.”
Considering everything the lord has done for me, it’s not too much of a burden.
“Yes. Please do it. I feel the same way as Almondeu. I’ll do anything if it means I can see him again.”
“You won’t regret it? Think carefully about what I just said…”
“Even if I become your familiar, benefactor, my heart will not change.”
I could see firm resolve in the Harpy Queen’s face.
In that case, there’s no need to waste any more time.
I took out the Doppelganger’s Dagger from my inventory.
“This might hurt a little.”
“I’m prepared.”
I was about to stab her but stopped.
“Benefactor?”
“Mister? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, just in case something goes wrong with the Harpy Queen, hold on a moment…”
The Harpy Queen isn’t a floor boss, but she’s a named monster on the 51st floor, so she’s definitely not weak. But I’m just too strong.
If I accidentally stab her once and something goes wrong, I won’t be able to face the lord.
I considered letting Alpen, the weakest in my party, do it, but no, to be safer, I opened my inventory and took out a companion summon card.
“Drunkard Hank.”
With my shout, a man who looked to be in his early to mid-thirties and about 160 cm tall appeared in a flash of gray light.
“*Hic!* Oh, my summoner… nice to… I’m Hank… *hic!*”
…I’m starting to think I should have just let Alpen do it.
Maybe my standards have gotten too high from only seeing Heroic or at least Rare grade companions… yeah, right.
His nose was red from drinking, and he couldn't even stand straight. To think this guy is a companion…
I think I understand why other summoners don’t favor companion summoning.
“Nice to meet you, Hank. Could you stab that monster with this dagger?”
“*Hic!* *Hic!* She looks so big and strong… I don’t think I can kill… *hic!* her.”
“I summoned you precisely because you can’t kill her, so just do as I say.”
“*Hic!* Yes. *Hic!*”
Still, being a companion, he immediately took the dagger and stabbed the Harpy Queen’s wing.
“*Hic!* I stabbed her. *Burp!*”
[Doppelganger’s Dagger effect activated]
[Harpy Queen’s attribute has been changed to Water.]
Unfortunately, it’s not Earth attribute.
“*Hic!* Do I have to do it again? *Hic!*”
“Wait ten minutes and then stab her again.”
The cooldown for the Doppelganger’s Dagger’s special ability is ten minutes.
“*Hic!* Can I have a drink while I wait? *Hic!*”
He said, pointing to a waterskin at his waist, which seemed to be filled with alcohol instead of water.
As I clicked my tongue, thinking what a hopeless drunkard he was, Rina came up and whispered to me.
“Mister, that guy is weird.”
“You shouldn’t say things like that.”
Not just my other companions, but even the Harpy Queen kept a slight distance.
It was clear that no one was particularly fond of Hank.
I felt the same way, but I doubt the other Normal-grade companions would be much different…
“Hey, Hank, what are you doing? I told you not to drink!”
I snatched the waterskin away, waited ten minutes, and then had Hank stab the Harpy Queen again.
[Doppelganger’s Dagger effect activated]
[Harpy Queen’s attribute has been changed to Earth.]
[Encountered an Earth-attribute monster. The Lord of the Desert trait has been activated.]
“Oh, it worked!”
“*Hic!* So, can I have a drink now… *hic*.”
“Good work. You can go back now, Hank.”
After sending Hank back, I approached the Harpy Queen, who was now glowing with a yellow light.
“Harpy Queen, will you become my familiar?”
“Yes.”
As soon as the Harpy Queen answered, a brown chain appeared in mid-air with a flash of white light.
The coiled chain unfurled and pierced through my chest and the Harpy Queen’s.
“Mister!”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I think I’m fine.”
I was a bit startled, but thankfully, there was no pain.
The Harpy Queen vanished, and a notification window appeared.
[Successfully turned Harpy Queen Alice into a familiar. Strength +2, Agility +3, Stamina +3, Magic Power +1, Luck +2]
Oh, they said my stats would increase based on the number and abilities of my familiars. This is pretty sweet.
[You have achieved the great feat of making a named monster your familiar. Luck +3]
An achievement bonus stat, too. This is awesome.
But the most important thing is whether I can summon a familiar outside the labyrinth.
I immediately opened my status window and tapped on the Lord of the Desert trait.
[Lord of the Desert (Hidden)
Familiar: You can subdue Earth-attribute monsters and make them your familiars.
Your stats will increase according to the number and abilities of your familiars.
Current Familiars: 1
Harpy Queen Alice, Strength +2, Agility +3, Stamina +3, Magic Power +1, Luck +2
You can summon and unsummon a familiar by calling its name. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)]
“Harpy Queen Alice!”
The Harpy Queen appeared in a flash of brown light.
“So? Do you feel any different?”
“I still think Almondeu is the most handsome man in the world.”
Haha… a bit obnoxious, but it’s a relief that her mind hasn’t changed much.
“Um, benefactor, can I go outside the labyrinth now?”
“Hmm? I think you probably can.”
It doesn’t say I can summon you outside the labyrinth, but it doesn’t say I can’t, either.
“I’ll try it once I get out. If it doesn’t work…”
“I have no regrets. This is the path I chose. By becoming your familiar, I’ll be able to hear news more quickly, and…”
Right. Even if it doesn’t work, at least I’ve saved myself the trouble of coming to the 51st floor in the future.
“So, can you send me to the lower floors now?”
“Yeah. I have to go meet my lifesaver. Hold on, Harpy Queen, it’s okay for you to go back for now, right?”
She nodded, so I unsummoned the Harpy Queen.
If I brought her with me, the summoners on the lower floors might get the wrong idea.
“Which floor should we go to?”
“The 1st floor… she’s probably passed it by now. How about the 3rd floor?”
Even if we miss each other, there should be people from the Guild Alliance on every floor, so we can just ask.
****
Labyrinth, 8th Floor.
“What are you talking about?”
Mi-jeong, who was in charge of the Golden Lion Guild’s new members, couldn’t believe what Ha-young was saying.
It wasn’t just Mi-jeong; the other party members also looked dumbfounded by Lee Ha-young’s absurd statement.
“Ha-young, that’s not a funny joke.”
“No. I know you’re amazing, but that’s just impossible…”
It was strange when she said she wanted to leave the party to test a new skill, but now, this was completely incomprehensible.
She said she’d still travel with us, so I allowed it, but then suddenly…
“I’m not lying. I’m really level 60 right now!”
Ha-young claimed she had leveled up 50 times.
Less than thirty minutes after reaching level 10.