Chapter 155: You Can’t Go Back Now
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155: You Can’t Go Back Now
Cr-crack...
I pried my ribs apart to create a small opening and shoved the Lich’s Mana Core, which I had just consumed, into my chest.
“This is...”
Mana Cores tend to collect and generate more mana in specific situations depending on their unique traits. Based on what the Direwolf Alpha’s vision was picking up, it seemed the Lich’s Mana Core...
‘It’s gathering mana from the corpses.’
The pulverized remains of ghouls and skeletons were scattered everywhere. Like water evaporating, the Lich’s Mana Core was drawing mana from those bodies. It was a trait that would be quite useful in battles against large numbers.
Before long, Father and the others descended to the bottom floor. Father appeared suddenly from the portal, while the others were coming down through the hole I had bored, riding on the cats.
“Young man! Did you win?! Did you just go slash-slash and take him out?!”
“Yes, I did.”
“Wooooh...!! Incredible!!”
It seemed most of the reinforced skeletons that had been swarming the 20th floor had been cleared out. After Mr. Gerick checked the surroundings using sound waves, he confirmed that the skeletons' movements had decreased significantly.
“Man, are you really Gold Grade? Taking down a Lich solo... that’s amazing.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“That aside, that ability... it’s very unique.”
Mr. Gadel hopped off the cat he was riding and pointed his staff toward my chest. He was likely referring to the Lich’s Mana Core embedded there.
“Can you feel it?”
“Yeah, I can sense that much mana. I didn't say anything earlier because things were so hectic, but it looks like you have the mana of other creatures as well.”
“That’s correct.”
“Are you a Battle Attire?”
“Ah, well... not exactly. It’s a type of skill.”
It seemed he took my appearance for some kind of unique equipment. Since I don't exactly have a fetish for this kind of look, I figured if I were going to buy and wear equipment, I would’ve picked something that looked a bit cooler.
“Regardless, your combat power is certainly impressive. Taking down a Lich alone... even at a low estimate, you’d have to be at least Cobalt Grade.”
“Is it that high?”
“Even for a 1st Stratum Boss, we usually form a party of several Gold and Silver Grades. We even throw in a lot of Iron and Lead Grades just to fill out the numbers. There’s no way a Lich, the boss of the 2nd Stratum, would be any less than that.”
“Haha... I see.”
The Orc Chieftain, the 1st Stratum Boss, is followed by at least a three-digit number of Orc Warriors who obey his commands. Because of that, the battle naturally drags on, and it’s true that a large number of explorers are needed...
But was the Lich really on that level? If anything, since it was a one-on-one fight, it felt like a small elite group could have handled it.
‘Ah, come to think of it.’
Now that I thought about it, the corpses of hundreds of Evil Eyes, skeleton soldiers, and ghouls summoned by the Lich were strewn about. I suppose the Lich wasn't much different when it came to needing numbers.
“How is your body? Fighting a Lich usually leaves an aftereffect.”
“I don’t feel anything in particular. I think we can keep going.”
I hadn't properly utilized the Lich’s skeletal structure yet, but I figured I could just tear out the Mana Core and a few magic circuits to use. If there was anything else worth using from the Lich’s body...
‘Do Liches have eyes?’
I wasn't sure yet. Since a Lich is ultimately a skeleton, it didn't seem like they had physical eyeballs.
For now, I’d settle for the Mana Core. Its trait of generating more mana when surrounded by corpses was valuable enough on its own.
“Shall we head to the 3rd Stratum?”
“Yes, sounds good.”
* * *
“A solo subjugation of a Lich?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’m sorry, but what is your grade...?”
“Gold Grade.”
Leaving behind the base guard who was agonizing over whether to believe me or not, I descended to the 21st floor. The truth of the subjugation would be revealed through verification anyway.
Later, when I returned to the surface and had my Explorer’s Plate inspected, the mana obtained from subjugating the Lich would be recorded on it.
And so, we set foot on the 3rd Stratum for the first time.
“It’s lush.”
“Snnnnniff! Haaaaah~ This is the air! So refreshing!”
As soon as we reached the 3rd Stratum, Father lay down on the ground and flailed his short limbs. The 2nd Stratum was damp and filthy, so unless you were wearing a robe, there was nowhere to lie down.
“It seems to be getting a bit dark.”
“It’s about time for nightfall. What do you think? Shall we go down another floor or two before sleeping? Or should we take it easy and look for a place to stay here?”
Mr. Bontes asked as he planted his halberd into the ground. Come to think of it, how did these people sleep? I had seen Mr. Gadel take various things out with magic, but did they even bring sleeping bags?
“You can’t use sleeping bags in the 3rd Stratum. We need to find a cave and block it off with a barricade.”
“I see. It looks like it’ll take some time, so shall we look for a place to stay?”
“Sure, sounds like a plan.”
Finding a cave would take time, and building a sturdy barricade to keep out the giant beast-type monsters of the 3rd Stratum would also require quite a bit of effort.
—Tring!
“Over there. There’s a cave that’s neither too deep nor too shallow.”
“Oh, already?”
“Ehehe, nice! Let’s go!”
Right, I forgot that Mr. Gerick had his exceptional sound wave detection for scouting. The ultrasound from the Labyrinth Bat I was using only fired in one direction, and I could only hear what bounced back from that specific path. It wasn't easy to perceive all directions instantly like he did.
“The size is just right. Not bad.”
“Looks like something’s inside. Gadel and the young man, go check it out.”
“Will do.”
“Yes, understood.”
And so, I began exploring the cave with Mr. Gadel. I was fine since I had vision that could see clearly even in the dark, but was Mr. Gadel okay without even casting a Light spell?
“Mr. Gadel? Can you see well?”
“To some extent. I just used a skill to change the color of the monsters inside to a bright white. They’ll stand out even from a distance, so no need to worry.”
He could change the color of things he couldn't even see yet? It seemed like a much better skill than I had expected.
“We’ll see them soon. I’m going to change the colors, so don’t panic if you can’t see your own body.”
“Understood.”
Mr. Gadel took a deep breath and scattered the energy of his skill into the surroundings. In an instant, the dark environment turned into a black so deep that even shadows couldn't be distinguished, and something whitish began to creep into view in the distance.
“It’s an Adamant Bear. It has good instincts and might sense us to some degree, so don’t rely too much on the skill.”
“Confirmed.”
Because its entire body had turned white, the creature seemed confused as well. It appeared to be sniffing the air, and seeing as it eventually turned its head toward us, it must have caught our scent.
“I’ll handle it.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Thanks to the Direwolf Alpha’s vision, I could see its mana moving. Its physical size was about twice that of an Ursus, the bear-like beast monster found in the 1st Stratum. It was past the hibernation season, so it was about time for them to be active.
‘The quality isn't bad.’
Being a Beast Species, it was a creature with a heart rather than a Mana Core. Among the hearts I currently possessed, the heart of the Irregular Orc Chieftain—who was also a boss entity—had the highest value.
Queen Arachne moved via a Mana Core without a heart, and the Dragon Heart served a different role since it was from a Dragon Species, unlike typical beast hearts.
It would be better to have one more spare heart.
—Swish!
I used the Goblin Shaman’s binding skill toward the distant creature’s body. Even though it was reinforced by the mana of a high-level monster, I wondered if it was because it was still just the low-quality magic of a Goblin Shaman.
—Snap...
‘It broke.’
Mr. Gadel watched from a distance and asked if I needed help.
“No, I’m fine.”
Confirmed. The Goblin Shaman’s binding technique was pretty useless. Since the original spell was a low-tier magic that barely tripped someone up, I suppose there might still be situations to use it since it wasn't a projectile. But as a way to bind an opponent, this was definitely better.
—Cr-crack
I extended my right palm forward and manifested the web-secreting organ from Queen Arachne’s mouth. Queen Arachne produced webs from two places: the ones from her abdomen were plentiful, highly resistant to physical impact, and non-sticky. Those were mostly used for building nests.
The webs produced from the opening in her mouth were fewer in quantity but far stickier, highly resistant to mana, and released a powerful paralytic agent.
—Thwip!
The Adamant Bear, having struggled out of the binding magic, charged toward us. It didn't seem to see anything; it felt more like it was instinctively following the direction of the wind to find an opening.
—Roar...!!
The creature was struck by Queen Arachne’s hunting web and became completely pinned to the ground. It tried to resist, but soon its body began to quiver as the paralysis took effect, and it stopped moving.
“Excellent. The more I see, the more I’m convinced you’re not Gold Grade.”
“Haha... is that so?”
I enveloped the massive bear lying on the ground with my stomach wall. Even if I didn't kill it, I could store it via the skill once it was inside my stomach.
—Gulp
I drained the blood from the consumed Adamant Bear’s brain and immediately spat it out. With a splat, pinkish innards tumbled out... It seemed that as it fell under the influence of my skill, Mr. Gadel’s skill effect had worn off.
“Good work. Let’s head back.”
“Yes, sir.”
It had taken barely ten minutes to deal with the Adamant Bear nestled in the cave. They probably hadn't finished blocking the wide cave entrance yet. I should go help.
“Oi, you’re back? What was it?”
“An Adamant Bear. The young man handled it well on his own.”
“Well done! You want some bear meat?”
“No, I still have some Wild Boar meat left... Would you like to eat the bear meat instead?”
“Oh, really? If there’s still boar left, that’s even better.”
It was unexpected. They had already cut down several thick trees to firmly block the cave entrance and even started a fire.
—Tring!
“Well done! My eyes never fail me!”
To the sound of Mr. Gerick plucking his lute, we sat around the campfire, brought out the Wild Boar, and prepared the meal.
‘So this is what Cobalt-grade explorers are like.’
They were so relaxed. It made my experiences with lower-grade explorers feel like a distant memory.
“How is it, young man? Being with Cobalt-grade explorers.”
“...It’s amazing. Everyone is incredibly strong.”
“You won’t be able to go back to how things were, will you?”
“Haha....”