The Desert Cleaner
The spreading yellow light gradually subsided. My surroundings came into clearer view.
"...Not bad?"
Rubbing my eyes from the brief flash, I could confirm the scorpion was cleanly dead. Half its body, including the pincers and head, had vanished as if disintegrated. Way stronger than I'd expected. The only issue?
"What the hell, it's not a flashbang—does it always explode with light like that when I swing?"
Did every single skill have to come with some stupid flaw? Hell's Furnace Fire already guzzled mana like crazy. Cleansing lacked raw power. And now Holy Endowment was blinding me too.
Just give me a skill that's straight-up strong with no downsides for once. Is that too much to ask?
Regret washed over me.
"Nah, that was my first time using it. Gotta experiment more."
A bit of disappointment lingered, but it was my debut cast today. Plenty of room to grow, and maybe I was just using it wrong anyway. I dusted myself off and stood.
I grabbed just the tail from the scorpion corpse in front of me, then shoved the rest into a corner to hide it. If someone found it, shit would get annoying.
With the body stashed, I shook off my hands and bolted straight home. That yellow light earlier? Not exactly subtle. If anyone saw it, "annoying" would be the least of my problems.
Next time, pick a different clearing.
I sorted my thoughts and picked up the pace, quickly putting distance between me and the spot.
A week later.
"Fuuuuck... hooow..."
The scorching sun beat down relentlessly. Sand and blistering air that clung to my lungs with every breath. Endless dunes no matter how far I trudged.
I was smack in the middle of an infinite desert right now.
Why the desert all of a sudden? "Fuck... the first five floors were just forests, so why the hell is it suddenly a desert?!"
After a week of training and tinkering, I'd mastered applications and precise control for all my skills. Felt ready enough to tackle the 6th floor. And this was the result.
Blazing sun. Endless sand parade. Shoe-melting heat that'd drive anyone insane.
Cough. Cough. "Ugh... water..."
At least Cleansing meant I'd never run dry. That one thing kept my sanity intact.
"Seriously, give me a goal or something. You don't just dump people in a desert like this."
If there'd been a clear objective or clear condition, it might've been bearable. But since entering the 6th floor, I'd done nothing but walk this desert. No tower messages. No monsters. Nada.
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped me. Water wasn't the issue—mentally, I was wrecked. Nearly an hour of trudging through the sand. No goal, no destination, heavy backpack and all. Even an oasis to rest? Nope.
As my body and mind grew exhausted...
Screeeeech?!
"Holy shit, you have no idea how long I've been hunting for you bastards...!"
Familiar faces appeared before me. Massive ash-gray claws. Tails reared high. Scorpions the size of three grown men. The ash-gray scorpion swarm.
"You guys are the quest target this time, right? Say yes."
Taat! I charged without a second thought. About five of them. Without Hell's Furnace Fire, it'd be a handful, but right now? Sun-baked and pissed off, numbers didn't matter. Not like they used to burden me anyway.
Shwaaah! Screeech!
I used Cleansing to bind one scorpion. Another lunged at me—but useless.
Slash. Crunch.
"One down."
I dodged its claws and tail effortlessly, then jammed my kitchen knife into its head. Instant kill. The rest sensed danger and backed off, wary.
"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you? Sure, I one-shot one, but..."
Stab. Kirruk... Fwaaah!
I finished the bound one, then my knife gleamed with faint golden light as I rushed the remaining three.
I grabbed the tail of the one separated from the other two.
Screeech?!
It swung its claws in resistance, but no chance.
Crack. I severed the poison sac and stinger from its tail, hopped on its back.
And...
Stab. Fwaaaah!
I plunged the knife into its back. The golden blade erupted like before—but different. No blinding burst. Just a short, dim flicker. No vision block.
"Phew—worth the research."
Power amped up too—legs left behind, body fully vaporized. Fruits of a week's labor: Compress the yellow holy energy for higher quality, reduce the amount to dial down the flash. Perfect.
I smiled contentedly at my glowing knife, then turned that smile on the scorpions.
Screeeeech!
"Hmm... zoning out ain't a smart move, scorpion-kun."
Stab. It charged on instinct and vanished like the last.
One left. I shook blood off my knife and approached slowly.
Screeeeech...!
Wary, but not attacking.
"Scorpion-kun wasn't happy, was he?"
I ignored it, smiling like a nurse with a needle saying "this won't hurt."
"Scorpion-kun was happier as scorpion kebabs... or will be."
Slash. Screee... "Phew!"
I cleaved the last one in half. Done.
I quickly stuffed poison sacs and some meat into my bag.
Wobble. "...Yeah, can't spam it."
Dizziness hit mid-way; nearly fell but caught myself. Holy Endowment's flaw lessened and power boosted—great—but overuse brought vertigo. Different from mana drain. Drain felt like "you're dying." This was overload vibes.
"Eh, still usable now."
I ignored the spinning head, packed the sacs.
Then—
6th Floor Clear Condition Updated.
A blue window popped up beside me as I collected sacs. Floor clear message, probably.
"Hold on, lemme finish packing these."
I stowed the sacs, wondering what reward this time, and checked the window.
Flee from the Desert Cleaner and hide in the eastern cave.
"What...?"
Ridiculous "6th floor clear condition updated" message, then—
Rumble rumble rumble—
Ominous ground vibrations hit.
"Fuck...!"
Instinct screamed: stay still and you're dead. Tiny bugs crawling all over my skin. No clue what a Desert Cleaner was, but doing nothing here meant high-fiving my ancestors.
I bolted from the scorpions' spot, opposite the setting sun.
Smart call.
Rumble rumble craaaash—!!! Boom!!!
"Insane...!"
A massive pillar—no, living thing—erupted right there. That the cleaner? Building-sized, dozens stacked. Impenetrable shell. Overwhelming gap—I couldn't touch it.
"Shit...!"
Its presence crushed my spirit. No looking back, just run. Message said east cave, so I'd headed sunset-opposite from the start. Maximize distance to the monster, reach cave fast.
Rumble!!!
"Even with my dopamine addiction, this ain't the hit I wanted!!!"
Huge tremors behind as I raced to the cave. Definitely chasing me.
"Just a peek...?"
How was it keeping up to shake the ground like this? Curiosity won; I glanced back mid-sprint.
Boom!
"...Fuck, shouldn't have looked...!"
Eye contact with the cleaner bursting from sand. It burrowed, leaped, sometimes crawled unpredictably. I was screwed—ran like hell.
How long? Tremors right on my heels, no cave in sight.
Then—
Booom!!!
It erupted directly behind. Body-shaking quake. Massive shadow blotting sun, sand raining down—goosebumps everywhere.
About to get devoured—
"Found it, fuck—!"
Spotted a cave in the sandstone ahead. This was the one. Instinct said so.
Pop! Burst a compressed water orb on the ground for propulsion, shot forward.
Simultaneously—
Ruuuuumble! Cleaner slammed its head into the ground.
You have cleared the 6th Floor.
??? Difficulty Bonus Applied.
"Huff—huff—fuck, thought I was done for..."
Perfect timing—I dove into the cave, barely surviving.