Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Mid-Tier Dungeon
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Mid-tier dungeon.
The Golden Tree, leader of the Fallen Leaf Grove.
It was originally a magnificent tree covered in golden leaves.
But now, it looked nothing like its name suggested.
The reason was simple.
All the golden leaves that made up the Golden Tree were gone.
Its branches were stripped bare, embarrassingly empty for any onlooker.
As a result, the Golden Tree was left with nothing but naked branches.
"What, that's all you got?"
The one who had reduced the Golden Tree to this state.
Vampire Queen, Syria Nosferatu.
Perched atop a shadow, she asked back in a soft, lilting tone.
Shudder...
The Golden Tree's empty branches trembled and shrank back.
To eliminate the intruder, the Golden Tree had unleashed a fierce barrage of golden leaves.
But Syria showed it just how futile that was.
The shadow chewed up and swallowed every single leaf that flew at her.
Undeterred, the Golden Tree pressed its desperate assault.
And in the end, it was left a hollow husk.
This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Fallen Leaf Grove.
Yet the being before it shattered the Golden Tree's complacent assumptions.
The Golden Tree was a foe that a party of 9th Ascension pioneers might barely conquer.
In contrast, Syria's Corruption Level was a staggering 19.
No mere mid-tier dungeon boss could touch her.
The Golden Tree twisted its massive trunk.
It was instinctual thrashing to escape this place.
But soon enough, it learned how meaningless that struggle was.
"Hemorrhage Repair, Attribute Fusion: Fierce Poison Spread."
Beneath the Golden Tree.
A necromancer was chaining spells one after another.
Before him, a sphere of fierce poison blood was swelling to enormous size.
Magic skills all shared one key trait.
They had a "Charge" function.
When Charge activated.
The more mana invested.
The greater the spell's power.
And this held true even in the reality of Dungeon Replay.
'Depending on how much mana I pour in.'
The spell's power amplified, growing ever larger.
Leyzon activated Charge and entered a state of deep focus.
His mana rapidly expanded the fierce poison blood sphere.
Boom!
At that moment, the Golden Tree—having spotted Leyzon too late after fixating on Syria—sprang into action.
Its roots surged upward, lunging at Leyzon.
As a far larger specimen than other root-kind monsters, its roots were enormous too.
Thud!
But a diminutive Sword-Tooth Clan warrior blocked its path.
Hanok thrust his shield forward, meeting the root head-on.
"Grrrng."
A menacing growl escaped Hanok's throat.
His eyes blazed bright yellow with battle fervor.
Hanok was Leyzon's frontline guardian.
To fulfill that role, he had to protect Leyzon no matter the circumstance.
So even against a root vastly larger than himself, Hanok stood firm.
That was why Syria hadn't bothered intervening.
Winning fights with her help alone wouldn't build crucial experience.
Leyzon's fierce poison blood sphere grew ever larger.
The Golden Tree realized this and unleashed fiercer attacks, but Hanok wielded his one-handed spear and shield without retreat.
Instead, he raised his tail and ears higher, roaring with zeal.
Soon, the sphere had swollen to fill the forest.
Sizzle...
Trees brushing the sphere melted away on contact.
The Golden Tree's anxiety mounted.
The moment it prepared a suicidal all-out assault.
Leyzon pointed the Staff of Abundance skyward.
The Golden Tree knew.
Its time was up.
"Attribute Fusion: Shadow Castle."
A pitch-black shadow enveloped the massive fierce poison blood sphere.
"Hanok."
At the call, Hanok leaped high.
Channeling his full power, he slammed forward shield-first.
Thwump!
The sphere collided with Hanok and rocketed into the sky.
The Golden Tree's branches reached to intercept, but a gale of blood wind sheared them all away.
Slash!
"It's a gift Lord Leyzon so kindly prepared. How dare you refuse it!"
At Syria's words, the Golden Tree froze in shock.
This is too much.
With that thought, it could only stare blankly at the approaching sphere.
"Fierce Poison Explosion."
Leyzon's spell detonated.
Kaboom!
The explosion laced with fierce poison ravaged the Fallen Leaf Grove.
When the massive blast—blinding even to witness—finally subsided.
The Golden Tree was reduced to a mere stump.
The surrounding trees had suffered the same fate.
Unable to withstand the blast, they were obliterated, leaving an empty clearing.
Swish...
Leyzon appeared atop that clearing.
Syria's shadow had shielded him and Hanok.
"Uwaaah."
Hanok's fur stood on end, startled by the sheer scale of the explosion.
Leyzon felt the same.
He had verified the power boost when escaping the dungeon before.
And tested it across other mid-tier dungeons since.
'The power's definitely there.'
The thrilling kickback from each shot.
Leyzon couldn't help but marvel every time.
Moreover, the spectacle post-explosion stirred something deep within him.
In some ways, Leyzon's magic was inefficient.
He couldn't fire it solo, and prepping for full power took ages.
Yet he stuck with it because of the overwhelming firepower like this.
'Few spells can match this output from a single cast.'
Even top pioneer mages couldn't replicate it.
'Max output, ignoring my Ascension Level entirely.'
That merit alone was enough.
Plus the mental high.
Unleashing a cathartic boom felt profoundly satisfying.
It was a rebellion against his repressed life.
Poor family background had bottled him up unwittingly.
Blowing it all away with magic brought sweet relief.
But there was a clear drawback.
'Can't use it solo without Syria.'
The power was so immense, Leyzon risked getting caught in the blast himself.
A major headache for him.
He relied on Syria now, but without a fix, trouble loomed.
'What to do.'
Leyzon crossed his arms, pondering briefly.
His gaze drifted to Hanok.
Hanok was his party vanguard.
Leyzon had encouraged his growth for that purpose.
Even Hanok couldn't dodge magic backlash alone.
Without Syria, he'd be caught every time.
"Hmm."
Leyzon stroked his chin.
Finding gear or skills was one option.
But a better idea flashed through his mind.
It might solve both his and Hanok's issues at once.
'Worth a shot.'
It'd require some prep, though.
He'd try once ready.
Perfect timing—the village ahead was famed for gear crafting.
Time to stock up.
"Hanok."
"Y-yes!"
Hanok turned, smoothing his bristled tail.
"Let's go ascend."
Hanok's eyes widened at the words.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Three mid-tier dungeons cleared.
Ascension time at last.
* * *
Village of Geda.
A settlement midway up the Ged Mountains.
"Took forever."
All the chaos had delayed things.
He hadn't expected 7th Ascension to take this long.
'Just 7th now.'
With 18 more to go.
Dungeons galore ahead.
But that meant getting stronger too.
Leyzon saw the bright side.
'Ged Mountains alright—tons of non-humans.'
The village teemed with visible heteromorphs.
From mammals to reptiles.
All sorts coexisted.
"We blend right in here."
Leyzon was Half Dark Elf.
Hanok, Sword-Tooth Clan.
Syria was in shadow, so no issue.
Normal villages always drew stares otherwise.
"This is where I started as a pioneer."
Hanok beamed, sightseeing excitedly.
Made sense—no heteromorph bias here.
Must've been comfy for him.
But his tail and ears soon drooped.
"...Still, everyone feared Sword-Tooth Clan. Couldn't party up."
Even heteromorphs dreaded Shadow Warlord kin.
"No worries. You're acing it with me now."
"Right!"
Hanok's tail and ears perked straight up.
Sight warmed Leyzon's heart.
[Lately, that Sword-Tooth kid's been wagging his tail at Lord Leyzon nonstop?]
The shadow at his feet flickered jealously.
Enough seeing Hanok as a rival already.
"Pioneer Synthesis Hall's this way!"
Thanks to Hanok, Leyzon found Geda's Pioneer Synthesis Hall quick.
Creeeak...
Entering, sure enough—packed with heteromorphs.
Even the clerk was one.
A four-eared beastkin squinted at Leyzon.
"Ugh, elves are picky pains."
Saying that openly to a pioneer's face.
Classic heteromorph.
Human norms didn't apply.
At least no looks-based disdain.
Heteromorph aesthetics differed.
They often couldn't distinguish other races' faces.
So faces didn't matter much.
"Ascension for two, please."
"Ah, yes. Pioneer IDs?"
They did the job diligently, at least.
Leyzon handed over his ID.
Hanok followed, fidgety, offering his.
Long time since his last—face tense.
She took them and vanished inside.
Leyzon scanned the hall.
After seeing Kalтура Empire's underbelly, it felt off now.
Couldn't tell how deep their ties ran.
Zing!
Suddenly, Leyzon felt strength flood his body.
His mana surged massively.
'No way, this is...'
Leyzon's eyes widened.
Ascension.
"Here you go—your friend's done at 7th."
The clerk returned, handing Leyzon his ID.
Leyzon took it, face blank.
'...Normal?'
No one batted an eye at his ascension.
Hand ID to clerk, magic processes inside, ascend.
As if the hall granted growth itself.
Everyone took it for granted.
Leyzon had too, until shedding "game" mindset.
It was a game when he arrived.
But now reality.
Now he grasped how bizarre it all was.
'Daily life for this world's people.'
A world forged over millennia.
Where this was normal.
'Feels real now. Pioneer Halls, and the empires pulling strings behind.'
Talent truly managed here.
Forces upheld that system.
Then Hanok's tail shot up.
Hanok shuddered.
A shorter tail stub sprouted alongside his.
Hanok had ascended too.
That tail would grow with EXP as 8th Ascension, fully sprouting at max.
"L-Lord Leyzon."
Hanok turned, face beaming with emotion.
Leyzon grinned, baring teeth.
Yeah, screw empires.
Time to celebrate ascension.
"Hanok, ascension party."
"Wooooah!"
Hanok threw arms wide, whooping.
Time to ravage Geda's eats.