Chapter 61: To the 3rd Layer (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: To the 3rd Layer (2)
The stairs leading down to the 2nd Layer were not much different from the previous ones.
An endless spiral staircase.
Only faint torchlight illuminated the dark path ahead.
It was a scene designed to stimulate fear, one of humanity's primal emotions, but I paid it no mind.
To minimize my magic power consumption, I didn't even use Light magic.
Maintaining only a minimal level of tension, I continued my descent.
At the same time, I repeatedly channeled a faint current of the lightning element through my magic circuit.
This was prep work.
Just like heating a frying pan before cooking, I was intentionally putting a strain on my magic circuit to help it adapt to the lightning element.
...This is insane.
I knew it already, but this process was taxing on both my magic circuit and my body.
Among mages, Elementalists are the most common, while Conceptualists are the rarest.
Yet, the reason why those who wielded the lightning element were as rare as Conceptualists was right here.
Despite its overwhelming power, using it required an immense innate amount of magic power and a robust magic circuit to back it up. The physical durability it demanded was also a heavy burden for the average mage.
In that regard, thanks to the holy water, elixirs, and the app's buffs, I had barely crossed the baseline in terms of magic power and my magic circuit.
However, my body's durability was lacking in many ways.
I had no choice but to use my remaining magic power as a temporary fix to reinforce my body, but as time went on, I came to fully understand why there were so few mages who handled the lightning element.
This crazy element, running wild without even recognizing its master, rejected the very workaround of reinforcing the body with magic power.
“I'm going to get electrocuted to death at this rate.”
I had no choice but to stop what I was doing.
My body felt instantly relieved, but I had no intention of giving up on the lightning element.
On the contrary, I learned that while maintaining it for a long time was difficult, I could use it multiple times for short durations. For now, I was satisfied with just that.
The fire element was certainly powerful, but I had to discard any optimistic thought that it alone would be enough to easily handle the 2nd Layer's gatekeeper.
Even if it wore down my body, this was a moment when I had to use lightning.
Besides, I had holy water, so if things got rough, I could just push through with some doping.
I calculated that I should be able to hold out for a while that way.
Lost in such thoughts, I soon reached the end of the stairs.
At the bottom of the tiresome spiral staircase, a stone door similar to the one on the 1st Layer blocked my path.
When I pushed it with a bit of force, the door opened to the left and right with a loud groan.
A cloud of dust and dirt billowed out, and a new labyrinth revealed itself before me.
“Looks like a catacomb.”
The structure seemed similar to the 1st Layer, but murals were carved here and there on the walls.
A quick glance at the murals' content told me they were anything but ordinary.
Bodies formed a river, and what looked like blood flowed across the ground.
The figures in the murals were elves.
They were at war with someone.
“Monsters?”
On the side opposing the elves stood a giant dragon, a golem, and figures that looked like humans.
It was strange.
Monsters were creatures whose instinct was to kill humans, so how could they team up with them to attack elves?
I was momentarily engrossed in the incomprehensible scene, but I had a long way to go, so I pushed the thought aside and started walking down the corridor again.
Unlike the 1st Layer, where I had cleared out the traps, my exploration of the 2nd Layer had to be more cautious.
Unlike monsters, traps couldn't be picked up by magic detection, so I had to stay tense with every step.
I could now block ordinary arrows or structures falling from the ceiling with a barrier, which was an improvement from before, but I didn't think all traps would be so consistently simple.
The thought that there might be traps that a barrier wouldn't work against was subtly irritating me.
Because of that, the appearance of a monster was actually a welcome sight.
-Krrk?
Not long after arriving on the 2nd Layer, the first monster revealed itself from around a corner.
It was a group of five Lizardmen.
I didn't know their exact rank, but judging by the presence they gave off, they seemed to be around C-rank.
Their presence was so pathetic it was embarrassing to even compare them to the Lizard Warrior. I couldn't feel even a shred of tension.
It was only natural. Just a short while ago, I had spent a week fighting for my life in a B-rank gate.
The time for being scared of five Lizardmen was long past.
-Krak?!
-Kyaaa!!
Having realized I was alone, the Lizardmen, who had been sizing me up, charged at me all at once.
Even as they approached at high speed, I was unconcerned.
I already knew they were nearby thanks to my magic detection. In other words, I had more than enough time to prepare a spell.
An autobiography of a famous mage I once read had a line that went something like this:
[Fireball]
An unprepared mage is weak, but a prepared mage is overwhelmingly strong.
Fireball is the most basic of the fire element spells, but for a skilled mage, no two spells are ever exactly the same.
Modified magic.
It involves altering the magic circle of a common spell to suit one's own tastes, turning it into a unique spell.
It was one of the factors that distinguished a skilled mage.
In that regard, I was confident that I was the best at modified magic in my circle.
[Knowledge Acquisition Rate for all Basic Magicology +1000%]
To reiterate, modified magic is the foundation of all magic.
Not only did I have no trouble using it, but it was a field where I could literally learn ten things from learning one.
Trusting my sturdy magic circuit, I blew away the part of the Fireball's magic circle responsible for stability. The risk increased, but in return, the power of the spell with its limiter removed grew.
If I also increased the amount of magic power consumed, the spell's power could be inflated to three times that of a normal Fireball, or even more.
-Kiyaaaaa!!
BOOM!!
It took less than a second for one of the Lizardmen, struck squarely by the Fireball that flew at incredible speed, to be slammed into the wall.
A massive explosion erupted, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
I was in a position where I had to minimize my magic power consumption, but that didn't mean I was going to stick to close-quarters combat.
When I use it, I make it count.
Seeing the Lizardman with its upper body charred black, the others flinched and took a step back, but it was too late.
I hadn't fired just one Fireball.
*
[Remaining Matching Time: 138:12:47]
About six hours had passed since I entered the underground dungeon, and my exploration of the 2nd floor was steadily progressing.
Mapping was a pain, but I never skipped it.
I continued my exploration while trying to avoid combat with monsters as much as possible.
Of course, that didn't mean I didn't need rest.
As a living being, rest was indispensable.
After securing a safe spot, I activated my magic detection and had my first meal.
I prioritized speed over taste, so I considered it a satisfying meal just for filling my stomach.
While I was resting, I also meditated.
Of course, I could recover magic power without meditating, and if I was in a hurry, I could just patch it up with a magic potion.
The reason I meditated despite this was to minimize mental fatigue and regulate my brain's condition.
Magic, in the end, is a program that runs using the brain as a CPU.
If I didn't cool down my overheated computer through meditation, a situation could arise where I couldn't use magic even if I had the power for it.
After meditating for about an hour, I resumed my exploration.
I continued to use magic detection to avoid monsters as much as possible, but as I ran into more and more dead ends, battles became unavoidable.
The one silver lining was that the monsters on the 1st and 2nd Layers were of a similar level. Thanks to that, my coin balance surpassed 3,000.
With my pockets getting heavier, an item in the shop caught my eye.
[Random Dice]
[Grade: Epic (Consumable Item 3/3)]
[1: Misfortune occurs]
[2: Minor misfortune occurs]
[3: Ambiguous misfortune occurs]
[4: Nothing happens]
[5: Ambiguous good fortune arrives]
[6: Minor good fortune arrives]
[7: Good fortune arrives]
[8: ??]
[If purchased at the non-discounted price, a roll of 6 or higher is guaranteed on the first use.]
Honestly, I had no idea how much progress I'd made exploring the 2nd floor.
Time was just ticking away while I didn't even know if I was on the right path.
I couldn't help but feel a growing sense of impatience.
1,000 coins.
It was definitely an expensive price, but it wasn't something I couldn't afford.
Coins would accumulate quickly anyway, and their uses were limited.
The hesitation was long, but the decision was instantaneous.
[Would you like to purchase Random Dice?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[You have purchased Random Dice.]
[Remaining Coins: 2,150]
[Would you like to roll the Random Dice?]
[Warning! The result of the dice roll cannot be undone.]
[With the blessing of an unknown being, a roll of 6 or higher is guaranteed. 1/1]
[Y/N]
[Y]
[Fate is rolling.]
[May good fortune be with you.]
The moment I hit accept, a D8 die materialized in my palm.
It looked like a simple die, but my instincts were screaming that it wasn't.
This small die felt impossibly heavy.
I thought I could finally understand, just a little, what the app meant by "Fate is rolling.”
Still, there was no turning back now, so I rolled the die with a slightly trembling hand.
Clack-
Well, it's not like it can land on anything less than a 6 anyway, so I might as well just throw it.
The die that fell to the floor kept rolling, as if it would never stop.
It didn't stop even when it hit a wall.
Instead, it bounced off and rolled even more forcefully.
So tricks to get a high number won't work.
After what felt like hours, the die finally came to a stop.
I checked the number on the die.
As I swallowed nervously, the number that came into my view was 8.
[Fanfare!!]
[Congratulations!!]
Along with a tremendous musical flourish, a ridiculously flashy notification window I'd never seen before popped up in front of me.
The font and text size were strangely tacky, but the content within was anything but ordinary.
[You, who have proven you are loved by the Goddess of Fortune!]
[We would like to present you with a reward!]
[Would you like to receive it?]
[Y/N]
Just as I was about to press the accept button out of habit, I felt a strange sense of unease.
The fact that I rolled an 8, and that the app itself was offering a reward.
It all fit too perfectly, like a suit and shoes tailored just for me.
Of course, one could call it sheer luck, but would a mage with such good luck have been stuck swinging a sword all this time?
Nevertheless, I couldn't refuse this reward.
I wasn't in a position to be picky.
[Y]
The moment I pressed accept, the notification window vanished.
And then.
Fshaaaaa-
“...Crazy.”
The empty air in front of me was splitting apart.
This wasn't a metaphor. Space itself was literally tearing open, and beyond it, I could glimpse a void that looked like outer space.
Of course, the surreal situation, where I couldn't even tell if this was a dream or reality, didn't end there.
What looked like a person's leg emerged from the tear in space, and someone walked out with a leisurely stride.
That was right.
The one who had opened that impossible space as if it were a door was none other than a person.
“Oof-cha!”
And a crazy woman at that, with blue twintails and a bunny girl outfit.
Our eyes met.
“A pleasure to meet you, Customer Kang Hyun-woo.”
In that moment, I knew instinctively.
“I'm the reward you received, you see?”
That she was on a whole other level of crazy.
*
Meanwhile, Iris, who had been left alone in the temple, had been praying to the World Tree without a moment's rest since Kang Hyun-woo left.
The Golden Tree that was hearing her prayers was already rotten and decayed, but that didn't matter to her.
What was important in prayer was not the physical form, but the faith that welled up from deep within the heart.
Iris's faith, praying for Kang Hyun-woo's safe return, surged like a mighty wave.
As she continued to pray for hours, Iris felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
“...Hyun-woo?”
Her praying eyelids lifted.
The warmth she usually held for Kang Hyun-woo was nowhere to be found in her eyes.
They held a chill so cold it could make a passing bird fall from the sky.
Iris felt the same sensation as that time she had smelled the scent of unfamiliar women on Kang Hyun-woo.
Could this feeling be described as mere jealousy?
No, it wasn't.
This was a more fundamental emotion.
Squeeze-
Veins bulged on the back of her delicate hands, which had been neatly pressed together in prayer.