Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Level 40 (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hoo."
[Your level has increased!]
[Current Level: 38 → 39]
Four days had passed since I started farming treasure chests.
In that time, I'd gotten the hang of it, and my hunting speed had picked up considerably.
To exaggerate a bit, I'd hunted the orcs on the 3rd Floor until their numbers were drying up.
Just two more days of grinding, and it looked like I'd reach the 3rd Circle.
Once I got there, my growth would accelerate.
As long as I snagged a Special Return Scroll from the 3rd Circle Shop, pushing deeper into the labyrinth would feel a lot less risky.
I tore a return scroll and exited the dungeon.
Then I headed to the city hall and sold off all the mana stones I'd stockpiled.
Clink—
"550 platinum coins!"
Hunting through the night without elite or boss stones nets 550 coins, huh.
I took the bag of platinum coins from the clerk, Maya.
"Thanks."
That brought my total to 2,200 platinum coins.
If I sold off a few more artifacts, I could probably pull in up to 3,000.
"Oh, right, Rain! Have you heard the rumors? About the change on the 3rd Floor."
"?"
A change on the 3rd Floor?
I hadn't noticed anything... Was there some event I missed?
Seeing my puzzled look, Maya sidled closer and whispered.
"They say the orcs have vanished from the 3rd Floor of the dungeon! Even the parties hunting on the 2nd Floor have moved up... Now's your chance, Rain!"
Come to think of it, there had been more people on the 3rd Floor lately...
But something felt off.
There wasn't any event where orcs just disappear.
I'd been hunting them today, and they were still there plain as day.
Unless... Could it be my fault?
Orcs tend to avoid fights most of the time, which gives the illusion that there are tons of them on the 3rd Floor.
But their respawn time is actually pretty long.
Since I'd been taking them out every time I spotted one, to everyone else on the 3rd Floor, it must look like they've all vanished.
"I see."
I gave a small smile in response.
Couldn't exactly shoot down the messenger when she was just trying to help.
"Ah! Who's in your party, Rain? That bundle of mana stones is so heavy—you must be leveling up crazy fast!"
I don't really have a party...
She must've assumed I was with a decent-sized group because of the sheer volume I brought in.
Farming this many mana stones solo in three days would be impossible for anyone below the 3rd Floor.
"No party."
"Huh? So you recruit new ones every time?"
No, I go alone...
On second thought, no good could come from saying that.
"I'm independent."
I wrapped it up with an answer that wasn't a lie but wasn't the full truth either.
"Oh... So the other members trust you a ton, huh? They must, letting you handle all the loot."
"Yeah."
Of course they trust me.
It's just me in the party.
I finished up the chat and left the hall.
I had somewhere to be today.
"Hmm."
I was standing in front of black market merchant Beth's place.
To build the trust needed to unlock the black market, trading with her was essential.
I debated knocking but grabbed the doorknob and opened it instead.
Last time, she'd told me not to knock.
Creak—
The door swung open without resistance.
And then.
"Hey, you. Who are you?"
Beth, the black market merchant, was right there as the door opened.
"We traded last time."
"That rookie I saw before doesn't match. Body swap or something?"
"..."
What was this now?
Seeing my dumbfounded face, Beth chuckled.
"I've been around here a while, but I've never seen someone's soul bloat up like yours. What'd you do?"
"Just grew from fighting."
"That doesn't explain it. Did you grind up humans and eat 'em?"
"...Do humans make you stronger if you eat them?"
"Who knows? That's black mage stuff."
Beth made a grinding motion like she was chugging something pulverized.
...Almost pictured it.
My souring expression cracked her up; she burst out laughing.
After her fit, she stepped aside from the doorway.
"Come on in."
I followed her inside.
The interior... hadn't changed much from last time.
If anything, it was more spartan now, with hardly any items around.
"So. What brings you today?"
"I want to sell something at auction."
I pulled out the item I'd prepared.
『Artifact: Ring that Spits Out Light』
—Absorbs surrounding light for 10 seconds on use. On reuse, expels the absorbed light.』
"A ring this time?"
Beth waved her hand like she wanted a demo.
I slipped it on and absorbed the light around me.
Swoooosh—
The gem on the ring flashed briefly, then the room plunged into darkness in an instant.
The ring, having swallowed all the light, glowed alone in the pitch-black room.
I activated it again.
Flash!
Light exploded outward, illuminating everything.
Beth smirked once I'd confirmed it worked.
"Ring that Spits Out Light. Got it."
She plunked down a bag of platinum coins like last time.
"1,500 platinum coins. I'll waive the fee again?"
"..."
Like she didn't skim 100 last time.
I reached for the bag.
But Beth suddenly yanked it back.
"Oh, you short on cash? Want a side gig?"
"What kind?"
"Got your interest, huh?"
She handed over the bag, then curled her thumb and middle finger into a circle.
And jammed her index finger from her other hand right in.
"You're cute-faced and built nice—plenty of demand for that."
"..."
I scowled in disbelief, and she rolled on the floor cackling again.
...What was so funny about this? She wasn't a middle-schooler.
"I'm out."
Rip—
I tore a return scroll and left her place.
Crunch—
Frozen Spear pierced an orc's skull.
Two days after hitting level 39.
I'd practically lived in the dungeon since, and now my EXP was just one step from 40.
Of course, I hadn't hunted only orcs.
I'd cleared out so many that they really had dried up.
But I knew the layout by heart, so I swept the outskirts where people rarely went, mopping up monsters.
—Chitter!
Spotting an orc in the brush, I immediately skewered it with Frozen Spear.
Then.
[Your level has increased!]
[Current Level: 39 → 40]
[Your magic has reached a new realm.]
[3rd Circle Magic Unlocked.]
"Finally."
Level 40, courtesy of that last orc.
The 3rd Circle Shop was unlocked too.
And.
『Constellation Records Unlocked.』
[!] Insufficient mental power.
—Beware of mental exhaustion.
Constellation Records.
The content that branded this game full-on pay-to-win had unlocked too.
But it—and 3rd Circle magic—both demand a certain level of mental power.
I tore a return scroll and headed back to my lodging.
Then I pulled out the spellbook I'd stashed in my inventory.
【3rd Circle: Void Spellbook】
—Creates empty voids in the air. Pulls enemies it touches toward a central point.
Now that I'd hit 3rd Circle, the description was fully visible.
Using it seemed safer than runes, which imprint all magic directly into your mind.
With a spellbook, mana settles into your body page by page.
If mental power runs low, you can just stop midway.
I opened the first page of the Void Spellbook.
My eyes heated up as I scanned the rune-covered text.
One page. Two. Three.
The more I read, the more something stacked up in my brain.
Around halfway through.
Sizzle—
Blood trickled from my eyes onto the book, boiling on contact.
A burning stench filled my nose.
I couldn't look away.
Tranced, I turned the next page.
The char smell tickled my nostrils.
My vision went blood-red.
Still, I couldn't stop.
My mana-seared brain screamed.
The stench choked me.
Aaaagh! My eyes are melting!
I couldn't tear away from the spellbook.
I devoured the next page madly.
My brain's on fire!
I absolutely couldn't look away.
I...
"Ah."
I snapped to, and the world was crimson.
...Nearly died there.
I slammed the Void Spellbook shut.
[Trait: Pulsing Life heals damage.]
[Trait: Pulsing Life cures status ailments.]
The status window showed the soulstone fighting to save my life.
Without it, mana overload from mental deficiency would've killed me ages ago.
"...3rd Circle's still out of reach."
Gotta work on mental power first.