Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 4th Floor Reverse Labyrinth (2)
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The deeper you go into the dungeon, the more factors you have to pay attention to.
The most representative one is mental strength.
By the setting, the dungeon grows increasingly maddening the lower you descend, so building up enough mental fortitude to withstand it is essential.
For the 4th floor, a mental strength of 100—the base value—is sufficient.
But to enter the Reverse Labyrinth, you need at least 130.
Well... that's not an issue for me.
My current mental strength is 300, far exceeding the minimum.
Just in case, I activated Clairvoyance to scan my surroundings as I ventured deeper into the 4th floor of the dungeon.
- Groooan...
- Guuuh...
The groans grew louder the farther I went, signaling an increase in undead numbers.
Excluding the bone golems, the individual monsters on the 4th floor aren't that strong.
The problem is their sheer numbers.
Even now, more than thirty undead were blocking the corridor ahead.
Once you start fighting them, every undead in the vicinity comes rushing over.
A single battle means taking down over a hundred with ease.
Of course, for me, there's no need to hunt them down one by one—that's a plus.
Wooong—
As I raised my staff, over a hundred mana stones flew straight into my inventory.
Front and back of the narrow corridor. Just two uses of Black Hole netted me this haul.
"Hmm."
I hadn't even hunted much, and already another slot was full.
I'd set my Designated Return Scroll to the 4th floor entrance, so if the inventory filled up, I could pop back to the city real quick.
But I didn't want anyone seeing me use the scroll, so I'd hold out as long as possible.
Besides, even if I went back now, I couldn't sell the mana stones anyway.
It was the middle of the night outside, so the city hall was closed.
If it got desperate, I could return to my inn, drop off the mana stones, and come back... but I'd think about that when the time came.
"Hoo."
I headed toward a hidden spot on the 4th floor.
After walking for a good while,
- Woo woo...
- Eugh...
I arrived at a cemetery dotted with small stone gravestones.
A chilling atmosphere emanated from the entrance, accompanied by gloomy voices leaking out.
Transparent, smoke-like wisps floated through the air at the threshold.
Ghosts.
They're impossible to hit unless you're a priest.
They can't deal physical damage to humans either.
[A Ghost attempts to possess you!]
[Resisted due to high mental strength.]
Like possession and various other mental attacks or status ailments.
Of course, to me with mental strength nearing 300, it was meaningless.
- Kyaaa...
The ghost that failed its possession let out a final shriek and faded away.
The other ghosts, seeing this, slunk away from me.
Quick on the uptake—nice.
I stepped into the cemetery.
"Hmm."
The interior reeked of bloodstains and rotting corpses, but nothing particularly noteworthy stood out.
Still, just in case, I carefully scanned the surroundings as I advanced.
And then.
"Here it is."
At the far end of the cemetery, a massive gravestone came into view.
This was the passage to the Reverse Labyrinth, strictly speaking.
Perform a specific gimmick here, and you'd enter the Reverse Labyrinth.
The Reverse Labyrinth differs from normal dungeons in several ways.
The two most important changes are the boss's location and the escape gate's position.
First, the boss location.
The 4th floor boss sits at the center of the Reverse Labyrinth.
Radiating from that boss room are eight connected chambers.
Long corridors link each chamber to the boss room.
The eight chambers group parties that enter the Reverse Labyrinth.
As long as the central boss lives, it keeps sending undead waves into each chamber.
Break through those waves, reach the boss, and take it down—simple structure.
Afterward, step on the central platform to claim the treasure chest.
Escape... requires heading through the passage indicated by the floor in the boss room's center, where an escape gate appears.
Unlike regular dungeons where the gate is right behind you after crossing, here you must defeat the boss first before exiting.
"I can win, right?"
Challenging the boss right upon reaching the 4th floor should be fine.
I had Destruction Ray, the most destructive 3rd-circle spell.
Even with my low circle limiting its power, Black Hole was 4th-circle.
If it got too tough, I could always use the Designated Return Scroll to bail.
With my thoughts sorted, I performed the gimmick to enter the Reverse Labyrinth.
If you know it, the gimmick is dead simple.
"There they are."
Even in this somber graveyard, vivid red flowers dotted the ground.
Pluck every one you see and lay them neatly before the gravestone—that's it.
I diligently gathered and placed them.
- Pluck.
Each time I snapped off one of those eerily red flowers, droplets of blood-like red liquid oozed from the stem.
After collecting about ten...
I set them down before the gravestone.
Then, I nicked my fingertip with my staff.
Drip. Drip.
A couple drops fell from my finger before the wound closed.
...Healing faster than expected.
I stabbed my finger again, letting the floor soak in blood.
Around the fifth wound,
- Rumble rumble!
The ground shook like an earthquake.
The tremors, felt from afar, rapidly closed in.
It's here.
I quickly stepped back from the gravestone.
Then.
- Crack!
A massive maw erupted from the ground, devouring everything before the gravestone, flowers included.
The 4th floor's elite monster: Eater.
This gigantic maggot, easily over 50 meters long, swallowed the blood-soaked ground and flowers in an instant, then burrowed back to escape.
"There's more right here."
Afraid it'd get away, I swiftly slashed my left arm straight across with the staff, opening a wound.
The sharp staff tip drew blood that splattered onto its end.
The bleeding stopped quickly, but—
- Boom!
Scenting the blood, the Eater charged me immediately.
Having lost its eyes through degeneration, the Eater relied on smell and hearing.
What it craved most was fresh blood.
Especially blood brimming with mana.
- Groooar—!
It barreled toward me, drawn by the brief but potent scent.
As it gaped its jaws wide—
"...There it is."
Inside its maw, a gate emitting an ominous red glow became visible.
Getting devoured by the Eater was the way into the 4th floor's Reverse Labyrinth.
However...
"Might as well take it down first."
The Eater was an elite monster too.
Packed with experience points, and more importantly... defeating it meant its corpse vanished after a minute.
Do that, and no one else could enter the Reverse Labyrinth until it respawned.
Back in the game days, there was all sorts of griping about ladder-pulling.
But here, no need to worry about that.
I raised my staff, channeling mana into the tip.
Light rapidly gathered before it.
At the same time, the Eater leaped high, aiming to swallow me whole.
Its massive body cast a huge shadow.
But.
[Rank: Legendary]
—Fires condensed light forward. Decomposes all touched objects.
Ziiing—!
Before its body made contact, the condensed beam pierced the Eater's elongated form clean through.
Skewered like a kebab, a massive hole tore vertically through it.
- Thud!
Its hulking, holed body crashed to the ground.
Blood and flesh from the giant maggot exploded outward.
"Ugh."
Some flesh splattered onto the hem of my robe.
I brushed it off casually and approached the monster.
- Kiiiee...
"......"
Getting closer, I heard pained groans.
...It survived that?
I finished it off with Frozen Spear, a 2nd-circle spell.
Kang— Kang!
Four spears slammed down in an instant, embedding into the Eater. Only then did its writhing stop.
What used to take about ten seconds to cast now finished in under one.
[Elite: Defeated Eater.]
[Acquired item: Endless Gluttony Bag.]
[Level up!]
—Level: 49 → 50
"Oh."
Lucky drop—a high-end bag.
I equipped it to an empty inventory slot right away.
[Portable Mana Stone Pouch: 4 slots]
[Endless Gluttony Bag: 16 slots]
[Forest Giant Bag: 12 slots]
[None]
[None]
My nearly full inventory now had some breathing room.
I swung my staff to collect the Eater's mana stone too, then approached its corpse.
"A bit gross, but..."
Through the gaping hole in its body, the red gate was visible.
The corpse would vanish in a minute—no time to hesitate if I wanted in.
"Hoo."
With a short sigh, I stepped across the squelching flesh and threw myself into the gate.