Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 5th Floor Hidden Labyrinth (1)
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The day broke.
Before heading out, I stroked Sylph and Undine to bond with them and gave the place a light cleaning.
Then, as usual, I bought some packed lunches and made my way to the dungeon.
Using the Designated Return Scroll, I passed through the 4th floor and arrived at the 5th.
After walking deep inside for a while...
*Twitch.*
Chunks of flesh clinging to the dungeon walls were stained a bruised purple.
The 5th floor's special zone. The Deadly Poison Zone.
A sweet, fruity aroma tempting explorers wafted gently from within the Deadly Poison Zone.
Staff pointed forward, I stepped inside.
The sweet scent dulled my mind a bit, but it wasn't severe.
That's when...
-*Tssst*
Six spiders crawled up from the floor, skittering swiftly along the walls.
They charged straight at me, but...
[Rank: Hero]
― Spews an endless blaze forward. Devours lower-circle fire magic.
The flames blooming at the tip of my staff turned them to ash in an instant, tumbling to the floor.
[Fierce Poison Spider defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
Spiders greeting me at the entrance meant, unlike last time with Girtas, no one had gotten here first.
I swept through the spiders and reached the inner chamber.
"Hmm."
An altar in the largest room at the deepest part of the Deadly Poison Zone.
Every set interval, the 5th floor elite Arachne respawns here.
But it was still too early for it to appear—no signs of life inside the altar.
"Good thing it hasn't despawned."
Monsters near the altar vanish right before Arachne respawns.
So they remained preserved in the state Girtas had left them.
I picked up one of the spider corpses near the altar.
To enter the 5th floor's hidden labyrinth, I needed the spider fluid that respawns with Arachne.
Then I headed to the small room farthest from here—the exact opposite side.
A plain room with no decorations, but I knew the gimmick.
Inside, I reached into the spider corpse, extracted the fluid, and smeared it on the wall.
Then I activated the hidden mechanism with True Sight.
-*Shlooop-*
Red flesh emerging from the wall sucked up the fluid, and suddenly my body felt weightless, floating.
When I came to, I was surrounded by walls covered entirely in writhing red flesh.
The 5th floor's hidden labyrinth.
Writhing entrails.
The flesh on the walls undulated as one.
The deeper I ventured, the more intense the twitching became.
Ahead, grotesque larva-like creatures mimicked the walls' pulsing rhythm.
Flesh maggots.
Spotting me, they sped up.
The nearest ones reared up their upper bodies and spat red liquid from their mouths.
Their digestive juices—and bodily fluid—could dissolve mana, causing mana exhaustion on contact.
For enchanted items, it could weaken the magic or even fully digest the embedded spells, so caution was key.
But... that only mattered if they got close.
I unleashed Hellfire ahead.
With a *whoosh-*, the flesh maggots were swallowed by the flames.
They thrashed wildly once ignited, but soon all crumbled to ash, leaving only magic stones behind.
[Flesh Maggot defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
The wall flesh caught fire too and burned away.
However, since it wasn't fully connected...
Even Hellfire, which burned everything linked, didn't consume all the wall flesh.
I collected the magic stones and pressed onward.
Like the 4th floor hidden labyrinth, this one converged all parties at the central boss room.
Burning fresh flesh maggots crawling out periodically, I reached the corridor's end, where a vast plaza opened up.
-*Huuuuh...*
At its center hung the massive form of a giant, suspended in midair.
Still breathing, so alive...
But below the neck, its flesh was rotting from wounds.
With each exhale, maggots clung to the flesh dropped to the floor.
The 5th floor boss, Garda.
An undead boss stitched from a giant already on the brink of death.
Garda's sunken eyes fixed on me.
Slowly, it turned its head clockwise.
30 degrees... 60... 120.
Reaching 180 degrees, its mouth and eyes now faced backward.
Then...
-*Thud.*
Like something snapping, Garda's head dropped to the floor.
Inside was...
"Ugh."
I grimaced at the gruesome sight.
Maggots and corpse flies poured out onto the ground.
They scanned around briefly before spotting and charging me.
-*Whoooong-*
I swiftly cast Black Hole.
The unrestricted power of 4th-circle Black Hole unfurled, sucking in the incoming corpse flies.
But before its effect ended...
-*Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.*
The sound repeated in quick succession.
Garda's body split into five pieces, crashing down.
Maggots and flies erupted madly from it.
They got pulled into the Black Hole, but it took time to reach the center and explode, so it couldn't handle the sheer numbers.
I retreated slightly into the rear corridor, lining them up single-file.
Then I targeted the narrow passage with Hellfire.
Their wings burned with a *crackle-*, bodies turning to ash and raining down.
The maggots writhed as Hellfire latched on, spreading the flames around.
Once the blaze died down, I stepped back to the passage's end and eyed the boss Garda's remains.
-*Huuuuh...*
Even limbless, it exhaled as if alive.
Its detached body was hollow inside.
As if devoured entirely by maggots.
Then, Garda's arms began to move.
Gathering its scattered pieces like prepping for round two, but...
-*Whoooong-*
Black Hole pulled them in one by one, exploding.
Once all parts vanished into it...
-*Shoosh-!*
Transparent threads like spider silk shot toward me.
The 5th floor boss, Myal.
It controlled Garda too, so this was the true boss.
Myal wove mana threads densely like a net.
But...
*Whoosh-*
Hellfire's overwhelming firepower incinerated the mana threads.
I followed with Black Hole, but...
-*Shoooo-*
It stabbed itself with threads, swiftly escaping the range.
However...
I pulled out the bloodstone from the 4th floor hidden labyrinth.
Corpse Lord Golter's black magic pulled or pushed enemies.
Infusing it with mana, black smoke coiled around my right hand.
-...?
The floating Myal got snared by the black magic.
Before it could resist, I slammed it into Black Hole's center.
It fired threads wildly in desperation, but...
Hellfire burned it threads and all.
Then it got sucked into the core and exploded.
Repeated blasts echoed until Black Hole quieted.
― Hero's Path recorded.
[! Experience massively increased.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
― Current Level: 61 → 65
Soloing the 5th floor boss brought a flood of rewards.
Even in the tough 60s where levels are hard to gain, I jumped four whole levels.
The achievement cleared, boosting Mental Power too.
And best of all...
"This came up."
I pulled out the magic tome from the final strike reward.
[Rank: Hero]
― Secret of the Brahm Family: Magic tome containing mana stone golem crafting methods.
Understanding of Golems.
This tome with mana stone golem crafting held materials for 4th-circle magic.
I'd learn it the moment I got home.
Then I moved to the treasure chest's hidden spot.
Countless drawings covered the boss room floor.
I found the one with a puppeteer, slowly following its path.
Thrusting my hand in the direction it pointed...
-*Click-*
Something activated, and the front wall slowly opened.
The new passage stretched endlessly inward.
I proceeded cautiously.
Torches on the walls ignited with each step.
Once fully inside, the entrance wall sealed shut behind me.
I advanced slowly.
The treasure chest should be at the end.
But...
"...?"
The path split in two.
A change from the offline patch?
I prepared a Designated Return Scroll just in case.
Then I took the left path first.
At the end...
-*Whoooong-*
"A gate?"
There stood a glowing blue gate I'd never seen before.