Chapter 78
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Floor 7 (2)
The atmosphere inside the dungeon was a bit chaotic.
For some reason, city guards were forming teams and patrolling the interior.
Since there seemed to be more than twice the usual number of people, I decided to walk down through the dungeon instead of using a Designated Return Scroll.
- Kreeek!
The goblins on the 1st floor fled in terrified faces the moment they saw me.
This was the special effect born from the Dragon Heart's restoration rate reaching 50%: the influence of Hierarchical Order.
Thanks to it, I was able to climb up to the 5th floor without any real combat.
From this point on, the monsters no longer ran away, however.
The ones that charged at me all vanished in a single 4th Circle spell.
The same went for the 6th floor.
Pzzzt-
[Rank: Legendary]
—Creates five circulating current orbs. The current orbs transfer lightning to nearby targets. The more transfers occur, the longer the orbs' duration.
Lightning burst from the orbs created by Circulating Currents, arcing through the mass of flesh in front and chaining to those around it.
The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils, and soon, only piles of ash remained in front.
[Patched Flesh defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Invisible Steps defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
Circulating Currents grows stronger with each transfer, but its power feels lacking against just one or two foes.
However, since it automatically wipes out enemies without needing aim, I used it to clear the 6th floor.
No matter what spell I used, everything on the 6th floor turned to ash in one cast.
This was possible now that the Dragon Heart's restoration rate had hit 50%, greatly boosting my Magic Power stat.
I leisurely broke through the 6th floor and arrived at the boss room.
Whoosh- The moment my foot touched the boss room, the torches inside lit up all at once. Since only a tiny fraction of people ever reached this far, the interior was deserted. I found the gate at the far end of the boss room and stepped through it. Vmmm- A familiar floating sensation enveloped my body, and my vision rippled. When I came to again... it was a place shrouded in ominous energy. Underground Labyrinth Dungeon, 7th Floor. Twisted Temple. This floor was divided into two difficulty zones: 7-1 and 7-2. I slowly advanced into the dungeon's interior. Unknown characters were carved into the walls, but as I progressed, the characters gradually lost their defined shapes. The deeper I went, the more incomprehensible whispers filled my mind...
"...No sound at all?"
The 7th floor subjected players to constant mental attacks from the start. Normally, unpleasant whispers should have continued incessantly, but my ears remained perfectly calm. My current Mental Power was 500. Even at this level, completely resisting the 7th floor's mental attacks should have been impossible. I ran a simple test to check if my mind was still intact, but nothing seemed off.
"......"
I pressed on into the dungeon for now. Mental debuffs always came with precursor symptoms. The moment I noticed one, I could use a Designated Return Scroll to escape, so there was no real danger. As I walked through the 7th floor, I naturally arrived at the entrance to a vast room. Peering inside, a straight path stretched out as if inviting me forward, ending in a staircase at the far side. Following the stairs with my gaze, I saw an altar emanating sinister energy at the top. No living creatures were visible nearby, but in the room's corners stood four massive stone statues facing the altar. 7-2 Zone. Black Altar. I pulled the golem from my inventory and activated it. Unlike ordinary golems, this one resembled a human in size and form—a golem crafted by the Curse King. I manipulated it directly, ordering it to climb the altar. As the golem began ascending the stairs one by one, faint vibrations emanated from the surrounding stone statues. The moment the golem stood at the center of the black altar. Thud. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed as the exit was sealed by something. One of the stone statues in the corner had moved, blocking the door with the spear it held. That spear disrupted mana flow, making it impossible to fight using only the golem from outside the room. I looked up at the stone statue blocking the exit. Its eyes, easily over 10 meters tall, gleamed with red light. Soon, its mouth began to tear open wide. Thud. Thud. Thud. The stone statues began moving one by one, surrounding my golem at the altar's center. When the stone statue thrust its empty hand toward my golem, dark red energy rippled from it.
[Stone Statue grants Ecstasy.]
—Abnormal Status: Ecstasy
[Stone Statue grants Faith.]
—Abnormal Status: Fanaticism
[Stone Statue grants Courage.]
—Abnormal Status: Devotion
Dark red energy swirled around my golem, seeping into it like infiltration.
Under Ecstasy, victims start laughing like maniacs.
Under Fanaticism, they vividly sense a god's presence.
Under Devotion, they begin offering their own flesh on the altar.
Even one of these would render someone combat-ineffective, and resisting required immense Mental Power—no one should accidentally fall victim.
However, these powerful status effects had strict activation conditions.
The target had to be on the circular formation at the altar's center, and the stone statues had to be facing it.
Of course, my golem wasn't a living being, so it was immune to most status effects.
As long as ownership wasn't hijacked, there were no worries in a dungeon.
The stone statues started off invincible.
But once they moved, their invincibility wore off.
The standard altar fight strategy was for speed-focused players to mount the altar, then escape before the statues could apply status effects, breaking them down one by one afterward.
But there was a simple exploit here.
I left the golem standing in the altar's center and raised my staff.
- Vmmm
Focusing mana at the staff's tip, all four stone statues facing the altar turned toward me in unison.
But only one moved.
The others were busy imposing mental control on my golem.
Stone statues couldn't distinguish between humans and golems, prioritizing mental domination.
This let me handle the fight solo fairly easily.
Thud. The massive stone statue— a boulder over 10 meters tall—shook the dungeon as it moved. The first one to act was the one blocking the entrance. With its mouth torn open in a grin, it looked down at me. It clenched its massive fist and slammed it down without warning.
[Rank: Legendary]
—Accelerates the caster's subjective thought process.
I activated Thought Acceleration instantly, but the fist's speed was still unnaturally fast.
I threw myself sideways while casting Black Hole at its trajectory.
But the statue's sheer size resisted the Black Hole effortlessly.
Without hesitation, I unleashed Splitting Ray.
The five-pronged Splitting Ray pierced its hand, decomposing its arm and leaving a massive hole.
Yet its body was so enormous that this barely mattered.
I changed tactics.
Instead of more spells, I lightly loosened up.
The stone statue ignored the hole in its arm and swung its fist again.
Its huge body blurred with afterimages, crashing down at tremendous speed.
However, my current Agility stat rivaled a top-tier warrior of my level.
With agile footwork, I narrowly dodged the fist and lured it onward.
My target: the area around the other stone statues fixated on the altar.
Thud. Thud. Each time its fist smashed the dungeon floor, the room shook. I slipped between the massive legs of another statue. Then. Bang-! A heavier crash than before echoed as something collapsed. The statue's fist struck another statue, toppling it off balance. Dodging falling debris, I lured it toward the others. Kwaang-! Every time its fist hit another statue, they slammed into the ground one by one. Their hulking bodies sprawled, torsos shattering and heads detaching. Even the one chasing me crumbled with each collision. Three statues rolled on the floor, leaving only one standing intact, glaring down. Its body was in better shape than the others, but I'd done my part. I commanded the golem to leap at the remaining statue. At the same time. Tzeeeng-! I repeatedly fired Splitting Ray, disintegrating the hand reaching for my golem. The golem climbed its arm and smashed its neck. The statue's head crashed to the floor, splitting in half. I glanced at the other three. The ones rolling on the ground had their heads pop off and roll around before freezing. Crack- They all opened their mouths in unison. Light poured from within. I recalled the golem immediately and cast Inferno forward. Kwaang-! A massive explosion erupted as their heads self-destructed.
[Ecstasy Stone Statue defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Fanaticism Stone Statue defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Devotion Stone Statue defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
[Guardian Stone Statue defeated.]
[Experience gained.]
The timely Inferno and golem mitigated most of the damage.
I swung my staff to collect the mana cores.
[Extract Stone Statue Circuit?]
[Current Extraction Rate: 0%]
I confirmed, and blue mana circuits were yanked from the statues, absorbing into my body.
—Current Extraction Rate: 4%
1% per statue, totaling 4%.
Filling it to 100% would grant the Stone Statue creation spell.
I had no intention of making statues, but acquiring the circuits would be useful later.
Knowing the manufacturing method revealed their weaknesses.
This allowed easy destruction or exploitation of shared circuits.
I brushed the explosion grime off my clothes.
A quick check showed they were slightly singed.
If I head back down today, I should get new ones.