Chapter 79
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Floor 7 (3)
The attack from one colossal statue shakes the body of another.
One of them tumbles across the floor.
I quickly fire off Splitting Ray, aiming for the core in its head.
[Trait: Pulsing Life heals your damage.]
- Recovers 5% of max HP per second.
Thanks to Pulsing Life, my burned arms heal rapidly.
Now there's only one colossal statue left in the room.
I order my golem to leap at its neck.
At the same time, I unleash Splitting Ray repeatedly.
The statue's arm splits apart from the ray, its neck snaps,
and the golem crushes the tumbling head, shattering the core.
[Defeated Benevolent Colossal Statue.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level up!]
- Current Level: 67 → 68
[Extracting Colossal Statue circuits.]
- Current extraction rate: 12%
My level rises by one, and the circuit extraction rate hits 12%.
Colossal statues are usually placed four per altar.
Since each one boosts the circuit rate by 1%, I've cleared three full sets today.
Once the extraction rate reaches 100%, I'll instantly know their core locations, making fights progressively easier.
After collecting the magic stones, I gaze at the altar at the base of the stairs.
Altars for rituals exist across the continent, including in dungeons.
They enable various ritual magics.
I only have materials for summoning the 6th-floor boss, but I'm curious if it even works.
I slowly ascend the stairs.
After a long climb, a black altar appears at the top.
A round marker lies before it.
Standing there triggers the room's colossal statues to inflict an abnormal status.
With all the statues destroyed, it's harmless now.
I step forward without hesitation.
A status window appears.
[Perform ritual?]
[Available rituals: 1]
ㄴFive-Sliced Prophet
The Five-Sliced Prophet is the 6th-floor boss monster.
Its appearance confirms the altar functions properly.
Performing the boss summon here would spawn it in the 6th-floor boss room.
Most dungeon altars are black magic altars.
Similar ones exist in the 6th-floor boss room and the 5th-floor contaminated zone.
With the altar verified, I descend and exit the room.
Battling colossal statues requires intense movement, leaving my body quite fatigued.
I consider heading down, but I haven't seen sector 7-1 yet.
Exiting the room, I return to my entry point.
Heading the opposite way, the dungeon's atmosphere shifts.
The torches in the corridor are spaced farther apart, leaving some areas shrouded in darkness.
Sector 7-1, Worship Hall.
I proceed slowly down the corridor.
How far did I walk?
The passage widens into a massive hall.
It's filled with figures clad in black robes.
As I approach, they all turn to stare.
― …….
Every one lacks a face.
Faceless Ones.
They lack combat ability but inflict the abnormal status: Confusion, disrupting body control.
I quickly flex my arms and legs to check.
"…I'm fine."
No signs of abnormality this time either.
I raise my staff and cast Circulating Currents forward.
『4th Circle: Circulating Currents』
【Rank: Legendary】
― Creates five circulating current orbs.
With a pajijik- crackle, five orbs shoot forward, unleashing lightning.
The thousands of faceless ones in the room chain the lightning between them, burning and vanishing one by one.
[Defeated Faceless One.]
[Experience gained.]
Dozens fall in an instant, experience messages flashing rapidly.
But the gains are minimal.
After all, these aren't the main monsters here.
Then, odd movement stirs in a corner.
Something hidden among the faceless ones draws a dagger and suddenly stabs the adjacent faceless ones one by one.
Blood splatters from the third victim.
[Circulating Currents dispelled.]
[Caster: Face Usurper]
My spell is dispelled.
Face Usurper.
The main monster of sector 7-1, which hides among faceless ones, using them as sacrifices for spells and curses.
The usurper sacrifices the faceless one beside it and draws a second dagger.
It stabs nearby ones.
Its body ripples momentarily, then vanishes without a trace.
It entered advanced stealth via sacrifice.
They then sacrifice other faceless ones while hidden.
[Performing ritual.]
[3rd Circle: Grasping Hand of Dominion activated]
[Performing ritual.]
[3rd Circle: Jet-Black Flames]
Curse magic hurtles toward me.
I dodge the extending Grasping Hand sideways while using my golem to block the oncoming jet-black flames.
With spells flying continuously, there are at least two usurpers in the room.
I scan quickly, but the chaotic faceless ones make pinpointing the ritual sites hard.
If Beth were here, she'd locate them, but I'm alone.
Still, I have a method.
I channel mana and cast Black Hole forward.
[Black Hole dispelled.]
[Caster: Face Usurper]
A usurper dispels it simultaneously.
But a massive black hole forms among them, sucking in surrounding faceless ones.
I cast Black Hole twice from the start, overlapping them.
If they dispel it, just cast again.
With Dragon Heart restoration at 50%, my mana, reserves, and recovery are vastly improved.
Dispelling 4th-circle magic requires three sacrifices and takes time.
Plus, their rituals are visually obvious.
I target the blood spraying in the corner with Inferno.
Endless flames consume the spot.
[Defeated Face Usurper.]
[Experience gained.]
The first usurper perishes.
The second completes its ritual, dispelling Black Hole, but I'd already marked its position.
Lightning chains from the forward orbs, arcing through the dim room like true bolts along the shortest path.
Something charred black flies from empty air, crashing to the floor.
[Defeated Face Usurper.]
[Experience gained.]
I cast Circulating Currents again to clear the remaining faceless ones.
Just in case more usurpers lurked.
No others remain; the room-filling faceless ones dissolve into smoke.
Easier than colossal statues, but the experience is disappointing.
After collecting magic stones, I use a return scroll appropriately to exit the dungeon.
Outside, the city is dark.
Most bustling shops are closed, taverns lining the streets.
I buy a quick snack there, then use a return spell scroll.
My vision blurs, and I'm instantly before my mansion.
Opening the door,
[Spirit: Undine grows.]
- Abyssal Crystal generated instantly.
『Undine』
- Stage: 3-star
[Spirit: Sylph grows.]
- Eye of the Storm generated instantly.
『Sylph』
- Stage: 3-star
[Spirit: Ifrit grows.]
- Burning Heart generated instantly.
『Ifrit』
- Stage: 3-star
Messages announce all spirits have grown to 3-star.
I head to the backyard to check their status.
Undine leaps from the pond upon seeing me.
"Quite grown."
I murmur softly, catching her.
At 3-star, she resembles a small child.
The others have taken human forms too.
Though only about 30cm tall, they can now handle light combat.
I release Undine back into the pond and open my inventory.
[Spirit Feed (High-grade) x40]
- 10,000 Cash
『High-grade spirit feed made of pure mana. Sweet fragrance.』
I distribute the previously bought feed.
They munch eagerly with tiny mouths, then rush back for seconds.
I give one more each, pet them lightly, and enter my mansion.
Flopping onto the bed, the softness melts my fatigue-ridden body.
Uncharacteristic vigorous movement for a mage today.
I fall asleep just like that.